Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel, Amee! There are many great Walt Disney World Resort Special Offers each season, but the Free Dining offer has to be the most wildly popular. I know I have a hard time turning down free Dole Whips and Mickey waffles when this offer is released!
The Free Dining offer is never guaranteed to be offered. However, it does seem to turn up in late spring/early summer for stays in the fall. You are more than welcome to go ahead and book a Magic Your Way package, which could include Resort stay, tickets and dining plan. If the Free Dining offer is released, simply call
Disney Reservations, provide your confirmation number and ask for the special offer to be applied to your reservation. Understand that all Resorts are usually not available under certain Special Offers and you may need to swap to a different Resort. My family has stayed in almost every Resort on property and we have been pleased with each one, so I am sure you could find one that fits the Offer and helps you enjoy a ton of Mickey’s Premium Ice Cream Bars!
With that said, I usually wait until a Special Offer is released before I book our stay online. I find it so much easier to play around with the offer online, comparing the price of various Resorts and room types with the offer applied before making my decision. Booking it online usually saves me a lot of time as the phone lines can be quite busy when special offers are released!
The choice is really yours, Amee. If you have your heart set on one specific Resort, go ahead and reserve your spot at your happy place. But if you can wait, I would go for the easy online booking if and when it is released. I hope this information helps you and know that I will be keeping my fingers crossed for you for a pixie dusted special offer!
Brandy