Normally, here are MouseMisers, we only cover general public Disney discounts, basically a discount that anyone can book. While some may have some restrictions on them, such as limited to Annual Passholders or Florida Residents only, for the most part, the discounts are available to everyone. We are breaking with tradition a bit today, and covering a new PIN code that Disney World has been sending out for Free Dining.

Late yesterday afternoon, the first wave of PIN codes were emailed out to potential guests, we hope to shed some light on what the PIN code is offering, how you may get one, and how to use it if you do get one.

What is a PIN code?

A PIN code is a discount sent directly to you from Disney, either by email or a post card. Rather than opening up a discount to everyone, they target individuals. We wrote a fairly lengthly post about Disney PIN codes here:

Disney PIN Codes

What about the new Fall Free Dining PIN Code?

Disney World has starting sending out PIN codes for Free Disney Dining for many Fall 2013. You must check in on one of the following dates:

• August 25 – October 2, 2013
• October 18 – 31, 2013
• November 11 – 23, 2013
• November 30 – December 4, 2013
• December 15 – 22, 2013

The discount is the same as the Free Disney Dining released for September yesterday, just with expanded dates. If you qualify, you will receive free Quick Service Dining at the value hotels, free Disney Dining at the moderate, deluxe and villa resorts.

How do I use the Free Dining PIN code?

As with any other Disney discount, just call your Travel Agent or Disney directly to check on prices and availability. I might suggest Mouseketrips, they are experts in PIN codes and Disney discounts.

There are a few restrictions on this Free Dining PIN code, similar to others in the past.

• You must personally receive a PIN code. You CAN NOT use someone else’s code. If your neighbor or Aunt gets a PIN code, you can’t use it. You also can’t buy on ebay nor can someone “give” you their PIN code.
• The person who receives the PIN code must be on your reservation. If your Aunt gets a PIN code, and is coming with you to Disney World, then you can use it.
• You must check in on one of the available dates. Only your check in date matters, none of your other dates matter. So, if you check in December 22 for 10 nights, you get free dining for your entire stay. If you check in December 14, you get nothing.
• You can book up to three rooms with each PIN code. Again, the person who receives the PIN code must be on one of the reservations.
• You must stay a minimum of three nights, maximum of 14 nights, and everyone in your party must purchase a minimum 2 day park pass.
• The Little Mermaid rooms at Art of Animation are not included, nor are the campsites and 3 bedroom villas. Other resorts may or may not be included for all dates, and everything is always subject to availability.

How do I get a PIN code?

This is one of those eternal mysteries, no one really knows the answer. Disney does not divulge how to get on their “list”. Many guests go to Disney twice a year for 20+ years and never get one, and others have never been, and get several a year. There are a few things you can do to increase your chance. Basically, you need to let Disney know you want to go to Disney World, and are working on going.

I would suggest you do at least these minimum steps:

1. Head on over to disneyworld.com and log in with your Disney account. If you do not have one, create one today. Disney is moving all of their dining and other reservations to be associated with this account, you are going to have to have one in the future if you want to plan anything with your future Disney trips.
2. Update your profile, make sure it is completely up to date, including correct name, †home address, email address, etc. There are quite a few tabs there, update as many as you can, including past WDW vacations and Disney Vacation Preferences. The more info the better.
3. Request a “Free Vacation Planning DVD”. There should be a link on just about any page you go to.
4. Head over to the “Plan Your Vacation” and plan out 4 or 5 different options for your family, slightly different dates, resorts, park passes, dining, etc. Save them all to your profile. Make sure the vacations you are planning are during the time you want a PIN code for.
5. Consider booking a few dining reservations during your proposed travel dates. Make sure you cancel them in a few weeks if you decide you are not going.
6. Come back a week or two later, and plan a few more vacations, around the same travel dates, maybe with different hotels and save as many as you can.
7. Keep coming back every few weeks and plan a few more vacations and save them.

What if I don’t get a PIN code

Please note that PIN codes are usually send out in waves. So, they will target a large group, usually by email and send out a big chunk of codes, and then sit back and wait. After a few days (or more), they will determine how bookings are going, and then send out a second wave to additional guests, and so on until they are satisfied with bookings. So, if you didn’t get one today, don’t fret yet, this offer just started.

It is completely possible, and I have seen this a lot, Disney may have a PIN code for you, but for one reason or another, it didn’t make it to you. Maybe you moved, or changed your email address, or you have a really strict spam filter. Feel free, in a few days, to give Disney a call. Just ask them if they have a PIN code for you for the Fall Free Dining. They can look you up by name, address, email address, etc. Most of the time, they will not have something for you, and please don’t beg, the agents can’t add you to the list. If you are chosen, you are chosen. If not, just keep trying the tips above, you never know.

Please note, there may be a few different versions of the PIN code out there, some may be for less dates, or less of a discount. If you receive a different PIN code, can you please let me know? Thanks!

What does this mean for Fall Discounts?

While there has been precedence of Disney releasing a PIN code for a set of dates, and then releasing the same discount to the general public, it is very rare. Typically, they will release a really good discount via PIN code and book up the rooms/dates they want to book, and then will follow up later with a less attractive general public deal, which usually covers more dates, but isn’t as good of a discount. So, at this point, my expectation is that this PIN code will go on for a while, through a few waves and then will go away. We will then probably see October – December discounts at some point this Summer, most likely a room only discount, 20 – 30% off, but should cover most Fall dates, including those not included in the Free Dining PIN code offer. Please note, this is my own opinion based on 12+ years of dealing with Disney and discounts, and is not based on any insider knowledge. Think “educated guess”.

Travel Dates: September 2 – 25, 2013

Walt Disney World has announced it’s annual Disney Free Dining! This is the exact same deal that was released to Disney VISA cardholders a few days ago, but the Disney VISA card requirement is now gone, anyone can get this great deal.

Please note that in order to qualify for the free dining offer, your must check in during one of the available dates above. Your stay can extend past September 25, 2013, and you will still receive the free dining for your entire stay. You may not check in before September 2 and qualify. Availability is extremely limited, and not all resorts may be available.

• Guests staying at a Walt Disney World value resort will receive the Quick Service Dining Plan for free. Guests will be able to upgrade to either the Disney Dining plan or the Deluxe Disney Dining plan by paying the price difference. To upgrade to the Disney Dining Plan, the increased cost will be $19.00 per adult per night of your stay, and $2.84 per child. To upgrade to the Disney Deluxe Dining plan, guests will pay $63.39 per adult and $12.52 per child per night of your stay.
• Guests staying at a Disney World Moderate, Deluxe or Deluxe Disney Villa resort will receive the Disney Dining Plan included for free. Disney World guests at moderate, deluxe and villa resorts will also be able to book the “Free Dining”, and upgrade to the Disney Deluxe Dining for the normal price difference, which is $44.38 for adults and $19.68 for children three to nine per night of your stay.

Availability is extremely limited, and this offer must be booked by July 31, 2013. It appears that all suites, campsites and 3 bedroom villas have been excluded from this offer, as are the Little Mermaid rooms at the new Art of Animation Resort. All other Disney resorts, including value resorts are included in the offer.

Requirements

• Three night minimum stay
• Fourteen night maximum stay per reservation
• Minimum 2 day basic park pass per person included in the package

For more information on the 2013 Disney Dining Plans, what is included and what is not included, we have a great page you can check out: 2013 Disney Dining Plans

To book this special Disney World “Free Dining” vacation package, please contact our great sponsor Mouseketrips.

Travel Dates: August 15 – September 28, 2013

Walt Disney World has released a special discount where you can save up to 30% off of your room only reservation at select Walt Disney World resorts during the travel dates listed above, plus great savings on 4 day and longer Walt Disney World Magic Your Way tickets.

Please note this is an identical discount to one released a few days ago for Disney VISA cardholders. The Disney VISA requirement is no longer around, anyone can book this package.

Percentage Savings:

• Save 30% at Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts, Boardwalk Inn, Animal Kingdom Lodge (standard and pool view rooms only), Wilderness Lodge, Saratoga Springs, Old Key West, Boardwalk Villas, The Villas at Wilderness Lodge and Beach Club Villas.
• Save 25% at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, Caribbean Beach Resort, Port Orleans Resort – Riverside and the cabins at Fort Wilderness.
• Save 20% at  Disney’s Polynesian, Grand Floridian, Contemporary (standard and lake view rooms only), All-Star Sports Resort, All-Star Music Resort and Disney’s Pop Century Resort.
• Save 15% at Disney’s All-Star Art of Animation Resort (Family Suite Rooms only)
• Save 5% at Disney’s All-Star Movies resort, Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter, Animal Kingdom Lodge (savanna view and club level rooms), Contemporary (theme park view and club level rooms), Bay Lake Tower and Animal Kingdom Villas.

This offer must be booked by July 31, 2013.

Guests can book either a room only reservation or a package reservation including tickets and dining plans, though only the room portion of the package will be discounted. If you add Magic Your Way park passes that are 4 days or longer, they will be discounted in the package as well. The dining plan will be at full rate. Availability is extremely limited.

Please note that Disney has also released the Free Dining promotion for some of these same dates. Please check both discounts. If you qualify for both, the Free Dining is likely to be a better deal, but not for everyone.

For more information about this special Walt Disney World discount, please contact our sponsor Mouseketrips.

Travel Dates: June 4 – August 15, 2013

Walt Disney World has released special Summer 2013 room only discounts for Florida Residents, available only during the travel dates listed above.

To qualify, you must check in during the travel dates, however, you can extend your stay past August 15, 2013. Only the nights included in the travel dates listed above will be discounted. Availability is limited, though all resorts and room types are available. The savings are as follows:

• Save 20% at Disney’s Value Resorts
• Save 25% at Disney’s Moderate Resorts
• Save 25% – 35% at Disney’s Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts

Not all resorts may be included. Some may be discounted at a lesser percentage, most around 5%. The standard Little Mermaid rooms at Disney’s Art of Animation resort are excluded.

Some Sample Nightly Rates:

• Pop Century, standard location room: $114.40 per night
• Art of Animation, Family suite: $278.40 per night
• Caribbean Beach, standard view room: $147.00 per night
• Port Orleans Riverside, standard view Royal Guest room: $169.50 per night
• Disney’s Fort Wilderness, Wilderness Cabin: $235.50 per night
• Animal Kingdom Lodge, standard view room: $187.85 per night
• Animal Kingdom Lodge, savanna view room: $349.60 per night
• Wilderness Lodge, woods view room: $243.75 per night
• Boardwalk Inn, standard view room: $250.25 per night
• Beach Club, garden view room: $250.25 per night
• Polynesian, standard view room: $282.75 per night
• Grand Floridian, theme park view room: $384.80 per night
• Saratoga Springs, 2 bedroom villa: $408.20 per night

The prices above are per night, and do not include the 12.5% room tax. Some nights may not be discounted, and weekend prices may be slightly higher. This offer must be booked by June 19, 2013 to receive the discounted rates above. After June 19, this discount will be available, however, the savings will be less.

Florida Residents can also book a package that include these special nightly rates, discounted park passes and one of the three Disney Dining plans, which are not discounted. Proof of Florida Residency will be required at check in to receive the discount.

For more information or to book these special Florida Resident rates, please contact our great sponsor Mouseketrips.

Travel Dates: September 2 – 25, 2013

Walt Disney World has announced it’s annual Disney Free Dining! Currently for Disney VISA cardholders only, and only for the travel dates above.

Please note that in order to qualify for the free dining offer, your must check in during one of the available dates above. Your stay can extend past September 25, 2013, you will still receive the free dining for your entire stay. Availability is extremely limited, and not all resorts may be available.

• Guests staying at a Walt Disney World value resort will receive the Quick Service Dining Plan for free. Guests will be able to upgrade to either the Disney Dining plan or the Deluxe Disney Dining plan by paying the price difference. To upgrade to the Disney Dining Plan, the increased cost will be $19.00 per adult per night of your stay, and $2.84 per child. To upgrade to the Disney Deluxe Dining plan, guests will pay $63.39 per adult and $12.52 per child per night of your stay.
• Guests staying at a Disney World Moderate, Deluxe or Deluxe Disney Villa resort will receive the Disney Dining Plan included for free. Disney World guests at moderate, deluxe and villa resorts will also be able to book the “Free Dining”, and upgrade to the Disney Deluxe Dining for the normal price difference, which is $44.38 for adults and $19.68 for children three to nine per night of your stay.

Availability is extremely limited, and must be booked by July 31, 2013. It appears that all suites, campsites and 3 bedroom villas have been excluded from this offer, as are the Little Mermaid rooms at the new Art of Animation Resort. All other Disney resorts, including value resorts are included in the offer. Three night minimum stay required, and a maximum stay of 14 nights is allowed per reservation. You must also purchase a minimum 2 day basic park pass per person per reservation to qualify.

For more information on the 2013 Disney Dining Plans, what is included and what is not included, we have a great page you can check out: 2013 Disney Dining Plans

Please note this offer is currently only available to Disney VISA cardholders. A $200 deposit per room must be paid with your Disney VISA at the time of booking. This identical offer will be made available for all guests starting on May 9, 2013, without the Disney VISA requirement.

To book this special Disney World “Free Dining” vacation package, please contact our great sponsor Mouseketrips.

Travel Dates: August 15 – September 28, 2013

Walt Disney World has released a special discount for Disney VISA cardholders where you can save up to 30% off of your room only reservation at select Walt Disney World resorts during the travel dates listed above, plus great savings on 4 day and longer Walt Disney World Magic Your Way tickets.

Percentage Savings:

• Save 30% at Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts, Boardwalk Inn, Animal Kingdom Lodge (standard and pool view rooms only), Wilderness Lodge, Saratoga Springs, Old Key West, Boardwalk Villas, The Villas at Wilderness Lodge and Beach Club Villas.
• Save 25% at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, Caribbean Beach Resort, Port Orleans Resort – Riverside and the cabins at Fort Wilderness.
• Save 20% at  Disney’s Polynesian, Grand Floridian, Contemporary (standard and lake view rooms only), All-Star Sports Resort, All-Star Music Resort and Disney’s Pop Century Resort.
• Save 15% at Disney’s All-Star Art of Animation Resort (Family Suite Rooms only)
• Save 5% at Disney’s All-Star Movies resort, Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter, Animal Kingdom Lodge (savanna view and club level rooms), Contemporary (theme park view and club level rooms), Bay Lake Tower and Animal Kingdom Villas.

This offer must be booked by July 31, 2013.

Guests can book either a room only reservation or a package reservation including tickets and dining plans, though only the room portion of the package will be discounted. If you add Magic Your Way park passes that are 4 days or longer, they will be discounted in the package as well. The dining plan will be at full rate. Availability is extremely limited.

Please note that Disney has also released the Free Dining promotion for Disney VISA cardholders for some of these same dates. Please check both discounts. If you qualify for both, the Free Dining is likely to be a better deal, but not for everyone.

At this point, a Disney VISA is required to book this discount. You must pay your deposit at the time of booking with a Disney VISA card. We expect this discount to be released to the general public on May 9, 2013.

For more information about this special Walt Disney World discount, please contact our sponsor Mouseketrips.

Travel Dates: June 4 – August 15, 2013

Walt Disney World has released special 2013 Summer room only discounts for Annual Passholders.

To qualify, you must check in during the travel dates, however, you can extend your stay past August 15, 2013. Only the nights included in the travel dates listed above will be discounted. Availability is limited, though all resorts and room types are available. The savings are as follows:

• Save 20% at Disney’s Value Resorts
• Save 25% at Disney’s Moderate Resorts
• Save 35% at Disney’s Deluxe Resorts
• Save 35% at Disney’s Deluxe Villa Resorts

Other resorts may be included, but are discounted at a lesser percentage, most around 5%. The standard Little Mermaid rooms at Disney’s Art of Animation resort are excluded.

Some Sample Nightly Rates:

• All-Star Movies, preferred location room: $100.70 per night
• Pop Century, standard location room: $80.00 per night
• All-Star Sports, standard room: $72.00 per night
• Art of Animation, Family suite: $202.40 per night
• Caribbean Beach, standard view room: $127.50 per night
• Port Orleans Riverside, standard view Royal Guest room: $151.50 per night
• Disney’s Fort Wilderness, Wilderness Cabin: $235.50 per night
• Animal Kingdom Lodge, standard view room: $187.85 per night
• Animal Kingdom Lodge, savanna view room: $349.60 per night
• Wilderness Lodge, woods view room: $243.75 per night
• Boardwalk Inn, standard view room: $250.25 per night
• Beach Club, lagoon view room: $303.55 per night
• Polynesian, standard view room: $282.75 per night
• Grand Floridian, theme park view room: $384.80 per night
• Contemporary, Tower – Theme Park view room: $336.05 per night
• Saratoga Springs, 2 bedroom villa: $408.20 per night

The prices above are per night, and do not include the 12.5% room tax. Some nights may not be discounted, and weekend prices may be slightly higher.

Annual Passholders can also book a package that include these special nightly rates, and one of the three Disney Dining plans, which are not discounted. An active annual passport will be required at check in to receive the discount.

This discount must be booked by August 15, 2013. If you book after June 19, 2013, the discount will be available, however, the discount will be lowered, so book early.

For more information or to book these special Annual Passholder rates, please contact our great sponsor Mouseketrips.

Travel Dates: June 13 – August 14, 2013

Walt Disney World has released a special discount where you can save up to 30% off of your room only reservation at select Walt Disney World resorts during the travel dates listed above, plus great savings on 4 day and longer Walt Disney World Magic Your Way tickets.

Percentage Savings:

• Save 30% at Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts, Boardwalk Inn, Animal Kingdom Lodge (standard view rooms only), Polynesian, Grand Floridian, Contemporary, Saratoga Springs, Old Key West, Boardwalk Villas, Bay Lake Tower and Beach Club Villas.
• Save 20% at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, Caribbean Beach Resort, Port Orleans Resort – Riverside, Wilderness Lodge, The Villas at Wilderness Lodge and Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort Cabins
• Save 15% at Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort, Disney’s Pop Century Resort and Disney’s Art of Animation Resort (Family Suite Rooms only)

Please note that some resorts have been excluded from the discounts, including Port Orleans French Quarter, All-Star Movies, the Little Mermaid rooms at Art of Animation, 3 bedroom villas and campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort. While not listed, they may be discounted for some dates, but not others.

This offer must be booked by June 14, 2013.

Guests can book either a room only reservation or a package reservation including tickets and dining plans, though only the room portion and Magic Your Way park passes will be discounted (as long as you include 4 day or longer park passes), the dining plan will be at full rate. Availability is limited.

This is the same offer that was released to Disney VISA cardholders last week. A Disney VISA is no longer required to book this, it is now open to everyone.

For more information about the Disney Cruise, or this special Walt Disney World discount, please contact our sponsor Mouseketrips.

Travel Dates: June 13 – August 14, 2013

Update April 2, 2013: A Disney VISA is no longer required to book this discount. A new discount was released today that makes it available to everyone.

Walt Disney World has released a special discount, currently for Disney VISA cardholders only, where they can save up to 30% off of their room only reservation at select Walt Disney World resorts during the travel dates listed above, plus great savings on 4 day and longer Disney World Magic Your Way tickets.

Percentage Savings:

• Save 30% at Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts, Boardwalk Inn, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Polynesian, Grand Floridian, Contemporary, Saratoga Springs, Old Key West, Boardwalk Villas, Bay Lake Tower and Beach Club Villas.
• Save 20% at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside, Wilderness Lodge, The Villas at Wilderness Lodge and Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort Cabins
• Save 15% at Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort, Disney’s Pop Century Resort and Disney’s Art of Animation Resort (Family Suite Rooms)

Please note that some resorts have been excluded from the discounts, including Port Orleans French Quarter, All-Star Movies, the Little Mermaid rooms at Art of Animation, 3 bedroom villas and campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort. While not listed, they may be discounted for some dates, but not others.

This offer must be booked by June 14, 2013.

Guests can book either a room only reservation or a package reservation including tickets and dining plans, though only the room portion and Magic Your Way park passes will be discounted, the dining plan will be at full rate. Availability is limited.

A Disney VISA is required to book this trip. Guests will have to pay the deposit with their Disney VISA at the time of booking. With Disney VISA discounts, information is usually very slow in getting out to the public. We will update this information as soon as we are able to get more specifics.

This offer is scheduled to become available to the general public on April 2, 2013.

For more information about the Disney Cruise, or this special Walt Disney World discount, please contact our sponsor Mouseketrips.

Travel Dates: September 28 – November 16, 2013

Disney Cruise has announced a special on board credit promotion, as well as discounted rates for select 7-night Fall sailings on the Disney Wonder sailing from Galveston, Texas, during the travel dates listed above.

The following rates are per person, based on double occupancy:

7-night Bahamian or Western Caribbean Disney cruise

• Inside stateroom starting at $699
• Ocean view stateroom starting at $749
• Verandah stateroom starting at $899

On Board credits you will receive:

• Inside stateroom: $100
• Ocean view stateroom : $150
• Verandah stateroom: $200

In addition to the great rates, at the time of your booking, you will only pay half of the normal deposit to book your cruise.

This offer is for cruises on the Disney Wonder only, and must be booked by June 30, 2013. There are some additional restrictions:

• Must mention booking code WON at time of booking
• Government Taxes and Fees and Port Adventures not included
• Per person government taxes and fees are approximately $80 per person for 7-night Bahamas and Western Caribbean cruises (all amounts subject to change)
• Excludes categories with restrictions (IGT, OGT and VGT)
• Half-off deposit valid for categories 00T – 11C
• Deferred deposit due at final payment
• This offer cannot be combined with any other offers, discounts or onboard credits
• Shipboard credit is non-refundable and non-transferable

For more information about the Disney Cruise, or this special Galveston Disney Cruise discount, please contact our sponsor Mouseketrips.