Does Universal Orlando have a free dining plan deal for hotel guests like Walt Disney World has offered?
Not exactly - but Universal does have a dining deal that might be better for many families. It's definitely a lot more straight-forward. Fans who book a four or five-night vacation package at a Universal Orlando hotel can get a free dining card worth up to $1,000 for use during their stay.
There are no credits to track nor meal types to consider. You just get a card - loaded with $300 to $1,000, depending upon the hotel and number of nights you book - that's yours to use on food and beverages during your stay. That's the easiest "free dining" plan that I can imagine.
Book now for travel starting November 7 and through April 10, 2025 to get the deal, which is blocked out for the Christmas holidays from December 20 through January 4. These vacation packages also include a four- or five-day Park-to-Park theme park ticket, which is good for admission to Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure, with an option to add the Volcano Bay water park, as well.
You get one card per room, for the following values:
Remember that stays at the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel, or Loews Royal Pacific Resort also include free Universal Express Unlimited from check-in to check-out, so that means you could enjoy free front-of-line access as well as up to $1,000 for food during your Universal Orlando theme park visit by choosing one of those three hotels.
The fine print says that you must order in person to use the card, so no mobile orders. It's also not valid for room service or pizza delivery. (Again, you must order in person.) The card is valid at most Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, CityWalk and hotel locations, but not The Palm – Orlando, BiCE Ristorante Orlando, or Blondie's. You can't use it for merchandise or tickets, either - just for food and drinks.
Interested? You can get a free, no-obligation quote on this deal from our travel partner here: Universal Orlando vacation deals. (A portion of the commission on your booking goes to support Theme Park Insider, at no additional cost to you, so it's a great way to support the site while also getting a great deal for you and your family.)
If you are interested in other destinations, our partner also can provide quotes on vacations at Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Aulani, and on Adventures by Disney and the Disney Cruise Line. Visit our Book a Disney or Universal vacation page and follow the link for the vacation destination that interests you. Again, it's no obligation to get a quote, and our partner can customize a packages to fit your needs and budget.
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I haven't tinkered with this particular promotion, but in most cases, deals like these require you to pay full (rack) rates on your hotel room to get the dining deal. Disney used to do this all the time back in the '10's, and you had to do some pretty complicated calculations to determine whether the "free dining deal" was actually a "deal", and even then you had to max out the value of the DDP to come out ahead. I think the most important thing to consider here is that not only are you paying full rate on your rooms, but you're paying full price for your theme park tickets, at a time where the resort is giving out extra theme park days like Halloween candy.
As great as deals are, there's almost always a catch to them, so make sure you do all the math ahead of time before you commit to it - as always, caveat emptor!