One of the first things I look for when Disney says “free food” is whether or not Fort Wilderness (even the cabins) are included. Unfortunately, it does not appear that they are in the 2019 promotion announced today. Basically the deal is this – make your reservation by February 10 at certain resorts for stays from July 5-September 30, and either a full dining plan or a quick-service plan is included. The catch is that you must pay full price for the room, and get at least a 4-day park hopper for all in your group. So, here’s a comparison for one week August 18-25 for the prices that came up today (January 2, 2019). Note that prices change frequently.

Option #1 (2019 Free Food deal)

Each of these includes:

• seven nights in a standard room for four guests age 10 and over
• a four-day park hopper (package allows for more days, but not less)
• quick-service dining plan. The quick-service dining plan includes two quick-service meals per day, two snacks per day, and a refillable drink mug. Quick-services meals are counter service, and snacks are typically popcorn, fruit, or a small dessert.

All-Star Movies: $3089
All-Star Sports: $3089
Art of Animation (suites only): $5252
Caribbean Beach Resort: $3836
Port Orleans Riverside: $4094

Option #2 (everything except free food)

Now, let’s compare that to the price of each room at a discounted (Sun & Fun) price, and then add back in the 4-day park hopper for four guests. Note that in this case, we are not required to purchase park tickets for all four days, so we could theoretically save more money.

All-Star Movies: $2869
All-Star Sports: $2869
Art of Animation (suites only): $4599
Caribbean Beach Resort: $3375
Port Orleans Riverside: $3564

So, we see that the “free food” is worth somewhere between $200 and $700 to us – the less expensive the resort is, the more our free food is worth. But do we really need four park hoppers for four days? The “free meal” option forces this onto us, forcing us into that frenzy where we feel like we must squeeze every minute out of the parks, and travel back and forth.

option #3 (no free food and one less day in parks)

f we choose a standard room at All-Star Sports, and opt for a 3-day, single ticket, instead of a 4-day Park Hopper, then our total for this time is $2174. It’s nearly $700 for that extra park day (that you could spend at the pool or exploring Ft. Wilderness) – with the Park Hopper option. If we choose this more reasonable 3-day option, then the hot dogs, pizza, and other counter food we are getting twice a day are about $900 for the week. This is about $15-$16 per meal, per person. Hmmmmm……

option #4 (Luxury Fort Wilderness Plan)

If you really want to maximize your time, your money, and your experience, then Fort Wilderness may be the place to go.

Let’s first take the $5252 that we were going to pay for the “free food” plan at the suite at Art of Animation in Option A.  For that amount of money, we can do all of the following:

• sleep six people (baby and grandma?) and stay in a Cabin at Fort Wilderness (Sun & Fun Deal)
• have four 3-day park passes (not Park Hoppers)
• rent a golf cart in Fort Wilderness for the entire week ($420)
• prepare one quick meal and one nicer meal (grilled t-bones) for the family every day for the week
• take the family of four to Hoop-De-Doo Musical Review
• eat one nice meal at Epcot
• eat one fun meal in Orlando (Yellow Dog Eats is my choice every time)
• take all four family members horseback riding
• rent bikes for all four family members for two days
• still have $300 to spend otherwise or take back home

option #5 (camping Fort Wilderness Plan)

For this plan, we’re not looking at tent camping because we are there for a week in August. Let’s look at the $2869 price for the free food option at All-Star Music (lowest price among the choices. Here is what we can do with that:

• a premium (the best) campsite for seven nights
• four three-day park passes
• rent a golf cart in Fort Wilderness for the three days ($210)
• prepare one quick meal and one nicer meal (grilled t-bones) for the family every day for the week
• eat one fun meal in Orlando (Yellow Dog Eats is my choice every time)
• rent bikes for all four family members for two days
• eat one nice meal in Epcot (with family)

Now, this last scenario assumes you already have access to a travel trailer or RV or similar. If not, very nice travel trailers start at about $630 from various companies in Orlando. And yes, they deliver and set up.

The winner for me is Option #5. But obviously, I think I would still choose Fort Wilderness even if all else were equal. In summary, this deal may be good for you if you don’t care to prepare any meals (even sandwiches), and you are one who has looked very deep into your heart and decided that four whole days in the park is really working for your sanity.