Free dining

[GCTales]

The key thing not mentioned: "free dining" is only available if you pay rack rate on your room along with full price for your tickets. That's why people stress to run the numbers to see whether or not any offered discount on the room along with your party size and normal eating habits might be a better deal than paying Disney's FULL RACK RATE and getting "free" food (which you're actually paying for in the full rack rate in some cases).

Those with larger, older groups in the rooms often benefit from "free dining," even at the higher hotel room rate. Case in point: 2 adults, and two teens. Planning on doing a lot of character meals can be another deciding factor in favor of "free dining."

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This is key.... One year it was just my wife and I and free dining (paying to upgrade to DDP) and staying in a moderate (CBR) was better option- we wanted to do a large number of expensive sit down meals (la collier, California grill, etc). Then when we took my son on his first trip, the room discount for deluxe (AKL with savannah view) and paying full price for DDP was better option over free dining and moderate resort - lots of character meals.

 

[Spectro]

I am interested to see whether they will reduce value resort free dining to breakfast only like the uk offer if they are reducing moderate resort stays to quick service. This will definitely influence where we stay as a family of 4 adults.

 

[Spectro]

There is another free dining thread claiming that mods will be reduced to quick service for free dining. But at the moment it's just rumour.

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

Just saw this on FB posted by WDW Prep School. Don't shoot the messenger.


File this under rumor, but if it's true, I want you to be prepared if you're hoping to book Free Dining.

***** No word on a room discount yet, but there usually is one available when package promotions are offered.

Recap of the rumored Free Dining promotion:

- Release date of tomorrow (last year it was posted online around 4 a.m. eastern time).

- Value and Moderate Resorts to get Quick Service Dining Plan, and Deluxe Resorts to get Regular Dining Plan. This would be a change since Moderate Resorts have always gotten the Regular Dining Plan. Upgrading from Quick Service to Regular Dining Plan would cost $21.17 per night for adults and $3.95 per child (age 3-9) per night.

- Minimum stay of 3 nights

- Must upgrade to Park Hopper tickets (2 day ticket minimum)

- Eligible travel dates: August 21-September 30 (Disney Visa cardholders can start August 13), and some dates between November 14-December 23. As long as you check in during the promotion dates, you have always been able to get it for your whole trip.

- No word on resorts that will be included, but these have often been excluded from promotions: Ft. Wilderness campsites, Bungalows at Polynesian Village, Grand Floridian Villas, Bay Lake Tower, all 3-bedroom Villas, Port Orleans French Quarter, and Little Mermaid rooms at Art of Animation

 

[DreamalittleDisney]

Sounds like wdw are moving to the same offering UK guests get..... quick book a value before it's breakfast only!!

 

[ryguy]

Once again Disney has taken a deal people like and have watered it down to the point where it's barely worth it. Some would argue not worth it at all if you can get a room discount. The "deal" was getting free dining for the moderates, for a deluxe it's not necessarily a good deal. Another win for Disney. Another sucker punch to it's guests.

 

[Nj4mwc]

It makes sense for them to cut back on free dining since it was meant to fill rooms during slow periods and since there are no slow periods why would they discount, I don't care about the resorts so much so the values with a room discount work for me

 

[zakattack99]

It makes sense for them to cut back on free dining since it was meant to fill rooms during slow periods and since there are no slow periods why would they discount, I don't care about the resorts so much so the values with a room discount work for me

It will be interesting to see how this works out. As you said there is now no incentive to book moderates for free dinning. In fact depending on your situation booking at a value and paying to upgrade to DDP from QS could cost about the same as moderate with just QS.

For us we booked at CBR with gift card hoping for FD. Now that we are getting QS we are dropping a few of our reservations, and using our gift cards for the ones we keep. Should we have been at another mod we would have downgraded to a value and either paid the difference to upgrade or pocketed the difference and cancled our reservations.

It will be interesting to see how this promotion survives when resort categories go away

 

[JenniferS]

I am so glad we booked the Bounce Back deal last September. We are staying at CSR with the free (yes, I know it's not free) regular dining plan again for this September.

It will be interesting to see what the Bounce Back deal is this year.

 

[sublimesting]

If we already have a room and tickets can we add free dining to it?

 

[maxime29]

What's a better deal than this if your stay extends during Christmas week?

 

[xdan0920]

Once again Disney has taken a deal people like and have watered it down to the point where it's barely worth it. Some would argue not worth it at all if you can get a room discount. The "deal" was getting free dining for the moderates, for a deluxe it's not necessarily a good deal. Another win for Disney. Another sucker punch to it's guests.

Be nice if they just dropped the charade.

I for one am happy they are reducing this offer, I'll be even happier if it disappears completely. Disney Dining has suffered as a direct result of the dining plan, and free dining.

 

[Gelatoni]

Any chance free dining will carry over to Feb?

 

[Princess Leia]

Okay, I'm planning on going with friends November 24th-29th. We're planning on being in the parks on the 25th, 27th, and 28th. Would the credits from the 26th roll over onto the 28th, or would they have to be used before?

 

[Capsin4]

Okay, I'm planning on going with friends November 24th-29th. We're planning on being in the parks on the 25th, 27th, and 28th. Would the credits from the 26th roll over onto the 28th, or would they have to be used before?

The credits are a single bucket you can use at any time before checkout. You could use them in any combination on any day for your length of stay.

 

[ev01]

Anyone else having a hard time calling in? I'm just getting fast busy signals and recordings saying there are problems in the area, or all circuits are busy.

Never underestimate the Disney Fanatic on the hunt for a deal!

 

[Capsin4]

Anyone else having a hard time calling in? I'm just getting fast busy signals and recordings saying there are problems in the area, or all circuits are busy.

Never underestimate the Disney Fanatic on the hunt for a deal!

DId you try online? I had no problem, but that was at 5:30.

 

[maxime29]

Anyone else having a hard time calling in? I'm just getting fast busy signals and recordings saying there are problems in the area, or all circuits are busy.

Never underestimate the Disney Fanatic on the hunt for a deal!

Yes, been trying since 7am EST. Finally got connected and still waiting for an agent.

 

[Capsin4]

The deal is definitely diminished. We saved a ton '11-'13 with it. Now it's essentially 1/2 price park hopper for us. Still better than the room discount for us, but nothing to motivate a trip we wouldn't be planning otherwise.

 

[dmatt87]

I checked just for fun this morning. We are booked mid-May but had initially checked for the second week of September. We actually got a better price for POR Royal Room Garden View with DDP for our May trip, then I could have right now for the same room with the free QS plan.