Does the free dining offer usually affect crowd levels at the parks?
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:veryconfu :wave:
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Effects of free dining on park crowds
- Thread starter ThinkTink721
- Start date
tigsmom
Well-Known Member
Not so sure now, but when it was first offered it did. If you don't have to pay for food that extra bit of money may mean you can take the trip (or stay longer). It also made it harder to just walk up to a restaurant and get a table and made the lines at the counter service places extremely long.
goofyfamily
New Member
This will be our third trip in September with the free dining and we have noticed that the parks are definately busier. We had gone the 2 years prior to free dining and the park rides were walk on maybe 10 minutes . This last year certain rides were even 60 minutes which we couldnt believe. I will say we had gone the last week every time of the dining and it ran in to the Columbus day holiday which I am hoping was the problem.
This year the dining dates were ending earlier so we shall see.
This year the dining dates were ending earlier so we shall see.
Nansafan
Active Member
Not sure how it affects park attendance but restaurant attendance, wow! We wanted to go to Sci-Fi Dine In at an off-time to eat lunch and since we didn't have an ADR, we were told they couldn't seat us until 9:00 PM when they had an opening. If you are going during free dining, make sure you have your ADR's.
Yeah, we are able to stay 9 days instead of 7 this year!
Maybe we'll try to eat at "off times" for our CS meals (later than 12:00pm).:slurp:
Thanks for the info.!
:wave:
Yeah, they end at the end of Sept. I think.
We are going 9/8-9/16.
What dates in Sept. will you & your family be there?
Where will you be staying?
:wave:
jjgoo
Member
I was wondering the same thing when my DW and I booked our trip for the 15th-22nd (Sept).
I am hoping that more people will be taking advantage of it in August and early Sept. around labor day.
We made some ADRs and only had a couple of problems, Le Celier (but we had problems with that in October last year), Mama Melrose and Crystal Palace (but we tried to book that for the night of MNSSHP). We had no problem getting a spot at Hoop Dee Doo for a weekend night.
My thinking is that most of the better restaurants book up anyway you just have more people making ADRs because of the free dining. Also I am sure there are a good amount of people double booking so they can decide when they get there.
In the end my hope is that since it is value season and before the Food and Wine festival or multiple days during the week for MNSSHP that the actual park crowds will be low. I'll guess we will see.
I am hoping that more people will be taking advantage of it in August and early Sept. around labor day.
We made some ADRs and only had a couple of problems, Le Celier (but we had problems with that in October last year), Mama Melrose and Crystal Palace (but we tried to book that for the night of MNSSHP). We had no problem getting a spot at Hoop Dee Doo for a weekend night.
My thinking is that most of the better restaurants book up anyway you just have more people making ADRs because of the free dining. Also I am sure there are a good amount of people double booking so they can decide when they get there.
In the end my hope is that since it is value season and before the Food and Wine festival or multiple days during the week for MNSSHP that the actual park crowds will be low. I'll guess we will see.
disneydudette
Well-Known Member
Tink... your heading down the same time as us! We're over at ASMu though. This will be our first year down during this time period and we're not even remotely worried about crowds.
I think we picked a "good week" to be honest. Theres still a good amount of availability for the package during out dates and without the package, I can book everything and anything.
I hear the biggest thing is "dinning crowds" which only concerns me in regards to CS meals. I mean think about it, when was the last time you were in a TS and saw an open table? On my last time I only saw open tables at the Hollywood Play n Vine and that was for my lunch at 11:45a. We booked ADRs as we knew, like another pp said, walk ins would be very unlikely. The CS thing scares me a little, especially at a park like AK, where options are severely limited. Luckily we don't really eat at peak times, but I'm expecting to get frustrated with this aspect.
I know the resorts, especially the values, will be busy due to the promotion but I'm not phased about that either. We just went down in January and Pop was sold out for our 2nd night. The next day we were at AK and managed to ride everest 6 times, premeval whirl twice (without getting out of the car), dinosaur, Its tough to be a bug, and the safari from 10am - 1pm.. plus have a quick breakfast.
Have a great time! We're more worried about the heat than crowds :dazzle:
I think we picked a "good week" to be honest. Theres still a good amount of availability for the package during out dates and without the package, I can book everything and anything.
I hear the biggest thing is "dinning crowds" which only concerns me in regards to CS meals. I mean think about it, when was the last time you were in a TS and saw an open table? On my last time I only saw open tables at the Hollywood Play n Vine and that was for my lunch at 11:45a. We booked ADRs as we knew, like another pp said, walk ins would be very unlikely. The CS thing scares me a little, especially at a park like AK, where options are severely limited. Luckily we don't really eat at peak times, but I'm expecting to get frustrated with this aspect.
I know the resorts, especially the values, will be busy due to the promotion but I'm not phased about that either. We just went down in January and Pop was sold out for our 2nd night. The next day we were at AK and managed to ride everest 6 times, premeval whirl twice (without getting out of the car), dinosaur, Its tough to be a bug, and the safari from 10am - 1pm.. plus have a quick breakfast.
Have a great time! We're more worried about the heat than crowds :dazzle:
jjgoo
Member
The only reservations that we wanted, but could not get were Hoop Dee Doo & Mama Melrose.I was wondering the same thing when my DW and I booked our trip for the 15th-22nd (Sept).
I am hoping that more people will be taking advantage of it in August and early Sept. around labor day.
We made some ADRs and only had a couple of problems, Le Celier (but we had problems with that in October last year), Mama Melrose and Crystal Palace (but we tried to book that for the night of MNSSHP). We had no problem getting a spot at Hoop Dee Doo for a weekend night.
My thinking is that most of the better restaurants book up anyway you just have more people making ADRs because of the free dining. Also I am sure there are a good amount of people double booking so they can decide when they get there.
In the end my hope is that since it is value season and before the Food and Wine festival or multiple days during the week for MNSSHP that the actual park crowds will be low. I'll guess we will see.
:wave:
disneytopdog
Active Member
I have gone the past 2 years at the middle and end of September. (This year Sept 16-22). The park attendance I have noticed has increased over the past 2 years, its nothing huge or unbearable. As another poster said "more worried about the heat than crowds"
I am more worried about the hurricanes than the crowd. September is such a great time of the year to go. It has spoilled me and I refuse to go any other time of the year
I am more worried about the hurricanes than the crowd. September is such a great time of the year to go. It has spoilled me and I refuse to go any other time of the year
nibblesandbits
Well-Known Member
I'm also not too worried about the crowd size. From what I hear, they should be alright. Maybe not as dead as it used to be in Sept...but definitely not horrible. (And the only time I'm worried about crowd size is when I'm waiting in line for the busses at night...since more people will be staying on property, more people will be going home on the same busses.)
As others have said though...if you haven't made your dining ressies for the month of Sept though...good luck getting any times.
As others have said though...if you haven't made your dining ressies for the month of Sept though...good luck getting any times.
Cynderella
Well-Known Member
This will be on an EMH night!
We would rather sit in a car.
:wave:
I was told last time we were there was that the only way to ensure the cars was by reservation, which we had. People w/out reservations had come up to the counter and they were told they wouldnt be getting a car. But if it's late at night you could be ok. :shrug:
I know what you mean about Sept.
Although I have only been during the summer, I think that after our trip this year, we will be set on going every time from then on in Sept.
With our family of 5, we can't beat it...free dining, less crowds & not as hot as June & July (we hope).
Our only drawback is taking the kids out of school for a week.
:wave: