I did exactly as you said, and am a very experienced Disney visitor, and it still was a bit stressful. I wouldn't exchange the trip for the world, but the issue I understand (and we also had) was that the LACK of flexibility during free dining is the problem, not that
we weren't being flexible.
You pretty much are beholden to the times you plan ahead of time, no matter what. That was my experience last year, and from what I understand it's even more so true this year. Free Dining makes things so very, very busy and you have a very hard time changing ressies if your plans change. That means you have to absolutely decide you will be in a certain park 3-6 months ahead of time. Because the dining is so very, very crowded during the FREE promotion, I saw countless people turned away at every restaurant we visited last year, being told "in two weeks, in three weeks, is our next available reservation".
Even as well-planned as we were, we still ended up doing more park hopping than we had wished because of things beyond our control - attractions breaking down, show schedules changing, etc. We may have a ressie at MK and planned to be there that day, but if we missed something previously at AK and our only chance to see it was that day (as happened when ITTBAB went down several times throughout our trip as we were in line) that meant if we wished to be flexible we had to do some major park hopping. With a group, that can be a lot of work.
Another aspect, free dining or paid, is that most people aren't used to spending 3 hours a day feeding themselves. That is a SIGNIFIGANT part of a park day. While most enjoy the food at WDW, and you are correct that it can be a great part of the experience, a large sit-down meal
every day that takes 2+ hours, and just for
one meal, is a lot for many of us when we have a limited time at WDW and while I can get a great meal within minutes of my home it's a lot tougher to find Disney rides.
So while I'm a huge fan of Free Dining, and the Dining plan in general, I do understand how it makes for a different touring plan and can put stress on the trip that may not have been there. Now I am a planner, I love it; but I also understand the people who think it's insane to have to schedule a theme park meal six months in advance, or even before you arrive. Even the best restaurants in the biggest cities generally have a week or two wait. You and I are experienced enough to know how it works at WDW, but we must always understand that the average visitor has very little of that knowledge and having to commit to a vacation schedule up to six months in advance can be a very daunting, odd prospect.
AEfx