No free dining plans off season?

Dizneykid

Dizneykid

Active Member
My husband heard that they frequently offer free dining plans off season . I don't mind if they aren't offering it. I heard they aren't doing it this year. I wanted to go when it's less busy so does that mean off season is expected to be busy? Thanks!!
 
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networkpro

networkpro

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
Yes
It has to do with hotel bookings, not park attendance. If there's a large amount of unsold rooms for a particular month, then they start offering enticements such as discounts and "free" dining. Notice the parenthetical "free" as you are paying rack rate for your room that you have the add on of a meal plan entitlement.
 
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Dizneykid

Dizneykid

Active Member
Original Poster
networkpro said:
It has to do with hotel bookings, not park attendance. If there's a large amount of unsold rooms for a particular month, then they start offering enticements such as discounts and "free" dining. Notice the parenthetical "free" as you are paying rack rate for your room that you have the add on of a meal plan entitlement.
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Thank you. So this means that Spefember bookings are higher this year? I know it's busy all year but we carefully researched the historically less crowded times so I just want to be prepared. Is it unusual that they don't offer incentives for September?
 
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sxeensweet

sxeensweet

Love a little Disney every day!! ;)
Early Fall deals are not out yet and usually are not released until late April every year. If they have “free dining” this year it won’t be released for another month or so from today. ;)
 
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Weather_Lady

Weather_Lady

Well-Known Member
Free dining is no longer "frequently" offered, nor is it typically truly "free." If and when it comes out, it will almost certainly be for select rooms at select resorts for select fall arrival dates (with blackouts), and only if you have a room-and-ticket package of a certain length, and tickets of a certain level (typically parkhoppers are required at the very least). I don't mean to discourage you, OP, but just be sure that when an offer comes out, you do the math to see if it's really going to be a help to you (and to see if there isn't an alternative room-only discount offer or other special offer that might save you more). The last time we visited during a "free" dining offer, we really only saved about $100 per person for my party of 5, by the time we'd paid to upgrade our room and tickets to be eligible. It was still a nice savings and we were grateful for it, but to call our dining "free" would have been a misnomer.
 
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D

Dave B

Well-Known Member
Weather_Lady said:
Free dining is no longer "frequently" offered, nor is it typically truly "free." If and when it comes out, it will almost certainly be for select rooms at select resorts for select fall arrival dates (with blackouts), and only if you have a room-and-ticket package of a certain length, and tickets of a certain level (typically parkhoppers are required at the very least). I don't mean to discourage you, OP, but just be sure that when an offer comes out, you do the math to see if it's really going to be a help to you (and to see if there isn't an alternative room-only discount offer or other special offer that might save you more). The last time we visited during a "free" dining offer, we really only saved about $100 per person for my party of 5, by the time we'd paid to upgrade our room and tickets to be eligible. It was still a nice savings and we were grateful for it, but to call our dining "free" would have been a misnomer.
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You really contradict yourself here, the free dining doesn't save you money, but it saved you$100 per person x 5, so saved you $500???
 
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Weather_Lady

Weather_Lady

Well-Known Member
Dave Ber said:
You really contradict yourself here, the free dining doesn't save you money, but it saved you$100 per person x 5, so saved you $500???
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Please go back and reread. I never said that "free" dining didn't save money -- I said it wasn't "truly 'free,'" in the sense that you may have to spend extra money to be eligible for it, thus making it a discounted dining offer rather than a "free" dining offer. I also suggested that other discounts might save more. Not that this topic was what the OP was really getting at, as @Nemo14 sagely pointed out, meaning my entire post was off-topic because I, too, posted without reading carefully. Perhaps you and I can carpool to our remedial reading comprehension classes together... :facepalm::oops::)
 
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DisneyRoy

DisneyRoy

Well-Known Member
Nemo14 said:
I think the OP's concerns are more about crowd size. She's asking if the lack of free dining offers means the parks are already busy, so no need for incentives .
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And it's too early to tell. The Fall discounts have not been announced yet. If the Fall discounts are announced and "free dining" is not there and it's only a minor room discount, then yes. Maybe they will be crowded. But early September is usually the slowest time of year and I would expect a free dining promotion then.
 
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gmk3855

gmk3855

Member
The free dining was added to get more people to come during the off peak time of year, September thru Mid November. For the last 4 years they have been scaling it back big time. It used to be for the whole time, last year it was only for Sept and about a week and half in Nov. More people are coming this time of year and especially in Oct so they are not offering because they don't need to. As stated by others it usually is offered late April and is very limited times and for staying at only certain resorts. They have also changed which plan you get. For moderate resorts you get the quick service plan (2 quick service meals) and at the deluxe resorts you get the regular dining plan ( 1 quick and 1 table meal). From all of the reports I have seen and heard, Disney will at some point stop giving the free dining offers because they can and people will still come with out it.

Some people who had booked a reservation last year, have already received what they call a bounce back offer to book and get free dining this year for the off peak times.
 
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