Free Dining ?

[kadesha]

When are the free dining dates usually released, and do they ever spill over into October?

[TDC Nala]

General public free dining in 2009 comprised two separate offers: one for check-ins August 16 to October 3, and one for check-ins September 27 to December 17. The second offer was different from the first offer in that if you booked a value resort, you got the quick service plan free. You had to book a moderate or deluxe to get the basic plan free.

There's no guarantee there will be two offers for 2010; there really isn't any guarantee there will even be one. But for reference, the first offer was released for booking March 26 for Disney Visa cardholders and March 30 for general public bookings; the second offer was released for booking July 24 for Disney Visa cardholders and July 27 for general public bookings.

There has already been a bounceback offer for free dining in 2010 (expired 10/24/09) with the eligible check-in dates being August 15 to September 30.

[dansyr2514]

I am pretty sure but correct me if I'm wrong but.....if you book the last day of free dining it carries over for the length of your stay. So if free dining would end 9/30 and your trip was say 9/30 - 10/6.....you would get free dining for your entire stay as long as you do not have split reservations.

[aubriee]

I am pretty sure but correct me if I'm wrong but.....if you book the last day of free dining it carries over for the length of your stay. So if free dining would end 9/30 and your trip was say 9/30 - 10/6.....you would get free dining for your entire stay as long as you do not have split reservations.

True, the problem this year though is that normally the last day to check in with free dining is on a Sat or Sun. Sept 30th is on a Thursday. When I was there last Sept/Oct I booked the free dining for Sept/Oct 2010. However, due to my job our vacations must run Sat-Sun, so I had to book the trip for Sept 25th-Oct 3rd, which means we'd only be able to catch 1 1/2 days of the Food & Wine Festival. In the past, the free dining dates fell, so that we could check in on a Sat and get the F&W Festival for the entire week. My husband says he'd rather have F&W Festival for the entire week, so we're probably going to give up our free dining ressie this year. It would be the first year, we've not used the free dining promotion since it first started several years ago.