Free Dining??

[courtney881]

Any speculation about free dining in September?

 

[maryj11]

We have gone in September several times and they have had free dining . So yes most likely they will have free dining they always do unless for some reason they decide to change it this year

 

[minniemous]

I agree they have had it in the past and I hope they keep it up because I am waiting for that offer too except for October/November and a PIN offer would be nice!

 

[MichVick]

we got it last sept - and hoping that Sept 2015 will offer one as well

 

[suz_cute]

I don't think FD in the fall will be discontinued anytime soon. This question comes up every year, and free dining soon follows. During fall hurricane season, Disney used to experience a big lull in crowds and the parks were virtually empty. Virtually empty isn't good for Disney, so they started these FD promotions during that time. There are really no true slow periods anymore, like 10-15 years ago. This is how Disney wants it, and I believe it will stay.

 

[courtney881]

Thanks for the feedback!
Any idea when they will put it out? Would love to plan a trip for September, but waiting to see about FD.

 

[flortlebap]

I managed to get FD with my UK booking for September so I can't see any reason for it not being rolled out for the US folk too!

 

[scard192]

Thanks for the feedback!
Any idea when they will put it out? Would love to plan a trip for September, but waiting to see about FD.

Last year the GP offer for September FD was released on May 9th.

 

[Mommy2Corinne]

Ugh. I hate free dining. I really wish they would cancel this promotion. We go in Sept often, and the restaurants are packed with people who normally wouldn't be at a TS restaurant at all, which leads to rushed dining experiences for everyone, mediocre food, and crabby and overwhelmed waitstaff.

There has got to be a better promo they can offer that would get guests to visit in the fall (not that I personally want more people there, lol).

 

[tink&her2boys]

Ugh. I hate free dining. I really wish they would cancel this promotion. We go in Sept often, and the restaurants are packed with people who normally wouldn't be at a TS restaurant at all, which leads to rushed dining experiences for everyone, mediocre food, and crabby and overwhelmed waitstaff.

There has got to be a better promo they can offer that would get guests to visit in the fall (not that I personally want more people there, lol).

Maybe go another time of year? This is the only way we get to go. I refuse to pay for the dining plan since we normally don't eat that much food, but we do enjoy the TS meals. The free dining discount is a waaay better discount for my family than any PIN code. It's a win win situation for us...free dining and low crowds. Sorry but saying you wish they would cancel free dining and you hate it for selfish reasons really rubs me wrong. I've never posted anything negative before on the DIS but had to respond to this post

 

[Mommy2Corinne]

Maybe go another time of year? This is the only way we get to go. I refuse to pay for the dining plan since we normally don't eat that much food, but we do enjoy the TS meals. The free dining discount is a waaay better discount for my family than any PIN code. It's a win win situation for us...free dining and low crowds. Sorry but saying you wish they would cancel free dining and you hate it for selfish reasons really rubs me wrong. I've never posted anything negative before on the DIS but had to respond to this post

Well, no offense, but I don't really care that it rubs you the wrong way. It's how I feel, and I am certainly entitled to my opinion.

I also know that I am not alone in my belief that free dining is a terrible promotion.

And, FWIW, if you "don't eat much food" you really might want to crunch the numbers to see if free dining is really the great deal you think if is or if a PIN or good discount might save you much more money.

Oh, and the reason we go in Sept is because we loathe crowds. So while it's not ideal by any means (hot, rainy, and humid, we have to take our oldest out of school if she wants to go with us, and there are often refurbs and less CM staffing) it is what works best for us because of the chance of lower crowds.

 

[PaulaVonSchweetz]

Well, no offense, but I don't really care that it rubs you the wrong way. It's how I feel, and I am certainly entitled to my opinion.

I also know that I am not alone in my belief that free dining is a terrible promotion.

And, FWIW, if you "don't eat much food" you really might want to crunch the numbers to see if free dining is really the great deal you think if is or if a PIN or good discount might save you much more money.

Oh, and the reason we go in Sept is because we loathe crowds. So while it's not ideal by any means (hot, rainy, and humid, we have to take our oldest out of school if she wants to go with us, and there are often refurbs and less CM staffing) it is what works best for us because of the chance of lower crowds.

The free dining promotion brings crowds in, so while the lower crowds you enjoyed in the past were working for you and making your experience even better, this deal for people who maybe wouldn't normally be able to afford this type of trip or eat in in the TS restaurants will lure them in. It's just a fact.
I'm a DVC member and therefore don't qualify for free dining, but I don't mind seeing people enjoying themselves while I'm there in the fall. I just simply refuse to let slightly higher crowd levels ruin my trip. Ever.
Maybe I've just got pixie dust flowing through my veins.

 

[csmith041177]

We really really really hope so! We need it to make our budget work!

 

[Mommy2Corinne]

The free dining promotion brings crowds in, so while the lower crowds you enjoyed in the past were working for you and making your experience even better, this deal for people who maybe wouldn't normally be able to afford this type of trip or eat in in the TS restaurants will lure them in. It's just a fact.

I know. Which is obviously one of the reasons I personally don't like free dining, lol.

Selfish of me? Maybe. But on the flip side, I think it's a bit selfish for people who normally can't or don't want to pay to eat at a TS restaurant to overcrowd, use up all the ADRs, and make the overall dining experience less pleasant for those people who *are* willing to pay.

Ultimately, it doesn't really matter what I think. Because you're right...it lures crowds in. Plenty of people "think" free dining is a good deal, so Disney will continue to offer it (as it doesn't cost them much to do so).

 

[Disneylover99]

Plenty of people "think" free dining is a good deal, so Disney will continue to offer it (as it doesn't cost them much to do so).

It's an excellent deal for families of four.

 

[Mommy2Corinne]

It's an excellent deal for families of four.

It totally depends on the particular family and the type of resort they are staying at. I definitely don't think that's true in all cases.

 

[Disneylover99]

It totally depends on the particular family and the type of resort they are staying at. I definitely don't think that's true in all cases.

Values and moderates for sure. Deluxe, maybe.....it depends on what kind of room discount you can get.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Ugh. I hate free dining. I really wish they would cancel this promotion. We go in Sept often, and the restaurants are packed with people who normally wouldn't be at a TS restaurant at all, which leads to rushed dining experiences for everyone, mediocre food, and crabby and overwhelmed waitstaff.

There has got to be a better promo they can offer that would get guests to visit in the fall (not that I personally want more people there, lol).

I agree. The "free" dining promotions have severely dumbed down the overall dining experiences at WDW and greatly increased their OOP costs, so as to make the "free" dining appear better than it actually is. Hope they go back to no "free" dining at some point.

 

[DLM1980]

My bounceback offer last October was for free dining between the end of August - September 29th so if I had to bet, it will be around the same time

 

[Mommy2Corinne]

Values and moderates for sure. Deluxe, maybe.....it depends on what kind of room discount you can get.

Respectfully, I still think this statement is too broad. I've crunched the numbers various ways. A good PIN/discount offer is often a better option. It depends on the type of family and where/how much they would normally eat. (This is especially true since they changed the free dining option to CS for people staying at values.)

As my husband always tells me, just because something's on sale, it isn't always a good deal...especially if you weren't planning on buying it anyway.