Free Dining Question, would love all opinions please:)

[wdwrich]

Actually it's kind of my job to predict what Disney will do in regard to promotions and other discounts.

Interesting. How so?

 

[lnh'smom]

That just isn't going to happen. If they didn't offer free dining at all to the values during that time frame that would leave them with thousands of empty rooms during value season. They aren't going to shoot themselves I'm the foot like that. September is still the height of hurricane season, so I can't see them not offering free dining during this time frame.

That's the offer that has been released to the residents of the UK. This was posted on the 2013 Free Dining Watch and Wait thread. (can't figure out how to post just this particular post - sorry)
No free dining listed for values....

UK residents, get ready for some awesome news!! Book a dream Walt Disney World holiday at selected Disney Hotels on selected dates in 2013 & receive FREE dining for everyone on your booking for your entire stay when you add your Disney Theme Park Tickets.

Valid for Arrivals January 1st-March 19th, 2013 & April 7th-December 8th, 2013

Virgin Holidays has released an exciting offer for United Kingdom residents. This dream holiday in Walt Disney World must be booked prior to 10 July 2012. You’ll get accommodations at select WDW hotels, free dining for your family, fourteen Disney park ticket days, plus Virgin Holidays customers will receive $200 in Disney spending money when staying at select Disney resorts during the dates noted above.

Note, a 5-night stay is required! Guests staying at a Disney moderate resort will enjoy the free Quick Service Dining Plan. Reserving a deluxe hotel or villa will entitle your family to the free standard Disney Dining Plan.
With a Disney Dining Plan (DDP), your family will enjoy the freedom of having pre-paid for your holiday meals as well as tremendous restaurant choices. The DDP uses an easy points system that gives your family the flexibility of dining at over 100 locations in WDW.
__________________

 

[Skylarr29]

Free dining is definately woth it. The crowds even with free dining are sooooo low you will not find that a problem. Make sure to use a site like Touring plans to work out which park is better for each day. This helps a lot with crowds.
Make sure to take advantage of the character dinners and fabulour dinners at the resorts. We loved having free dining for our past trips. We would definately plan our vacation around.

Keep in mind the sit down dinners a 18% gratuity is added to the bill with or without free dining. You can ask for this to be removed but I would be embarrassed. Check the menus for the restaurants you plan to eat at and add up (roughly) what your total would be. This will give you an idea of what you need for tips.

Also with free dining (or anytime period) make sure you make your reservations 180 days out.

That is incorrect. It is not added into the bill unless you are a party of 6 or more, or are using a TIW discount card.

 

[Marsheliz]

Op- The CM told you that free dining would be offered those dates?

That almost makes me want to jump on and book but I want to wait until I hear it from the horse's mouth and know its true...

 

[TheDisney411]

That's the offer that has been released to the residents of the UK. This was posted on the 2013 Free Dining Watch and Wait thread. (can't figure out how to post just this particular post - sorry)
No free dining listed for values....

UK residents, get ready for some awesome news!! Book a dream Walt Disney World holiday at selected Disney Hotels on selected dates in 2013 & receive FREE dining for everyone on your booking for your entire stay when you add your Disney Theme Park Tickets.

Valid for Arrivals January 1st-March 19th, 2013 & April 7th-December 8th, 2013

Virgin Holidays has released an exciting offer for United Kingdom residents. This dream holiday in Walt Disney World must be booked prior to 10 July 2012. You’ll get accommodations at select WDW hotels, free dining for your family, fourteen Disney park ticket days, plus Virgin Holidays customers will receive $200 in Disney spending money when staying at select Disney resorts during the dates noted above.

Note, a 5-night stay is required! Guests staying at a Disney moderate resort will enjoy the free Quick Service Dining Plan. Reserving a deluxe hotel or villa will entitle your family to the free standard Disney Dining Plan.
With a Disney Dining Plan (DDP), your family will enjoy the freedom of having pre-paid for your holiday meals as well as tremendous restaurant choices. The DDP uses an easy points system that gives your family the flexibility of dining at over 100 locations in WDW.
__________________

UK discounts don't have any baring on US discounts, offers and promos.

 

[TheDisney411]

Interesting. How so?

I write a weekly blog for a large travel site. My blog focuses on deep travel and air discounts for families. Free dining is one of the most popular blogs I write about during the year. I write a lot about Disney and other family friendly vacations and how to save the most at those destinations. But I also follow a lot of cruise and air fare trends. The hot topic on our blog this week is NCL's Kid's Sale Free on select fall cruises. FYI, this is a huge money saver! They usually only run this special once per year and announce the eligible fall cruise dates between March and May.

 

[khaoskat]

Ok, this will kind of probably be a dumb question...

But if they offer FD, might consider doing 2 connecting value rooms, but on that note, if it is the case, I wouldn't mind staying at a couple of different value resorts, to just experience the different ones. Is it possible to do something like that....
Say for instance -- stay 3 nights at Pop and Stay 3 nights at the Movies one (not AOA) and still get free dining?

(Reason we would need 2 connecting is we are a family of 6....and would really just like the beds vs a bed and a couch/chair for the kids.)

 

[wdwrich]

Say for instance -- stay 3 nights at Pop and Stay 3 nights at the Movies one (not AOA) and still get free dining?

Yes, but each would be a separate reservation and all the rules/requirements (minimum days, tickets, etc.) would apply to each reservation. Since you may well need to buy tickets with each reservation, the savings from free dining may dwindle.

Have you considered the family suites at ASM instead of 2 standard value rooms?

 

[TheDisney411]

Ok, this will kind of probably be a dumb question...

But if they offer FD, might consider doing 2 connecting value rooms, but on that note, if it is the case, I wouldn't mind staying at a couple of different value resorts, to just experience the different ones. Is it possible to do something like that....
Say for instance -- stay 3 nights at Pop and Stay 3 nights at the Movies one (not AOA) and still get free dining?

(Reason we would need 2 connecting is we are a family of 6....and would really just like the beds vs a bed and a couch/chair for the kids.)

No you can not do that and still take advantage of the free dining savings. You have to be booked under a Magic Your Way package, which includes room, tickets and dining, to apply a free dining discount to your reservation. If you book a a second resort package and purchase the 2 day base ticket requirement for everyone in your party, that will negate the free dining savings.

 

[wdwrich]

I write a weekly blog for a large travel site. My blog focuses on deep travel and air discounts for families. Free dining is one of the most popular blogs I write about during the year. I write a lot about Disney and other family friendly vacations and how to save the most at those destinations.

That's cool, but you are writing from an outside observer's perspective, and wouldn't have any insider (Disney) information that the rest of us could not possibly have also, correct?

 

[TheDisney411]

That's cool, but you are writing from an outside observer's perspective, and wouldn't have any insider (Disney) information that the rest of us could not possibly have also, correct?

Do you work in the travel industry? Do you keep detailed records of Disney's annual discounts and yearly estimates of resort and park occupancy rates? Do you receive a pay check for tracking historical discount information for countless travel companies? Do you have thousands of blog followers who count on your discount travel knowledge? Have you saved thousands of people, tens of thousands of dollars by giving them accurate discount information? If so, I guess I don't possess any info that you don't already possess pertaining to historical Disney discounts and when Disney might offer them.

Also, I don't consider myself an outsider. I worked as a travel agent for years and made contacts in all aspects of the travel industry, including Disney. I had a great friend who worked for Disney Marketing for years, but unfortunately left a few years ago to work for the NY tourism board. Now that I write this weekly blog for a large travel site, I have made many more contacts - you never know who you will meet at industry events and the info they will share. I get a paycheck for tracking, logging and reporting these type of discounts. I certainly don't have a crystal ball seeing into the future Disney discounts, but i've got a pretty good track record for reading this company, through the records I keep. I certainly am not saying my info is could never be wrong, but I've got a pretty good track record and have more knowledge of Disney and Disney discounts than the average Joe on the street.

I predict Disney will offer late summer/early fall discounts within the next few weeks. I think the dates will be August 18 - September 24. I think they will include value resorts in the free dining promo - quick service for values and basic DDP for mods and deluxe resorts. I predict limited FD rooms at POR and POFQ. I contend that the Little Mermaid rooms at AOA will be excluded from the FD promo. I think POR will sell out first, followed by preferred rooms at Pop and then preferred rooms at All Star Movies.

I offer no guarantee on those FD predictions, that's just my educated response from the numbers and info that I've tracked for the last 9 years.

 

[khaoskat]

Yes, but each would be a separate reservation and all the rules/requirements (minimum days, tickets, etc.) would apply to each reservation. Since you may well need to buy tickets with each reservation, the savings from free dining may dwindle.

Have you considered the family suites at ASM instead of 2 standard value rooms?

I have thought about it, but there is only sleeping room for 3 in the family room (1 double sofa bed and 1 twin chair)...and I have four children.

The older two (or the middle two) are completely able to share a double size bed (if we put their heads at opposite ends), but the other two couldn't really share a twin size sleeper chair (plus with one of them being so young 2'ish, I would be afraid he would roll off the bed)...

 

[TheDisney411]

Your posts are ridiculously pretentious. I wonder what your "thousands of blog followers" would think.

What are you talking about? The other poster asked why I thought I had any kind of inside track on predicting when Disney would or would not release certain discounts and I explained that in detail, because simply stating it was part of my job was apparently not a sufficient response and got me a snippy reply about being an "outsider" with no real credible knowledge to share. Why would my blog followers care if I share my job description or experience? Personally, I think your post was ridiculously rude and self righteous.

I come to this board mostly for my love of all things Disney and I also like helping people. Then people come in with the snippy, nasty and holier-than-thou responses and I get sucked in to responding to the cr*p. I must learn to walk away from these baited posts.

 

[disnut1149]

The late summer/early fall free dining dates were released early last year, March 3. Every other year it has been late March/early April. In 2010 they didn't release the FD dates until May. They should release the FD promo dates in the next few weeks.

This is great news!! Thanks!!

 

[NJRRK]

I have thought about it, but there is only sleeping room for 3 in the family room (1 double sofa bed and 1 twin chair)...and I have four children.

The older two (or the middle two) are completely able to share a double size bed (if we put their heads at opposite ends), but the other two couldn't really share a twin size sleeper chair (plus with one of them being so young 2'ish, I would be afraid he would roll off the bed)...

The ASM family suites have a fold out couch(double), a single sleep chair and sleep ottomon (sp?), so you do have 3 separate sleeping surfaces for 4 children.

 

[wdwrich]

What are you talking about? The other poster asked why I thought I had any kind of inside track on predicting when Disney would or would not release certain discounts and I explained that in detail, because simply stating it was part of my job was apparently not a sufficient response and got me a snippy reply about being an "outsider" with no real credible knowledge to share. Why would my blog followers care if I share my job description or experience? Personally, I think your post was ridiculously rude and self righteous.

The reply was not snippy. When you make statements such as "That's just not going to happen", it would be nice to know where you get your information. Unless you work for Disney and have real insider information, then yes, you are an outside observer and even though your thoughts on the matter are based upon your observations, they are not based on concrete evidence.

 

[theguda]

The reply was not snippy. When you make statements such as "That's just not going to happen", it would be nice to know where you get your information. Unless you work for Disney and have real insider information, then yes, you are an outside observer and even though your thoughts on the matter are based upon your observations, they are not based on concrete evidence.

When you post comments like...."Do you work in the travel industry? Do you keep detailed records of Disney's annual discounts and yearly estimates of resort and park occupancy rates? Do you receive a pay check for tracking historical discount information for countless travel companies? Do you have thousands of blog followers who count on your discount travel knowledge? Have you saved thousands of people, tens of thousands of dollars by giving them accurate discount information? If so, I guess I don't possess any info that you don't already possess pertaining to historical Disney discounts and when Disney might offer them."....I'm sorry but that does sound completely pretentious. Anyone can find historical discount information by doing a simple Google or Disboard search. It's not like the information you claim to be paid to track isn't easily available elsewhere.

Look...I'm happy you're a big Disney fan and you make some coin with your Disney blog...but anytime a response includes "do you get paid to do this like I do"....frankly, it's rude.

 

[faindrops27]

I write a weekly blog for a large travel site. My blog focuses on deep travel and air discounts for families. Free dining is one of the most popular blogs I write about during the year. I write a lot about Disney and other family friendly vacations and how to save the most at those destinations. But I also follow a lot of cruise and air fare trends. The hot topic on our blog this week is NCL's Kid's Sale Free on select fall cruises. FYI, this is a huge money saver! They usually only run this special once per year and announce the eligible fall cruise dates between March and May.

Cool, I saw that but I am leaving the kids at home, for my Breakaway sailing in December. The kiddos get Disney with Free Dining in Sept, I get the Breakaway in December!

But, people please..

Can we drop the semantics here. I believe everyone is getting ruffled in their feathers waiting for free dining to come out, which will. I am pretty sure it will be the dates Disney411 said, so let's just keep it nice..Thanks people, does everyone have most of their ADR's figured out yet? I have 6 out of 7. I am having such a hard time deciding on the last days dinner.

 

[black562]

I, like other posters have closely followed trends for many years, and they're quite predictable. There are alot of folks around here with good insight.

I'm seeing free dining being released for late summer, around August 24th, and ending the last week of September (it could start on the 18th to match the bounceback, but the 24th seems to be where it's leaning). I don't see any indications that values would be excluded. Incidentally, the bounceback offer from last fall didn't have values listed; however, if you called they would let you book them. I am looking at around April 25th for release to Disney Visa holders.

Historic Patterns for fall free dining offers offered to Disney visa holders.

2006 - Booking started April 1
2007 - Booking started April 9
2008 - Booking started April 7
2009 - Booking started March 30
2010 - Booking Started April 29
2011 - Booking Started April 28
2012 - Booking Started March 1

 

[NJRRK]

Test

Man, I didn't there was gonna be a test. Lol.