2011 Free Dining is Extended! New dates as of 8/3

[anorman]

Anybody hear anything yet about FD being extended past September?

I don't know if this will have anything to do with future Disney World offers for North America or not but MouseMisers just made this announcement:


MouseMisers
Walt Disney World has released a Free Disney Dining promotion for 2012 dates for UK residents only. If you live in the UK, you only have a few weeks to book this!


Free 2012 Disney Dining for UK Residents — MouseMisers
www.mousemisers.com
Travel Dates: January 1 – February 26, May 1 – June 17 and August 1 – November 18, 2012 Virgin Holidays has just released a special Free Disney Dining promotion for UK residents only. With your reservation, you will get accommodations

 

[Brandilovesdisney]

I don't know if this will have anything to do with future Disney World offers for North America or not but MouseMisers just made this announcement:


MouseMisers
Walt Disney World has released a Free Disney Dining promotion for 2012 dates for UK residents only. If you live in the UK, you only have a few weeks to book this!


Free 2012 Disney Dining for UK Residents — MouseMisers
www.mousemisers.com
Travel Dates: January 1 – February 26, May 1 – June 17 and August 1 – November 18, 2012 Virgin Holidays has just released a special Free Disney Dining promotion for UK residents only. With your reservation, you will get accommodations

If that is any indication of the North American offer - I'm guessing there will be no more free dining for 2011.

 

[Colleen27]

If that is any indication of the North American offer - I'm guessing there will be no more free dining for 2011.

The UK offers have never been particularly good indicators of North American offers. The dates and terms are often completely different.

 

[Brandilovesdisney]

The UK offers have never been particularly good indicators of North American offers. The dates and terms are often completely different.

That's good to hear - I know in 2009 the UK received the free dining offers first and then this year's September offer went to Spain first...I was wondering if this was a trend.

 

[Rumpletinker]

Well, the customer reps I spoke with didn't sound very hopeful. They said they were told that things were going to be done differently this year and that they weren't aware of any plans for extending FD.

 

[Colleen27]

Well, the customer reps I spoke with didn't sound very hopeful. They said they were told that things were going to be done differently this year and that they weren't aware of any plans for extending FD.

Look back to March & April and you'll find plenty of posts from people who were told by Disney customer service reps that free dining wasn't going to be back for any of the dates covered by last year's offer, and quite a few saying it wouldn't be offered again at all.

When you call Disney you're talking to a low-wage employee at a call center. It is like walking into your local Walmart today and asking a stockboy what the Black Friday offers will be for this year; it is so far above their pay grade that they don't have any insight that we don't this far in advance. They'll know a week or two before the offer comes out, when the schedule offers overtime and they start getting instructions for booking. Until then, you may as well be asking a magic 8 ball.

 

[Brandilovesdisney]

Until then, you may as well be asking a magic 8 ball.

 

[Rumpletinker]

LOL! Anyone have a number for a high-ranking officer in the Disney Marketing department?

 

[gismo1554]

I don't know if this will have anything to do with future Disney World offers for North America or not but MouseMisers just made this announcement:


MouseMisers
Walt Disney World has released a Free Disney Dining promotion for 2012 dates for UK residents only. If you live in the UK, you only have a few weeks to book this!


Free 2012 Disney Dining for UK Residents — MouseMisers
www.mousemisers.com
Travel Dates: January 1 – February 26, May 1 – June 17 and August 1 – November 18, 2012 Virgin Holidays has just released a special Free Disney Dining promotion for UK residents only. With your reservation, you will get accommodations

OK as a UK folk wanted to point out we always get completely different offers to you guys over there! Our free dining is only for Moderate plus resorts and is QS for Mods and Full for Deluxe. I wouldn't nessecarily pay much mind for the UK offers they've been similar for the last 3 years and Disney hasn't waivered from their US offer. Also Virgin UK has had free dining offers different to the UK WDW website quite often too!

 

[anorman]

OK as a UK folk wanted to point out we always get completely different offers to you guys over there! Our free dining is only for Moderate plus resorts and is QS for Mods and Full for Deluxe. I wouldn't nessecarily pay much mind for the UK offers they've been similar for the last 3 years and Disney hasn't waivered from their US offer. Also Virgin UK has had free dining offers different to the UK WDW website quite often too!

Thanks....good to know!

 

[DisneyMom5]

Last year the offer for extended free dining dates came out in July. If they extend dates again, I wouldn't expect the offer to come out any earlier than that.

 

[WDWisTheBest]

Too soon to be asking. The rumors usually start flowing a week or so before any official announcement and with the current offer available for booking through the end of Aug it'll probably be mid-late Aug before the rumor mill fires up about late fall offers.

I believe I understand. But, to be clear, your thought is that if there is free dining for the period in 2011 after 9/24 it will only be announced after mid-late Aug.? Is that based on what happened in 2010?

 

[Colleen27]

I believe I understand. But, to be clear, your thought is that if there is free dining for the period in 2011 after 9/24 it will only be announced after mid-late Aug.? Is that based on what happened in 2010?

There are two historical trends that are in a bit of conflict this year...

For the last few years, Oct-Dec deals were released anywhere from the last week of July to the second week of August.

But as a general rule new offers are usually released around the time the preceding one expires, which would put it at late August this year (current offer is available through 8/27).

And to further complicate the idea of predicting this year's offers based on past discounts... last year there was one exception to both trends - the extension of free dining was announced in early July, mid-way through the booking period for the early fall free dining offer. At first it piggy-backed the mid-Aug expiration date of the original offer, then was extended for a longer booking window.

No matter how you look at it we've got a little longer to wait before we start hearing buzz about fall offers. At least 6 weeks and maybe as long as 3 months.

 

[tinkerpea]

Hi I have to agree with the other UK guys that have mentioned that our deals on FD are indeed completly diffrent, I have never had a freed dining offer on a Value resort and im gutted as My boys prefer Pop at the moment of AKL WE did 3 wks at AKL last yr with free dining and as i have never looked into booking direct with Disney and getting room discounts instead of dining for a family of 3 adults and 3 kids under 9 but over 3 we saved a tone!!!!! not to mention we luckily got up graded to a Savannah view on the Arusha savannah for 2 roooms!!!!! Argh ....sorry of track a little but i still get so so so EXCITED when i think of that check in!!!!!
We always have to get 2 rooms and i love free dining we paid for the DDP the 1st time we had it and it really saves you money, I mean my kids are excited about the charecter meals for at least 6months before we go hahahaha! so we have to do them,and when we stayed on property for the 1st time in 2006 we didnt have a DDP and honestly i paid out way over 1500 English pounds just on food! and we didnt even go made on the TS places as we couldnt! but when we paid for the DDP 2 yrs later (we got married at the wedding Pavilion) and it was a god send! so to get it free something i had never heard of as i wasnt on the dis and so hadnt learnt so much as i know now!
Last yr with having the FD was honestly so stress free i loved plannoing my meals i spent hours night after night for months and drove my hubby up the wall by going on and on about the fab places to eat!!!! Im now praying a free dining comes up for this yr on a date we can do,even if we have to stay at a Value and upgrade i dont care as i want to do my 1st ADULT only Disney trip with hubby for our Anniversary......so come on FD

 

[GreatGranny]

Hi I have to agree with the other UK guys that have mentioned that our deals on FD are indeed completly diffrent, I have never had a freed dining offer on a Value resort and im gutted as My boys prefer Pop at the moment of AKL WE did 3 wks at AKL last yr with free dining and as i have never looked into booking direct with Disney and getting room discounts instead of dining for a family of 3 adults and 3 kids under 9 but over 3 we saved a tone!!!!! not to mention we luckily got up graded to a Savannah view on the Arusha savannah for 2 roooms!!!!! Argh ....sorry of track a little but i still get so so so EXCITED when i think of that check in!!!!!
We always have to get 2 rooms and i love free dining we paid for the DDP the 1st time we had it and it really saves you money, I mean my kids are excited about the charecter meals for at least 6months before we go hahahaha! so we have to do them,and when we stayed on property for the 1st time in 2006 we didnt have a DDP and honestly i paid out way over 1500 English pounds just on food! and we didnt even go made on the TS places as we couldnt! but when we paid for the DDP 2 yrs later (we got married at the wedding Pavilion) and it was a god send! so to get it free something i had never heard of as i wasnt on the dis and so hadnt learnt so much as i know now!
Last yr with having the FD was honestly so stress free i loved plannoing my meals i spent hours night after night for months and drove my hubby up the wall by going on and on about the fab places to eat!!!! Im now praying a free dining comes up for this yr on a date we can do,even if we have to stay at a Value and upgrade i dont care as i want to do my 1st ADULT only Disney trip with hubby for our Anniversary......so come on FD

Can't you just book direct with Disney online? Wouldn't you then be able to get free dining?

 

[fairytalelover]

How do you get these emails with pins for free dining. Do I need to get on an email list and who are these emails from ?

 

[fairytalelover]

Last year WDW released free dining deals several times thru-out the year. May or maynot be any more released this year but don't give up hope. Also sign up for the various Disney websites, plan trips on the disney site, order DVD, order the customized maps so you might get your name on the pin code list. Good luck!

which websites?

 

[PrincessTiffany]

How do you get these emails with pins for free dining. Do I need to get on an email list and who are these emails from ?

That's the million dollar question! Just make sure you register on all the Disney sites - WDW.com, disneystore.com, Disneyinsider.com, etc. Also, some people say they get pins when they price out trips on the WDW site and/or order the yearly planning videos, but really, there's not much rhyme or reason as to who gets the pin code emails. They are random, name specific and non-transferrable. The emails usually come from Disney Destinations.

 

[goNsoon2WDW]

Is it true that the US free dining usually follow what is offered in the UK?

 

[Colleen27]

Is it true that the US free dining usually follow what is offered in the UK?

No, just the opposite. The UK offer has been significantly different for several years now, with no free dining at all at the values, QSDP at the mods, and reg DDP at the deluxes/villas. It also comes out significantly earlier than US offers.