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

[Toeknail]

I haven't used free dining before...so, my question is, don't you have to pay full price for rooms in order to get free dining? Wouldn't you save more money if you got a good discount on the room....I don't understand how it can actually be "free". Thanks

Maybe it depends on how many people are in the room. For our family of 4, the free dining offer saves about $350 over a week vs the Kids stay and play for free, which was less than the other available offer: 40% off room pricing.

 

[danielephant]

i am hopeing for free dinning this winter...it is the only way we will be going

 

[Halloweenluv03]

Hoping for free dining next year for our honeymoon, but it seems like (from everyones post on the boards) that they are not extending the free dining into October like they use to. We're going to be staying at Poly (I'm hoping) and would love to upgrade to the DxDDP. Keep your fingers crossed for us.

 

[DISNEYNY]

Subbing - I have friends going in this summer & I'm hoping an offer comes out that they can use.

 

[Monknmom]

sorry I am just learning...
so we have the DDP at a moderate for 5 nights and 6 days- your saying if we change that to a deluxe resort the DDP will be free? How would I see if this is cost affective? How would I be able to play around with the numbers do I have to have that email? How do I get the email?

 

[jediagh]

Sadly we are not going this year (2011) but have plans of going in SEP 2012 most likely staying at the Colorado Springs (MOD RESORT).

So I'm subscribing to see what changes if any occur between when we went in SEP 2010 and 2011. When we were there in 2010 there was an offer in our take home package about booking **BEFORE** 20 DEC 2010 for 2011 and getting the free dining. Will miss not going this year.

 

[englishrose47]

Sadly we are not going this year (2011) but have plans of going in SEP 2012 most likely staying at the Colorado Springs (MOD RESORT).

So I'm subscribing to see what changes if any occur between when we went in SEP 2010 and 2011. When we were there in 2010 there was an offer in our take home package about booking **BEFORE** 20 DEC 2010 for 2011 and getting the free dining. Will miss not going this year.

That is called a Bounce Back offer I believe !!! Sometimes it's room discounts and sometimes free dining !!But the Dec. 20th of booking for FD was open to the public and I booked on Dec. 20th and upgraded to DDP from QSP so from costing aopprox $220 a day for ddp I was able to upgrade for the 5 of us for 8 nights for around $350 so quite a savings !!

 

[disneyfanUSA]

That is called a Bounce Back offer I believe !!! Sometimes it's room discounts and sometimes free dining !!But the Dec. 20th of booking for FD was open to the public and I booked on Dec. 20th and upgraded to DDP from QSP so from costing aopprox $220 a day for ddp I was able to upgrade for the 5 of us for 8 nights for around $350 so quite a savings !!

Just wondering, what was the Dec 20th FDP offer? What time frame was that good for? I have been off the dining board for a while. THX

 

[IwovMickey]

So from what I have read, FD for later in the year is usally announced early to mid April? I have read so many conflicting reports on when it has been announced in the past. We are hoping to go mid Nov. early Dec. Paying for 6 people so anything would help for sure! DH says, No where else but, POR to stay!

 

[Colleen27]

So from what I have read, FD for later in the year is usally announced early to mid April? I have read so many conflicting reports on when it has been announced in the past. We are hoping to go mid Nov. early Dec. Paying for 6 people so anything would help for sure! DH says, No where else but, POR to stay!

It has kind of been all over the place the last few years as Disney has scrambled to fill rooms in a bad economy. The first few years, when free dining was only available for a narrow range of hurricane season dates, it came out later... late-April through June for travel late Aug through Sept. For the last 3 years or so it has been less predictable.

 

[gismo1554]

We're waiting patiently too! We didn't fit the dates that were available in December so waiting in hope of new dates. We have booked CSR with free dining (were in the UK) but still waiting out to see if Pop Century comes up with free dining instead. The UK offers never give free dining on Pop so may change back if the difference works for us. At the moment it is cheaper for us to have CSR with free dining than Pop with paid dining (only around $10 but hey it all helps) so guess its a waiting game?

 

[englishrose47]

Just wondering, what was the Dec 20th FDP offer? What time frame was that good for? I have been off the dining board for a while. THX

There were a whole bunch of dates and to be honest I only remember that our dates of August 19th thru 27th was in their !Actually August 19th was the first day of it after a long summer NO FD !! I seem to think it ran into October !!I called Disney on the 20th and was able to hold the package for 7 days till I could pay the deposit !!The last time I went and we got FD it was a nightmare waiting till they annopunced it and I believe it was mis April sooooo there is still time !!

 

[englishrose47]

We're waiting patiently too! We didn't fit the dates that were available in December so waiting in hope of new dates. We have booked CSR with free dining (were in the UK) but still waiting out to see if Pop Century comes up with free dining instead. The UK offers never give free dining on Pop so may change back if the difference works for us. At the moment it is cheaper for us to have CSR with free dining than Pop with paid dining (only around $10 but hey it all helps) so guess its a waiting game?

Hi Fellow Countrywoman !! My FD was just QSP at Pop and I upgraded to DDP !! They have changed the FD rules first it was all resorts ,then just moderates and deluxe (Values were QSP) Now I see it is just Deluxe with DDP the others are QSP!!!

 

[DisneyDad64]

I haven't been keep up with things lately. Has free dining been announced for 2011?

 

[vicki_c]

Free dining for lots of dates in 2011 was previously announced (had to be booked by December 2010). Recently there have been some PIN codes for free dining released to select people. Others are waiting to see if they will announce another round or not.

 

[sassyredhead]

Let me add that the PIN I received had free quick service dining for values/mods, and regular dining for deluxe resorts. This is less generous than the 2011 deal offered in 2010. We are booked at CSR (mod) for free regular dining, which I booked in August 2010.

 

[magicaldisney11]

I wonder if you can just upgrade to a regualr dining plan from the free quick service as was allowed last year?

 

[Mickey's Best-Friend]

yes, thats what I did

 

[NJDisneymom]

Free dining for lots of dates in 2011 was previously announced (had to be booked by December 2010). Recently there have been some PIN codes for free dining released to select people. Others are waiting to see if they will announce another round or not.

how would you know if you are one of the "select people" for this???? I would LOVE to get free dining for our May trip!!! Should I call to check?

 

[catne]

how would you know if you are one of the "select people" for this???? I would LOVE to get free dining for our May trip!!! Should I call to check?

You can call to check, but they are sending pin codes in emails and snail mail postcards. We got one in email from Disney Destinations...and one as a snail mail postcard at our Florida address (have a condo down there for winter use)

Anyway, as PP said, the offer is not as generous as before. However, we are booked with regular free dining at a moderate resort (booked last December.)

Looking at what they're offering for general public discounts on the Disney Website it does really look like Disney is scaling back quite a bit on the offers. Last year at this time there was all kinds of discounts available...now just a medium discount of deluxe resorts.