40% off room code or free dining, which time do you prefere based on crowds

[aprhj]

I know that the free dining can some times save you more than the 40% off code based on where you stay and the number of people in your party, but based on info on the boards the free dining time frame can be very crowded at the parks. If you have been during free dining, how do you rate the crowds and are the crowds worth saving around $20-$30/day? Or due to the amount of people during free dining, would you just stay with the 40% off?

At this point I don't even know if our dates will be in the free dining window, but the same days last year were for VISA Disney card holders. So I'm just trying to gather info and opinions.

Thanks in advance for your responses!

 

[Rylee]

We went for the Free Dining last year, as a family of 6... 2 Adults, plus 2 "Disney" Adults and 1 child (oldest couldn' t join us.) It was a savings of $210 per day. We were there from Aug 23 - Sept 3.

We found it to be very crowded during the first part of our stay, and very HOT.

We have the 40% off code... and I think we'll use that this year.

 

[DznyLvr2005]

I know that the free dining can some times save you more than the 40% off code based on where you stay and the number of people in your party, but based on info on the boards the free dining time frame can be very crowded at the parks. If you have been during free dining, how do you rate the crowds and are the crowds worth saving around $20-$30/day? Or due to the amount of people during free dining, would you just stay with the 40% off?


At this point I don't even know if our dates will be in the free dining window, but the same days last year were for VISA Disney card holders. So I'm just trying to gather info and opinions.

Thanks in advance for your responses!

we go during free dining every year but we stay the last week that free dining is offererd and it's pretty much not that crowded. Though 2 years ago we took the 40% off code instead of the free dining, it worked out better for us.

 

[Mickey country]

We go during free dining each year. It would depend what resort you plan on staying at, what are your dining preferences, and how many adults you have in your party. For us, free dining is a huge savings! Crowds are okay, it is hot. Rooms are cheaper, because it is value time, so you already save on your room, and get free dining.

 

[knightje]

I go to Disney at least once a year, and decided to do free dining in '07. Personally, I'm not a fan. The dates offered are usually off-season for the parks, but the crowds at restaurants were ridiculous. Fortunately I had booked my adrs well in advance, but those who weren't so lucky seemed down-right hostile about not getting seating. Everywhere we went there were at least minor issues of people complaining from the check-in/concierge desk to the hostess podium at the restaraunts--not what I call and ideal atmosphere.

Don't get me wrong, it's a terrific deal, and I totally admit I'm a little high-strung. However I'd rather pay a little more, eat a little less and go during a more relaxing time frame.

 

[RMulieri]

I went a couple of times during free dining.The park crowds are light.heat and humidity are high.The restaurants are jam packed.If you don't like making adrs or like going with the flow and not being tied down to adrs, then free dining is definitely not for you.Walk ups at TS places are slim to none during free dining .In general if I stayed value free dining saved me a bundle.Last year I stayed at the BCv so the 40% off saved me more( I got 40% off thru AAA last year, this year only 30% but still great)

 

[skier_pete]

We went for the Free Dining last year, as a family of 6... 2 Adults, plus 2 "Disney" Adults and 1 child (oldest couldn' t join us.) It was a savings of $210 per day. We were there from Aug 23 - Sept 3.

We found it to be very crowded during the first part of our stay, and very HOT.

We have the 40% off code... and I think we'll use that this year.

Huh, we went the same time last year (8/23 to 9/1) and thought the parks were very UNcrowded...at least until Labor Day weekend itself, where things picked up a bit. Not quite as empty as the year before, when we went the last week of September. Each trip with free dining we had some days with very low crowds though. The restaurants are very crowded, the parks not so much. It's more whether the cost savings is worth dealing with the heat. I HATE the heat, but it was too much money to pass up. We are going this year in December, and so we have a 40 % off discount. Not as good as Free dining, as we are staying at a Value, but I'll take what we can get.

SkierPete

 

[chocovrdmicears]

We go every year in Sept. The last few years we took advantage of Free Dining. This year we got a 40% off code. We booked the same time we would have gone for free dining.
The crowds are fine. It is hot and humid, but we love that! We are from New England so when we go to Florida...we want tropical weather. We make our ADR's in plenty of time before we leave so the crowded rest. don't bother us. We love Sept.

 

[winterman]

but based on info on the boards the free dining time frame can be very crowded at the parks. If you have been during free dining, how do you rate the crowds and are the crowds worth saving around $20-$30/day? Or due to the amount of people during free dining, would you just stay with the 40% off?

I have to disagree on a few points:

The parks are not crowded at times of free dining. (At least relative to most of the rest of the year.) That is why Disney makes the offer. They are trying to get more people to come. We have been twice during the Sept. FD period. The parks were quite comfortable as far as the crowds. The restaurants, however, were busy.

Free Dining would save you the cost of the DDP which is approx. $40 per person per day, not $20 to $30.

Anyway, we are booked at POFQ 9/14/09 to 9/24/09. We originally had 10 nights at ASMu at the AAA rate. Then we got a 40% code so we switched to POFQ. Since our dates are within the historical FD period I am already planning what we will do if it is offered again. At this point I think we will try to switch the first 5 nights to ASMu with FD and keep the 40% code for the last 5. It only makes financial sense to us to make use of FD at a value resort, as it is only DH and I going.

 

[SonicGuy]

For whats it worth we will NEVER do free dining again. We did it in 2007 and it was a major nightmare - restaurants were packed and harried - we enjoyed very few meals. It also got very frustrating with the sheer number of people who tied up the lines at CS with not having a clue what they were doing.

Not for us.

 

[LiamsDISMom]

I have done free dining the past two years and have always thought that the crowds were really low. However, since this is the only time of year that I have gone I don't have much to compare it to. I can say though that I remember most of the time the lines were either non-existent or 20 min. max. Out of the whole trip last year I only saw one ride with a 40 min. wait and that was AK safari in the middle of the day. I agree that restaurants can be pretty crowded, but based on the need to make reservations so early the rest of the year, I would think that most restaurants during peak dinig times can get pretty crowded anyways.

 

[PoohBearFriends]

I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something. Does anyone know if there are Disney Visa specials right now?