Best time to go?

[KelsiesMommy]

Hi everyone! I'm planning our very first trip to WDW! So excited! We're looking at late Sept-Oct 2007. But I need some help pinning down a start date, and how long we should go for.

If I go on the loose assumption that Free Dining will become available next year as it has this year, what is the last day for that to apply? In other words, based on that, what should my latest start date be to still get in on free Dining for our whole trip? Also, as long as the first day of our trip is in Value season, the whole trip is priced as such, correct? So as long as we start our trip by Oct 3, we should be good, right?

Thanks!!

 

[WI_DisneyFan]

My DW and I are planning a trip around the same time next year. We were originally going to go end of November/beginning of December. But we too are tempted by the possibility of free dining. We were able to experience that on our honeymoon last year, and it really helped us stretch our Disney dollar that much more.

Anyway, I believe the free dining ends this year at the end of September. So I'm guessing there's a good chance it'll be the same next year (if offered). We are planning on arriving Sept 22 and staying until the following Sunday. I don't know how much the Epcot Food and Wine Festival increases attendance, but that is starting September 29 this year. So part of the reason we chose the week we did is to try and avoid that. Of course, that plan could backfire if they decided to hold it a week earlier next year. Also, we wanted to get as late into September as we could to try and avoid the scorching heat of August.

And yes, you are correct that the rate season that you start off in will be your rate season your entire stay.