Booked Free Dining for 2011

[SGMCO]

Disney surprised us by releasing selected 2011 dates for free dining, including the "traditional" Aug/Sep period, TODAY.

I don't know what the heck we'll be talking about next spring, because we won't be waiting for free dining to be released...

I just got the Mousesavers Newsletter now I get it. I'm thinking Disney must really be hurting. I thought that they said discounts would be less this year, but with the economy still not doing better, I guess they had to rethink this.

 

[jcarwash]

I thought that they said discounts would be less this year, but with the economy still not doing better, I guess they had to rethink this.

No kidding! When I read news reports of Disney's quarterly earnings, I read how the theme parks revenue is not growing very much or at all, and they are working to ease the discounts at theme parks. Then we see free dining announced a year in advance.

 

[AimeeMichele]

I booked for 9/24-9/28! Hopefully it's not to ridiculously hot and humid then, but hey I'll be at Disney! Honestly, I'm hoping for a 40% off bounceback offer when I'm there in October and then I'll change to going the week after Thanksgiving with the room discount. We stay at the Grand Floridian, so we end up saving a lot more $$$ with the 40% off room rates then free dining, but hey I'll take what I can get! This way, I won't stress out about needing a pin code if we don't get a bounceback while we're there in October.

 

[JerseyDisneyGirl]

I am on hold right now. I wanted to book for Sept 2011, but thought it was too early. I can't believe free dining is out over a year before! This means we get to stay at a Deluxe resort, I am soooooo excited!

 

[kyliepatriciarose]

I just booked a trip from 9/24/11-10/4/11. I am thinking about upgrading from the qsdp to the regular dining plan.

 

[MellieluvsDisney]

We also just booked next year's trip and we haven't left for our 14 days trip with free dining yet.

We booked 8 days with FD on September 3rd to September 11th and then we decided to do a 4 night Bahamas Cruise on the new Disney Dream instead of going for 14 days with FD.

We booked our trip at the ASM, and upgraded to regular dining.

So, I am all too excited about our upcoming trip on September 4th and I am looking foward to next year's trip as well.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

how do you do this? book multiple trips? or what?

The booking qualifications for free dining are a 3 night minimum and a 14 day maximum.

 

[LegoMom3]

Wow, how cool!!....a thread for those of us who actually LOVE Free Dining!! Srsly, I have seen so much hostility towards it around here....Yikes!

Anyway, if you're a family of 5 like ours and all 5 people are considered "adults" by Disney standards, the FD discount is ALWAYS better than a percent-off room discount. Trust me, I've done the math six ways to Sunday!

Disney surprised us by releasing selected 2011 dates for free dining, including the "traditional" Aug/Sep period, TODAY.

I don't know what the heck we'll be talking about next spring, because we won't be waiting for free dining to be released...

Right?!!....I was saying this to my DH yesterday, that we always head into spring with such anticipation, like "Will we or won't we" get Free Dining?!
I guess we'll all be planning out our trips in ridiculous detail by then.....

I just got the Mousesavers Newsletter now I get it. I'm thinking Disney must really be hurting. I thought that they said discounts would be less this year, but with the economy still not doing better, I guess they had to rethink this.

I read somewhere the other day that Disney's advance bookings were down by 9%. I don't know if that was as of the release of the 2011 packages or what specific time-frame it pertained to, but if that's the case, I'm not surprised at the early offer of FD.

We're going next September! CAN.NOT.WAIT....!



.

 

[SaraMc]

We changed our ressie from our paying for dining and then to the free dining and the diffrence was $831.72 for our family

 

[MickeyEars]

I added the free dining to our existing May reservation and saved $1655.00!! We go every year and I have never had free dining only a % off the room. I think the most I've ever saved was something like $365 so imagine how exciting saving $1655.00 was for me!!! We are four adults now so free dining will always be the better deal for us.


Carla

 

[inkedupmomma]

I am sick......We wanted to go the first week of May, but can only do it with free dining. Of course, that's during the blackout period.

they don't normally ever offer free dining during May anyways. So you wouldn't have got it either way

 

[shera]

we were going to go in August, but we changed our minds, and are now going May 28-June 11. Got free dining and staying at pofq.