Epcot Food & Wine Festival - Free Dining

[tapdancer]

We have just changed our check in dates slightly for next September 2013. Our booking is very dependant on free dining being offered and I've just realised we would be checking in around the same time as Epcot start their Food and Wine Festival. What are the odds free dining would be available during this festival. Has anyone had any experience with this??

 

[Travel Mum]

We checked in on the 29th of September last year, which was the last possible day to check in to get Free Dining at the time the package was first released (they may have extended it later in the year) and the Food & Wine Festival was on at Epcot for our whole stay.

 

[raraavis]

we've actually already planned how to use all of our snack credits at f&w, so i hope they continue to allow that as they have in years past! i don't think we'll have confirmation until friday once people start going and taking pictures of the booths' menu boards.

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

In Sept/Oct 2010 we got free dining and were there for F&W Festival. It was awesome.

 

[gregpso]

We have just changed our check in dates slightly for next September 2013. Our booking is very dependant on free dining being offered and I've just realised we would be checking in around the same time as Epcot start their Food and Wine Festival. What are the odds free dining would be available during this festival. Has anyone had any experience with this??

Not trying to be the bearer of bad news but on Dads Disney page which is run by an expert.. he says Disney want to end the free dining promotion after this year. Lets face it they lose alot of money with the promotion.

Will still offer discount hotel rates from time to time. Just saying what I read do not shoot the messenger !! I hope they still do offer it for you but save up the extra money in case they do not. ( you can always spend it on something else if it is offered)

 

[tapdancer]

Thanks everyone for your insight

Not trying to be the bearer of bad news but on Dads Disney page which is run by an expert.. he says Disney want to end the free dining promotion after this year. Lets face it they lose alot of money with the promotion.

Will still offer discount hotel rates from time to time. Just saying what I read do not shoot the messenger !! I hope they still do offer it for you but save up the extra money in case they do not. ( you can always spend it on something else if it is offered)

We are currently booked onsite in the hope of free dining if for some reason it isn't offered we will stay offsite it's no biggie just didn't want our check in date near the festival to be the reason.

 

[gregpso]

Thanks everyone for your insight



We are currently booked onsite in the hope of free dining if for some reason it isn't offered we will stay offsite it's no biggie just didn't want our check in date near the festival to be the reason.

have you checked the price of Pop century.. we found it quite cheap and you have the advantage of all the perks like free pick up from airport. more hours at the park etc. IMO staying at the resort is the way to go even without free dining.

 

[Melbourne5]

have you checked the price of Pop century.. we found it quite cheap and you have the advantage of all the perks like free pick up from airport. more hours at the park etc. IMO staying at the resort is the way to go even without free dining.

There is certainly an advantage at Wdw to stay at on site hotels. The full immersion, transfers, transport system and proximity are a big winner from our experience.

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Melbourne 5's reasons are all exactly my thoughts. My favourite being the "immersion" into all things Disney. I love not having to leave my little bubble.

 

[Travel Mum]

Tapdancer has a family of five so, if they stayed at POP, they'd need two rooms which works out more $$ than one room at POR where they are booked. Trust me, as another family of five, I am very aware of the limitations we have at WDW!

 

[tapdancer]

We investigated the value resorts last year and they weren't for us. We were very spoilt with the Beach Club

I am more than happy to stay offsite, it would mean a different type of disney holiday but that is ok, we would hire a car and do different things. We did the whole immersion in Disney last September and loved it but if it doesn't work out the same this year that is fine.

What we loved about the free dining was that we sat down as a family of 5 for dinner at a new restaurant each night which we never do at home. I also felt like I had a holiday, no cooking or grocery shopping!! We work long hours at home and my boys swim competitively so we sit down for dinner at all different times.

 

[robynrainer]

We are a family of 5 and POR booked us in with free dining as we were leaving last week for a two week period commencing Sat 14 which gives us the first two days of Epcot FW. We are not sure we will be going yet but I figured if there was any remote chance i should lock it in while my husband was snorting pixie dust.

As far as staying on site DH struggles with being in what he calls "happiness prison" and all things WDW. We had a hire car and whenever it all got too much i took him shopping off campus.