Fall Free Dining...trouble booking future res

[Eponine1]

Hello Everyone,

Ok, so when they offered this Aug/Sept/Oct free dining after reading the boards each day, I saw all the problems people where having getting ressies.

I'm booked for November 13-21 this year and now I'm worried about the free dining that is being offered. Will it be difficult to get dining reservations in the next few months?

I'm not on the dining plan (discounted package holds a better deal) but I still want to make ressies.

For those booked for the fall Oct/Nov/Dec...what are you thinking?

Thanks

 

[RMulieri]

I am thinking that you best do what we all are doing and book as SOON AS your 90 day window opens. Especially for those people going Thanksgiving week, or from Dec 16th on...ADRS will be more challenging with free dining going on

 

[pumba]

hubby just made hotel pkg reservations this week and we found out that we had free dining too......got six ts reserverations and we were very happy....we are going in September....so alot of people already had the opening for these dates....just be flexible and ask do they have certain places for the whole week and fill it in like we did.......we also opted to call instead of the on line reservations

 

[UK Princess]

We had booked our Honeymoon from the UK for the end of September before I knew FD existed so when I first found out about it I was very worried...

However I called at opening time (noon for me) at 90 days and got everything I wanted for the first 10 days. I couldn't do it all in one go and left the last few until later but still got everything we wanted.

I had to change one day initially but then after checking online I got the original day so it was no big deal. I guess the worst thing is that people have to plan and have to have ADRs when they otherwise may have winged it, so for the planners amongst us it wouldn't make much difference

I think when Disney runs the FD deal for such a long time there is going to be a real mixture of people in the parks, those who would've been there anyway - ie us! - and people taking advantage of the offer. I hope for your sake that most of the people only going because of FD are there earlier!

 

[NeverlandClub23]

We went November 8th-November 15th last year and got most of the ADR's we wanted 90 days out (the exact times we wanted weren't there but we were able to at least eat at the restaurant, except 'Ohana's). That being said I imagine "free" dining will make it a little bit harder to get into some of the restaurants. From what I've read on these boards it seems like the first year they did free dining in the August-September time wasn't too bad to be able to get into most restaurants (with an ADR) but every year after it's been getting worse and worse.

We're planning on going the second week of December in 2011 (I know it's far away ) but I'm hoping free dining isn't going on when we go (although DBF has said he doesn't want to do two TS meals a day as he feels it's not worth the money anymore, I have to agree. So it may not be a problem for us anyways as we'll be doing mostly CS and eating off-site~unless constantly offering "free" dining makes this time of year even MORE popular~and then we may just hold off on going to WDW for awhile. Neither of us are crowd people. Tangent over ).

 

[MusiqChic99]

We just made ours. We are at the beginning of our 90 day window and we got everything we wanted.

I think you just need to call as soon as you are able to start booking. Have back up plans too in case you aren't able to get your first choice.

Good luck and have a great trip!

 

[Eponine1]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for your input! I do plan on doing it at the 90 mark (like I always do!) I just hope it not as hard as those who tried for this past promo they had.