Free Dining's effect on EMH - yikes!

[Markstudy]

I wonder how big free dining is?

Disney only sets aside some rooms for the free dining promotion.
Once they sell-out those rooms ..... NO MORE FREE DINING.

So you have to stay on-site and lets say that %50 of rooms are eligable for the Free Dining promotion.

Doesn't that mean that free dining has no effect on all off-site guest and maybe half of regular resort guest, who booked earlier or don't do the dining plan?

So how does it effect the 4 main parks? If only 30% of Disney Park Guest can qualify for free dining? That would mean that the other 70% of the crowd would be the normal slow season proportion that you'd normally see in September anyway.

I would guess that slow season might be inpacted by a certain percent (and the sit-down resturants packed) but total crowd levels, not as much as some might fear.

 

[Hobbitmomma]

OK, color me uninformed. But I don't know anything about the free dining offer and in any case, I don't think that it's available to us since we are doing the land/sea package next week. I just hope that it isn't too ridiculously crowded as we will be taking my son (7) and daughter (5) on their first WDW trip. We have all of our ADR's and we won't be taking advantage of the EMH's because they are just too young to stay up that late. I'm hoping that they don't melt down before the Spectromagic parade. But with little ones, you have to be prepared to alter plans on a moments notice!

 

[mking624]

OK, color me uninformed. But I don't know anything about the free dining offer and in any case, I don't think that it's available to us since we are doing the land/sea package next week. I just hope that it isn't too ridiculously crowded as we will be taking my son (7) and daughter (5) on their first WDW trip. We have all of our ADR's and we won't be taking advantage of the EMH's because they are just too young to stay up that late. I'm hoping that they don't melt down before the Spectromagic parade. But with little ones, you have to be prepared to alter plans on a moments notice!

Free dining was a promotion that ran from April to June (the 25th I believe). You had a book a package with at least a one day ticket...and it was for packages of stays from August 13th to September 30th. You had to book the package by June 25th.

 

[JulyGirl]

Also, do you all really think people who were not otherwise going to go, said "hey this plan is too good to pass up, let's go?"

I don't know if causes people to book a trip, but it did cause a couple of families I know to reschedule their trips for late August instead of June or July.

I think the next two weeks will be packed and the crowds will go back to normal in September, when most everyone is back in school.

 

[ReneeA]

We went during free dining last year from Aug 21-28. Other than EMH evenings in MK, the parks were slow. We didn't wait more than 15 minutes in a line without fastpass ever - except EMH evening at MK. For whatever reason, those afternoons/evenings were crazy, crazy busy. We ended up staying for about a half hour, then gave up.

We are going on Aug 27 for a week this year, and I just hope crowds are about the same as they were last year. I'll gladly skip the EMH evenings for no lines all day.

 

[janets]

We were planning on a cruise for our vacation this year, but when free dining came out, I asked the family what they would rather do...go on the cruise or go back to WDW (now you have to realize that we had gone in February for older ds's birthday - a surprise visit, we were scheduled to go during Easter break and we were also scheduled to go during NJ Teachers Convention in November). I figured with 3 other trips they would stay w/ the cruise. Nope. Older ds (now 8.5) wants to go back and little ds (now 4) went right along with big brother.

So we changed our plans and we're booked for Sept. 9-16. Because of HS construction, we don't start school until Sept. 20 so we're able to take advantage of what I hope will be much smaller crowds since almost everyone should be back to school by the week of the 11th. We'll enjoy free dining and hopefully smaller lines.

We don't usually do late EMH, but we definitely do the morning ones. Now that the kids "get it" we head out early, hit the park while it's still cooler, ride everything we like, then have lunch and head back to the resort for a swim and a rest before dinner and some evening activities.

We didn't visit during free dining last year so I have no idea what impact it will have during our visit, but I'm certainly looking forward to the trip. Since we're able to go so many times this year, we no longer get that commando feeling. We usually say "if we miss it this time, we'll try it next time" so we're pretty relaxed.

 

[wendy_uk]

We will be at WDW staying at ASMu but without the free dining. Here in England the kids don't go back to school until 5th September.

 

[cabanafrau]

Just have to say how pleasantly surprised we were to find the parks filled w/ all the Brits. We had no idea August was the month for so many to visit WDW & we had a great time w/ so many nice people!

 

[rkujay]

Just have to say how pleasantly surprised we were to find the parks filled w/ all the Brits. We had no idea August was the month for so many to visit WDW & we had a great time w/ so many nice people!

Ditto here as well. God bless the United Kingdom and God Bless Manchester United. (Now as for that Russian oil millionaire!!!)

 

[gbanton]

I leave Thursday and wound not have even considered going w/o Free dining.

 

[ctnurse]

I had an IOU from dh from last year. He wanted to go to Jamacia and I agreed with an IOU that wdw would be our next trip. i have been in Sept and was going anyway free dining was a little bonus. Well big bonus.