Free Disney Dining Plan and Holiday Lights

[6loversofdisney]

I have checked the historic data from years past as to when free dining was announced and for what dates it is for - just wondering what your experience was.

Have you gone during the holidays (Nov/Dec/Jan), gotten free dining, and gotten to participate in and see all the holiday lights and parades?

I am leaning toward possibly the week after Thanksgiving but want to almost ensure free dining!!! That is my ultimate hope anyway....

 

[lovedworld]

I don't think you can ensure free dining will be offered at the same time every year, I know this year the dates are a little different than other years and there are always rumors that it won't be offered. We are arriving at WDW in 10 days and we do have free dining. We are going at this time of year so we can see the holiday decorations and activites. I made the reservation last May and then was able to add the free dining to our reservation when it became available in Aug. So I think you just have to make your plans and then hope that free dining will be offered. If you have to change your dates a little to get the free dining you can always do that. Just keep watching and don't wait too long to try and get the free dining after it comes out because some of the resorts get very limited as to how many rooms are offered with the free dining.

 

[mchelle77]

I'm going the week after Thanksgiving (11/30-12/7) and free dining is NOT available. I lucked out getting a pin code. So I wouldn't count on it at any given time.

 

[jessicamouse]

We went the week after Thanksgiving last year and had free dining. This year we had to adjust our dates to the full week prior to Thanksgiving to get free dining, since it was not offered the week after. Last year we had access to all of the Christmas special activities/parades/decor, etc. This year, from what I understand, the only thing we will miss out on are the Christmas events in Epcot. If I were you, I would wait to book your vacation until the promotion (if there is one) is released, sometime late summer. I tried to book in advance this year in anticipation of historical discounts, and it did me no good. I ended up cancelling all of my ADR's and my resort and rebooking it all in a timeframe that fit the discount.

Hope this helps

 

[aubriee]

Pop Warner is usually the first full week after Thanksgiving. Free dining is usually not offered during that week.

We are there Dec 6th-16th and free dining is not being offered. Since we don't do the DDP we are happy about that and are hoping people that wanted free dining would have moved their trips to the weeks it is offered and will be there either before or after us. No free dining = less crowds.

 

[momof2disprincesses]

Well be there Dec. 20-Jan. 3 for 13 nights of free dining. This is our second time receiving free dining over the Christmas/New Year's holiday. It amazes me that they offer this during one of the busiest weeks of the year but I'm glad they do!

 

[podgirl]

Well be there Dec. 20-Jan. 3 for 13 nights of free dining. This is our second time receiving free dining over the Christmas/New Year's holiday. It amazes me that they offer this during one of the busiest weeks of the year but I'm glad they do!

I am also quite surprised that Free Dining is offered over the Christmas holiday. We have 11 nights, from Dec. 22- Jan. 2. We were going to go anyway and mostly eat QS meals, so DH is beyond happy that now we can have loads of TS meals.

 

[6loversofdisney]

Wonderful for you guys that got free dining during that holiday time!!! That is great news. I am pretty flexible with dates but don't want to be the one who misses it by a day or something. Thinking about driving from PA again so that we can be even more flexible with our dates. I had 17 nights of free dining once (when it was still 1 Snack/1 QS/1 TS per person per day) - oh the places we at and the bills at the end of the meal!!!!!!!!!! Oh my it was a savings for us for sure

 

[TDC Nala]

No way to ensure free dining I'm afraid.

However, it's usually offered between October and mid-December, but with a steadily escalating number of black-out dates. It's hard to wait until an offer is released so you can see the exact dates (especially if you are looking to book airfare or take children out of school), but if you book ahead and then your check-in date is blacked out you have a problem.

The blackouts have usually been around the busier times - Columbus Day, Jersey Week, Thanksgiving, first week of December (with Thanksgiving so late there is no real break between Thanksgiving and the first week of December), the closer dates to Christmas.

Wouldn't look for any in January as it's been Stay Play and Dine for January lately.

 

[gismo1554]

Hi. I just got back last week (flew out 28th October back 11th Nov). The Christmas celebrations started really around the 2nd November with all the parks bar EPCOT having decorations up by the 7th November. I managed to get free dining for my entire trip and did Mickeys Jingle Jungle Parade on 7th November, Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Party on the 8th November and the Osbourne Family Lights on the 9th November (they started on 8th). Although its early to start the festivities it meant that I also got to include Food & Wine Festival at EPCOT and Halloween. Just depends what specifically you want to see. EPCOT doesn't start its main Christmas things until later than all other parks.

 

[momof2disprincesses]

Hi. I just got back last week (flew out 28th October back 11th Nov). The Christmas celebrations started really around the 2nd November with all the parks bar EPCOT having decorations up by the 7th November. I managed to get free dining for my entire trip and did Mickeys Jingle Jungle Parade on 7th November, Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Party on the 8th November and the Osbourne Family Lights on the 9th November (they started on 8th). Although its early to start the festivities it meant that I also got to include Food & Wine Festival at EPCOT and Halloween. Just depends what specifically you want to see. EPCOT doesn't start its main Christmas things until later than all other parks.

That's the exact time we want to go next year. DH and I will be empty nesters starting when our DD goes off to college in the fall. So we decided to do a Disney trip to celebrate and plan to go Oct. 31-Nov. 10 and hope to do many of the things you did - Halloween party, Christmas party and activities and Food & Wine Festival.

How was the weather and how were the crowds?

 

[gismo1554]

That's the exact time we want to go next year. DH and I will be empty nesters starting when our DD goes off to college in the fall. So we decided to do a Disney trip to celebrate and plan to go Oct. 31-Nov. 10 and hope to do many of the things you did - Halloween party, Christmas party and activities and Food & Wine Festival.

How was the weather and how were the crowds?

I've been twice at this time of year (2009 & this year) and in 2009 they had an unseasonable cold spell and it was freezing! I was wearing jeans and a jumper every day but this year they had the hottest temperatures in years! Its usually 80s but it made it to almost 100 the one day. Really nice on the 80 days. Little chilli at night so needed a jacket some nights (60s one of the nights) but really good weather. Crowd wise it was doable in all parks. The last 2 days (weekend of the 8th Nov) it was busy in most parks but I did all 4 in the 2 days. Osbourne Lights were very busy as was Food & Wine but I've known wose. Queue wise I think the longest I queued was for the Safari at Animal Kingdom for 20 minutes but I don't really do most of the big rides. On my last day Spaceship Earth was a 20 minute queue so I didn't bother but its nothing like summer crowd wise its just busier than January. Really great time though as you can fit in so many things!