Free EATS!!

[LaCroix101103]

I have a lil question? I see all this stuff about the Free DDP in sept, ( maybe ).I was wondering i see that it might only be for FLA. Res., or Dis Card holders, and maybe to the general public. We booked our trip in Oct. of "07". If that free ddp option happens will I be able to just tell the AAA travel agent to hook me up with the freebie. Or do I get the shaft because I don't have the Dis. card??

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

The past 3 years, Free Dining was offered as a general public discount...which means that you can use it if it's offered (typically it's announced in April). Yes, you can get if using AAA but you will lose your AAA discount so you should figure out what is a better discount for you.

 

[wezee]

Remember, if the free dining is offered to the general public....in the past it has only been for vacation dates in August and Sept. Since the Food and Wine Fest. begins at the end of Sept. they do not usually offer free dining in Oct.

 

[katieloubear]

As long as you start your vacation the last day of sept it carries through your time in october right? I think I remember reading this last year when we were planning on going

 

[wezee]

From what I have seen on the boards....most people are saying they are no longer allowing you to entend the free dining past Sept. 28th. We tried to call and extend into Oct. and the CM said we could not. But a few OP have posted they were allowed to do so. So maybe it's just the CM you talk to on the phone???

 

[katieloubear]

If this is the case, we aren't going till 2009, but we will go the last week in september if the free dining is offered

 

[twoeeyy]

From what I have seen on the boards....most people are saying they are no longer allowing you to entend the free dining past Sept. 28th. We tried to call and extend into Oct. and the CM said we could not. But a few OP have posted they were allowed to do so. So maybe it's just the CM you talk to on the phone???

We are checking in on the 26th of Oct and staying until Oct 4. I also have heard recently people saying that they were not allowed to carry the free dining over until Oct. , I was starting to get nervous that for some reason I would not get it carried over even though that I was told when booking that it would carry over. Well I just got off the phone and YES My free dining is carrrying over until check-out in Oct. Sorry to hear about those folks who were told that they could not do it.

 

[Tricia1972]

Last year, as I recall, there were two end dates for free dining. Those booking in the UK or via the bounce back could check in as late as Sept 29. These people had no problem extending well into October.

The Visa cardholders and General Public could only book free dining until Sept 22. These people could extend only for the first 10 days of their vacation, so they made it into October, but just barely.

Last year you could book free dining from 4/12 - 6/24.


I know all this because our trip was originally planned with the hopes of free dining, but we didn't qualify due to our check-in being after 9/22 (as we didn't qualify for the UK deal or the bounce back)

 

[housemouse]

Last year you could book free dining from 4/12 - 6/24.

But if you were a Disney Visa Card holder you could start booking on the 9th.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

I have a lil question? I see all this stuff about the Free DDP in sept, ( maybe ).I was wondering i see that it might only be for FLA. Res., or Dis Card holders, and maybe to the general public. We booked our trip in Oct. of "07". If that free ddp option happens will I be able to just tell the AAA travel agent to hook me up with the freebie. Or do I get the shaft because I don't have the Dis. card??

Since 2005, Disney has been offereing Free Dining during the last part of August until the end of September, give or take a few days. It has already been offered to UK visitors for this September and to those of us who were there at WDW during Free Dining this past September for the dates of August 30 - September 27 2008. The free dining for this year should be announced during the first week of April. The first couple of days it will only be open to Disney Visa holders and then will open up to the general public. Someone on the Dining board has already posted (according to their relative who is a Disney employee) that the offer will come out about April 5. The first three days will only be open to Disney Visa holders and then open to the general public, just like last year and the two years before. And I'd bet good money that the poster was correct. Free Dining has been a brilliant plan on the part of Disney to fill the parks with crowds during what was previously their slowest season, and hurrican season to boot. And then having the bounceback for free food while the free diners are there in the parks, on their Disney high, well I would call that sure marketing genius. We were there for Free Dining last year, and yes we did have fun, but we went for low crowds and there was definetly NOT low crowds during the week of Sept. 14 - 22. I hope Disney has rewarded the marketing genius who came up with Free Dining. I personally don't see Free Dining ending anytime in the near future.

Also, there are tons of people on the Dis that booked the bounceback and are staying past the 27th into the first week of October and are receiving the DDP free for their whole stay. I think some of the others must have gotten some CMs who didn't know what they were doing. I may be wrong, but I believe that they will continue to allow people to book on the last day and still get the deal. I may be wrong, I'll guess we'll see!

 

[LSchrow]

From what I have seen on the boards....most people are saying they are no longer allowing you to entend the free dining past Sept. 28th. We tried to call and extend into Oct. and the CM said we could not. But a few OP have posted they were allowed to do so. So maybe it's just the CM you talk to on the phone???

i wonder if it might be that booking into Oct might not be allowed if extending a stay....... and that the stays that do go into Oct were booked that way initially.