If you have done free dining in the past...

[Kycha]

is there anything you would do differently this time??? DH and I have been fortunate enough to participate in the free dining package for both 2005 and 2006. We really enjoy trying restaurants we have never been to before. The only issue we have with the dining package is the amount of time it takes for a table service meal. The wait time and the time you are actually eating would sometimes take 2+ hours. This really puts a dent into time in the parks. Plus, with the need for ADR's, our plans were more structured than they would normally be. Everything we did was really centered around our TS ADR's.

We are considering doing the free dining again this year. Does anybody know if I could use the TS credits for a CS meal? Doing more CS meals would certainly fit our park going style better. We like to have a little more flexibility and less structure.

 

[jmpellet]

Did it last year and will do free dining again. The key is to plan your ADRs around the park you will visit that day. Another reason we didn't feel the pinch of spending time at the restaurant is that we were there for 10 nights so we didn't have to rush. If you look at the dining portion as part of the whole vacation experience you won't feel too bad about the extra time.

 

[sunny_stace]

hey there,
like jmpellet, we made our ADRs around which park we thought we would be in on each day. I would say the most important thing is to realize how much food it is! Last year DBFF and I walked around like blimps and found that if we ate breakfast, we still weren't hungry for an early dinner seating (probably thanks to the heat and excitement). Also, be sure you use your snack credits! We had tons left over! You'll have a great time!

 

[Rhia]

Also, we didn't take a break from the park.. so spending the 2 hours is a nice little rest for all of us. The kids can eat and take a nap while we enjoy a nice lunch or dinner in the cool!

 

[annaaidan99]

I did book our ADR's a lot later than last year- it was hard to be hungry for a 5:00 dinner. I booked them for an early time for free dining last year b/c we had problems with 7:30 times on our February trip. My son would fall asleep midmeal, and we would have to carry him back to the hotel. He was six then. He will be eight for this trip, and seems to have no problem staying up late, so we're going to eat at 7:30 or 8 again. Hopefully I will have worked off the CS by then.

 

[sorul82?]

Last year we were a group of 11 including two in wheel chairs. It took us forever to get to places...not being critical of Disney transportation, they were great. It just took a while to "move" a large group especially when two chairs had to be lifted up and down the bus each time. That being said, I wish that we would have:

1. Had more TS in the park du jour as opposed to needing the leave the park.
2. Gone to a 2 credit place such as the Luau or HDD. I was afraid we would starve if we gave up two credits for one meal. Boy was I wrong! We had more than enough food even for us big eaters.
3. Added a day or two on to our trip. We were there 5 nights and we tried to cram too much into those days. The dining took a lot of time for a group our size. Just one or two more days would have made a difference.

Oh well, we live and learn....and read the DIS!

 

[disneymomoffour]

I actually called and asked that question myself a couple of days ago-about using ts meal credits on cs meals. Last year that was possible, but they have apparently changed things this year. The CM I talked to in dining first responded by saying, "why would you want to?" Then she told me no, you can't this year. I agree with you though. Last year we did the free ddp, and some meals seemed like they took too much time away from the parks. (especially eating at Tony's before MNSSHP.) I wouldn't normally use ts credits for cs meals, but it would be nice to have that flexibility! (especially since you would lose them if you didn't plan ahead with ADR's!-which I would never do. )

 

[AStamm]

We were there last year in August for free dining and I remember seeing you could trade TS for a CS and get a free pin (and maybe another snack credit...not 100% sure here) on the WDW in-room channel. We had a great time with the free DDP and can't wait to do it again this year. Thanks to the bounce back program they offered while we were there over Christmas, we'll be able to have free dining on our trip scheduled August 10-20 (just before I have to be back to teaching!) and again September 28-October 8 (my every-other-year vacation). Since we try to go to WDW as often as possible, I don't mind spending a good amount of the day at a nice sit-down meal. Coupled with the fact that the weather is still so hot, some days there isn't anywhere else I'd rather be in the park.

 

[TheRatPack]

Don't try to maximize your dining credits by picking the most expensive restaurant. I know the first year we really weighed what we were getting for 1 credit and 2 credits....etc. Now I really don't care, we eat where we would normally eat and whether it's cheap/expensive or 2 credits, it's free food and we enjoy where we eat....instead of trying something new because it was free.

I also planned early breakfast and late dinners or just a TS lunch and eating a light breakfast and small dinner because you really can get too full I loved that the TS gave us a chance to take a break, from the rush of the parks and from the heat (or storm).