last year's Free Dining offer

[g3pak]

In last year's Free Dining offer (not the bounceback but the one you could book starting early April), was it CS for the values and TS for the Mod's and Deluxes?

 

[marcielm]

The initial offering of free dining, that ran from late Aug to early
Oct, was for the DDP for all levels of resorts. Meaning you got 1 TS, 1 QS, and 1 snack credit per night at the resort.

Disney extended the offer to run into mid Dec. This plan was for the values to get the QSDP for free, and the mods & deluxe to get the DDP for free. You could upgrade at the values for the price difference between the QSDP & the DDP.

 

[Kimberlymmj]

Does anyone know if this will happen? I did the 40% with the dining plan and want to know if they change the prices of the resorts after they offer the meal plan

 

[aubriee]

Does anyone know if this will happen? I did the 40% with the dining plan and want to know if they change the prices of the resorts after they offer the meal plan

Not really clear on your question, no one knows for absolutely sure if free dining for the GP will be offered, but right now the general consensus is that it will probably be offered again. It has already been offered to our UK friends and also as a bounceback offer last fall for this August/Sept.

As far as the prices of the room, if free dining is offered you will not be able to get it and still keep the 40% off deal on your room. Free dining has always required that you pay rack rate for rooms and buy at least one day park tickets for everyone in the room. If free dining does comes out, you will just have to run the numbers and see which deal works best for you. At a Value resort free dining will nearly always beat a room deal, at a Deluxe resort the 40% off will usually be the better deal, but at a Moderate you really have to run the numbers. For one person in the room the 40% off is a better deal, but for two or more people free dining is usually better.

As far as prices changing, I don't understand your question, room prices don't go up during free dining. If room prices are going to increase it's usually January 1st each year. Park ticket prices usually go up in August, but that has nothing to do with free dining.

 

[danceintherain]

Changes to rack rate are announced for the following year in August. For this year, they've already been announced.
Room prices don't go up based on a discount that is released, but Disney doesn't allow stacking of discounts. If you qualify for both a 40% off room only and Free Dining, then you must pick between the two. Sometimes Free Dining is the better offer for people, sometimes a room discount is.

During "normal"(august-september) free dining, the room rates are the lowest of the year simply because it's value season. If they offer it for longer again like they did last year, which is unlikely, the room rates will be higher for part of the time, but they're always higher for that part of the year.
This is why going to Disney World during value season is the least expensive option. The room rates are already lower, and better discounts are offered during those time periods.
If you go during what Disney considers a higher traffic time, you pay more, and you reduce your chances of qualifying for a really good discount.

 

[g3pak]

remind me- do you get FD for your entire trip as long as it starts before the last day of the offer? We will probably go the last week of Sept. and into Oct. 1 this year. Some speculation is that it will end Sept. 30. That would stink to pay for one day of dining, but I'll take the others for free!

 

[disneyfan55]

remind me- do you get FD for your entire trip as long as it starts before the last day of the offer? We will probably go the last week of Sept. and into Oct. 1 this year. Some speculation is that it will end Sept. 30. That would stink to pay for one day of dining, but I'll take the others for free!

In the past, as long as your first day of say was by the last date offered, your entire stay had the free dining. During some of the past years that date for regular FD was from Sept 22-early Oct in 2009. I think in 2007 it was Sept 22 (we did book our stay beginning the last date for FD and I'm pretty sure it was that early then. The bounce back time frame was a week or so longer for the last first day of stay. But who knows, rules can change anytime, the last 2 offers required muliday tickets where as last year only the 1 day ticket per person was required. They may even require the longer ticket for FD and then the AP holders will be out of it again!! I would have done the Gift card offer if the 5 day pass wasn't required. We did the Free Giftcard offer in May and only had to get a 1 day per person and $500 on any resort!