Free Dining and the Dining Plans in general are considered to have ruined Disney dining. Dumbing down menus with mediocre food.
Going during free dining means the hotels are full of people taking advantage of the promotion. The restaurants are full and that means that I have to make ADRs way in advance to pay full price (with TIW) for the same food they are getting for "free". I guess I'm just pouting. LOL
Free dining has been a real win for Disney, filling hotels during slower times especially in the last several years during a bad economy.