OFFICIAL 2020 Free Dining WATCH Thread - FREE DINING No Longer Available. First Post Updated with Details

[scrappinginontario]

Update Jan 2, 2020:
I’m seeing in this thread Free Dining is now available with very limited dates. I will update here as soon as get details but for now here are screen shots of the offer:







NOTE: I used the ‘private’ setting on my phone and was able to access the deal immediately without seeing the‘in orbit’ message!! You may want to try that to access the deal’!!
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The 2019 Free Dining (FD) offer dropped Jan 2, 2019 (3 1/2 months earlier than in the past) so people have started asking about the possibility of a Free Dining 2020 offer. We don't know what will happen but let's watch together!

What we do know is that Free Dining for 2020 was offered as a BounceBack offer to guests staying at a Disney Resort from Aug 1 - October 31, 2019. Details of that offer (which is NO LONGER AVAILABLE) were:

• Offer: Free QSDP for values and moderates and regular DDP for deluxes/deluxe villas
  • Must check *in*within the following dates in 2020:
    • May 26 - June 2, 2020
    • June 26 - September 12, 2020
    • December 9 - December 24, 2020
  • Must stay a minimum of 4 nights
  • Must purchase a package with a minimum of a 4-day park hopper for every person above the age of 2 on the reservation.
  • This offer was available to be booked from August 1, 2019 - October 31, 2019.
  • Value & Moderate bookings get free QS dining plan (QSDP).
  • Deluxe & Deluxe Villa bookings get free regular dining plan (DDP).
  • You can pay the difference to upgrade your plan. For example, the cost to upgrade from QSDP to DDP per night, for each adult, is $23 and $4.50 for children
  • This is a package promo. As such if you check-in during an eligible date, you receive FD for your entire stay.
  • Excludes - All Star Movies, French Quarter, Bay Lake, Little Mermaid rooms, Grand Floridian Villas
  • If you want to book a Free Dining BounceBack, and you already have a ticket or AP, you will have to purchase a minimum of a 4-day PH.

Historically the General Public FD offer is similar but not identical to the BounceBack FD offer.

There is no guarantee that Disney will even offer FD but, the fact that it was offered as a BB earlier this year gives much hope!

Here's hoping we may hear about something as early as January 2020 or, if they go back to previous release dates, it could be offered starting late April/early May.

So, who's ready to wait?

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Very nicely done with the first post! Love that you got out ahead and posted an "official" thread so that some random oddly titled thread doesn't become the one, haha! At least it makes it easier for people to find and chime in!

 

[micandminforever]

Thanks for starting the post.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Very nicely done with the first post! Love that you got out ahead and posted an "official" thread so that some random oddly titled thread doesn't become the one, haha! At least it makes it easier for people to find and chime in!

@vinotinto did a great job of the 2020 BB FD offer and asked if I'd start a General Public offer. I borrowed lots of the data from her. Copy and paste is my friend!

 

[disneyjr77]

Thanks for starting the thread!! Fingers crossed for another January release and that Sept 20 is included in the dates

 

[randye1]

Thanks for starting this thread, now let the waiting begin.

 

[DisneyMomx7]

Fingers crossed- let the waiting begin!

 

[KayaWildfire]

Fingers crossed for some more christmas free dining like this year.

 

[disneyjr77]

When do the rumors about a release date usually start?

 

[Disneylover99]

When do the rumors about a release date usually start?

There were no rumours about a release date for fd this year. It just unexpectedly dropped Jan 2nd., taking everyone by surprise.

 

[scrappinginontario]

When do the rumors about a release date usually start?

It is very rare to hear any rumours. They Happened in the past but those gaps seemed to have been filled and the drop is a surprise to everyone.

 

[brod24]

Following this thread! Hoping to get this

 

[Taylor'sMom]

following with fingers crossed........

 

[Elsaalltheway]

Following, I just hope they don't do a spring summer one, then drop the fall winter one in the spring because I need to book my vacation as fast as I can. My brother is already having a hard time just getting the three weeks he needs for next year.

Thank you for starting this thread. I've missed free dining since i've become a DVC member a few years ago. My brother and I are both AP's and DVC but we want to do this one last time. And go big and upgrade to the sit down. I've never done that. Always PoP and QS. But looking forward to something new.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Following, I just hope they don't do a spring summer one, then drop the fall winter one in the spring because I need to book my vacation as fast as I can. My brother is already having a hard time just getting the three weeks he needs for next year.

Thank you for starting this thread. I've missed free dining since i've become a DVC member a few years ago. My brother and I are both AP's and DVC but we want to do this one last time. And go big and upgrade to the sit down. I've never done that. Always PoP and QS. But looking forward to something new.

This is just my opinion but I don't anticipate FD to be offered for spring dates as it never has been before (even last year when the offer dropped in Jan). Also, the BB FD dates were May through Sep and some Dec so also not showing any indication of spring FD.

Free Dining is intended to help bring people in during 'slower' months and Disney does not seem to have problems filling their parks or resort in the winter/spring.

 

[Disneylover99]

Following, I just hope they don't do a spring summer one, then drop the fall winter one in the spring because I need to book my vacation as fast as I can. My brother is already having a hard time just getting the three weeks he needs for next year.

I think if they drop it again in early January, they’ll follow the same timelines as this year. So bookable for summer/early fall in early January.

Fall/early winter FD wasn’t bookable this year til mid July.

 

[Disneylover99]

Free Dining is intended to help bring people in during 'slower' months and Disney does not seem to have problems filling their parks or resort in the winter/spring.

I know this is true to an extent, but I’m pleasantly surprised that FD is always available over Christmas and New Years.

 

[scrappinginontario]

I know this is true to an extent, but I’m pleasantly surprised that FD is always available over Christmas and New Years.

While I don’t want to disagree, I will say yes and no. FD around Christmas is offered but once people start calling we find that the quota of rooms (especially value and moderate) is extremely low and fills fast! If a family is hoping to secure FD for December I’d recommend having all your decisions (and backup options) ready before FD drops and calling ASAP.
FD for deluxe resorts appears to be more plentiful but in the majority of those cases, a room discount offer is a greater savings to those staying deluxe than FD is.

 

[samsteele]

Thank you for starting this thread @scrappinginontario . Following and good hunting to all

 

[Disneylover99]

While I don’t want to disagree, I will say yes and no. FD around Christmas is offered but once people start calling we find that the quota of rooms (especially value and moderate) is extremely low and fills fast! If a family is hoping to secure FD for December I’d recommend having all your decisions (and backup options) ready before FD drops and calling ASAP.
FD for deluxe resorts appears to be more plentiful but in the majority of those cases, a room discount offer is a greater savings to those staying deluxe than FD is.

While I find that fd dates in early December fill up quickly and rooms are quite limited, I find the last few dates of fd offered in December that go into Christmas/New Years do not fill up quickly. I don’t think people always realize that even the last check in date of fd will get you up to two weeks of fd.

We always book a standard room at Pop over the holidays. I always go in a week or two after I book it to check availability. I’m always surprised to see standard Pop rooms available. Availability finally gets limited at about the three week mark. Anyways, that’s just my experience. Who knows what this year will bring.