September for possible free dining or October for MNSSHP?

[kiteri]

Hi all!!!

I love this board. If anyone can help me make this decision you guys can.

I am planning a trip for 2009.

Should I:

A. Reserve a value for free dining in September?

or

B. Reserve a campsite (for a tent) at the Fort in October for MNSSHP?

I know you all are HEAVILY biased toward the Fort..... but... I just don't know what to do. My kids will be 6 and 8 (or just 9 if it is October) and I want to get them back to Disney.

I can stay 8 full days in September (I will have Labor Day in there) at a Value OR I can get 6 days in October at the Fort.

Please help me with your vast amounts of Disney knowledge!!!!! I am truly not worthy!

 

[terri01p]

Hey Kiteri good to see ya here...I guess it's just what you want to do both times are good but I will tell you that I went to WDW in September and it was hotter than July and crowded, I guess because of the free dinning thing, even though I did love the free dining it was so much food. We have been in October too and it was beautiful then and alot of fun with the halloween stuff, so it's really a toss up.

 

[kc5grw]

I'd have to say October and MNSSHP and the Fort. I say that mainly because we haven't got to go then or to the halloween party. We probably won't get too until the kids are out of school. They're in middle school and high school now and with marching band in the fall it is impossible to do anything then.

 

[2goofycampers]

Hi all!!!

I love this board. If anyone can help me make this decision you guys can.

I am planning a trip for 2009.

Should I:

A. Reserve a value for free dining in September?

or

B. Reserve a campsite (for a tent) at the Fort in October for MNSSHP?

I know you all are HEAVILY biased toward the Fort..... but... I just don't know what to do. My kids will be 6 and 8 (or just 9 if it is October) and I want to get them back to Disney.

I can stay 8 full days in September (I will have Labor Day in there) at a Value OR I can get 6 days in October at the Fort.

Please help me with your vast amounts of Disney knowledge!!!!! I am truly not worthy!

we have done both.. you will have fun either way. do what suits your family.do have you inside info they will offer free dining in 2009? it has been rumored it won't be offered in 2008. so WDW may make the decision for you.

 

[kiteri]

That is part of the reason I said "possible" free dining.

On the rumor boards I did hear that April 8 "might" be the Disney Visa day for 2008 free dining ressies and then they will open it up to the public on April 10.

I was kicking myself for not taking the bounce back, and others have offered me consolation that my oportunity would not be "lost".


This is part of why I am asking this question now. I will not make the call on either date for 2009 until I see if they do offer free dining for 2008.

 

[akamom]

I love Disney resorts, except for the value resorts. They are so busy and so many teenagers. Not that teenagers are a bad thing, but with the sports/dance/etc teems staying there, it gets to be a lot of teenagers! lol Gosh, I AM getting old! I would rather stay at FW over the values ANYDAY! My dh calls me a Disney snob. lol

 

[AuburnJen92]

i voted for the halloween party, i think the kids will like it better..just imho

 

[disneynan]

We went in the fall of 2006. We checked in during the last few days of the free dining promotion, but the free dining was good for the duration of our stay. We attended one of the first MNSSHP offered that year!

Both were wonderful and I would have a hard time choosing one over the other. Especially if you have not experienced either one before. I say look carefully at the dining dates vs the MNSSHP dates and see if you can figure an overlap.

Good luck and enjoy your trip!

 

[clkelley]

With the changes in the dining plan, we don't feel even the "free" dining is a good value anymore.

We're not big desert people, especially right after eating a full meal. We much prefer to have desert a couple hours after dinner.

We did the free dining in September 2007, and there were five of us, and for sit down meals that we could, I would order an appetizer and drink out of pocket, and the five of us would share five appetizers, four meals, and four deserts and it worked out pretty well.

We're passholders, and will stick with AP discount or AAA discount and the Disney Dining Experience for future trips.

That's how I feel about it. We like the value resorts almost as much as we like the Fort, so that had nothing to do with it.

In addition, October has Food & Wine Festival!!

 

[Tent Camping Mom]

hmmmm....food or candy? CANDY!

Seriously, MNSSHP is worth it then add the Fort to the mix and it's icing on the cake.