The " My Dates didnt fall within free dining dates" thread

[dolce]

ok am i the only one that is missing free dining by a few dates?
dont get me wrong, congrats to the people who are able to get it
my dates are aug 14-21...why couldnt school start after labor day

 

[n2mm]

No you're not alone. We are just sitting here reading the other threads. We are Aug. 10-20, but knew my chances were slim when I choose those dates. (I missed it last year too).

 

[bas71873]

I missed it too, but hoping for even lighter crowds (first weekend of Oct)

 

[pooksma]

Another one bites the dust.

Sometimes its not fun being the

Guess we'll have to hope for a code in June like last year.

 

[dolce]

so do you think i have a chance for lower crowds now?
im assuming many people will change their dates for FD

 

[The Brain]

so do you think i have a chance for lower crowds now?
im assuming many people will change their dates for FD

Decent crowd size around the week of the 20th.

 

[jadedbeauty14304]

I booked aug 14-21 hoping to miss the free dining crowd crazies! YaY! It worked.

I did free dining a few years ago and saving the money is just not worth the extra people everywhere!

 

[disneysnob]

so do you think i have a chance for lower crowds now?
im assuming many people will change their dates for FD

That's what I'm hoping for, too
We're Aug. 10-23.
....Here's hoping that alot of people change their dates for the free dining....

 

[angeleigh]

ok am i the only one that is missing free dining by a few dates?
dont get me wrong, congrats to the people who are able to get it
my dates are aug 14-21...why couldnt school start after labor day

We are missing the dates too. Our reservation is from 8/17-8/24.

 

[taximomfor4]

ok am i the only one that is missing free dining by a few dates?
dont get me wrong, congrats to the people who are able to get it
my dates are aug 14-21...why couldnt school start after labor day

We wre lucky this year, the kids' school starts after Labor Day for once! Then< I checked DH's calendar for his district (he's a teacher). Of COURSE he goes back on 8/25. Maybe I will take the kids without him. Humphhhh.

 

[DisneyMomx7]

I would have loved to be able to take advantage of free dining. We're taking our whole family - and paying for them - in July. 4 rooms, 15 people!!!!

Unfortunately two ds will be in law school (1 3rd year, and 1 1st year) so they absolutely couldn't go during that time frame.

Congrats to all who were able to take advantage of the FD. Now I have to hope for a decent AP discount for July.

 

[jrasmom]

We're taking our youngest two kids for 4 days at the end of September...the last weekend. I was waiting for this to see if we were going to luck into free dining. Looks like we missed it.

So...now I have a question. Will there be some sort of room only code do you think from September 21st --- Octboer something since free dining ends September 20th?
And if there is it probably won't come out until June sometime or later right?

What if I book now (well in a few days) can I call back later and change or would I have to cancel and rebook later so I may as well just wait?
Sorry so many questions, we've only been one other time in Sept 2006 and lucked into a free dining ad booking in May that time

 

[kldmom2000]

This is our 2nd year in a row that we leave 2 days before it starts.... I'm hoping it's like last year in that the crowds were a bit less because schools had gone back in the south already and free dining was not happening yet.... PLUS, mid June last year, an offer came out (ZJZ) for deep discounts on some deluxe resorts for August until the free DDP offer was happening, so we actually saved what free dining would have saved us while staying at the YC... I think our total savings was approx. $700 for the week which is what the DDP cost us anyway (2 adults and 2 kids). Right now I have the AA discount saving us almost $400... but if a better code comes out like last year, I'll hop on that one instead

 

[DVCJEN]

WE have never made it for free dining. Our dates are 8/10 - 8/17. But I am really hoping that this will reduce the crowds!

 

[cdel73]

We are going from aug 10-22. We miss it too, but I am ok with it as long as the crowds might be lighter. We went the last two years and it was fun. This year I have a room discount that doesn't save as much as free dining, but a few hundred dollars. I just didn't want to take my kids out of school. I did last year, it was only Kindergarten, but I felt bad about it. I am glad fot the peole who do get it though. Disney's prices are so ridiculous that this is the only way some people get to go. I am happy for them.

 

[KikiFan]

Count me in too! We're going from Aug 9-23. I'm okay with missing the free dining if I miss the crowds. I would really like a better room rate though!

 

[PrincessBelle23]

I'm so bummed about the dates! My trip overlaps free dining, so if the crowds are bad I get hit twice by not being able to take advantage of free DDP, but still being stuck with all the people who are eating for free! We're going August 19th - 28th, but there's no way to get around it because flights are SO expensive labor day weekend, it's like a difference of $88 each for me and my BF - not worth the work IMO. I wish they could have started it just one week sooner!!

 

[n2mm]

I'm so bummed about the dates! My trip overlaps free dining, so if the crowds are bad I get hit twice by not being able to take advantage of free DDP, but still being stuck with all the people who are eating for free! We're going August 19th - 28th, but there's no way to get around it because flights are SO expensive labor day weekend, it's like a difference of $88 each for me and my BF - not worth the work IMO. I wish they could have started it just one week sooner!!

Why not do a split reservation. You can do a room only for 8-19 to the 24th, then book a Free ddp package for the 24-28th? You can even stay at the same resort and even stay in the same room.

 

[The Brain]

from what I've always noticed, the crowds have been better during free dining than in early august.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

We are missing the dates too. Our reservation is from 8/17-8/24.

Ouch! Going home on the day free dining starts stings, doesn't it? That happened to us one year.

We're going Aug. 1-17 so we already knew our dates were probably too early. It's OK. We had "free" dining last year and would have been better off taking the AP discount on the room.