Free Dining 2018 September/October/November

Happy Holiday's Everyone.

I am currently considering a trip and would like to base it around potential free dining options in September or October 2018.
So please help with the possible process:
Do I book a room/package with the September dates I would prefer?
Do I wait and see if any free dining dates will be offered for 9/18 - 11/18?
(If so when are these usually announced?)
Are there any tricks to being offered free dining offers by requesting vacation planning information?
I know and realize that free dining may not be offered in 2018 and it is not a necessity, but I would like to take advantage of free dining if offered as my our dates can be flexible.

I'd suggest you work with Magical Journeys. They can help you get your reservation set up and then, if free dining coincides with your reservation, they will alter your reservation to include that offering.

I second Linda's recommendation to work with Magical Journeys. If you give them the parameters you need to work within, they will take care of all the details. Karen has always been a delight to work with.

I'm sure you're aware of this, but just stating it for the sake of completeness: Free dining is not a given and has become more and more restricted over the years. Do not expect it anytime in October (it wasn't available in 2017) and the resorts and room types available for "free dining" will be very limited. Have a plan B,C,D and E.

Steve

I don't think there really are any "tricks" available to getting free dining. Although we haven't gone on free dining since 2012, I've watched every year and it seems like each year there are less and less individuals stating they received some kind of special "Pin Code" for free dining.

If you don't already have a Disney Visa, that could help. Generally though if there is an offer to Disney Visa card holders, its released to the general public a few days later. The DV could have more or less options than the GP offering.

Also, not the value it once was, depending on the resort level you normally stay at. We have been moderate resort goers and up to 2016(?) the moderates got the full dining plan with the offer, now its the counter service plan (or it has been).

Historically the offer has been released towards the end of April (that's been the case for the last 5 years at least) and last year the first date it could be used was 8/13 and it went to 12/23, but as another said, all of October and a good chunk of November were blacked out.

Let me also throw this out there.

There has been a debate on here about whether or not free dining is 'worth' paying full price for your room.

I would encourage you to fully understand what is being offered in the way of free dining for the resort you choose. Also, if you have a party of one or two, I would choose a room discount over free dining if it is offered. It seems to me that the best use of the free dining deal comes for parties of 4-5 with older children that would count as 'adults' on the dining plan.

Good luck with whatever you decide, I also recommend using Magical Journeys to help in the planning.

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Originally Posted by cer

Let me also throw this out there.

There has been a debate on here about whether or not free dining is 'worth' paying full price for your room.

I would encourage you to fully understand what is being offered in the way of free dining for the resort you choose. Also, if you have a party of one or two, I would choose a room discount over free dining if it is offered. It seems to me that the best use of the free dining deal comes for parties of 4-5 with older children that would count as 'adults' on the dining plan.

Good luck with whatever you decide, I also recommend using Magical Journeys to help in the planning.

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That is exactly our situation. We've stayed at POR in Alligator Bayou section where you can get 5 people. Our last time with free dining was 2012 with two of our three kids deemed "adults" for the dining plan. At that time fee dining at the moderate level still encompassed the full dining plan, not the counter service plan. So for us, at the moderate level with 4 out of the 5 of us deemed adults, it was a total no brainer to take the free dining. Now if it was just the wife and I staying deluxe, I'd probably take the 30-35% room discount over dining.

We had free dining Sept. 22nd thru Oct. 3rd 2017. We had to change to all star sports to get it. It saved us alot of money that we used for what we consider luxuries on the trip. Why are people saying it wasn’t offered in Oct. 2017.

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Originally Posted by Tiggerlovr9000

We had free dining Sept. 22nd thru Oct. 3rd 2017. We had to change to all star sports to get it. It saved us alot of money that we used for what we consider luxuries on the trip. Why are people saying it wasn’t offered in Oct. 2017.

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Free dining 2017 was blacked-out Oct 1 - Nov 13, Nov 21 - 24, and Nov 28 - Dec 7. Since you checked in prior to October 1 it was good for your length of stay.

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Originally Posted by VWL Mom

Free dining 2017 was blacked-out Oct 1 - Nov 13, Nov 21 - 24, and Nov 28 - Dec 7. Since you checked in prior to October 1 it was good for your length of stay.

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