Latest Forecasts Have Free Dining for September Opening to Public May 5 or May 7?
By Dave Shute
Update: or maybe May 7?
My buddy Joe Black is now forecasting that Free Dining for September 2014 will open to the general public for booking on Monday May 5.
(For the full scoop on free dining, see this.)
This is still just a forecast, and may be wrong. But Joe thinks that Free Dining will open then, will likely open a bit earlier for Disney Visa cardholders, will have eligible arrival dates from late August into September, and may extend well into September. As usual, certain resorts and room types will be excluded.
Joe also think that there will be additional free dining for later in 2014, to be announced mid-summer. This last bit is a reversal of predictions that he and I co-authored late last year…and no one would be happier to be wrong!
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19 comments
We are booked for 10/4-10/9, does it look like October will be included in any of these rumors? If we’re already booked can we still realize the savings if they appear? As a first time visitor to WDW I’m really enjoying your blog!
Hi Kathy and thanks! The current guess is that some October arrival dates will be announced for free dining in mid-summer. If you are already booked, you can try to convert to the deal. See this for how: https://yourfirstvisit.net/2014/04/16/the-best-ever-free-dining-faq-in-the-history-of-the-world/
We are booked to lil mermaid AoA, but anticipate IF free dining is avail on our dates, we would choose to change hotels. For the values do you rec Pop Century then?
Yup, Pop is the next best choice, Stephanie!
Hi Dave! how big is the pop compared to CBR? We are thinking of booking a value vs a mod if there is no free dining (would be 600 less) … we will have a car if that matters. AoA LM rooms are already sold out so Pop would be ok for 3 adults, 1 kid, and 1 baby?
Michelle do you mean “how big are the rooms” (tiny…) or “how big and hard to get around is the resort?”–Pop is much more convenient and compact than CBR. For more on the two see the reviews linked to from here: https://yourfirstvisit.net/2010/04/26/walt-disney-world-resort-hotel-reviews/
hmmi guess i meant both. we stayed at POFQ with 2 adults and 2 kids, so this will be with 1 extra adult. we could barely fit all our stuff in there with the double stroller we rented and the pack n play crib -! Might be a tight squeeze @ pop with my mom there too… mentally and physically! The only other way i can think of to save money if there is no free dining for Oct would be to nix the dining plan and eat cheap( but dining is all the fun!) … however, you did say if there was no free dining there could be a room deal instead…….. I need to shed about 600.00 off the non-discounted quote we got… (4,100.00) i’ll just keep holding tight………….
If I book something in September – the on-site resort room and park tickets and then Disney offers the “free” dining plan, can I qualify for it or do I have to cancel my original reservations and rebook them with the free dining plan?
Patty Ann–see this: https://yourfirstvisit.net/2014/04/16/the-best-ever-free-dining-faq-in-the-history-of-the-world/
Hi Dave! Thanks for all the great info on your site! This is far from our first trip but we’ve gotten so much helpful information from you. My question is this. We’re planning a trip at the beginning of November this year (arriving 11/5 and leaving 11/14). I know these dates, or at least some of them, were included in free dining last year. Do you have any predictions as to whether free dining will be offered this year at that time?
Hi Barbara and thanks! I’m on the record as not thinking we will have free dining after September, but some of my closest collaborators on thinking about it–who used to agree with me–have changed their minds. So the short version is no one knows.
If it happens, and if it follows last year’s pattern exactly–which is unlikely, but all we have to go on–then eligible arrival dates in November will include November 1, and then the 10th through the 22nd. So if this happens, most of your trip you’ll be out, but could do a split stay to pick it up in your later dates.
See this for more: https://yourfirstvisit.net/2014/04/16/the-best-ever-free-dining-faq-in-the-history-of-the-world/
Question: I have a pre-existing booking with Disney Dining Plan that falls within the predicted dates, and I also have a pre-pay ADR (Hoop De Doo), for which I didn’t have to pre-pay since I have a DDP package booked.
Since Free Dining online bookings might open 7 hours before the phone lines, I’m considering booking a new package online at midnight, to have a better shot at the same room type I’ve already booked. If I do it this way, will I have any problems with that pre-pay ADR? I don’t want to “confuse” the system, I’m not sure if it’s linked to the package I’ve already booked. I know “regular” ADRs aren’t, just wasn’t sure about Hoop.
Jeff, I don’t think so…
Hello Dave.
Saw this today from a Brazilian Travel agency regarding dates for the upcoming Free Dining Plan:
Book: from 05/07 up to 09/12
Checkin dates:
08/31 to 10/03
10/26 to 11/01
11/09 to 11/20 and
12/12 to 12/23
Can you confirm those dates?
At least for us, it seems that the Free DP will go up to December.
I’ve got the same May 7 date from other sources, Fabio. The arrival dates look very credible too…
Is it safe to say that AoA will be excluded from the free dining deal? We are booked flights and all 9/21-27 and staying at AoA in LM room. Just wondering if by some small chance we would be able to take advantage of Free Dining ! 🙂 Thank you . Your site is so amazing in helping a first timer plan!
Hi Maria, and thanks! Someday LM rooms will be in deals…but until the first time that happens, my forecast is that it won’t be in this one…
will my disney experience let you book more than 1 trip? i can’t even seem to price out a different trip on my phone since i have a trip booked for october…..
Michelle, I dunno! I book with my laptop via the website, and routinely have multiple visits successfully scheduled…but I dunno about doing so on MDE…
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