The fall free dining promotion is here and the booking frenzy is about to begin. Disney’s “back to rack” campaign, which is essentially a move to end discounts, is reflected in this promotion, with Art of Animation, Port Orleans French Quarter, All Star Movies and some villas excluded from the offer. So far I’m seeing limited availability of standard rooms across the board for various dates. The offer is valid for arrivals most nights from September 29th through October 2nd, October 18th to November 2nd, November 11th through November 23rd, and December 12th through December 22nd. Keep in mind that if you check in during any of these valid dates, you’ll get free dining for your entire stay. This potentially means a huge savings during Christmas week!
Now here’s the big question: Is free dining a good deal for you? Well, we all tend to think that just about anything that’s free is good, but keep in mind that you’ll be paying full price (or rack rate) for your room. If you’re talking about a couple staying at a deluxe resort, that’s only a savings of about $120 a night. A room discount is probably a better option for someone in this position, so don’t automatically jump at free dining–often the cast member you’re speaking to won’t price both out, so it’s up to you to ask.
If you’d like to read more about free dining, check out this post from a few months ago. It’s got the ins and outs of free dining and shows you who it does and does not work for. Happy hunting and best of luck!
It looks like they’re running a separate discount for several of the excluded resorts- this time a % of some rooms. For example 20% French Quarter (king rooms seem to be excluded)
Interesting that they’re mix and matching like that…
Yes–it’s been really hit and miss, too.
Comments are closed.