Thank you for NOT announcing Free Dining WDW!

[woodkins]

I am so thankful WDW did not announce free dining for the fall. Today was our 180 day mark & I was able to get every single reservation I wanted within 10 mins of my desired time (dinners around 6 and breakfasts around 9). I was able to get Le Cellier, Ohana breakfast, Chef Mickey bfast, Dinner at Akershus, 50's Prime time Cafe dinner, Crystal Palace lunch, and Tusker House Breakfast.

At this same week last year I was struggling to get any ressies at all and the ones I could get were at random times (like eating dinner at 8:45 with a 6 yr old!).

Okay WDW..you are free to release any discounts you wish (preferably 40% off rooms at a deluxe resort )

 

[PrincessGrandma]

Whew! Good to know that it was just your ressies holding up the press release! Actually, my 180+10 days started last Sunday and I had the same thought..."This would NOT be so easy if FD had already been announced". We, too, got everything we wanted

 

[CanadianPaco]

Imagine what it would have been like if free dining had been announced!

 

[vinotinto]

I am so thankful WDW did not announce free dining for the fall. Today was our 180 day mark & I was able to get every single reservation I wanted within 10 mins of my desired time (dinners around 6 and breakfasts around 9). I was able to get Le Cellier, Ohana breakfast, Chef Mickey bfast, Dinner at Akershus, 50's Prime time Cafe dinner, Crystal Palace lunch, and Tusker House Breakfast.

At this same week last year I was struggling to get any ressies at all and the ones I could get were at random times (like eating dinner at 8:45 with a 6 yr old!).

Okay WDW..you are free to release any discounts you wish (preferably 40% off rooms at a deluxe resort )

I wouldn't claim vistory yet. even with ADRs, I've read waiting times can be absolutely brutal during Free Dining (and yes, I am assuming Disney will offer FD). I'm partial too to the room discounts at deluxe resorts ;-)

I think we'll be at Poly at the same time. We arrive on the 18th and leave on the 26th.

 

[woodkins]

I wouldn't claim vistory yet. even with ADRs, I've read waiting times can be absolutely brutal during Free Dining (and yes, I am assuming Disney will offer FD). I'm partial too to the room discounts at deluxe resorts ;-)

I think we'll be at Poly at the same time. We arrive on the 18th and leave on the 26th.

We have been for free dining 3 times in the past and waiting times weren't really any worse then they normally are (they are hardly ever walk right in). I'm just happy that I was able to get the ressies I wanted. We have tried for Le Cellier & the 50's prime time for the past 3 years and have never gotten them. We were also shut out of Chef Mickey's as well on our last trip.

We will be at the Poly the same times...we arrive on the 23rd-28th.

 

[srdipert]

I have been 3 times on free dining also and never had a problem with wait times at restaurants. Glad you got your ADRs.

 

[aceys_h0ney]

We are just going for the weekend so I am crossing everything that can cross for a 40% off deluxe but I went ahead and made a few ressies before they are shut out.

 

[sasha's goofy]

That is GREAT news!!! My 180 days out is tomorrow. Sounds like there may be hope yet for good options.

 

[francie57]

Don't forget there is one big difference this year vs. last year - it was only a 90 window last year and now its 180. Unless people follow these boards they may not even know they can do their ADRs yet. It will be interesting to see what discounts come out. Free dining doesn't help us since we stay at the BWV and paying full rate for a villa is much more than we get with a room discount so the free dining doesn't matter to us.

 

[vinotinto]

We have been for free dining 3 times in the past and waiting times weren't really any worse then they normally are (they are hardly ever walk right in). I'm just happy that I was able to get the ressies I wanted. We have tried for Le Cellier & the 50's prime time for the past 3 years and have never gotten them. We were also shut out of Chef Mickey's as well on our last trip.

We will be at the Poly the same times...we arrive on the 23rd-28th.

That certainly makes me feel better. I decided on DxDP, but then started to read some reviews about people waiting past their ADR time, and then I started to freak out.

See you at the Poly pool

 

[CrabbyPatty]

LOL - I gotta say I was thinking the same thing! We did the bounce-back from last year so we got free dining, but then I upgraded to the deluxe plan so I had a LOT more ADRs to make. I got everything - Le Cellier, Ohanas, CRT, etc. on the day/time I wanted.

But then we booked last year after free dining was announced, and we still got everything we wanted for ADRs, too, so go figure .....

 

[TillyMarigold]

That certainly makes me feel better. I decided on DxDP, but then started to read some reviews about people waiting past their ADR time, and then I started to freak out.

See you at the Poly pool

I went last year during Free Dining, got in line to check in 10-20 minutes early for every reservation (not everywhere actually had a line), and was seated well before my reservation time at 7 of 9 restaurants (in fact, at about half of them we were seated immediately). The other 2 seated us 10 and 15 minutes past the reservation times. The longest wait was at Akershus for a 6:30 pm reservation (got in line at 6:20, got called at 6:45), and I'm sure it would have been faster if their computers hadn't been down so they were doing it all by hand. The other was Mama Melrose.

 

[doccoc2002]

I have always gotten my ADR's for the time I want but I will say I am on the phone before 7am at 180days. Last time I even canceled a few and switched them around while waiting for my trip to come. If you keep trying FD or not something will most likely open up. Summer months are busy too. Some people aren't fortunate to go every year or they go somewhere else so they can't book the bounceback. Now that you can make ressie online at 6am people have a better shot at getting what they want(since the line isn't busy). It is a good thing that restaurants bookup fast. IMHO That way Disney keeps up the good work. If they weren't as full the food would probably be horrible and what good would FD be then!

 

[DW2010]

You're lucky . Wednesday I get to make ADRs. I'm hoping free dining is announced, but hope it doesn't cause me any issues. I will be on my computer at 6AM just in case...lol.

 

[mking624]

I'm hoping for FD but already took care of my ADRs. My 180+10 was on the 24th and I can only imagine how difficult it would have been to get what I wanted if FD had already been announced. Well, maybe not with a couple of the places...but definitely with Le Cellier. Even without the FD announcement, it was hard to find availability. But I got in!

 

[Snork]

Same here. I make my ADRs tomorrow. But, I feel as though I want to change some around so back to the drawing board....

 

[KatMark]

Glad the OP got her ADR's she wanted. I, too, have never had problems getting my ADR's during free dining. We went last year on an "unexpected" mini trip at around the 20th of September, and we were able to book LeCellier, Sci Fi, Boma and Crystal Palace (at 8:05 a.m.). It's really the luck of the draw and what time you want your ressie. And a little "pixie dust" probably doesn't hurt.