2017 Free Dining Question

[ammama]

Apologies in advance if this has been asked before...

I've been reading about the Bounce Back Offer for free dining that was just released for 2017:

5/30-6/6, 6/30-7/5, 8/11-9/9, 12/8-12/20

My main question is, are the dates offered for Bounce Back usually the same (or close to the same) as the Free Dining Promotion that is usually released in the spring to the general public? If these May and June dates are offered, I wonder when they will open booking for those dates? Surely they won't wait until the spring, right? We have done FD in September in 2012 and 2014, and I'm chomping at the bit for the possibility of an earlier option.

Thanks for any opinions!

 

[MakiraMarlena]

No, they're usually not exactly the same.

General public free dining offers have not included dates in May or June since 2011.

 

[ammama]

No, they're usually not exactly the same.

General public free dining offers have not included dates in May or June since 2011.

I've never booked a Bounce Back Offer, so I'm not super familiar with the dates usually offered. Is May or June usually offered in Bounce Backs?

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Sometimes. But Bounce Backs do not traditionally match up to general public offers.

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

No, they're usually not exactly the same.

General public free dining offers have not included dates in May or June since 2011.

I haven't seen much of June or any of July included in the bounce back offer in the last five years. May was included in the bounce back last year, but only the very last day or so and the first few days of June. Some dates may be different in the public offer depending on the response to the bounce back. I imagine Disney hopes that they can fill many of the rooms with the bounce back. If Disney gets a lot of bookings through the bounce back offer, then they amend public dates, but I am expecting to see summer dates included in the general public free dining offer.

It will be interesting to see if they add September to the public offering since most of the month was excluded from the bounce back.

 

[sharonabe]

but I am expecting to see summer dates included in the general public free dining offer.

If by "summer" you mean late Aug or very early June, you may be right. But mid summer (June, July, early Aug) has never had a FREE dining offer that I can recall. Mousesavers only goes back to 2012, and there hasn't been one back to that year. They did offer the "one free QS meal" for the early part of summer this year. I guess they could offer that one again, and if that's the only discount, it's better than nothing.

Someone with a better memory than mine: was there free dining in the true summer months the year following 9/11? If there was no free dining then to get people in the parks, I can't imagine they will offer it now.

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

If by "summer" you mean late Aug or very early June, you may be right. But mid summer (June, July, early Aug) has never had a FREE dining offer that I can recall. Mousesavers only goes back to 2012, and there hasn't been one back to that year. They did offer the "one free QS meal" for the early part of summer this year. I guess they could offer that one again, and if that's the only discount, it's better than nothing.

Someone with a better memory than mine: was there free dining in the true summer months the year following 9/11? If there was no free dining then to get people in the parks, I can't imagine they will offer it now.

I say that only because the free dining bounce back offer right now includes summer dates. Both June and July. I don't ever remember that being case. However, based on my Disney travel experience in the last couple of years, it makes sense to shift the free dining dates. We have been the last two Septembers and the last two Julys and July was by far less crowded both years. We went five times last year and July was less crowded than September, April, and February.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Free Dining is not typically offered during busy times, as it is meant to draw in people when it is slow at WDW.

 

[ammama]

Free Dining is not typically offered during busy times, as it is meant to draw in people when it is slow at WDW.

I know that's why FD has been offered in September for so many years. I've seen several posts lately that September is now busier than July, so I thought they might start trying to boost summer attendance back up. It's certainly wishful thinking on my part!

 

[MakiraMarlena]

There has never been a general public free dining offer that included any dates in July.

Only bouncebacks, Britain and targeted PIN offers.

September might SEEM busier than July. But it isn't. The first two weeks of September are not busy at all.