Hi Doreen! Walt Disney World sometimes has
Special Offers that give guests incentives to book a vacation, and the Free Dining Plan is one of those offers. Guests booking a vacation package that includes a resort stay and park tickets during certain dates may receive the Disney Dining Plan for free. (You can see all the details by clicking
here.) It's a great deal, but you can take advantage of it only if your vacation falls during specified times. Unfortunately, it appears that during the time you're visiting in 2012 the Free Dining Deal is offered only between January 21 to February 2 and between February 11 to 16. I expect that you were told you weren't eligible for this offer since your vacation begins outside of those dates.
If you want to take advantage of the Free Dining Offer, you may have a couple of options. First, consider moving your check-in date back two days, from February 9 to February 11, so you'll fall within the dates of the Free Dining Offer. If you're unable to change your dates, you could instead consider splitting your stay between two different reservations. Stay at one resort February 9 for two nights, and then book a second stay (at that resort or a different one) that starts February 11 so you can take advantage of the Free Dining Deal for the remainder of your vacation. You'll have to crunch the numbers to determine if booking separate resort stays to get the Dining Plan is worthwhile. The cost per day for park tickets decreases with each day added, so if you're adding park tickets to two shorter reservations, you'll pay more than you would for tickets on one longer reservation. If you call 407-939-7675, the agent should be able to give you all the pricing options.
Come visit us again at the Moms Panel if you have more questions!