2013 Free Dining Watch

[nikkyluvsmickey]

I say no to all credit cards, so I got the Disney Visa Debit Card. Not many perks, but merchandise discounts and the ability to book some WDW discounts make it worth it for me.

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You can use the disney debit card to book the free dining on the 6th? Or is that just for the credit card holders?

 

[difry]

"FD will be offered for the USA market the details are release Date May9

yoiu can book from May 9, 2013 to September 15, 2013

Travel Dates (Arrivals):
September 2, 2013 - September 25, 2013"



So...considering the above. We have reservations for 5 adults (Me, hubby and daughter, son-in-law and son) for 9/29-10/4. We were hoping to get free dining...but it looks like we might have missed the current window.

I could wait and see if we get lucky for our dates...or...(and this is where I think I might be a bit high on pixie dust)...bump our check in date back to the 25th, get the free dining, and add additional days for what appears to be minimum cost (only about $300 difference from our current reservation). If our kids couldn't come down or take that much time (we always take 2 cars and drive down) Hubby and I could check in on the 25th and then meet them when they get there. (and then we would have so much food…10 days of free dining!).

So…10 days at Disney for the price of 6 with dining?

Is this totally psycho? We usually only go for a 5 day pass...I’ve always wondered what it would be like to actually have some relaxation time at Disney…

 

[gmedolphin]

Staying at Pop 9/15 to 9/20...All book we are going to add free dinning on the 9th..What would be the extra charge to do regular dinning plan instead of quick service??

 

[Scootchu]

New member to this board, but not Disney and it amazes me how much more people know about Disney than I do. My family has made many a trip to Disney World either staying at one of the park hotels or at the main gate at the Doubletree.

Last year we stayed at The French Quarter and got FD in September. Can't say we were happy with the weather, hot, humid and stormy, but we had a great time none the less. This year we booked tentatively for Nov 15-23rd hoping it lines up with the FD dates from 2012. I am confused as to the best plan for coordinating the best possible deal. We booked the room at The Riverside for those dates in 2013, which now I have read is meaningless. We just don't want to be left twisting in the wind. So if someone has a ritual they follow and would like to share we sure would appreciate it.
Scott

 

[TheDisney411]

If I booked using my discover, but want to use my girlfriends disney visa card to get in early fd, would they allow that?

If her name is on the reservation you can call and have them add the FD discount to your reservation, but you will have to put down a minimum $200 payment with the Disney Visa for them to apply the discount to your existing reservation.

 

[TheDisney411]

I keep having this horrible feeling that I won't be able to get my hands on free dining at a value or mod by the time it's available to the general public. I hope I'm just paranoid! My husband says no to Disney visa. It's been since 2006 since I had FD. It would be nice to have it on this trip since we are staying for 10 nights.

DV FD will have set amount of FD rooms st each resort and the general public FD promo will have a set number of FD rooms per resort. If a resort or room category sells out under the FD code does not necessarily mean it will sell out under the GP FD code.

 

[TheDisney411]

You can use the disney debit card to book the free dining on the 6th? Or is that just for the credit card holders?

I think you have asked this multiple times, and yes you can still use the Disney Debit Visa to book the FD promo, you simply have to be able to put down the $200 minimum deposit/payment with the card.

 

[TheDisney411]

"FD will be offered for the USA market the details are release Date May9

yoiu can book from May 9, 2013 to September 15, 2013

Travel Dates (Arrivals):
September 2, 2013 - September 25, 2013"

So...considering the above. We have reservations for 5 adults (Me, hubby and daughter, son-in-law and son) for 9/29-10/4. We were hoping to get free dining...but it looks like we might have missed the current window.

I could wait and see if we get lucky for our dates...or...(and this is where I think I might be a bit high on pixie dust)...bump our check in date back to the 25th, get the free dining, and add additional days for what appears to be minimum cost (only about $300 difference from our current reservation). If our kids couldn't come down or take that much time (we always take 2 cars and drive down) Hubby and I could check in on the 25th and then meet them when they get there. (and then we would have so much food…10 days of free dining!).

So…10 days at Disney for the price of 6 with dining?

Is this totally psycho? We usually only go for a 5 day pass...I’ve always wondered what it would be like to actually have some relaxation time at Disney…

You will have to check in by September 25 to take advantage of the upcoming FD promo. If you check in by the 25th, the last date of this promo, you can have the FD discount applied to your entire stay up to 14 nights.

 

[TheDisney411]

Staying at Pop 9/15 to 9/20...All book we are going to add free dinning on the 9th..What would be the extra charge to do regular dinning plan instead of quick service??

About $18 per adult, per night and about $3 per child per night.

 

[TheDisney411]

New member to this board, but not Disney and it amazes me how much more people know about Disney than I do. My family has made many a trip to Disney World either staying at one of the park hotels or at the main gate at the Doubletree.

Last year we stayed at The French Quarter and got FD in September. Can't say we were happy with the weather, hot, humid and stormy, but we had a great time none the less. This year we booked tentatively for Nov 15-23rd hoping it lines up with the FD dates from 2012. I am confused as to the best plan for coordinating the best possible deal. We booked the room at The Riverside for those dates in 2013, which now I have read is meaningless. We just don't want to be left twisting in the wind. So if someone has a ritual they follow and would like to share we sure would appreciate it.
Scott

The October - December free dining dates are not released until usually July, sometimes August. When those promo dates are announced, you will be able to call and have the FD discount added to your existing reservation.

 

[difry]

You will have to check in by September 25 to take advantage of the upcoming FD promo. If you check in by the 25th, the last date of this promo, you can have the FD discount applied to your entire stay up to 14 nights.

That's what I"m thinking. We could drive down on the 25th and check in and not rush to do anything...it really sounds kinda nice.

 

[smitch425]

New member to this board, but not Disney and it amazes me how much more people know about Disney than I do. My family has made many a trip to Disney World either staying at one of the park hotels or at the main gate at the Doubletree.

Last year we stayed at The French Quarter and got FD in September. Can't say we were happy with the weather, hot, humid and stormy, but we had a great time none the less. This year we booked tentatively for Nov 15-23rd hoping it lines up with the FD dates from 2012. I am confused as to the best plan for coordinating the best possible deal. We booked the room at The Riverside for those dates in 2013, which now I have read is meaningless. We just don't want to be left twisting in the wind. So if someone has a ritual they follow and would like to share we sure would appreciate it.
Scott

Not sure what you mean by "meaningless", but if you have just booked a room only reservation, then that reservation would have to be canceled and rebooked as a package to take advantage of a free dining deal. It will be 2-3 months before the November deals come out. Good luck!

 

[Johnnyry129]

Hello all, I am going on 9/3-9/7. I booked a room only with a military discount. For military personnel, we are allowed to book room only and still obtain the dining plan, due to the nature of how we receive our tickets with the discount.

Does anyone know If I am eligible to receive free dining under the circumstances outlined above?

Thanks for any help!

 

[smitch425]

Hello all, I am going on 9/3-9/7. I booked a room only with a military discount. For military personnel, we are allowed to book room only and still obtain the dining plan, due to the nature of how we receive our tickets with the discount.

Does anyone know If I am eligible to receive free dining under the circumstances outlined above?

Thanks for any help!

In order to take advantage of free dining, you must pay full price for your room and purchase a minimum 2 day base ticket for everyone on the reservation ages 3 and up. You would have to do the math to see if it is better for you to do the military discount and purchase the dining plan or do the FD package.

 

[TheDisney411]

Hello all, I am going on 9/3-9/7. I booked a room only with a military discount. For military personnel, we are allowed to book room only and still obtain the dining plan, due to the nature of how we receive our tickets with the discount.

Does anyone know If I am eligible to receive free dining under the circumstances outlined above?

Thanks for any help!

No, you can't stack discounts.

 

[Johnnyry129]

In order to take advantage of free dining, you must pay full price for your room and purchase a minimum 2 day base ticket for everyone on the reservation ages 3 and up. You would have to do the math to see if it is better for you to do the military discount and purchase the dining plan or do the FD package.

The WDW agent on the phone told me as a military personnel I can utilize the dining plan without any park tickets at all. It is different for military, as the tickets are purchased at bases or at the gate and every ticket needs to be actived with the military man/woman present. But I am guessing the first part is true....no other applicable discounts with the free meal plan.

 

[TheDisney411]

The WDW agent on the phone told me as a military personnel I can utilize the dining plan without any park tickets at all. It is different for military, as the tickets are purchased at bases or at the gate and every ticket needs to be actived with the military man/woman present. But I am guessing the first part is true....no other applicable discounts with the free meal plan.

She was talking about the guidelines for a free dining discount and why you can't get a FD discount with those military tickets.

 

[Scootchu]

Not sure what you mean by "meaningless", but if you have just booked a room only reservation, then that reservation would have to be canceled and rebooked as a package to take advantage of a free dining deal. It will be 2-3 months before the November deals come out. Good luck!

I read somewhere that if you book the room and you want to take advantage of the FD package that you may have to rebook and perhaps change your resort. And the answer to your question is "yes" we just have a room reservation right now knowing we would have to re-book (over the phone) the whole thing as a package. We just wanted to lock in a room that could accommodate 5 and not wait.

So what I am asking is: Should we just sit on our reservation and wait for the dates to hopefully be announced? Cancel and wait? Re-book with the whole package (passes, dining) and then cross our fingers? We also have to roll the dice with our airfare. We always have. We fly Spirit and watch every promo they offer. The advantage is the airport they fly into is 10mins away. It's a lot to juggle and would just like to make it a bit easier to manage and keep track of.
So what do you do if you are shooting for a FD vacation?

 

[smitch425]

I read somewhere that if you book the room and you want to take advantage of the FD package that you may have to rebook and perhaps change your resort. And the answer to your question is "yes" we just have a room reservation right now knowing we would have to re-book (over the phone) the whole thing as a package. We just wanted to lock in a room that could accommodate 5 and not wait.

So what I am asking is: Should we just sit on our reservation and wait for the dates to hopefully be announced? Cancel and wait? Re-book with the whole package (passes, dining) and then cross our fingers? We also have to roll the dice with our airfare. We always have. We fly Spirit and watch every promo they offer. The advantage is the airport they fly into is 10mins away. It's a lot to juggle and would just like to make it a bit easier to manage and keep track of.
So what do you do if you are shooting for a FD vacation?

If free dining is your goal, I would go ahead and call now to change to a package so it will be easier to add the dining later on, but make sure whenever you decide to make the switch that the agent books the package before canceling the room reservation. Someone could snag the room before she books the package if you cancel the room only first. You don't want to cancel without having a package room reserved first.

 

[smitch425]

The WDW agent on the phone told me as a military personnel I can utilize the dining plan without any park tickets at all. It is different for military, as the tickets are purchased at bases or at the gate and every ticket needs to be actived with the military man/woman present. But I am guessing the first part is true....no other applicable discounts with the free meal plan.

You can purchase a dining plan when using a military room discount, but you cannot get dining for free unless you forego all military discounts and book a regular Magic Your Way package including rack rate room and tickets. You need to do the math both ways to see which is your better option.