Irritated already!

[mla2177]

I have a trip planned for Nov 11th-Nov17th. I DID NOT get free dining because I booked it back in May. Anyway, fast passes opened up Sat morning. I got online to pick then at 7:30am and 7DM was already gone and so were Anna and Elsa Meet and Greet. I'm angry! I am paying for my food and can't get what I want, but the people not paying get want they want! Seems like a flawed system to me! Do you think calling Disney will help, or is it a waste of time????

 

[kmb584]

Calling Disney will be a waste of time. The best solution is to check for these attractions several times a day as FP+ do become available when someone cancels theirs. A good source to monitor is http://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=835236; it shows FP+ availability for the most popular attractions in each park. Provided you still aren't able to book them, be at the park for rope drop. Also, free dining as nothing to do with people getting what they want. A&E and 7DMT are incredibly popular and FP+ quickly "sell out" for them.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

I'm sorry things aren't going well. My parents are going almost those exact same dates and I'm doing all of their booking for them and I've had some trouble getting dining reservations they want. The best advice I can give you is to get there for rope drop on two different days and head to 7DMT one day and A&E the other. I'm not a huge fan of FP+ at all and it has definitely changed the way we tour (and not for the better), but we are learning to make the most of it. I don't think that calling them will get you the fast passes you are looking for. Maybe instead you can pick out something really special for this trip that you haven't done before and do that? I don't know. But I am sorry and you do have my sympathy regarding all of your frustrations.

 

[DLM1980]

Waste of time.

This seems like an "i'm entitled" because I paid for food post. Which you paying for food doesn't mean disney owes you anything more then it does to those it gave dining to for free. Besides FREE dining isn't really free anyways, thats why I have to pay rack rate and not a room discount

I got free dining as part of my bounce back last year for this trip in October. I didn't get 7 dwarfs when it opened up to me

Just be happy your going to Disney! You will eventually get to ride the dwarfs and meet Anna and Elsa. Maybe not this trip but the next. The world will keep spinning. I promise you that!

 

[subtchr]

I'm not sure how you are connecting dining with fast passes -- they are completely separate systems.

Fast pass reservations become available at midnight 60 days before a Disney resort stay. Even if you were online at midnight instead of 7:30 am the next morning, there is a good chance that those two would have been unavailable, because people can book them at the end of their stay, so greater than 60 days out.

They are just such popular attractions, that the fast passes are gone. Calling Disney will not change that at all.

 

[G.Goof]

Is there a connection between Free Dining and Fast Pass+ that I'm not aware of?

 

[agwood123DLFerguson]

Unfortunately, it would be a waste of time. Sorry you didn't get what you want, but the "free dining" isn't really free (if that makes you feel better). They try to make it sound like it is, but typically the folks with free dining are paying higher room rates (as discounts can't be combined and you probably got a better room rate).
Also, fastpass booking opens at midnight EST. Why did you try booking so late Saturday 7:30 am? It is frustrating when you spend so much money on vacation and don't get what you want. I hope you are able to get your fastpasses later by breaking up your group and picking up overlapping times. Good luck!

 

[wilkeliza]

It has nothing to do with free dinning to be honest. There are many other things going on at WDW in November now. They extended Food and Wine from what it use to be so now people are coming in for that. Plus you get 60 days plus length of stay so people who are staying the same dates as you but check in even a day earlier were able to log in for their entire reservation. I'm there just 2 days earlier than you and got 7DMT on my booking window and it is a very very busy weekend.

 

[MatzoBelle]

I am very sorry for your frustrating experience. FPs actually open up at midnight. You still have a chance if you keep checking, including day of. It is doubtful that calling Disney will accomplish anything. People with free dining were subject to the same FP competition as you, and Disney won't view you as entitled to anything extra. In time these attractions will be much easier to get. A&E at rope drop at 7DMT near closing should be doable if you can be there then. Or you can just wait in longer lines. You do not need to give up on these attractions altogether. Good luck.

 

[Alesia]

Is there a connection between Free Dining and Fast Pass+ that I'm not aware of?

Nope.

The OP is just pulling the old "I'm paying good money for this and I should be able to have whatever I want" thing.

 

[serene56]

I am also wondering if you are aware that there is ONLY 10 FP per hour for A&E so if you were looking for a higher number that what was still there it will show as none left-- breakfing it down to looking for 1-2 at a time and overlap your times? But booking on a Saturday at 7:30 people already has 7.5 hours ahead of you looking and booking. Did you book your last day first?

 

[Ermise]

Unfortunately, it would be a waste of time. Sorry you didn't get what you want, but the "free dining" isn't really free (if that makes you feel better). They try to make it sound like it is, but typically the folks with free dining are paying higher room rates (as discounts can't be combined and you probably got a better room rate).
Also, fastpass booking opens at midnight EST. Why did you try booking so late Saturday 7:30 am? It is frustrating when you spend so much money on vacation and don't get what you want. I hope you are able to get your fastpasses later by breaking up your group and picking up overlapping times. Good luck!

I am arriving on the 11th as well and picked my Fastpass+ selections right at midnight. Mine Train and Anna & Elsa were not available then either, so OP didn't miss out on anything by not staying up late.....

 

[wddub2015]

If you think that calling to complain will get free dining or magically open up a 7DMT or A&E FP, I'm not sure that is terribly likely to happen. 7DMT and A&E are two of the hottest FPs around and, while FD is offered to help boost attendance, I really don't think you can blame the FDers specifically on not being able to get the FPs you wanted. Dining and FPs are totally separate. It isn't like those who didn't get to book with FD or any other special offers get dibs on FPs.

Have you tried breaking up your party size and looking for overlapping times or being flexible with your FP times? Not sure that would help with A&E, but last night at midnight when I booked FPs for 11/13 to 11/19 there was plenty of 7DMT availability at least on my MK days for a party of 4. The dibb site says there is still 7DMT availability on 11/16 and 11/17. Maybe you can be flexible with your park days if a 7DMT FP is critical for your trip?

 

[chicagodisneyguy]

We are doing 11-13 to 11-18 and this has been the toughest trip we've had out of 20+ trips in the last 15 years for making reservations. I was online last night at 12:01am to make fastpasses and couldn't get 7DMT either for the day we wanted. Anna & Elsa was gone too, but we were'nt really looking for that. The dinning reservations have been the big problem. I booked pretty close to 180 days and still only have our second choices for several night.

This week has been a historically low attendance week and i'm kinda worried it's going to be really busy.

 

[mla2177]

Calling Disney will be a waste of time. The best solution is to check for these attractions several times a day as FP+ do become available when someone cancels theirs. A good source to monitor is http://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=835236; it shows FP+ availability for the most popular attractions in each park. Provided you still aren't able to book them, be at the park for rope drop. Also, free dining as nothing to do with people getting what they want. A&E and 7DMT are incredibly popular and FP+ quickly "sell out" for them.

I know free dining has nothing to do directly with fastpasses, but free dining has made the slow time more crowded, in return resulting in unavailability of fast passes!

 

[pooch]

I am also beginning to worry about this week. I am staying off site so FP+ is still a month down the road for me! But even ADR's at 180 days were pretty hard to come by. I'm lucky in that there are no deal breakers for my adult DD (Florida Resident) and I. If we miss something, there's always the next trip. But I know this is not the case for many. I've picked all recommended parks per easywdw and hoping for the best!!

 

[DizBelle]

It's the +10 that's making it hard to get fastpasses and dining reservations for early in your trip. The people arriving in the 10 days before you will had access to get those reservations before you had your first chance.

People arriving Nov 1 for a 10 day or longer trip had access to Nov 11 fastpasses before you did.
People arriving Nov 2 for a 9 day or longer trip had access to Nov 11 fastpasses before you did.
People arriving Nov 3 for a 8 day or longer trip had access to Nov 11 fastpasses before you did.
People arriving Nov 4 for a 7 day or longer trip had access to Nov 11 fastpasses before you did.
People arriving Nov 5 for a 6 day or longer trip had access to Nov 11 fastpasses before you did.
People arriving Nov 6 for a 5 day or longer trip had access to Nov 11 fastpasses before you did.
People arriving Nov 7 for a 4 day or longer trip had access to Nov 11 fastpasses before you did.
People arriving Nov 8 for a 3 day or longer trip had access to Nov 11 fastpasses before you did.
People arriving Nov 9 for a 2 day or longer trip had access to Nov 11 fastpasses before you did.
People arriving Nov 10 for a 1 day or longer trip had access to Nov 11 fastpasses before you did.

That's a lot of people to get the fastpasses before you even get one chance. Unless you have a longer trip, it is possible you will not get fastpasses for the high demand attractions/M&Gs at all for your entire trip.

My opinion, they should just make reservations for those staying on property available 180 days in advance for dining and 60 days in advance for fastpasses period. None of this +10 stuff. Off property 170 days/30 days (or something less than on property folks).

 

[mla2177]

Waste of time.

This seems like an "i'm entitled" because I paid for food post. Which you paying for food doesn't mean disney owes you anything more then it does to those it gave dining to for free. Besides FREE dining isn't really free anyways, thats why I have to pay rack rate and not a room discount

I got free dining as part of my bounce back last year for this trip in October. I didn't get 7 dwarfs when it opened up to me

Just be happy your going to Disney! You will eventually get to ride the dwarfs and meet Anna and Elsa. Maybe not this trip but the next. The world will keep spinning. I promise you that!

I didn't realize folks that got free dining didn't really get it for free!

Nope.

The OP is just pulling the old "I'm paying good money for this and I should be able to have whatever I want" thing.

Are you people nuts?????? I am paying good money to go there! I love Disney, but yes, it irritates me that to bump sales they give free dining making the slow times crowded! If I started picking Fastpasses three days after it opened up then shame on me, but 7:30am. That's ridiculous!

 

[mla2177]

Is there a connection between Free Dining and Fast Pass+ that I'm not aware of?

Free dining= crowded parks= no Fast passes!

 

[mla2177]

I am also beginning to worry about this week. I am staying off site so FP+ is still a month down the road for me! But even ADR's at 180 days were pretty hard to come by. I'm lucky in that there are no deal breakers for my adult DD (Florida Resident) and I. If we miss something, there's always the next trip. But I know this is not the case for many. I've picked all recommended parks per easywdw and hoping for the best!!

Exactly! I am paying almost $4000 for a family a four and am only staying in a Moderate. Not all of us can go every year and drop that kind of money!