Will they Release more Free Dining Rooms

VioletSparkles

Mouseketeer

Joined

Feb 12, 2015

• May 6, 2015

• #1

I'm so bummed- we are booked Port Orleans Riverside from 9/19 to 9/26 and have selected the Disney Dining plan. I booked this back in January with the knowledge that our resort may not be included in FD and I was OK with that and decided to just cross my fingers. Well now I see that the promotions have been released and my resort and dates should be eligible for free dining but when I called today I was told all the rooms that qualify for that discount are sold out!
I was OK with not being eligible at all but to be told I'm paying for something that I essentially could have gotten for free makes me mad enough that I kind of just want to cancel my trip!
Does anyone know if they release more rooms or once that block of rooms go it's a done deal.

I'm just so disappointed

 

RejoyceoverDisney

DIS Veteran

Joined

Jul 22, 2013

• May 6, 2015

• #2

There is no way of knowing if more will be released or if someone will cancel and open up another. All you can do is keep calling and asking.
Yes it's frustrating but unfortunately you are at one of the very popular wanted resorts, especially for Free Dining.
I do know someone in 2013 that couldn't get it at first but after about a month of calling she finally got it.

I know what you mean about that feeling of being ok until you know someone else got a better deal. It's very frustrating.
My dates are not in the timeline of FD but I didn't want to give up POR so when I knew about FD I just stayed put. Now I'm sadly pacing and waiting for RO to come out and hopefully be able to get that. I know some people have got Unique offer codes in their email and snail mail for RO discounts already. But I haven't.

Good luck. You just have to decide how important it is to have FD vs calling often. Hope you at least get a RO discount. That could potentially be a good deal for you. Well maybe not because you wanted the dining plan. We are ok with no dining plan so RO would work for me. Good luck

 

lauradis

DIS Veteran

Joined

Aug 20, 2012

• May 7, 2015

• #3

You called about a week late. Don't be to bummed. FD isnt when we are going so I have been sitting on the side lines watching. It went really fast as in like a fire sale.

I have been calling it the "24hr FD sale"

 

sharonabe

DIS Veteran

Joined

May 22, 2009

• May 7, 2015

• #4

OR you could change resorts. It just depends on what is important to you.

 

Pumbaa_

>Hakuna Matata!<

Moderator

Joined

Jan 7, 2001

• May 7, 2015

• #5

This is also a casualty of people booking ahead in the hopes of adding free dining. Why should Disney offer more free dining rooms when people booked without the offer.

Disney offers special packages to fill rooms. If the rooms are already filled, then that will reduce how many they offer. POFQ, very popular resort, no rooms are offered for free dining there.

Book at whatever rate you are happy with OR wait until free dining is announced to book. Booking then hoping changes the playing field more and more each year

 

SouthJersey

DIS Veteran

Joined

Jul 19, 2011

• May 7, 2015

• #6

VioletSparkles said:

I'm so bummed- we are booked Port Orleans Riverside from 9/19 to 9/26 and have selected the Disney Dining plan. I booked this back in January with the knowledge that our resort may not be included in FD and I was OK with that and decided to just cross my fingers. Well now I see that the promotions have been released and my resort and dates should be eligible for free dining but when I called today I was told all the rooms that qualify for that discount are sold out!
I was OK with not being eligible at all but to be told I'm paying for something that I essentially could have gotten for free makes me mad enough that I kind of just want to cancel my trip!
Does anyone know if they release more rooms or once that block of rooms go it's a done deal.

I'm just so disappointed

Click to expand...

It wouldn't be a promotion if they included everyone with a reservation prior to the announcement as long as their dates landed on it.
Those presently booked rooms contribute to the calculations and reasons of why they do/don't release a promo and what resorts/when it's included.

If people held out closer to their 180 day window to book a trip, we would see A LOT of better promotions and pricing.

 

Last edited: May 7, 2015

doberlady

<font color=royalblue>It just never gets old to me

Joined

Dec 31, 1999

• May 8, 2015

• #7

I was able to finally add free dining to my CR stay early this morning in the garden wing!

 

AP1209

Mouseketeer

Joined

Apr 28, 2015

• May 8, 2015

• #8

There was rooms available at POP this morning. I had a standard pool view room at POP already because that was all they had when I modified my reservation last week. I have been periodically checking the Disney website to see if any preferred rooms would open up. This morning they had standard and perferred rooms available so I modified my reservation again swaping out the standard pool view room to a preferred room. Full disclosure, this was for the week of december free dining. Not sure about the other months.

 

momofkids

DIS Veteran

Joined

Jul 5, 2012

• May 9, 2015

• #9

You should check again now. A lot of rooms opened up yesterday and today. Maybe something there will work for you now.

 

nobellybutton

Mouseketeer

Joined

May 8, 2012

• May 9, 2015

• #10

Previous to FD I booked what I wanted to have whether or not FD was offered. We booked CBR preferred and I wanted to add another night not realizing FD had been released so nothing was avail, I tried online and calling but nothing....until last night @10:30p I tried doing a "new" ressie and found Standard CBR With the additional day I wanted AND it had FD with tickets for length of stay. Previously I had only 4day tickets, i called to try to modify my package and CM said she could not some offer are only avail online. She suggested I go ahead and book it with minimum deposit and then cancel my existing ressie and have my payment transferred over. I was so ecstatic to extend our stay and do it with FD!!

 

L

lovndisney12

DIS Veteran

Joined

Nov 8, 2008

• May 9, 2015

• #11

More rooms are opened now - got email from TA saying she had word more would be opening up and checked on-line - sure enough - more rooms opened than were before. But, not going to switch what we have.

 

P

PFopma

Mouseketeer

Joined

Aug 26, 1999

• May 13, 2015

• #12

My niece text me early this morning that she was finally able to get FD at a Caribbean Beach for her dates Oct 2 - 13. She saved a ton for her family of 5. Port Orleans Riverside was also available.

 

oddball1214

DIS Veteran

Joined

Feb 15, 2007

• May 13, 2015

• #13

We got FD at POR today!! I can finally stop stalking the Disney website!! Haha

 

Rivermonster

Heather W.

Joined

Apr 1, 2015

• May 13, 2015

• #14

I also got FD at POR today! I had booked POP the day the deal was released, as POR was no longer available, but I continued to stalk the site, and voilà, I modified both my family's and parent's reservations, switching us to POR. So excited!