shortening stay - no rooms available?

[Lyon_King]

I'm trying to book 4 rooms for my whole family during free dining, and as you can imagine it's hard to get 4 rooms at the same resort with the free dining package this late in the game. Especially with the way Disney books rooms by length of stay - rooms are available for a specific number of nights and when 7 day packages sell out, there might be an 8 day available for the same dates instead. I was able to book an 8 night and two 6 nights (and one 5 night for the late comers). Would have liked to have three 8 night stays or three 6 night stays, but that combination wasn't available... but I digress.
Anyway, the group in the last room needed to come down even later. So I called today to take a day off their reservation. Now when I booked the other day I specifically asked what happens if I have to shorten a reservation and got "no problem" within all the usual policy dates and fine print. I asked, will my rate change? "No".... So when I called today, to change from 5 days to 4 days, instead of saying, "ok, I'll change the reservation" the CM said, "let me check to see if we have any rooms available."
I need to note that I just made the other booking 2 days ago, so I haven't paid deposit, and maybe that is the difference, but I want to know that if I change my reservations later on, for example cutting my 8 day reservation down to 6 days to match everyone else, will they look to see if a room is available? Thus risk losing the free dining promo, or having them say, "sorry, I can't take days off because we have no 6-night rooms available."

[rie'smom]

I have not been in your situation but it seems like it shouldn't be a problem unless you want to stay less than the required # of days for the free dining promotion. This is from the disney website:
Get a Free Disney Dining Plan and Save $199 Per Adult with These Packages!
You receive the Disney Dining Plan FREE when you purchase one of these 5-night/5-day Magic Your Way packages at other select Disney Resort hotels for stays most nights October 2, 2009 to November 24, 2009:

Disney Moderate Resorts for $716 per adult based on adult dbl. occ. in a standard room
Disney Deluxe Resorts (Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge and Disney's Wilderness Lodge) for $1,054 per adult based on adult dbl. occ. in a standard room.
Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts (Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa and Disney's Old Key West Resort) for $1,152 per adult based on adult dbl. occ. in a studio room.
Book online or call and ask for booking code NAR.

[Sandisw]

I think that anything is possible where DIsney is concerned. If they have already told you that there are certain packages with the special that go by nights, then there is a good chance that it won't be as easy to drop the days.

If it was that simple, I don't think they would book that way from the beginning. I think the fact that free dining is a pacakge special, it may change things from the typical rules as far as modifying the reservation.

The only thing you can do is try. But, if your ultimate goal is to go from the 8 day down to the 6, I would call daily and see if it can be done and not wait as maybe things will open up for you.

Good luck!

[3boymthr]

I think the problem may be the four days. Everything I've seen promoting this package lately has said "a minimum of 5 days." I think the family in question won't be staying long enough for Free Dining unless you/they have a PIN code.