annual free dining/resort discount offers

[cautionersx]

hi, I'm new here but have been obsessed with Disney my entire life. I used to wake my mom up every morning since I was 3 at about 4:30am and beg her to put on beauty and the beast for me. it'd last me until she was ready to wake up. I still love it just as much.

anyways, ffw a few years and I am taking my first adult trip to Disney world for me and my husband's 5 year anniversary. we booked for Nov 10-18.

I have read much about free dining/room discounts being offered at certain times but there are limitations on dates/first come first serve for whoever gets the deal first. if I'm correct, it seems Jo one knows if/when those deals will be offered in 2013. can you tell me more about the deals, when/how they are offered, and can they be applied to your trip if you've already booked? would you be refunded if you already purchased a dining plan, for instance? is the time we are going usually eligible or ineligible for the promotion?

I'm afraid of feeling stupid for missing the deal because we can barely afford this trip as is. if I knew we'd spent $700 more than we needed to for booking at the wrong time of the year (therefore not being eligible for a huge promotion/discount), I'd have a hard time getting over it.

[dansdad]

Originally Posted by cautionersx

hi, I'm new here

Let me be the first to say

Originally Posted by cautionersx

we booked for Nov 10-18.

Congrats! Now comes the fun of planning your trip.

Originally Posted by cautionersx

It seems no one knows if/when those deals will be offered in 2013. can you tell me more about the deals, when/how they are offered

I would gather that discounts for November will probably start coming out in June/July time frame.

If you have been to WDW before and they have your current mailing address or email address, you could get a PIN for either Free Dining or a Room Only discount. It will have a number that is for you to use for the discount.

Then there are the public offers that anyone can use. You can check for these on the WDW website under "Special Offers". They will spell out dates and resorts that are eligible.

Please be aware that the rumor is WDW will be scaling back Free Dining this year, meaning it won't be offered as often. And if it is offered, only Deluxe and Moderate resorts will be included. Again just a rumor.

Originally Posted by cautionersx

and can they be applied to your trip if you've already booked? would you be refunded if you already purchased a dining plan, for instance? is the time we are going usually eligible or ineligible for the promotion?

Yes they can be applied if you have already booked. If you are going from a package to room only or the other way around, it will require cancelling your original reservation and then booking a new one.

But if you have a room only and a room only discount comes out, you can just have the discount applied.

If you have a package and Free Dining comes out, they will apply the Free Dining and you will be refunded the difference.

Originally Posted by cautionersx

I'm afraid of feeling stupid for missing the deal because we can barely afford this trip as is. if I knew we'd spent $700 more than we needed to.

Your best bet to stay informed is to check out the Discount Codes and Rates Thread located here. Loaded with great information.

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=93

Hope this helps.

[Tpiejg]

Hi,
My family and I are going Aug 18-25. we booked the trip as a bounceback offer that offered free dining. At the same time we were booking another room for our son and his fiance. The cm told us that free dining was going to be offered from Aug. 18 to Sept. 25. We just booked our dining reservations yesterday and that cm we talked to told us the same thing.
you can book your reservations now then call back and get the free dining. we plan on doing that for my sons room as soon as it is available.

[denisea51]

That makes sense because 9/27 starts F&W.