Free Dining Extension ~ Oct-Dec

[LOVEMY3KIDDOS]

I'd like to offer a suggestion to anyone that does not get free dining...it may not prove to be quite as good, but not bad...and it is what many Disney wait staff refers to as one of the best kept secrets. Get someone in your party an AP, then buy the Tables in Wonderland card. It costs $100, but is good for like 14 months so may get more than one trip out of it. It gets you 20% off meals at table service. And, gets you 20% off at some quick service...Pop food court for one...and also at lounges like Tambu...and all your alcoholic drinks at meals are also 20% off with it! It can pay for itself pretty quickly. Plus, I would be willing to bet that if someone had an AP there will in fact be AP fall discounts. So, it may work out in the end. Crunch numbers and see For us, free dining is the best because 2 of our 3 children are Disney adults, so we get 4 free adult dining plans.

 

[GSUJillybean]

I'm booked for Dec. 3. I called and explained that I can't get Disney Destinations emails due to ISP restrictions, and they transferred me to Guest Services, but the best I got is that they agreed they would refund my travel insurance if I canceled the trip before October 19th if no discount offer came out to apply to my dates.

Is it silly/entitled that I would and have paid rack rate before, but knowing they're handing out random free dining and making me pay arbitrarily is enough to make me say forget it and take the kids to the bahamas instead? I feel like a jerk.

 

[HBGdancermom]

I called today and no PIN attached to my name. But she checked my dates and found a free dining discount for me. Told her i wanted moderate. She checked my first resort choice , POR, and nothing available. But did have spots for CBR and CSR. Now booked for October 2-8 at CBR with free dining!!

Wow! Great news!

 

[HBGdancermom]

I am wondering if WDTC agents have been given permission to apply free dining for certain dates/resorts that have unusually low occupancy rates. And also, maybe when we call, some folks are speaking with CRO agents vs. WDTC agents, who do not have the means/authorization to offer free dining????? And maybe too Disney is trying to fill up the less popular resorts/room categories before free dining is made available to GP????

What is the difference in the 2 different types Pluto? Never heard of CRO.

 

[HBGdancermom]

I'm curious, what are CRO agents and how are they different from WDTC agents? Thanks

I should have kept reading down. Lol

 

[plutospalforever]

does anyone know if I was to call about the free dining if they would give it to me over the phone since I have a TA would they still be able to apply it

Hi Holly! Unfortunately only your TA can have the free dining applied to your ressie if you were to have a PIN. She should be more than happy to check for you. If you do call and have a PIN, I would suggest asking the CM for the number so you can give it to your TA or a direct number or email, because there has been at least one reported incidence of someone calling and finding out they had a PIN, but when the TA called, she was told there was no record of it.

 

[HBGdancermom]

CRO is the central reservations office and both are in the same room and when you call and answer some of those automated questions, usually determines who you will speak to, but it could be either one. CRO typically deals with just room only reservations and 3 digit codes and they simply enter this info in the CRS reservation system. They are cross trained to handle what WDTC agents do, but there knowledge/experience base does have limits.

WDTC CM's are trained using a software program that let's them do "everything" else. They can book whatever you might want/need for your vacation; they do all the packages.

Never knew this!!!! Interesting!! I would love to visit one of the call centers. Where are they? Are there more than one?

Who's up for a field trip?!? Lol

 

[plutospalforever]

I honestly don't know if I did or not. I called and asked if I had a PIN attached to my acct. The cm was great and said let me look. She got back on and said she found a fd discount for my time frame and applied it.....but when I called the week before to check I had nothing.

I know...that was sooo long ago...lol...I think you were one of the first to call and have "something"...wasn't it Mother's Day??

 

[HBGdancermom]

I just called Disney and asked if there was a pin # associated and they did advise that there was. Thanks for the info.

Cool!!

 

[HBGdancermom]

I just got off with what sounded to be somebody NOT in a call center.

He sounded very nervous too. Denied again.

He said a few things that I've never heard any other CM state, that there is free dining during the time I was asking about Oct 20-27, but " that it's for select guests and you're not one of them "

I was kind, but direct, no dice

What? Well that sounds just rude. Lol. Selected guest, but you're not one if them???

 

[HBGdancermom]

I just tried again also (after numerous attempts over the past two weeks) and was again told, no, there's no PIN attached to your name and we can't offer you free dining unless you have a PIN. The CM I spoke to was very nice and very patient, but the bottom line was....NO. So I'm continuing to hope for an FD release to the GP in the next month or so. But I totally don't understand how some people are getting FD without PINs, while others of us (many long-time, frequent visitors) have absolutely no such "luck", pixie dust, or whatever it is.

I don't get them either....

 

[Kat016]

I know...that was sooo long ago...lol...I think you were one of the first to call and have "something"...wasn't it Mother's Day??

Yup!! Great memory lol

 

[mickeymomof3girls]

Well tried again today and still no pin for my family. But she did ask if I had a family member or friend that received a pin and I could use it. So I told her I do have a coworker that received ones she said I could have them book it for us... Made it sound like we could just use their pin so I questioned it and she said well they have to go the same time and overlap our dates at least one day..... Well that isn't going to work since they aren't going to Disney this year... Keep hoping for a general public deal. We are going oct 2-13 with our family of 5.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[HBGdancermom]

I disagree! I don't like it at all. Maybe if I was a chosen one I would like it more, but I think it is a good way to aggravate the unchosen. I know it is doing a good job on my nerves.

Lol! Right there with ya!

 

[HBGdancermom]

I called from my office phone at the car dealership where I work everyday for a month and got nothing. The first call I made from my cell phone got me free dining. I about fell out of my chair ,but I got it with no pin. Use a phone that will bring up your account and be real sweet.

Didn't work for me... :-(((

 

[My2CrazyGirls]

If free dining comes out, can you book online or do you have to call? Say if it is a via cardholder offer, how do you book that? Thanks!

 

[imabeimabe]

Unless something fishy is going on, it would seem that...for the first time...Disney is doing something different. With some people able to get free dining just by calling in, and if they really didn't have a PIN attached to their name, it would only mean that Disney has given "blank PINs" out to CMs to sprinkle some pixie dust to some callers. This seems to be even more plausible due to the fact that not everyone is able to pull this off.

We're working on a rhyme or reason behind this, but this truly is something of an anomaly, and I hope it's one that's here to stay.

Ok I had given up on calling but now I'm thinking I'll try again in the morning. It's kinda like when you buy a lottery ticket and you KNOW you aren't going to win but yet you buy it and dream right up until.....

 

[plutospalforever]

If free dining comes out, can you book online or do you have to call? Say if it is a via cardholder offer, how do you book that? Thanks!

When a promo is offered to Disney Visa holders first, you or your TA call Disney directly

 

[My2CrazyGirls]

When a promo is offered to Disney Visa holders first, you or your TA call Disney directly

Thanks! If it is general public discount you can do it online?

 

[Tarheel Mom]

I'm curious about something. For those that have gotten a pin, have you stayed on-site before? I know someone mentioned earlier that their notification said something to the effect "because you've stayed with us before" or something like that. I light bulb went off in my head a week or so ago ~ although I've been to WDW three times before, I have never stayed on-site. I had given up on getting a pin anyway but I think not staying on-site before may be a reason (among unknown others) that we didn't get a pin. Just trying to make sense of it ~ if there is any sense to be made, lol!