How to book in anticipation of Free Dining

[monkey0816]

If you are anticipating free dining, is there any benefit or disadvantage to booking just room/tickets package vs room/tickets/dining plan package and then having your reservation adjusted once the free dining is announced? In other words, is it easier/better to add free dining when you had no dining on your reservation prior or to change your previously booked dining plan to free? Are you guaranteed free dining either way, or does it sometimes "sell-out" at certain resorts, as I have heard happens with % off room rate pin codes?

 

[Luv2Roam]

I do not see any benefit to booking ahead.

Under any promotion, there are only a set number of rooms/room types set aside.
If you had resort X and room Y booked under offer 123, that does not mean you would automatically be able to convert them to offer 456. It would be based on availability.
There may be no issue at all, and most likely this is the case -- depending on how soon you jumped on the new offer. However we read where some do have to change resorts, room types, even dates for the new offer.

 

[bicker]

Yes, precisely so. The way things generally work there is no advantage to booking a hotel in anticipation of a later discount. If anything, it tends to work against you, since it artificially inflates the anticipated load-level of that hotel, which could conceivably prompt them to offer fewer discounts for that hotel.

 

[mom2rtk]

I think a lot of folks booked something ahead of time to have access to the 180+10 for making ADR's. It really doesn't matter at the point WHAT you have booked, just something.

However, once the discounts are announced, you can only add the discount (like FD) if there is availability for that discount at your resort. Having a room there already means nothing. They only allot so many rooms per discount.

 

[mickeyluvsjess]

I actually disagree with the other two (to an extent) I booked in February for my September trip anticipating free dining. I checked out other discounts available (AAA, disney visa, ect. and started with a room with a price I could live with if I really had to. (although DH didn't exactly agree but I told him all the price could do was go down)Since then I have been through two more discounts and I just keep calling and getting my price dropped more and more. I actually kinda had fun watching all the money saved.

 

[mom2rtk]

I actually disagree with the other two (to an extent) I booked in February for my September trip anticipating free dining. I checked out other discounts available (AAA, disney visa, ect. and started with a room with a price I could live with if I really had to. (although DH didn't exactly agree but I told him all the price could do was go down)Since then I have been through two more discounts and I just keep calling and getting my price dropped more and more. I actually kinda had fun watching all the money saved.

Well, free dining in September is a pretty safe bet. Oct to December is a little iffier......

But if you want first crack at the ADR times, you can't wait until the promotions are announced.

 

[iwanttogoback]

Hi, just joined today and this thread caught my eye.
I booked in Feburary at full price for our vacation in November. I did this so I could make all my ADR's at 180 days out. If I waited for a promotion to be offered I would have not been able to get all the places we wanted to dine.
So now I am sitting back and waiting for a great deal to be released. I will call and change to it as soon as I hear of one. I have already changed ressies once for a pin code room discount (not a very good one, but anything helps)
I believe if I act quick I will be able to keep same resort I have booked.
Wish me luck!

 

[mickeyluvsjess]

You know that I forgot to mention the dining ressies in my post. That was actually my biggest reason to tell DH to book early. I'm the type of person who really believes you need to book at 180. With the popularity of the DDP it's harder and harder to find somewhere to eat without them.Even if you just put down your deposit you can always cancel if the discounts don't go your way. But, I've had trips (two years ago at WL) where I booked free dining and ended up crunching numbers and taking a 40% discount that was better. Bottom line is I really think it's worth it to put the deposit down and then watch the boards for discounts and apply as you go. You really have nothing to lose.

 

[monkey0816]

Sorry, I guess my original post wasn't clear...I will definitely be booking a package (at least room and tickets) before any free dining is released just so that I know I have the resort/dates that I want and so that I can take advantage of making ADR's. My question is...is there any reason for or against booking the dining at the same time? If my room/tickets were already booked and then free dining was released, will it matter one way or another if I already have dining booked or if I then add free dining to my package...or does it make no difference and it will still be luck of the draw either way depending on how many rooms at each resort have the free dining available? I still feel like my question is not clear, but hopefully someone will get what I am saying--LOL!

 

[lilclerk]

Sorry, I guess my original post wasn't clear...I will definitely be booking a package (at least room and tickets) before any free dining is released just so that I know I have the resort/dates that I want and so that I can take advantage of making ADR's. My question is...is there any reason for or against booking the dining at the same time? If my room/tickets were already booked and then free dining was released, will it matter one way or another if I already have dining booked or if I then add free dining to my package...or does it make no difference and it will still be luck of the draw either way depending on how many rooms at each resort have the free dining available? I still feel like my question is not clear, but hopefully someone will get what I am saying--LOL!

Oh if you're just questioning whether or not to add the DDP when booking ahead, it doesn't make a difference. If the room is available for the discount, they can apply it either way =)

 

[DJFan88]

I actually disagree with the other two (to an extent) I booked in February for my September trip anticipating free dining. I checked out other discounts available (AAA, disney visa, ect. and started with a room with a price I could live with if I really had to. (although DH didn't exactly agree but I told him all the price could do was go down)Since then I have been through two more discounts and I just keep calling and getting my price dropped more and more. I actually kinda had fun watching all the money saved.

I agree. Although I see the point of the other posters about Disney maybe not offering FD if booking is already high, I had to watch out for myself. Knowing I was going no matter what, we booked, but made it a MYW package with just the tickets. I would not have purchased the dining plan if it was not offered free. Or, if I decided I wanted it later, was told I could just add it later, so no issue there. Our priority was having a room at Disney at a resort we wanted. Sure, the FD may have been unavailable at that particular resort when it came out, but seeing at I'm a VISA holder and called on the first day released ,it was no problem to add it when it came out. Our res. # didn't even change, just got added that we got free dining. However, one of the requirements of FD is to have at least 2 day tickets purchased, so having booked as a MYW already probably made it easier. If we had room only reservations, they still would've done it, but probably would've had to change res. #'s. In past years, we have successfully changed from room only res. to discounted rooms with tickets when promotions have come out, with no problems, ever.

 

[jonw]

Just make ADRs, though unfortunately, with Disney going back to 180 days soo many people are making speculative ADRs the good places are all gone so quickly.

I'm not even going to go to Disney this year if we don't get FD, but I have my ADRs, which is really unfortunate for people who are going to go regardless of discount.

I'm pretty sure Le Celliers is book solid into 2011.

 

[monkey0816]

Oh if you're just questioning whether or not to add the DDP when booking ahead, it doesn't make a difference. If the room is available for the discount, they can apply it either way =)

Yes, this is what I meant! Thank you

 

[monkey0816]

I agree. Although I see the point of the other posters about Disney maybe not offering FD if booking is already high, I had to watch out for myself. Knowing I was going no matter what, we booked, but made it a MYW package with just the tickets. I would not have purchased the dining plan if it was not offered free. Or, if I decided I wanted it later, was told I could just add it later, so no issue there. Our priority was having a room at Disney at a resort we wanted. Sure, the FD may have been unavailable at that particular resort when it came out, but seeing at I'm a VISA holder and called on the first day released ,it was no problem to add it when it came out. Our res. # didn't even change, just got added that we got free dining. However, one of the requirements of FD is to have at least 2 day tickets purchased, so having booked as a MYW already probably made it easier. If we had room only reservations, they still would've done it, but probably would've had to change res. #'s. In past years, we have successfully changed from room only res. to discounted rooms with tickets when promotions have come out, with no problems, ever.

This is what we will do too--we are definitely going so our priority would be getting our dates/resort...free dining would be a nice add-on after the fact

 

[n2mm]

Just make ADRs, though unfortunately, with Disney going back to 180 days soo many people are making speculative ADRs the good places are all gone so quickly.

I'm not even going to go to Disney this year if we don't get FD, but I have my ADRs, which is really unfortunate for people who are going to go regardless of discount.

I'm pretty sure Le Celliers is book solid into 2011.

Not if the rumors are true.