2016 Free Dining Watch ~ Part 2

[RainbowBrite]

What a nightmare. I spent about 3 1/2 hours total on the phone today. I called, nothing for my existing reservation at the Pop. I called back about a half hour later asking if there was ANYTHING available at all in the value resorts. I love Pop but realistically we need free dining for this trip to happen. She tells us there is nothing at all. I call back right away because I was fooling around online and see that I can actually book on our dates at All Star Music and get free dining. So, I call and change our existing reservation. I feel really bummed about not getting to be at the Pop, but at least we are going and we are dining for free.

 

[lilkimmyk]

Is everyone hanging in there after a long night?

Hey Black! Glad you're still hanging in there too! Thanks for all you and @The Dirty Steve have done to help everyone. You don't have to but you do out of kindness and it is greatly appreciated.

Well, I got 3- 20 min naps last night while hoping to get a RO discount at POR and battling bronchitis, I wouldn't have slept anyway.

After all night and calling all morning I spoke to a wonderful CM who tried his hardest to find something but I got a big goose egg today.

However, he did give me the UOC that is now attached to my name so fingers crossed something at POR will free up later on. If not-I'm still going to Disney!

 

[AmberM1991]

The message to customize your MagicBands for your new trip will appear shortly, if it hasn't appeared yet. Your old MagicBands are good, too, so you can use both sets for your next trip.

The back to school offer is a room only discount and those are only good for the discount period. The discount ends Nov 5th and can't be applied to rooms booked after that date.

We are annual passholders and have tickets from our free dining reservation, so we have the same situation, almost. I'm keeping our package tickets and using them to renew our Annual Passes.

You will be able to assign your package tickets, the ones you got with free dining, to someone else, but you won't be able to do it until your check in day. That is when the package tickets become active. Then you can go to guest services or a ticket window, have them put the ticket on a hard card, and mail it then. Unfortunately, you won't be able to give them to your friends in September since they don't become active until December.

I even tried earlier dates and it's not working. I guess it sold out

 

[switch15foot]

Was unable to book FD for my dates yet (sept 23 to oct 2) for moderate ... I have bounce back already booked for sept 24 to oct 2, so not the worst ... Significantly cheaper to fly out on Sept 23 so was planning on just adding a date so have RO for the one night at present ... The problem is when originally booked tickets only got 6 day park hoppers and now I would like 8 day park hoppers ... Anyone have experience with adding days on just the park tickets of a (bounce back) FD package without having to pay the new ticket prices? Or would it be better to add extra days when we are there and after they have been activated?

 

[Wood Nymph]

How are you accessing the Disney Visa offer? I feel a little stupid...I have a Disney Visa but haven't received an offer.

We have our Disney Visa card linked to our MDE account. That is probably how we can see the Disney Visa offer.

 

[gabieb]

So if people let their reservations go do they go live on the site as soon as they are dropped (ie...real time) or does disney redo their availability at just a certain point each day?

It did not seem like the immediately went back into circulation last year. There was always a lag.

 

[tatorswife]

I had POR booked 0ct 1st-7th but couldn't get FD I was able to get CSR fd only by dropping one night to 1st-6th, but my question is when I called and finally got through to cancel the POR reservation the guy said it will take 3-4 days to transfer the payments to the new reservation. Is that how they do it or do they just refund me the money and I re pay it towards new reservation? It just didn't make since to me the way he explained it.

 

[MissErikaRae]

We have our Disney Visa card linked to our MDE account. That is probably how we can see the Disney Visa offer.

Oh! Thanks I'll see if I can link mine.

 

[SPOERLX3]

Was anyone with a party of 5 able to get their first choice at a moderate,(other than the Cabins) during the time frame of 9/27-10/3 (or somewhere close)?

I am trying to see if anyone had any luck for that time frame.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Anyone have experience with adding days on just the park tickets of a (bounce back) FD package without having to pay the new ticket prices? Or would it be better to add extra days when we are there and after they have been activated?

You can add days to your ticket once you are in Disney and they should only charge you the cost of the additional days. The concierge desk will do it for you. The only disadvantage is that you won't be able to book fast passes for those days until you add the extra days. But it is worth a call to see if they will add days to your tickets without charging the new tickets prices for the entire ticket. If the number is really big, like more than $40 per ticket, then they are trying to charge the new ticket price.

 

[BTDTGB]

Was unable to book FD for my dates yet (sept 23 to oct 2) for moderate ... I have bounce back already booked for sept 24 to oct 2, so not the worst ... Significantly cheaper to fly out on Sept 23 so was planning on just adding a date so have RO for the one night at present ... The problem is when originally booked tickets only got 6 day park hoppers and now I would like 8 day park hoppers ... Anyone have experience with adding days on just the park tickets of a (bounce back) FD package without having to pay the new ticket prices? Or would it be better to add extra days when we are there and after they have been activated?

Just go to guest services and they should be able to help upgrade your tickets to eight day park hoppers.

 

[Jgeauxmo]

Is everyone hanging in there after a long night?

Struggling bad now at work. I'm about to have to go get some coffe.

 

[KT0191]

Keep in mind: last year, it seemed like all of these rooms were gone and sold out. After a few days when the madness died down, quite a few rooms were made available and people got their first choices. Keep checking!

 

[SPOERLX3]

CONGRATS to all my disboard friends that have been able to get FD today!
I was hoping for CBR, POR or 2 rooms at POP and for our dates, 9/27 - 10/3, the only things available were a suite at ASMu or one of the Cabins.
I thought I would come here to ask your thoughts on those 2 options? Any preference one over the other?

 

[JennJ84]

Keep in mind: last year, it seemed like all of these rooms were gone and sold out. After a few days when the madness died down, quite a few rooms were made available and people got their first choices. Keep checking!

This is what happened to us last year. We did not get FD at first but a week or two later they opened up more and I was able to get it. So hang in there. It might happen again!

 

[5Amccoy]

This is my first time posting on dis, but I've been reading for quite some time! In fact, I've religiously stalked the free dining threads for the past few years! We did free dining at FW cabin in 2014 and did SPD at pop/aoa lion king suite this past January. Our first time ever visiting Disney was in 2013 the week of thanksgiving and stayed off-site. Although I realize we were just getting our feet wet, so to speak, I regret staying off-site and may never do so again!
My husband has loved Disney along with I and our 3 daughters, but he definitely is not "obsessed" like us! Must be a princess thing ! I booked Caribbean beach at about 4:00am for the week prior to Christmas. I am more than excited! I wanted to share in everybody's happiness and say congrats to everybody that was able to book today!!
I've basically breathed Disney since our first trip and it is refreshing to know (by reading these boards lol) that there are MANY others like me!
Thank you all for all the info that I've received from this site!

 

[stitchfan75]

I was so busy this weekend I completely forgot about FD. I looked a little this morning for our dates in September but the only thing I got was a preferred room at CBR. I tossed it back because dh really hasn't decided how he wants to stay. I'm going to play with the site over the next couple days and see if i can happen upon something. The room only discount is nice and we might go that direction due to it just being the two of us.

 

[Duckiedee]

Around noon today, our TA scored us 10 days from Aug 23/Sep 2 at CSR in a Water View Room. I think though that we'll see if something opens at sometime for a Standard View. Still happy though!

 

[DisneyDebbie]

Keep in mind: last year, it seemed like all of these rooms were gone and sold out. After a few days when the madness died down, quite a few rooms were made available and people got their first choices. Keep checking!

I really hope this is true for this year as well. My boys have their heart set on CBR and I could only get a pirate room. I hope to change to any other room type (preferred, standard, water view...I'm not picky!)

 

[xipotec]

Checking to see if anyone managed to get FD at any monorail resorts for a regular room....

Poly
GF
CT

Anyone? Bueller???

And more specifically in November...