2016 Free Dining Watch

[piglet1979]

Wow, I won't be staying up every night waiting for it to be anounced! I guess I will just have to check in the morning when i am getting the kids ready for school!

That is what I did. But I didn't need to. I had booked with a travel agent and she had to make the changes.

 

[CandiceF]

My kids really want a resort that is not usually offered for Free dining in November so we will probably just look for a fall discount.

 

[CK1734]

Wow, I won't be staying up every night waiting for it to be anounced! I guess I will just have to check in the morning when i am getting the kids ready for school!

Last year, I think we knew 3-4 days in advance of it being released so we did not have to stay up every night, just the one that it was highly probable for.

 

[prettypatchesmsu]

Yes last year, we were hearing rumors of the day it was going to be. So when it came time, that rumored day I got up and logged on first thing around 5am and it was up. I booked online no problems and I'm glad I did as availability was horrible by the time people were calling when the phones opened. I have a BounceBack this year with FD, so I'm not in the craziness this year. This is the first time I'm not had to worry and fight to get it. We do not normally do back to back years, so I had never been able to use the BounceBack. But I'm still watching how it all goes down this year and at least giving moral support to you all!

 

[mandis77]

Here's a crazy scenario: This year I'll be reserving three rooms (my first time doing this). Do you think it will be too risky to reserve all three rooms (one at a time) online, then go back and link the reservations later as well as request the rooms be connected or close together? I was planning on waiting until phone lines opened up, but then I remember how crazy it was, how long I was on hold and how limited availability was in 2014 I'm leery to wait those extra few hours.

 

[BStew]

Following

 

[wdw4rfam]

Yes last year, we were hearing rumors of the day it was going to be. So when it came time, that rumored day I got up and logged on first thing around 5am and it was up. I booked online no problems and I'm glad I did as availability was horrible by the time people were calling when the phones opened. I have a BounceBack this year with FD, so I'm not in the craziness this year. This is the first time I'm not had to worry and fight to get it. We do not normally do back to back years, so I had never been able to use the BounceBack. But I'm still watching how it all goes down this year and at least giving moral support to you all!

Same here. Already booked with a great offer, but still watching here to see how it unfolds. Last year I was on at 5:45, and had no problems, but soon after, the website went down, the phoned were horrific. Who knows if we will book it again next year, or if they will even offer it, so I want to see what happens this year.

 

[CandiceF]

Thank-you for the replies!!! I didn't discover the DIS until I was trying to book my ADR's last year, a couple months after free dining was announced. I am so glad I know about it for this year! We don't usually go every year either, but we are going again this year (hopefully). We booked a free dining bounce back for September but ended up cancelling it because were worried about it being too hot. We went at the end of October last year and we didn't enjoy ourselves as much because of the unusually hot weather. The locals were telling us it was like their September weather. We are from Canada and not used to it being that hot. We decided to take our chances and hope for free dining or a room discount in November.

 

[switch15foot]

I already have a bounce back offer booked for Late Sept. Would like to extend the trip length by one or two days as well as if possible get two rooms at a value instead of one room at a moderate. Is it easier just to book new reservation or modify current reservation. Biggest question if cancel and book new would I loss my dining reservations?

 

[MlWinans]

Maybe a dumb question:

The day/night it becomes available (if it does): for this example say you can start booking it on April 15th

1. Can you login at 12am on the 15th to rebook/change your reservation and add it?
2. Do you need/have to wait will 5am on the 15th?
3. Is it better to do it over the phone on the 15th (if so what time does this option open?)?

Thanks!!!!

 

[prettypatchesmsu]

Maybe a dumb question:

The day/night it becomes available (if it does): for this example say you can start booking it on April 15th

1. Can you login at 12am on the 15th to rebook/change your reservation and add it?
2. Do you need/have to wait will 5am on the 15th?
3. Is it better to do it over the phone on the 15th (if so what time does this option open?)?

Thanks!!!!

Not a dumb question at all. So like your example, say the offer goes live on April 15th.
1. Probably not 12am. It typically just goes live without any fanfare, and not at a certain time. Last year it just miraculously showed up about 4am. I was booking a little before 5am, and was done a few minutes after online. But this time is not a certain time, it could be anytime. I'd say a good bet would be between 4am-6am, but it could be later..
2. You don't need to wait, as soon as it's up live on the site you can book online. There just is no set time for it to be made available online.
3. Phone lines open at 7AM EST. And not a minute before usually. And it will be crazy busy, like cannot get through crazy! And people are booking while you are waiting, so if you have a set resort you want etc, calling is risky. Especially if online booking had already opened early. If you can, online is the way to go. If not and you have to call, do it at 7AM. Do not wait.

 

[CK1734]

Maybe a dumb question:

The day/night it becomes available (if it does): for this example say you can start booking it on April 15th

1. Can you login at 12am on the 15th to rebook/change your reservation and add it?
2. Do you need/have to wait will 5am on the 15th?
3. Is it better to do it over the phone on the 15th (if so what time does this option open?)?

Thanks!!!!

You can start checking at anytime as last year it was released around 4AM (I believe) so you could log onto the site and modify your reservation, if possible. I say if possible because last year I had to call in as my offer was from a PIN CODE and I did not have the online option. This year I am booked through an agent so she will redo anything if I want her to. It is kind of nice knowing that, yet here I am, still on the boards watching and waiting.

 

[MlWinans]

Awesome, thanks for the response. I already have a reservation booked, I would assume it is as simple as ever to adjust the reservation online and add the free dining option?

 

[BStew]

Just saw a post from Dad on FB that FD will most likely be offered for the Fall. He thinks the announcement will come the end of April. Fingers crossed!

 

[mandis77]

I might be wrong - if you already have a reservation booked you cannot modify it online to add free dining. You'll have to wait until the phone lines open and have a CM adjust your reservation. And I believe they are actually cancelling your old one and booking a new one. In 2014 I had already booked CSR, but when FD became available I had to wait and call in to modify the reservation to add free dining. And, the FD deal at CSR was already booked up and I had to change resorts to CBR. Each resort only has a specific number of rooms blocked off for the FD deal. A reservation doesn't guarantee you the FD deal when it becomes available.

That being said - I suppose you could go online when the deal becomes live, book a new reservation and then cancel the old one later.

 

[ELSA711]

I might be wrong - if you already have a reservation booked you cannot just adjust the it online to add free dining. You'll have to wait until the phone lines open and have a CM alter your reservation. And I believe they are actually cancelling your old one and booking a new one. In 2014 I had already booked CSR, but when FD became available I had to wait and call in to modify the reservation to add free dining. And, the FD deal at CSR was already booked up and I had to change resorts to CBR. Each resort only has a specific number of rooms blocked off for the FD deal. A reservation doesn't guarantee you the FD deal when it becomes available.

That being said - I suppose you could go online when the deal becomes live, book a new reservation and then cancel the old one later.

I was able to adjust mine online last year, no issues. I even changed resorts and upgrade to preferred room as the deal was so good for us

 

[mandis77]

I was able to adjust mine online last year, no issues. I even changed resorts and upgrade to preferred room as the deal was so good for us

That is awesome. Was that a new thing for last year? Because I swear in 2014 I wasn't able to do that.

 

[ELSA711]

That is awesome. Was that a new thing for last year? Because I swear in 2014 I wasn't able to do that.

It must have been because I've never been able to modify like that before online. I was lucky as I get up that early for work and with all the excitement last year, I made the change and then went back and made multiple changes after that before everyone started having issues.

 

[Disneylover99]

It must have been because I've never been able to modify like that before online. I was lucky as I get up that early for work and with all the excitement last year, I made the change and then went back and made multiple changes after that before everyone started having issues.

Can you also change the days by a day or two if you modify online?

 

[mandis77]

It must have been because I've never been able to modify like that before online. I was lucky as I get up that early for work and with all the excitement last year, I made the change and then went back and made multiple changes after that before everyone started having issues.

This could be a game changer for me. I need to book three rooms together this year and was told I'll need to call in to make those reservations . So I was already bummed I'd have to wait until the phone lines open and then wait forever.