2016 Free Dining Watch

[Ptaylor81]

How long does it normally take for fd to fill up Hours? Days?

 

[Disneylover99]

How long does it normally take for fd to fill up Hours? Days?

It really depends on your resort, dates, flexibility and room category you want to book. Standard rooms generally book first because they are amongst the cheapest rooms. In the past, I've found fd availability for my dates weeks after fd was announced at Pop and CBR. But nobody knows how many rooms they will alot to fd this coming year if it does happen. It seems like dates get fewer each year and more resorts get shut out of free dining.

 

[RedWolf95]

I need some insight. I am going 9/3-9-10 and hoping for free dining. I have read that this offer opens early to Disney Visa card holders. Is it worth getting the card for this benefit? Do you have to book the vacation using this card to get the fd? Any advice would be a big help.

As a couple have already mentioned it was not opened early to Disney Visa Card holders in 2015. It was also not opened early for the late fall 2013 FD (they split up the fall that year and did an early fall in May and late Fall in July). However, in 2014 it was opened up early to Disney Visa Card Holders. So whether they will or won't there really is no consistent precedent. However, to answer your question, you do not have to pay for your vacation with the Disney Visa in order to get the FD offer even if you are able to take advantage of an early offering.

 

[moesy4]

Odd question...we are staying off site now, but depending on free dining and its offer we may move on site. We are a group of 6 though...me, DH, our 3 kids, and my MIL. My MIL is not going into the parks with us, she is totally happy lazing by the pool or shopping at Disney Springs and then watching the kids as needed. Would we not qualify for the offer at all if she does not get a ticket, if we are all in the same room? I know we could go for two adjoining rooms with her and the infant on one and the rest of us on the other and just buy her food out of pocket, but if we were all in one room, do we all need tickets? We would be fine having us all in one room, not getting her ticket, and just paying OOP for her food, but didn't figure they would seperate it out like that.

 

[Disneylover99]

Odd question...we are staying off site now, but depending on free dining and its offer we may move on site. We are a group of 6 though...me, DH, our 3 kids, and my MIL. My MIL is not going into the parks with us, she is totally happy lazing by the pool or shopping at Disney Springs and then watching the kids as needed. Would we not qualify for the offer at all if she does not get a ticket, if we are all in the same room? I know we could go for two adjoining rooms with her and the infant on one and the rest of us on the other and just buy her food out of pocket, but if we were all in one room, do we all need tickets? We would be fine having us all in one room, not getting her ticket, and just paying OOP for her food, but didn't figure they would seperate it out like that.

Each person 3 or older must purchase park tickets including park hopper or water park (as it stands now) in order to take advantage of the free dining promotion. So if you are all in the same room, you are all on the same package and each person would need to buy tickets.

You could all get two day tickets (the minimum number for FD) and your mil could save her ticket for future use, while the rest of you upgrade to more days once you are there. The disadvantage for you, is that you can only make fp's on the two day tickets in advance.

 

[crazymomof4]

Re: The historic FD release dates---
Yep! That EARLY (3/1) release of the promo in '12 was sooo nice but..... then it was agony waiting TWO MONTHS LONGER for it to be released for our next trip in 2014.

 

[crazymomof4]

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.

Sounds like a plan! Looks like I'll have the laptop ready to go next to my bed for the rumored time period (day or days) this year!

 

[crazymomof4]

eta: SIMILAR QUESTION ANSWERED EARLIER IN THREAD-- It seems you WOULD be able to go online and modify an existing ressie to include FD

Question- say you already have a package (room/tix/ADRs) on MDE. You want to take advantage of the FD (if offered) ...... MUST you modify your existing ressies via THE PHONE only? or can you go ONLINE and make NEW hotel/tix ressies (cancel the old resort res) and just have your ADRs transferred over to the new package?

 

[dizneygirl55]

I already have free dining booked for next September. BOUNCE BACK BABY!

Did you book it for 2016? Where did you find it? When we called it was not offered for September yet.

 

[Disneylover99]

Did you book it for 2016? Where did you find it? When we called it was not offered for September yet.

Free dining bouncebacks were booked from hotel rooms last summer/fall for summer/fall dates in 2016.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

Free dining bouncebacks were booked from hotel rooms last summer/fall for summer/fall dates in 2016.

Bounce back is offered when you stay there. Not after. It was in our room package last September.

 

[Disneylover99]

Bounce back is offered when you stay there. Not after. It was in our room package last September.

Right. That's what I said. They were booked from hotel rooms....meaning you were in your Disney hotel at the time when you booked it.

 

[Susan Doeberl]

So thought I'd update with what I can see on my reservation now. I currently have a package with Room, 5 day Water Parks and More tickets & Memory Maker.

I am ABLE to modify ONLINE: Package, Resort, Tickets, Dining Plan & Transportation. It says I must CALL for changes to: Dates, Travel Party, & Memory Maker.

Thought that Info might be helpful!

After I seen this post I went into my reservation and I could not modify it. I made my reservation by calling Disney reservations and it stated that in order to update I had to call Disney reservations. I went in and book online the same room and tickets at the same hotel. I am now able to modify my reservations on line. I cancelled my other reservations. Thanks so much for posting this. I would have had to call if I had not checked.

 

[elle325]

Following!
We already have a free dining bounce back booked for sept 14-22 (yay!), but we are interested to see if they offer free dining in November this year. We love wdw at Christmas time, especially MVMCP! We are open to switching our dates to November if possible. We booked the bounce back in case they didn't offer free dining this year.

 

[beck00]

I'm with y'all! We scored FD for our Thanksgiving trip last year for our group of 8, and it was awesome! For our September, adult-only trip we took advantage of the 30% room only bounce back, but would love to get free dining for another family trip with our girls. Good luck everyone!

 

[Disneylover99]

Summer room discounts are out today. They are available until Aug. 25th. The free dining bounceback begins Aug. 26th. Hmmm. Interesting. I wonder what the next set of discounts will be?

 

[MamaDunk]

Summer room discounts are out today. They are available until Aug. 25th. The free dining bounceback begins Aug. 26th. Hmmm. Interesting. I wonder what the next set of discounts will be?

Can't wait to find out!!

 

[Susan Doeberl]

I can't wait.

 

[SunnieRN]

Hopefully something with extra pixie dust!

 

[crazymomof4]

Summer room discounts are out today. They are available until Aug. 25th. The free dining bounceback begins Aug. 26th. Hmmm. Interesting. I wonder what the next set of discounts will be?

I got the email but didn't read it entirely. Are there any changes (reductions) to the summer discounts offered this year? or are they pretty much the same as have been released in recent years? I'm interested bc I have a feeling Disney would start slowly "tinkering with" (making modest reductions or increasing requirements) promos before they would go to the extreme of DROPPING their most popular one entirely (ie: doing away with FD suddenly and completely) Maybe I just want to remain hopeful.......