2016 Free Dining Watch

[deakam]

I'm booked too!! Call me crazy!!!

I have a room booked at POP for my stay---not sure if I am staying there yet but I needed to make ADR's and had to have a room to book 180+10. I did book the category room I wanted should I decide to stay at POP. Right now it doesn't look like my dates will get free dining but they are not negotiable so....why not book and hope for the best. I think the argument is for folks that pre-book and then cancel if they don't get free dining. Which of course really is no ones business but their own.

 

[deakam]

Was just on the Disney site---was going to do some tweaking of ADR's. All of my reservations say they can not be canceled at this time---please try again later. More website glitches...

 

[babydoll65]

I will admit that I have free dining from a BB from last year, but I like to join and follow this board because I enjoy that anticipation of the big announcement just like everybody else. I get to see and feel what they are going through. Went through it last year and I feel a kin ship.

Same here, I booked the bounce back offer last September but it's fun to see everyone getting excited about it.

 

[Disneylover99]

;-)

I just knew Ned Stark was still alive all these years!!! He faked his death so he could move to Disney for FD.
Thanks for confirming!

 

[ajay3]

Ok, this is a stupid question... How do you get the free dining online before the phone lines open at 7am? Is there a code somewhere? Pardon my ignorance!

 

[Disneylover99]

Was just on the Disney site---was going to do some tweaking of ADR's. All of my reservations say they can not be canceled at this time---please try again later. More website glitches...

Well then you definitely have to go, if you can't cancel anything, so that's good news!

 

[Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL]

Im doing a surprise trip for my Hubby! he has no idea I have been saving for years to do something special for him! I included my best friend in on it so she know but I will be telling him most likely a few hours before we leave lol plan to film it too, wish I was surprised with a trip! lol It's very hard to pull one over on me though as I find out everything lol. But She will love it!

Glad I'm not the only one with this crazy idea! I have to say that telling him only a few hours before you leave is AWESOME! Guys really don't need much notice. Give me a bar of soap and a toothbrush and I could pretty much go anywhere for a week. On the other hand, I think my wife would totally freak out if I only gave her a few hours notice.

I totally hear you on the "saving for years" thing. We're both involved in the finances so it's kinda hard to hide $5k. I've been slowly stashing away $ a little at a time.

So excited for you! Hope your reveal goes exactly as planned!

 

[deakam]

I think a party of 9 would be difficult in any situation. But I'm glad you got what you wanted.

I had to book a party of 26---the website let me put it in then it spit it back out and told me to call. I called and I think the CM had a mini stroke when I said party of 26 for Yak and Yeti on Oct 11 at 5pm. She actually stuttered and stopped then caught her breath and said--"I don't think I can help you. I am going to transfer you to group reservations" I said that is where I thought I has called---she transferred me to Yak & Yeti directly. They had no problem and even suggested that if I should want a later time or possibly a Rivers of Light package I should call back a month or so before the reservation to see if anything later or the package was available. She said there were rumors they were going to be part of a package but nothing has been made official. They--at least she---was hoping they would be included.

 

[wdw4rfam]

I think everyone that is already booked is aware it doesn't increase our chances at any promotion. For me, we need a room that can sleep 5 people. We will need that room regardless of FD. I didn't want to wait and have all the rooms that sleep 5 be booked and then have to stay at a resort we don't want, just because I wanted FD. Now, don't get me wrong... I do want FD. If not we will pay oop and have to cancel a lot of ADRs, but the room was more important to me than anything else.

Exactly what I was saying. If you prebook the room you need, there's at least a CHANCE you will be able to add it. If there aren't any to begin with, there's NO chance. Like I said last year the room I prebooked was gone the night before and I was able to add it, where if I had waited the room was not there to book. Does it guarantee you that room under FD, no, but there's a better chance that way then if the rooms are gone.

 

[kdisser]

Honestly if the 2017 U.K fd promo comes over to U.S (in the future) it isn't all that bad especially if they allow us to book practically all year long with that promo, instead of maybe 7 weeks out of the year.

 

[choover2576]

Since Southwest flights haven't been released for December yet, I'm not certain of my exact dates.

I'm guessing it would be easier to drop a day than try to add a day to my booking? I'm worried that making changes might effect the free dining discount.

Thanks!

 

[revdisney33]

Northern and you?

Northern and you?

Bangor area. Have some friends up north. I work for parks and Rec so know many Rec people that way.

 

[SJSloan]

SJSloan,

Can I ask a quick question? My parents are FL residents. So, we were going to get 2 Fl resident tickets (adults), and 4 regular price tickets(2 adults, 2 under 10), non park hopper, and then hope for a discount for FL Residents (our dates are Nov 28th to December 2nd). I'm guessing I will save a more money with the ticket discounts for 2 people and the % discount for the room vs full price on room and 6 park hoppers to get the free dining deal? Do you know what the usual discount around that time for FL Residents for room only? Wilderness Cabins is our plan currently.

Sorry to be off topic everyone. I tried to PM her but couldn't.

@Stephanie Isaacson
I can't tell based on historical discounts what the % discount for Fort Wilderness Cabins is, however, the room discount was 20%-30% for all. So assuming the Cabins were included, I went with the lowest discount of 20%. Here's what I got:

RO discount
Room: $1,178.02
Dining: 1,202.00
2A 2C 4 day tickets: 1,260.00
2 FL 4 day tickets: 418.00
Total: $4058.02

Free Dining: $3,954.98

With such a close total I would suggest looking at a dining plan calculator and seeing if the places you are eating will really amount to the cost of the dining plan. You could go either way with this one.
http://www.distripplanner.com/

Also, if the discount for the Cabins is greater than 20% then your savings could be better.

 

[BAS1]

I've noticed that many of the moderate resorts that were included in free dining last year are getting booked up during the week that I am looking. There seems to be plenty of availability at the moderates that weren't included in free dining last year. I'm holding out until the announcement, but I'd think that Disney would do something to discourage people that have already booked without the discount from getting in on the discount at a later time. I'm thinking that they should do something like a change fee like airlines do when you change a flight. Hopefully, Disney would also stop people from getting free dining on an existing reservation if their room type that they originally booked is completely sold out.

 

[Kingdome8]

Agree or booking ADR's without having a vacation planned.

So if people are waiting to book a room for free dining in say September. U don't think they should get any food reservations?

I'm already booked for October and hoping for free dining. But even if I didn't I would make dining reservations. Absolutely

 

[kdisser]

I already have our ADRs booked but no package yet because I'm waiting for FD...if it turns out FD doesn't happen then I will cancel some ADRs and still go with a QS dining plan. But last year I booked FDclose to the last day of the promo, and I had no ADRs to make at the places we wanted...my mom and I both said we are not doing that this year so I went ahead and booked at least ADRs.

 

[kimyinpink]

Since Southwest flights haven't been released for December yet, I'm not certain of my exact dates.

I'm guessing it would be easier to drop a day than try to add a day to my booking? I'm worried that making changes might effect the free dining discount.

Thanks!

I am in the same boat. Was discussing this last night but have been told some people last year could not modify their dates and had to making a new booking (dependent upon FD) to change the number of days. Stresses me because a flight for our family last year were over $500 different in Sunday and Monday so it's hard to feel stuck. I mean FD is not such a great deal if I have to drop an extra $500 for airfare to keep it. I am considering just booking the minimum I know we will stay and then could always add a couple extra days without FD if necessary. Any suggestions?

 

[Disneylover99]

Since Southwest flights haven't been released for December yet, I'm not certain of my exact dates.

I'm guessing it would be easier to drop a day than try to add a day to my booking? I'm worried that making changes might effect the free dining discount.

Thanks!

It's hard to add or drop a day, even if you see the availability is there. It might be possible, but the rules have been changed.

 

[ml sumner]

Was just on the Disney site---was going to do some tweaking of ADR's. All of my reservations say they can not be canceled at this time---please try again later. More website glitches...

I'm getting the same message, while trying to tweak my times too.

 

[deakam]

So if people are waiting to book a room for free dining in say September. U don't think they should get any food reservations?

I'm already booked for October and hoping for free dining. But even if I didn't I would make dining reservations. Absolutely

I already have dining reservations for my days in October and I have had them since the 180 day mark. They are all for everyone that I think may be coming or said they were coming but may not. I have always done it this way and I believe that someone else doing it this way and then adjusting later is how I got the incredibly hard to get BOG dinner reservation 2 years ago----just days before our trip. So thank-you to whoever it was that adjusted their ADR's to open aslot for the 3 of us.