2018 Free Dining Watch Thread V3

[SPOERLX3]

Hey there,
I seem to differ from a lot of posters this year. But, I've never pre-booked and done the modify after drop. I just can't imagine that helps availability.
With that said, we have booked within hours of free dining drop and always got want we wanted. Last year was Pop Standard in late Sept. The year before was CBR after Thanksgiving. I just woke up and checked before I got ready for work which was around 7:00 am central.

Best of luck to ya.

I so appreciate your response.

 

[leebee]

My reservations are all set to match a FD promo I hope! I just got to see the cost if there is no promotion, and I choked! WE are going but Holy Cow!

I hope I can modify online, but have never done so, so I am also prepared to be ready to dial in.

Yeah, it's a lot of money. If I don't get free dining, I'll drop the park hopping to save a little money but I'll keep the Disney package. I have a great hotel rate through Orbitz, but I don't think paying for food OOP this time around will save us anything; we like an adult beverage with our dinner, which is what I think is making the DDP cost-effective this time around (and the 2 snacks). Besides, DD likes the "free feeling" that having the dining plan gives her!

 

[SPOERLX3]

If you book both rooms under the same loggin, then yes they will both be there. You will have to modify them separately, but under the same loggin. If the whole modifying thing has you worried then it would be easier for you to book when the free dining is dropped.
Because if you click on the free dining discount offer it will prop you though the process.

I sooo appreciate your response!

 

[Lisa LSR]

Disney has consistently dropped it at different times so there is no way to know when it will start and that never comes out in a rumor either, so you just have to keep checking throughout the night/morning. The last couple of times I have booked between 5-6AM and generally got what I wanted although I initially had to take a Pirate Room at CBR when I wanted a regular Standard (was able to switch later when one popped open). I will say that it is pretty likely (based on the last couple years) that by around 6AM the website will start struggling with all the traffic and you will start seeing Stitch quite a bit

We did AKL last year and it was great, but given that it is one of the least expensive Deluxe resorts and given that Moderates now only get the QSDP as part of FD, AKL will probably book quickly as folks will make the same decision we did last year, i.e. I'd rather pay $300 extra and stay at AKL vs. staying at CBR (upgrading from QSDP to DDP at a CBR made the difference between AKL and CBR only $300 for a 5 night stay).

I have gone back and forth with this. We love AKL and wouldn't have to upgrade the dining (provided we get FD). But now i have to consider parking fees as well. I booked my existing reservation before the parking fees. If I change resorts, I think it would be considered a new reservation and I would have to pay the parking fees. If I stay with my existing reservation and just (Hopefully) add FD, even with the upgrade fee, I will still come out ahead I think.

 

[scrappinginontario]

You used to be able to place a 72 hour “hold”; I’m not sure if that’s possible as an option anymore.

Can anyone confirm? My agent is trying to get us a booking and I said I’m willing to try and she said to do a hold. Inwant to transfer the res to her. But I dont seena hold button?

I believe the 'hold' option is only available to travel agents and not individuals booking reservations for themselves. We must pay a $200 deposit when we make our reservations. This is fully refundable up to 30 days before arrival date.

Any Canadians on this thread worried they might not see the free Dining offer drop early in the morning when it comes out?
I think I asked this before ( and started a thread on this) , but me and the others on that thread have not seen a new offer drop in a long time - even when we should have ( ie/ Aug AP not showing and I’ve never see the kids free- we as CAnadians have 2 offers, I think US has9)
Someone suggested changing to US site... but it won’t always let me do since I’m in Canada and we sometimes get different free Dining dates.
I’m just worried I might not see it drop like the past few offers that have not appeared.

I am Canadian and have never had any problems with the Free Dining or other Special Offers showing up.

 

[SPOERLX3]

We used a Disney TA that is a family friend, whom assures us no matter the time dropped she will be ready to modify our reservation for FD. I planned on trying to book a new reservation just in case she doesn’t get it, but trying at 5:30 est when I normally wake for work. My question is, if I start a new reservation, how long will it hold before I have to pay the deposit? I can’t be logged into my account since that would cause errors on her end if she is in it too, so I wouldn’t know until later if she got it or not. Thanks

A TA can hold it for 3 days but if you book you would have to pay the deposit immediately to hold it. Anyone correct me if I am wrong

 

[scrappinginontario]

Advice please: which would you choose
2 adults (including one 78 year old with a scooter) 2 children (4,6)
$2500
All Star Music
Dining plan
3-day base ticket
5 night

2185(my FD estimate)
All star Resort
2 day PH tickets (assuming that the requirement if a 2 day and not 4 day ticket for FD)
5 nights


Would love your input. This will be my 3rd trip, but first with children. I am worried that park hoping may be too much. Staying up all day may be a lot on the little ones. I also would just like to rent a scooter in the park which is easier if we don't park hop since scooter in the 2nd park is not guaranteed.

I don't believe either of these options would qualify for Free Dining as the rumour is that a 4 day park hopper is the minimum ticket required this year. If that holds true neither of your scenarios carries enough park days to qualify for FD.

 

[Nancyg56]

Yeah, it's a lot of money. If I don't get free dining, I'll drop the park hopping to save a little money but I'll keep the Disney package. I have a great hotel rate through Orbitz, but I don't think paying for food OOP this time around will save us anything; we like an adult beverage with our dinner, which is what I think is making the DDP cost-effective this time around (and the 2 snacks). Besides, DD likes the "free feeling" that having the dining plan gives her!

Us too! WE are going, and we will still keep hoppers and dining in place, but YIKES! I have never paid rack rate before, and really do not want to this time either. My DH wanted to know the price so he can budget, but I refused to tell him! LOL!!! I told him as soon as I see the discounts and have secured them I will because if I do so before that we will need to cancel due to the death in our family...his! LOL!

 

[Nancyg56]

so i have 2 reservations right now(because we need 2 rooms-5people) when i booked i was told to make sure i had the ddp on the reservations (along with park hopper-we do that anyway) because if we were to get fd, its easier to modify to fd than to add the dining. sounds crazy, but we did it knowing if we didn't get fd i would call and most likely take it off. now i sit looking through past trip info(yes i am a disney info/trip hoarder) loking at what phone numbers worked best. oh the excitement-thrill-anticipation just for the possibility of FD! still trying to decide if i try and book new reservations when i see it drops(Middle of the night) or call as i book original (by calling) through disney..this being said as i tend to get the whole "ate the page" message all to often. anyone have any luck making 2 reservations on line quickly? is there a trick to getting them linked other than later though the app

I have asked Disney to link my reservations, I have no idea how to do it myself.

As to the other part of your question, I spoke to a CM this morning when I added tickets, hoppers and dining to my reservations. I added exactly what I wanted, but nothing else. he told me that it is easier to modify a reservation if it is "like to like", so having it all in place ahead of time, as others here have suggested is the best idea. He said if I have trouble in the event an offer drops, to call, but try early morning to modify it online if it drops in the overnight.

I have my fingers crossed.

 

[Shermonica Simon]

I don't believe either of these options would qualify for Free Dining as the rumor is that a 4 day park hopper is the minimum ticket required this year. If that holds true neither of your scenarios carries enough park days to qualify for FD.

I am hoping that the 4day PH is just a rumor or only applied to the South American market. For example, the current rumor is dates in early August and I believe that is false. So hoping that the 4day PH is false too. If it is true I will book the 3-day package using the FL resident RO discount and the FL resident 3 day ticket. I will have to pay full price for dinning. I am just trying to decide between a 2 day PH package with FD which is slightly less than the a 3-day base ticket with paid dining. In the end it may not matter and my only option will be the 3-day ticket if the 4 day PH for FD rumor is correct. The suspense!! But honestly, I am glad to be dealing with this 1st world problem. It a choice between Disney and Disney and not life and death. Worse come to worse I will abandon my Disney plans and go to the cruise that I have already booked. If we decide on Disney we will cancel the cruise. A cruise will be less stressful anyway.

 

[leebee]

Us too! WE are going, and we will still keep hoppers and dining in place, but YIKES! I have never paid rack rate before, and really do not want to this time either. My DH wanted to know the price so he can budget, but I refused to tell him! LOL!!! I told him as soon as I see the discounts and have secured them I will because if I do so before that we will need to cancel due to the death in our family...his! LOL!

I'm not at rack rate right now- I have one of the summer discount packages. Still, free dining would be better for us, obviously! Fingers crossed!!

 

[rockinrhonda]

Disney IT is definitely up to something....check out the pic below, this is from this AM......hmmmm

cool thanks for sharing

 

[pixie_mtl]

Any Canadians on this thread worried they might not see the free Dining offer drop early in the morning when it comes out?
I think I asked this before ( and started a thread on this) , but me and the others on that thread have not seen a new offer drop in a long time - even when we should have ( ie/ Aug AP not showing and I’ve never see the kids free- we as CAnadians have 2 offers, I think US has9)
Someone suggested changing to US site... but it won’t always let me do since I’m in Canada and we sometimes get different free Dining dates.
I’m just worried I might not see it drop like the past few offers that have not appeared.

I'm Canadian and never had any issue with Free Dining drop. But to be safe, have multiple Internet browser open: IE, Safari, Chrome, etc.

 

[mickeystoontown]

The Stitch error message pops all of the time. You'll need to clear your internet history and try again. If that doesn't work, then try going incognito. Travel agents have to use incognito mode 99% of the time since there is frequent searching for quotes/reservations.

 

[DriftingInStars]

It's going back and forth on my browser, I use chrome and safari. I logged in shortly after that got stitch, refreshed and then the 20% room deal popped back up. I think the same developers that do Disney's website do Targets, they are both in need of some serious help!!

Looks like they’ve added a Disney Visa promotion to the page.

 

[BabybetterDisney]

Another reason that Disney will probably just ditch the promotion. It seems like after years and years of it drawing people there during a downturn in the economy, it has just become a "going to happen" thing -- and all it does is just give people (who were planning on going anyway) a bit of a discount. I mean, if they announced no free dining, how many people with existing reservations would really cancel?

If the promotion is just being consumed by those who are already planning on going, it's not really doing its job. And since the promotion is gobbled up quickly by those who already are planning on going, it doesn't really give a new guest the opportunity to go "Hey .. free dining? That sounds like a deal" and book a trip finally to WDW.

Does free dining truly help Disney? I would think that they have the information by now. Say at any time when one resort doesn't offer FD while another similar one does, what is the difference in total revenue for each resort? Even with free dining, the parks are by no means even half full during the slow days. Letting the hotel rooms sit vacant is a huge loss compared to offering free dining and drawing crowds.
Disney started limiting free dining last year. how did that affect their overall profit? If they ended with more money, then it makes sense to let FD die. If not, they should go back to releasing more free dining like in the past years. For example, in 2015, most all the resorts offered free dining. In 2016, French Quarter got removed. In 2017, AS Movies also got removed. How did all that work out for Disney? This year will tell us. So far, the rumors say AS movies are going back to being offered. If that's true, that means last year's exclusion didn't go so well. If it is removed again, that means not offering free dining was a smart choice for Disney.

My guess is that AS movies will go back to offering free dining this year. But I don't know about next year, what with Star Wars Land opening.

 

[lvloopingbag]

Looks like they’ve added a Disney Visa promotion to the page.

It is about a Disney Visa Premier Card and getting a $200 statement credit...Drat!

 

[Disneys on my mind]

Any Canadians on this thread worried they might not see the free Dining offer drop early in the morning when it comes out?
I think I asked this before ( and started a thread on this) , but me and the others on that thread have not seen a new offer drop in a long time - even when we should have ( ie/ Aug AP not showing and I’ve never see the kids free- we as CAnadians have 2 offers, I think US has9)
Someone suggested changing to US site... but it won’t always let me do since I’m in Canada and we sometimes get different free Dining dates.
I’m just worried I might not see it drop like the past few offers that have not appeared.

I’m Canadian, I’m very confident that we will have free dining offers. Lots are relying on this offer and our $ is horrible, they will give us something

 

[rockinrhonda]

I truly believe that there will be free dining.

 

[SPOERLX3]

I have to agree with this. A while back, someone even mentioned that disney has already decided how many rooms to offer for free dining so it doesn't make a difference if people prebook with plans of modifying. So here is my scenario. Say there is a certain room catagory at a certain resort that only has 300 rooms. So 3 months ago disney looked at how many of these rooms were booked already and say 150 were booked. That leaves 150 unbooked rooms. At that time Disney planned to offer 75 of these rooms free dining. The free dining craze started and 100 people prebooked with plans of modifying to free dining. A couple days before release of the promotion disney looks again at how many empty rooms they have. Now, they only have 50 of these rooms available. Well, they can't offer 75 rooms free dining because what if they are all new booking instead of modifying. So, they decide to only offer 25 rooms free dining.

I guess, I believe prebooking causes less rooms to get the promotion.

This is exactly how it works. I go to church with a gentleman that used to work for Disney in the department that would analyse and set up all the promotions. This is how I found out about the FD the first time they offered it in 2005! Sooo, when I saw this post, I decided to give him a call to see how it worked. We just hung up and he said the way it was done when he worked there (before he retired) in 2012: When they start finalizing the promo's, they DO an analysis of available rooms at that time for the date range and every resort they are considering FD for. They have the "original" amount of rooms they need to fill for each day/week and have the preliminary # and they know which resorts will/will not be included at that time. They do analysis periodically all the way up to the DAY before FD is released and that is when the FINAL amount of rooms are set to be available with FINAL numbers. He said, within that time frame, it is crazy how many changes they make; room availability and even adding or removing resorts entirely up until the very last day. He said the room availability, once it is time for the FD drop, is set; then the analysis is done all over again on a bi-monthly basis after FD rolls out, until the last day that its offered. With rooms being canceled, moved, etc there are times they open a few more rooms on certain dates and resorts and other times there is availability that opens just because of the cancels and moves. Bummer he doesn't work there anymore or I would have a lot more information for all of us!

But you are correct believing pre-booking causes less rooms to get the promo! It helped me to decide, not to book until FD drops even though we are going with or without FD. We may not get the resort we want (2 rooms at POP) but I will check and re-check to see if anything opens up and ultimately we will be at Disney in December!

Good luck to everyone! Pixie dust that we all get what we want (or at least close)!