2018 Free Dining Watch Thread V3

[tink1957]

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.

If you want free dining, you have to get park hoppers so I would go with the second option and go to one park in the am, take a midday break at All Stars and go back to your second park after the kids have rested.

It's really cheaper to rent a scooter from an outside company like Walker Mobility and you get a price break on multiple day rentals plus you have the scooter all day and they deliver to your resort.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

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 think hopping would be harder with the 78 yo scooter bound individual than kids. Especially regarding transport. Which all star is your second resort??not a huge difference but of all the all stars I’d rank sports the lowest. However they are all fun for young kids and really there aren’t any significant differences IMO.

 

[leebee]

If you don't have it already there is no sense to add it since you will have to modify your reservation anyway. If you already have the DP on your reservation you don't have to remove it, but you will still have to modify it, and depending on your package and restrictions, you may even have to book an entirely new package and go back and cancel your old one. It really just depends on how the system works at that time and what you have already reserved

I meet all the requirements except I have DDP added, not QSDP (staying at ASMu). I'm worried that the system might not offer me the free dining because I don't have QSDP on my current reservation. I'm thinking of changing my current reservation to QSDP so I have everything covered.

 

[tink1957]

I meet all the requirements except I have DDP added, not QSDP (staying at ASMu). I'm worried that the system might not offer me the free dining because I don't have QSDP on my current reservation. I'm thinking of changing my current reservation to QSDP so I have everything covered.

I would take the dining plan off altogether. Last year I booked 3 nights at Pop and 2 day park hoppers. When free dining dropped I modified it for that offer. The less you have to modify the better as the site is overloaded and glitchy with everyone trying to book at once.

 

[Mamaof6]

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.

That sounds like my group. We take my nana she has a scooter and 5 kids ( 3 are young ones) Have you looked at the cabins? If your mom or the older adult can do a small set of stair I we took my nana she is 85 there kids took bunk beds teens took pull out sofa ( was actually a comfy one) Nana took queen bed I bunked with her. For the younger kids we never made it to a 2nd park w/ almost dropping dead from taking apart double stroller and dealing with the scooter in and out of the car When are you going? My nana cant do the heat and the young kids had melt downs so we usually only did like early am to noon and then went to hotel to rest up and regroup then when the sun went down.

 

[KearneyFam02]

After all the hype dies down you can call and have your reservations linked together.

I should clarify, my family only needs one room. Her family needs 2. There are 4 adults and 4 kids. It's my friend, her husband, her daughter and boyfriend (19yo & 21yo), and a 11, 10, 8, and 4 year old. Her concern is not being close to the kids that have to room with her oldest daughter and boyfriend so she wants to make sure they get adjoining rooms.

 

[karensokool]

Just returned from The World. Can't wait to go back for free dining.

 

[pixie_mtl]

Good morning pixie_mtl do you happen to have a list of the deluxe resorts and villas that are offered on the UK FD plan this year. Just curious, thank you.

Hi @cassidy57 Participating Deluxe Resorts include Animal Kingdom Lodge, Beach Club Resort, BoardWalk Inn, Contemporary Resort, Grand Floridian Resort, Polynesian Village Resort, Wilderness Lodge, and Yacht Club.

 

[Huff]

I have 6 nights at pop arriving on sept 23. 4 park tickets with hopper and quick service dining. I dont want a ton of stuff to modify the day of just it case it stops working. So if I take the quick service off now then the day the free offer drops when I modify to free dining offer will it automatically add the dining part

A common misconception is that having an existing reservation helps get FD when its released. It does not! When you call to add FD its entirely dependent on FD availability at your resort and possibly the particular room type you have reserved. Thats why I never bother booking a room until FD is released. I tend to think that if rooms are already filled with reservations then Disney will offer fewer rooms to FD.

 

[sharonabe]

Someone said it would not just make it free they said we would have to modify that also that is the problem we are having to figure out

It won’t just make it free dining- if you already have a reswrvation with a dining plan you still have to modify your reservation to apply the special offer. There’s really no need to have the dining plan booked in advance since the only reason you booked a package now should have been to get your preferred resort. There will always be a dining plan available for every guest but there won’t always be rooms for every guest.

Sorry. I wasn't clear. I meant that when you go in to modify for free dining, it won't matter if you already have dining in your package or not. If you do, when you modify to free dining, it will take off the price you've paid for it. You're right that it's not automatic....you do have to modify your package.

 

[WDW*Fan]

I would take the dining plan off altogether. Last year I booked 3 nights at Pop and 2 day park hoppers. When free dining dropped I modified it for that offer. The less you have to modify the better as the site is overloaded and glitchy with everyone trying to book at once.

Can you please share exactly what you had to click after hitting Change Reservation?

 

[tink1957]

I think it came up with all the available offers and I clicked on the free dining one and went from there to modify. It's been a year and I was sleep deprived that morning so my memory may be foggy.

 

[JCSCBROWN]

I am hoping someone can help. We have free tickets from a leaky roof on our last trip. Is there any way I can take advantage of some of them and still get free dining for December 2018? I have been racking my brain and cannot figure it out. They are free tickets with park hopper.

 

[Attracted to Beasts]

I am hoping someone can help. We have free tickets from a leaky roof on our last trip. Is there any way I can take advantage of some of them and still get free dining for December 2018? I have been racking my brain and cannot figure it out. They are free tickets with park hopper.

If the new ticket requirement for FD is 4 day PH then you would have to at least buy those, if you were staying more than 4 days you could use the rest I would assume.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Ugh I've now been roped into pricing out 2 rooms for my sister's friend who wants to go at the same time as us if we go.
Its like you can do it yourself very easily but ok I'll give the prices but don't expect me to book it too. I'm taking care of my reservation and that's it.

 

[leebee]

Sorry. I wasn't clear. I meant that when you go in to modify for free dining, it won't matter if you already have dining in your package or not. If you do, when you modify to free dining, it will take off the price you've paid for it. You're right that it's not automatic....you do have to modify your package.

If I have DDP on a value resort package, will the site still offer me free dining? I'm wondering about changing the package to QSDP so it mimics the offer. I'll upgrade to DDP after the hoopla dies down.

 

[sharonabe]

If I have DDP on a value resort package, will the site still offer me free dining? I'm wondering about changing the package to QSDP so it mimics the offer. I'll upgrade to DDP after the hoopla dies down.

It shouldn't make any difference, but with Disney IT, I guess you never know. However, be aware that making changes now could result in your "change reservation" link messing up. There have been fewer reports of that happening this year, but it has happened. Personally, I'd leave everything alone at this point. All promos should show up with the change link.

 

[rockinrhonda]

I have never had any problems modifying my reservation, to get free dining. No matter how I booked my package. It will prop you to modify your dining or ask you if you want to upgrade from the qsdp to ddp. If you have the park hopper and the required park day tickets and your check in date is within the dates available you should have no problems.

 

[hbudigan]

I have never had any problems modifying my reservation, to get free dining. No matter how I booked my package. It will prop you to modify your dining or ask you if you want to upgrade from the qsdp to ddp. If you have the park hopper and the required park day tickets and your check in date is within the dates available you should have no problems.

What time did you get up to get your FD? I have been trying to find times but people have been saying things as early as 2am and as late as 5:30am. Anyone have any recommendations? Staying at AK Lodge if that helps

 

[rockinrhonda]

What time did you get up to get your FD? I have been trying to find times but people have been saying things as early as 2am and as late as 5:30am. Anyone have any recommendations? Staying at AK Lodge if that helps

I live in Maine, eastern standard time, I always get up at 5:30 am. I have done that time for several years and always get free dining.