2018 Free Dining Watch Thread V3

[leebee]

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.

Actually, I've read that each resort manager decides IF they want to participate in FD and if so, how many rooms they want to make available. Yes, Disney says "We're offering free dining," but each resort manager makes the decision for her/his resort. Don't know how true this is, but the poster was a CM at the time I read it.

 

[rockinrhonda]

Coming out of lurking to let you know that I am another Mainer keeping my fingers crossed for free dining. We have a reservation at POP arriving 8/19-8/26. I'm a Disney Visa holder so hoping for extended dining dates like they offered last year

Well Hello there on Mainer to another. We have Pop booked for 9/26 - 9/30

 

[leebee]

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.

Coming out of lurking to let you know that I am another Mainer keeping my fingers crossed for free dining. We have a reservation at POP arriving 8/19-8/26. I'm a Disney Visa holder so hoping for extended dining dates like they offered last year

Hello, fellow Mainers!! I'm checking in from Orono! DD24 and I will be at ASMu 8/22-8/28, whether or not we get free dining... but hoping for a little pixie dust here!

 

[Nancyg56]

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.

 

[rockinrhonda]

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.

 

[FancyNancy]

Well Hello there on Mainer to another. We have Pop booked for 9/26 - 9/30

Ahhh I just love POP Can't wait to check out the refurbed rooms. We were ridiculously excited about the fact that they added coffee makers. Last time we stayed we packed a tiny 2-cup of our own.

Hello, fellow Mainers!! I'm checking in from Orono! DD24 and I will be at ASMu 8/22-8/28, whether or not we get free dining... but hoping for a little pixie dust here!

Checking in from Augusta here We are going regardless as well and hoping for pixie dust like you!

 

[Nancyg56]

I see that you are from Orano, I'm from Doverfoxcroft

Am I misunderstanding? I am from CT.

 

[Curlylocks02]

Hello all. I'm starting to get concerned. We did free dining last year for the second time and planning to for this Sept. I've followed along however ever year since 2014. I feel like by this point prior there was more rumbling the Friday before free dining dropped especially last year? Meaning I just wonder if it really is a different date?

 

[rockinrhonda]

Hello, fellow Mainers!! I'm checking in from Orono! DD24 and I will be at ASMu 8/22-8/28, whether or not we get free dining... but hoping for a little pixie dust here!

Hello We are from Dover-foxcroft.

 

[Nancyg56]

Am I misunderstanding? I am from CT.

I just figured it out! LOL! Two Nancy's! I am north central CT girl!

 

[toomuchtv]

I just figured it out! LOL! Two Nancy's! I am north central CT girl!

This Nancy is from OH I've never been with so many Nancys in one room!

 

[Nancyg56]

This Nancy is from OH I've never been with so many Nancys in one room!

LOL!!!!! Too funny!

 

[Jennny]

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.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

Sorry I haven't been paying attention and now I need to know...
Are the ASMu family suites typically included?

Yes see below

In the past (this could obviously change), the following resorts have NOT been included in Free Dining:

• Grand Floridian Villas.
• Polynesian Villas and Bungalows.
• Fort Wilderness campsites (cabins are generally included)
• 3-bedroom villas.
• Art of Animation's Little Mermaid rooms.
• All-Star Movies.
• One of the Port Orleans resorts.

 

[panez]

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 from Canada, never had an issue with free dinning showing up.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

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

 

[Lionsfan]

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

I just went in website and there was no error

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

And as PP mentioned, I don't think already having an existing reservation makes your chances of getting FD any better, it just guarantees that you have a room at a particular resort. As a lot of ppl have told me, equate FD to a liquidation sale with limited inventory, there are only so many of the types of rooms/resorts that are allowed to be sold for FD. So this is why using the MODIFY button becomes such an issue for some users. They don't meet the requirements and don't even know it. Or there is a website issue, or your browser history/caches is causing issues, there are a ton of different scenarios and then of course there is that it goes just fine and you can modify as you should.

We're fairly flexible on the resort so I didn't book anything, TBH I don't like booking this far out, I'd rather book just a few months in advance like we usually do. Knowing we're going to disney this many months out is like being a little kid again waiting for your birthday....torture!!

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

I just went in website and there was no error

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!!

 

[jimjenkids]

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