Availability at POP during Free Dining?????

[ShellyLynn3630]

you are absolutely 100% wrong in every way on this point... they don't just add the code. They may copy your information from an existing reservation... but you are rebooking from scratch to add this code. The odds that you will get the resort you want or already have booked, are slim to none. You are using specious logic to justify a position that is just not true.

Well whether or not they "add" the code or totally rebook both of my reservations I really don't care!!!! If free dining is offered to the values I would bet you my next paycheck that I get it for All Star Sports!!!!!!!!!!!!! My odds are NOT slim to none. (Considering that they offer it to the values) I would say that that my odds are slim to none on getting POP, but to be honest I really don't want POP.

 

[ShellyLynn3630]

we go, in sept... we go every year in sept. I would rather they not offer free DDP so the crowds will be lower and the ADRs easier to get. But all things change, and the offer is to put heads in beds... if the beds are booked why offer the incentive? If you booked the reservation, you probably already put in for the vacation time, you already have a deposit down, and probably made non-refundable airline reservations. So if they don't offer it, how many people are going to cancel? You are jumping in at a point where a lot of very smart people have already been over this with the powers that be. I would go into lengthy details on how the WDW discount system works, cause we have only been going in Sept for 35 years now. and have seen years where discounts are good and years where they are bad... and yet somehow we still go.

No, I don't have any non-refundable airline reservations, and yes if free dining is not offered I will cancel!

 

[caracap]

Last year I had a package booked at POP before I even knew about free dining, then I read about it here and it was offered. I sat on hold the first day it opened to the public for 90 minutes right at 7 a.m, I had to completely cancel my existing reservation that was for a preferred room, and book a new reservation with free dining, and there were not any preferred rooms available with the free dining promotion. So, for me they couldn't just add it to my existing reservation, and if I didn't call right at 7 a.m, and stay on hold for 90 minutes I don't think I would have ever gotten POP.

I was also offered the bounce back in September while staying at POP, so values were being offered during bounce back. I am also kicking myself for not booking it.

I learned my lesson, and will not book until, hopefully, it is offered in April.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Its not hard to understand. Its true. It would be interesting to see just what Disney would do if they did'nt offer the free dining to the general public and had a good many number of cancellations. Like I said, I would never go during September for any reason other than free dining.

Nobody has stated that Disney will not (or will) offer a Free Dining promotion in 2008.
What we ARE saying is twofold: First, that "holding" room reservations in anticipation of a not-yet-announced (or promised) promotion will show a higher occupancy rate than whatever Disney sets as its goal, and make (many) FEWER rooms available with the promotion at many resorts.
Second, despite the Guest thinking that they're just 'adding a code' to a room or package reservation, IN ACTUALITY this constitutes a change in the booking, meaning the Guest's original reservation is canceled and a new one is booked. Simply having a reservation at a given resort does NOT mean that there will be promotion rooms available.

Well whether or not they "add" the code or totally rebook both of my reservations I really don't care!!!!

But if the resort has met or exceeded its occupancy goal for a given night, and thus sold out all the promotional rooms for that night, it doesn't matter what the internal procedure is - the Guest will NOT get the promo.

 

[wilde_oscar]

I'm gonna give it up at this point... how it actually works seems to not matter to someone that already has their mind made up. Tomorrow I am going to not believe in gravity all afternoon, and fly to never never land.

 

[wilde_oscar]

No, I don't have any non-refundable airline reservations, and yes if free dining is not offered I will cancel!

this was rhetorical, I was speaking in terms of typical guests.

 

[wilde_oscar]

Well whether or not they "add" the code or totally rebook both of my reservations I really don't care!!!! If free dining is offered to the values I would bet you my next paycheck that I get it for All Star Sports!!!!!!!!!!!!! My odds are NOT slim to none. (Considering that they offer it to the values) I would say that that my odds are slim to none on getting POP, but to be honest I really don't want POP.

best of luck, your expertise is noted.

 

[TDC Nala]

Yeah, the same speculation says no free dining at the values this year (that's what the UK and bounceback had to do). You need to be in mods and up.

While the UK offer did limit bookings to moderate resorts or above (excluding AKL for some reason), I believe the bounceback offer did permit booking at values.

 

[angelmav]

Krud, I completely agree with every word that Katieelder has posted on this thread! What kind of bizarro disboard have I logged onto! You know I luv ya though katieelder! You too wildoscar, though we dont have the same history!

TDC Nala, I think the real variable here that those booking on spec are missing is the bounceback that was already offered. Add the UK promo to the equation, and that is ALOT less rooms for any conceivable promo, on top of this, they have increased mailings for room only discounts for that time period (we got a 20% offer ourselves) and I think that you could see this trending to where there wont be alot of availability if/when they decide to offer this. Booking on spec just assures you have eliminated 1 more room for consideration.

If you want to 'plan' on speculation, fine, make your ADR's at 180 days out (give up the + 10, its not worth it) and wait till April with everyone else.
To do more than that is to effectively put any further 'free dining promo' and room availability at risk.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Krud, I completely agree with every word that Katieelder has posted on this thread!

Oh, my goodness - first wildeoscar, now angelmav! I must be doing SOMETHING right!

 

[ShellyLynn3630]

best of luck, your expertise is noted.[/QUO

I think IF free dining is offered I'll be the last one laughing here and will make sure and let everyone know just how my "expertise" has paid off!!!!!!!!!!

 

[RMulieri]

Wildeoscar , you are right on. You can lead a horse to water....

 

[RMulieri]

best of luck, your expertise is noted.[/QUO

I think IF free dining is offered I'll be the last one laughing here and will make sure and let everyone know just how my "expertise" has paid off!!!!!!!!!!

I agree with wildeoscar in most respects.However, All Star Sports is GENERALLY not very difficult to get free dining with.You may be lucky you may not be.I think everyone just needs to calm down and wait and see.the PP are pretty accurate on the whole process though. I wish you good luck

 

[ShellyLynn3630]

Exactly the Sports resort will not be hard to get IF and when free dining is released!! You know, this was'nt even my orginal point or question. I was thinking that IF free dining is released to cardholders like myself or the general public, that the POP resort could be much more crowded than Sports.
I know I could be wrong on this point but seeing that I have never stayed at POP, I really don't know.

 

[pskelly]

This really is not a hard concept. Heres a thought. If you have already booked your trip and if/when Disney offers free dining you are on the phone to try and "add-on" the promo code and they have to cancel your reservation to get the promo,isnt it entirley possible that while I am calling to book my trip that I could take your reservation and you would be out of luck? Would they cancel your ADR's also? Then what, I get your times because you had to cancel to get the free food instead of just waiting? It makes more sense to wait. Based on the mathmatical equations that were laid out, it makes more sense to just wait. Let's face it, its not like Disney is going to fold up shop and move on. Disney is always going to be there. Anyway, I hope for your sake that you get what you want, if not I'll be there to scoop up your reservations.

 

[Tess'smom]

Just to illustrate what Wildoscar and Katirelder have wisely stated, I did book Pop last year for September because we always go in September. When free dining was announced, I called to have it added to my package. They had to cancel my Pop reservation and re-book. The only thing available at the time was ASSp. I eventually re-booked at ASMu. I absolutely could not add free dining to my package because there is a finite number of rooms open for the promotion! We were going anyway, but we did lose our Pop ressie because free dining was such a good offer.

 

[wilde_oscar]

This really is not a hard concept. Heres a thought. If you have already booked your trip and if/when Disney offers free dining you are on the phone to try and "add-on" the promo code and they have to cancel your reservation to get the promo,isnt it entirley possible that while I am calling to book my trip that I could take your reservation and you would be out of luck? Would they cancel your ADR's also? Then what, I get your times because you had to cancel to get the free food instead of just waiting? It makes more sense to wait. Based on the mathmatical equations that were laid out, it makes more sense to just wait. Let's face it, its not like Disney is going to fold up shop and move on. Disney is always going to be there. Anyway, I hope for your sake that you get what you want, if not I'll be there to scoop up your reservations.

yup, cause when free DDP gets announced and on the morning it is first available, you call and get right in on the first ring, and get exactly room and resort you are hoping for because no one else is trying to do the same thing at the same time? Last year call volume on the first day of the offer, was 4 times the normal call volume. So I guess no one else knows about the offer.

The first year they did offer the free DDP same thing happened to me. We already booked because we always go in sept. Called in to re book and "add free DDP", ended up at CBR instead of POR.

the thing I am still not getting, is why the OP even asked the question? Since their expertise already had the matter well in hand, why bother asking if it would work out at all?

 

[wilde_oscar]

Oh, my goodness - first wildeoscar, now angelmav! I must be doing SOMETHING right!

yeah, we agree on nothing when it comes to having an opinion... but we all agree on how the system actually works... since it is how the system actually works.

Let's go back over to the restaurants board where none of us agree or get along.

 

[dairyqueenmom]

I encourage all of you to keep speculating, keep booking rooms in anticipation of free dining. Then Disney will not offer free dining and all of you will cancel and I can have the whole park to myself and peaceful dining.

 

[goofy4tink]

I encourage all of you to keep speculating, keep booking rooms in anticipation of free dining. Then Disney will not offer free dining and all of you will cancel and I can have the whole park to myself and peaceful dining.

Now, that, sounds like a good plan!!! I'm booked from Sept 4-7 at POP. I'm going whether or not free dining is offered. My DU agent will try to get me free dining if possible. If not, then fine...I'll have my DDE card to use. My ADRs are made. No speculation on my part. But it always amazes me to see how many people book a room, hoping a good discount comes out, and if none appear they cancel. Disney does not offer discounts of any kind if the rooms are being filled. Discounts come along to entice us to stay there..not to thank us for already booking!