Dining Plan Upgrade Questions

[mommy2paisley]

We plan on going to Disney this year Nov. 24-Dec.3. That's the Saturday after Thanksgiving that we'd check in. My questions are:

1. Has there been free dining for that week in the past? Or is that just a blackout time and no chance ever of happening? If not free dining, is there some other discount that usually comes out for that time period?

2. IF there is free dining, am I figuring this plan upgrade correctly?

Package with tickets and everything how we want is $2105.75
Package with quick-service dining is $2843.48
Package with deluxe dining is $3859.22

So, if we got free dining and up graded, we'd pay the difference of the quick-service dining and the deluxe dining, right? So we'd pay an extra $1015.74, for a total of $3121.49? Am I figuring that right?

If we can't do the free dining or some other discount during this week, we might decide to go at a time when we can, so even if we can't during this week, I'd like to know how the upgrade works as we like to try all the different restaurants while we're there!

Thanks for answering! I'm sure these kinds of questions are asked frequently!

 

[Faldred]

Not getting into the specifics of the math, but you have the general idea correct. If upgrading free QSDP to DDP or DxDP (or free DDP to DxDP), you'd pay the difference between the plan prices.

Remember, when doing your math, that free dining replaces any other promotion or discount on your package.

 

[DisGirl1971]

We plan on going to Disney this year Nov. 24-Dec.3. That's the Saturday after Thanksgiving that we'd check in. My questions are:

1. Has there been free dining for that week in the past? Or is that just a blackout time and no chance ever of happening? If not free dining, is there some other discount that usually comes out for that time period?

2. IF there is free dining, am I figuring this plan upgrade correctly?

Package with tickets and everything how we want is $2105.75
Package with quick-service dining is $2843.48
Package with deluxe dining is $3859.22

So, if we got free dining and up graded, we'd pay the difference of the quick-service dining and the deluxe dining, right? So we'd pay an extra $1015.74, for a total of $3121.49? Am I figuring that right?

If we can't do the free dining or some other discount during this week, we might decide to go at a time when we can, so even if we can't during this week, I'd like to know how the upgrade works as we like to try all the different restaurants while we're there!

Thanks for answering! I'm sure these kinds of questions are asked frequently!

There has been a free dining offer for that time period, I think it usually starts the Sunday after Thanksgiving and then for a few days into December. The upgrade charge will depend on the resort you are staying at. If you are at a value resort then the free dining will most likely be Quick Service and if you are staying Moderate or Deluxe then the free dining will most lilkely be the Regular/Basic Dining Plan.

Here is a link here on the Disboards that have all the Free Dining booking info, the cost to upgrade from each Dining Plan and all of the historice free dining dates and release dates:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2771101

 

[sanapp]

Keep in mind though that recently they have been giving QSDP even at moderates when they are offering free dining. I received a PIN the other day for this week, but it was for upgraded tickets and I am really holding out for free dining too. I also want to upgrade to Deluxe! I am really struggling with how to make the credits work though!

 

[DisGirl1971]

Keep in mind though that recently they have been giving QSDP even at moderates when they are offering free dining. I received a PIN the other day for this week, but it was for upgraded tickets and I am really holding out for free dining too. I also want to upgrade to Deluxe! I am really struggling with how to make the credits work though!

The Quick Service Plan has only been offered to Moderate Resort in the instance of Email Pin Codes. Pin Code discount do not have anything to do with general public offers. In the past 8 years of Free Dining discounts and promos, the moderate resorts have never received the Quick Service Dining Plan as part of the Free Dining package. There have been a number of pin coder offers over the last couple of years that gave all levels of resort the Quick Serivce Dining Plan for "Free," even the Deluxe resorts have been included in some of the Quick Service Free Dining pin coded. But, really those pin code offers don't have any baring on general public discount offers.

 

[Faldred]

But there are also no guarantees. Just because WDW hasn't done something before, there is no guarantee that they won't do so in the future. And just because they have done something in the past, it is no guarantee that they will continue to do so.

The more they need to fill resorts, the more generous the offers will be. The closer they are to target capacities, the less the discounts.

 

[DisGirl1971]

But there are also no guarantees. Just because WDW hasn't done something before, there is no guarantee that they won't do so in the future. And just because they have done something in the past, it is no guarantee that they will continue to do so.

The more they need to fill resorts, the more generous the offers will be. The closer they are to target capacities, the less the discounts.

That may be, who knows? But people do not need to confuse the fact that email pin code offers have no correlation to general public discount offers.

 

[TDC Nala]

Still, nobody here can assure anyone at this time that when the general public offer comes out, it will definitely be regular dining and not quick service for moderates. All we can do is speculate based on past offerings.

 

[DisGirl1971]

Still, nobody here can assure anyone at this time that when the general public offer comes out, it will definitely be regular dining and not quick service for moderates. All we can do is speculate based on past offerings.

That's correct, past general public offers, not pin code offers.

 

[ccgirl]

That time of year is iffy as far as promotions.

If you do a search on free dining you may also find some bounce back offers that were offering QSDP with moderates as well. It seems they are moving more and more toward this.