Disney AP / Free Dining Package Offer - Confused...

[MrsLauraC]

Hello,

I am wondering if you can help me, we have a bit of an unusual enquiry (well it might not be unusual to you!)

We reguarly visit WDW and usually book when on a free dining offer, visiting April or May. Our parents are treating us to a trip in November staying off site in their timeshare, so we were thinking:

Buy an Annual Pass for November trip and then use the discounts, free parking etc during that trip and then book this offer for the April / May trip (http://www.disneyholidays.co.uk/walt-disney-world/deals/2017-free-dine-packages/032/) excluding the tickets as we would have the annual pass.

When we first called Disney about this they said there were ways around it but ever since then they have said they cant do as the free dining was linked to the ticket (I was previously led to believe that it was linked to the resort when we had previously enquired about split stays under this offer for previous trips)

Just wondering if you had any advice on what we can do? Disney had emailed to say if we had our ticket we could upgrade to an annual pass but as the "annual pass" trip would be first I cant see how that would work as we wouldnt have our tickets for the "package" trip?

Any help / advice on what to book is most appreciated!!

 

[Hopefully]

Hello,

I am wondering if you can help me, we have a bit of an unusual enquiry (well it might not be unusual to you!)

We reguarly visit WDW and usually book when on a free dining offer, visiting April or May. Our parents are treating us to a trip in November staying off site in their timeshare, so we were thinking:

Buy an Annual Pass for November trip and then use the discounts, free parking etc during that trip and then book this offer for the April / May trip (http://www.disneyholidays.co.uk/walt-disney-world/deals/2017-free-dine-packages/032/) excluding the tickets as we would have the annual pass.

When we first called Disney about this they said there were ways around it but ever since then they have said they cant do as the free dining was linked to the ticket (I was previously led to believe that it was linked to the resort when we had previously enquired about split stays under this offer for previous trips)

Just wondering if you had any advice on what we can do? Disney had emailed to say if we had our ticket we could upgrade to an annual pass but as the "annual pass" trip would be first I cant see how that would work as we wouldnt have our tickets for the "package" trip?

Any help / advice on what to book is most appreciated!!

Welcome to the DIS!!
You should post this question on the UK Forum. Most folks here are not very familiar with the U.K. offers.

 

[focusondisney]

There is no way around buying tickets with a free dining promo. The free dining promo requires you to book a full price resort room & a ticket for each person in the room. The page you linked states you must book a room & ticket package to get the free dining plan. With the US offer, some people with APs hold onto the tickets they get with the free dining for later use or towards renewing their APs. I am not sure if that is an option with the U.K. offer. But absolutely, you have to buy tickets to get ready dining.

 

[DisBuckMan]

*IF* the FD offer for the UK works the same way as it does for US residents, buying park tickets as part of the FD package is all part of it. What those AP holders who take advantage of FD do is they buy the minimum days' of tickets they can to get the FD offer. Then, when their vacation comes, they use their AP for park entry on the vacation. Then when it comes time to renew their AP, they use the tickets they had to purchase as part of the FD package and bridge them towards their AP renewal. Not sure if UK residents can do it this way or not.

Maybe someone can explain it better than I can, but that's how it's done.

 

[Accident]

Just wondering if you had any advice on what we can do? Disney had emailed to say if we had our ticket we could upgrade to an annual pass but as the "annual pass" trip would be first I cant see how that would work as we wouldnt have our tickets for the "package" trip!

Some of this might be different since your in the UK but for someone in the US I would recommended this:

Tickets are just tickets and not linked to a specific trip. In fact you might have trouble with the wrong ticket being used if you purchased more. You can book a room only annual pass discount over the phone without having an annual pass. The only requirement to keep the rate is you need an annual pass within 24 hours of check in. You can book your earlier annual pass room discount trip now, then when you get to disney upgrade your tickets that were purchased with free dining to an annual pass. You'll keep the free dining trip, upgrade to annual pass and get the room discount (plus other discounts the pass gives you)

 

[Selket]

Although it may be different for the UK offer - generally how long are the tickets bought with the free dining package good for if they haven't been used at all for park admission?

 

[Hopefully]

@Accident is correct. In the US AP holders are able to purchase a Room Only dining package by calling.

 

[carlacmc]

Hi!
Do you think late october 2016 will be offered for free dining later in the year?

 

[DisBuckMan]

Although it may be different for the UK offer - generally how long are the tickets bought with the free dining package good for if they haven't been used at all for park admission?

Unless things change, they're good indefinitely.

 

[DisBuckMan]

Hi!
Do you think late october 2016 will be offered for free dining later in the year?

No. The dates for FD that have already been released are most likely it. October is generally pretty busy at Disney anyway. No reason for them to offer the FD promotion during that time, since it's used to help fill resort rooms during traditionally "slack" times.

 

[focusondisney]

Some of this might be different since your in the UK but for someone in the US I would recommended this:

Tickets are just tickets and not linked to a specific trip. In fact you might have trouble with the wrong ticket being used if you purchased more. You can book a room only annual pass discount over the phone without having an annual pass. The only requirement to keep the rate is you need an annual pass within 24 hours of check in. You can book your earlier annual pass room discount trip now, then when you get to disney upgrade your tickets that were purchased with free dining to an annual pass. You'll keep the free dining trip, upgrade to annual pass and get the room discount (plus other discounts the pass gives you)

Ummm, no this would not work for the OP. She wants to take a trip with an AP in November 2016. She wants to take a trip with free dining in April 2017. She would NOT have the access to tickets associated with a free dining package 5 months in advance!!! So no, she will not be able to upgrade those free dining tickets to an AP trip in November.

She certainly can purchase an AP in November, then take the free dining trip in April & save the tickets she will receive in April for a future trip. Or apply them to renew the AP if she plans on renewing.

Her original question was can she buy an AP in November, then book a free dining trip in April without buying additional tickets in April. And the answer to that is no, to get free dining you need to pay full price for the resort AND purchase tickets with the required number of days.

 

[Accident]

Ummm, no this would not work for the OP. She wants to take a trip with an AP in November 2016. She wants to take a trip with free dining in April 2017. She would NOT have the access to tickets associated with a free dining package 5 months in advance!!! So no, she will not be able to upgrade those free dining tickets to an AP to se to be November trip.

She certainly can purchase an AP in November, then take the free dining trip in April & save the tickets she will receive in April for a future trip. Or apply them to renew the AP if she plans on renewing.

Sorry but my information was correct but again correct for a US citizen, not sure if things change for UK which book via a different UK disney entity. Tickets can be upgraded at any time, it doesn't matter if the cost was part of a free dining package that isn't happening for 5 months. Now where this can be confusing is OP may not be able to activate the tickets 5 months early but there is such a thing as ticket priority and people who have multiple tickets with multiple different tickets do post time to time the wrong tickets got used because disney prioritizes the most expensive ticket first. There is ways to get it activated earlier also but that's not what the question asked here is.