Do I need to have my Resort booked to make an ADR?

[MQUINN86]

I know that I have read that booking ADR's start 180 days out. Do I need to have booked my stay in order to make an ADR?

I am planning for September 2012. I was thinking about booking my resort sometime in January 2012. I am hoping the the free dining will be offered at that time or year just as it has previously. Another question I have is if free dining is not offered at the time I book my resort reservation and then is later offered can I then call and say I would like the free dining or is it automatically added to my reservation. Thanks

 

[TDC Nala]

I know that I have read that booking ADR's start 180 days out. Do I need to have booked my stay in order to make an ADR?

If you want 180 + 10 booking (meaning you can make all your reservations 180 days out of the first day of your stay, for up to 10 days, rather than making them day by day), yes.

Otherwise, no.

free dining is not offered at the time I book my resort reservation and then is later offered can I then call and say I would like the free dining or is it automatically added to my reservation. Thanks

It would not be automatically added. You would have to call and ask for it, and it would have to be available for your resort on those dates. If you already have a package reservation they can then just apply the discount code. If you have a room only reservation it would have to be converted to a package with tickets before the code can be applied.

 

[MQUINN86]

Thanks for the info. That will help in planning.

 

[MHSweb79]

Keep in mind that dining, free or otherwise, is only available on a package - that is, room plus admission tickets. And there are only a limited number of free dining packages allowed at each resort.

If you have a room-only reservation or even a package that includes a discount on the room, you'll have to book the package instead and pay rack rate for your room. I believe they are also making you purchase a Memory Book ($100) in order to qualify for "free" dining so do the math before you give up any room discount. If there are only two of you in the room it might not make sense.

But no, if you are within the 180 days, you can make ADR's without a room being booked at all. I do it all the time!