Free DDP help

[Kcat]

Hi,

Though we have visited Disney many times we have never been on the DDP partly due to the fact we mainly stay off site and also we don't like to be pinned down to a set time for a meal at a set location.

Now we are due to be at disney this August for 11 nights with free DDP but we are having trouble deciding what time we should be eating. This isn't helped by the fact that we have always been in October/November/December before so are not sure what affect the heat will have on our plans. We usually stick to one park a day and never leave and come back.

Does anybody know if you can down grade the free DDP to the Quick Service option as we normally eat CS and only pay for 2 or 3 TS meals per trip?

Any recommendations for eating times in the August heat?

I assume if we try and walk up to places during free DDP at the end of August we will probably not get in? I have made ADR's for most days but I've no idea if we will be in the right park on these days or not and we are very unlikely to move around to cater for the fact we have an ADR somewhere else. I have the feeling that we will only use 3 or 4 of our TS credits if we can't get a walk in anywhere which seems an awful waste.

Any ideas or suggestions would be very welcome.

Thanks.

 

[RMulieri]

No you can not downgrade.They MAY allow you to trade in your TS credits for CS ones, BUT that is something Disney has to annouce first( generally announced once free dining starts). As for tips .We generally do an early dinner/late lunch .I would definitely keep adrs. Walk ups during free dining are not likely.Restaurants do not hold tables for standby /walk up .

 

[Kcat]

No you can not downgrade.They MAY allow you to trade in your TS credits for CS ones, BUT that is something Disney has to annouce first( generally announced once free dining starts). .

So Disney have allowed a TS credit to be swapped for a CS one before on free dining, how is it announced? We'll be moving onsite from the 16th August but will be off site for a few days first (visiting Universal/Seaworld).

 

[TDC Nala]

Sorry, while upgrading to deluxe is permitted, downgrading is not. See the above post for information about what WDW does during free dining regarding trading TS credits for CS meals plus additional items (snacks or merchandise). This is generally not announced until closer to the free dining period, and is limited to the length of the general public offer. Also, note that WDW opens overflow TS locations (usually a couple of locations in the Magic Kingdom) to serve buffet or family style dinner, and a lunch option at Chef Mickey's is usually added.

 

[onejellyshelly]

Sorry, while upgrading to deluxe is permitted, downgrading is not. See the above post for information about what WDW does during free dining regarding trading TS credits for CS meals plus additional items (snacks or merchandise). This is generally not announced until closer to the free dining period, and is limited to the length of the general public offer. Also, note that WDW opens overflow TS locations (usually a couple of locations in the Magic Kingdom) to serve buffet or family style dinner, and a lunch option at Chef Mickey's is usually added.

Do you know the cost of upgrading to the deluxe??

 

[Colleen27]

Do you know the cost of upgrading to the deluxe??

$32 per adult and $10 per child, per night.

 

[Kcat]

Thanks for the advice.

If they do the 'swap' TS for a CS again is this something you do at the CS restaurant or do you have to swap at Guest services or some place else beforehand?

Thanks.

 

[squirrel]

I also liked the early dinners as it was nice to get out of the sun. We also did some later lunches.

 

[Bama_C]

Hi,

Though we have visited Disney many times we have never been on the DDP partly due to the fact we mainly stay off site and also we don't like to be pinned down to a set time for a meal at a set location.

Now we are due to be at disney this August for 11 nights with free DDP but we are having trouble deciding what time we should be eating. This isn't helped by the fact that we have always been in October/November/December before so are not sure what affect the heat will have on our plans. We usually stick to one park a day and never leave and come back.

We'll also be arriving in August for 11 nights. This will be our 4th year to participate in the FDDP, and we have loved every minute of our previous trips. I hope you will, too!

Does anybody know if you can down grade the free DDP to the Quick Service option as we normally eat CS and only pay for 2 or 3 TS meals per trip?

Any recommendations for eating times in the August heat?

Everyone is different, but for our family we like to spend as little time as possible waiting to eat or losing park time. We also like to maximize our TS credits. So, we try to schedule the earliest possible dinners for our TS credits. For this year, we are going to Le Cellier, Coral Reef, Les Chefs de France, Biergarten, Mama Melrose, Crystal Palace, Kona Cafe, Grand Floridian Cafe, Boatwright's, Whispering Canyon, and one undecided. I took care of all these this morning, and they are all between 4:50 pm and 5:40 pm. We try to schedule any dinners for the parks with Extra Magic Hours in that park.

With early dinner reservations, you are less likely to experience a wait at the time of your ADR. (It also leaves us some time if we want to linger a little over dinner, to still have some park time after finishing dinner. Some of those EPCOT days of walking and walking, it's nice to have a little time to rest the feet!) But, the early ADR allows us a quick in and out if we're wanting to get back to the park. With 11 days, you should have plenty of park time... although we all know at the end of the trip you never leave without wanting more.

We always do our CS lunches at the earliest possible time. We rarely do breakfast before that, so that we're hungry when 11 AM rolls around.

I assume if we try and walk up to places during free DDP at the end of August we will probably not get in? I have made ADR's for most days but I've no idea if we will be in the right park on these days or not and we are very unlikely to move around to cater for the fact we have an ADR somewhere else. I have the feeling that we will only use 3 or 4 of our TS credits if we can't get a walk in anywhere which seems an awful waste.

Any ideas or suggestions would be very welcome.

Thanks.

As for walking up, I think it largely depends on the restaurant... but I would try to have something lined up in advance (as you said you'e done.) We have been able to rearrange a few ADRs after arriving at WDW in previous years, and your best chance of getting things rearranged is to go to the concierge in your hotel. Somehow, they seem to be able to get things worked out more often than not. And if you're not picky about where you end up or what time, you should be o.k. with changing what you have now.

I am a pretty intense planner when it comes to these 11 night stays and FDDP. I lay out an Excel spreadsheet with each day of our trip across the top, and the times of day in 30 minute increments down the left-most column. Then I put in the Extra Magic Hours and any special things we'll be doing. I try to schedule ADRs around the things I know we want to do. For the past 3 years, that has worked out pretty well for us.

Hope this helps!

 

[aubriee]

Thanks for the advice.

If they do the 'swap' TS for a CS again is this something you do at the CS restaurant or do you have to swap at Guest services or some place else beforehand?

Thanks.

The CS restaurants could do it. However, every year the offer changes. Last year they allowed you to exchange one TS credit for one CS plus a voucher for two snacks or a little mesh bag. The year before it was a TS credit for a CS meal, plus a lanyard and two pins. The first year or two free dining was offered, they did not allow any exchange and people would just lose their TS credits if they didn't use them. Nothing has been announced yet for this year's free dining.

The only time these type of exchanges have been offered is during times of free dining. At other times of the year, there have been reports of resort CS restaurants being able to make a one for one switch (no extras), but a manager has to be called in to overide the system. There have never been any reports of CS restuarants in the parks doing this though (again except for during free dining times).