>> FREE DINING 2011 WATCH - Read Post # 1 BEFORE Posting

[tatorswife]

I have a question..If i went ahead and booked our package without any discounts for fall..could i add the free dining at a later time if it was offered after i had already paid for my package??

 

[sndral]

You book a new package and cancel your old one. Discount rooms are limited so you have to act fast sometimes to get what you had before. I seem to recall that last year when I switched (I was adding days and using a different promo from the one I had for my original ressie) I had to put $200 down on the new one and wait for the refund of what I'd paid on the old one - but, I may be remembering incorrectly since the extra days were more important to me @ that point than the money.

 

[Lynzer4]

Just called Disney to see if I might by chance have a PIN. She tells me yes I have a free dining pin but when we tried to booked it, it cant be used yet.

She told me a Free Dining Pin will be sent out March 1. She couldn't tell me the dates but she confirmed it was free dining. Not sure who will get it but it is on its way.

 

[jcarwash]

The Free Dining ad on this page:
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/resorts/boardstransportation.htm

is a Dreams Unlimited ad, not a Disney ad. The link/URL tied to the ad goes to the general list of promotions on dreamsunlimited.com.

As someone who works on web content, my educated guess is that ad is from when the 2011 offer was available in 2010, and has been forgotten. It can happen!

I also found the ad on this resort transportation page: http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/resorts/wildlodgetransportation.htm

It looks like the separate resort transportation pages (not all of the resorts appear to have a separate transportation page on wdwinfo.com) may all share this old image.

 

[disney11fan]

Well said.....

That being said.....I did receive a pin code for FD for the dates of 7/1-8/31. I believe that this may be a good sign.

thanks for sharing the good news. have a great nite.

 

[tjknitz]

Just out of curiosity....how do you qualify for a Free Dining Pin#? We went to Disney back in 2009 and to be honest, I haven't paid any attention since if I received a pin or not because we didn't plan on going back until my daughter was a little older. Do they only send them out to those who vacationed at Disney within the last year???

 

[disney11fan]

thanks canadian guy for you keeping us informed abt pin codes and the do's and don'ts abt the pincodes. hey go leafs...we need another eastern conference canadian team in the playoffs or another canadian team in the nhl.

 

[Luvmepluto]

Just out of curiosity....how do you qualify for a Free Dining Pin#? We went to Disney back in 2009 and to be honest, I haven't paid any attention since if I received a pin or not because we didn't plan on going back until my daughter was a little older. Do they only send them out to those who vacationed at Disney within the last year???

My suggestion is to order the Disney Vacation DVD. We go to Disney often but I always order the DVD to make sure I can receive the pin. Well.......it seems to work.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

You book a new package and cancel your old one. Discount rooms are limited so you have to act fast sometimes to get what you had before. I seem to recall that last year when I switched (I was adding days and using a different promo from the one I had for my original ressie) I had to put $200 down on the new one and wait for the refund of what I'd paid on the old one - but, I may be remembering incorrectly since the extra days were more important to me @ that point than the money.

Sorry, but that is incorrect. If free dining comes out, you can just call and have them add the code to your existing reservations. I've done that exact thing every year since 2006. You do not have to rebook.

 

[kstgelais4]

Hoping for FD in Nov./Dec. We have already booked with a room discount pin, but FD would save us about $1500 more!

 

[PrincessTiffany]

This may be a REALLY stupid question (if so, sorry!) but in what scenario would getting FD ever NOT save you a substantial amount of money?

We're doing a trip 10/9-10/14 no matter what happens... I'm just trying to set us up in a way that we can take full advantage of a discount that may come later. Even if it's just free QS & we paid OOP for a couple TS meals, it would still save us a boatload of money over paying for everything OOP.

If you are staying at a value or Moderate Resort the free dining is a good discount. If you are staying at a Deluxe Resort then a room discount is better (40%).

 

[PrincessTiffany]

I have a question..If i went ahead and booked our package without any discounts for fall..could i add the free dining at a later time if it was offered after i had already paid for my package??

Yes, you can add a discount code to an existing reservation. When a code is released just call Disney Reservations and have them add the discount. If the package has been paid in full, they will refund you the difference. Even if you have to change resorts, you still don't have to rebook and your reservation number stays the same.

 

[zales127]

The thing is somebody said in one the threads that the computer will not let you book if it's not your code. There were several people with mixed results upon calling to book, some had it applied, some didn't. Now, if I called and simply asked if a 3 digit code could be applied to my reservation and the CM applied it, somehow overriding the system, then doesn't the fault lie with the CM?? I'll be darned if i'm going to pay for Disney's mistake, not mine.

I mean, has this ever actually happened to someone, who booked over the phone with a CM applying a code, got a confirmation e-mail for the discounted price, and then was asked to pay more at check-in??

And, I don't think people were laughing at you either, just at the absurdity of that CM's statement.

Yes it has happened. My cousin lost her husband last year a few months before our trip. She decided the kids needed a break and she booked Disney to go with us. When she called she asked the CM if she could get "hooked in" on our reservation with the free dining and everything. He said no problem. When she got there she was charged for the dining plan. We called a manager and they said that there was no way to give her the Free Dining that we had booked months before because it was no longer valid. She ended up paying for the dining plan..it saved her $$ in the long run..but it would have been nice for the original CM just to say..No..I think he was being nice because she had just lost her husband and he was trying to do a good thing..but it just didnt work out.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Yes it has happened. My cousin lost her husband last year a few months before our trip. She decided the kids needed a break and she booked Disney to go with us. When she called she asked the CM if she could get "hooked in" on our reservation with the free dining and everything. He said no problem. When she got there she was charged for the dining plan. We called a manager and they said that there was no way to give her the Free Dining that we had booked months before because it was no longer valid. She ended up paying for the dining plan..it saved her $$ in the long run..but it would have been nice for the original CM just to say..No..I think he was being nice because she had just lost her husband and he was trying to do a good thing..but it just didnt work out.

So you are saying that she check-in and was asked to pay XXX number of dollars over the amount she was billed and paid to Disney?

Or she checked in and realized she didn't have the plan and had to pay for it at check-in? That has happened to number people here on the boards, who thought they had added free dining or a free dining code to their reservation, but got there and found out that they didn't. You aren't supposed to be able to add the dining plan at check-in, but in cases like this costomer service can do an override and add it, but you do have to pay for it.

If it was the first scenerio, Disney would have been in violation of som FTC statutes and she could have fought it.

Also, she could have gotten the discount if YOU had called and added her, her children and thier room to your reservation because it would not have been a new reservation, but a modificaion. You could have even paid with her credit card to make the change to your reservation. I have had to do this twice, in regards to a free dining reservation, when, at the last minute my mother-in-law decided she wanted to go. The fd code I used to book had long since expired, but I was allowed to add her to the reservation with no problem and keep the discount.

 

[zales127]

So you are saying that she check-in and was asked to pay XXX number of dollars over the amount she was billed and paid to Disney?

Or she checked in and realized she didn't have the plan and had to pay for it at check-in? That has happened to number people here on the boards, who thought they had added free dining or a free dining code to their reservation, but got there and found out that they didn't. You aren't supposed to be able to add the dining plan at check-in, but in cases like this costomer service can do an override and add it, but you do have to pay for it.

If it was the first scenerio, Disney would have been in violation of som FTC statutes and she could have fought it.

Also, she could have gotten the discount if YOU had called and added her, her children and thier room to your reservation because it would not have been a new reservation, but a modificaion. You could have even paid with her credit card to make the change to your reservation. I have had to do this twice, in regards to a free dining reservation, when, at the last minute my mother-in-law decided she wanted to go. The fd code I used to book had long since expired, but I was allowed to add her to the reservation with no problem and keep the discount.

I guess it really does matter the CM or Manager that you talk to. We tried just adding a room to our reservation and they said we couldnt do that. We could modify the reservation and add a room but we couldnt add free dining because the promo had ended. When we got to the hotel they informed her that the free dining that the CM told her about couldnt be done and that if she wanted to continue with the dining she would have to pay XXX.XX for it. They were very nice and apologetic but they said there was no way to enter free dining for a promotion that had ended months before our arrival. They did give her some nice little perks for the inconvenience but she did have to pay for free dining. I cant imagine there was much we could do about it after that point.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

I guess it really does matter the CM or Manager that you talk to. We tried just adding a room to our reservation and they said we couldnt do that. We could modify the reservation and add a room but we couldnt add free dining because the promo had ended. When we got to the hotel they informed her that the free dining that the CM told her about couldnt be done and that if she wanted to continue with the dining she would have to pay XXX.XX for it. They were very nice and apologetic but they said there was no way to enter free dining for a promotion that had ended months before our arrival. They did give her some nice little perks for the inconvenience but she did have to pay for free dining. I cant imagine there was much we could do about it after that point.

Well, Disney Reservations did not do your family any service. There should not have been any problem adding your sister and her family to your reservation and keeping the discount. As long as you were all booked together, on the same package it should have been taken care of easily. As I said, we have done exactly that twice and there are many people her on the Dis who have also added more people and rooms (up to 3) to an existing fd reservation without an issue.

Myself and the others who were able to book with those supposed "non-public" codes last week have gotten a confirmation WITH the dining code applied - it is stated plainly on the WDW invoice. They simply can not remove that code upon check-in, after the package has been paid in full, and demand additional payment.

 

[CanadianGuy]

Folks - we can go around and around on this. Further debate isn't necessary.

The CODES CANNOT BE SHARED HERE. Period. Publicly available codes or discounts are ok but there are no such publicly available codes at this time.

The reasons for why the DIS has this policy have been stated and numerous people feel there is either no risk or it's a risk they're willing to take. No need to argue and fight about it.

We go thru this every couple of years when a code leaks and ultimately it's your vacation you may do as you wish. However the DIS does not to contribute by being a repository of non-public codes. That's it, that's all.

Now who is ready for PUBLICLY available Free Dining in 2011? I'm hearing things.. good things.

Knox

 

[KELLY]

Folks - we can go around and around on this. Further debate isn't necessary.

The CODES CANNOT BE SHARED HERE. Period. Publicly available codes or discounts are ok but there are no such publicly available codes at this time.

The reasons for why the DIS has this policy have been stated and numerous people feel there is either no risk or it's a risk they're willing to take. No need to argue and fight about it.

We go thru this every couple of years when a code leaks and ultimately it's your vacation you may do as you wish. However the DIS does not to contribute by being a repository of non-public codes. That's it, that's all.

Now who is ready for PUBLICLY available Free Dining in 2011? I'm hearing things.. good things.

Knox

I love it when you post thing like this. Since there in no way I would ever get a pin for anything. Never happens. I'm waiting hopefully for FD to come out for September again since I missed the booking date and we are under the kids free promo.

 

[CanadianGuy]

I usually DO get PINs and I have been completely left out this go around.. so maybe you'll get mine?

 

[Luvmepluto]

Folks - we can go around and around on this. Further debate isn't necessary.

The CODES CANNOT BE SHARED HERE. Period. Publicly available codes or discounts are ok but there are no such publicly available codes at this time.

The reasons for why the DIS has this policy have been stated and numerous people feel there is either no risk or it's a risk they're willing to take. No need to argue and fight about it.

We go thru this every couple of years when a code leaks and ultimately it's your vacation you may do as you wish. However the DIS does not to contribute by being a repository of non-public codes. That's it, that's all.

Now who is ready for PUBLICLY available Free Dining in 2011? I'm hearing things.. good things.

Knox

Ok Knox.....you are making me smile!!!! Come on FD!!!! Woohoo!

How is the new resort coming along? I hope to stay there next year.