Free Dining 2014 Discussion

[crazymomof4]

Will someone please remind me what minimum room category is typically required with FD? I'm pricing out different options but can't remember what category to choose.

Regards,
C.

When I booked our sepy '12 stay at POFQ with the free dining offer the CM told me that the promo was attached to Garden View rooms and higher. Standard Room ressies didn't qualify for FD.

 

[lauren_elizabeth]

How hard would it be to add my sister to our dining reservation at check in for a few meals? We have all of our ressies booked for 5 people. I figure that we'd be put at a table for 6 regardless, right?

 

[mh1973]

Does anyone have an idea of the dates that will be offered? Is Thanksgiving a no go? Will there be room discounts for Thanksgiving, is that possible?

 

[PeaMuff]

Yippee!!! I just got the Dessert Party too!!!

At what point can you book the Wishes Dessert party? We want to try it out this year, but can't do it online yet. I thought it could be booked at 180 days like our ADRs, but I guess I'm wrong...

 

[black562]

I've been trying to remain philosophical and calm ever since the news of possible FD came out recently. While it's true, I will be on the phone at 7am Thursday hoping for the best, I look at it this way:

I'm going to Disney anyway, FD or not. I'll take a week and a half of food whether I pay for it or not as long as we're in WDW

Odds are, as long as our resorts of choice aren't excluded, we all should get pretty close to what we want. And really, in the grand scheme of things, how many freaks like us are out there waiting to pounce on the phones on either Thursday or Monday morning anyway? It's like the thousands of people that show up each day to the parks and don't have any idea of what a FastPass is to begin with. Hopefully the dates will work out foe everybody.

It's hard for us who know about FD (and really, would any of us know what the deal is without Mr FD himself? Black, you are the man) to be patient and calm about the whole process. Tom Petty said "The waaaaaaaitng, is the hardest part". Obviously he never was waiting for a FD promo....anyway, it's gonna be alright.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to draft my fourth and fifth backup plans in case I can't get POR, CSR, or CBR.

You won't have any trouble getting one of those. I've known of people who called in weeks after release and still got one of the mods.

CSR is great....it's where I'm staying!!!

 

[SPOERLX3]

When I booked our sepy '12 stay at POFQ with the free dining offer the CM told me that the promo was attached to Garden View rooms and higher. Standard Room ressies didn't qualify for FD.

We have been blessed with FD on our last 5 trips and we have always stayed in standard rooms. Maybe when you booked, it could have been that all the standard rooms at POFQ were already booked up.
POFQ is one of the most popular and smallest resorts and it always books up fast in all room categories.
Disney excludes some room categories, resorts and dates if they are booking well without a promo, so maybe this is what was happening when you tried to book in 2012.

 

[donp]

When I booked our sepy '12 stay at POFQ with the free dining offer the CM told me that the promo was attached to Garden View rooms and higher. Standard Room ressies didn't qualify for FD.

Did you book on Disney Visa Day, early, last year and they told you that?

 

[StarDreamer]

At what point can you book the Wishes Dessert party? We want to try it out this year, but can't do it online yet. I thought it could be booked at 180 days like our ADRs, but I guess I'm wrong...

September just opened today

 

[gris gris]

Does anyone have an idea of the dates that will be offered? Is Thanksgiving a no go? Will there be room discounts for Thanksgiving, is that possible?

Last year the Saturday prior to Thanksgiving was the last day for free dining check in. So, of you checked in by then you'd have FD. We would switch our dates if that happened !

 

[gris gris]

You mean there are no discounts of ANY KIND during this week?!

I have not seen discounts or FD this week (starting with Sunday, this year would be 11/2) in the last 4 years that we've been trying to go the first week of November. It is "Jersey Week" and marathon weekend and even though FD might be offered around this time, this week is blacked out. We were thinking this year if the last check in for FD is 10/31 we might go then and we'd be covered for the week.

 

[gris gris]

I am loving following this thread! We are going December 2-December 9, 2014- does anyone have any thoughts as to our odds? We chose that week based on what websites said about free dining offered (sept 29-Dec15, 2013- or something like that) but didn't realize that there were exclusion dates. I will keep my eyes open and fingers crossed- but if one of you pros had an opinion- I would love to hear it! Thanks (one for each of us!)

We are booked for this time (11/29-12/7). Last year and in 2012 this time period was blacked out.

 

[SPOERLX3]

You won't have any trouble getting one of those. I've known of people who called in weeks after release and still got one of the mods.

CSR is great....it's where I'm staying!!!

I agree Joe, I was trying to plan a trip last year for just me and DH, staying at CSR. I called in July and there was still availability. Unfortunately my husband couldn't get the time off work so I had to cancel
I hope and pray that the Disney stars align and my FD trip this year works perfectly so I can be basking in the Disney sunshine come September 24th!
Someday, I will stay at CSR just me and DH but for now, we will be at POP with the DGS's (no place I'd rather be)

 

[PeaMuff]

September just opened today

Thank you!!

 

[Azjenn]

September just opened today

thanks so much for posting this! got my reservations made!!!

 

[GigiDisneyfreak]

September just opened today

And October

 

[lauren_elizabeth]

I want/need opinions!

For a family of 6 traveling in September (2 adults, a 16 year old, 6 year old, 3 year old & 15 month old) would you do 2 rooms at a value resort or a room at POR with a murphy bed?

The price difference isn't HUGE (including the QS to regular dining upgrade), especially when broken down into payments.

 

[mom2cinderella]

I want/need opinions!

For a family of 6 traveling in September (2 adults, a 16 year old, 6 year old, 3 year old & 15 month old) would you do 2 rooms at a value resort or a room at POR with a murphy bed?

The price difference isn't HUGE (including the QS to regular dining upgrade), especially when broken down into payments.

I would take the 2 rooms at the Value. That way we'd have two bathrooms. And, while the little ones are napping (or right after they go to sleep for the night), the grownups/teen could chill for a bit in the adjoining room.

 

[CaraMiaBelle]

I want/need opinions!

For a family of 6 traveling in September (2 adults, a 16 year old, 6 year old, 3 year old & 15 month old) would you do 2 rooms at a value resort or a room at POR with a murphy bed?

The price difference isn't HUGE (including the QS to regular dining upgrade), especially when broken down into payments.

An AoA suite perhaps? We did POR last fall and we had no problems there but them my 3 kids are all younger. Not sure it would be as easy if we had a 16 year old with us.

 

[MNtwinsplus1mom]

I want/need opinions!

For a family of 6 traveling in September (2 adults, a 16 year old, 6 year old, 3 year old & 15 month old) would you do 2 rooms at a value resort or a room at POR with a murphy bed?

The price difference isn't HUGE (including the QS to regular dining upgrade), especially when broken down into payments.

I also would do two rooms at a value. I love POR, but think it would feel tight with the number of kids and their ages. We just fit with our family of 5. I think the extra space would be nice, especially - as was mentioned above - if younger ones go to bed earlier or need to nap.

 

[Girox]

Thanks Houstonmama for your reply!
So I can pick up my tickets parks 3 days early? Are you sure about that?
This solution (if fd will start on the 29th) could help me a lot!