Free Dining 2014 Discussion

[CaraMiaBelle]

If the women on this thread start wearing tights to WDW, I think park attendance will sky rocket and there will be no need for FD because the resorts will fill up with no promotions.

Now if the men on this thread wear tights to the park.....well, that will probably knock attendance back down and bring back FD.

Don't worry, we will let Black be the lone tight wearer among the men.

No really, please wear pink tights! I won't mind especially if it could get me FD!

 

[newbies04901]

As a longtime, non-posting follower of this thread I must say, in a big way, "AMEN, SISTER!"

ditto! New to Disney (can you even imagine??) and new to discussion boards in general,but At the risk of offending someone, I have to say to the grumps out there: This is a VACATION we're planning, not open heart surgery. If things don't go exactly as we hope, it's still all pretty amazing!!! Let's count our blessings. Black, you are one of those blessings.

 

[scard192]

I wanted to share some thoughts on a few things. I saw a post in a facebook group this morning that dug up some unpleasant thoughts that happened about a year ago. Most of you know what happened, so I won't get into that. However, I think something needs pointed out about this whole process.

In my time here in the Dis, I have seen rumors and leaks for every promo, by so many different people, myself included. Some have come, some have gone, but all of them had one thing in common. No rumor...no leak has ever been 100%....not me, not anyone before me. Even those who have had actual leaked info from inside Disney....things always change at the last minute, and we all know this, and we've all seen this.

But here's the shocker. It isn't about who nails a date first, or who puts out the information before someone else. This is about getting some information in front of people, so they can then ask questions and become prepared for when that day arrives. This is about everyone having their resorts, and backups, and everything planned out and ready to go. As you all know, knowing early gets you nothing on release day. Someone could see it online that morning and end up calling in ahead of you. The only thing this information does is allow you time to ask questions, get some answers and be prepared.

Everyone in here have been so helpful in answering questions and getting correct information to the right people. I've always welcomed that (even putting a few folks on the spot a time or two). I don't do any of this for praise or worship, but rather because Disney World holds a deep personal connection for me, and I want others to have a chance for a similar experience.

So whether the date is April 21, or May 1.....the important thing is that we are all ready for it. You've asked your questions, you've all been given answers, made your plans, ready to go.

This post wasn't directed at anyone in particular, but there always seems to be someone out there who wishes failure upon others. We saw that last August unfortunately, but everyone here was so quick to let them know they weren't welcome around here. While I'm not here for praise, I think we all deserve respect.

I just wanted to thank you all for one heck of a year.....and what's sure to be a wild ride to come.

Now....where are those tights?

we appreciate all you do!

it was a wild ride last year, on top of what you mentioned there were all the people who had pre-booked vacations for August and December based on the FD dates for 2012 who were furious at Disney when their dates were not included in 2013 FD. That's the risk you take if you book a vacation in anticipation of something that is not guaranteed to happen.

good luck for everyone who is looking for FD this year; no trip for my family this year but still fun to watch the excitement for everyone else.

 

[plutospalforever]

No really, please wear pink tights! I won't mind especially if it could get me FD!

My thoughts exactly!

ditto! New to Disney (can you even imagine??) and new to discussion boards in general,but At the risk of offending someone, I have to say to the grumps out there: This is a VACATION we're planning, not open heart surgery. If things don't go exactly as we hope, it's still all pretty amazing!!! Let's count our blessings. Black, you are one of those blessings.

More great words of wisdom, thank you for sharing!

 

[EveClark]

Hi everyone!

I want to say Thank You for all of the amazing advice that you've all given out. I've lurked and kept close watch on this thread for days and I've learned so much!
Unfortunately, one of the things I learned is that info I got from CMs was probably wrong...
We have a trip booked at the Contemporary Resort from Sept 14-20... I was told by more than one CM that if I wanted to secure a Garden Wing room, I should/could do that a few months ago (when I originally called and booked) and if FD was offered, it would be "no problem" to add it to my existing reservation "as long as the Contemporary is included"...
But now if I do a search online or on the phone, all of the Garden Wing rooms are booked. Not one room available for my week or the following week. Using the "bucket room" theory from an earlier post (sorry, don't know which post # but its a great analogy!) that means that I will no longer be able to stay at the Contemporary in the Garden Wing, correct?
Its been a lot of new info to process over the last few days so I hope I learning all of this right. I was told multiple times that FD could be added to my room if the promo came out and the only question would be if the Contemporary was blacked out or excluded.
Sadly, I think I just got bad info on the phone I even remember one conversation where I asked about availability or specific rooms and she said "It will be no issue at all. You have your room so we just modify your package to include the dining plan promotion. Nothing else will change. The Contemporary has never been excluded from that promotion so as long as the dates fall during your stay, you're all set"
I'm thinking now that I should line up a back up plan.
Thanks for the help.

 

[Camaro305]

I wanted to share some thoughts on a few things....

Thanks Joe, for sharing what you find! Have a great Easter dude!

 

[mouserrificmom]

Hi everyone! I want to say Thank You for all of the amazing advice that you've all given out. I've lurked and kept close watch on this thread for days and I've learned so much! Unfortunately, one of the things I learned is that info I got from CMs was probably wrong... We have a trip booked at the Contemporary Resort from Sept 14-20... I was told by more than one CM that if I wanted to secure a Garden Wing room, I should/could do that a few months ago (when I originally called and booked) and if FD was offered, it would be "no problem" to add it to my existing reservation "as long as the Contemporary is included"... But now if I do a search online or on the phone, all of the Garden Wing rooms are booked. Not one room available for my week or the following week. Using the "bucket room" theory from an earlier post (sorry, don't know which post # but its a great analogy!) that means that I will no longer be able to stay at the Contemporary in the Garden Wing, correct? Its been a lot of new info to process over the last few days so I hope I learning all of this right. I was told multiple times that FD could be added to my room if the promo came out and the only question would be if the Contemporary was blacked out or excluded. Sadly, I think I just got bad info on the phone I even remember one conversation where I asked about availability or specific rooms and she said "It will be no issue at all. You have your room so we just modify your package to include the dining plan promotion. Nothing else will change. The Contemporary has never been excluded from that promotion so as long as the dates fall during your stay, you're all set" I'm thinking now that I should line up a back up plan. Thanks for the help.

I wouldn't count on what you see on the website as being gospel on what will and won't be available. Often times things go missing when they are making changes to the site. If you absolutely want a garden view CR room, you were right to book it to hold it. It is true that if there is not FD availability for that particular room category, you will not be able to get the free dining, but it is very likely that a room only discount could become available which may yield similar savings because you are in a deluxe hotel. Room discounts in the deluxe category are usually very good - they cost more AND get greater percentages off which can tip the balance in favor of the RO discounts. For us, it seems no matter where we stay, FD works best because we are a family of 5, and the 'children' are all 'Disney adults' in terms of ticket and dining prices. There is so much variability when it comes to FD.

What I am trying to say is don't panic!! Run numbers on a few scenarios, and find what fits best for your family! You'll be going to DISNEY!! And Mickey will take care of you one way or another

 

[vsnowflakew]

I have a question regarding having 4 yr old be able to order anything from the menu (not just be restricted to a kids meal)...I know I read something in the beginning of the thread about just paying somewhere around 20-25.00 to make this possible..
Now heres my question, we are planning on staying 9/6-9/13 (so 7 nights total) at ASMO (willing to switch to another resort if thats excluded) but we were already going to pay the upgrade from QS to Reg. DP in order to get table meals included. So if I pay the extra money as said earlier to have my son be able to order anything... does that mean I will have to pay the Adult fee per night for the upgrade from QS to reg. Dp as well....or will (wishful thinking) they still only charge the childs 4.00 upgrade from QS to Reg DP fee per night?

And... (yes sorry another question lol this is our first Disney trip so im new to all this) If I was to have my son counted as adult( to order anything) does that need to be done right when I add the dining promotion or will that fall withing the guidelines of a change that needs to be done anytime before the 45 day cutoff for changes without fee?

Thanks so much!!

 

[SPOERLX3]

ditto! New to Disney (can you even imagine??) and new to discussion boards in general,but At the risk of offending someone, I have to say to the grumps out there: This is a VACATION we're planning, not open heart surgery. If things don't go exactly as we hope, it's still all pretty amazing!!! Let's count our blessings. Black, you are one of those blessings.

 

[smitch425]

I have a question regarding having 4 yr old be able to order anything from the menu (not just be restricted to a kids meal)...I know I read something in the beginning of the thread about just paying somewhere around 20-25.00 to make this possible..
Now heres my question, we are planning on staying 9/6-9/13 (so 7 nights total) at ASMO (willing to switch to another resort if thats excluded) but we were already going to pay the upgrade from QS to Reg. DP in order to get table meals included. So if I pay the extra money as said earlier to have my son be able to order anything... does that mean I will have to pay the Adult fee per night for the upgrade from QS to reg. Dp as well....or will (wishful thinking) they still only charge the childs 4.00 upgrade from QS to Reg DP fee per night?

And... (yes sorry another question lol this is our first Disney trip so im new to all this) If I was to have my son counted as adult( to order anything) does that need to be done right when I add the dining promotion or will that fall withing the guidelines of a change that needs to be done anytime before the 45 day cutoff for changes without fee?

Thanks so much!!

If you change him to an adult, you will have to also pay the adult upgrade fee per night. You might be better off just supplementing his meals with extra sides when needed. All changes need to be made before the 45 day mark to avoid the fee. Any change to the dining plan must be done no later than 72 hours prior to check in.

 

[CaraMiaBelle]

we appreciate all you do!

it was a wild ride last year, on top of what you mentioned there were all the people who had pre-booked vacations for August and December based on the FD dates for 2012 who were furious at Disney when their dates were not included in 2013 FD. That's the risk you take if you book a vacation in anticipation of something that is not guaranteed to happen.

good luck for everyone who is looking for FD this year; no trip for my family this year but still fun to watch the excitement for everyone else.

I was one of those 1st week of December people going off of previous years dates. Obviously, i didn't hold it against our fearless FD superhero in tights. ; ) The key here everyone is flexibility. I didn't have too much flexibility with resort, being a family of 5 and trying to stay within DH's budget, but I did have a back up date. We went the week before Thanksgiving and LOVED it! There were a lot of people that had booked airfare already though, I wouldn't recommend it until your plans are set, or you plan on going with FD or not.
So my advice....If you have your heart set on FD, be prepared to be flexible. If have your heart set on a specific date and/or resort, be prepared to go without FD.
And good luck to you all that it all falls into place anyway! : )

 

[vsnowflakew]

If you change him to an adult, you will have to also pay the adult upgrade fee per night. You might be better off just supplementing his meals with extra sides when needed. All changes need to be made before the 45 day mark to avoid the fee. Any change to the dining plan must be done no later than 72 hours prior to check in.

Thank you!! I appreciate the help!! ...okay, in that case I think I will take the advice and just supplement when needed.

 

[Kate and Family]

I have a question regarding having 4 yr old be able to order anything from the menu (not just be restricted to a kids meal)...I know I read something in the beginning of the thread about just paying somewhere around 20-25.00 to make this possible..
Now heres my question, we are planning on staying 9/6-9/13 (so 7 nights total) at ASMO (willing to switch to another resort if thats excluded) but we were already going to pay the upgrade from QS to Reg. DP in order to get table meals included. So if I pay the extra money as said earlier to have my son be able to order anything... does that mean I will have to pay the Adult fee per night for the upgrade from QS to reg. Dp as well....or will (wishful thinking) they still only charge the childs 4.00 upgrade from QS to Reg DP fee per night?

And... (yes sorry another question lol this is our first Disney trip so im new to all this) If I was to have my son counted as adult( to order anything) does that need to be done right when I add the dining promotion or will that fall withing the guidelines of a change that needs to be done anytime before the 45 day cutoff for changes without fee?

Thanks so much!!

We tend to do buffet's. They do have a kid's friendly food section - but adults can get food from it and kid's can get food from the regular section.
Which is good, since we have an adult in our party that likes mac n cheese, but does not like the usual offerings on adult menus and an 8 year old with adult taste.

 

[SPOERLX3]

Hi everyone!

I want to say Thank You for all of the amazing advice that you've all given out. I've lurked and kept close watch on this thread for days and I've learned so much!
Unfortunately, one of the things I learned is that info I got from CMs was probably wrong...
We have a trip booked at the Contemporary Resort from Sept 14-20... I was told by more than one CM that if I wanted to secure a Garden Wing room, I should/could do that a few months ago (when I originally called and booked) and if FD was offered, it would be "no problem" to add it to my existing reservation "as long as the Contemporary is included"...
But now if I do a search online or on the phone, all of the Garden Wing rooms are booked. Not one room available for my week or the following week. Using the "bucket room" theory from an earlier post (sorry, don't know which post # but its a great analogy!) that means that I will no longer be able to stay at the Contemporary in the Garden Wing, correct?
Its been a lot of new info to process over the last few days so I hope I learning all of this right. I was told multiple times that FD could be added to my room if the promo came out and the only question would be if the Contemporary was blacked out or excluded.
Sadly, I think I just got bad info on the phone I even remember one conversation where I asked about availability or specific rooms and she said "It will be no issue at all. You have your room so we just modify your package to include the dining plan promotion. Nothing else will change. The Contemporary has never been excluded from that promotion so as long as the dates fall during your stay, you're all set"
I'm thinking now that I should line up a back up plan.
Thanks for the help.

I think CaraMiaBelle said it best: "If you have your heart set on FD, be prepared to be flexible. If have your heart set on a specific date and/or resort, be prepared to go without FD."

Each resort and each room category that are not already excluded have certain allotments for FD and if those rooms are booked without it, there is no rooms to give FD too. This is why there are certain resorts that are not excluded but within that resort there are room categories that are excluded.

As mouserrificmom stated IF a RO discount comes out definitely try to have that applied to your reservation (I am not exactly sure if the allotment/stipulations are the same as FD). It is definitely worth a try and "Room discounts in the deluxe category are usually very good - they cost more AND get greater percentages off which can tip the balance in favor of the RO discounts."


Good luck and have fun!

 

[scard192]

I was one of those 1st week of December people going off of previous years dates. Obviously, i didn't hold it against our fearless FD superhero in tights. ; ) The key here everyone is flexibility. I didn't have too much flexibility with resort, being a family of 5 and trying to stay within DH's budget, but I did have a back up date. We went the week before Thanksgiving and LOVED it! There were a lot of people that had booked airfare already though, I wouldn't recommend it until your plans are set, or you plan on going with FD or not.
So my advice....If you have your heart set on FD, be prepared to be flexible. If have your heart set on a specific date and/or resort, be prepared to go without FD.
And good luck to you all that it all falls into place anyway! : )

I for sure did not mean you when I mentioned those who were furious. I think you worked harder than anyone else in our 2013 FD group to get the resort(s) you wanted for your new dates and changing all your ADRs, Bravo for you!

 

[FrugalFashionista]

I was around for the drama last year....(shutter).... You're a class act Black

I left for a a few months bc of that drama. It was awful!

 

[vsnowflakew]

We tend to do buffet's. They do have a kid's friendly food section - but adults can get food from it and kid's can get food from the regular section.
Which is good, since we have an adult in our party that likes mac n cheese, but does not like the usual offerings on adult menus and an 8 year old with adult taste.

Thank you! We have a couple if the buffet character meals lined up so thats good to know. I appreciate the input and help!

 

[crashley04]

I'm not real sure how to do this, but here goes. I've been disboard "researcher" for a while, but don't do much posting. We currently have our WDW vacation scheduled for 9/20/14 - 9/27/14, plane tickets purchased and room booked through our timeshare (Wyndham Bonnet Creek). I've been considering canceling our room with our timeshare and booking through Disney. I was looking yesterday and was ready to book (dining plan too), but remembered they will run the free dining so thought I'd wait for that promotion. Am I reading correctly that if I go ahead and book, then they release the free dining for our dates (and the resort/room we booked) we can just have it added? Will they reimburse what we paid for the dining? Or should I not ad the dining yet, see what the free dining includes, and have it added then either way?

Does any of this make sense to any of you? lol

Thank you

 

[Camaro305]

I'm not real sure how to do this, but here goes. I've been disboard "researcher" for a while, but don't do much posting. We currently have our WDW vacation scheduled for 9/20/14 - 9/27/14, plane tickets purchased and room booked through our timeshare (Wyndham Bonnet Creek). I've been considering canceling our room with our timeshare and booking through Disney. I was looking yesterday and was ready to book (dining plan too), but remembered they will run the free dining so thought I'd wait for that promotion. Am I reading correctly that if I go ahead and book, then they release the free dining for our dates (and the resort/room we booked) we can just have it added? Will they reimburse what we paid for the dining? Or should I not ad the dining yet, see what the free dining includes, and have it added then either way?

Does any of this make sense to any of you? lol

Thank you

If the package (including dining) is paid in full, they will refund whatever savings you are due from the promotion. If it's not paid in full, the free dining promo discount will be reflected in what balance is due.

 

[GWhitten98]

Does anyone know if the FW cabins have been excluded from the FD offers the last few years?