free dining and check-in time

[sahoenshell1218]

I have a question regarding the free dining offer. From what I gather, the offer states that you will get free dining if your check-in date falls within the allotted time period. So say free dining starts Oct 19, and our flight arrives at 11:54pm of Oct 18, meaning that we wouldn't get to our hotel until about 1:00am or later of Oct 19. So if we check-in at 1:00am will we get free dining for our stay or no because we technically had to make the reservation for Oct 18 to keep the room? (are we even able to check-in at that time?)

Hope that came out right and made sense!
Thank you!

 

[softballmom3]

I think the system resets itself to the next day at 6 am.

Is there any way you could have separate reservations if there is no free dining Oct 18?

You could have a room only for the 18th and then a package with free dining beginning the 19th..... I know if you check in on a free dining day it counts for the whole stay.

 

[vicki_c]

Your situation does not allow you to get free dining - you would be considered checking in on the 18th as the next day for reservations doesn't start until early in the morning as the PP stated.

You would have to do have a separate reservation for the first night, then check in on the free dining package the following (19th) day.

 

[smitch425]

I have a question regarding the free dining offer. From what I gather, the offer states that you will get free dining if your check-in date falls within the allotted time period. So say free dining starts Oct 19, and our flight arrives at 11:54pm of Oct 18, meaning that we wouldn't get to our hotel until about 1:00am or later of Oct 19. So if we check-in at 1:00am will we get free dining for our stay or no because we technically had to make the reservation for Oct 18 to keep the room? (are we even able to check-in at that time?)

Hope that came out right and made sense!
Thank you!

You would have to book a split stay. Room only for the 18th and a FD package for the rest. You can check in 24 hours a day. You will need to check-in at 1am (approx) and then you can checkout and back in as early as 6am. Let them know the first time you check in that you have another stay starting the next day and hopefully you can keep your same room.

 

[Dani C]

You can check in whenever you arrive, however check in time is in the afternoon, generally around 3pm, so your room may not be ready when you arrive. If you are planning to have a room when you arrive, it will be for the night before and you will need to let them know of your late arrival time.

Free dining, unless changed, is not automatically added to a reservation. You have to make the reservation while the offer period is allowed and for the specified dates. In the past, I have been overlapping free offer periods and the reservation was booked as two separate reservations, one with free dining and one without to take advantage if the offer.

If you didn't book under the free dining offer, indicating it at booking, you will need to contact your travel agent in an attempt to rebook most likely, or you will not have free dining. It is limited availability and does not apply to all hotels or with other offers.

 

[kerplop]

What I would do is make a reservation at an airport hotel for much cheaper, then take their shuttle back to the airport the next day and take ME to WDW. That way you check in on a Free Dining day, but you're not wasting money on a Disney hotel for one night! But that's just me.

 

[TDC Nala]

Even if you check in after midnight, your check-in date is still considered the 18th.

I see someone said the system resets at 6 AM. But if you were supposed to check in on the 18th and you haven't appeared by 6 AM on the 19th, you're going to go down as a no-show.

If you get in that late, I would go with the advice to stay elsewhere the night you arrive, then check in at WDW on the 19th.

 

[sahoenshell1218]

Thank you for your help everyone!

 

[AllieMallie]

What I would do is make a reservation at an airport hotel for much cheaper, then take their shuttle back to the airport the next day and take ME to WDW. That way you check in on a Free Dining day, but you're not wasting money on a Disney hotel for one night! But that's just me.

this is exactly what we're doing since our flight will land at MCO late-ish and we didn't want to spend the money for one extra night at the resort. It's so much cheaper this way!

 

[Masonmj84]

this is exactly what we're doing since our flight will land at MCO late-ish and we didn't want to spend the money for one extra night at the resort. It's so much cheaper this way!

And if your flight arrives in MCO after DME luggage service operating hours, you're going to have to go to baggage claim regardless of whether you take DME into a Disney resort that evening or shuttle to a hotel near the airport.

In addition, the hotel near the airport may offer a free continental breakfast.