Free Dining Deal requires tkt purchase but don't need it

[madelyn]

From on-line quotes I am getting, it appears that Free Dining is available during the dates before our scheduled stay at Kidani for Thanksgiving week. We are considering flying up a few days earlier (when flights are cheaper) and may stay in a Value (probably POP) for 3 nights before checking into Kidani. We are required to purchase a 1-day park ticket to get free dining but we don't really need it since our plans are to attend the Christmas party one night and we already have a multi-day ticket leftover from a previous trip. So can we use that 1-day ticket anytime or is it tied to our room key and must be used before we check-out for that free dining stay? Or ideally this 1-day ticket can be used later, doesn't expire and the best scenario is that it is transferrable since we have other family members joining us at Kidani and my parents will probably opt to go to the parks only 1 or 2 days.

 

[Steamboat Girlie]

I know it doesn't expire so you can use it anytime in the future. We have done this. I don't think they are transferable however, but maybe someone else can speak on this conclusively.

 

[Chuck S]

I think an unused ticket is transferable. Or, you could save it and apply it to another ticket purchase in the future.

 

[madelyn]

Thanks for the replies. So the ticket doesn't have to be on your room key and can be separate. I was thinking if it was on your room key then it would expire after check out. We've always gotten tickets elsewhere and always had a separate ticket. Now to decide whether to spend the extra money to go early....Worse scenario if we had to use the 1 day ticket is to use it and save our non-expiring days for another trip.

 

[goofysbrother]

Hi Everyone, So if you are staying at a DVC property you can take advantage of free dinning?

 

[vicki_c]

Hi Everyone, So if you are staying at a DVC property you can take advantage of free dinning?

Not if you're staying at a DVC resort for points.

If you book a cash reservation with tickets, like the OP, then you can get free dining.

 

[castleri]

Thanks for the replies. So the ticket doesn't have to be on your room key and can be separate. I was thinking if it was on your room key then it would expire after check out. We've always gotten tickets elsewhere and always had a separate ticket. Now to decide whether to spend the extra money to go early....Worse scenario if we had to use the 1 day ticket is to use it and save our non-expiring days for another trip.

I am hoping you are wrong about the ticket expiring when you check out as I have two left from two years ago free dining when we had APs and did not need the one day pass. I am planning to use the one day ticket to upgrade to APs this year when we go in September. The main question I have is whether I should use it for admission first and then upgrade or just upgrade first. Any cast members out there that can help with this question?

 

[madelyn]

Sorry for the confusion. We are staying on points at Kidani and not getting free dining. I was thinking of adding a few nights to the beginning of our trip (paying cash) at a value resort to get a few days of free dining. When I was pricing on-line I do believe I was able to get quotes for Kidani w/ free dining but for much more than the value resort. Was tempted not to have to change resorts but not willing to pay the extra $1K or so over those 3 nights for the convenience of not having to move and stay in a much nicer room! At least we would be moving from a value resort to a DVC resort. Don't think I could do it the other way. Not even sure how we'll like the value since we haven't stayed at one since we've stayed at a DVC resort! It's funny though...we visited All Stars Movies once just to take photos there and our kids were asking if we could stay there (we were at OKW at the time)! On a different subject, does anyone know if we can get our luggage transferred from a Value to Kidani? We were originally not going to rent a car for this trip but if changing resorts we might have to.

 

[vicki_c]

I am hoping you are wrong about the ticket expiring when you check out as I have two left from two years ago free dining when we had APs and did not need the one day pass. I am planning to use the one day ticket to upgrade to APs this year when we go in September. The main question I have is whether I should use it for admission first and then upgrade or just upgrade first. Any cast members out there that can help with this question?

No the ticket doesn't expire if it's not used.

I would use the ticket once though before doing the upgrade just to make sure you get credit for the full current gate value of the ticket when you're upgrading.

 

[vicki_c]

On a different subject, does anyone know if we can get our luggage transferred from a Value to Kidani? We were originally not going to rent a car for this trip but if changing resorts we might have to.

Yes, they will transfer from any resort to another. I don't know how bell services stuff works at the values, I assume they would still come pick up your luggage in your room if you called? When you call, just tell them you are moving to Kidani and want your luggage transferred there and it will show up there later in the day. We've never had any problem with that and we've transferred luggage a number of times.

 

[Chuck S]

Yes, they will transfer from any resort to another. I don't know how bell services stuff works at the values, I assume they would still come pick up your luggage in your room if you called? When you call, just tell them you are moving to Kidani and want your luggage transferred there and it will show up there later in the day. We've never had any problem with that and we've transferred luggage a number of times.

For the value resorts, I have found it is better to tote your luggage to the Bell Services/Luggage Services desk and ask them to transfer it to another resort...otherwise you may end up waiting for them to pick it up for quite some time.

 

[work2play]

We always do the free dining and have to buy the 1 day tickets. We have annual passes. We have used multiple one day tickets to renewal one annual pass, so you can use it like gift cards for ticket purchases. You do have to be careful if you have annual passes that you don't forget and use it to get into a park since it is your room key!

 

[Alexander]

The ticket WILL BE on your room card. However, the ticket will not expire when everything else on the card does. We have a pile of old park hopper tickets (room keys) with multiple waterpark days still on them. These go back long before the MYW tickets came out. We use a couple each visit with no problems at all. Just don't lose your old room keys. Use a Sharpie marker and write right on the card that it has a 1 day ticket on it still.