Free dining in Dec.- the week before us and the week after!

[siskaren]

If you are coming in on Oct 8, then you qualify for FD. The blackout period does not begin until Oct 9. As long as you are checked-in by Oct 8, then you will get FD for your entire stay.

Good luck!

What are the blackout dates for December? We are most likely going Dec 6- Dec 13 and I thought I was avoiding free dining. Am I wrong? Just wondering.

The dates for October are Oct 2 - Oct 7 and Oct 23 - Nov 4, and for December it's Nov 27 - Dec 2 and Dec 11 - Dec 16 and it's my understanding that you have to check in on a day that it's available in order to get it for your entire trip. (Although I could've sworn that Dec 3 and Dec 17 were within the eligible timeframes.)

 

[wdwfanatic1017]

Look at it from a math perspective. Have you already purchased the dining plan and looking to get the fd? If so, calculate the cost of the dining plan and subtract the cost to change the flights. I was in the same boat. I had already booked flights leaving on Dec 4 and purchased the DP. When FD came out, I deducted cost of flight change ($300) from cost of DP and still ended up saving $700!

If you have not purchased DP and were going to be on your own for meals, calculate how much you would have spent on food. Subtract that (money saved by FD) from flight change (cost of FD) and that is how much you will be out (or up if money spent is greater than flight change).

Make sense?

 

[Minnie_Mom]

The dates for October are Oct 2 - Oct 7 and Oct 23 - Nov 4, and for December it's Nov 27 - Dec 2 and Dec 11 - Dec 16 and it's my understanding that you have to check in on a day that it's available in order to get it for your entire trip. (Although I could've sworn that Dec 3 and Dec 17 were within the eligible timeframes.)

It looks like the blackout dates have changed. Originally, FD ended on 10/08, not 10/07. Likewise, in November is ended on 11/05. Now, the date has changed to 11/04. I don't know what is going on...

 

[MagicalMawMaw]

Last year the Pop Warner week was blacked out of the FD offer also. So this year we planned our trip a week later in hopes of catching the FD offer & it worked.
However, last year we recieved a FD pin offer for the FD a month or so after the regular FD offer had been available to the public. Maybe that will happen this year for you. You could call & make sure there isn't a pin offer linked to your name.

 

[aubriee]

I would add a day to the reservation so the whole thing would qualify for free dining. Then at last minute call and tell them you are not going to be able to check in on original date, don't want your money back but wanted to make sure they knew you were coming. Are you arriving early? Tell them you are checking in for your first night super late, like first thing in the morning. Or change just one ticket and pay just one fee to send someone ahead to check in a day earlier.

I think booking the day before is a great idea. Why can't you call the day of arrival and explain that something happened and you are not able to make it until tomorrow but would like to keep the room? Maybe they are wise to this and will say no, but I don't see why they would mind as long as they receive payment for that night. We never do check in online but if you check in and then don't show up to the day after what would happen?

This same suggestion is posted every time this time of year. Disney is wise to it and will not honor it. If you don't call them at all to tell them you'll be late, they count you as a no show and you lose the whole reservation. If you do call, you can keep the reservation but will lose free dining. The only exception is if your flight is delayed and you can show them proof that it was. They will check. Too many people have tried this excuse trying to get free dining and Disney is wise to it. Not a single person has ever posted that it worked for them.

Hey, I have the same problem with the bounce back offer I booked when I was down there this past May. I originally wanted Dec 3rd-11th, but most of those days were blacked out. So I moved it back a week, but I always check in on a Sat and the bounceback didn't start until the next day. I had to book Nov 26th at rack rate then Nov 27th-Dec 4th under the bounceback deal. I've noticed that's happened alot this year for some reason. Deals start on Sunday, instead of Saturday so if you check in on Saturdays, you have to find a different deal for that first night. Unfortunately this doesn't work for free dining. If a deal ends on Saturday, you can not check in on Sunday and still get it. You must check in by the last day or you don't get it and they are not going to accept car trouble as an excuse. Delayed flight (if they can prove it) yes, but nothing else. Pop Warner week is always blacked out for free dining and there is no way they are going to give those huge groups a chance at free dining. If they let anyone else check in a day late in order to get free dining they'd have to do the same thing for all the families that are traveling with the Pop Warner kids. The Pop Warner kids may be on a special pkg deals, but their families would go with free dining if they could get it.

 

[anut4disney]

The dates for October are Oct 2 - Oct 7 and Oct 23 - Nov 4, and for December it's Nov 27 - Dec 2 and Dec 11 - Dec 16 and it's my understanding that you have to check in on a day that it's available in order to get it for your entire trip. (Although I could've sworn that Dec 3 and Dec 17 were within the eligible timeframes.)

Okay I got FD on the day it came out and my check in date is 12/17/11. I should still get it right? I have the reservation number and all and it says FD on it.

 

[fla4fun]

There's another thread about the dates changing for the offer. Someone posted on different thread that Disney is offering their promotions right now based on occupancy percentage, and that dates and/or room types will appear and disappear based on whether they are currently above or below the limit for their particular resort. So it appears that it is more important than ever to book something immediately if you see the dates and price/offer that you want, because in a minute or two, it could be gone.

I had the same problem as the pp regarding the blackout dates on the bounceback for December. Fortunately, Disney came through on the AP discount with all the dates I needed, so instead of a five day trip, I'm back to a 10 day.

 

[anut4disney]

There's another thread about the dates changing for the offer. Someone posted on different thread that Disney is offering their promotions right now based on occupancy percentage, and that dates and/or room types will appear and disappear based on whether they are currently above or below the limit for their particular resort. So it appears that it is more important than ever to book something immediately if you see the dates and price/offer that you want, because in a minute or two, it could be gone.

I had the same problem as the pp regarding the blackout dates on the bounceback for December. Fortunately, Disney came through on the AP discount with all the dates I needed, so instead of a five day trip, I'm back to a 10 day.

Thanks for the information.

 

[anut4disney]

Oop!! Double post.

 

[FRANK DEFFETT]

Have to go Jan 1st-8th but no FD.(It was free that week in 2011)

will there at least be room deals?