Free dining in the fall?

[cmjensen]

Sometime in another free dining thread shared this website with me. It helped me out tremendously!
http://www.distripplanner.com/

Thanks for the link. It's very helpful as they have everything broken down. For what I choose, it would be aprox $1356 cash or $1792 for the Disney dining plan.
It's pretty amazing how much money you can spend just on food!
Now, let's hope that we all get free dining

 

[FoxC63]

Thanks for the link. It's very helpful as they have everything broken down. For what I choose, it would be aprox $1356 cash or $1792 for the Disney dining plan.
It's pretty amazing how much money you can spend just on food!
Now, let's hope that we all get free dining

You can also save OP on food buying Disney Gift cards or using Disney Visa credit cards that offer 10%-20% off restaurants or other CC's that offer points/% cash back. Paying out of pocket also allows you to buy items from the kids menu when you're not feeling up to a full adult meal, there are exceptions though. Food for thought!

 

[mkymouse40]

I've heard people are receiving pin codes for free dining this fall; has anyone here received one and care to share the details? Thank you.

 

[TropicalDIS]

I'm just wondering if you are or have been part of the Disney marketing team. I'm very interested in where people find such detailed information onthe specifics of Disney's marketing policies

If a resort is booked near capacity because people have booked it in advance hoping for free dining then Disney is not going to offer up free dining for that resort for the dates that are nearing capacity.

Why would they? They have the bookings, why give discounts to try and fill the remaining few rooms?

As has been said multiple times, Disney offers FD to fill rooms. They don't offer this as a loyalty reward for us.

The more people that book in advance hoping for dates, the less likely it is that FD will be available for these dates.

You don't have to be part of the Disney marketing team, it's simple math. Supply & demand.

 

[Madonna3]

If a resort is booked near capacity because people have booked it in advance hoping for free dining then Disney is not going to offer up free dining for that resort for the dates that are nearing capacity.

Why would they? They have the bookings, why give discounts to try and fill the remaining few rooms?

As has been said multiple times, Disney offers FD to fill rooms. They don't offer this as a loyalty reward for us.

The more people that book in advance hoping for dates, the less likely it is that FD will be available for these dates.

You don't have to be part of the Disney marketing team, it's simple math. Supply & demand.

As much as I agree with this, for conversation sake, I wonder what happens on the flip side of that too.

Let's say you have a resort that's near capacity during the time period that free dining is offered, so therefore, that resort is not included in the promotion. So, people either cancel or move resorts, now you have open inventory in the first resort - what do you do? Do you offer those rooms at a discount? Do you add them to the promotion after the fact? If pre-booking rooms as a placeholder for FD is an issue, then what do they do with the inventory that opens?

 

[mercydisney]

Last year we booked free dining at ASM because we had a family of 5 and that was the only hotel available. Later on, around 2 months after POR and POFR became available and we rebooked with no problem.

This year I would like to ASM preferred because it is just me and youngest DD going and i am afraid they will not be available.

 

[LSLS]

We booked last years FD, I had to get up at 3:00am to get one of the last MOD resorts packages.
You have to be flexible and be ready to book (credit card in hand, already online with all information pulled up).
I had a #1 resort Choice with a #2 backup.
There were quite a few people disappointed about not being able to book a package and some who
were not able to apply or change a Pre-booked package in order to get FD (I remember the complaining went on for a while).
My first choice was POR but nothing available or We stayed at CSR and it was beautiful.
This year it will just be DH and I so I rented DVC studio and won't have FD.
But the more people in your party over 10years old the better FD is.
I hoping everyone is able to book FD this year.

Interesting. We booked CSR, eh, maybe 3 months out, and had friends debate going with us and had opportunities to get the package up to like a month before (this was a late September trip though which is historically pretty dead).

 

[SGMCO]

Interesting. We booked CSR, eh, maybe 3 months out, and had friends debate going with us and had opportunities to get the package up to like a month before (this was a late September trip though which is historically pretty dead).

I continued to check for openings and everything was gone, only thing left were suites which did not make it cost effective.
We went the second week of Sept. 2016 and I had never seen it as crowded as it was last trip.
I don't think there are slow times anymore, fall used to be a slow time, not anymore.
We have been going almost every year since 2007 and I have seen the crowds continue to grow.

 

[Moliphino]

Interesting. We booked CSR, eh, maybe 3 months out, and had friends debate going with us and had opportunities to get the package up to like a month before (this was a late September trip though which is historically pretty dead).

I couldn't get CSR on the first day free dining was released last year for Spetember. Or maybe deluxe rooms were available, but that was way too much. The only other moderate open at the time were pirate rooms at CBR. We wound up at Pop and upgraded to the standard dining plan.

 

[ean]

I couldn't get CSR on the first day free dining was released last year for Spetember. Or maybe deluxe rooms were available, but that was way too much. The only other moderate open at the time were pirate rooms at CBR. We wound up at Pop and upgraded to the standard dining plan.

Did you call to upgrade to standard dining plan or can it be done online?

 

[Moliphino]

I did it online at booking. You pay the difference over the QSDP included at a Value resort, but that was still at least a thousand less than a pirate room at CBR.

 

[LSLS]

Boy, I had a good week I guess. Truthfully we only went for MNSHP (daughter wanted that instead of a Birthday Party), but parks were pretty dead. I walked onto Soarin (admittedly it was like 930 or 10 am). I was booking reservations at Akershus like weeks out.

 

[FoxC63]

Just asking - what's up with pirate rooms at CBR? I've seen so many comments like "they only had pirate rooms so we booked .... ". We've never stayed there. Thanks for your time

 

[rteetz]

Just asking - what's up with pirate rooms at CBR? I've seen so many comments like "they only had pirate rooms so we booked .... ". We've never stayed there. Thanks for your time

Pirates rooms are Pirate themed rooms much like the princess rooms at Port Orleans.

 

[ean]

I did it online at booking. You pay the difference over the QSDP included at a Value resort, but that was still at least a thousand less than a pirate room at CBR.

Thanks!

 

[FoxC63]

Pirates rooms are Pirate themed rooms much like the princess rooms at Port Orleans.

I totally understand that, but I guess it's the way pp have posted as if dismayed or forget that I'm going somewhere else to book. In other words, what's wrong with a pirate themed room? Is it the view or lack thereof? Do they omit an odor?

EDIT: Maybe more money?

 

[rteetz]

I totally understand that, but I guess it's the way pp have posted as if dismayed or forget that I'm going somewhere else to book. In other words, what's wrong with a pirate themed room? Is it the view or lack thereof? Do they omit an odor?

EDIT: Maybe more money?

They are more expensive, usually in a less than ideal location, and have small beds.

 

[Disneylover99]

I totally understand that, but I guess it's the way pp have posted as if dismayed or forget that I'm going somewhere else to book. In other words, what's wrong with a pirate themed room? Is it the view or lack thereof? Do they omit an odor?

EDIT: Maybe more money?

Pricey, far from main building, double beds.
Least desirable rooms at CBR.

 

[FoxC63]

Pricey, far from main building, double beds.
Least desirable rooms at CBR.

Now I understand! Thank you.

 

[Moliphino]

They are more expensive, usually in a less than ideal location, and have small beds.

Yeah it was the cost. We'll probably go for it sometime when we bring my nephew, but for just my sister and I it wasn't worth the extra money. We don't spend a lot of time in the room.