Free Dining Oct-Dec Is Here!!

[darnheather]

Thank you SO much! I've been in tears all afternoon because we've had to cancel our trip for September. Booking now for November and will call first day it's released to public! Got the exact same ADR's almost down to the minute!

 

[smitch425]

Be careful with this. I have seen other posts on this exact same subject and there were a few people saying they weren't able to pick up their park tickets early. Others say you definitely can if you know where/how to do it. I wanted to do the same thing in October '11 and the cm said I couldn't pick up tickets early...which I have read is a pretty common response but not exactly 100% true.

Phone CMs always say it cannot be done, but it is currently still a valid option. The info can be found in the ticket sticky at the top of the Theme Parks Attractions and Strategies forum. The author of the sticky is a current WDW ticketing CM and he keeps the info current.

 

[dlinne]

Where will the booking codes be released to take advantage of this offer on Aug 1st?

2 years ago I tried to apply a new offer to my reservation and didn't know the "code" and the CM on the phone was unable to tell me the code--I ended up rebooking on line and cancelling my original reservation. I don't want to do that this year because I've already paid a lot of it with gift cards which take forever to add to the account!

 

[TheRatPack]

Be careful with this. I have seen other posts on this exact same subject and there were a few people saying they weren't able to pick up their park tickets early. Others say you definitely can if you know where/how to do it. I wanted to do the same thing in October '11 and the cm said I couldn't pick up tickets early...which I have read is a pretty common response but not exactly 100% true.

I wonder if you can check in really really early though. We will check in with a room only for one night, the next day will start our FDing reservations but we need our tickets that morning for a breakfast in a park at 8. We could add 1 days worth of tickets to the room reservation but then we kind of lose the discounted tickets from adding days on to the FDing reservations.

Another DIS poster said it would be fine to check in at 6am to get our tickets from the next package....we've never done that before.

 

[smitch425]

I wonder if you can check in really really early though. We will check in with a room only for one night, the next day will start our FDing reservations but we need our tickets that morning for a breakfast in a park at 8. We could add 1 days worth of tickets to the room reservation but then we kind of lose the discounted tickets from adding days on to the FDing reservations.

Another DIS poster said it would be fine to check in at 6am to get our tickets from the next package....we've never done that before.

You can check in to your resort as early as 6am (possibly 4am if the computers have rolled over by then). In order to do early ticket pickup, you cannot pick up tickets the day your package starts without getting them from the resort. Why would you need to add the extra ticket day? You can go to DTD guest relations the day before your package starts and get your tickets. The tickets don't have to be any longer than what you actually need.

 

[jce2]

We will be at WDW, November 3-12 so we miss free dining by one day! As it is we are getting a 40% discount (RO) at AoA, so by the time I would switch to full room rate and free dining and upgrade to the standard DP I would have lost money ( I am figuring on $53 per perso per day for food).

 

[G719]

Will RO discount come out on the same day? (July 29 or aug 1). We already have park tickets and check in 11/11... Hoping for RO

I am wondering the same. Checking in 11/9 and I really don't want to do the split reservation. I have been crunching numbers. I would save about $300 by doing the free dining for 5 days and RO the first 2. I am comparing this option to getting a 25% off for POR for the entire stay, saving 5% buying gift cards at target for food (and not eating the way the DDP forces you to eat), and buying tickets at UT.
I don't want to have to change resorts or go up a booking category either.
I looked at the historical data on mouse savers and it is all over the place. Some RO offers came out the same day as FD offers for public and others were weeks later. I hope it is the same time!

 

[jade88]

Bummer!!!!!!!!!!

I'm staying in one of the Little Mermaid rooms when i go in mid Oct.

Why do they exclude rooms like this?

 

[smitch425]

Bummer!!!!!!!!!!

I'm staying in one of the Little Mermaid rooms when i go in mid Oct.

Why do they exclude rooms like this?

The LM rooms sell out regularly without offering discounts. They have been excluded from almost every public offer since they opened the resort. Are your dates covered by the rumored offer? If so, would you consider switching to POP? It is just across the bridge from AoA and you can walk between the two easily.

 

[jade88]

The LM rooms sell out regularly without offering discounts. They have been excluded from almost every public offer since they opened the resort. Are your dates covered by the rumored offer? If so, would you consider switching to POP? It is just across the bridge from AoA and you can walk between the two easily.

Thanks for the suggestion! Yes my dates fit in with the promotion.

So i can upgrade my room if my trip is already booked?

 

[smitch425]

Thanks for the suggestion! Yes my dates fit in with the promotion.

So i can upgrade my room if my trip is already booked?

If you are currently booked as a room only reservation, you will have to cancel that and book a FD package when the deal goes live. If you are booked with a package right now, you will have to call when the deal goes live and they can modify your existing package to move to POP with free dining. How are you booked at the moment?

 

[jade88]

If you are currently booked as a room only reservation, you will have to cancel that and book a FD package when the deal goes live. If you are booked with a package right now, you will have to call when the deal goes live and they can modify your existing package to move to POP with free dining. How are you booked at the moment?

I have a whole packaged booked right now. Park Tickets- Rooming- Plane. Everything but dining. So it's a simple as calling their chat number and an agent shifting my package around to better suit the promotion?

 

[smitch425]

I have a whole packaged booked right now. Park Tickets- Rooming- Plane. Everything but dining. So it's a simple as calling their chat number and an agent shifting my package around to better suit the promotion?

Yep! It's just that simple. We will be at POP Oct. 18-26. Good luck!

 

[angelabrezovsky]

So I gave a TA I booked with how can I for sure get the discount?

 

[Kat016]

Yep! It's just that simple. We will be at POP Oct. 18-26. Good luck!

Aww...you'll be leaving POP the day we get there. We're going October 26th until November 2nd.

 

[smitch425]

So I gave a TA I booked with how can I for sure get the discount?

The TA will have to call and get it done since they own the reservation. You might email or call the TA and let her know that you heard the deal was coming and you are wanting to get in on it when it goes live. Good luck!

 

[summerlady]

I can't decide what to do! We're already booked with FD for mid-September, got all my ADRs including BOG, but I've always been a little bit concerned about hurricanes, rain, heat and humidity during that time. But, I'm really excited about the low crowds in September. ARGH! What to do, what to do? Of course DH is no help at all, he just said if you want to change to October, we'll change to October. Luckily, I haven't bought our plane tickets yet for September. I'll think about it....

 

[angelabrezovsky]

Okay I emailed her. Hopefully she will get on it !!!!

 

[smitch425]

Aww...you'll be leaving POP the day we get there. We're going October 26th until November 2nd.

Bummer! We should be picked up by ME around 12:45pm or so that day, so we'll be around the resort for a little while.

 

[Viva Las Disney]

BOO

I specifically booked the first week of December because historically the week between Thanksgiving and Pop Warner always got free dining.

I guess the silver lining is I've been beating myself up trying to decide if I should pay the airline change fees and the extra money to extend my 7 day vacation to a 10 day vacation and no free dining makes that decision an easy one, 7 days it is.