Free Dining Reservation but checking in late

[FireRN]

I was wondering, could we book a reservation that starts a day before we will arrive in order to hit free dining? This would allow us to save with free dining even though we'd have to pay for an extra night. It would also allow us to have our room ready upon arrival even if it is early in the day.

Just a thought.

 

[SteelerCountry]

You would have to be there physically to check in that extra day....

 

[mickeynut1]

You have to be there to check in on that day, otherwise your reservation might be cancelled due to being a no show if you don't arrive until the next day.

 

[FireRN]

I thought that would be the case, but wanted to make sure.

 

[Sunnywho]

i think you can check in anytime up until 7 am the morning after, which is when the computers switch over to the new day

any possibility of getting there before 7 am?

 

[SteelerCountry]

Gotta check in before 12a on first day FD..u physically have to b there

 

[tseitel]

We did this last year. we were booked to arrive the day after free dining ended, so I changed my arrival date to get the free dining for the entire trip, then a few days prior to our arrival I called the actual hotel (Caribbean Beach) and informed them that we would not be able to arrive till a day later. It was no problem. They made a note on my resv. and when we checkd in 1 day late at 10am, our room was ready. I also called on the day we were supposed to be there, just to make sure all still ok. sorry if this seems to be abusing the system, or whatever, but we had made our resv a year in advance, and were so upset when just a few months prior the free dining came out. Tho actually the person i talked to said this is common, especially with check out day, people will pay for an extra night, just to have the room available all day long on their last day

 

[SteelerCountry]

Whoever posted that they got free dining and didnt check in until the next day, it WILL not work. The computers don't work that way anymore. Trust me, Disney figured this out. My niece is a CM at the GF front desk. She says it's not pretty when people find out they lost free dining and paid for an extra night with no refund. Please get names when you call or something in writing if someone at the hotel says differently. Good luck.

 

[catne]

AND, please note: when you call the number for the "actual hotel" you are NOT getting the actual hotel. You're getting one of the call centers. They answer the phone as if it's the hotel, but it is a call center employee who probably has never even been to the hotel! And the Disney call center people are not always up to date on what's going on at the hotels (or the restaurants.) I have gotten wrong answers and wrong suggestions too many times to count. Keep in mind many of the call center people are over in Tampa...almost 2 hours away from Disney World.

Now if it was a last minute travel change that could not be controlled by the person checking in (such as flight cancelled due to weather, so arriving a day later) I suspect your reservation would be honored...since Disney could verify that flights were cancelled due to weather.

AND, if it was free dining, you would of course had to pay the full reservation in advance, so it's not like Disney would lose any money when you didn't show up on time.

 

[vwaller72]

Whoever posted that they got free dining and didnt check in until the next day, it WILL not work. The computers don't work that way anymore. Trust me, Disney figured this out. My niece is a CM at the GF front desk. She says it's not pretty when people find out they lost free dining and paid for an extra night with no refund. Please get names when you call or something in writing if someone at the hotel says differently. Good luck.

Now I'm starting to get a little worried. We will be arriving around 2 or 3 AM which is technically the day after even though it's that night. I called and was told this would be fine as long as I check in before 7 AM when the computers reset and it becomes a new day. This makes perfect sense to me since if I check in at 2 AM coming off the street Disney would charge me for that previous day.

Are you saying it doesn't work this way anymore and now you have to be there by midnight?

 

[smitch425]

Now I'm starting to get a little worried. We will be arriving around 2 or 3 AM which is technically the day after even though it's that night. I called and was told this would be fine as long as I check in before 7 AM when the computers reset and it becomes a new day. This makes perfect sense to me since if I check in at 2 AM coming off the street Disney would charge me for that previous day.

Are you saying it doesn't work this way anymore and now you have to be there by midnight?

As long as you notify them of your late arrival, you will have absolutely no problem checking in that late. This is precisely why the DME buses run 24 hours.

 

[purplebelle]

I was wondering, could we book a reservation that starts a day before we will arrive in order to hit free dining? This would allow us to save with free dining even though we'd have to pay for an extra night. It would also allow us to have our room ready upon arrival even if it is early in the day.

Just a thought.

Clever thought

 

[MKAnthony]

AND, please note: when you call the number for the "actual hotel" you are NOT getting the actual hotel. You're getting one of the call centers. They answer the phone as if it's the hotel, but it is a call center employee who probably has never even been to the hotel! And the Disney call center people are not always up to date on what's going on at the hotels (or the restaurants.) I have gotten wrong answers and wrong suggestions too many times to count. Keep in mind many of the call center people are over in Tampa...almost 2 hours away from Disney World.

Now if it was a last minute travel change that could not be controlled by the person checking in (such as flight cancelled due to weather, so arriving a day later) I suspect your reservation would be honored...since Disney could verify that flights were cancelled due to weather.

AND, if it was free dining, you would of course had to pay the full reservation in advance, so it's not like Disney would lose any money when you didn't show up on time.

I feel a little insulted by this post. As a CM at the DRC in Tampa (which from our location to WDW is only an hour, btw not 2 hours) we have all been to all the resorts before we even hit the sales floors. During training and even throughout the year we get tours of the resorts on property. When a guest asks for the front desk number, we give them the exact number we would call and it is directly to the resort.

I have not heard of a guest being unable to check in after Midnight and losing anything having to do with their packages.. people could be driving.. have a late flight.. anything that would cause them to come in after Midnight...like another poster said that's why the DME runs 24 hours a day.

So if the original posted say was booked to arrive on August 25 but didnt arrive until 4am on 8/26 they would have access to their room and have the dining plan beginning on the date the package was booked to begin.

Just remember, its not just Guests posting and reading on here and people do have feelings, especially when some of you say we don't know what we are doing.. if we didn't know we would't have jobs at one of the greatest places to work in the world.. just sayin'...

 

[smitch425]

I feel a little insulted by this post. As a CM at the DRC in Tampa (which from our location to WDW is only an hour, btw not 2 hours) we have all been to all the resorts before we even hit the sales floors. During training and even throughout the year we get tours of the resorts on property. When a guest asks for the front desk number, we give them the exact number we would call and it is directly to the resort.

I have not heard of a guest being unable to check in after Midnight and losing anything having to do with their packages.. people could be driving.. have a late flight.. anything that would cause them to come in after Midnight...like another poster said that's why the DME runs 24 hours a day.

So if the original posted say was booked to arrive on August 25 but didnt arrive until 4am on 8/26 they would have access to their room and have the dining plan beginning on the date the package was booked to begin.

Just remember, its not just Guests posting and reading on here and people do have feelings, especially when some of you say we don't know what we are doing.. if we didn't know we would't have jobs at one of the greatest places to work in the world.. just sayin'...

to the Disboards!

Thanks for sharing a bit of background on your training. I think the problem is that sometimes when you call reservations 3 times you get 3 different answers. That's why comments like you quoted are made. Please don't take the comments personally. Now, since we've gotten you here, any chance you know when the next free dining deal will come out?

I think the OP was wanting to check in sometime in the morning, but not the middle of the night (like the other person in the thread).

 

[mom2rtk]

I'm just going to give a big "be careful" to anyone thinking of adding an extra day at the beginning of a trip to "catch" free dining. Everything I've ever read said someone has to physically check in on that day. That's not to say they won't hold your room if your flight runs late or whatnot......... but I'd expect them to more vigilant about this during a free dining promotion.

 

[MKAnthony]

thanks for the welcome.. been lurking just to see what's been in demand, being discussed and amazed you guys seem to find out stuff before us sometimes!!

I get alot of guests who want to get to the resort (mostly after driving all night/day) around 6 or 7am and want in the room.. i tell them the only way to guarantee that would be booking the room for the night before so its blocked off and available.. there have been plenty of times in my old life of traveling alot for work that i would check into a hotel at 6 or 7am and then have to check out at 11am..and still be paying full rate for that night even though it could only been 4 or 5 hours..

I, myself, have not heard what new offers are coming out yet... we get updates that things could be testing in our systems, but usually find out very very close to the start date..but good luck to everyone looking for offers this fall and any others questions, I'll be happy to answer!!

 

[wendylovesdisney]

Ummmm.... Who cares (especially Disney who got your money) if you check in that day, or the day after??

 

[elfbo]

I get alot of guests who want to get to the resort (mostly after driving all night/day) around 6 or 7am and want in the room.. i tell them the only way to guarantee that would be booking the room for the night before so its blocked off and available.. there have been plenty of times in my old life of traveling alot for work that i would check into a hotel at 6 or 7am and then have to check out at 11am..and still be paying full rate for that night even though it could only been 4 or 5 hours..

But what happens if you book for the night before, and plan to get there around 6am, but due to traffic, get there at 8am. Since It was mentioned previously, that you have to check in by 7 or risk losing your whole reservation? Thankfully we arent driving this trip, but it would be good to know for the future.

 

[Eddy]

I have been told by CM and Customer Relations that Disney will cancel your reservation if you dont check in on the day you were booked. Anyone ever have this happen? Or know someone it happened to. My flights are Nov 30th and free dinning ends Nov 29th.

 

[djblu883]

I have been told by CM and Customer Relations that Disney will cancel your reservation if you dont check in on the day you were booked. Anyone ever have this happen? Or know someone it happened to. My flights are Nov 30th and free dinning ends Nov 29th.

You need to check in ON the 29th to get the free dining or you will loose it!a flight change sounds in order!!!!