Free dining rules and regulations

[smartblnde]

Hello!

Can anyone tell me where the rules for free dining are posted? I had read on here that there are new requirements for the free dining: staying at a Disney resort and having tickets for at least 2 days of admissions to the parks with park hopper. Did it specifically say the tickets had to be purchased through Disney?

I bought tickets at AAA for 6 days of park hopper. When I called tonight (really bad customer service... long hold time, the CM had no idea what she was doing and had to transfer me to another, and then the whole dining deal disaster), the CM told me the tix had to be purchased with the resort reservations to qualify for the free dining package. I have two SIX day tickets, yet do not qualify for free dining. We always upgrade to deluxe, on top of the dining.

Looking for some leads to where to find the rules for free dining that are posted at present. I know things could change for January, but it seems changes don't happen in our favor. We have been going to WDW for 8 years now, and this has been the worst planning experience ever. I SO hope it gets better!

Thank you, (blue angels just buzzed our house!!!!!!! All Star game in Cincinnati!!! )

 

[DG24]

We booked the free dining deal that ended on July 10, for free dining from August 28 to dec 21 or something like that and not every day is available. The rules where up when I made the ressies, but since the deal is no longer available, I don't see them anymore. But yes, you had to buy a package thru Disney, that included a resort, with a room available, at least a two day ticket with park hopper or water fun and more. In order to get the free dining you had to get the whole package thru them. But since the free dining deal ended, you can still get a room only deal, and to us there was not that much of a difference between the free dining and the room only, and there was 5 of us, I would think with only two, you would save a lot more money doing just a room only.

 

[smartblnde]

Thanks, DG24! That helped... But we still added the deluxe dining. We get so many ideas of what to cook at home from visiting the various signatures. Live and learn. Good night!

 

[LynJ]

We've gone twice on free dining, and each time it had to be booked as a package through Disney. You can't piecemeal it with tickets or discounts from other sources. The most recent free dining offer ended July 10, which is why you aren't finding the rules for the discount online. If you don't already have it booked, you can't currently get free dining. And it's typically only offered once per year, unless you luck into a bounce back deal. And that's probably why your Call didn't go well, if you were trying to get an expired discount or use it without buying a package. I'd be looking for a room only discount at this point.

 

[goofy4tink]

Free dining is part of a package. You are paying top dollar for the resort room, but getting food 'free'. There are also tickets involved....I believe you can change the number of days on your tickets though, but I'm not absolutely sure on that. You aren't allowed to buy your park passes, book a discounted room and then add free dining. It all has to be booked together, and it has to be done during the free dining booking period, at a resort that is offering it.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

The free dining promo is always part of a package. In years past, you had to add at least a 2-day ticket to your room reservation. With the most recent promo, that 2-day ticket also had to include either the park hopper option or the water parks fun and more option. You cannot book a room-only, purchase your tickets elsewhere and then get free dining. The tickets must be part of your room reservation package in order to qualify for free dining. As another PP pointed out, when traveling with only 2 people, it is usually a better deal to opt for a room-only discount than to get the free dining promo. You can also now add a paid dining plan to a room reservation without purchasing tickets through Disney. When the promos come out for your travel period, price out all options. "Free" dining sometimes isn't the cheapest way to go.