I'm bummed

[twoj's]

Just called Disney's reservations and learned that it's too much of a hassle and not worth it two do two bookings in order to get the free ddp coz it will just cost more and not to mention to check in twice,upgrade a room for one day since they are fully booked and not be able to go to the parks plus pay full for the one day meal for the four of us so it's sooo unfortunate that we didnt get the free dining plan. Our trip is on 8/12-8/17 and just can't change the dates coz we booked the airfare too. Any words of wisdom to make me feel better ??

 

[tinkerbell60]

You are going to Disney World!!!!!

Seriously, it could be worse you could not be going at all. But I do understand your frustration. Just make the most of your visit - maybe you will luck out with great weather and fewer crowds since everyone else is going for the free dining!

 

[DebIreland]

Well, when you asked for the quotations how many days park tickets did you request for the 2nd reservation? You could just ask for 1 day park tickets for that reservation and keep them for a future trip (and upgrade then to however many days you want). You could do room only on your 1st reservation and buy your park tickets from ticketmania.com or a similar website. No need to do the DP on day one then and you'll save a little bit on those tickets and also might qualify for an AAA discount on that day (if you're a member of AAA).

OR, better still do Room Only on Reservation no. 1 and try to get those park tickets from Reservation no. 2 early and don't buy any park tickets at all for Ressie no. 1! I really don't know if this can be done but there is a another thread running on this board about doing just that i.e. getting the tickets from a package deal a few days earlier than you check in for your package.

Edited to add: I've just read that other thread now again and it looks like a lot of posters are getting a NO answer about getting their package theme park tickets in advance of check in. Sorry.

Either way, I hope you have a great time in WDW.

 

[Biscuitsmom31]

Changing the airfare may cost much less than you end up saving. We were going August 10 -19 and paying $4195 for POP Century (2 rooms, 2 adults, 4 kids) w/ dining plan & park hoppers on the AAA discount. Well, we moved the trip to August 13-22 (everything else the same) and it was $2966. That's a savings of more than $1,200. Yes, I said $1,200. Even paying the $50 change fee for our airline tickets won't come close to $1,200. Something to consider...

 

[Harambe]

Don't feel bad! This happened to us last August and now this August, too! Re-doing our trip/air fare/discounts doesn't work out for us. Some folks can re-do and save a ton - like BiscuitsMom, wow, $1200!!!! - but it's not worth it to us. We've got discounted tickets already, we'd loose the AAA discount on our BWI deluxe concierge room (that in itself is a pretty good chunk of change) and we have a fully loaded Visa Disney Dollars card that we plan on using for our food.

Oh, I know I'll get in a heap of trouble for saying this, but I wish they didn't offer that dang "free" dining. We go at this time because the crowds are small, but now thanks to the free dining, the parks will beef up (no pun intended . . . )

 

[tinker&belle]

We had the same dates. We did book a split stay, (and I have called twice to verify, and they keep telling me that I CAN get tickets in advance, I know other people are getting different answers, but this is what I have gotten). We changed our flight, and it still saved me money, and we got an extra day. Also, when my TA called disney, they said a four day stay would qualify for free dining. Even with a 50 fee to change flights for each person, the DP for free was well worth it.