No FD offer during Pop Warner week?

[Port Orleans fan]

We already purchased our airline tickets and are hoping for a December discount. Our dates are Dec 8th-16th. However, I've been reading on these boards that no FD offer (or discounts) are available during Pop Warner week (Dec 1st-8th).

Are we out of luck, or is there still hope for FD during my dates?


Thanks!

 

[Yvie]

Keeping an eye on this thread, interested to hear what people say!
I do believe the historical data on FD isn't in our favor though.

Have you considered a split stay so that you can get FD on the last portion of your stay?

 

[gigi1313]

If PW ends the 8th and you check in on the 8th, you might be in luck

 

[cybrkitn]

Free dining is not offered during Pop Warner. In order to get it during that time you would need to arrive the day before it starts. This year Pop Warner is November 30 to December 8. From what I've seen, the free dining black out dates during Pop Warner is from November 30 to December 9. So you would need to arrive on November 29 or before in order to take advantage of free dining. Or arrive on December 10 and after.

Right now there are some people receiving emails with a pin code but nothing for the general public yet.

 

[homeschoolmomof4]

Basing it on the free dining PIN going around, it looks like if there is going to be a GP free dining promo, it will likely start on the 10th. You could do room only for the first two days and then have another reservation including the possible free dining on the 10th. I looked into that last December when it looked like my Saturday arrival was one day too early for the promo. Luckily, Disney changed the promo dates and I didn't need to do it. But at least you know that it is possible to do. It would have involved me checking out of my room and then checking back in. My TA said that they would do their best to keep us in the same room so that we didn't need to physically change rooms. HTH!

 

[Port Orleans fan]

I guess I have no choice but to take the the wait and see approach. My DW and I are discussing different ideas just in case we have to do a room only stay for the first 2 days. We may in fact be leaning towards doing Universal Studios (never been there) for 3 days and then switching over to WDW for the FD.....if it becomes available to the general public of course.


Thanks everyone!

 

[Hitchhiking Ghost]

I guess I have no choice but to take the the wait and see approach. My DW and I are discussing different ideas just in case we have to do a room only stay for the first 2 days. We may in fact be leaning towards doing Universal Studios (never been there) for 3 days and then switching over to WDW for the FD.....if it becomes available to the general public of course.


Thanks everyone!

In 2010 we arrived on the Friday after Thanksgiving, which was one day before the free dining offer, so we did a room only for one night and then did the MYW package with free dining the other nights. We weren't required to actually switch rooms, although we did have to go down to the main lobby and check out/in again, but fortunately no room change was required.

What I can't quite recall is how tickets would work, if you did a 2 night room only then the FD if a GP package comes out. If you'd be able to use your tickets from the package on your first two nights or not. You'd hate to have to buy a 2 day pass and then another pass. I want to say that you wouldn't have to split your park tickets, but I could be wrong.

 

[Port Orleans fan]

In 2010 we arrived on the Friday after Thanksgiving, which was one day before the free dining offer, so we did a room only for one night and then did the MYW package with free dining the other nights. We weren't required to actually switch rooms, although we did have to go down to the main lobby and check out/in again, but fortunately no room change was required.

What I can't quite recall is how tickets would work, if you did a 2 night room only then the FD if a GP package comes out. If you'd be able to use your tickets from the package on your first two nights or not. You'd hate to have to buy a 2 day pass and then another pass. I want to say that you wouldn't have to split your park tickets, but I could be wrong.

This is exactly what my DW and I are discussing. Here are some of our options:

1) It wouldn't make much sense for us to buy park tickets twice for 1 vacation at WDW, so it would be just a resort stay for the first 2 days with no parks.

a) Beach Club (room only) - $900
b) Wilderness Lodge (room only) - $782
c) Port Orleans (room only) - $397
d) Not sure if a value is worth a resort stay, but (room only) - $242

2) Universal studios Royal Pacific resort with 2 day base ticket - $909.88

 

[mom2rtk]

Currently you are able to pick up package tickets up to 3 days before the package starts. As long as that doesn't change, you'll be fine with room only the first 2 days. We did this last year. The booking CM made my paranoid by going out of his way to tell me they no longer allowed early ticket pick-up, but based on info here on the DIS I crossed my fingers and didn't have any trouble at all.

 

[purple figment]

Here's a link to the ticket sticky that explains the procedure for picking up package tickets up to 3 days early. It's in Section 15I

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1452684