******Official 2017 Free Dining Plan Watch, Wait, and Dream

[Annam3]

our schools sent out the same notice recently. only time we will be able to take the kids on a vacation are summer (too hot), Christmas (too busy), February and April vacations (too expensive). Not sure what we will do, no Fall breaks in our state.

Homeschool. That's what we do. [/QUOTE]

We live in Illinois. Our district said anything over 4 absences a year is too excessive. If you have more, you need a doctor's note.

 

[Annam3]

I think it's crazy for our school district to tell me I cannot take my children on vacation! Most of the FD offers do not line up with vacation breaks.

 

[Minnie368]

I will have 2 in high school and one in junior high in the fall. We took them out last year to go to WDW during November. We arranged everything beforehand with their schools. When we got back we received letters from the district saying we could no longer take them out because 5 days is considered excessive absences. Unfortunately it seems the FD dates don't match up with any school breaks.

We live in PA and not sure if this is a state thing but might be worth looking into. We can fill out a form for a Family Educational Trip- up to 5 days per year. The kids need to get teachers to sign off on it ahead of time and then complete a daily journal entry of what they experience each day. As
you all know- there are A LOT of educational opportunities at WDW. If they do that not only is it considered excused, but they actually aren't even marked absent. My kids are both in high school low and we've done that almost yearly since they were in elementary school. We try to do something like overlap Veterans Day (when FD was available in the past) and days off after thanksgiving. Last year we went Nov 26-dec 5 and they only had to miss 5 days for a 10-day trip.

 

[kimyinpink]

I am a teacher and take an entire week off to go during FD! Feeling very thankful for where I work! We are a family first school system

 

[scard192]

our schools sent out the same notice recently. only time we will be able to take the kids on a vacation are summer (too hot), Christmas (too busy), February and April vacations (too expensive). Not sure what we will do, no Fall breaks in our state.

Wait, I don't understand. This is crazy. What state do you live in. I'm in MI and we don't get fall breaks either. I have yet to come across this.[/QUOTE]

MASS. kids go back the week before Labor Day. no vacation until Christmas-New Years. Then a week (Presidents Day) and a week in April. Air fares are outrageous then.

next year teachers will have 2 Professional Days move to the Fridays before the vacations. Right now thinking that maybe pull them out of school the Wednesday before vac and go Wed-Tues; they would only miss 2 days of school and airfare would be cheaper. but not much in the way of discounts. Did book with a TA last year that got us a good deal.

Just kind of ticks me off that I can't decide to take my kids out of school for a week if I want to.

 

[Annam3]

We live in PA and not sure if this is a state thing but might be worth looking into. We can fill out a form for a Family Educational Trip- up to 5 days per year. The kids need to get teachers to sign off on it ahead of time and then complete a daily journal entry of what they experience each day. As
you all know- there are A LOT of educational opportunities at WDW. If they do that not only is it considered excused, but they actually aren't even marked absent. My kids are both in high school low and we've done that almost yearly since they were in elementary school. We try to do something like overlap Veterans Day (when FD was available in the past) and days off after thanksgiving. Last year we went Nov 26-dec 5 and they only had to miss 5 days for a 10-day trip.

We live in Illinois. Unfortunately, they don't have an waivers. It is really disappointing.

 

[cshell624]

BRIEF HISTORY FROM 2016. Looked back at the 2016 thread. I tried to capture the highlights for you all. By April 22nd...a Friday, there was an Air Canada offer that people were sure was going to be the exact offer for US and predicted to be announced on Monday. After 250 pages of chatter, a new thread was created for all the weekend warriors, all waiting for Monday at 4 a.m....the predicted day of the announcement. Then came Sunday night, and there were about 105/106 pages of people trying to stay awake, watching and refreshing pages. It seems some folks saw things before other's, refreshing pages etc. Then folks started to see an advertisement at the top of the page announcing FREE DINING with a link, which wasn't yet working. Other people were asking, "where did you see this!" So people continued to stress, reporting changes on MDE. Some said pages were frozen. People kept refreshing pages, again and again. Everyone was reporting different things they were seeing or not seeing. It was intense! Then by page 140 someone created a Facebook page so folks could continue to chat when Dis boards went down for maintenance. Next thing happened on page 143! The offer went up on MDE at 4:05 a.m. Monday morning.

THIS WAS THE POST:

get a FREE Dining Plan when you buy a non-discounted 5-night/6-day package that includes a room at a select Walt Disney World® Resort hotel and ticket with the Park Hopper® or Water Park Fun & More Option for arrivals most nights Aug. 23-Oct. 1, 2016, Nov. 15-21, Nov. 26-28 and Dec. 10-Dec. 21, 2016 when they book by July 8, 2016.

When you stay at a select Disney Moderate Resort, Disney Deluxe Resort or Disney Deluxe Villa Resort, you get the Disney Dining Plan with a variety of delicious dining options! When you stay at a select Disney Value Resort, you get the Quick-Service Dining Plan that allows you to enjoy a quick bite!

The number of rooms allocated for this offer is limited. Tickets and options must be used within 14 days of first use. Cannot be combined with any other discount or promotion. Advance reservations required. Offer excludes the following room types: campsites, 3-bedroom villas, Disney's Art of Animation Resort—The Little Mermaid Standard Rooms and the Bungalows at Disney's Polynesian Villas & Bungalows. Dining plan excludes gratuities and alcoholic beverages. Children ages 3-9 must order from children's menu, if available. Some Table-Service restaurants may have limited or no availability at time of package purchase.

Booking Window:
April 25-July 8, 2016

Arrival Window:
Aug. 23-Oct. 1, 2016, Nov. 15-21, Nov. 26-28 and Dec. 10-21, 2016

Booking Information:
This offer is available to book as "Free Delicious Offer" , or by calling the Disney Reservation Center beginning at 7 a.m. ET.

Length of Stay Requirements:
Minimum – 3 nights
Maximum – 14 nights

Full List of Offer Exclusions:
Campsites, 3-bedroom villas, Disney's Art of Animation Resort—The Little Mermaid Standard Rooms, the Bungalows at Disney's Polynesian Villas & Bungalows, The Villas at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort, Disney's All-Star Movies Resort and Disney's Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter. Disney's Port Orleans – Riverside is excluded during the following dates: November 15 to 21, November 26 to 28 and December 10 to 21, 2016.

ROOM ONLY

save up to 25% on rooms at select Walt Disney World® Resort hotels for stays most nights Aug. 26-Nov. 5, 2016 when you book by Aug. 31, 2016. Check availability for other great rates for stays most nights Aug. 1-25, 2016.

The number of rooms allocated for this offer is limited. Length-of-stay requirements may apply. Savings based on the non-discounted price for the same room. Additional per-adult charges may apply if more than two adults per room at Disney Value, Moderate and Deluxe Resorts. Cannot be combined with any other discount or promotion. Advance reservations required. Offer excludes The Villas at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort, campsites, 3-bedroom villas, Bungalows at Disney's Polynesian Villas & Bungalows and Disney's Art of Animation Resort—The Little Mermaid Standard Rooms. 25% savings for select Disney Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts; lower savings may be available for other Resort hotels.

Booking Window:
April 25-Aug. 31, 2016

And before the offer even came out Dirty Steve posted this:
"Just a reminder....if the resort you are wanting is not available, be patient. There will be a tremendous amount of reservations over the next couple of days. TAs can place holds on dates and rooms for their clients that last 72 hours which means there may be additional rooms available in a few days."

I IMAGINE THE SAME SORT OF CHAOS IS SOON TO BEGIN IN HERE (hopefully). GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!

I like your summary! It reads like a nail biting suspense novel.

 

[scard192]

Maybe someone can help me with this...I have a res through a TA, but she seems unwilling to help get FD so I'm gonna try myself. I have an MDE account and all, but can I modify or get a whole new res for FD if my MDE is linked to this res held by a TA? TIA

you would have to book a whole new reservation. TA owns the res until you check in.

I booked with a TA last year when it was clear that my dates would not qualify for FD and she mentioned that every day that FD was rumored to be dropping she was setting her alarm for 4AM to check for her clients.

 

[ustasmom]

Unfortunately homeschooling really isn't the answer to this problem. We went the last week of September and it was horribly difficult to get caught back up. Granted the only person to complain about it was me. And it didn't stop us from going to Disney 8 weeks last year or renewing out AP again (although I'm not doing 8 weeks again.) Or from booking another post-Labor Day trip.

 

[heath92681]

I am a teacher and take an entire week off to go during FD! Feeling very thankful for where I work! We are a family first school system

Hi Kimy!! So thankful that our schools are great about it too! I've used my personal days the past 3 years for Disney!

 

[KNovacovschi]

Can you share Black's FB page?

The Whisperer's Guide to Orlando, I wasn't sure if you found it yet and it didn't look like anyone answered you yet.

 

[FoxC63]

@scard192 & @Annam3
Woof! I hope that doesn't come our way. October is the best time for us to travel. And I agree with @ustasmom "Unfortunately homeschooling really isn't the answer to this problem." Homeschooling it's not meant for everyone I'm glad to hear you can do it for your kids, it's just not a feasible solution for many.

 

[cshell624]

I will be excited to hear when everyone gets their FD. FD threads are the best for the excitement and all the tips that are shared!

I completely agree!!

 

[Sharongal74]

We live in PA and not sure if this is a state thing but might be worth looking into. We can fill out a form for a Family Educational Trip- up to 5 days per year. The kids need to get teachers to sign off on it ahead of time and then complete a daily journal entry of what they experience each day. As
you all know- there are A LOT of educational opportunities at WDW. If they do that not only is it considered excused, but they actually aren't even marked absent. My kids are both in high school low and we've done that almost yearly since they were in elementary school. We try to do something like overlap Veterans Day (when FD was available in the past) and days off after thanksgiving. Last year we went Nov 26-dec 5 and they only had to miss 5 days for a 10-day trip.

We live in pa also, not state wide. Our district we can take them out for 10 days and teachers have to sign off. We have been in other districts and the limit is 5 consecutive days. They are counted as absent however, If my children have good grades and complete the work, what's the problem. I think all school districts should have policies like yours. Hopefully they don't change the policy.

 

[mamamelody2]

So I am positive I did not have a "change reservation" button 2 days ago, but today it is there!!

 

[FoxC63]

We live in pa also, not state wide. Our district we can take them out for 10 days and teachers have to sign off. We have been in other districts and the limit is 5 consecutive days. They are counted as absent however, If my children have good grades and complete the work, what's the problem. I think all school districts should have policies like yours. Hopefully they don't change the policy.

I cannot agree with you more. Only one teacher made a "request" when we informed her that we'd be leaving on a two week vacation March/April 2015 Tokyo Disney Resort, all she wanted was a daily journal as well. The days were counted as absent and he had no issues catching up.

EDIT: This whole thing about "signing off" & "waivers" - WOW! I cannot wrap my head around this. Glad I came here to be schooled! Woof!

 

[KCanuck]

So I am positive I did not have a "change reservation" button 2 days ago, but today it is there!!

Same!

 

[FoxC63]

Times are a changin'

 

[Dinsey2013]

Same!

Mine now has the change button, too. However, when I click it, all the items say to call.

Maybe they're doing some website work.

 

[Nagy3girls]

Stitch is still eating my special offer page. Only on my PC though not my phone.