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

[mousefan73]

Yeah keep us updated. Curious here!!

 

[trucker den]

I don't think anyone can confirm this definitively until the offer drops, but my gut feel is they would allow you to keep your SSR room at the rate you are currently on and add on TS free dining. If you compare it to those of us who went with the gift card option (me! Possibly kicking myself now it seems mods will only get QS!), the consensus from CMs seems to be that we will be able to add free dining on and still keep our gift cards. If that's the case, it would only be fair to allow those who upgraded to keep the reduced rate upgrade and still add on free dining. And seeing as it is a mod resort, that would be the TS dining plan.

But that's only my theory.
If I were you, I wouldn't adjust my reservation online when the offer drops. I would call when the lines open and do it in person. Be a shame to muck up what seems like a great reservation!

Even if you only get QS dining, it would be no different than if you move to a moderate. But at least you have a deluxe room!

I wasn't going to modify online with all of my questions. This is something I need to talk to a CM about. However on drop day I may make a second reservation in the morning just in case.

 

[Neeky78]

I wasn't going to modify online with all of my questions. This is something I need to talk to a CM about. However on drop day I may make a second reservation in the morning just in case.

If you can't get free dining with your SSR reservation, or you have to pay rack rate, then booking a mod for the same price you're paying now for SSR, and upgrading the dining plan may work out comparable. Have to crunch the numbers I guess.

I'm doing the same as you and jumping on a Value resort free dining offer online when it drops. Then I'll call to see if I can modify my CBR booking and not lose the gift cards. If I can, then I'll cancel the new reservation. If I can't, then the new reservation I make will (if all goes to plan) work out financially slightly better than if I keep my CBR gift card reservation and pay for food OOP.

I've crunched the numbers and I'm certain that keeping my CBR reservation with gift cards, adding the QS free dining and paying for the upgrade is the cheapest way for us to go. Even if a RO discount comes out for 25% and I buy my park tickets through a discount agent, the above scenario is the best.
But I have some back up plans in place just in case.

And if by some miracle mods get TS DDP, I'll be even more ahead!!!

 

[trucker den]

If you can't get free dining with your SSR reservation, or you have to pay rack rate, then booking a mod for the same price you're paying now for SSR, and upgrading the dining plan may work out comparable. Have to crunch the numbers I guess.

I'm doing the same as you and jumping on a Value resort free dining offer online when it drops. Then I'll call to see if I can modify my CBR booking and not lose the gift cards. If I can, then I'll cancel the new reservation. If I can't, then the new reservation I make will (if all goes to plan) work out financially slightly better than if I keep my CBR gift card reservation and pay for food OOP.

I've crunched the numbers and I'm certain that keeping my CBR reservation with gift cards, adding the QS free dining and paying for the upgrade is the cheapest way for us to go. Even if a RO discount comes out for 25% and I buy my park tickets through a discount agent, the above scenario is the best.
But I have some back up plans in place just in case.

And if by some miracle mods get TS DDP, I'll be even more ahead!!!

I have been crunching numbers and they only way we will save switching is if we go to a value. Other than that we will only save a couple of hundred to go to a mod. For that little we will keep the SSR and use the kitchen for some meals to save more. We made the switch because we have a 2year old and go back to the resort during the day for naps. He will be stimulated from the parks and hard to get down for naps. We don't want construction to bother them.

 

[amytaylor2]

This is kind of a relief. It will be a full relief when it drops. I have been sitting here for a few weeks wondering if I made the right decision to move. When the dining rumors came out and I started crunching numbers, it didn't come out that I would save on the QS plan. Especially if they adjusted to rack rate for SSR. I'm glad that I see someone else getting at least a RO discount on the switch. Every little bit helps.

My plan is to book another reservation online with the FD then call and have the rate changed. Not sure if it will work like that or not...

 

[Neeky78]

I have been crunching numbers and they only way we will save switching is if we go to a value. Other than that we will only save a couple of hundred to go to a mod. For that little we will keep the SSR and use the kitchen for some meals to save more. We made the switch because we have a 2year old and go back to the resort during the day for naps. He will be stimulated from the parks and hard to get down for naps. We don't want construction to bother them.

Yep, I hear ya. And this is why it's impossible to say that free dining is or isn't the best deal. Everyone's situation is different!
We have 3 Disney adults in our party which ups the value of free dining, and allows us to stay in a standard room, whereas a group of 4 adults may not be able to fit comfortably in a standard. And we aren't planning on spending much time at the resort at all as this is a theme park holiday for us, not a resort holiday (we go to Fiji or Vanuatu for that!). So we will be gone early in the morning with breakfast on the run and won't come back til late. So construction or lack of dining on site doesn't affect us at all.

 

[ThistleMae]

We have three rooms booked for December all with the same credit card but we had to have different names for each reservation. The person the reservation was made by needed to be different because our dates are all the same. If that makes any sense.

So you just used another person's name from your party, or does it have to be a whole other person?

 

[ThistleMae]

They do allow it. Why not? I have a fd bb booked right now. I cannot even cancel that online. If a different resort or room category becomes available with the GP fd offer that wasn't offered through the bb, of course I'm going to book it online......same people, same dates. I will keep it til I can cancel the fd bb offer, which will be a week or so after fd drops because it will be very difficult to get through on the phone lines.

Someone else said you can't book another reservation under the same name, so I've gotten two different answers.

 

[ThistleMae]

I wished my wife would at least respond to me when I ask for opinions on planning



It's usually just plan it, you know what we like, then the few weeks before our vacation all the questions come......I say don't you remember me saying this 3 months ago!!!

LOL...but still love the fact that you take such an interest. And the questions just give you more time to talk about Disney. I know folks get sick of me talking about it; there is a subtle lack of disinterest on their faces.

 

[Neeky78]

So you just used another person's name from your party, or does it have to be a whole other person?

I'm wondering about this too.
I have a reservation with me as the account holder and my husband and daughter as the other guests staying in the room.

If I want to make a second reservation for the same dates (with the plan to cancel one of the reservations once we've decided which way to go) can I put my husband as the main person for that booking and then have me and my daughter as the other guests? Will it allow us all to be on 2 reservations at once?

Or will I have to create a MDE account for my husband and book the second reservation on that account?

 

[Rickat96]

LOL...but still love the fact that you take such an interest. And the questions just give you more time to talk about Disney. I know folks get sick of me talking about it; there is a subtle lack of disinterest on their faces.

Same here- I ask-and ask, get a little grief that I am obsessed or ADHD about trip planning-But when we arrive, everyone appreciates the obsession.

 

[ThistleMae]

I've actually gotten "in trouble" for telling people to google it.

I know people who just P.M. the "secret" info, but then someone else in here said you shouldn't even do that. I don't see why not?

 

[Rickat96]

I'm wondering about this too.
I have a reservation with me as the account holder and my husband and daughter as the other guests staying in the room.

If I want to make a second reservation for the same dates (with the plan to cancel one of the reservations once we've decided which way to go) can I put my husband as the main person for that booking and then have me and my daughter as the other guests? Will it allow us all to be on 2 reservations at once?

Or will I have to create a MDE account for my husband and book the second reservation on that account?

I just use my Wife's MDE for additional reservations when I make dual trips for same dates.

 

[sharonabe]

My plan is to book another reservation online with the FD then call and have the rate changed. Not sure if it will work like that or not...

I doubt they will change the rate on a NEW reservation. Since no one knows what they will do with the existing reservations, the thought is to make a new FD reservation online somewhere you will be happy with, and then call in to see if your compensated room can have free dining at it's current compensated price. If they say yes, then you cancel the new reservation. If they say no, then you have your new FD reservation to fall back on. Making a completely new reservation and asking them to honor the previous price doesn't even sound like a possibility to me.

 

[sharonabe]

I know people who just P.M. the "secret" info, but then someone else in here said you shouldn't even do that. I don't see why not?

You might want to go read the rules and guidelines to get an answer to this question.

 

[ThistleMae]

Hi everyone!

I am from Canada and I need the help of my expert friends from DISboards. We are 2 adults, a 7 year old and a 4 year old.

We will be at Disney Pop pop from september 29th to october 7th.

I booked a package temporarely including tickets and regular dining plan. We absolutly don't need park hopper or park hopper plus. Currently it's sitting at a price tag of 4 800$

I just checked based on the information on the rumors about the free dining (and the need to get park hopper plus) and if I would change my package to regular free dining (Add Park hopper plus and extra for regular free dining)
My new price tag would be 4 000$ (3213$ for room and tickets + 384$ park hopper plus + 403$ difference between RDP and QSDP)

But until may 20th there is a deal for Canadian resident offering a significant discount on theme park tickets (More than 25% off) So if would book just a preferred room at Disney pop (1 418$) and add 9 days of tickets for the whole family (1 140$) my total would be 2 558$. So that would give me a 1 442 $ saving compared to the free dining promotion as described.

If I don't mind about park hopper should I take the Canadian resident promotion? Am I missing something?

Will my FP+ reservations go from 60 days prior to 30 days prior?
I already booked all my 9 sitting restaurants (I really want to keep O'hana and Be our guest the rest I don't really mind). Will I lose my reservations?

Thank you very much in advance for the help you can provide me to decide what I should do!

Did you pay fully for it? Or just a portion of it?

 

[ThistleMae]

This is for squirrel, sorry got caught up in confusing reply stuff...LoL. Do you know how much it was to upgrade from Savory Summer to DDP? There are a couple different answers in here?

 

[anorman]

If you have a modify button, then go ahead and try to change it yourself. If for some reason it doesn't work, I would book again with FD and then call in a few days later and have the money refunded or put towards your new booking (not sure if they can do that). Reason I say call in a few days later is the phones will be swamped after FD drops.

Can you just cancel online and get a refund without actually phoning?

 

[amytaylor2]

I may just be one who gets stuck on the phone half the day then My modify button doesn't work.

 

[anorman]

We will be going and spending nearly $1000 for the 4 of us just for one day. We do both parks with the VIP Express tickers

I am looking at your countdown and it looks as though you will be there the first week of Septemberish and the crowds are typically low so you may not need express passes. When we were there two years ago, the third week of August was quite busy and as we were staying onsite we had the express passes. We returned for a day later in our trip, almost the end of August while staying at a villa and the lines were actually shorter standby than they were with the express passes the week before. The parks were truly almost empty!

Also, for your consideration, I have heard people say that it can be cheaper to book a room at RPR to get the express tickets and then not even use the room. This would actually give you two days of express tickets if you wanted to look at a second day at Universal which is well worth spending two days IMHO.