question about resorts and free dining

[BabyRN]

I was just wondering if someone could give me some advice. I posted somewhere but can't find that thread asking about if I was able to apply free dining to an existing reservation. I was told yes, if the resort still has available rooms for free dining. Do certain resorts get booked before others for this? I want POR, but am thinking if this resort goes quicker then I might change. Can someone tell me if you think I will be safe with POR or should I consider another alternative just in case? Thanks for your help!!

 

[Suellen]

I would think the Value resorts go first.

 

[RMulieri]

generally the values fill up first, then the mods...usually CSR and then POR and Cbr.I wouldn't worry .As long as you call within a day or so of the promotion being released you shouldn't have trouble.

 

[Sillyminny40]

I am green with ignorance: what does free dining involve?

 

[brentalex]

I am green with ignorance: what does free dining involve?

disney at times will offer their dining plan as a free incentive to get people to stay at the resort. So, if it is offered, you will need to purchase a package, that will include the dining plan, but you will not have to pay for the dining plan. Room and tickets that will also be part of the package will be charged at full rate. They often have been offering this during hurricane season, late August and September, to get people there. But it can be offered at any time.

 

[BabyRN]

generally the values fill up first, then the mods...usually CSR and then POR and Cbr.I wouldn't worry .As long as you call within a day or so of the promotion being released you shouldn't have trouble.

within a day of it being released to visa holders or the general public? I don't have a disney visa so that won't help me. Thanks!

 

[RMulieri]

within a day of it being released to visa holders or the general public? I don't have a disney visa so that won't help me. Thanks!

general public is fine..I found that Pop is usually the first to go sold out along with Allstar family suites and the rest of the allstars.CSR and Cbr will probably be next because of the new pool and pirate themed rooms at CBR, and the CSR pool area .POR is such an incredibly large resort that availability seems to be better there much longer into the promotion.The deluxes usually see WL,poly,CR go real fast as well.

 

[RMulieri]

I am green with ignorance: what does free dining involve?

As the pp said, free dining is a special promotion that disney does every year.It is the basic disney dining plan for free when you purchase a full priced nondiscounted Disney vacation pkg with resort stay.Everyone in your party has to be on the same exact pkg, and you must purchase a minimum of a one day park ticket pp in your party.No other discounts can be applied( including AAA).It is generally announced in April for resort bookings of late Aug-Sept( hurricaine season).This year was the first year it was made available for months other than Aug-Sept.It was only available in 2 ways...1) you had a special disney pincode mailed to you that were randomly distributed and were non transferable and person specific.and 2) Disney Visa holders were offered select dates in Oct,Nov, Dec for free dining using a special code.The general free dining is by no means a given thing each year, but looks to be for this year as well.The other dining offers were a first for 2008, so it is unsure if they will in fact do it again this fall.

 

[dancin Disney style]

As the pp said, free dining is a special promotion that disney does every year.It is the basic disney dining plan for free when you purchase a full priced nondiscounted Disney vacation pkg with resort stay.Everyone in your party has to be on the same exact pkg, and you must purchase a minimum of a one day park ticket pp in your party.No other discounts can be applied( including AAA).It is generally announced in April for resort bookings of late Aug-Sept( hurricaine season).This year was the first year it was made available for months other than Aug-Sept.It was only available in 2 ways...1) you had a special disney pincode mailed to you that were randomly distributed and were non transferable and person specific.and 2) Disney Visa holders were offered select dates in Oct,Nov, Dec for free dining using a special code.The general free dining is by no means a given thing each year, but looks to be for this year as well.The other dining offers were a first for 2008, so it is unsure if they will in fact do it again this fall.

I think that is is safe to say that the promotions from Disney will be pretty good for this year. Already we have the 4-3 deal. I am hoping for an expanded free dining deal for later this year....that is the only way DH will agree to go.

 

[CleveRocks]

I was just wondering if someone could give me some advice. I posted somewhere but can't find that thread asking about if I was able to apply free dining to an existing reservation. I was told yes, if the resort still has available rooms for free dining. Do certain resorts get booked before others for this? I want POR, but am thinking if this resort goes quicker then I might change. Can someone tell me if you think I will be safe with POR or should I consider another alternative just in case? Thanks for your help!!

The availability of rooms for free dining has NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING to do with whether or not you have an existing reservation somewhere. Having a reservation does NOTHING to help you get a "free dining" room at that resort or any other resort, for that matter.

For each room category at each resort, Disney has a super secret target occupancy rate ... if the current occupancy rate (for any given date) is below that target, they will include that room category/resort in the free dining promotion, and if that room category/resort is already selling well enough then they won't include it in the promotion.

So, for example, let's say you have a room reserved at POR. And let's say that for your dates of travel that POR happens to be totally sold out. When free dining is announced, NO FREE DINING ROOMS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT POR ... management figures that if it's already selling so well, why lower the price? In that scenario, you wouldn't be able to simply "convert" your reservation into a free dining reservation since free dining isn't being offered at your resort.

This is an extreme example, but I hope it helps illustrate to you that you need not stress over where to make a reservation in hopes that you can later convert it into a free dining reservation ... because having that room with a regular reservation will do NOTHING to help you get that room with the free dining promotion.

If I haven't explained this sufficiently, please post back and I (or someone else) will try to help explain it better.

 

[BabyRN]

I actually was only going to have the reservation because I currently have one booked for April but am going to change the dates. The closer I get to the date, the more nervous I am about bringing a 1 month old. I'm due in March and with all the talk about the norovirus and everything else, I just think it would be safer to wait until the fall. I priced out dates in the fall, and even if I don't get free dining, I'm only going to wind up paying $300 more than what I got for the 4/3 deal.

 

[BoomerandZoey]

Have you heard that free dining will be coming back anytime soon?

 

[BabyRN]

I haven't heard specifically, it won't be announced until probably March or April. However, chances are pretty good that it will be announced, especially after the promos they have been having to get bookings. That and I'm pretty sure the UK was given free dining again, which they get it earlier in the year than we do I think.

 

[RMulieri]

There is a very great liklihood it will be offered again.It was already offered for bounceback( those of us who travelled during free dining last year) and the UK guests have already booked their promotion.

 

[tkitty]

The availability of rooms for free dining has NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING to do with whether or not you have an existing reservation somewhere. Having a reservation does NOTHING to help you get a "free dining" room at that resort or any other resort, for that matter.

For each room category at each resort, Disney has a super secret target occupancy rate ... if the current occupancy rate (for any given date) is below that target, they will include that room category/resort in the free dining promotion, and if that room category/resort is already selling well enough then they won't include it in the promotion.

So, for example, let's say you have a room reserved at POR. And let's say that for your dates of travel that POR happens to be totally sold out. When free dining is announced, NO FREE DINING ROOMS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT POR ... management figures that if it's already selling so well, why lower the price? In that scenario, you wouldn't be able to simply "convert" your reservation into a free dining reservation since free dining isn't being offered at your resort.

This is an extreme example, but I hope it helps illustrate to you that you need not stress over where to make a reservation in hopes that you can later convert it into a free dining reservation ... because having that room with a regular reservation will do NOTHING to help you get that room with the free dining promotion.

If I haven't explained this sufficiently, please post back and I (or someone else) will try to help explain it better.

Thanks cleverocks, this cleared things up for me. I'm hoping for fall free dining (I do have visa), and thought I should book my rooms right away, and then just apply free dining if/when it comes out. But it may do me no good. I think i'll be fine waiting till free dining is offered. In 2006, we did free dining I didn't even know about it till maybe a week after it was released to the public, and we got everything we wanted. Guess I'll hold out till April....

 

[CleveRocks]

Just to clarify ...

For those who want to go at a certain time regardless of whether or not Free Dining will be offered, THOSE PEOPLE should go ahead and make reservations at their resort of choice. For those people, Free Dining would just be an extra-addd bonus. By making the reservation, it guarantees they will have the room, even if they can't turn the reservation into a Free Dining reservation.

But for people who will make the trip ONLY if Free Dining is offered, then yes, it's best to just sit back and wait.

 

[dancin Disney style]

There is a very great liklihood it will be offered again.It was already offered for bounceback( those of us who travelled during free dining last year) and the UK guests have already booked their promotion.

We were there in July and we did not have a package or the DDP. They left an offer in our room for free dining for 2009. Now, I can't remember the exact details but I do remember that the dates did not coinside with the FD period of the last 3 years.

I agree that more than likely we will see either the same FD of the past 3 years or at the very least some form of it.