Split Stay---free dining?

[MaskedRose86]

I am considering a split stay to make things more affordable. But when we are planning to go (right after Thanksgiving 2018), we might be able to do free dining. Would a split Stay make this hard to qualify for?

We really aren't big eaters so usually a dining plan wouldn't be a big draw but to have food taken care of for free would be nice.

 

[Pkltm]

You would need to buy two separate packages to get free dining on both stays, each free dining deal requires the purchase of tickets.

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

It would not be worth it. Since you would have to buy separate tickets - you would lose the ability to get the ticket discounts for multiple days.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

As he PP noted, to get free dining, you must purchase a package with tickets on each reservation, so doing that with a split doesn't really make financial sense.

With a split, it's probably best to do free dining with your first reservation and purchase tickets for your entire stay with that package. Then do room only and pay for food out of pocket for your second stay. Also, price out the rooms with any room-only discounts. For some family configurations, room only discounts can be a better deal than free dining.

 

[DisBuckMan]

Whatever you decide, make your decision quickly. The free dining promotion has to be booked by day after tomorrow (7/7).

 

[MaskedRose86]

Whatever you decide, make your decision quickly. The free dining promotion has to be booked by day after tomorrow (7/7).

For 2018?

 

[DisBuckMan]

For 2018?

Apologies...missed the 2018 part.

 

[MaskedRose86]

Apologies...missed the 2018 part.

No worries

 

[mousefan73]

We do split stay with FD all the time. We buy FD package and with that package get the number of park days for the entire trip. Then add a few nights room only discount. This year it's FD at pop 5 nights and 4 nights RO beach club. Dining credits are valid until midnight. Sineven though we are checked in at BC we will use TSncredits for Cape May. We can easliy spread 5 night credits over 6'days

 

[Marionnette]

I am considering a split stay to make things more affordable. But when we are planning to go (right after Thanksgiving 2018), we might be able to do free dining. Would a split Stay make this hard to qualify for?

We really aren't big eaters so usually a dining plan wouldn't be a big draw but to have food taken care of for free would be nice.

A lot will depend on how soon you will be arriving after Thanksgiving. It's possible that your arrival date(s) will not be eligible for *free* dining. This year's offer does not include the first day after Thanksgiving and is only good for arrivals between 11/25-11/27. Then there's almost two weeks from 11/28-12/8/17 that are blacked out. If those restrictions hold true for 2018 (assuming that *free* dining is even offered), you may run into a situation where the first part of your stay is included in the deal but the second stay begins during a blackout period.

However, as others have pointed out, it may not be worth doing a split stay because you would be required to make a second ticket purchase that would negate the savings in most cases.

 

[Lesley Wake]

You can also consider how often you will be planning on going to WDW. So book the first stay with free dining, with tickets that will cover the entire visit (stay 1 and stay 2). Then book the second stay, also with free dining, but get the minimum number of ticket days (this year it was a 2-day park hopper). Save the second tickets for a future trip, and you can always add days onto those tickets for that trip. Remember that tickets now have an expiration date, so 2018 FD tickets would probably only be valid up to the end of 2019; it is expected after the expiration date, the value will remain in your account, you will just need to apply it to new tickets at the new cost, covering any difference out of pocket.

 

[Lynne M]

Moving to the Discount Codes & Rates board.