Venting.. Free Dining Extended!

[disneypolybride2008]

Hi. Just sharing my feeling bummed that they extended free dining since i booked our next Sept trip b/c of the free dining and worked the schedule around free dining dates. I would have rathered gone in Oct over my birthday but figured it was worth the savings to go a month earlier, but NOW they've extended free dining so i could have went over my birthday.

I've already booked air through disney and bought MNSSHP, so i dont think there is any way of changing the dates.

I'm sure it's great news to others!

 

[wahmtexas]

I was bummed to, I would have went during Thanksgiving week rather than Sept. if I had known that way my daughter was not out of school for 7 days but oh well, the weather will be a bit better hopefully and the crowds a little less, we got all our dining even CRT very easily

 

[Jeanieblue114]

Hi. Just sharing my feeling bummed that they extended free dining since i booked our next Sept trip b/c of the free dining and worked the schedule around free dining dates. I would have rathered gone in Oct over my birthday but figured it was worth the savings to go a month earlier, but NOW they've extended free dining so i could have went over my birthday.

I've already booked air through disney and bought MNSSHP, so i dont think there is any way of changing the dates.

I'm sure it's great news to others!

You are far enough out that you could probably change your package dates without charge. You would have to pay a flight change fee (probably about 75 bucks or so per ticket plus ticket price difference if there is any).
There might also be an increase in your package price for Oct. over Sept. because room rates increase then and free dining is based on you paying 'undiscounted' room rates.
So, technically you could change things with a little bit of extra cost.

But, you could also just list your birthday as your celebration thing on reservations anyway. It's ok that it's a few weeks away...Disney will still give you the buttons and you might even get a little dessert extra here or there! It's close enough for Disney to help you celebrate!

 

[DonaldTDuck]

Hi. Just sharing my feeling bummed that they extended free dining since i booked our next Sept trip b/c of the free dining and worked the schedule around free dining dates. I would have rathered gone in Oct over my birthday but figured it was worth the savings to go a month earlier, but NOW they've extended free dining so i could have went over my birthday.

I've already booked air through disney and bought MNSSHP, so i dont think there is any way of changing the dates.

I'm sure it's great news to others!

Except for the birthday part, it's my tale exactly. But let go of the bummed feeling, you (and I) are going to Disney! And my brain is fighting the urge of a second free dining trip in Dec. We had so much fun last year, I'd like a rerun. We're doing MNSSHP the 28th.

 

[GCM]

We are just like DonaldTDuck, no birthday, but everything else is the same. I would have liked to have gone again in December, but with Disney saying that they were cutting out discounts, I thought we better jump on the free dining when it originally came out. We too have already bought airplane tickets and MNSSHP tickets. I just keep telling myself that I will be at Disney. Then I'm good!

 

[tinkerone]

what was the dinning extended to? i thought it was over oct 2nd? would love to know...

 

[ChildAtHeart82]

what was the dinning extended to? i thought it was over oct 2nd? would love to know...

Free dining is now valid for arrival dates from 8/15-10/7/10, 10/22-10/28/10, 11/12-11/18/10, 11/27-12/2/10, and 12/10-12/21/10.

 

[tinkerone]

Free dining is now valid for arrival dates from 8/15-10/7/10, 10/22-10/28/10, 11/12-11/18/10, 11/27-12/2/10, and 12/10-12/21/10.

i booked for octover and had hoped this might happen. sorry for those not all that happy with it but i sure am.
thanks for the information. i would have missed this.

 

[bleeps]

I mean this in the nicest possible way:

We, too, get frustrated with playing the game with Disney -- wanting to schedule a trip, wondering what kinds of discounts are going to be offered and when, trying to figure out how to make it all work with the best possible numbers at our most preferred dates.

But clearly WDW management (1) knows about the psychology of selling, and special offers, and how many people are willing to (and perhaps on some level enjoy?) jump through these hoops to get even minor discounts and (2) uses the system to ensure that they book up the resorts they need to fill at the times they need to fill them.

Said more simply, they don't offer the deals and discounts as a service to us, because if that were the case they'd lay it all out on the table and make it easy. They offer the deals and discounts in the way that they do because it serves their bottom-line purposes, and that's what being in business is all about -- and somehow it also seems to fuel a psychology with their customers that their customers are continually willing to deal with.

Wish it weren't so, but that's my take.

 

[luckylady131]

Free dining is now valid for arrival dates from 8/15-10/7/10, 10/22-10/28/10, 11/12-11/18/10, 11/27-12/2/10, and 12/10-12/21/10.

I'm trying to see what a package deal with the FD would cost on Disney's site, but I think I am dioing it wrong. Can someone send me ther link to see the total package cost w/FD for a value resort (Pop) versus Moderate (POR or Coronado Springs)?

Also we plan on going through Nov 27- Dec 5th. FD would be covered through the 2nd according to the new dates. But since my stay is starting during one of their listed dates, would it carry over?

Sorry for all the questions....brand new to the whole Disney thing!!

 

[purple figment]

Also we plan on going through Nov 27- Dec 5th. FD would be covered through the 2nd according to the new dates. But since my stay is starting during one of their listed dates, would it carry over?

Sorry for all the questions....brand new to the whole Disney thing!!

If you're checking in on Nov 27 you will get FD through Dec 5. We are in the same situation because we'll be checking in near the end of a FD period, but we get FD for our entire vacation.

 

[Jump4Joy8390]

We are planning to go down from Dec 4 to 11, so we won't get FD. But does anyone know why this would be a blackout week? Is there something going on that we don't know about? Is it going to be crazy crowded???

 

[Disney Commando]

We are planning to go down from Dec 4 to 11, so we won't get FD. But does anyone know why this would be a blackout week? Is there something going on that we don't know about? Is it going to be crazy crowded???

I will be there at the same time as you, I was alittle bummed out that this was blackout week. I think it is cheerleading week

There might be a loophole in this, I read on another thread if you are there during free DP promo and it ends during your stay they will honer it for your remaining days. I don't know if that is true but if it is the case I wonder if it works in reverse. since I'm going Dec 5-11 and the promo starts again on the 10th will they honer it for the days prior. It's a longshot but it might pan out, guess it's worth a try

Does anyone know anything about how they might handle something like that

 

[Tricia1972]

I will be there at the same time as you, I was alittle bummed out that this was blackout week. I think it is cheerleading week

There might be a loophole in this, I read on another thread if you are there during free DP promo and it ends during your stay they will honer it for your remaining days. I don't know if that is true but if it is the case I wonder if it works in reverse. since I'm going Dec 5-11 and the promo starts again on the 10th will they honer it for the days prior. It's a longshot but it might pan out, guess it's worth a try

Does anyone know anything about how they might handle something like that

They do not honor it in reverse. In your case the only way to get the free dining for the remaining days would be to check out on the 10th, check back in on the 10th with a new package to get the one night of free dining. You'd also need to buy two days of park tickets for that one night of free dining.