Will more free dining rooms be released?

[VioletSparkles]

I'm so bummed- we are booked Port Orleans Riverside from 9/19 to 9/26 and have selected the Disney Dining plan. I booked this back in January with the knowledge that our resort may not be included. I was OK with that and decided to just cross my fingers. Well now I see that the promotions have been released and my resort and dates should be eligible for free dining but when I called today I was told all the rooms that qualify for that discount are sold out!
I was OK with not being eligible at all but to be told I'm paying for something that I essentially could have gotten for free makes me mad enough that I kind of just want to cancel my trip!
Does anyone know if they release more rooms or once that block of rooms go it's a done deal.

I'm just so disappointed (

 

[Jimsig]

Can you move dates of your trip to a time that has free dining available? Do you have to stay a POR (i.e. have your heart set on staying there) as maybe you could move resorts that still might still have availability w the free dining?

 

[VioletSparkles]

I like that resort but would be willing to move but everything that is available for the week we are going is more $$$ (IE we could upgrade to Grand Floridian or Contemporary but even with the added free dining it would be more $$). I can't really move my dates because I have all of our ADR made and I've checked other weeks that FD would be available and coveted reservations like CRT and BOG aren't available!

 

[Marionnette]

I'm so bummed- we are booked Port Orleans Riverside from 9/19 to 9/26 and have selected the Disney Dining plan. I booked this back in January with the knowledge that our resort may not be included. I was OK with that and decided to just cross my fingers. Well now I see that the promotions have been released and my resort and dates should be eligible for free dining but when I called today I was told all the rooms that qualify for that discount are sold out!
I was OK with not being eligible at all but to be told I'm paying for something that I essentially could have gotten for free makes me mad enough that I kind of just want to cancel my trip!
Does anyone know if they release more rooms or once that block of rooms go it's a done deal.

I'm just so disappointed (

Disney probably will not release more rooms under this *free* dining promotion. They've done extensions of it in the past by either extending the booking window for the same dates or by adding new dates with a new booking deadline.

You can hope that some people made multiple reservations and will cancel all but one once they get their flights figured out. Those rooms might get returned to the *free* dining inventory. There will be other people for whom a courtesy hold was placed on a room but who never make a deposit in time. Those rooms could also be returned to inventory. You would have to check back often and hope that someone cancels for the exact dates and resort that you want.

There will probably be a room-only discount for the fall. Room-only discounts can have the dining plan added to them if you purchase tickets as well. With luck, your resort and dates will be included in the discount.

 

[Disneylover99]

I know it's a pain, but keep checking multiple times a day, because you never know.

 

[Choozee]

The EXACT thing happened to me! We are booked at the POR sept 26-1 and I booked this last August 2014. We are going regardless of free dining. But I too feel jipped when I am paying for something that others are getting for free... But I can't let that get me down, yesterday I got $290 savings with the new fall sale. I know it's not free dining but I am happy about the savings all the same. We are going to have a good time no matter what! Rain! Long lines! And cranky feet! It's all good!
Just put it out of your mind and enjoy your vacation

 

[dpswift]

It also depends on the amount of people who booked rooms planning on adding FD when it came out. Some of those will cancel and if Disney sees that there are many empty rooms they might add more but I would not be surprised if they did not.

For the last 2 years people have warned about booking a room and the planning on adding FD when it came out. That is why POR was not included in FD when it first came out last year. Disney looked at those rooms as being sold so they had no reason to discount them.

Do you have a second MDE account. if so you can try logging into it and leaving vacation packages in your account and ordering a vacation planning video and see if they send you a special offer.

Otherwise if there are rooms available at other times book that and switch your ADRs.

 

[Allison]

If it is going to make you mad, then you should cancel. There is no reason to spend money on a vacation you will resent.

This is no different than paying a different price for your seat than the person sitting across the aisle when on a plane. Disney offers discounts to various groups-passholders, people who book as part of a travel group, and those who are able to grab an offered public discount, as examples. People are always paying different prices for the same accommodations. Heck, I had a rate of $150 at the Polynesian last year. I'm certain most people staying there at the same time paid more than that.

So, you need to decide what is important to you. Getting free dining or going during the time you already have arranged without free dining?

Good luck on your decision.

 

[Colleen27]

The availability on both fall discounts is very, very tight this year. I've been pricing a trip for a conference in Sept and there are no values available with any discount for my dates, not free dining or room only, and only CSR/CBR for moderates. I don't expect we'll see more rooms added. The hype is doing its job and the resorts are booking up. I didn't catch when the "book by" date is for these offers but if it is late enough you need to check back around the 45 day mark because that's when people who booked "hopefully" trips will evaluate whether they can actually afford to go.

Fortunately I'm going to be at WDW in June so I'm going to check to see if availability is any better under the bounceback offer, but at this rate it looks like I'll be offsite at the convention hotel rather than at a Disney resort because I'm not going to pay rack rate that time of year when I've never paid it when traveling at much busier times. It seems a little ridiculous that I could book for June less than two months in advance and get a discount but all I can find is rack rate for September!

 

[Marionnette]

I didn't catch when the "book by" date is for these offers but if it is late enough you need to check back around the 45 day mark because that's when people who booked "hopefully" trips will evaluate whether they can actually afford to go.

The "book by" window closes on 7/10/15. That's 49 days before the first date for checking in under the promotion (8/28/15). IOW, the offer ends before the final payment is due on the very first of the packages.

But the OP can keep checking back and hope that rooms are returned to the *free* dining inventory if/when people cancel.

ETA: I read a post by someone on the TPAS thread who was holding on to 4 - yes, 4 - overlapping *free* dining reservations. Disney ended up cancelling all 4 of them on that person. The 4 different reservations came about as a result of an IT glitch that did not allow that person to modify their reservation online and the phone waits were crazy long those first few days. Chances are very good that they were not the only people to make multiple reservations with the intention of only keeping one. Hopefully, those rooms will get returned to inventory and the OP can book her dates under the offer.

 

[SharonZ]

Unfortunately, there's no guarantee that a free-dining promotion can be applied to an existing reservation - it's all subject to availability and not all rooms are eligible. When did you call to about free dining? A lot of people were calling before midnight the day before the promo and were on hold for hours. I agree with the suggestion that you keep trying, but if you are frustrated about the rates you may just want to cancel.

 

[Halloweenqueen]

Remember, Disney discounts rooms that are available. Your room is sold to Disney, no need to discount. Booking early hurt your chances of a discount. Having a reservation did not put you at any advantage over people who booked new. That's the way discounts work. You would never buy a bathing suit in January thinking you could go to the store and get a discount and money back in July.

 

[Jaime4004]

I believe more FD rooms have been released. I've been stalking the Disney site since FD started, and there was never any rooms available at CBR for the week of Nov 8th. Today, every day that week had open rooms, including standard, which is what I had been waiting for.

 

[toyotaae86lg]

Yes I would say that they did release more rooms. I wasn't on the ball and lagged when FD was announced. I tried and tried for FD at Pop for my Sept stay but all I got was sold out or not available. On a whim I tried online yesterday and they were available. Called Disney up and book FD for both of my reservations in my party. Cast member agreed that he thinks that more were released from what he has seen.

 

[MimiOfTwo]

I'm sure more have been released. I was online at 6 pm last night and there was POP, standard room at CBR available. I was just checking out of curiosity. I have a BB for GF. I was tempted to change to the TPV room at CR that was showing available with FD. But I ran the numbers & even including the FD I would be $825 more OOP than my GF GV. Sigh....I've always wanted that TPV.

 

[CamandLaineysMom]

We are going around the same time as you and staying at POR. We were able to book with Free Dining but for a Royal Room. I have been checking almost daily to see if anything less expensive opened up and today I was able to modify our two rooms down to Garden view for a savings of almost $400 per room. Give them a call!

 

[hsmamato2]

The availability on both fall discounts is very, very tight this year.

This is an understatement,to say the least "free dining" is now just a promo name for something that doesn't really exist anymore,not in numbers large enough to matter at least. It's "offered" still b/c if it weren't then people would get "mad" about not seeing that "special offer" and possibly make no plans to visit. The way it is right now, they've still got plenty of people wishing and hoping,and making plans based on those wishes. And then when the "availability" is "limited"...The company is banking on most people just sucking it up and going anyway....b/c after all that wishing and planning,who wants to cancel? The odds of masses of people canceling a planned trip are lower than the odds of people just planning it all out and booking at full rates.

 

[JanaDee]

The availability on both fall discounts is very, very tight this year.

I just priced and booked a trip on Sunday for this Fall under the free dining promotion and had no problem finding rooms available.

 

[smitch425]

Availability was limited when first released, but rooms have been opening daily. Keep trying!

 

[maxiesmom]

The EXACT thing happened to me! We are booked at the POR sept 26-1 and I booked this last August 2014. We are going regardless of free dining. But I too feel jipped when I am paying for something that others are getting for free... But I can't let that get me down, yesterday I got $290 savings with the new fall sale. I know it's not free dining but I am happy about the savings all the same. We are going to have a good time no matter what! Rain! Long lines! And cranky feet! It's all good!
Just put it out of your mind and enjoy your vacation

This exact thing happened last year. People booked in advance hoping for free dining, and then were left out. To be blunt, it is the people who book in advance hoping for a discount that causes the problem. If the resort has a lot of bookings they have no reason to offer free dining.

I do understand how you feel. I was at WDW last week and tried to book a bounceback, and nothing that worked was available. I now either have to try to get free dining, which is very limited, or suck it up and pay more when I know others are getting the same thing for a lot less. It is annoying.