Free Dining Oct-Dec Is Here!!

[darnheather]

You missed my point---there are people on here booking rooms AHEAD of the FD offer, under the pretense that said room can be kept once the offer comes out. Then, when the offer does not come out, they can't afford the room.

The FD offer (once it comes out) is TIED to certain rooms at the resorts. Meaning, you cannot book the room ahead of time, UNTIL the FD offer comes out. So, by booking a room at BC (or the like) you are not guaranteed to keep this room when/if FD comes out.

Basically, if you are dependent on FD, you really shouldn't book until you KNOW it is coming out---OR, book a moderate/value that you know you can afford.

What does it matter when you can always cancel?

 

[saskdw]

Yep, at least once, I was holding a reservation and I had it converted to Free Dining after the offer came out.

I don't think we know the Disney Policy.

It wasn't converted. It was switched to a FD room, fortunately for you there were some available. If a bunch of fresh customers filled up the FD rooms first you would have been stuck with your regular reservation. You had no more hold on a FD room then someone with no reservation.

 

[smitch425]

This may be the last year we're in America for a long time. We never know where we will live next. Part of my stress over wanting to do it this year. We're military and that's allowed us to go to Disney Paris and Tokyo but I want my girls to see what was for me growing up "the real Disney". We could do like many Americans and put it on credit cards and pay it off in the coming years but spouse and I don't live like that. I'd like to say a lot of bad words but I'm hoping you didn't mean to sound so snobbish.

Have you looked into doing the military discount? It can be quite a big savings. I would book with that now and if/when FD comes out, you can always switch if it saves you more.

 

[Flynnismine]

Count me in, I'll be calling again at 7am tomorrow and everyday thru Aug 1st. Here's wishing everyone positive thoughts for a happy week.

 

[saskdw]

This may be the last year we're in America for a long time. We never know where we will live next. Part of my stress over wanting to do it this year. We're military and that's allowed us to go to Disney Paris and Tokyo but I want my girls to see what was for me growing up "the real Disney". We could do like many Americans and put it on credit cards and pay it off in the coming years but spouse and I don't live like that. I'd like to say a lot of bad words but I'm hoping you didn't mean to sound so snobbish.

No, my remark wasn't ment to be snobbish. What I ment was you are the customer and can spend your money anywhere you like. If WDW doesn't come out with a deal you find attractive, you have the right to spend your vacation money elsewhere.

 

[LouFapp]

At risk of getting off the subject about this mornings upset I was hoping someone can help me with a question.

I am going the end of October, Free dining or no, and if it is no then I am thinking of adding the Dining plan anyways and just paying for it. My questions are:

1.) If taking advantage of all my table service meals and using every credit alotted to me at it's make $ benifit, is it worth the cost?

2.) If I do add it, am I getting the price I should have paid when I booked back in January or am I paying the new, higher price?

 

[boxer]

What does it matter when you can always cancel?

For several reasons......but I just made this comment for the dozens of people saying the lack of FD ruined their trip, and they had to cancel a certain room. Booking a room under the pretense of FD is USELESS, and does not guarantee that room will fall under the allotted rooms of FD.

In a simpler term, the ahead booking (under the pretense of FD) actually DIMINISHES the need for FD, since the resorts look 'full'. So all the people that book BC, YC, BW, etc ahead of time, with the only way of affording them under the FD discount, actually hurt the FD offer.

 

[darnheather]

Have you looked into doing the military discount? It can be quite a big savings. I would book with that now and if/when FD comes out, you can always switch if it saves you more.

Thanks, I'll try but I know for September the free dining was cheaper. We may just get the 4 day military salute tickets and stay off site. Spouse doesn't want to do SOG because he always feels like he's still at work when we stay at military hotels. Like I said I'm trying to keep my hopes up.

 

[DavidHobart]

Have you looked into doing the military discount? It can be quite a big savings. I would book with that now and if/when FD comes out, you can always switch if it saves you more.

Seconding Smitch!! See this: http://**************.net/2013/07/28/disney-world-armed-forces-salute-for-fy14/

 

[babyrich]

You missed my point---there are people on here booking rooms AHEAD of the FD offer, under the pretense that said room can be kept once the offer comes out. Then, when the offer does not come out, they can't afford the room.

The FD offer (once it comes out) is TIED to certain rooms at the resorts. Meaning, you cannot book the room ahead of time, UNTIL the FD offer comes out. So, by booking a room at BC (or the like) you are not guaranteed to keep this room when/if FD comes out.

Basically, if you are dependent on FD, you really shouldn't book until you KNOW it is coming out---OR, book a moderate/value that you know you can afford.

The first time we got free dining, we already had a reservation that included the dining plan. It was only our second trip and I never heard of free dining before this. When the offer was released I had to call and basically re-book the vacation. The second time we got it, I upgraded our resort, so again, we had to re-book.

I lean toward not booking until the offer comes out, especially if you dont plan to go without free dining. My understanding is if the bookings are plentiful without free dining, why should they offer it?

 

[Wood Nymph]

Anyone else planning on waking up early tomorrow and calling again?

You should check the DIS first. A Disney Visa discount is not like a GP discount. Until they release it on the Disney Visa site, it isn't bookable.

 

[saskdw]

At risk of getting off the subject about this mornings upset I was hoping someone can help me with a question.

I am going the end of October, Free dining or no, and if it is no then I am thinking of adding the Dining plan anyways and just paying for it. My questions are:

1.) If taking advantage of all my table service meals and using every credit alotted to me at it's make $ benifit, is it worth the cost?

2.) If I do add it, am I getting the price I should have paid when I booked back in January or am I paying the new, higher price?

A couple years ago there was money to be saved. With the new price increases I find you about break even. Some people find it nice to just pay for everything up front, but I don't think there is much savings there now.

I think you will get the price from your booking date.

 

[tinktinktink]

At this point I don't know if hoping for a room discount is my better bet. I check in on November 9th. Would a room discount be better? Is the AoA discount on family suites normally 15%?

 

[smitch425]

You should check the DIS first. A Disney Visa discount is not like a GP discount. Until they release it on the Disney Visa site, it isn't bookable.

Actually, you can book a DV discount before it hits the rewards site. I have done it several times. All deals are bookable at 7am on their release date even if they are not yet posted on the DV site or even the Disney site. The sites have often not been updated until mid morning on the day of release. The DV deals are just not bookable at all online, unlike Disney's offers.

 

[LouFapp]

A couple years ago there was money to be saved. With the new price increases I find you about break even. Some people find it nice to just pay for everything up front, but I don't think there is much savings there now.

I think you will get the price from your booking date.

Thank You! If the price is about even I will probably just go ahead and add it. I like only having to budget my cash for extra's and have everything else taken care of by the time I check-in.

 

[ldoogie]

You should check the DIS first. A Disney Visa discount is not like a GP discount. Until they release it on the Disney Visa site, it isn't bookable.

I have a Disney Visa I will be on the phone right at 7 and will post if I get pixie dusted.

As a side note I appreciate all the help from the people that have given us the info and bear them no hard feelings. It is, after all, a vacation and not life or death.

 

[darnheather]

Seconding Smitch!! See this: http://**************.net/2013/07/28/disney-world-armed-forces-salute-for-fy14/

Thank you for the link. I'll run the numbers again. Of course if I book this and spouse can't go again we really will be screwed because I had planned on going November whether or not he got to go. Yeah it's laugh or cry time. Sorry I know everyone's in a state today not just me. Stay positive, stay positive.

ETA: Woohoo, I can also activate the deal if he can't come with us. Now to check on the RO discount.

 

[disneyfantotheend]

The CM seemed pretty angry too. She said that they have been flooded nonstop with calls in regards to this and asked me what website I saw this on so that they could report it to their managers. She said that her manager was none too happy about this either and was going to report it to her manager too.

Sorry, but this is just funny. What are they going to do? Put us in time out? Ground us? Slap us on the hand with a ruler?

My TA said she will be calling daily, so I don't need to worry about it. Maybe it will come out, maybe it won't. I am content with either turnout. Although it coming out would make me parrrrttttyyyyy! LOL

 

[Praying Colonel]

Also...I know I posted this at some other point. But, I will say it again because maybe even one person will find it helpful. If there is no free dining extension, or you do not get a room because they are gone, there are other options to get you at least close to the number you would like to be at. If I can't get POR, I will likely try for a room-only discount there or even an AP discount. I know they are not guaranteed either. However, in the event I can get one of those, I will upgrade my ticket to an AP and purchase a Tables in Wonderland card. We have had it before and it is great! So, don't think there are not other avenues. It may not be AS GREAT as free dining, but it is something. It may be a bit more work, but what Disney vacation is easy to plan? It is work....fun work, but work

Plan A is a moderate with free DDP. Plan B is Shades of Green and discounted tickets with meals OOP. Cost works out the same, but DW liked the idea of free dining so we're hoping for that, but we'll still find a way to do a F&W trip that fits our budget.

 

[darnheather]

The RO only military discount would save us $422 for November dates. The free dining would save us $1000. Since we want to do seven park days the tickets through Disney are cheaper than getting the military salute and adding days. Time to rethink the length of stay for sure.

If we do the military salute tickets and then a couple of resort days we could keep the same length of stay but would need to cut out two parks (as I want to do MK at least 2 days), or do AK one morning and HS in the evening and skip Epcot. Sigh, this is starting to make my head hurt.

Stay positive, stay positive.