Free Dining Plan

[mirthmaiden]

The only way to get the AAA room discount and the DDP is to book through that wonderful highly recommended AAA travel agent. If you try to book directly through Disney you can't do both.

Ok, please don't hate me for hijacking this thread. I'm getting close to understanding now. I'm on the verge of a breakthrough here Can you stand 1 more question (maybe two or five?)

1) Would I be able theoretically (assuming space is available) to keep my same Aug 3 - 11 dates and still get the AAA room discount? In other words, the AAA discount has nothing to do with certain dates, right? How much discount is it? I'm close to being paid up with Disney right now. It would need to be significant savings for me to cancel everything and start over.

2) If I do this, am I then ineligible for free dining if it's offered for my dates?

3) I assume that as soon as I cancelled my exisiting reservation, all my ADR's booked with dining plan that are linked to that reservation go POOF! right? I would be most concerned about CRT and HDDR. I'd have to go ahead and pay those OOP immediately to keep them, I guess.

 

[DIS4MYGIRLS]

40% was a PIN code. You would have gotten it in the regular mail or an email. There was no public code for that offer.

How do you qualify for the 40% off discount? I am a once/twice a year visitor to the World and have never received any discount offerings. Mind you we are DVC members and mostly stay using our Club points, but with almost every trip we stay with cash a few nights at another property on site. Like this up coming trip we are staying at POR for three nights before checking into the BCV... Let me tell you any money I can save during the reservation process, will only be spent there anyway, just more money in my pocket... as for the DDP ... love it we did it last July, four adults for fourteen nights in a word YUM and we did save a ton doing so... DH and I went down for the W & F F in Nov. we did not do the DDP then (what a mistake) ... free or not it is a great deal.

 

[jamounger]

You can book the AAA discount right now. There is only a certain number of rooms available at the discount so it is based on availibility. You can book room only yourself with AAA discount by calling CRO. If you want a package you will have to book with an AAA agent.
You give them your phone number when you book your ADR's, I don't even have a confirmation number because I am booked with AAA agent. Your ADR's should not be affected if you change your package around. You don't even have to really tell them you have the dining plan when you reserve.

 

[missmun52]

If you want to get the dining plan AND get a AAA room discount you must book with AAA, no other way around that. The discount is between 15-20% depending on the season. It would have saved me $200 on my trip

If a better disount comes along like free dining or a 40% for the general public you can call up AAA and they can REPLACE your AAA discount with lets say...free dining. You dont lose going through AAA. They just do everything for you. I think a savings of $200 is well worth it.

I would just call to make sure they have your dates avalible before you cancel your reservations with CRO.

Also your ADR's will be fine. You wont need to rebook them. They should be under your phone #, and if not after you get your new conformation number just call and give them the new one after if it makes you feel better.

 

[thunderbird1]

Ok, please don't hate me for hijacking this thread. I'm getting close to understanding now. I'm on the verge of a breakthrough here Can you stand 1 more question (maybe two or five?)

1) Would I be able theoretically (assuming space is available) to keep my same Aug 3 - 11 dates and still get the AAA room discount? In other words, the AAA discount has nothing to do with certain dates, right? How much discount is it? I'm close to being paid up with Disney right now. It would need to be significant savings for me to cancel everything and start over.

AAA discounts do vary by season (dates) and type of resort. From Mousesavers.com:
During Value Season you can get up to 15% off at the Disney Deluxe and Disney Vacation Club resorts, or 20% off at the Value and Moderate resorts and the Ft. Wilderness campsites.
During Regular Season you can usually get up to 10% off at the Disney Deluxe and Disney Vacation Club resorts, or 15% off at the Value and Moderate resorts and the Ft. Wilderness campsites.
During Peak Season and Summer Season you can usually get up to 10% off at the Disney Deluxe and Disney Vacation Club resorts, or 15% off at the Value and Moderate resorts.

The different seasons also depend on which resort you'll be staying in; the list is rather long, so I'll just post the link to mousesavers that lists the various resorts:

http://www.mousesavers.com/seasondates2007.html

I don't know whether AAA packages use the same dates as Disney packages. I wouldn't be surprised if their dates were different (wouldn't want to make this easy, now would they?).

2) If I do this, am I then ineligible for free dining if it's offered for my dates?

Yes, but in years past guests have reported being able to call AAA and have them drop the room discount and add the free dining (again, depending on availability). Note though that the bounce-back offer start date coincides with the beginning of value season for many of the resorts. That date is August 5, meaning you have to check in on or after August 5 to get the free dining. When booking through Disney, it also means you have to check in on or after August 5 to get the value season rates. That's right--if you check in during regular or peak season, your rates will stay high for your entire stay, even if most of it is during value season. That's Disney--not sure if AAA has the same rules.

3) I assume that as soon as I cancelled my exisiting reservation, all my ADR's booked with dining plan that are linked to that reservation go POOF! right? I would be most concerned about CRT and HDDR. I'd have to go ahead and pay those OOP immediately to keep them, I guess.

Here's the one piece of good news--cancelling your package shouldn't automatically cancel your ADR's. As I understand it, ADR's are linked to your phone number, not your reservation number. You'd probably want to confirm that with Disney Dining and/or CRO to make sure though.

Sorry--I know you were hoping for answers and I feel like all I gave you were more questions. I know it can all be pretty mind-boggling. Perhaps that's why many of us keep going back; because we've more or less figured out how to do Disney, and having to start all over with a different destination or type of vacation is just too daunting.

 

[mirthmaiden]

God bless you all I think I finally get it.

Seems like I should check it out with AAA, but since I'm not already a member I would have to join, thus reducing the net savings. It seems too like if I were to do all this, I'd want to book two packages Aug 3-4 and Aug 5-11 so that my dates would coincide with the "bounce back" thing and I'd be eligible for free dining if it is offered. Doing that, though, might wipe out any potential savings. But I have 2 rooms booked and a family of 6, so it might be worth it anyway. Oh well, guess there's no point to speculating. I'll contact AAA and find out.

Thanks for putting up with my dittziness

 

[bozley0621]

Here's hoping for the free dining for those us who are or are married to a bottomless pit.

 

[Motherofboys]

Or who have sons who are bottomless pits...

 

[mirthmaiden]

Or who have sons who are bottomless pits...

That's definitely me. I only have 1 boy, but he can eat like crazy!

For anyone who cares, I have a progress report about the AAA discount I asked about earlier. I called our local office and the travel agent was so helpful. With the AAA rate, I get the same package for $512.62 less. After subtracting the $60 membership, that's a net savings of $452.62!!! Wow I just have to sign a release form to change over my reservation to AAA from Disney and pay for the membership sometime before we travel so I'll have the card to show at check-in.

Thanks everybody for the excellent advice

 

[bozley0621]

In April of last year, were Disney Visa card holders offered the Disney dining plan about three days earlier than the general public or is this what Visa and Disney want us to think?

 

[n2mm]

In April of last year, were Disney Visa card holders offered the Disney dining plan about three days earlier than the general public or is this what Visa and Disney want us to think?

Yes they were. I took advantage of this. The way they knew you were a Disney Visa holder was you HAD to book the deposit of $200 on your Disney Visa. The balance could be paid any way you wanted. So if you didn't have the Disney Visa you could not book the promotion.

 

[HotMama]

Yes they were. I took advantage of this. The way they knew you were a Disney Visa holder was you HAD to book the deposit of $200 on your Disney Visa. The balance could be paid any way you wanted. So if you didn't have the Disney Visa you could not book the promotion.

How did you hear about the promotion? I was hoping to get something on my Feb credit card statement, as some said happened last year, but nothing. I check the Disney website everyday, but nothing. I don't want to miss out in case it is offered again.....

 

[Cookie54]

And I do not owe anything on my Visa so I do not get a statement. I only get the flyer ever so often. I guess I will have to keep checking or do you think someone on this post will “let the cat out of the bag.”

 

[n2mm]

I never received anything from Disney Visa about the promotion. Some folks said they received emails from them. I didn't. The disboards is where I heard about it. After it was released, it was in the Wash. Post by the weekend and on the disneyworld website. I wasn't sure if we wanted to go, and so I didn't book until the 3rd day before it was released to the public. We already had 3 trips planned and booked the free ddp trip because of the promotion. (We had done the free ddp in 2005, so knew how it worked.)

 

[Albertan mom]

For those of you who are like me, waiting to see if the Free DDP is coming out in August....
I just called:

Me: Hi, I was wondering if you know if you will be offering the free dining plan again in August and September.

DCM: Sorry m'am, we don't know.

Me: So you don't know if it will be offered at all, or when it may come out, or anything?

DCM: No, I'm sorry, we don't know anything.

Me: Ok, thank you.

DCM: Thank you for calling Disney.

So, just keep on waiting and hoping!!

 

[jobie61]

For those of you who are like me, waiting to see if the Free DDP is coming out in August....
I just called:

Me: Hi, I was wondering if you know if you will be offering the free dining plan again in August and September.

DCM: Sorry m'am, we don't know.

Me: So you don't know if it will be offered at all, or when it may come out, or anything?

DCM: No, I'm sorry, we don't know anything.

Me: Ok, thank you.

DCM: Thank you for calling Disney.

So, just keep on waiting and hoping!!

I tried the same thing and was told "DON'T HOLD YOUR BREATH" by the cast member !!!!!!

 

[mas6010]

This may be a bit of a silly question but how will I know when it comes out, other than checking on the message boards ? Just waiting to make my reservations and really really hoping that it does come out.

 

[jiminyC_fan]

I was just getting ready to start a new thread asking when they announce the free DDP when I found this one. It is just a couple days old and 10 pages already. When did they announce it last year? We were able to take advantage of it but for the life of me, I can't remember when they announced it.

 

[mirthmaiden]

I was just getting ready to start a new thread asking when they announce the free DDP when I found this one. It is just a couple days old and 10 pages already. When did they announce it last year? We were able to take advantage of it but for the life of me, I can't remember when they announced it.

Don't quote me, but I think I read that last year it was the beginning of April. If you do a search on "free dining" you'll find several recent, lengthy threads discussing all the scenarios and speculation. I'm sure you'll be able to get the exact answer.

 

[jiminyC_fan]

Don't quote me, but I think I read that last year it was the beginning of April. If you do a search on "free dining" you'll find several recent, lengthy threads discussing all the scenarios and speculation. I'm sure you'll be able to get the exact answer.

Thank you!