******Official 2017 Free Dining Plan Watch, Wait, and Dream

[sharonabe]

Depending on the length of your trip, you could buy the minimum base+parkhopper to get FD and then buy the base+ waterpark tickets (through a cheaper reseller agent) for the rest of your stay. Crunch some numbers and see how it would work.

Buying two separate tickets will NOT be cheaper. If they want WP&M, just adding that to the required ticket will always be cheaper.

Examples:
2-day PH is $275 with WP&M $292
3-day PH is $372 with WP&M $388
4-day PH is $453 with WP&M $469

PLUS, you can no longer buy the base + WP&M without the hopper option unless there are some resellers out there who still have some of the old ones.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

wow bad April fools joke. I will say no way is there 31 days in nov LOL nov 30th is my bday I know what days are in the month. Also loved and wished the add about Pepsi was right. Right now we have to make sure and order Pepsi for in the room.
Wow nice snowy pic. Must be cold.

 

[mstblu]

NH here. It's been snowing all night, got about 5 inches so far...it's a winter wonderland, everything is covered in white...ugh! Am so looking forward to some springtime.

Meanwhile in Pensacola we are headed to the beach for a sunny, in the 80's Saturday.

 

[JackieO]

View attachment 228668 This is outside my window.

Maybe it's an April Fool's joke and when you go out it's actually sunny and 85°.

 

[agassizsmile]

Yeah I commented on this earlier. Scare tactics and propaganda.

Can. you explain. Why does prebooking a package not giive you a heads start ? Im new to this notion of waiting fir FD to drop then booking my TA always did it.Doesnt prebooking guarantee a spot at that resort and room type so then all you have to do is add it instead of trying to find a room when pickings will be slimmer? TIA!

 

[JackieO]

Can. you explain. Why does prebooking a package not giive you a heads start ? Im new to this notion of waiting fir FD to drop then booking my TA always did it.Doesnt prebooking guarantee a spot at that resort and room type so then all you have to do is add it instead of trying to find a room when pickings will be slimmer? TIA!

The idea is that if everyone who wants a FD deal books their package ahead of time to "wait and see" then a lot of rooms will fill up and Disney won't need to offer us FD. The consensus has been that is only a good idea to book before free dining if you're going on specific days, to a specific resort, regardless of FD. There are many different people, with many different reasons for booking or not booking. I'm not judging either way, I'm just explaining.

Edited to add: prebooking may not give you a leg up when FD drops because if the offer isn't for your resort, or room type, or check in date, you would then have to book an entirely new reservation anyway to receive FD.

 

[DISbot]

Can. you explain. Why does prebooking a package not giive you a heads start ? Im new to this notion of waiting fir FD to drop then booking my TA always did it.Doesnt prebooking guarantee a spot at that resort and room type so then all you have to do is add it instead of trying to find a room when pickings will be slimmer? TIA!

I believe Disney promotions are not just totally available to apply to any room, they have limited quantities. It is kind of like if a store that sold Disney princess dolls did a 50% off sale for the first 50 dolls sold. You could have put Belle on hold, but if 50 other people have already bought Belle during the sale your choice is to keep Belle at full price, or get rid of your hold and buy Merida (because only 5/50 have already been sold).

A lot of people who prebook do so for a standard room, but then find no standard rooms are left for the discount, so they have to switch to garden view or another resort. This is part of why people say it isn't an advantage.

 

[v0mich01]

Did you book through a travel agent?

These are booked by me.

I'm curious were you attempting to drop days from your reservation? Asking since I heard that it is no longer easy to book a long stay and then drop days like it use to be.
I would definitely call back if it were me

I called back, they said there was not booking notes that even said they had submitted the paper work. Anyways she did in then and there, about an hour later I gota confirmation email that confirmed my original dates. Ugh. I guess I'll call again on naptime and ask to speak to a supervisor?

 

[Ybeads]

Can. you explain. Why does prebooking a package not giive you a heads start ? Im new to this notion of waiting fir FD to drop then booking my TA always did it.Doesnt prebooking guarantee a spot at that resort and room type so then all you have to do is add it instead of trying to find a room when pickings will be slimmer? TIA!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but you also still have to modify your reservation to include free dining, and if you don't modify before all of the rooms are booked then you would miss the promotion. Whether you have to modify or make a new reservation, you're still basically in the same boat.

 

[JackieO]

A couple of off topic questions for the experts here.

If two day park hoppers are required for FD, can I buy those and then apply them to an annual pass? (Even a weekday select)

Can anyone out there with an annual pass tell me what the resort discounts are like right now? I can't see them, just that a discount is available, and I'm trying to weigh all my options.

 

[SouthernSoprano]

*Not free dining related, just trying to help those looking for dining res.*

Just an FYI: Anyone looking for BOG breakfast in the week of Sept 18-22, there are currently a few times available Sept 18, 19, & 21.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

DH just tried to prank me...he said he we have to cancel our disney trip because he used all the money we had put away for it to buy himself a 4-wheeler. I just looked at him, and he cracked...he said "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come between you and your other man...Disney..."

 

[KimBean]

The idea is that if everyone who wants a FD deal books their package ahead of time to "wait and see" then a lot of rooms will fill up and Disney won't need to offer us FD. The consensus has been that is only a good idea to book before free dining if you're going on specific days, to a specific resort, regardless of FD. There are many different people, with many different reasons for booking or not booking. I'm not judging either way, I'm just explaining.

Edited to add: prebooking may not give you a leg up when FD drops because if the offer isn't for your resort, or room type, or check in date, you would then have to book an entirely new reservation anyway to receive FD.

Adding as well the fact that FD usually drops at 4am. TAs do not start booking until 6-9 EST. If you are in California that means your TA might not start looking until 9-12 est. that could be 6-8 hours later then all of us here. This is why I don't see it as an advantage. Also TAs can't be in your head. I have the math and know exactly what my margins are between a decision between a value and a moderate. Just too much info. I want a cheap value but not sports, etc etc.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

I haven't heard from my TA once since I booked with her in September, when she basically told me I wouldn't be able to get FD due to limited availability. I will try myself to get it, I can't trust her to do it. Don't know yet if I'll transfer the res to her or cancel with her. I kind of feel like she doesn't deserve it. The only reason I went through a TA is because before I did all my research, I mistakenly thought she'd have a better chance at getting FD than me. Now, I wish I wouldn't have booked with her, because I know how it all works now, and I want to do it myself.

 

[v0mich01]

I booked with my TA after having several friend recommend her, and I really do think she's great, but I may be too much if a control freak to hand the reigns over...Lol. I have been planning this trip since my son turned 1. And we'll be traveling with he 2yrs9mos. So I have pretty much planned everything...

 

[Disneylover99]

I haven't heard from my TA once since I booked with her in September, when she basically told me I wouldn't be able to get FD due to limited availability. I will try myself to get it, I can't trust her to do it. Don't know yet if I'll transfer the res to her or cancel with her. I kind of feel like she doesn't deserve it. The only reason I went through a TA is because before I did all my research, I mistakenly thought she'd have a better chance at getting FD than me. Now, I wish I wouldn't have booked with her, because I know how it all works now, and I want to do it myself.

I would just book it yourself and once you've done that, cancel the reservation with her. I wouldn't bother transferring the reservation to her. That way if you need to change something you can do it on your own.

 

[KimBean]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but you also still have to modify your reservation to include free dining, and if you don't modify before all of the rooms are booked then you would miss the promotion. Whether you have to modify or make a new reservation, you're still basically in the same boat.

unless your modify button isn't there when you go to it. Lol

 

[VillainFavs]

I posted this way back in this thread, but seems like it might be a good time to repeat it! Current booking or not, you have the same chance of getting FD as everyone else!

It seems that a lot of people are confused about having an already existing reservation or not and modifying or adding when the Free Dining is released.

If you have a current vacation booked, it means ABSOLUTELY NOTHING as far as getting free dining! You're no further ahead or behind anyone else who's trying to book the Free Dining as well.

The Free Dining rooms are a set number of rooms per resort and per category. That's it. Whether you already have one booked or not has nothing to do with whether you'll be able to get one of these designated FD rooms.

Some people book ahead because they know they're going one way or another and want to guarantee their room. That's fine.

Others book ahead, thinking it will give them an edge when free dining comes out. It DOESN'T. You still need to go online or call to make the modification or make a new reservation. And if the FD rooms are gone before you do that, they're gone. Doesn't matter if you already have a reservation or not.

And even others wait until the FD promo comes out because they're flexible in dates/resorts so they might as well wait and see what's available. That's fine too.

Just understand that having a pre-existing booking does not increase/decrease your chances of getting Free Dining.

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

I posted this way back in this thread, but seems like it might be a good time to repeat it! Current booking or not, you have the same chance of getting FD as everyone else!

Yeah, not sure why a current booking would get you to the front of the free dining queue. I've got reservations for November and hope for free dining but if it is available I'll have to cancel my current reservations and try to book a FD room. Can't convert my current reservation.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

I think some people want an existing res because they think it will be easier and faster to just modify it to include FD than to start a whole new res when FD drops. I don't know if it will or not, but I've heard people say that.