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

[LucyBC80]

The offer will require either Park opper OR park hopper plus, not both of them.

Minimum of a 4 day stay and a 4 day park hopper OR park hopper plus tickets.

 

[ToddlerMom311]

Disney dining plans are only available as part of vacation packages- which include a Resort and theme park tickets.

Actually when renting points you can get the dining plan AND use the DVA- but you have to get the dvc owner to do it for you. Instead of giving them your credit card you just give them your DVA #.

 

[Daniela Rose]

What's everyone thinking about park hopper vs park hopper plus?

Is it either one or do we have to have park hopper plus?

 

[kels420]

How much luck have people had modifying a reservation when free dining is released? I'm concerned that FD is going to be hard to grab with CBR booked up already My reservation is Nov 10-17 so if dates are correct for FD I would have to make a new reservation for the 14th-17th to get FD which will make me lose my gift cards. I was thinking of switching to the week before Christmas to get the full week of FD. I could modify now before it's released and if any rooms are left that week. I just don't know what to do!! This is so stressful

I can't speak for how it went last year, but the year before it was an absolute nightmare modifying my reservations I'm also at the point now do I book then try and modify or just wait to book. The problem with modifying it now is if everyone does that, then Disney will not have a need to fill those rooms when the promotion comes out, so less rooms would be available under the FD. It's tricky all the way around

 

[Nagy3girls]

That's pretty much it. POR is only included till September. It's excluded for November and December.

Is that for this year? Is POR included until September? I have a reservation for end of Aug.

 

[LucyBC80]

What's everyone thinking about park hopper vs park hopper plus?

Is it either one or do we have to have park hopper plus?

It's either one, not both.

 

[Cbtexan04]

Just to make sure you are aware, AOA suites are the only thing offered w/FD and they run quite a bit more than Little Mermaid rooms or POP.

Poo poo on that, but thanks for the heads up! Looks like AoA is going to be out of the picture then, given our price point. The moderates are just too pricey, given the alternatives we have. If we're unable to lock in POP, we'll probably just use our DVC points, stay at SSR, and pay OOP for food.

 

[LucyBC80]

Is that for this year? Is POR included until September? I have a reservation for end of Aug.

That's what my friend told me. She has pOR up as an option on her website (she's a Brazilian TA) but when I questioned her about it she told me it's only an option to August-September. Remember this is the Brazilian offer and the US offer could be different.

 

[Rusty2rules]

The offer will require either Park opper OR park hopper plus, not both of them.

Minimum of a 4 day stay and a 4 day park hopper OR park hopper plus tickets.

Think about it. That doesn't even make sense for them to offer it that way. Everybody's going to choose the cheaper option. Plus, go back and read black562's original post on page 380. Park Hopper and park hopper plus add on. Not or. And add on.

 

[Skallywag Steph]

Here's something else. Maybe somebody can tell me where I'm going wrong. I've tried to play with the numbers staying offsite vs staying onsite. I have yet to come up with numbers that are significant savings, if at all. What am I missing? Plus you have to pay to park every day. Deal with traffic outside of the park. You can't make your ADRs 180 days out. I have yet to find a significant advantage.

We're booked at CBR For December 11-16 with 6 adults and 3 kids. Naturally we had to book two rooms. Our quoted package with tickets is roughly 5300. We can get a 5 bedroom house less than two miles from Disney for 800. We'll have to add tickets but those aren't heavily discounted. So we'd save approximately 2000 that we can use for food.

 

[Avalon_toon]

I spent the morning searching for a good deal on offsite condos because of the quick service at mods rumor, only to have both my kids say they'd "way rather" stay at POP and share a bed, than have their own rooms/beds offsite... I'm really surprised, usually they don't care about the details so long as they get to go to Disney!

Here's something else. Maybe somebody can tell me where I'm going wrong. I've tried to play with the numbers staying offsite vs staying onsite. I have yet to come up with numbers that are significant savings, if at all. What am I missing? Plus you have to pay to park every day. Deal with traffic outside of the park. You can't make your ADRs 180 days out. I have yet to find a significant advantage.

When we stay offsite, we usually try to book a timeshare condo - you can get a two bedroom rental for less than the cost of a Disney value, and it will include a kitchen for breakfasts before heading to the parks, suppers for nights you get back early, etc. I was looking today and you can get a two bedroom condo within 10 minutes of Disney for $65-$125 a night. Depending how long you stay, it can be worth it to buy one annual pass for the free parking, food discounts, etc. If you rent a car or bring your own, you can eat offsite for considerable savings even if you don't want to cook yourself. I'm pretty sure all guests can book ADRs 180 days out, its just that offsite guests just can't book their ADRs for their whole stay at 180, you would have to book each separate day at 180. We've stayed onsite for free dining and offsite, it just depends what's available. Right now it looks like we could save quite a bit by staying offsite (if we have to upgrade to regular DDP at a mod to get the "free" dining) for our dates/travel party size.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I'm sorry, I don't understand your answer. Or maybe you misunderstood my question? What I meant was if I got FD and then had to change my dates, say instead of Sep 15 - 25 make it Sep 18 - 25, would that be considered a cancelling my reservation and then making a new reservation? Meaning, would I maybe lose my FD?

If FD is not available at your resort/room category when you make that modification, yes, you could lose FD. WDW no longer simply let's you drop dates from an existing reservation. Those new dates actually have to be in current FD inventory in order to book them.

Yes, she told me I couldn't modify my reservation. I already have all my Adrs, so I guess I was wondering if I booked a new reservation if I could just transfer my Adrs to that reservation instead? I'm thinking both of us calling might help us out, just nervous leaving that in someone else's hands. Thanks!

You won't need to transfer anything. ADR's aren't tied to a resort reservation.

 

[vanjust14]

Actually when renting points you can get the dining plan AND use the DVA- but you have to get the dvc owner to do it for you. Instead of giving them your credit card you just give them your DVA #.

Oh I stand corrected...good to know, thanks for the info.

 

[KimBean]

On the target note, in case people were confused about the 5% gift card discount. So, you cannot use the RedCard to get a discount on Target gift cards; I'm not sure about the Visa gift cards, but those may also be excluded. You CAN use the RedCard to get a discount on other people's gift cards, including Disney, AMC, restaurants, etc. Basically, Target doesn't want one person to use their 5% to buy a gift card that can be used in their store.

But does anyone have RedPerks (or maybe Cartwheel perks)? I've seen the notices at check out lines, and it looks like a Target loyalty program, but may be only available in select areas (as of October I think it's in North Carolina, Denver, Houston, St Louis, and San Diego). You get 10 points for every $ and once you get 5,000 points, you get a 5% off shopping day (so basically every $500 you get a 5% off coupon). They used to have it for Target pharmacy rewards, where every 5 prescriptions you refilled, you got a 5% off day. That day could be used in conjunction with the RedCard, so you could get 10% off. And it wasn't for one trip, it was the entire day, so you could go to different Targets, and the entire day would be 10% off. I just wish it was out in my area, because 10% off disney gift cards would be AMAZING!

Looking into this!!!!

 

[mousefan73]

Well, looks like no FD for me. But that means a stay at Deluxe instead!

Basically, I assume the rumors are correct and that I'd need to upgrade to DDP at CS because we definitely do one TS a day while on vacation. And assuming tickets are the same either way. Here are my options.

Coronado - 6 nights, 4 adults, upgrade to DDP (and assuming I can get a standard view room, which I know may not be easy!)

or

Beach Club - 6 nights, 4 adults, no dining plan.

Coronado actually comes out to $659 more than Beach Club. I figure using my Disney Visa discounts and pre-buying discounted gift cards, I can make that $659 go pretty far towards OOP dining. AND we get a much better resort! We're still going to eat where we want, whatever we want. But I see us doing more snacking, less desserts, more water, less soda, etc. And that's how we normally eat anyway! It will be interesting because we've never gone without the FD but I'm kind?

God you are like us!! do you also have a magical labor day deal for a deluxe? The past 5 years we have done PoR with FD, last year we did a split with PoR FD and extended park tickets and added BC RO labor day %...
This year we have only BC sofar booked.. still feel wierd not booking BB or trying for FD.. but if the new FD excudes DDP and only QS for mods forget it.. I'd take the better resort ( though we LOOOOOve PoR) and Storm along bay and eat like we would normally eat... normally we never get desert.. in fact with FD, we would leave most deserts there and then I would tell the kids no snacks as you just had a huge disney cupcake as desert. so when we checked out, I had like 20 snack credits.. ( though we always got rid of them in the gift shop).. Let's see what the FD deal is when it releases, but my gut feeling is this year for the first time we are doing a RO % in a delux with OOP dining.. scary but maybe it's time to try something new.

 

[VillainFavs]

Think about it. That doesn't even make sense for them to offer it that way. Everybody's going to choose the cheaper option. Plus, go back and read black562's original post on page 380. Park Hopper and park hopper plus add on. Not or. And add on.

No, not everybody's necessarily going to choose the cheaper option! Anyone who wants to go to a water park will get the "and more". Makes absolutely no sense that they'd require you to buy water park passes. They want you in the parks spending lots of money!

And saying "Park Hopper and Park Hopper Plus" is the one that makes absolutely no sense. You buy either/or not both.

 

[Nagy3girls]

That's what my friend told me. She has pOR up as an option on her website (she's a Brazilian TA) but when I questioned her about it she told me it's only an option to August-September. Remember this is the Brazilian offer and the US offer could be different.

Thank you

 

[mary219]

This question comes up all the time, and I've seen different answers about modifying online...but it is a new reservation so I don't think u can modify, you have to make a new reservation. I don't know if you can make a new one online, before cancelling your old one. Can anyone answer this please?

I think the question comes up a lot because of the way it appears when you change your reservation online . When I booked ( in February ) there was no discount , but when the discounts for summer came out , I checked my original reservation and clicked modify .when you do that , the discount packages appear and you can choose new offers . I left mine alone because it was minimal discount for POP and it wasn't worth it . So it appears that you are keeping same reservation with new offfer . At least that's how it seemed.
Keeping POP and my dining plan either way , but a discount would be great!
As far as making new one before canceling old one , maybe not doable if you are choosing same guests in party . Just think Disney would check that to make sure they don't have rooms out of service that they could book.

 

[VillainFavs]

Think about it. That doesn't even make sense for them to offer it that way. Everybody's going to choose the cheaper option. Plus, go back and read black562's original post on page 380. Park Hopper and park hopper plus add on. Not or. And add on.

And if you really had to buy the "plus", it would simply say "Park Hopper Plus add on" and not list park hopper separately.

 

[Lesley Wake]

What's everyone thinking about park hopper vs park hopper plus? Is it either one or do we have to have park hopper plus?

Yes, this is very confusing. However, looking at Mousesavers chart (https://www.mousesavers.com/disney-world-magic-your-way-ticket-price-chart/), it isn't toooo much money to add the PH+ vs just the PH (for 4-day passes or longer it's only $16 more total). I would bet most people would grumble, but then just get them and not use it. That's an extra $16 in Disney's pocket for every guest.

That's what my friend told me. She has pOR up as an option on her website (she's a Brazilian TA) but when I questioned her about it she told me it's only an option to August-September. Remember this is the Brazilian offer and the US offer could be different.

I'm really hoping this is the case! I've been having an off-day (not Disney or anything specific, just general malaise), and this perked me back up! I'm staying at POR in sept, and even though the DDP would save more money, the QSDP+upgrade still saves over $400.