2018 Free Dining Watch Thread V3

[Disneylover99]

Good thing is that usually after a week of the release madness avail sometimes opens up.

Yes. I hope that continues. But we'll never know how many of those rooms actually go back into the FD pool. Maybe some go to a room only discount or back to rack rate.

 

[Brandon Routt]

Just curious a bit OT but have you guys gotten your ADRs you want for fall?

Yes

 

[rockinrhonda]

I think they do this every year which is why it’s so important to keep checking back multiple times a day if you don’t initially get what you want! I have always booked something the initial day FD drops but have modified it after the fact to save even more money-ie. switch from Deluxe to moderate or preferred room to standard. Also TAs can place holds for 72 hours so they eat up a lot of initial reservations then release them if they’re clients don’t want!

I think you are right.

 

[Earningmywings]

We used a Disney TA that is a family friend, whom assures us no matter the time dropped she will be ready to modify our reservation for FD. I planned on trying to book a new reservation just in case she doesn’t get it, but trying at 5:30 est when I normally wake for work. My question is, if I start a new reservation, how long will it hold before I have to pay the deposit? I can’t be logged into my account since that would cause errors on her end if she is in it too, so I wouldn’t know until later if she got it or not. Thanks

 

[rockinrhonda]

Just curious a bit OT but have you guys gotten your ADRs you want for fall?

Yes I have them all booked. got everything I wanted, had to change my plans a little bit but I got them. How about you, do you have yours.

 

[rockinrhonda]

We used a Disney TA that is a family friend, whom assures us no matter the time dropped she will be ready to modify our reservation for FD. I planned on trying to book a new reservation just in case she doesn’t get it, but trying at 5:30 est when I normally wake for work. My question is, if I start a new reservation, how long will it hold before I have to pay the deposit? I can’t be logged into my account since that would cause errors on her end if she is in it too, so I wouldn’t know until later if she got it or not. Thanks

That could be a problem. I pretty sure that your TA will get it though.

 

[Brandon Routt]

And that is ok. I am just getting vibe this year people are booking multiple bookings with everyrhing set up and only going if FD comes as a modify option.

I see it as people already had a booking and modified it a little to hopefully fit the fd offer. I don’t see anyone saying if they don’t get fd they are not going

 

[VroomVroomLightning]

We used a Disney TA that is a family friend, whom assures us no matter the time dropped she will be ready to modify our reservation for FD. I planned on trying to book a new reservation just in case she doesn’t get it, but trying at 5:30 est when I normally wake for work. My question is, if I start a new reservation, how long will it hold before I have to pay the deposit? I can’t be logged into my account since that would cause errors on her end if she is in it too, so I wouldn’t know until later if she got it or not. Thanks

You used to be able to place a 72 hour “hold”; I’m not sure if that’s possible as an option anymore.

 

[goldnvalli]

We used a Disney TA that is a family friend, whom assures us no matter the time dropped she will be ready to modify our reservation for FD. I planned on trying to book a new reservation just in case she doesn’t get it, but trying at 5:30 est when I normally wake for work. My question is, if I start a new reservation, how long will it hold before I have to pay the deposit? I can’t be logged into my account since that would cause errors on her end if she is in it too, so I wouldn’t know until later if she got it or not. Thanks

In order to make the reservation you need to give a $200 deposit on a credit card. You can cancel anytime before (I believe it’s) 6 weeks. If I were you I would create another Disney account under my husband or if you have an alternate email. This way you can make the new reservation under that new account and then if your TA gets you fd cancel your reservation.

 

[mousefan73]

Yes I have them all booked. got everything I wanted, had to change my plans a little bit but I got them. How about you, do you have yours.

I just did two and all good!. If we get FD we are only doing QS for the first time. It’s over 100 per day to upgrade and we really don’t want it. Paying OOP for the two TS. We’ve been there done that and our trip ends with a DCL 4 nite!! So we will get our dining fix anyways!

 

[mousefan73]

You used to be able to place a 72 hour “hold”; I’m not sure if that’s possible as an option anymore.

Can anyone confirm? My agent is trying to get us a booking and I said I’m willing to try and she said to do a hold. Inwant to transfer the res to her. But I dont seena hold button?

 

[toomuchtv]

I guess I'm more worried than I thought I was. I had a dream that I got up and found out FD had been released last night at 8pm and I was scrAmblscs to try and get it for myself.

 

[sharonabe]

If I book now in hopes of modifying for FD can I add travel insurance later.

Hmmm...not sure about this one. I think there are certain things that are not covered if you don't do it at the time of booking, but if I were you, I'd go read the terms of the insurance now before you need to book so you know for sure. Either that or go ahead and include the insurance with anything you book. You can always cancel the insurance later if you don't want it.

Can someone explain to me how you modify an existing reservation to add free dining? Do you just go in and click add dining and it’s free or do you need a promo code? I have a reservation and I think my date falls in time, but I don’t know how to modify to reflect free dining, plus the upgrade. To regular dp?

Hopefully you picked up what you need from all the posts, but if not....NO you don't just go in and click "add dining." That won't get you the promo. You should have a "change reservation" link somewhere on your reservation page. When you follow that link and FD is out there, it should show you the different offers. You click on the "free dining" offer and follow the prompts. It will ask you if you want to upgrade to another dining plan at some point through the steps.

 

[garris3404]

Just curious a bit OT but have you guys gotten your ADRs you want for fall?

Yes I got all my desired ADRS at 180 days.

 

[Ladyfish77]

Caught up on newest thread. Sure hope we stay here till the offer drops!

 

[SandS_K]

Agree and this is the first time I’ve noticed so many people already making bookings that already includes dining hoping to just simply click modify and bang they have free dining. Doesnt guarentee it. I’ve been doing this for years and I’ve never seen it like this maybe I just never noticed. I just hope people aren’t ruining it. Disney like all hotels and airlines have a revenue management system that I’m sure is dynamic. I even checked some dates during rumored offer periods in there’s no availability. so I why would Disney release free dining availability. Even the podcast say don’t book unless you’re going 100% and just hope for the best but don’t book if you’re only expecting free dining and think you’re doing yourself a favor. They don’t have to offer availability for free dining I’m pretty sure they have their butts covered through their bounce back offers

I have to agree with this. A while back, someone even mentioned that disney has already decided how many rooms to offer for free dining so it doesn't make a difference if people prebook with plans of modifying. So here is my scenario. Say there is a certain room catagory at a certain resort that only has 300 rooms. So 3 months ago disney looked at how many of these rooms were booked already and say 150 were booked. That leaves 150 unbooked rooms. At that time Disney planned to offer 75 of these rooms free dining. The free dining craze started and 100 people prebooked with plans of modifying to free dining. A couple days before release of the promotion disney looks again at how many empty rooms they have. Now, they only have 50 of these rooms available. Well, they can't offer 75 rooms free dining because what if they are all new booking instead of modifying. So, they decide to only offer 25 rooms free dining.

I guess, I believe prebooking causes less rooms to get the promotion.

 

[rockinrhonda]

Time will tell

 

[FancyNancy]

I live in Maine, eastern standard time, I always get up at 5:30 am. I have done that time for several years and always get free dining.

Coming out of lurking to let you know that I am another Mainer keeping my fingers crossed for free dining. We have a reservation at POP arriving 8/19-8/26. I'm a Disney Visa holder so hoping for extended dining dates like they offered last year

 

[cassidy57]

Good morning pixie_mtl, thank you very much for the information and have a great day!

 

[tlmadden73]

But to those vacationers who already plan on going for so many nights (ours is 8) and already are loyal park hoppers, it's not strict bindings. If you are staying just a couple days like in the past needing to stay 2 nights..no it's not going to be a deep discount. And you have to consider others travel situations. We have 3 adults and a child in our party going for 8 nights 9 days. Lets say we spend OOP $100 a day for all of us to eat (and that is QS only trying to find the cheaper menu options) That's still $800-$900, now if a RO discount can save me that much off of a value or moderate I might look into but as of right now I am looking at $3,678 for preferred POP (with hopper) and FD. Rack rate isn't always bad in different situations. I priced out RO for over the end of summer and including a dining package (ease of already having it paid for at the counter) at a value with QSD was over $5000.... so in our situation no RO does not offer us a decent discount. When we are already fans of the hopper and staying for a longer trip yes FD is FD. I am not spending over $2000 in add-ons. With our travel party consisting of 3 adults and a child that really comes into play of how well a RO discount works in our favor, which it doesn't.

Another reason that Disney will probably just ditch the promotion. It seems like after years and years of it drawing people there during a downturn in the economy, it has just become a "going to happen" thing -- and all it does is just give people (who were planning on going anyway) a bit of a discount. I mean, if they announced no free dining, how many people with existing reservations would really cancel?

If the promotion is just being consumed by those who are already planning on going, it's not really doing its job. And since the promotion is gobbled up quickly by those who already are planning on going, it doesn't really give a new guest the opportunity to go "Hey .. free dining? That sounds like a deal" and book a trip finally to WDW.