Free Dining Fall 2015? (and a whole lot more)

[00zero00]

The 27th is when my window for ADR's open. I am also a Visa holder. I'm guessing that I should try to make my ADR's online and phone in for free dining? We are already booked at AoA and plan on staying there if free dining and switching resorts doesn't work. I am just nervous about getting the ADRs and switching resorts at the same time, or having to wait on hold for hours for our dining reservations, or even the website crashing. We are trying to get CRT and BOG, along with a pre-park opening H&V. Is the dining reservations separate from the resort reservations when you call disney?

 

[aaarcher86]

Early booking for Visa customers is only via phone.

Yes, I know. They were talking about the general public offer.

 

[RejoyceoverDisney]

Ok I have questions that might not be an easy answer.

Because of work situations, my husband and I want to vacation at WDW but we might not be there all the same days but some will overlap.
We are the same Disney Visa card and will be using it to pay for our vacation.

1)If he will arrive 2 days before me, doesn't the reservation have to be with his name as primary guest and me as his guest?
2)Do we need to tell Disney which days we will be solo vs together since we plan to just book the room for 9 nights with 6 days park passes?
3)If we do have to tell them which days we will both be there, how many Dining credits do we each get?

I hope that wasn't too confusing. Basically he will be there a couple days before me and leave a couple days before I leave and we will over lap the middle days. With work schedules this is the only way we can each get a week vacation there.
Thanks if you have had experience with this kind of arrangement. I'm sure work schedules have messed up family vacations before so this can't be all that odd.

 

[donp]

I have a question about dining reservations. We are a party of two and have booked a resort. We will be meeting up with my daughter and her family of five for dinners but she hasn't booked yet (waiting for free dining). So.....can I make reservations on my 180 days for a party of seven?

Yes

 

[aaarcher86]

Ok I have questions that might not be an easy answer.

Because of work situations, my husband and I want to vacation at WDW but we might not be there all the same days but some will overlap.
We are the same Disney Visa card and will be using it to pay for our vacation.

1)If he will arrive 2 days before me, doesn't the reservation have to be with his name as primary guest and me as his guest?
2)Do we need to tell Disney which days we will be solo vs together since we plan to just book the room for 9 nights with 6 days park passes?
3)If we do have to tell them which days we will both be there, how many Dining credits do we each get?

I hope that wasn't too confusing. Basically he will be there a couple days before me and leave a couple days before I leave and we will over lap the middle days. With work schedules this is the only way we can each get a week vacation there.
Thanks if you have had experience with this kind of arrangement. I'm sure work schedules have messed up family vacations before so this can't be all that odd.

1) it doesn't have to be, but that'd probably be easiest.

2) No. Everyone has to have the same package, so just book the whole thing together for the full number of nights.

3) kind of the same as above. Everyone has to match on the package, so each person is given credits based on the number of nights. They're pooled into one group though, so they aren't separated by person.

 

[donp]

Ok I have questions that might not be an easy answer.

Because of work situations, my husband and I want to vacation at WDW but we might not be there all the same days but some will overlap.
We are the same Disney Visa card and will be using it to pay for our vacation.

1)If he will arrive 2 days before me, doesn't the reservation have to be with his name as primary guest and me as his guest?
2)Do we need to tell Disney which days we will be solo vs together since we plan to just book the room for 9 nights with 6 days park passes?
3)If we do have to tell them which days we will both be there, how many Dining credits do we each get?

I hope that wasn't too confusing. Basically he will be there a couple days before me and leave a couple days before I leave and we will over lap the middle days. With work schedules this is the only way we can each get a week vacation there.
Thanks if you have had experience with this kind of arrangement. I'm sure work schedules have messed up family vacations before so this can't be all that odd.

Yes, have him book as the primary guest. You should receive your magic bands at home, so as long as he is there to check in, you should be fine. You would book for the 9 nights, and the 6 day park passes. I believe that you get dining credits for the number of nights that you book, not the number of days in the park (because the cost of the tickets are weighted towards the front end, and after three days tickets, are only about $11 a night to add an extra day). So, you would have 18 Quick Service and 9 snacks apiece for the quick dining plan or 9 Table, 9 QS, and 9 snacks apiece if you are on the Regular Dining Plan. Everyone on the plan has to book the same package as everyone else. Someone else can correct me if I am wrong, but I think this is how it goes.

 

[donp]

aarcher!! You are too fast (and succinct!) for me!

 

[DisneyDad79]

I have a question I don't think I've seen. Would I be allowed to add free dining to the reservations of people who I'm "linked" to? We have three families going together and I am the only one with enough work flexibility to call and sit on hold for an hour plus if need be.

 

[milwaukee1]

Hi. Ive read that you can book two rooms using the same card (disney visa or other). If the first room is for people in the party arriving on one date and the second room is for people in the party arriving a few days later, am i still able to book both rooms? Will they be on the same reservation, or linked online so i can do FP for everyone under my MDE account? Or does it have to be two totally seperate reservations? Am i still able to link them online for planning purposes? If i have to do it as two separate reservations i can just do that online then? Or does there have to be a seperate MDE account for that? Does this make sense? lol
I know if i use the visa i have to call regardless.
Thanks for any help

 

[mrsmomo]

How does free dining work if your an annual passholder?

 

[donp]

I have a question I don't think I've seen. Would I be allowed to add free dining to the reservations of people who I'm "linked" to? We have three families going together and I am the only one with enough work flexibility to call and sit on hold for an hour plus if need be.

If you have the Disney Visa? Yes, but you would need there reservation numbers and have all their info to verify, and then you would have to put down $200 for EACH room with the DV.

 

[DisneyDad79]

If you have the Disney Visa? Yes, but you would need there reservation numbers and have all their info to verify, and then you would have to put down $200 for EACH room with the DV.

Thanks for the quick reply, but I just mean for the general public. If I have their reservation info then would I be good to go?

 

[donp]

How does free dining work if your an annual passholder?

Smitch has posted on this somewhere in the past 100 pages , but I believe that you have to get a 2 day ticket, and can then NOT use it if your AP is active. You can than use that 2-day ticket on a future trip, or credit it on your next year's pass.

 

[donp]

Thanks for the quick reply, but I just mean for the general public. If I have their reservation info then would I be good to go?

Got it. If it were me, I would just try to book them online (of course, you would have to have their log-ins and passwords, but seems easy enough to do). Or, yes, you could sit on the phones and be the point person as long as you can verify all the info. You could then try to link that all together on the phone. I think that if you are all linked together beforehand, that would make things smoother.

 

[donp]

Hi. Ive read that you can book two rooms using the same card (disney visa or other). If the first room is for people in the party arriving on one date and the second room is for people in the party arriving a few days later, am i still able to book both rooms? Will they be on the same reservation, or linked online so i can do FP for everyone under my MDE account? Or does it have to be two totally seperate reservations? Am i still able to link them online for planning purposes? If i have to do it as two separate reservations i can just do that online then? Or does there have to be a seperate MDE account for that? Does this make sense? lol
I know if i use the visa i have to call regardless.
Thanks for any help

Each room is a different reservation and confirmation. You can book both as long as you have everyone's information (addresses, ages, phone numbers, credit cards). Make sure that everyone has invited everyone else in MDE, and have the reservations linked together. You should then be able to book your FPs, link your dining, etc, online or on the app. Did that answer your question?

 

[prettypatchesmsu]

So excited! How are we going to make it another week?!! I'm dying to know the dates and hotels!

 

[mrsmomo]

Smitch has posted on this somewhere in the past 100 pages , but I believe that you have to get a 2 day ticket, and can then NOT use it if your AP is active. You can than use that 2-day ticket on a future trip, or credit it on your next year's pass.

Thank you! That's what I thought but I was hoping I was wrong lol

 

[Grumpyhaus]

How does free dining work if your an annual passholder?

Free Dining is a Room Only offer which is why it's not able to be combined with other RO offers such as AP or FL Resident room discounts. We have AP and have used FD the last 2 years.

**EDIT** My wife corrected me, we had PINS in the past so you may need a ticket

 

[RejoyceoverDisney]

1) it doesn't have to be, but that'd probably be easiest.

2) No. Everyone has to have the same package, so just book the whole thing together for the full number of nights.

3) kind of the same as above. Everyone has to match on the package, so each person is given credits based on the number of nights. They're pooled into one group though, so they aren't separated by person.

Thank you that is what I thought. And makes signature dinning together much easier.

aarcher!! You are too fast (and succinct!) for me!

I have a question I don't think I've seen. Would I be allowed to add free dining to the reservations of people who I'm "linked" to? We have three families going together and I am the only one with enough work flexibility to call and sit on hold for an hour plus if need be.

In 2013 we went with another couple but had separate reservations. When FD came up, I was able to give their reservation #. The problem was we had to switch resorts so the CM was a little hesitant to add additional $$ to their reservation but did do it anyway. You do have to have their information to do it. The information you have the better. I lucked out and my friend was able to be reached via text to answer a few questions.

How does free dining work if your an annual passholder?

I saw someone elses answer but wanted to comment. I'm in debate mode for Annual pass and read that I can upgrade before I use the last of my days on this trip and am considering that so that I can use FD this time. But that's a little easier since I don't have AP yet.
I'm hoping to go back for a couple long weekend trips over the next year. So it makes AP tempting since as someone said the first couple days are were the money is collected on tickets.

I'm rather shocked at how addicted I have become over Disney vacations. Then again where am I posting about this.

 

[Jojo h]

I know I've seen it posted somewhere, but I can't find it now. Were the AoA suites excluded from fd in the past? I know lm rooms have been.