UK Free Dining - Release Timing and Availability Period

MartynEm

Disney OverThinker
Joined
Sep 3, 2015
Hi all,

A few years ago now (2013) my wife and I did our first Disney holiday - we booked in February of that year, stayed at POR with the quick service dining plan that October. Today, Feb 2018, there's no UK dining available, and as far as I can tell, these days it comes out somewhere in April? Assuming that's true, based on previous years, do you think I'll be able to book a Moderate with free dining this November?

Thanks for your help!
 
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Normally the dining release date in April applies to dates booked in 2019 so it would not cover 2018 dates. If you wanted free dining then you may be better booking through the American site as this is more geared up to people booking closer to the time. you may find that you pay more for your entry ticket as the uk tickets cannot be purchased and you will have to buy MYW tickets. Have a look at undercover tourist for info on these. but depending on your family make up the extra spend on tickets may bee more than covered by what you gain on ddp.
 
You definitely won't be able to book for this November on the UK site. I booked last year for this October.

UK Free dining usually starts in April :)
 
A few years ago the booking period was longer. In the 2 or 3 years the offer has been released in April for the following year. They book by date has tended to be in November.

If you wait you may get free dining on the US site foe this November but it has very restricted dates usually.
 


We usually book free DDP for the following year before the cut off date in July to get the $200 gift card (booked July 2017 for our stay in October this year). We have also in the past booked free DDP in October for the following year with a $100 gift card. I do vagualy remember that it used to be the case that once the DDP offer finished in October/November they then used to offer free QSDP with no gift card until perhaps January of the year of visit. We have done that once before and stayed at POFQ in July 2013 with free QSDP having booked in January of that year. Disney haven't offered that for several years now (2013 could have been the last time) and if you miss the free DDP here your only option now is to try and pick it up on the US site and some point as Elise79 says above.

Mrs TT
 
Our plans have changed so it looks like it'll be Nov 2019 or thereabouts, so watching this stuff like a hawk once more. I'm waiting on the new 7 in 7 too, hopefully some good tips for a resort to try!
 


so will disney add free resort parking to their UK free dining offer?
waiting to see.....

We are waiting to see if they will charge UK visitors for parking at the resorts, the cynic in me can't see them making an exception, they have become so arrogant & blatant about the cash grabs in recent years so why should they worry?
On our trip last year we were only onsite for 10 nights having been to New Orleans first & we hired a car for a week which would have incurred $168 in parking charges at the YC.
In the grand scheme of what we usually spend on a Disney holiday not a huge amount but 10 days makes it $240 & 14 takes it up to $336 which is not an insignificant sum.
Why they didn't just increase the nightly rate at the resorts & hide the charge that way is beyond me, they were never going to come out of this one smelling of roses & as expected people have gone into meltdown about it.
Lets see what happens when the new packages are released in April.
 
We are waiting to see if they will charge UK visitors for parking at the resorts, the cynic in me can't see them making an exception, they have become so arrogant & blatant about the cash grabs in recent years so why should they worry?
On our trip last year we were only onsite for 10 nights having been to New Orleans first & we hired a car for a week which would have incurred $168 in parking charges at the YC.
In the grand scheme of what we usually spend on a Disney holiday not a huge amount but 10 days makes it $240 & 14 takes it up to $336 which is not an insignificant sum.
Why they didn't just increase the nightly rate at the resorts & hide the charge that way is beyond me, they were never going to come out of this one smelling of roses & as expected people have gone into meltdown about it.
Lets see what happens when the new packages are released in April.

after my email to the bigwigs, a CM called me back...
we had a nice conversation, but it was clear from what she said that the parking charges are here to stay and they're not going to walk them back..

but she did say that UK visitors won't be affected until 2020, since the contracts that they have don't permit the current year's bookings to include parking charges..
so that means that UK visitors who book in 2018, can't be charged - and that's for all of 2019...
so UK visitors won't be hit with the charge until 2020 at the earliest...
she gave the dates and everything...so apparently that's already known within the disney organization...

.
 
after my email to the bigwigs, a CM called me back...
we had a nice conversation, but it was clear from what she said that the parking charges are here to stay and they're not going to walk them back..

but she did say that UK visitors won't be affected until 2020, since the contracts that they have don't permit the current year's bookings to include parking charges..
so that means that UK visitors who book in 2018, can't be charged - and that's for all of 2019...
so UK visitors won't be hit with the charge until 2020 at the earliest...
she gave the dates and everything...so apparently that's already known within the disney organization...

.

Thanks for the reply on this, it's good to know.
I still think it's shocking what they are doing but until enough people vote with their feet they will continue with the price gouging.
 
IM glad I'm not the only one watching like a hawk for free dining to be released I
Hoping for 19th September for 21 nights will all be free dining dated
 
I'm beginning to see April 19th mooted as the release day on other boards. While we wait, I've seen mention of free dining availability at some DVC hotels in previous years. What's the deal with this? Are we talking SSR, OKW, AKL and co at around moderate prices with QSP? Or do they fall into DDP and Deluxe level rates?
 
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I'm beginning to see April 19th mooted as the release day on other boards. While we wait, I've seen mention of free dining availability at some DVC hotels in previous years. What's the deal with this? Are we talking SSR, OKW, AKL and co at around moderate prices with QSP? Or do they fall into DDP and Deluxe level rates?
I booked last April/ May for two weeks this August. Got a one bedroom villa at OKW with free DDP and (I think) discounted room rate. Hope this helps if you’re looking into it for this year. Those rooms did sell out quite quickly though.
 
I was just thinking about these questions on the Tube to work today as we've decided to go for my mum's 70th Birthday next November.

So originally I was thinking when would Virgin have their next sales as currently the price is a bit high and thinking would I need parking on top.

so thanks @disneyholic family for the parking charge update so i don't need to find another £240 for that.

Might be worth thinking about dining plan as on our trip in January we spent a lot on food so might not save on the price but will save on the spending hmmm :scratchin I have a lot to ponder.

But I love stuff like this as even though I've got over 18 months until my next trip, decision like this and the planning makes my trip seem more real :thumbsup2
 
Hi all,

A few years ago now (2013) my wife and I did our first Disney holiday - we booked in February of that year, stayed at POR with the quick service dining plan that October. Today, Feb 2018, there's no UK dining available, and as far as I can tell, these days it comes out somewhere in April? Assuming that's true, based on previous years, do you think I'll be able to book a Moderate with free dining this November?

Thanks for your help!

as noted, the UK free dining offer comes out a year in advance..
so when it comes out (soon) it will be for 2019, not 2018..

however, the US free dining offer applies to the current year.....i don't believe the US free dining offer has been released as yet, but it's supposed to be offered soon....it will apply to the rest of this year...

i assume a thread will appear on the discount codes board when the offer appears
https://www.disboards.com/forums/disney-discount-codes-and-rates.93/

i don't know if the offer will be for free quick service or free full dining at the moderates.
the US offer is typically different from the UK offer...
for one thing, they usually offer free quick service at the values, and free dining at the moderates and up.
but that could change this year.
and you can always upgrade from whatever is offered (adding on to upgrade from QS to full dining)...

there is another issue related to the US free dining offer
You are required to purchase a minimum 2 day park hopper Magic Your Way ticket for each person on the package.
If you're going for 10 days or less, then you can go ahead and buy the full 10 day MYW ticket.
But if you're going for more than 10 days, you'll have to decide on whether to upgrade the MYW to an AP, or take the minimum required 2 day ticket and then in addition purchase a UK ultimate ticket for your length of stay.

Also the maximum number of days on the US free dining package is 14 (not 21 as in the UK packages).

.
 
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Guessing that bookings made via the US offer (when and if it becomes live) will also now be subject to resort parking fees which of course UK bookings I believe are still avoiding for the time being.

Miss TT
 
Guessing that bookings made via the US offer (when and if it becomes live) will also now be subject to resort parking fees which of course UK bookings I believe are still avoiding for the time being.

Miss TT

true!! something to take into account when making comparisons!!
.
 
Rumors elsewhere seem to all point toward April 19th (i.e. this Thursday as I type) as the release date for this year's free dining - the previous deal ends at midnight the day before.

Enjoying the 7 in 7 series while we wait :-)
 

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