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

[heath92681]

Joining in! Potential November trip again this year . . .

 

[mnmhouston]

Nope! All three plans now include 2 snacks per night per person.

Ok so what do we lose? I'm sure it's not an extra offering...lol

 

[Disneylover99]

Ok so what do we lose? I'm sure it's not an extra offering...lol

The quick service plan gains one snack per day but you lose two desserts with the quick service meals.
The regular dining plan gains one snack per day but loses one quick service dessert, so it's actually better, in that it offers more flexibility.

 

[sharonabe]

Ok so what do we lose? I'm sure it's not an extra offering...lol

QS credit meals now consist of entree and drink only; the dessert was "lost."
TS meals are still the same: entree, drink, dessert

 

[Shelbizzles]

QS credit meals now consist of entree and drink only; the dessert was "lost."
TS meals are still the same: entree, drink, dessert

I actually love this. I don't need dessert with every meal. I prefer having the extra snack credit. I like to use one on a Starbucks and have a snack later. Or save them for food and wine booths

 

[12disneybee]

booked September CBR 6-20 with FD bounceback with upgrade to DxDP,
FD are very limited for 2017. For those wanting CBR FD, please have a back up plan because it's very limited and difficult to book for FD and with extended FW dates, dates are limited in September now.

 

[DisneyNic]

Hoping for FD for our trip in November!! I know dates were limited last year, so I guess we will see.

(Maybe we shouldn't say that we will go without it........they may be watching!! Haha! )

 

[MrsIncredible1974]

I actually love this. I don't need dessert with every meal. I prefer having the extra snack credit. I like to use one on a Starbucks and have a snack later. Or save them for food and wine booths

Agree entirely. As the dessert was usually a brownie or chocolate cookie, lots more options open up with a second snack credit.

 

[Shelbizzles]

booked September CBR 6-20 with FD bounceback with upgrade to DxDP,
FD are very limited for 2017. For those wanting CBR FD, please have a back up plan because it's very limited and difficult to book for FD and with extended FW dates, dates are limited in September now.

I'm fully prepared to adjust dates and/or resorts to get free dining.
Seems like last year Pop century had quite a bit of availability for quite a long time after they were released (ya know when I kept stalking it because I was depressed that I couldn't go last year ) . We stayed there in 2015 and really loved it. I wanted to try Caribbean Beach because of the larger beds. So I have Pop reserved as a back up plan and if none of that works then I will probably end up going on a shorter trip. But here's hoping it works out for us

 

[Shelbizzles]

Agree entirely. As the dessert was usually a brownie or chocolate cookie, lots more options open up with a second snack credit.

For sure! The quick service ones all are pretty much the same. Last time we were there we keep getting water bottles instead of dessert, simply because we didn't like the desserts. But now I have options.. If I want two Starbucks a day then I can do what I want. I'm on vacation people!!! Lol

 

[gravityhammer]

We're booked at rack rate for the last week of September (Currently in POR). Looking forward to updates!

 

[mnmhouston]

I'm fully prepared to adjust dates and/or resorts to get free dining.
Seems like last year Pop century had quite a bit of availability for quite a long time after they were released (ya know when I kept stalking it because I was depressed that I couldn't go last year ) . We stayed there in 2015 and really loved it. I wanted to try Caribbean Beach because of the larger beds. So I have Pop reserved as a back up plan and if none of that works then I will probably end up going on a shorter trip. But here's hoping it works out for us

Yay, this is great to know because we are scheduled for Pop last week in August! Love it there, such a cool energy vibe

 

[mnmhouston]

Anyone have the time (and knowledge or ability to google search...lol) to post a "here's what we know". Including last years promo dates, resorts included/excluded, release date, bounce back offers, etc as a point of reference and discussion?

 

[MissMaryQC]

So last year there wasn't really a Free Dining Promo like in years prior. 2015 WDW started to offer free dining, but there were other parts to the package; you have to have a hopper pass on the reservation. We bit in Sept 2015 as we already had one on our reservation, but we did end up having to upgrade to a proffered room at our resort of choice. Last year, they did the same thing, but the slots were crazy limited; for Disney Visa holders only first and then the general public. I remember the Dis and the facebook groups lit p with frustrated guests who missed the discount.

Here are some historical dates:

2015 stay

*Thank you mousesavers

2016 Stay:


*Thank you mousesavers

All that being said, I'm here for the hunt! LOL! Hopefully we'll see some better FD discounts in 2017.

 

[mnmhouston]

So last year there wasn't really a Free Dining Promo like in years prior. 2015 WDW started to offer free dining, but there were other parts to the package; you have to have a hopper pass on the reservation. We bit in Sept 2015 as we already had one on our reservation, but we did end up having to upgrade to a proffered room at our resort of choice. Last year, they did the same thing, but the slots were crazy limited; for Disney Visa holders only first and then the general public. I remember the Dis and the facebook groups lit p with frustrated guests who missed the discount.

Here are some historical dates:

2015 stay
View attachment 219058
*Thank you mousesavers

2016 Stay:

View attachment 219059
*Thank you mousesavers

All that being said, I'm here for the hunt! LOL! Hopefully we'll see some better FD discounts in 2017.

WOW!!! Thank you for posting this great info and frame of reference. It looks my dates have a high potential for being included (8/28-9/3) and I am a Disney Visa holder, have park hopper passes on the ressie, and have an awesome TA who will sit on the phone trying to get my ressie updated on release day....soooo now just hoping Pop won't have too limited of availability.

 

[Cbtexan04]

How fast do these rooms typically go? Is this a case of you better be on right when it releases (or within a few hours), or do you have a couple of days to usually book what you want with plenty of availability? I'm assuming it's better to check back frequently, but I guess I'm asking whether I need to be on at 4am every day looking for it (we're Disney Visa holders FWIW).

 

[mnmhouston]

How fast do these rooms typically go? Is this a case of you better be on right when it releases (or within a few hours), or do you have a couple of days to usually book what you want with plenty of availability? I'm assuming it's better to check back frequently, but I guess I'm asking whether I need to be on at 4am every day looking for it (we're Disney Visa holders FWIW).

I'm not sure how it works when booking yourself, so will let others weigh in on that. Anytime we've taken advantage of free dining (3 times), we've pre-booked with an agent and they normally have wind of when it will release and are double and triple staffed working the phones to make and/or update reservations. It has worked flawlessly for us that way, but have not gone since the promo has become more limited. I think we have aligned all of the stars for us based on historical facts, but they can switch it up anytime so who knows.

 

[MissMaryQC]

How fast do these rooms typically go? Is this a case of you better be on right when it releases (or within a few hours), or do you have a couple of days to usually book what you want with plenty of availability? I'm assuming it's better to check back frequently, but I guess I'm asking whether I need to be on at 4am every day looking for it (we're Disney Visa holders FWIW).

Call early and often. Last year I saw posts as early as 10 am of folks saying the rooms we all booked up.

 

[Cbtexan04]

Call early and often. Last year I saw posts as early as 10 am of folks saying the rooms we all booked up.

From what I've heard, the phone lines are a bit delayed as to when you can book with free dining, and that it's actually open online hours before you can call in. I have no clue if that's true. Just trying to figure out the best way to catch the free dining early (already watching this thread, and signed up for various email alerts)!

 

[sharonabe]

How fast do these rooms typically go? Is this a case of you better be on right when it releases (or within a few hours), or do you have a couple of days to usually book what you want with plenty of availability? I'm assuming it's better to check back frequently, but I guess I'm asking whether I need to be on at 4am every day looking for it (we're Disney Visa holders FWIW).

My advice is just from what I've seen on here; we've never taken advantage of free dining as the military discount is almost always a better discount.

So, you don't have to be on every day at 4 am, but you should be watching here. There will be some good intell of when it is about to happen. That is when you will want to be up and on at 4 am. I would have my choices made with back up plans in place as well. Last year there were free dining rooms available for quite some time, but your choices of where to stay do get fewer and fewer with each passing day. If you don't care where you stay, then you don't have to keep such a diligent eye.