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

[squirrel]

May I ask for some opinions on our dates?

We are currently booked at Pop for December 7 through December 13. My thinking was that it would be cheaper to fly on a Thursday and Wednesday vs. weekend dates, and hopefully less crowded. However, DD would be missing 5 days of school (1st grade), which I feel a little bad about.

We are flexible for December leading up to Christmas, so we can change for FD if needed. I was recently thinking about Dec. 14 or 15 through Dec. 20 or 21 as another option, because then DD would only miss 3 or 4 days (and leading right up to break, so they won't be heavy work days). Drawbacks include slightly more expensive room, probably more expensive flights, and I assume more crowded at WDW? Would the crowds be drastically different from 12/7-12/13 vs. 12/14-12/20? Which set would you choose?

Only other thing to consider is if you school does a Christmas Concert, and if you care if she misses it.

 

[ThistleMae]

Ok.. let's disney phase out FD. We don't need wait.. for the promotion and discuss about plus and minus being onsite.. and crunch numbers .. excel sheets.. no 180 day dinner planning...
Just find out the budget what we can afford.. and decide offsite or onsite.. EASY
I hope offsite hotels take this as opportunity and come up some kind attractive plans which includes food .. transport


What's ur thoughts if disney phase out FD..

I definitely promote the idea for the surrounding hotels to offer free transportation to and from the parks at a variety of times that coordinate with the park hours, some do but the hours are quirky. Def. great play area's for the kids, and relaxing spots for adults. I think some of them are already pretty nice. Will see, as I am staying off site this July.

 

[agassizsmile]

I'm sorry to be a pain but can anyone tell me what hotels will fit five and are historically included with FD? Finding out that we may only get QSFD at CBR even with the GC has made me decide to recheck my numbers. TIA

im debating if we should stay at cbr also with just QS DP.The gift cards are nice but I dont want to be in construction zone.Why are you having doubts may I ask?we stayed at POR last year very nice but wanted something new.

 

[Qwackertoo]

May I ask for some opinions on our dates?

We are currently booked at Pop for December 7 through December 13. My thinking was that it would be cheaper to fly on a Thursday and Wednesday vs. weekend dates, and hopefully less crowded. However, DD would be missing 5 days of school (1st grade), which I feel a little bad about.

We are flexible for December leading up to Christmas, so we can change for FD if needed. I was recently thinking about Dec. 14 or 15 through Dec. 20 or 21 as another option, because then DD would only miss 3 or 4 days (and leading right up to break, so they won't be heavy work days). Drawbacks include slightly more expensive room, probably more expensive flights, and I assume more crowded at WDW? Would the crowds be drastically different from 12/7-12/13 vs. 12/14-12/20? Which set would you choose?

We started going when my daughter was in 1st grade, 2000, son not yet pre-K, we took them out a week. NEVER have regretted it. We'd go the second week of December on AP's and then go first week of December next year and sneak in extra trip for Fall Break and maybe Mother's Day weekend for Flower & Garden @ EPCOT. We did this on 2 sets of AP's when they were young. After elementary, not so easy, so that was end of that. They are straight A kids, well behaved kids and especially after 9/11 . . . Family Time is very important . . . The Family That Plays Together Stays Together, they cherish the memories, well son doesn't remember quite as much or as well. I'd shop at Disney Store and buy lots of gifts, gift wrap them and put at foot of their bed each morning a gift from Tinkerbell, one day a new Disney outfit shorts/top, another a toy, another maybe a cap, another maybe pj's and so on . . . we still did it (although not everyday) on our trip this past December for "old time sakes". More so for daughter as son is harder to buy Disney items for at his age. Also I'd buy the Disney themed chocolate coins in the gift shop and after a long day at 2 or more parks per day . . . I'd sneak/rush back to the room and put a couple of the chocolate foil Disney coins on their pillows. Little extra touches.

As for school . . . I volunteered a lot, First Aid Room, Book Fair, and other things so I know the kids are already getting a little Christmas antsy and they don't miss that much in a week at early elementary grades. I'd say Go For It~!!!!! We could ride 10+ rides in Fantasyland the first 90 minutes of each day . . . they were real troopers as we were on the go from before 8 a.m. on the bus for first early entry until maybe almost midnight for last park of the day.

 

[WDW1979]

Looking to find how many days of theme park passes were required for the 2016 package, I searched Google using the terms "disney world 2016 free dining theme park passes", but what was interesting was the second item that came up in the search result:

Free Dining Plan with Vacation Package | Walt Disney World Resort ...
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/special-offers/resort-stay-dine-package/
Explore a room and ticket package offer that includes a dining plan at select Disney Resort hotels, most nights from August 21 through December 23, 2017.
​

When I clicked on the link it came up "Special Offer Not Available", but the Google description of the page, which must have come from Disney, reads "Explore a room and ticket package offer that includes a dining plan at select Disney Resort hotels, most nights from August 21 through December 23, 2017" [emphasis on 2017 added]. If Google has linked to a placeholder page that Disney will make live next week with the offer, then the rumored December 23 end date for the offer appears correct though the start date of August 21 on the page listed by Google is later than the current rumor (though maybe Disney Visa holders and certain other groups or nationalities may get the Aug 13 start date, based on the rumored start date).

I don't know exactly what I found means in terms of what the final offer will be, but it is an interesting piece of info for those of us waiting for the release of a possible free dining package.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

May I ask for some opinions on our dates?

We are currently booked at Pop for December 7 through December 13. My thinking was that it would be cheaper to fly on a Thursday and Wednesday vs. weekend dates, and hopefully less crowded. However, DD would be missing 5 days of school (1st grade), which I feel a little bad about.

We are flexible for December leading up to Christmas, so we can change for FD if needed. I was recently thinking about Dec. 14 or 15 through Dec. 20 or 21 as another option, because then DD would only miss 3 or 4 days (and leading right up to break, so they won't be heavy work days). Drawbacks include slightly more expensive room, probably more expensive flights, and I assume more crowded at WDW? Would the crowds be drastically different from 12/7-12/13 vs. 12/14-12/20? Which set would you choose?

Crowds will be lighter the first week, and we have taken our boys out of school 1-3 weeks for vacation every year of their schooling. One is now in college and the other will be a senior next year. Never did it have even the slightest impact on their education.

Live your life. Travel when you can. Life is short, and these years will be gone in a flash.

 

[ThistleMae]

The cupcake says it all. It is BOG. Haha.

Isn't the cupcake just a cupcake with frosting? What is all the hype about the gray stuff?

 

[Gatita78]

I am the exact opposite, especially for a first grader. They aren't going to miss anything critical that can't be made up or caught up on. To me when planning a Disney trip cost and crowds are at the top of the list.

I always take my kids to WDW in september and they miss 5 or 6 days of school. But that's the only time of the year that we can afford the trip. We find the best deals on airfair and value season at Disney plus free dining. We live in Central América so we have to go in value season and this is the only way to do the trip. Thanks God my children are good students and always get excellent grades. The trip to Disney is their annual reward

 

[ParryOttertheChosenBoy]

Only other thing to consider is if you school does a Christmas Concert, and if you care if she misses it.

No Christmas concert, but they do a little class party. (Which is a plus in terms of missing school days since it's a virtually useless day.)

I prefer the earlier dates because it's cheaper and sounds more peaceful from what I see on the crowd calendars, but I do feel anxious pulling her out for 5 days. We tried to plan so it would be 2 days one week and 3 the next vs. one solid school week, but I'm worried the teacher will be upset and judgy over it. I'm not worried about her being behind though. GAH.

 

[Lety S]

I am so bad I have pictures from 2015 I havent printed yet...

I have 2014, 2015, & 2016 pictures to print!!

 

[BuckeyeBama]

I'm worried the teacher will be upset and judgy over it. I'm not worried about her being behind though. GAH.

Teachers have a job to do. Let him/her judge if they wish. You can't stop that anyway.

 

[Lety S]

Isn't the cupcake just a cupcake with frosting? What is all the hype about the gray stuff?

"It's delicious! Don't believe me...ask the dishes!" Couldn't help myself.

 

[Qwackertoo]

No Christmas concert, but they do a little class party. (Which is a plus in terms of missing school days since it's a virtually useless day.)

I prefer the earlier dates because it's cheaper and sounds more peaceful from what I see on the crowd calendars, but I do feel anxious pulling her out for 5 days. We tried to plan so it would be 2 days one week and 3 the next vs. one solid school week, but I'm worried the teacher will be upset and judgy over it. I'm not worried about her being behind though. GAH.

In the years we took kids out, I only had one teacher get all judgmental on us . . . daughters second grade teacher. Back then we got 2 weeks for Fall Break so since we had AP's we booked a 10 day trip . . . fine . . . then when we went for our 1st week of Dec trip before AP's expired, I heard thru the grapevine that she was said to have been heard saying "I enjoyed giving her an X every day" or whatever the code letter is for unauthorized absence . . . ugh . . . and to think of all the HOURS I spent volunteering in her classroom helping some of the struggling readers . . . we're talking 10+ hours a week including day of 9/11 when I came & stayed when all the other parents came and got their kids and left . . . and she said "They JUST Went" . . . ummm excuse me . . . I figure she was just jealous, she was like maybe 25 yr old tops . . . and young and didn't know any better . . . bet she sings a different tune now that she has kids . . . funny how dance teachers, school teachers, band directors ALL seem to get so much more understanding once they have families of their own . . . night & day difference. I've seen it happen many a time.

Early December WINS over missing school . . . for elementary ages especially.

 

[kindle&wine]

I am the exact opposite, especially for a first grader. They aren't going to miss anything critical that can't be made up or caught up on. To me when planning a Disney trip cost and crowds are at the top of the list.

Same here. My kids will be 1st grade and 7th grade when we go in September. The days they miss shouldn't be a big deal and work can be made up. We like going in September because of the lower crowds and getting free dining.
Definitely not worried about the teachers judging me for it! There are worse things I could be doing than taking my kids on a fun vacay

 

[ParryOttertheChosenBoy]

In the years we took kids out, I only had one teacher get all judgmental on us . . . daughters second grade teacher. Back then we got 2 weeks for Fall Break so since we had AP's we booked a 10 day trip . . . fine . . . then when we went for our 1st week of Dec trip before AP's expired, I heard thru the grapevine that she was said to have been heard saying "I enjoyed giving her an X every day" or whatever the code letter is for unauthorized absence . . . ugh . . . and to think of all the HOURS I spent volunteering in her classroom helping some of the struggling readers . . . we're talking 10+ hours a week including day of 9/11 when I came & stayed when all the other parents came and got their kids and left . . . and she said "They JUST Went" . . . ummm excuse me . . . I figure she was just jealous, she was like maybe 25 yr old tops . . . and young and didn't know any better . . . bet she sings a different tune now that she has kids . . . funny how dance teachers, school teachers, band directors ALL seem to get so much more understanding once they have families of their own . . . night & day difference. I've seen it happen many a time.

Early December WINS over missing school . . . for elementary ages especially.

Welp, you all made up my mind!

 

[JadeDarkstar]

I have 2014, 2015, & 2016 pictures to print!!

I have mine all on CDs but not printed I do want to print them just haven't had time.

In the years we took kids out, I only had one teacher get all judgmental on us . . . daughters second grade teacher. Back then we got 2 weeks for Fall Break so since we had AP's we booked a 10 day trip . . . fine . . . then when we went for our 1st week of Dec trip before AP's expired, I heard thru the grapevine that she was said to have been heard saying "I enjoyed giving her an X every day" or whatever the code letter is for unauthorized absence . . . ugh . . . and to think of all the HOURS I spent volunteering in her classroom helping some of the struggling readers . . . we're talking 10+ hours a week including day of 9/11 when I came & stayed when all the other parents came and got their kids and left . . . and she said "They JUST Went" . . . ummm excuse me . . . I figure she was just jealous, she was like maybe 25 yr old tops . . . and young and didn't know any better . . . bet she sings a different tune now that she has kids . . . funny how dance teachers, school teachers, band directors ALL seem to get so much more understanding once they have families of their own . . . night & day difference. I've seen it happen many a time.

Early December WINS over missing school . . . for elementary ages especially.

I would have complained about that teacher. I am sorry you had one like that. Lucky I home school and his teachers have known of the trip in Nov/dec for the last year. In Aug, I need to tell the new teachers and make sure my son does extra work in the first 2-3 weeks of school and then he won't be behind when we take our trip.

 

[CounselorX]

Looking to find how many days of theme park passes were required for the 2016 package, I searched Google using the terms "disney world 2016 free dining theme park passes", but what was interesting was the second item that came up in the search result:

Free Dining Plan with Vacation Package | Walt Disney World Resort ...
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/special-offers/resort-stay-dine-package/
Explore a room and ticket package offer that includes a dining plan at select Disney Resort hotels, most nights from August 21 through December 23, 2017.
​

When I clicked on the link it came up "Special Offer Not Available", but the Google description of the page, which must have come from Disney, reads "Explore a room and ticket package offer that includes a dining plan at select Disney Resort hotels, most nights from August 21 through December 23, 2017" [emphasis on 2017 added]. If Google has linked to a placeholder page that Disney will make live next week with the offer, then the rumored December 23 end date for the offer appears correct though the start date of August 21 on the page listed by Google is later than the current rumor (though maybe Disney Visa holders and certain other groups or nationalities may get the Aug 13 start date, based on the rumored start date).

I don't know exactly what I found means in terms of what the final offer will be, but it is an interesting piece of info for those of us waiting for the release of a possible free dining package.

Good find! I inspected the page source on the link you provided, and the only explanation is that Disney has added this as a meta title to the page. Here it is:

 

[Lesley Wake]

Some more info for people who have an existing reservation they will need to change once FD drops. So, if you click on "Change Reservation", you get this page:


If you click on the "Change" under Vacation offer (red box), this may show up:


Which, started to freak me out!
But if you actually click on the "change" under room type (pink box), it brings you to the page to add an offer:


The FD offer will show up in the orange box if/when it becomes available.

For my reservation, it would allow me to change room type or resort, if available. But it would not allow me to change dates (not that I wanted to). It could be because I already have DME flight info in the reservation, or just the way the package is set-up. So if you need to change your dates, be prepared to possibly need to either book a whole new reservation or call in.

 

[jschoch8]

I saw this mentioned in another forum - if you type "disney world "free dining" 2017 site:.go.com" into google, you will see some info although when you click on it, it is not an available link

google shows this

Free Dining Plan with Vacation Package | Walt Disney World Resort ...
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/special-offers/resort-stay-dine-package/

Explore a room and ticket package offer that includes a dining plan at select Disney Resort hotels, most nights from August 21 through December 23, 2017.

when you type disney world "room discount" 2017 site:.go.com

Save Up to 25% on Resort Hotel Rooms | Walt Disney World Resort ...
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/special-offers/vacation-room/
With this offer, you can save up to 25% on rooms at select Disney Resort hotels in Florida. Offer valid for stays most nights from 8/1/17 through 10/7/17.


funny, I see that posted above now.

 

[Disney Ron]

Here's how crazy we are for Free Dining. When the rumors started we decided to book flights 2 days ago from PVD to MCO on JetBlue non stop both ways for $785 for the 4 of us.

Then yesterday we made all our ADR's for our 8 day trip 9/26-10/4. So we have airfare and ADR's, but no room or tickets.

These rumors better be true!