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

[prettypatchesmsu]

Ok again I let a TA do my leg work and lost. Using one from the DIS board sponsored agency and she tells me I have to have 5 nights so she couldn't get anything for me. What? I chatted on the WDW website and minimum stay is only THREE nights. It's too late to fix now and I will keep trying myself but. Why don't I ever learn?!?!?

Sorry I will be wishing some pixie dust for you that you can find one on your own here in the coming days! Keep trying and checking as people will be cancelling and changing things. Good Luck! (And we used a TA one time, and never again. I'm on top of stuff and cannot leave things to others, so it's not a good fit for me. I'd rather do it myself)

 

[Marianm]

Same. Anyone?

I got standard at Contemporary

 

[mommajo143]

30 minutes on hold after almost 7 hours of calling ... everyone still trying - HANG IN THERE!!!

 

[allysetraskos]

I tried to modify my Standard Caribbean Beach Resort for 11/25 - 12/2 with no luck... Only pirate rooms were available
Fingers crossed something frees up here in the next few days.

 

[pooch]

And I was looking forward to someone else doing the work this time. I should have known better. Thanks for your good thoughts. I will keep looking.

 

[eeyoreandtink]

Need some help and I am sorry if this has been asked before but I am bleary eyed and so tired of looking at the Disney website. If I book a reservation with Free dining and need to modify the checkout date but it still falls within the free dining requirements will they let me keep free dining? For example, I see FD is available for my check in date on 9/16 but not on my preferred check out date of 9/23. However if I book online from 9/16 to 9/26 it is available. Can I book it online and modify it with a phone rep later.
Sorry if I am not being very clear.

Checkout dates don't matter for free dining. Just go ahead and book what you really want now. If it lets you book 9/16- 9/26 it should let you book 9/16- 9/23. The only exception would be if you tried to book less than the minimum number of nights. You cannot ever modify a FD reservation to do that.

 

[prettypatchesmsu]

Need some help and I am sorry if this has been asked before but I am bleary eyed and so tired of looking at the Disney website. If I book a reservation with Free dining and need to modify the checkout date but it still falls within the free dining requirements will they let me keep free dining? For example, I see FD is available for my check in date on 9/16 but not on my preferred check out date of 9/23. However if I book online from 9/16 to 9/26 it is available. Can I book it online and modify it with a phone rep later.
Sorry if I am not being very clear.

The answer is maybe. Disney really cut back on allowing this last year and became strict on adding and subtracting days. They started treating it like a new reservation, so if your dates fit into what is available when they are changing it, then you got to keep the promotion. But if the dates weren't there, then you would lose it. Even just subtracting a day. So nobody really knows for sure, as you never know what's going to be available when you call to try or how the phone CM will be.

 

[Marianm]

So I couldn't get anything for my dates at Contemporary. I added two days and I could book it. Garden View. I just tried to edit it to take the two days off and it looks like I will lose the FD deal. If I call can they take it off without me loosing the promotion. Help please!!! I read on here that this might be possible, so I grabbed it, may now I may have to let it go

Call.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

*Runs into thread* Well, my TA came through after all, after giving me mild heart attacks all morning, especially when I had to leave and let my aunt man the phone for the call back. She was able to move us from All-Star Movies to All-Star Music standard and get us free dining for our 12/8-12/14 vacation! We saved $612, which means I can now pay it off in August instead of October and have Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec. to put away for spending money.

What a relief!!!

 

[eeyoreandtink]

The answer is maybe. Disney really cut back on allowing this last year and became strict on adding and subtracting days. They started treating it like a new reservation, so if your dates fit into what is available when they are changing it, then you got to keep the promotion. But if the dates weren't there, then you would lose it. Even just subtracting a day. So nobody really knows for sure, as you never know what's going to be available when you call to try or how the phone CM will be.

that's contrary to my experience booking promos last year.

 

[Sadiemae76]

I have to agree with this, and I am a total crazy, control freak. It took everything I could muster to turn my 50th wedding anniversary over to a TA. She was a complete stranger who lives a 1000 miles away; she was highly recommended by relatives and friends of relatives. But we have not been to WDW in 15 years and my how things have changed. On our trip mid-Sept, there will be 5 adults and 2 kids. We are taking our kids and 2 grandkids to WDW as a celebration of our 50th anniversary. First time for grandkids. I decided with all the ADR's and fastpasses and FD, that I would use a TA. We have been to WDW 4 times before, 2 cruises, a 40th anniversary 10 day European trip..never used a TA and all were great trips! However, I chose to use a TA this time, and it has worked great. I still tend to worry and obsess. But she told us to book at least 180 days before our trip, which we did. Bright and early at 180 days she booked 4 character dinings, mama melroses fantasmic pkg, 8:00 ressie at la Hacienda de San angel to watch Illuminations plus a surprise luncheon reservation at BOG( which I did not really know about) plus a BBB ressie for 6 & 8 granddaughters before we go to CRT and got a table for 7 at each restaurant. She emailed me at 5:42 this morning to tell me should got us QSDP applied to our 2 rooms at POP and had upgraded our tickets to PH and our QS to TS per our instructions. In the email, she sent the new greatly reduced invoice for the reservation. So the free dining saved a combination of $1900 on the 2 rooms. So yes, there are really good TA's and some not so good. I am truly sorry for those who had a TA who did not do a good job for you. I too would be very upset! No one is guaranteed free dining, and my TA told me that up front, but if they aren't up trying when it drops..that is inexcusable.

Well said!! Hats off to the awesome TA's out there. I had a very similar experience this morning. My TA got my CBR reservation modified so we can keep the GC's!! she was up at 3am working. I had an email at 4:30 with no news :/ and good news shortly after the drop!

 

[Mali87]

Hi everyone!

I just posted this question - somewhere but now I don't see it! Ughh - too early!

We have friends that are planning on going to Disney with us in December, first time but hubby is still not convinced. They have a reservation for Port Orleans that doesn't seem to be included in the free dining deal at that time. They can change to Caribbean (whenever the system frees up! ) but ... I was looking at the Canadian deal..

Question - has anyone booked the Canadian ticket deal with a room discount? It looks like that might be better than the free dining if room discount is offered this fall?

There's lot of pages, so I'm sorry if someone already responded....I couldn't get the room I wanted with Free Dining this morning (dates were not flexible) so I booked with the Canadian Ticket deal and Summer Room Discount. It's actually a better deal for me than the Free Dining (at All Stars Music by about $100.00).

 

[stayathomehero]

aunt man

©Disney

 

[mdraz]

Keep trying for CBR. A lot of TA's had holds on rooms there. What dates are you looking for?

11/25-12/02......but we are flexible

 

[dosekies]

I wasn't able to modify my CBR w/ GCs and there was nothing available at POP but I snagged Sports 11/25-12/2. Sports was the first resort we stayed at and we liked it so I'm okay. I am going to hold on to my CBR for a while and check for availability.

I'm hoping to somehow snag a FD for my CBR reservation with my gift cards for 11/25-12/1

 

[prettypatchesmsu]

that's contrary to my experience booking promos last year.

Yeah, that's the problem. Some people had problems and others didn't. I think it was to cut back on people booking a long span of possible days then whittling it back to what the needed afterwards. That's why I cautioned maybe. As last year some had luck and others were told otherwise. It could be some had availability when they tried and others didn't. But yeah, it will be interesting to see how it works out this year. I just want them to know that it is possible that they will not let them. Forewarned and all.

 

[Momzillay]

Does anyone know if it is doing me any good to keep refreshing the website? Would open rooms just pop up or would this be like a daily thing to check? Part of me doesn't want to give up... but if it's not worth my agony...

Keep trying! I didn't give up and room availability finally showed up... It was thru the visa offer link though.
There were added dates thru Visa offer of free dining, that were not listed on the other free dining offer

 

[tomeaine]

Just was able to book CBR pool room view with meal plan for the sept 24th thru the 30th online!!

this was an modified plan as I had standard view booked already with $75 gc deal.

 

[mamamelody2]

There's lot of pages, so I'm sorry if someone already responded....I couldn't get the room I wanted with Free Dining this morning (dates were not flexible) so I booked with the Canadian Ticket deal and Summer Room Discount. It's actually a better deal for me than the Free Dining (at All Stars Music by about $100.00).

Glad you were able to get a deal that works for you! It pays to "do the math"!

 

[Sadiemae76]

Ok. So this is OT but I joined Disboard back in 2014 but just really started using it this year. Is there a way to recognize fellow Disboarders when in the parks???

Someone mentioned making t-shirts!! Lol!