2018 Free Dining Logistical Question

TheSouthernBelle

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jul 21, 2017
This question may have already been addressed so my apologies. We've never tried to secure free dining so I have a logistical question.

We've booked our trip for Nov (anticipating free dining will be Nov. 14-19, 2018). So we plan to arrive Nov. 15, staying 5 nights, includes our stay at AKL and 4 days of park tix. When free dining has gone live and is announced, will I simply login to my account and add dining to my package?? Will free dining be an option? Has anyone done it this way before. I really would prefer to avoid having to call WDW, knowing that the call time may delay me securing free dining. I've never done this before so I am just not sure how it all works. I am envisioning free dining going live in April and me not being able to add it to our package and having to rebook a new trip :sad:(which I would like to avoid at all costs).

TIA!!
 
I am considering doing the same thing but would be staying November 17-24. I would like to confirm you can do this or something similar before I book it. I thought a couple years ago I heard they had made a change where if you wanted to change your discount there had to be rooms still available because it basically made a new reservation and then afterword cancelled the original. This was even the case if you called in to make the change specifically to prevent doing this. However, I've never tried to do it myself so I am not sure. I would love to just book now and not have to worry about trying to get a room in the wee hours of the morning.
Surely plenty of people know how this process works and will be able to enlighten us!
 
I think you are right- I also posted my question above in the Free Dining Thread, below is one of the answers I received. Sounds like in disney terms it's a new package because you are adding free dining, it's just their stipulation. However, I read on Disney tourist Blog http://www.disneytouristblog.com/disney-world-free-dining-dates/ and WDW prep school https://wdwprepschool.com/about-the-disney-dining-plan-and-how-to-get-it-for-free/ and they say DO NOT CALL. And the Disney Tourist Blog says you can click on your reservation and hit modify reservation to add the promo. However, I don't have faith in this method. So this leads me to my next step where I may use Dreams Unlimited to book my trip since they are on the ball with Free Dining and know the ins and outs. I've never used a TA bc I love planning our trips so much but I may utilize their expertise when it comes to this. I can't lose out on a $1500+ deal for our family. Good luck!


"Technically you would be starting a whole new package, not adding free dining to the one that you have.If you already have the park hoppers, and all the other requirements for the deal booked, it’ll be quicker and easier to do the free dining but you will be starting a whole new package. Which means your ticket prices will be the new ticket prices, even if you got them before the price hike.So, in short, you will be modifying your package which will make it quicker, but it will be a new package."
 
When/if the promotion is announced, you can log onto your account, go to "My reservations" and you should see a link to modify your package. Then all of the available packages will show up and you can search for availability. You're not really "adding free dining" to your reservation, you're really making a new reservation under the promotion. Your new reservation will also be subject to current pricing, so even if you made the original reservation before the ticket price increase you'll be paying the new prices. If for some reason you aren't able to modify your current reservation, my advice would be to just book a new reservation online and cancel the original one later. DO NOT WAIT TO CALL - in the time it takes you to get through on the phone, there may be nothing left.
 


When/if the promotion is announced, you can log onto your account, go to "My reservations" and you should see a link to modify your package. Then all of the available packages will show up and you can search for availability. You're not really "adding free dining" to your reservation, you're really making a new reservation under the promotion. Your new reservation will also be subject to current pricing, so even if you made the original reservation before the ticket price increase you'll be paying the new prices. If for some reason you aren't able to modify your current reservation, my advice would be to just book a new reservation online and cancel the original one later. DO NOT WAIT TO CALL - in the time it takes you to get through on the phone, there may be nothing left.

Thank you so much for responding. You really laid that our well.
So my question is: If you are making a new reservation by doing this, is there any benefit to pre-booking before this deal is available?
 
Thank you so much for responding. You really laid that our well.
So my question is: If you are making a new reservation by doing this, is there any benefit to pre-booking before this deal is available?

The only advantage to prebooking is if you're going with or without free dining. If you book now, you can book exactly what you want and know you have it. There's always a chance that the resort and room category you prefer will be sold out if you wait. But if you're only going if you can get free dining, then I'd say wait.
 
So this leads me to my next step where I may use Dreams Unlimited to book my trip since they are on the ball with Free Dining and know the ins and outs. I've never used a TA bc I love planning our trips so much but I may utilize their expertise when it comes to this. I can't lose out on a $1500+ deal for our family

Just know that you are then relying on someone else to be up early and working AND that they will have multiple clients they are working for to get free dining. Yes DU is on the ball most of the time, but if you end up with someone who has 20 other clients that also want free dining, how do you know where you fall within that 20? They can't do all 20 at the same time. You also have to make sure they know exactly what you're willing to do and not do to get the promotion. What if the only scenario they can find is not one you've discussed and they have to call you before they can book it? That's precious time wasted.

It's really not that difficult to do it yourself. There should be a modify reservation on your reservation page. If there's not, then booking a completely new reservation with the promo and then cancelling the old one is a much more sure bet (IMHO) then relying on someone else who is trying to please many people to do it.
 


It's also worth mentioning that the room category/resort you have booked now may not even be FD eligible. Prebooking also reduces the number of rooms they discount.
 
Just know that you are then relying on someone else to be up early and working AND that they will have multiple clients they are working for to get free dining. Yes DU is on the ball most of the time, but if you end up with someone who has 20 other clients that also want free dining, how do you know where you fall within that 20? They can't do all 20 at the same time. You also have to make sure they know exactly what you're willing to do and not do to get the promotion. What if the only scenario they can find is not one you've discussed and they have to call you before they can book it? That's precious time wasted.

It's really not that difficult to do it yourself. There should be a modify reservation on your reservation page. If there's not, then booking a completely new reservation with the promo and then cancelling the old one is a much more sure bet (IMHO) then relying on someone else who is trying to please many people to do it.

OK this makes some sense as I've already been in contact with a DU agent and she actually said of her 20 clients from 2017, she was only successful in securing FD for 3. So perhaps I am better served doing this myself knowing it's just my family that I am responsible for and will be happy to pull an all nighter. We're headed to the world with our without FD so I'm keeping us locked in for November, thank you for tip. I sort of leaned towards doing it myself, just a gut feeing, but I needed someone else to "say it" out loud!!
 
OK this makes some sense as I've already been in contact with a DU agent and she actually said of her 20 clients from 2017, she was only successful in securing FD for 3. So perhaps I am better served doing this myself knowing it's just my family that I am responsible for and will be happy to pull an all nighter. We're headed to the world with our without FD so I'm keeping us locked in for November, thank you for tip. I sort of leaned towards doing it myself, just a gut feeing, but I needed someone else to "say it" out loud!!

I would agree @TheSouthernBelle. It is not hard to make the call yourself, and you will not be "competing" for place in the list of clients. I have booked our rooms for December because we are going with or without a discount, however if that discount comes available I know that no one will work harder for me than I will. Just like me, you will put your family first.

Years ago we used a TA and he applied discounts as they came available, but those days are long gone, so I have taken our trips over.
 
I agree especially because as sharonabe said above, you cant predict what circumstances or availability will come up. You are the only one who can make your room/resort decisions on the fly. Imagine the TA having to get back to you, back to others, etc., and do they have hours?
 
It's a good idea to make your reservation now if:

1) You will go with or without free dining
2) You want to stay at a specific resort and/or a specific room category and that is more important to you than free dining
3) You wanted a package reservation in the first place (you have to rebook to a package if you want free dining)

Wait to make your reservation if:

1) you are only going if you get free dining
2) you are flexible regarding which resort/room category you stay in, in case you have to switch resort or category or even dates to get free dining
3) you don't want to purchase tickets as part of a package unless you can get the free dining.
 
So I am going to add the FD hopefully to my sons current package booked at AOA (Cars Suite)

So now my question is... Does this mean they will have to pay for parking for their stay since the reservation will be changed after 3/21?
 
So I am going to add the FD hopefully to my sons current package booked at AOA (Cars Suite)

So now my question is... Does this mean they will have to pay for parking for their stay since the reservation will be changed after 3/21?

So, do you mean that if you made your reservation before 3/21 you don't have to pay the parking fee? Or do you have to pay it if you stay after 3/21 regardless of when you made the reservation?
 
So, do you mean that if you made your reservation before 3/21 you don't have to pay the parking fee? Or do you have to pay it if you stay after 3/21 regardless of when you made the reservation?
Reservations made before 3/21 do not pay the fee. Now, if you make a change to your reservation after that date...? I'm not positive but I read somewhere that you will not be charged the fee. But I would probably call and confirm on that.
 
Reservations made before 3/21 do not pay the fee. Now, if you make a change to your reservation after that date...? I'm not positive but I read somewhere that you will not be charged the fee. But I would probably call and confirm on that.

Probably just if its a change, but the reservation number doesn't, like if a deal comes out and you can just add it. But if you have to redo somehow, forget it. This also pretty much guarantees that deals will be out after that date (which I guess is only 2 days away anyway!)
 
So I am going to add the FD hopefully to my sons current package booked at AOA (Cars Suite)

So now my question is... Does this mean they will have to pay for parking for their stay since the reservation will be changed after 3/21?

No one is going to know the answer to this for sure until it happens. Generally speaking, if you modify an existing reservation without changing anything other than adding dining, you keep your original pricing. But this is a whole new thing for Disney, so they could charge it regardless of what you change or they may not. I would budget for it just in case.
 

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