Free Dining: Future Openings?

[Tom P.]

Hi folks,

I'm getting conflicting information from different sources and hope you can help.

We have a Disney World trip booked during this year's free dining window. Unfortunately, by the time we got a DIsney rep on the phone, our preferred location -- Art of Animation -- had run out of free dining rooms. We were able to snag a Fort Wilderness cabin with free dining, but that's not really what we want. I'm sure it'll be nice, but we really want Art of Animation.

Question: If people cancel their reservations that had free dining on them, does that free dining "slot" become available again? IOW, is there a chance that if we keep calling back repeatedly every day, that we may catch it at the right moment and be able to get AoA with free dining? Or is it a lost cause at this point?

Some sources seem to suggest that free dining can open back up depending on cancellations. Others say those "slots" never go back into the pool and once free dining is gone, it's gone. We've even gotten different answers from different Disney reps.

Anyone know the straight scoop?

Thanks,
Tom

 

[Master Yoda]

Rooms can go back into those "slots" and new "slots" can also be added at a later date.

 

[iluvMainStMagic]

Sorry if I'm stating the obvious, but just to make sure - you can make the change if what you want at AOA opens up, as long as you are still within the promotion booking window. Once it closes, if you are booked with free dining at one resort but change to another resort, you would lose your free dining.

 

[Tom P.]

Sorry if I'm stating the obvious, but just to make sure - you can make the change if what you want at AOA opens up, as long as you are still within the promotion booking window. Once it closes, if you are booked with free dining at one resort but change to another resort, you would lose your free dining.

Yes, that was what I meant. Sorry if I wasn't clear.

If I'm correct, the booking window for free dining this year closes after July 10th. So after that, there's no chance of changing resorts and getting free dining. What I meant is if it was worth continuing to check, between now and July 10th, for openings at Art of Animation with free dining, or if once a resort sells out of the free dining package, it never opens back up, even with cancellations. It sounds from the other replies like it's still possible something could open.

Thanks!