Free Dining and Upgrading to Annual Pass

[Lisa McCabe]

Has anyone ever took advantage of the Free Dining Promotion and then upgraded to an annual pass. I want to go to the park the first day of our trip and upgrade. Is this possible? Will my dining and annual pass still be available on my magic bands? Will my FastPass + selections still be intact? Would it be better to buy the hopper and go upgrade on the last day?

 

[Monty]

Fastpass+ will be intact regardless. You room key and FP+ are all tied to your MDE account which is accessed by the MagicBand. Your tickets that you want to upgrade are there as well, but it is all compartmentalized so upgrading should be fine. That said, I've heard stories that it did occasionally create problems. I think if you go to Guest Relations to do the upgrade and make it clear that you have free dining and you want to be sure it's intact when they're done, you'll be OK.

 

[Sarah24]

I was just told by a cast member via phone that I could not apply my entire ticket to an annual pass (when using the free dining).... that I would have to keep 2 days aside and use those next year towards my renewal. Help! This is not what I want to do!!!

Is this the case or are they just trying to keep people from doing what I would like to do.... free dining and a new pass.

 

[Sarah24]

I was just told by a cast member via phone that I could not apply my entire ticket to an annual pass (when using the free dining).... that I would have to keep 2 days aside and use those next year towards my renewal. Help! This is not what I want to do!!!

Is this the case or are they just trying to keep people from doing what I would like to do.... free dining and a new pass.

 

[Sarah24]

I am not a pass holder and have never been. I just thought that we could (and have read that if you did) upgrade your tickets while there that you would apply the entire ticket value to the pass purchase.

 

[Sarah24]

I am not a pass holder and have never been. I just thought that we could (and have read that if you did) upgrade your tickets while there that you would apply the entire ticket value to the pass purchase.

 

[EmmieSue]

You can always try calling again and see if a different cast member can explain it better, but I know they don't want people to have both a pass and free dining. So my guess is that is the issue you are running into.

 

[Rob562]

I am aware that you have never been a pass holder, but disney is making it so you have to purchase a three night stay with a two day park minimum in order to receive the free dining. Therefore if you took all your tickets and applied them to the pass, you would not meet that requirement anymore and would not get to keep the free dining.

Pass holders can only get the free dining if they purchase the package requirement on top of having the pass. So it would be the same thing in your case. Upgrading would mean you just have a pass at that point, not the package.

You have to leave the two tickets aside to meet the requirements for the free dining.

The CM on the phone was mis-informed. Once you check in, you can do whatever you want with the ticket, which includes upgrading it to any more-expensive ticket, including an AP, adding days, adding options, etc.

The confusion seems to come from those who *already* have an AP and want to get Free Dining (which was touched on by other posters in this thread). The minimum purchase is a 2-day ticket for the package, so even if you already have an AP, you have to buy that 2-day ticket. The ticket can then be saved and used toward an AP renewal in the future.

If anything has changed, it's a *brand* new policy (like so new it was implemented today...)

-Rob

 

[EmmieSue]

The CM on the phone was mis-informed. Once you check in, you can do whatever you want with the ticket, which includes upgrading it to any more-expensive ticket, including an AP, adding days, adding options, etc.

The confusion seems to come from those who *already* have an AP and want to get Free Dining (which was touched on by other posters in this thread). The minimum purchase is a 2-day ticket for the package, so even if you already have an AP, you have to buy that 2-day ticket. The ticket can then be saved and used toward an AP renewal in the future.

If anything has changed, it's a *brand* new policy (like so new it was implemented today...)

-Rob

So the cm was confused where I was confused then?

 

[Tuvalu]

@Rob562 and @akayw0718 ~

Question about free dining and AP renewal...may share a room with my son under the free dining promotion. He does not have an AP, and would need a 5-day park hopper. I know I would also need to purchase the 5-day hopper since everyone in the room needs to be on the same package. Can I use that 5-day hopper towards my AP renewal? I will be within a month of my renewal date when I travel, so can I just go to Guest Relations and give them the 5-day hopper and pay the difference to renew my AP?

 

[Rob562]

@Rob562 and @akayw0718 ~

Question about free dining and AP renewal...may share a room with my son under the free dining promotion. He does not have an AP, and would need a 5-day park hopper. I know I would also need to purchase the 5-day hopper since everyone in the room needs to be on the same package. Can I use that 5-day hopper towards my AP renewal? I will be within a month of my renewal date when I travel, so can I just go to Guest Relations and give them the 5-day hopper and pay the difference to renew my AP?

While I haven't personally applied a ticket to a renewal, only a new AP, everything I've read says that as long as you are within a month of AP expiration, yes you can do that.

-Rob

 

[Tuvalu]

While I haven't personally applied a ticket to a renewal, only a new AP, everything I've read says that as long as you are within a month of AP expiration, yes you can do that.

-Rob

Thanks. Another question ~ when you book a MYW package do you get a physical ticket or is the "ticket" your MagicBand?

 

[draybook]

The MB is your ticket.

 

[wannabeBelle]

@Rob562 and @akayw0718 ~

Question about free dining and AP renewal...may share a room with my son under the free dining promotion. He does not have an AP, and would need a 5-day park hopper. I know I would also need to purchase the 5-day hopper since everyone in the room needs to be on the same package. Can I use that 5-day hopper towards my AP renewal? I will be within a month of my renewal date when I travel, so can I just go to Guest Relations and give them the 5-day hopper and pay the difference to renew my AP?

Yes exactly so. I have done this in the past. Marie

 

[Tuvalu]

Yes exactly so. I have done this in the past. Marie

Thanks, Marie

 

[wannabeBelle]

Thanks, Marie

Of course, Also just as a note, you can also downgrade the ticket to the minimum 2 day park hopper for both of you and upgrade his ticket to the 5 day hopper and yours to the AP when you check in. Less money outlaid at the payment for the package. The difference would be charged at the time of upgrade. The only thing that would cause a cost difference is if the theme park tickets are raised between now and then. Marie

 

[sring]

Ok so which controls the number of days of meal credits, the number of days in the tickets or the number of nights in the room? If I have a room for 4 nights and a 2-day park hopper, how many days of free dining credits would I get?

 

[Tuvalu]

Ok so which controls the number of days of meal credits, the number of days in the tickets or the number of nights in the room? If I have a room for 4 nights and a 2-day park hopper, how many days of free dining credits would I get?

The number of room nights; in your example you would have 4 days of free dining credits.

 

[wannabeBelle]

4 nights of a room stay = 4 nights of dining credits, It is based solely on your length of stay at the resort and has nothing to do with your park ticket. Keep in mind that if you book a restaurant in a theme park, a park ticket will be needed to get into that park. The reservation alone isn't enough to get you into the theme park. Hope this is helpful!!! Marie

 

[sring]

Thanks