Free Dining Extended.

[rob0519]

Staying at CR Dec. 6-11, but CR isn't included. Now I have to decide if moving to the Poly is worth it.

That's a tough choice. We just got back from a week at the CR. If you already have a discounted rate at the CR, the small additional percentage may not be worth the move, but 30% off the rack rate of the Polynesian would be very temping to me. Good luck with your choice. You will be at a wonderful resort either way.

 

[KingStefan]

OK, so we're booked at Sports for 12/21-26.
Can get 15% off for first three days, *OR (not both)*
Free dining, but only switching to Pop Century (I think - not sure). Pop is a few $ more, but for extra $5 per night can guarantee pool view. And avoids food court renovation at Sports. *However*, free dining requires 2-day minimum park ticket purchase; *BUT* you can exchange the two-day ticket for credit towards an annual pass. May be problem for party members already having pass.
*except that* if we switch to Pop now, we will be less likely to be able to take advantage of annual pass holder discounts later in the year.
WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE SO (blankity blank) COMPLICATED!!!!!
Anybody got any advice? (go ahead, put in your $0.02, I can take it, "bye", as they say up in newfie)

 

[bethymouse]

I noticed that the discounts really aren't that wonderful and it is limited!
I also noticed by looking around that if you're going to WDW this weekend, there is availability @ BOG for both Friday and Saturday nights: albeit for a party of 2.

 

[cslafferty]

That's a tough choice. We just got back from a week at the CR. If you already have a discounted rate at the CR, the small additional percentage may not be worth the move, but 30% off the rack rate of the Polynesian would be very temping to me. Good luck with your choice. You will be at a wonderful resort either way.

Made the reservations for Dec. 7-11 to get into their "cheaper" rate time - rates go up there on the 12th, which is when the Dec. dates for free dining start. I did the math and it would be slightly more expensive to go Dec. 12-16 to get the "free dining" than to keep it where it is now and pay for the dining plan! Now, comparing a MK view room at Poly @ 30% off to a MK view room at CR would save us about $500. But, here is my dilemma:
1) have they started the DVC construction at the Poly yet?
2) Love being able to walk to MK (that's where we spend most of our time) and not have to wait in bus or monorail lines at park closing!
3) MK view from CR is way better than the Poly - I've stayed at both.
Not sure if #2 & 3 are worth $500 tho.
We got engaged on the beach at the Poly, so there is love there. It is a more beautiful resort. We usually stay at POFQ, but promised ourselves a splurge this year with a MK view again. Very torn!

 

[jencor]

Wow, we have never done free dining as we have free housing with a friend down there and want to stay with them, but reading this I think there is so much confusion in rearranging. They want you to book months in advance and then offer discounts in shorter time. Sounds like they are trying to fill rooms. It does confuse me though, they are pushing FP+ and wanting you to plan way in advance and then make offers that tell you to wait before planning to take advantage of these offers.

 

[matt9112]

Gotta keep those Signature restaurants full of people in stretch pants and wifebeaters!

You must cringe at the common folk pure filth.....

I have just noticed a biased maybe one day you can build a theme park for only the affluent like yourself and tell me how well that goes I kid I kid.

 

[Chris M]

Wow, Disney's website and phone system is totally inadequate. So after booking a PO Riverside room early yesterday morning online (while the system was half crashing), we called to get the free dining plan put on at around 11AM. We were told the system was down and to call later. Fast forward to last night where I sat on hold for a literal 100 minutes, and they no longer have free dining plans at PO Riverside. I ended up getting the free dining at the Caribbean Resort, since that was the only remotely comparable place that still had free dining available. Not exactly what I wanted, but better than nothing I suppose.

Does anyone know how these "limited" free dining plan promotions typically work? It still says the promotion runs till Sept 15th, but it seems like in 1 day all the "blocked out" promotional rooms at most resorts have been accounted for. Will Disney release new blocks of rooms at these resorts with free dining available, or is this really practically a closed deal already? Seems ridiculous that a free dining promo is tied to specific amounts of rooms at each resort - and that a promo scheduled to run for a month and a half is dead after less than 24 hours.

Here's to hoping I can still get a free dining plan at PO Riverside somehow...

 

[KingStefan]

Wow, Disney's website and phone system is totally inadequate. ...
Does anyone know how these "limited" free dining plan promotions typically work? It still says the promotion runs till Sept 15th, but it seems like in 1 day all the "blocked out" promotional rooms at most resorts have been accounted for. Will Disney release new blocks of rooms at these resorts with free dining available, or is this really practically a closed deal already? Seems ridiculous that a free dining promo is tied to specific amounts of rooms at each resort - and that a promo scheduled to run for a month and a half is dead after less than 24 hours.

Here's to hoping I can still get a free dining plan at PO Riverside somehow...

This is why I use a travel agent. They do this everyday, and know the ins and outs of the system, and know pretty much what to expect is coming in the near future.

There are several good Disney specialists out there; I am partial to Kingdom Konsultants. They have treated me very well. I'm working with them now; just use the Disney site to investigate possibilities. Marie spent hours and hours on the phone yesterday for me (and other clients, I'm sure) so that we didn't have to. Thanks, Marie.

 

[Chris M]

Does Marie know if they will ever open any additional blocks of rooms for this promotion?

 

[DisneyJoe]

Does anyone know how these "limited" free dining plan promotions typically work? It still says the promotion runs till Sept 15th, but it seems like in 1 day all the "blocked out" promotional rooms at most resorts have been accounted for. Will Disney release new blocks of rooms at these resorts with free dining available, or is this really practically a closed deal already? Seems ridiculous that a free dining promo is tied to specific amounts of rooms at each resort - and that a promo scheduled to run for a month and a half is dead after less than 24 hours.

Think of this like a "clearance sale" - Disney wants each resort to be as full as possible every night. If they run their reports on occupancy levels, and see that resorts are below the magic number, they offer a promotion to fill them. When you see resorts excluded, that means they are already over that magic number.

POFQ was one of those that was excluded. Those who wanted free dining and wanted Port Orleans most likely booked POR - filling that one up fast. Some switched from POFQ to POR, but POFQ is still popular and will fill too.

Knowing this formula of supply and demand and the magic number for occupancy levels - how can Disney release new rooms for the discount? The only possible way is if people shift to different resorts or cancel their reservations...or if rooms were placed on a 7 day hold and they get released back into inventory.

Perhaps inventory can be shifted to those eligible for free dining and those open for the room only offer, but I am not 100% certain how that works.

What I am sure of though, is once a resort is full for a set of dates, it is full.

One way to check, is to try to book dates online with no offer selected to see what rack rate rooms are offered, if any.

I hope that helps.

 

[KingStefan]

Does Marie know if they will ever open any additional blocks of rooms for this promotion?

I just brought this thread to her attention; maybe she can help next time she's on the boards and sees my private conversation.

 

[KingStefan]

Think of this like a "clearance sale" - ...

One way to check, is to try to book dates online with no offer selected to see what rack rate rooms are offered, if any.

I hope that helps.

I have also found that things change - sometimes rapidly. Disney apparently adjusts availability when they see how things are going. Or maybe it is that they are still entering the offer availability data or making corrections the first day or more of the offer - idk, but I know things appear that weren't there a little while earlier when you are looking for something. Could also be due to people doing investigations and thereby locking availability for some rooms while they make up their mind. Then when their cart is cleared it goes back into the inventory.

I know my TA has found things that I couldn't find myself online as well. Maybe due to the same effects as above, or maybe more skill in how to search, or whatever. My point is, it is in flux, especially the first day or so.

 

[DisneyJoe]

I have also found that things change - sometimes rapidly. Disney apparently adjusts availability when they see how things are going. Or maybe it is that they are still entering the offer availability data or making corrections the first day or more of the offer - idk, but I know things appear that weren't there a little while earlier when you are looking for something. Could also be due to people doing investigations and thereby locking availability for some rooms while they make up their mind. Then when their cart is cleared it goes back into the inventory.

I know my TA has found things that I couldn't find myself online as well. Maybe due to the same effects as above, or maybe more skill in how to search, or whatever. My point is, it is in flux, especially the first day or so.

For sure. Depending on how far out the trip is, I know that many agencies will put trips on a 7-day hold - and then they will go back into inventory if not deposited. (FYI - the courtesy hold used to be 14 days, but was reduced because too many people abused it)

I would not make blanket statements about everything being full after only 1 or 2 days of the offer being out - I have never seen that in over 10 years of being an agent/agency owner.

 

[Marijil]

Travel consultant...me....my wife.....i got nothing after 30 hours of calling, holding, logging on....trying to get POR xmas week

 

[DisneyJoe]

Travel consultant...me....my wife.....i got nothing after 30 hours of calling, holding, logging on....trying to get POR xmas week

What dates? Free Dining ends on 12/22....and the room only offer ends on 12/23.

 

[Chris M]

Thanks for all the added insight. Keep it coming.

I'm not expecting anything, but I still have a glimmer of hope that I can get a PO Riverside room for 10/21-10/30 WITH Free Dining (I had a room there that I booked yesterday online, so it isn't full).

Any good travel agents who see this and could help, I'm all ears.

 

[DisneyJoe]

Thanks for all the added insight. Keep it coming.

I'm not expecting anything, but I still have a glimmer of hope that I can get a PO Riverside room for 10/21-10/30 WITH Free Dining (I had a room there that I booked yesterday online, so it isn't full).

Any good travel agents who see this and could help, I'm all ears.

It's a matter of just keeping on trying for it. It may or may not open up. Some of my team spent over 7 hours on the phone yesterday on hold and adjusting client's trips (and some are back on the phone today), I know that may of the KK agents did too. With that said, we couldn't get everything that every client wanted either; some had to switch resorts to get the Free Dining or the Room Discount, some decided to stay put and pay the non-discounted rate or forego free dining because they wanted what they had.

There is no secret but hard work.

 

[PhotoDave219]

You must cringe at the common folk pure filth.....

I have just noticed a biased maybe one day you can build a theme park for only the affluent like yourself and tell me how well that goes I kid I kid.

No, when I attend a restaurant that has a dress code, I expect it to be enforced.

There's a certain level of decorum that comes with Signature Dining that Disney has listed but is rarely if ever enforced. If I'm going to drop a lot of money on a special meal at a high end Disney restaurant, I expect the proportional decorum.

Otherwise I will drive my happy up to Sand Lake and go to Ruth's Chris, Mortons, or any number of places on Restaurant Row.

 

[hull327]

This is why I use a travel agent. They do this everyday, and know the ins and outs of the system, and know pretty much what to expect is coming in the near future.

Same. I use my own travel agent (who is not allowed to be named here) for the same reason. Last summer when the October FDP dates were extended we looked online and they said the CSR was unavailable. My kids were bummed because they liked that pool the best. We called our travel agent and there were zero issues getting into CSR when the site said no rooms were available. We checked in for our trip and CSR was a ghost town. Clearly the WDW website was trying to steer people into specific resorts. Add onto that but my travel agent got me the exact same trip I built online for hundreds of dollars cheaper and that included trip insurance.

 

[Marijil]

arriving 12 21....leaving 12 28