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

[ThistleMae]

Question....

I think I got some dates that will be a good deal and work for us.

My only concern is flying the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Are the prices of flights usually crazy that weekend?

I think the flights were lower the day after.

 

[Greg36]

I am finding a lot more availability open today for our dates. I have been periodically checking... Still nothing for CB or CS, but several others open that have not been for weeks. Even seeing little mermaid rooms at AoA...

 

[Confederate Scott]

Where is Shula's?

Shula's is in the Dolphin. It is so good. Fantastic service both times we have been there.

 

[Susan Doeberl]

Where is Shula's?

it is located in the dolphin hotel at the boardwalk.

 

[squirrel]

IF the rumors are correct and free dining starts 11/25 for us after Thanksgiving folks, and I want to arrive the evening of 11/24, do I not get free dining? How do I make this work?

First try and book the FD portion of your trip. Then book a room only for the first night. You can still get access to the tickets that are part of your FD package, if you want during your RO reservation.

 

[ean]

Please update everyone on Sunday with the details in those ads.

Well, you will force me to purchase a newspaper! I haven't done that for at least a decade

 

[Jeaniec]

IF the rumors are correct and free dining starts 11/25 for us after Thanksgiving folks, and I want to arrive the evening of 11/24, do I not get free dining? How do I make this work?

You may need two different reservations. If you book your entire trip beginning on the 24th, you will not have FD for the rest of your trip. You have to play by the rules.

 

[DisneyLifePapioNe]

Well, you will force me to purchase a newspaper! I haven't done that for at least a decade

Send me the bill!!!!!

 

[ean]

Send me the bill!!!!!

Just go ahead and book me a night at the Poly, then I will call it even.

 

[LWJ35244]

IF the rumors are correct and free dining starts 11/25 for us after Thanksgiving folks, and I want to arrive the evening of 11/24, do I not get free dining? How do I make this work?

I would consider booking your package to start on 11/25 (the first day of the deal, if that is the date it starts). If you still arrive on the 24th, you could find an off-site hotel to stay that first night. (My family has done that before where we stay off site using hotel points on the evening we drive in to Orlando -- then our park package/hotel/dining starts the next morning.)

 

[stayathomehero]

I find it totally absurd, for the school to have an issue with a family vacation if your child is getting good grades. The mentality of punishing everyone because of the children that have attendance issues that are not excused, is ridiculous. It's the worst way to solve the ongoing issue of attendance for the smaller number of kids with this problem. So glad to hear some schools have a more reasonable approach.

I also don't like that the excuse tends to be "children who miss X amount of days are more likely to fail math" or "more likely to drop out of school." This excuse simply does not apply to kids who do well in school yet are absent due to family vacations. The kids who are doing poorly in school are failing not because of going to Disney World but due to other more important issues.

 

[ThistleMae]

How do you add free dining if you already have a reservation? What if my reservation is for October 1 but I wanna add an additional day (9/30) to get the free dining?

It's a whole new reservation. Your reservation can't start before FD starts. It can go past the end dates of FD, as long as it starts somewhere amongst the dates FD is offered. If you want to go a day before it starts, you have to book two seperate reservations, commonly referred to as a split stay, one for the day before and another starting the day of.

 

[ThistleMae]

I also don't like that the excuse tends to be "children who miss X amount of days are more likely to fail math" or "more likely to drop out of school." This excuse simply does not apply to kids who do well in school yet are absent due to family vacations. The kids who are doing poorly in school are failing not because of going to Disney World but due to other more important issues.

Exactly!

 

[Confederate Scott]

So you think I should book another reservation and cancel the one I have now? If I do that, how quickly are my funds refunded? So far, we've only made two payments and they are on two different cards.

I would not cancel your existing reservation until you are able to book one with free dining. Especially if you are booked where you want to be. You run the risk of there being no availability when you go to book again if you were not able to book with free dining.

 

[KimBean]

Shula's is in the Dolphin. It is so good. Fantastic service both times we have been there.

This is really making me want to go to Shulas. I've always heard spectacular things. I know, not on DDP.

 

[ThistleMae]

IF the rumors are correct and free dining starts 11/25 for us after Thanksgiving folks, and I want to arrive the evening of 11/24, do I not get free dining? How do I make this work?

You need to book a new reservation for the 25th, and you may have to change resorts, and of course it depends on availabiltiy. It's called a split stay.

 

[ThistleMae]

I would not cancel your existing reservation until you are able to book one with free dining. Especially if you are booked where you want to be. You run the risk of there being no availability when you go to book again if you were not able to book with free dining.

Yes...this.

 

[Rusty2rules]

How do you add free dining if you already have a reservation? What if my reservation is for October 1 but I wanna add an additional day (9/30) to get the free dining?

It's a whole new reservation. Your reservation can't start before FD starts. It can go past the end dates of FD, as long as it starts somewhere amongst the dates FD is offered. If you want to go a day before it starts, you have to book two seperate reservations, commonly referred to as a split stay, one for the day before and another starting the day of.

@Disneygurl84 I assume you already have a reservation. I think your best bet would be to go ahead and add the day (9/30) now before FD drops. If the rumors are incorrect you can always drop the added day. But, if you reserve it now, you already have the reservation set and the room reserved before inventory dries up. That's what I did yesterday. I had a 3n/4d reservation. The rumor is 4n/5d will be the requirement. I talked to my TA and we both agreed it's easier/better to add the extra day now and drop it if it's not needed later. Just my two cents worth.

 

[filou]

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/special-offers/stay-dining

"Get a free dining plan when you purchase a non-discounted 6-night/7-day Magic Your Way package that includes a room at a select Disney Resort hotel and ..."

 

[Rusty2rules]

A few questions:

1. Does anyone have the website which states the free dining info?

2. If we get the QSD for free how to we go about upgrading to the regular dining plan? Is it just paying the difference?

Also - since some say POR is included and others say it isn't included I wouldn't be surprised if it was only included in the first batch of dates. Anyone's thoughts?

I don't think anybody answered this. Sorry for the repeat if they did.

1. There is no website. Strictly rumor at this point. And there won't be a website until it actually drops. If you want to see where the original rumor came from go back to page 380 of this thread and look at black562's comment.

2. Yes, you pay the difference. It's roughly $21 per adult per day and roughly $4 per child per day.

POR has been asked about and talked about so many times through this thread, OMG. LOL Personally, my thought is only the most expensive rooms at POR will be included, but that's only a guess, and not even an educated one. LOL I'm basing that on the fact there's such limited availability at the mods already because of all the construction. If I recall, POR has historically been included in August and September and then blocked out after that. At this point, POR is anybody's guess. I love to gamble but I wouldn't bet anything on POR's availability.