Dining Plan Question

Lisa*C3535

Earning My Ears
Joined
Jun 15, 2017
We are planning on going to Disney August 2018. If we check in on, say, a Friday, and the following Monday is when the Free Dining period starts, can we get free dining for the days we are there during FD and just pay out of pocket for the days we are there before FD starts? Or would we have to check in on the day that FD starts. Thanks!

Lisa
 
Last edited:
Yes to all of it. You have to check in on an eligible Free Dining day, but you can add an additional stay before or after without Free Dining. For example, the date we are flying in Dec did not have much availability (only Deluxe), but checking in the next day we were able to get our preferred resort at less than half the cost. So, we are booking a one day room-only reservation for the first night before our free-dining package starts. We cannot use the meal entitlements until check-in for our FD stay, but (I think) the tickets from that stay can be activate a couple days early, so you shouldn't need to buy separate tickets.
 
The key point is that you'd want to make two reservations. Although the tickets (required for the free dining package) would be on the second reservation, you can get them early and use them during your first stay.
 
The key point is that you'd want to make two reservations. Although the tickets (required for the free dining package) would be on the second reservation, you can get them early and use them during your first stay.
While you can get the tickets early for the first day when you get there, you won't be able to make FP+ reservations for that arrival day.
 


While you can get the tickets early for the first day when you get there, you won't be able to make FP+ reservations for that arrival day.

Wait... why not? I mean, I know you have to have tickets linked in MDE to make FP+ selections, but is the system actually incapable of recognizing that you can pick up the tickets early and start using them before your arrival date? If it can't manage that, that needs to get filed as a bug in the system so they can correct that.
 
Wait... why not? I mean, I know you have to have tickets linked in MDE to make FP+ selections, but is the system actually incapable of recognizing that you can pick up the tickets early and start using them before your arrival date? If it can't manage that, that needs to get filed as a bug in the system so they can correct that.
I've read of someone having this issue but no personal experience.
 


Wait... why not? I mean, I know you have to have tickets linked in MDE to make FP+ selections, but is the system actually incapable of recognizing that you can pick up the tickets early and start using them before your arrival date? If it can't manage that, that needs to get filed as a bug in the system so they can correct that.
Found it from the FP FAQ:

  • RO Stay followed by Package Stay. The 60-day FP booking window will open at 60 days before the check-in date of the first (RO) stay and will extend until the checkout date of the second (package) stay. FPs can be booked for the package stay only; FPs cannot be booked for the room-only stay until tickets are activated at Guest Relations.
 
Found it from the FP FAQ:

  • RO Stay followed by Package Stay. The 60-day FP booking window will open at 60 days before the check-in date of the first (RO) stay and will extend until the checkout date of the second (package) stay. FPs can be booked for the package stay only; FPs cannot be booked for the room-only stay until tickets are activated at Guest Relations.

That sounds like it contradicts itself. The booking window opens with the RO stay, but you can't book FP for the RO stay. Does that mean you actually get a head start on your package stay? Let's say you have one night RO + package and I only have package for the same dates you have package. Do you get to make FP one day earlier than I do?
 
That sounds like it contradicts itself. The booking window opens with the RO stay, but you can't book FP for the RO stay. Does that mean you actually get a head start on your package stay? Let's say you have one night RO + package and I only have package for the same dates you have package. Do you get to make FP one day earlier than I do?
You can book FP for the RO stay, if your tickets are NOT part of the package, and linked to your MDE. So, it does not contradict itself. Examples where this would apply would be if you had party tickets for the RO portion of the stay, or you had an AP, and planned on saving the package tickets for another time.

Yes, the RO+ package would be able to make FP before the package only, given the packages are the same dates.
 

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