Disney Visa - Fall Free Dining

[SuzyQ]

Hey there,

Disney will indeed offer free dining for Disney Visa members booking magic Your Way packages of three or more nights this fall! The dates and availability are very, very limited, but will be offered on select dates from Sept - Dec.

Booking Date: 9/18/08
Travel Dates: 9/28-10/11, 11/9-11/22, 12/14-12/20

Happy Planning!
Suzy

[harra]

What happens if your date range includes some of those dates but also some dates outside the range.

For example, we are planning (waiting to see if the money is there) on going to MouseFest and stay Dec 10 - 16. Well the free dining doesn't begin until Dec 14. Does that mean you don't qualify because we checkin before Dec 14 and don't stay all the way till the 20th

[GIOny]

Where can I find details about this offer?

[disneydame2004]

You have to check in during the dates listed for the promotion, and stay a minimum of 3 nights on that reservation.

Now, the way to get around that if you are arriving earlier is to make two reservations: one for the dates before Free dining starts, and a second beginning with the start of free dining, but that second one has to be at least 3 nights AND include at least a one-day MYW ticket per guest (you don't have to actually USE that MYW ticket on this trip).
We did this in August - checked in to WL on 8/23 for 1 night, and then re-checked in on 8/24 to get free dining for the rest of our trip. There is no guarantee you will keep the same room (though they do try if you make sure to specify you have a continuing reservation).

I believe, and Suzy can correct me if I am wrong, that if your stay extends beyond the end of the date range, you will still get free dining for your whole stay. So if you check in on 12/19 and stay until 12/28, you'd eat for free on Christmas.

In your case, Ray, you could get a reservation for 12/10 - 12/14 (4 nights) and then 12/14 - 12/17 (3 nights) to qualify for free dining. Checking out on the 16th won't work, because it's not 3 nights.

[disneydame2004]

Where can I find details about this offer?

Here: Mouse Fan Travel Home Page
or MouseSavers.com - Disney World Vacation Package Discount - DisneyWorld Packages
and probably on the Disney Chase Visa website.

[GIOny]

Thanks Pat

[SuzyQ]

Hey there,

Sorry about the delay (good excuse, I was at a special conference at Disneyland for the Earmarked agents; yes - I was working, honest!).

The key with these promotions (especially late in the season) is "based on availability".

If they have the resort available for your dates of travel, and your first day is on or after a promotional date range, then they will apply it to your whole stay - if available.

Example: I had a client who was booked December 16-22. The promotion noted December 14-20, however Disney applied the code for her whole stay since she was checking in during the promotional perdiod and there was availability at the resort with the discount.

Now, another thing that we have been doing is if, for example, you are checking in on the 13th of December. Since Disney will not apply the code for a check in date of the 13th, we just booked a room-only reservation for the night of the 13th and then a new package reservation with free dining for the 14 on. Now, my client does need to check in again on the 14th and there is always a chance that they would need to switch rooms, but that is a chance they were willing to take to save $300.

Hope that helps!
Suzy

[GIOny]

That excuse sounds like the best one I've heard yet Your explanation of the Free Dining does help, thanks for taking the time, now I just have to get DH to commit to some dates

[Sorria]

Bummer, we have APs so there'd be no use in us buying a MYW package for anything even though we have the Visa.

Any loopholes where AP holders can utilize free dining without having to go out and buy whole new tickets?

[lilo88]

My mom and dad have a Disney Visa and we will be there 11/14-11/21 but we already have payed the trip off, we will be using the DDP.

Is there anyway to still get a discount after you have payed the trip off?

[SuzyQ]

Hi Sorria and Lilo

Sorria: Depending on where you are styaing, often times my passholder clients save more money by purchasing the Free Dining with a 1-day base ticket with the package. When staying in a value or moderate resort, this can be a good savings depending on how long your vacation is for.

Lilo: Yes, you can call and have Disney apply the discount if it is currently available for your resort. They will simply credit your card the difference.

[lilo88]

Thanks Suzy!!

[Spodie]

Bummer, we have APs so there'd be no use in us buying a MYW package for anything even though we have the Visa.

Any loopholes where AP holders can utilize free dining without having to go out and buy whole new tickets?

Book the free dining trip!! We had a reservation on our APs and I called to see if we were able to get this deal and the "catch" was that we had to buy a 1-day Base ticket and pay the regular room rate. BUT we did the math and found out that we would actually be saving a little bit AND getting more for our money. Let me explain:

Without the dining plan, we usually eat 2 counter service meals/day so we're paying an average of about $20/day/person on food, not including snacks.

With the dining plan, we would be getting 1 snack, 1 table service, and 1 counter service (obviously ).

In the end, my sister and I both were saving about $30-50 (I can't remember the exact number we came up with) plus getting a table service meal out of it!

FYI though - we had a Value Resort room booked with our AP discount and moved the reservation to a Standard view Value resort.

[WDWForGrownups]

We did the same thing, but then later changed the reservation cause we got an even better deal. We didn't get an AP discount on the room and we had to buy a 1-day ticket, but given how much we spent on food it was a decent trade-off.

[lilo88]

My mom called Disney this morning and the guy said that we didn't qualify for free dinning because my mom only payed a few days with the Disney Visa, but he told her that if we upgraded to a preferred room we would qualify. So she upgraded and we now are saving over $800!!!! So thank you thank you thank you Suzy!!!!!