Do you have a Disney related question you just can’t find the answer to? Maybe you are planning your Disney vacation, and you can’t figure out what works best for you? Go ahead and ask MouseMisers. Just fill out the comment box below with your Disney question, and we will get right back to you with an answer.
(Sorry, we had nearly 1,000 answered questions here, but the service we were using changed, and we lost all of them). Oh, and answers are free, so ask as many as you like!
One thing to remember, we are not travel agents. Please do not ask us for prices for your Disney vacation, we will not reply back to you. There is a big, huge Mouseketrips logo on the left hand side of our site that will link you to Mouseketrips, they will be happy to get any kind of prices you want, we won’t.
394 responses to “Ask MouseMisers”
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Trying to book Disney world the last week of June’/early July? When will discounts be posted and any idea what they may be based on previous years
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If we see deals in the summer, they are usually a % off deal, though honestly, deals rarely repeat from year to year, so that is just a guess. I don’t expect to see new deals for another 4 – 6 weeks.
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Keith, We booked a trip to Disney on March 27, 2016 for 6 days, 7 nights staying at Port of Orleans, Franch Quarter. I just saw the discount being offered and wondered if we could take advantage of this ??? I tried to call the reservation #, but it is always busy !!! Can you give me an idea if we could get the discount. Thanks for your time.
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Sorry Keith, our trip is for Oct 4th thru the 11th
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Suzanne – No, October 4 is not a valid check in date, the latest you could check in would be October 1. You could use the Late Summer offer, but not the free dining one.
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Keith..I know the 2017 Epcot Food & Wine Festival is Aug31-Nov13 2017 and I would love to in Disney for the festival, but I would also enjoy seeing the Xmas decorations. Do you know when the decorations are put out ????
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Suzanne – Disney starts decorating for the holidays right around November 1 (and in the Magic Kingdom as soon as the Halloween Party is over). Typically in the parks, most of the decorations are up by the first week of November.
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Information on Disneylands dining plan is limited. Is it similar to Disney World’s dining plan? Is it worth it to buy the dining plan in Disney Land?
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Not similar at all. You basically purchase vouchers, that have a dollar amount. You just use the vouchers to pay for meals, and no change it given. Not a money saver or a time saver, very, very few people use it, it just doesn’t ever make sense.
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Hi Keith. Do you have a link somewhere or do you know the dates in September for free dining? And also does Disney usually include all resorts when they offer free dining?
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Denise – Such a link does not exist. We will not know dates or even if there will be a free dining discount until said discount is released. We are not expecting it to be released until late March or early April.
No, they do not include all resorts. The Little Mermaid rooms at Art of Animation have been excluded from all deals since they opened, and that should continue for a while. They often exclude French Quarter as well. It just depends on the discounts, how full each resort is, etc.
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Hi, How much do the All Star resorts charge for dopping off a bag of laundry at the front desk? Thanks
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Katrina – A lot! You are charged per item, and it depends on what you drop off. Shirts and pants are both about $6 each, socks and underwear run about $2 each, pajamas are $6, etc. There should be a price list and a laundry bag in your room when you arrive. There are also really good self serve laundry facilities at the resort you can use too.
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Couple more questions as our trip is drawing near………We are staying at Port Orleans Riverside and do not plan on going to any parks the first day as we arrive mid afternoon…..Would you recommend making our way to the monorail and riding it so the kids can look around or is this something we can’t do or shouldn’t spend the time doing????? Also, only ADR I don’t have is for that first night – would you recommend trying to head over to Chef Mickeys (still some openings) or Downtown Disney? If we order pizza as one of our table service meals – do you know is this a timely thing to do or pretty fast and easy? Thanks!
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Dawn – Yes, the monorail is a great option, make sure you ride the Epcot line too. It doesn’t require a ticket, and is a great way to start your trip if you aren’t going in the parks.
I would say Chef Mickey’s, if you can get in. It is a fun restaurant, pretty decent food. There are options in DTD too, I really like Raglan Road, very loud, great food, but no Disney characters of course. I know the pizza is a bit slow, and honestly, not all that good. Sounds like you have the time, definitely worth going somewhere. Consider Kona Cafe or The Wave too, great food and on the monorail.
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Also, if we did decide to make our way over to Chef Mickey’s for dinner the first night….how much time should we allow from leaving Port Orleans Riverside to get there in a “safe” time frame? Thank you!
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Dawn – Well, bus to Magic Kingdom, then walk or ride the monorail over. I would say an hour, and that should give you time to take the monorail around once or twice. Maybe make it 90 minutes, that should give you time to do the Epcot line too, and you can always show up a bit early to your dinner time.
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Did you hear that Disney Dining in 2014 is going to change to a select menu. You wont be able to order what you want. I didnt but somoone told me . They saw it somewhere.
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Margie – Nope. Well, we have heard versions of this rumor for years, but it has never come to pass. If a change like this is made, we wouldn’t find out for sure until 2014 packages are announced, which would be sometime later this Summer.
I am just not sure how they would ever do this. Many parties only partially pay with dining plan credits, and those with the dining plan don’t use credits each meal. They have simplified menus the past few years, I can see them continuing that rather than an entire separate menu.
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We are planning a trip the second week in September 2013. I can see that they currently have specials (30% off) for the spring months. Is it common to see the same kinds of deals come out for the fall later in the year? Would we be better off waiting to get a better price? Thanks!
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Carla – September is typically the cheapest month to travel, it is value season, and we usually see the best discounts of the year released for that month.
No need to wait, you can apply any new discounts to your existing reservations. Consider using a Disney Travel agent, they will apply the deals for you and make sure you get the best deal possible.
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Any word if Splash Mountain might be opening sooner than March 20th?
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Katrina – No news yet. Disney is usually very conservative with their reopening dates, it is pretty common for rides to open a week or two earlier than expected. I am there the week before it is supposed to open, so I am hoping to see it open early too.
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We will be there Mar 3-8th. Really hoping it’s open then! Thanks
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Hello, can you please tell me if WDW is offering free dining for last week in August2013? Thanks very much!
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Holly – At this time, there are no discounts available for August, nor is free dining being offered at any time. We are fully expecting to see free dining for September and possibly part of August, though until the discount is actually released, we won’t know for sure if we will see it at all, or what the dates may be. I don’t expect to see it for another month or so.
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Wow, what a quick response! I am totally shocked at your speed! Thx so very much!
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We are going to the Disney Museum (San Francisco) on Thursday, Feb 21 for my husband’s birthday. Are there any promos or discount codes that I can apply?
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Jane – Sorry, probably not much help as we only handle the theme park discounts. The only discount I am personally aware of is a AAA discount, which is $5 per person.
Love the museum though, you will have a blast!
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Thank you.
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We were looking to go down the week of 6/24. I was curious how crowded is it going to be. Also what would be the best place to stay for the money.
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Nancy – Crowded! It is summer at Disney after all. According to TouringPlans crowd calendar, you are looking at 8s and 9s (out of 10), so expect it to be pretty crowded.
I guess it depends on how much money you have to spend. Personally, I think the moderate resorts are the best “deal”, you get super nice rooms, nice pool, very quiet grounds and a pretty decent location. If you have more money to spend, the Wilderness Lodge or Beach Club are great “values” for what you get.
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Hi, Kind of an off base question but I am trying to find out which character were part of the original Playhouse Disney Live show at Hollywood Studios. Is there a way to find a list of the changing cast anywhere? Thanks
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Katrina – Definitely off base. It opened in 2001 with Bear, Tutter, Treelo, Pip and Pop, and Ojo. I remember that from time to time it had characters from the Book of Pooh and other Playhouse Disney shows.
Not sure there is a list anywhere, sorry!
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Thanks
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We are staying in the Little Mermaid rooms the first week of Oct…would we have a chance of getting any kind of discount? I know they haven’t given any out so far for people staying there.
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Genevieve – Not very likely at all. Ever since the Little Mermaid rooms opened up, they have been excluded from every discount released. As long as they remain popular, and are booking up, I don’t see Disney including them in discounts. Once we start seeing them included in deals, then it will be much more likely to see them included from that point forward.
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We have made our reservations at Disney’s Caribbean Resort for the week of Thanksgiving. I remember being there years ago during this time. This year we took
the meal plan. How would that work on Thanksgiving? If I remember correctly, there
were quite a few places that offered a “Special” Thanksgiving dinner. Where could we
make our Thanksgiving special and at what cost???-
Mickey – Most restaurants offer their regular menus, and a few Thanksgiving specific options. In cases like that, the dining plans works just like it normally does. Some restaurants (it seems to change), offer a alternative menu, but they make concessions for the dining plan. Basically, just make your reservations as you normally would, and assume the dining plan will cover you.
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Hello, I was just looking at the concept art for the Main Street Bakery. Is it already closed for the remodel?
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Katrina – Yes, the Main Street Bakery in the Magic Kingdom closed in January, and will reopen sometime this Summer, no opening date has been given.
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Where can I get one of those Dole Whip’s with rum at EPCOT? Do they have them without rum?
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Lionel – There is a food booth between the entrance to the World Showcase and Canada called Pineapple Promenade. They sell the rum version, basically the ice cream with some rum on the bottom as well as the regular Dole Whip there.
This is a special booth that will only be there during the Flower and Garden festival this year.
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I’ve seen on some message boards that people are saying the week of Oct 12-19 will be blocked out from discounts. Do you think that is true? I’m not counting on free dining during that week, but was really hoping for 25-30% off room discounts.
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Amanda – Really, really hard to say right now. For 2012, they offered free dining for the following dates:
September 30 – October 4, 2012
October 19 – November 1, 2012They also offered a room only discount for similar dates, with the black out dates also receiving a discount, but a lesser one (20% vs 25%). We really just won’t know what is going on until we actually see the discounts this Summer. I would be surprised to see free dining for Fall dates, and I think it is more likely we will see some other sort of discount that covers most of the dates.
To say that that week will be blacked out, at this point, is just a flat out guess, obviously ignoring 2012 discounts.
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You mention only the last day of September for free dining. In he past we have gotten free dining in the middle if September.
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Denise – The dates above were only the dates in October that were offered, as she asked about October. That was also for the Fall free dining, not for the regular Free dining that normally covers late August – September. We are fully expecting the September free dining again this year.
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I truly apologize, as I am sure this question has probably been asked a thousand times. 🙂 I usually book our trip early so we can make payments on it. I want to know if Disney does the PIN related free dining only, do you think I will exclude myself from receiving one if I already have the trip booked? We’re planning on going September 21-28th and I know in the years past, that’s pretty much smack dab in the middle of free dining. I am in limbo afraid that they won’t release it to everyone and if I book too early, I’ll exclude myself from the free dining PIN. I’m making sure to check out dates and log in on the WDW site to obtain a PIN (it worked before for me when I was considering going in February). What would you recommend – go ahead and book it and gamble that they’ll offer free dining to all, wait until they actually release free dining offer, which lately has been later and later, or book it and hope it won’t exclude me from receiving a PIN? Thank you!
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Laura – Actually a good question. We have found that having an existing reservation doesn’t seem to hinder receiving PIN codes for your travel dates, we know people that this happens to every year.
I would be very surprised if we don’t see free dining at some point soon for September. They have had it every year so far, and until they stop one year, we will keep expecting it. FYI, for 2011 and 2010, free dining was not released until late April, only 2012 was super early. We usually don’t expect to see it until first week of April.
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Thank you! I’ll go ahead and book it then! This girl is incredibly excited! 🙂
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I’m planning our family’s first Disney trip in October (though I wish I could do it in September!). I am just reading through these questions and answers and came to this one. I don’t understand what Laura means by “hope it won’t exclude me from receiving a PIN”. I have already booked our hotel, dining plan and park tickets through Disney. If they do decide to offer free dining, what will I have to do to get it? I’ve been obsessively checking for free dining updates! 🙂
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Sonja – Disney uses two different kind of discounts, general public ones that anyone can use as long as they fit your dates, you live in a certain area, are a passholder or whatever requirements they have one them.
The second are PIN code offers that Disney mails or emails out to you directly. They usually use PIN codes when they only want to book up a few rooms at a discount, not a whole bunch.
Most likely, there will be a few October general discounts. We will announce anything new here and on our facebook page. Once released, you will have to call Disney or your travel agent, and have them apply the discount for you.
You can take a break, it is likely we will not see October discounts until sometime this Summer. Last year, they were released in July, I would expect something similar this year.
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Hello Keith,
Thanks for all of your very helpful insights. I have a question, if you book a Disney trip on one of the Disney locations and susequently they offer a better deal (say free dining) can you get that deal or are you out of luck? How does it work? Many thanks!-
Kevin – Most of the time, yes. I always suggest to book early, no real reason to wait. When a deal comes out, it can be applied to your reseration, as long as there is availability and it covers your dates, etc.
If you book directly with Disney, you will have to watch for deals and call back to get it applied, they will not do it automatically for you. If you book through a decent Disney specialist travel agent, they will take care of any deals that come along for you, and get them applied once released.
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Hi All,
We are staying at a non disney resort in Oct 2013. The only thing left for me to buy for the trip is the park tickets and I was hoping to get a meal plan. Are there any deals that include both for people that arent staying at a Disney hotel. Or if I could buy each separate somewhere to save more money that would be great. ANY IDEAS?
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Nick – the Disney dining plans are only available to those staying at a Disney hotel, and who purchase a package that includes their hotel, park passes and the dining plans. There is not a way to purchase them separately.
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Hi,
Sorry if this question has been asked already. I’m trying to hold out on booking my trip until some late August specials are released. Can I book some ADRs now and prepay and then apply my dining plan after I book my package? Or will I still have to pay for the ones I booked. I want to do a character meal on my daughter’s birthday.
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Tressa – A few things:
1. Book your reservation now, with the dining plan on there. That will solve all your problems. You can always cancel, move dates or apply any discounts that come out. No real reason to wait.
2. Most character meals do not require payment in advance. They all require a credit card guarantee, but they do not charge you now, and that is required if you have the dining plan or not.
3. If you book something now that requires payment in full, you can just pay for your meal with your dining plan credits when you eat, and they will refund you at that time.
Best of luck!
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Thanks! I see now that I’ve booked that I can apply my dining plan to the pay in advance dinner shows. Although I can’t book Mickey’s BBQ. Maybe I’m too early or it’s not running during the time I’m there.
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Thanks! I’ll go ahead and make my ADRs. It was a character dinner that I had to pay in full for. I’m holding off on booking my trip since we may upgrade to a higher category resort if there is a good enough special available.
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Tressa – You can always change your resort later on once deals come out, it doesn’t effect your reservation, dining reservations or anything else.
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Hi staff at Mousemisers,
We are a family of 4 (2 adults, 2 children ages 5 & 7). We are visiting Disneyland from July 20 to 26, 2013. We require accommodation and tickets. Do you have any specials at this time please?
Regards,
Shayne-
Shayne – I am unaware of any Summer deals, at least at the Disneyland hotels. We just barely saw Late Spring deals last week. If we see Summer discounts, they may not be released for a while.
However, many of the non-Disney hotels do run specials from time to time, there are just so many, we don’t keep track of them.
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Thankyou Keith – can you suggest some good non-Disney hotels close to Disneyland to stay for 6 nights for our family please?
We are from Australia and are thinking of going to Disneyland for 5 days. Based on your experience do you think that is too many days and what do you think would be the best value Disneyland tickets for us please Keith?
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Shayne – I love the Disneyland Hotel if you can swing it, I think it is worth it. If you want to stay off-site, the Candy Cane Inn is very nice. I also like the Anahiem Fairfield Inn and the HoJo. If you want more of a suite hotel, you will have to go a bit away from the parks, but both the Embassy Suites South and the Marriott Suites are nice.
5 day is plenty to see everything. During the Summer, it gets quite crowded, so 5 days is probably about right to give you enough time to see the two parks and not miss anything and not feel rushed.
For the tickets there are no such things as values. Just buy your tickets at the gate, or in a package with your hotel. There are “resellers”, but the risk is just way too high for the reward. You might save a few dollars, but it is more likely you will just lose all your money.
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Could you explain exactly what a “Key to the World” is? I have a vague idea…it takes the place of a credit card? Is it safe?
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Sonja – Your Key to the World card is your room key, park pass and a charge card. You basically charge on it, and it gets charged to your room. You get a statement before you leave, or anytime you ask for one. I guess it is as safe as a normal credit card, if lost, you just need to tell your hotel and they will deactivate it.
Disney World is doing away with these, and going to an RFD based wrist band at some point this year, no idea what it will be called, but will serve the same functions.
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I read in an earlier post that Port Orleans French Quarter is sometimes excluded from the deals. We are currently booked there for September 6th-13th, 2013. Can you tell me if the free dining deal applied there in 2012?
Thank You!
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Courtney – Correct, the last few discounts, Disney has been excluding French Quarter. The Free Dining offer for September 2012 included French Quarter.
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Hi Keith–the last 2 years we have stayed at POR in lodge 14 in a preferred room. We are a family of 5 and need to stay in Alligator Bayou. We are going the end of Aug (hoping for FREE dinig again). Trying to decide if we should spend the extra $100 and book a preferred room or book garden room and request lodge 38…the distance from 14-38 is what Im contemplating…is there a real big walikng distance between the two?
Thanks! Michelle
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Michelle – We stayed right by 38 last week, it is a pretty decent walk, maybe a few minutes. If walking isn’t a big deal for you, it won’t be a problem. For us, we only went to the main building maybe once per day, but we were super close to the North bus stop, which was nice.
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Planning trip to DisneyWorld in September 2013. I know that the park starts closing early. How are crowds Labor Day weekend? .I know for a few days in September the parks stay open longer. Want to see fireworks and a parade. What to do after the park closes so early? If we eat dinner in a park do you have to eat before park closes?. Don’t want to eat so early. How long do buses run after park closes.
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Labor Day is a bit crowded, not horrible, but quite a bit more crowded than the rest of September. While the parks do close earlier, I found it really isn’t a big deal. The crowds are so low you are doing something all day long, so by the time they close, you are ready to head back to the hotel. Epcot is always open until 9, looks like Magic Kingdom is open until 10 most nights.
Typically they take dining reservations up until the park closes, you don’t need to finish by park closing. The buses usually run an hour or two after park closing, but they will make sure you have a ride home if you are still in the park.
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Thanks…ended up booking a preferred room in lodge 14, corner window, 1st floor..
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Does POR guarantee room requests? We tried to do that at The Caribbean Resort with no luck. Actually got a really bad location, furthest from everything.
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Katrina – They do not, for the most part. The moderate resorts do have preferred location rooms, so if you book and pay for that, then they guaranteed you will be in a certain section. You can request a building/location, but nothing is guaranteed at all.
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Hi Keith,
My family and my sister’s family have a trip booked for October 5-12….hoping for Free Dining. I have been hearing scary rumors that Disney is doing away with Free Dining and won’t offer it this year.Or if they do, it will onlybe for August and September. Have you heard this?-
Lesli – Just rumors, no one has any idea. I actually thought they weren’t going to offer Fall free dining last year, it was a bit of a surprise for me that they did, I was totally wrong. I do feel the same way this year, I doubt we will see it, but that is just a guess. Crowds are way up, and therefore, discounts will be way down.
If we see free dining for August/September, which I think we will, it should be sometime in April. Fall discounts won’t be released until sometime in July most likely, and a lot can change between now and then.
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Hi Keith-
I (as are many) am anxiously awaiting the possible Free Dining for sometime in the Fall. Question – I’ve heard Disney only announces one deal at a time. WIth this new Summer Discount coming that has to be booked by June 14th – does that mean any Fall Free Dining Discounts wouldn’t be announced before the 6/14 date?
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Eric – Typically, yes, they only like to have one discount at a time that they can advertise and focus on. However, there have been times when there have been 2 – 3 different discounts out at one time, so not unprecedented. For August/September free dining, if we see it, it will be long before June. For later in the Fall, that is historically not announced until July, so there isn’t any conflict there.
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I am anxiously awaiting the park hours for October 9-15. Everyday I check and only one more day is shown than the day before. Is it typical for them to release park hours only one day at a time? Or can I expect a sudden release of the entire month of October? Also, fingers crossed for free dining during October! :/
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Sonja – In the past, they released one month at a time, but lately, they have been adding a day or two every day or two to the website. They are released by a month at a time elsewhere, you can download them here:
http://mousemisers.com/images/october.pdf
Don’t expect to see October discounts for some time, you can uncross your fingers for a while.
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Thanks for the quick reply! How do you get the hours when Disney hasn’t even released them on their site yet? Also, 180 days before my vaca, I can call and make reservations at the restaurants. Does this mean I can only make reservations for the one day that’s 180 days out? Or can I make them all for my whole trip, even though some days will be more than 180 days away?
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Sonya – They are released, but for some reason, they just don’t put them on the WDW site as quickly as they used to.
If you are staying at a Disney hotel, you can book all your reservations 180 days in advance of the day you are checking in, as long as you aren’t staying more than 10 nights, you can only book those 10 days first, you would have to call back each following day to book that date. If you are staying off site, you can call 180 days in advance, but 180 days in advance of the day you are dining, so you would have to call back each day to do a new day’s reservation.
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ANOTHER QUESTION! 🙂
We want to dine at Sanaa (located at AK Villas-Kidani Village) on the same day we go to AK. However, looking at the map, it looks like it’s quite a distance from the AK park. Time-wise, how long should we give ourselves to get from AK to Sanaa? Also, we aren’t buying the park hopper pass…only the base tickets. We should be fine going to the AK Villas, right? And how on earth do we get there?? Bus? Lots of questions, I know, but I want to have it figured out before my 180 day window, which is next Friday! YAY!
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Sonja – Ate at Sanaa a few weeks ago, absolutely fabulous, one of my new favorites at Disney.
Not walkable, it is about a 10 minute ride from Animal Kingdom. Probably closer to 5, not too far. I would leave yourself at least 20 just in case, you may have a few extra minutes to walk out and see the savanna.Take the AKL bus, it will stop at the villas first, then heads back to the Lodge.
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We are planning a trip to Disney Oct. 3-9 this year. 5 adults and 1 child and 2 infants. We have not booked yet waiting for the possibility of Free Dining. Everything I am reading says go ahead and book and if available they would apply it. I am so scared of doing this for fear that I would miss out on the offer because I pre-booked. We are looking at the Art of Animation, question would be, does it matter what category resort you stay in to be eligible for the free dining?
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Beverly – New discounts can be applied to existing reservations, there aren’t any special restrictions or penalties. You are best off to book now and start planning. Please note if you book directly with Disney, they will not apply it for you, you must call back and specifically ask them to do so. If you book with a decent Disney Travel specialist like Mouseketrips, they will take care of you and apply it for you.
Just an FYI, the Little Mermaid rooms at Art of Animation have been excluded from all discounts in the past, and it appears they will be excluded for some time.
In the past, the value resorts, including the family suites, have been given the Quick Service dining plan for free. The moderates and above have been given the Disney Dining plan for free. You can upgrade by paying the difference if you wish. If we see Fall free dining, I would assume it will be this way, but no idea until we actually see the discount.
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I was just wondering, and not sure if you know the answer…does housekeeping clean the room (family suite) every day in All-Star Music? Or is it a must call basis? Just wondering so we can budget for Mousekeeping tips. 🙂 Thanks
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Sonja – Yes. The only rooms at Disney not cleaned on a daily basis are the Villas, if you are a DVC member and are paying with your DVC points. All other rooms have daily mousekeeping.
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Hi again.
Trip is booked and finalizing dining reservations. My kids want to eat at Tony’s Town Tavern one night and then see the parade and fireworks afterwards. I don’t want to risk not being able to get a table on the porch during the parade and would rather have dinner and then find a spot outside. What time should I book my dining reservation for (parade is a 9 pm) to give us enough time to catch the parade? Can I see the fireworks from the street in front of Tony’s?-
Tressa – Tony’s Town Square has very few tables outside, and honestly, you may be waiting forever to sit out there. The view of the parade would be ok, but you would be sitting about 2 feet higher than others are standing, so probably not all that great.
I would think if you are in by 7, you would be out by 8:30 at the latest, plenty of time to get a great seat for the parades. Oh, yes, the parade goes right in front of Tony’s.
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I’m here again to ask another question 🙂 Last year, Columbus Day week was not as good as the rest of the weeks in Oct for room off discounts.(25% off deluxe rooms, instead of 30% I think). Do you think the same will be done this year? We will arrive the day before Columbus Day and will be there through the week. Was hoping to get Animal Kingdom Lodge at 30% off.
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Amanda – The last two years, Disney has followed the same schedule, for the most part. However, that was with free dining, and I have no idea if we will see it again this year. If we do not, and just see discount, it is more likely to be uniform throughout the month. Honestly, it is just a guess now, we won’t know until we actually see the deals this Summer.
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What are your thoughts on being a Florida resident and getting the annual pass? It seems like once you do all other deals, mostly free dining, are out the window. I get that you get a great deal if you go a lot but I like the idea of a nice long week there. The 3 day special tickets can’t be used together either. So conflicted as to what to do when we move there next year.
Thanks, Katrina-
Katrina – There isn’t a correct answer. You really just have to sit down and do the math to see what works best for you. I know plenty of FL residents and annual passholders who still do free dining. They just purchase the package with the minimum tickets required, and save the tickets and use them towards the cost of their renewal. But again, you have to do the math to see if it works for you or not.
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I wasn’t aware you could save the tickets to put towards renewal. That helps a lot thanks. Even now with the no expiration option discontinued?
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Katrina – The Expiration only starts if you start to use the days. Tickets are good forever if you haven’t started using them.
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We are trying to decide which month to go to disney world this year; september or october? Which month would you recommend? What is the least crowded month of the year? Also, do u think free dining will be offered in october? Thanks for your help 🙂
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Annie – September is going to be less crowded and less expensive, but definitely more hot and humid too. I would think it is still like we will see free dining in September, much less likely to see it in October.
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We have 5 adults, a four year old and 2 infants wanting to stay in just one suite at Art of Animation. As I understand it, they will allow 6 and 1 infant in a pack and play. There is not additional charge for the infants so what would happen if we booked the one suite and had the extra infant? Don’t feel like I am trying to cheat them because there is no charge anyway and I am sure this happens to families all the time anyway. Your thoughts?
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Beverly – Not going to happen. The family suites will sleep 6. They allow one infant which will not count towards the 6, so you can technically have 6 plus an infant. They will count your second infant though, so you have 7 plus an infant, which is too many to put into the family suite, not to mention 5 adults in a family suite is really 3 too many, it really isn’t made for more than 2 adults.
I have known plenty of people who show up with extra people, and Disney has made them book an extra room. I would look at doing 2 rooms at a value hotel, it is going to be cheaper, and you will have more room/beds.
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Keith… thanks, so you think I would have more room if we got 2 adjoining rooms at like the Little Mermaid at Art of Animation? You refer to “plenty of people” showing up with extra “people” and having to get an extra room, we are actually talking about an extra “infant” here, and you also say the suites are not recommended for more than 2 adults, I thought that was the purpose of a suite in most cases when you had maybe 2 couples and 2 kids. In looking at their rooms, does not seem to be much “moving around” room in any of the rooms in the “value” category.
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Beverly – I have known quite a few people who “forgot” to list infants on the reservation and were forced to pay full price for a second room. The suites are really designed for a family of 2 adults and 4 kids, or thereabouts. The beds in the front room are not super friendly for adults. The Villas work well for multiple families sharing one room.
If you get two rooms, the square footage is going to be the same as if you do a family suite, but you will get four dedicated beds rather than one dedicated bed and some fold out ones. Granted you don’t get the sitting area/kitchenette, but the two rooms would fit all of you and again, quite a bit cheaper.
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Can adult children who still are eligible for military benefits because there dad is retired military buy discount disney tickets
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Denise – Usually only the military member or spouse can purchase tickets. I would contact Shades of Green though, they will know for sure.
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Do you know where I can get military discount Dianey World tickets in Michigan?
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Denise – The only place to purchase them is at WDW or “on base” from your purchasing department.
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Thanks Keith, would you say that the rooms @ Port Orleans Riverside would be bigger than in Art of Animation or All Star Music and would Port Orleans be suitable for little ones?
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Beverly – The rooms at moderate resorts are bigger and have queen beds instead of double size beds. Yes, the moderates are still very suitable for little kids, great pools, nice rooms. They are much better for adults.
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Looking at last years discounts free dining did not start until September 30th. We were okay because our trip was booked mid November. This worries me because we are booked mid September this year. I know you are not a magician and can’t pull tricks out of a hat, but any thoughts?
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Mark – We have seen free dining in September every year since Disney introduced the dining plans, and we are still expecting to see it for 2013. The last few years, Free Dining has been released in two waves, one for August/September and a second wave for October – December.
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Keith,
My daughter just told me that Disney World is not offering the free dinning this year. Is this true? We are planning a trip for late Nov. thru. early Dec. That would be very disappointing if true.
Thanks, Carol-
Carol – It has not been offered yet, but that does not mean it will not be offered. We are still in the timeframe when Disney has historically released free dining for September, so we are just waiting at this point to see what Disney does. For October – December, don’t expect to see discounts until July or August.
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Hi Keith! I’m in the process of planning our 2nd trip to Disney World. For our first family vacation, we visited Disney over the Christmas Holidays. Next time around we’d like to visit Disney when the crowds are not as crazy! I’m sure Disney is always busy, but if you had to pick a time between February-August for a Disney vacation, what month would you choose & why?? Thanks!
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Jill – Personally, I would go in late February. There is a window in late February/early March where prices drop back down to regular season instead of peak season. The weather is usually very nice and crowds are pretty low. Just about any other time is going to be more busy. If you can in January, it will be cheaper and less crowded, but you might get bad weather too.
Also, late August isn’t bad, cheap and low crowds, but it is HOT and HUMID.
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Keith you mentioned the 2 times of year I have been. Late August 4 times and once it was very hot, too hot for my then 4 year old and last year too rainy. Otherwise a pretty good time. We just went this past first week of March and it was almost too chilly. I kept wearing shorts but in the a.m. I was cold. Way less crowds and the Garden Festival was nice to experience. (although we did this trip without the kids so maybe it was a tad more relaxing)
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We are checking in at All Star Sports on Oct. 9th. I know last year and in years past they have offered free dining during the 1st parts of October, skipped the middle part, and offered it again during the last parts of October. Any thoughts on how likely we may be to have it offered on the 9th?
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Annie – Here are the dates for 2012 free dining around 10/9:
September 30 – October 4, 2012
October 19 – November 1, 2012If we see free dining in October, and that is a big if at this point, the date will likely be simliar to 2012, so I would say at this point, very unlikely we will see free dining for your dates. However, nothing is set in stone until we actually see discounts released, so you never know.
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There is a Thread out talking about Disney World announcing Free Dining for September next week. Have you heard anything about this?
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Katrina – We do not comment or post rumors, sorry. I have seen probably 100 rumors this Spring about free dining, all claiming to be “true”. When a discount is released, we will post the correct information here.
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I wouldn’t expect to you want to post rumored dates or discounts. I just thought maybe they had finally decided to release dates and you were as excited as everyone else that has been waiting.
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Katrina – Unfortunately, until Disney actually releases the discount, no one knows for sure what they have decided to do.
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Disney visa cardholder and last year we got a day ahead on free dining for September can I be notified again. Seeing on the web that it look like it will be at least be offered 3 weeks in September. Any word yet.
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Brenda – For the last year or so, for every major discount, Disney World has released the discount to Disney VISA cardholders first, and given them 3 – 4 days advance period to book before it is released to the public. We expect hem to do that again once September discounts are released. Once released, we will post all info here.
Any “news” that you read on the internet at this point is just a guess. Even if it is an educated guess with inside information, Disney is known to change discounts at the last minute just to make sure that the leaked information ends up being wrong. We are expecting to see September discounts soon, probably in the next few days, but again, just a guess, I have no inside information.
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What is the secret to getting a discount on campsites at Fort Wilderness?
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Lesley – In 10+ years, I have never seen one of the discounts include the campgrounds. Some dates are available for a AAA discount, but other than that, you just pay full price and have a great vacation.
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Thanks Keith, it helps to be validated! We did sign up for AAA and are saving $160 on our upcoming trip.
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Hi! I’m hearing a lot about Disney visa card holders getting perks like discounted hotel rates etc. Does this include the Disney visa debit card or only the credit card? Thanks!
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Moriah – Yes, if you have a Disney debit card from Chase, you should qualify. Disney pushes the credit card of course, so that is all they ever mention in the discounts.
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Just wanted to let you all know that the coveted “Pins” are on their way……………. I received mine today for Free Dining for select dates through November…………
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Kelly – Yep, been talking about it all afternoon on our facebook page, just haven’t had a chance to write up an article here (will be doing it shortly).
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I’m safe this year with September dining but how does one get a pin?
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Hello Keith,
I hope all is well and appreciate all the advice you have given. Not really a question, more comment and seeking your feedback. The Disney vacation online system has changed. Been using it for the last 5-6 years and it was exceptional in my opinion. Now the site is extremely slow and a lot less intuitive. Is it just me?-
Kevin – I agree, somewhat. For the most part, yes, a set back from what was available before. However, it is kind of a work in progress, and they are moving towards a more complete start to finish system. Once the rest of the additions are in place, I think it will be an improvement. However, I don’t have a lot of faith in Disney IT, so I guess we will see what actually happens.
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Hello! Just wondering if you know about when the dining plans are announced for the following year? We are booked for January!
Thanks!-
Colby – WDW usually announces packages for the following year sometime around July. We have seen it as late as early August, but usually sometime in July. We keep hoping we will see them earlier, in June, maybe this year.
If you are booked already for 2014, you are going to have to cancel and rebook as you currently have a room only reservation, and to add dining, you have to book a package. Just beware, so when you call to change, you will cancel, get a refund and start over.
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I’m currently booked under the Marathon Weekend Package. So it is the Magic Your Way with tickets, just no dining. Its only available for about two weeks in January. Thanks for the info Keith!
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Hello where can I find good deals for disney park and hotels thank u
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Carolina – All current Disney discount are listed here up in the top left hand corner.
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When do you think we will see room deals become available for October dates?
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Amanda – We don’t expect Fall discounts to be released until sometime in July, based on historical release dates. Could be earlier, likely to be later.
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I’m trying to go to see my favorite group at Eat To The Beat at Epcot in October, and I’m noticing that even the PINs, which I have yet to receive (probably won’t, with my luck anyway) have blacked out the dates between 10/3 and 10/17. Naturally, my trip dates are the 10th til the 17th.
So what I’m wondering is, are there ANY discounts at all typically offered during that time, or am I looking at paying full price for my trip?
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Katie – Last year, they offered Free Dining for limited dates, and then a second room only discount (also used on packages) for all dates. The “blacked out” dates were discounted less, but were discounted. If the Free Dining is not extended to everyone, I expect to see something similar this Fall, plus a package deal for select dates.
http://www.mousemisers.com/2012/2012-fall-disney-world-savings/
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Thank you!! That’s helpful! I’ll be happy with any discount at all. 🙂
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Hi Keith.
I was wondering if in the past Disney has given any discounts around Thanksgiving? We are going 11/22-12/2. Also, any tips for a family not chosing a dining plan?Thanks,
Michelle-
Michelle – Yes. There are usually a few days around Thanksgiving that are blacked out, but most of your dates should qualify for a discount. We are unsure what discount(s) we will see for Fall this year, but you should be ok.
The dining plan is simply a way to pay, you don’t get any special access. Just plan your meals and enjoy yourself.
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Hi…If my dates booked for Disney World are 8/27 thru 9/3, are all my dates covered by the free dining offer that starts 9/2 thru 9/25?
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Sheree – With free dining and most package discounts, the only date that matter is the day you check in. You MUST check in on an available date, nothing else matters. So, you must check in between September 2 – 25, or you get nothing.
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I have a few questions. I am coming June22-30th 2013 wth my son’s baseball team for a tournament at Disney’s WW of Sports Complex. Most of the team is staying off site. Will they be able to take advantage of ANY Disney offerings, such as the transportation or the dining plan? Some of us are staying at the All Star Resort.
Also, others that have went to this tournaent before say is is reccomended to rent a car, beacuse it is lenghty and dificult to get to WWOSC early in the morning. any advice about traveling with a team, or about the Wide World of Sports ompx would be helpful.
Thank You-
Bonnie
1. The only way to do a Disney Dining plan is if you purchase a package that includes your hotel room, park passes and the dining plan. The dining plans are not available for separate purchase. So, off-site can never use the dining plans. For those staying on site, they can if their package includes it, you can’t purchase them any other way.
Anyone can use the Disney transportation, they don’t ask for ID or anything.
2. Staying off-site, they MUST have a car, I can’t imagine how they are going to get anywhere without one. For those at All-Star Sports, a car might be helpful. There is internal transportation, but if you need to be at a certain place at a certain time, I wouldn’t rely on the Disney buses.
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We are staying at Beach Club 10/6-10/12. My free dining pin does not include theses dates but was hoping for a room discount at least. I am noticing the hotel is pretty much sold out for these dates – assuming because of Food and Wine Festival. Do you think they will still offer a room discount if the hotel is sold out??
Thanks!-
Julie – Discounts are always hard to predict. However, if a hotel is sold out for your travel dates before a discount is released, it is very likely that there will not be any availability once the discount is released, even if you have a room already. It is hard to say though, you really just have to wait for a discount and see what happens. Best of luck!
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Do you know when they might open up the dates to book the candlelight packages at EPCOT?
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Gary -For 2012, they were released June 26, so I would expect similar timing this year, so probably a few more weeks.
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My husband received a pin code in the mail for free dinning. It shows our address, but if I decide to go and not him, am I able to use the pin code? Is it a family(address) code or he has to be with me to use it? Thanks
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Peggy – Technically, the person receiving the PIN offer must travel. However, they are usually a bit lenient when it comes to spouses. I would suggest you call Disney or your Travel agent, and have them check for you. I don’t think it should be a big deal. Worse case, book a trip with your husband included and call back and take him off.
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We book a vacation using the Disney website, plane tickets, Disney World resort, tickets to the park and meal plan. There was no where on the Disney site to ask for a AAA discount. I called them and after transferring me to three different people they told me that they could not give me a AAA discount. In order to get one they told me I have to book through AAA. Is this true? thanks for your help.
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Leigh – Correct. If you booked a package, the only way to get a AAA discount is by booking directly through AAA, no one else, including Disney, can offer it. Please note however, that you cannot combine deals, so if you booked Free Dining or some other offer, you can’t do AAA too, just one or the other.
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Thank you for the speedy reply! I appreciate the info.
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Is there anywhere that you would suggest to rent a Sit N Stand stroller for our upcoming trip to WDW? We have a 2 year old who needs a stroller but also have a small five year old who probably will want to “hitch a ride” instead of walking the entire time. Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Thank you – Susan
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Susan – There are quite a few places that rent really nice strollers around WDW. Apple Scooters, Kingdom Strollers and Buena Vista Scooters to name three of the larger ones. However, none of them rent a stand and sit stroller, at least according to their website.
I did find a company that rents them, but I don’t have any experience with them:
I might call several to see if they have them available.
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Had a trip booked for Sept 2013 with free dining, but had to cancel due to the necessity for surgery for myself. Soonest I will be released to go by doctors is January 2014. Plane tickets already paid for and nonrefundable but can reschedule flight. Need to do by Sept but want free dining. Any idea when they will announce free dining dates for January 2014 or if they will be having free dining in January?
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Shari – Very unlikely. Disney offered limited free dining in January, 2012, but that was the only year it has been offered. I do not expect to see free dining offered again until September, 2013.
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Do you think they will have any discounts for this October?
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Annie – Yes, we are fully expecting October discounts, should be released sometime soon. Hopefully in July, but Disney may wait until the current Free Dining and other deals end at the end of July.
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Will there be a free dinning offer for 2014? If so when will that be released?
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Jamie – We do not know, no one does. Most likely we will probably see free dining for September, 2014 only. We typically do not see that discount released until April, so you have quite a while to wait.
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Does Disney World offer any neighboring Georgia discounts as they have in the past.
I think it was Georgia-Florida discounts-
Wynona – We haven’t seen Georgia discounts in years. I want to say 8+ years since they offered them. I guess it is possible we may see them in the future, but at the rate they are going, probably unlikely.
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Thank you! When you live on the Ga-Fl line, discounts would be nice.
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We are considering a Disney cruise for the first time either Nov/Dec 2013 or early 2014. Do you know if a kids sale free discount might be offered or has historically been offered? Also, we are a family of 5. Is it better to book 2 rooms or a family suite?
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Amy – That is the time they offer deals like that, usually in Fall and early Spring. However, it depends on the ship you are going on. The two new ships (Dream and Fantasy) have never offered kids sail free, and I don’t see it happening in the future. The two older ships (Wonder and Magic) have offered it several times. We saw it this Spring, but it was not offered this Fall (yet).
Again, depends on the ships. On the new ships, it is cheaper to do one room (it is not a suite). One the older ships, it is usually cheaper to do 2 connecting rooms.You kind of just have to price out both options and figure out which works best for you.
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Hi~~~is there any truth to the rumors that Disney World will be offering, at the end of July, more dates for November and December 2013, for free dining?? I sure hope so ! Thanks
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Sheree – No one knows. Disney has been sending out a PIN code for the last few months for Fall free dining. We really feel it is unlikely they will go ahead and release it to everyone else. While always possible, we think it is much more likely that Disney will release some other discount for Fall dates.
http://www.mousemisers.com/2013/fall-free-disney-dining-pin-code/
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Hi, Going to Disney World October 13-19.. Do you know of any special offers that would be coming out for that time or when Disney will brining if any for the time we are going. Was hoping for free dinng?
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Heather – We have yet to see discounts for October, other than the Fall free dining PIN code (see link right above your post). Disney does not pre-announce discount. Sometimes we find out about them a day or two in advance, but that is rare. We are expecting October deals soon, surely by the first week of August.
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When is the last time Disney offered their free dining in the Spring. I would love for it to be available in Spring of 2014 but don’t remember seeing it for this year!! Any help would be great – also, would it be a good idea to get the Disney Visa card – do they offer these discounts to cardholders first?
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Jen – 2012 was the only year Disney offered Free Dining in the Spring. Really, really doubtful we will see it for Spring 2014, must more likely we will see some other deal like the Adults at Kids’ prices.
Yes. Most discounts (not all) are usually released to Disney VISA cardholders first. They typically have 3 – 4 days to book before anyone else. Exact same deals, just first shot at booking.
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Will be in Disney World Nov. 3 – 10…..so, sadly we lost out on Free Dining even with the extended dates 🙁
Is there any chance that they may offer room discounts for the dates that we will be there. This is the first trip in 7 years that we have lost out all the way around on discounts. Keeping fingers crossed for at least some savings on our resort costs. Any insight would be greatly appreciated !!!!-
Sheree – Well, not sure exactly what you missed out on, since we haven’t seen any general public deals for dates past September. We are still expecting one or two different deals for October – December dates, probably one package deal coving some limited dates, and a room % discount covering everything. I am now not expecting to see those until the first week of August (but hoping for sooner).
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Hi Keith!
I was wondering if PIN codes ever go out (and how often, if so) for Disney cruises? Am I better of just watching the website for specials? I’m looking at planning a Winter Break vacation in the last week of February, and might just do Disney World if I get one of those new pins, but I’ve never done a cruise, and thought it sounded more relaxing than trying to make our way around the whole World!
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Lana – I have never seen PIN codes for anywhere but WDW. DCL is funny, they DO NOT like to discount if at all possible. They have 75,000 Employees within an hour of most of the ships, and would rather give them a great deal than discounting things to the public. We do see discounts though, they do happen. However, we have yet to see one on the two new ships sailing out of Port Canaveral, and it should stay that way for a while. The only discounts we have seen for a few years are on the two older ships, the Magic and Wonder.
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Hi Keith! I recently read about a dessert party they have at Epcot for around $55 per person, and you get special seating afterward for Illuminations with 3-D glasses. I had never heard of this! What are some other “add-ons” I may have never heard of before at the DW parks?
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Annie – Disney used to do an Illuminations Dessert party, it was one of the special things that Grand Gatherings could book, but they ended that program a few years ago. The parties at Illuminations are now limited to corporate or other gatherings at WDW, it isn’t someone can “book”.
There is a Tommorowland Terrace Fireworks party that is fun:
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/magic-kingdom/tomorrowland-terrace-fireworks-dessert-party/
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What happens to our reservations if a hurricane heads to Orlando? We are scheduled for Sept.
Thanks!
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Beth – First, you need to understand that WDW has only been closed for three days since opening 40+ years ago due to hurricanes, and two of those days were about a week apart. Usually by the time the hurricane hits Orlando, it is severely weakened, and is just a big storm. They may delay park opening by a few hours, or close early, but other than that, it isn’t a big deal.
If a big one hits Orlando directly, Disney is very understanding. The last time a big one hit, they changed their cancellation policy, and allowed people to move dates or cancel without penalty.
It really isn’t anything to worry about. We arrived a few days after the parks had been closed twice in a week. Most of Orlando looked like it had been hit by two big hurricanes. On Disney property, other than downed trees in the forest areas, you had no idea. No broken windows, no damaged rides, nothing.
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Thanks, Keith!
Weather has really been an issue where we live, so we were more concerned that we would lose our vacation & didn’t know what the policy would be thru Mousemisersl;
Thanks for the quick response.
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Hi…I am booked at All Star Music Nov.4-11, 2013. Am a Disney Visa Card holder…so is it true that at 7am, Monday 7/28, I can call for a room discount as a DVC holder? Will codes need to be provided to the CM that I speak with. As of right now I have seen nothing official from WDW or DVC …any true input on this??? Thanks for your help, you are great with keeping us all updated 🙂
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Sheree – Typically, when a Disney VISA discount is released, it takes hours for the correct information to make it’s way around the internet and to the reservations center. My guess is if you were to call at 7AM the morning a deal comes out, they would have no idea what you are talking about.
Nothing official has been announced for any new discounts, and Disney will not announce the Disney VISA deal, it is only published on the Disney VISA website, and sent out by email to cardholders. When the Disney VISA Free Dining was announced for September, no one saw anything official until about 2 – 3 hours after the reservation center opened. Fortunately, they did have some information on it pretty early.
You can always call and ask if you think a discount is coming out, but we have found that availability is usually just fine, so no real harm in just waiting an hour for the info to come out.
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Thanks so much for the information Keith…YOU ARE THE BEST !!!!!!!
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Hi
This may not be the right forum so feel free to redirect me. We’re heading to Disney at the end of Aug and want to go to Universal IOA for one day. I’ve read really mixed reviews on the MEARS shuttle service and was wondering about whether a taxi or a town car would be a better option? There’s four of us.-
Tressa – Both a taxe and town car should be about the same price. The taxi is going to give you some more flexibility, since you can leave when you are ready rather than a set time like the town car. The town car is going to be nicer, and you won’t have to worry about getting a taxi when you are going home. Kind of up to you.
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Thanks! That’s what I thought.
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Next year, I will be planning a trip with cousins from Canada. In the states, I see the promos for free dining, but are there any for Canadian residents? If not, is there any way I can get it for them?
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Suzanne – just contact a travel agent based in the US, they will be able to help you out. We suggest Mouseketrips, they are the best, and help clients all around the world. Sometimes, Disney does released Canadian only discounts, so watch for those. Typically those need to be booked directly through Disney.
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I’m in Canada and most of the discounts I see posted here and on the Disney website are available through Canadian travel agents and travel companies at the same time (obviously not the US resident only ones)
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Tressa–have you ever seen free dining offers for Canadians? We usually get it in the fall.
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Yes. We’re going at the end of the month using a PIN offer. Before that, I was booked on the same room discount offered in the US. I use CAA which is the Canadian equivalent to AAA
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Hi Keith! I’m not sure if my other comment got erased, so I am leaving it again. We are thinking about going to DW on Feb. 5-15. We usually go in October. What are the crowd differences in Feb. vrs. Oct.? Also, what is the weather like, and do they ever offer free dining in Feb.? Would you prefer Feb. or Oct.?
Thank you!-
Annie – You asked it over here:
http://www.mousemisers.com/2013/2013-fall-free-disney-dining/
So I answered it there.
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Ok. Thank You!!
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I’m looking to attend a professional conference at Disney World in 2014. I have multiple dates to choose from 2/12-16, 4/2-6, 11/15-16, 12/2-5. With a family of 6 I NEED FREE dining. Any incling on 2014 deals. I have to request time off soon. Thanks!
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Deb – Please note: FREE DINING IS NOT ALWAYS THE BEST DEAL.
Ok, at this point, it is basically impossible to say what is going to happen in 2014. I would think it is very likely we will see free dining for September dates, and less likely to see it again for Fall dates, and very, very unlikely we will see it for any other time of the year.
We usually see discounts released about 3 – 5 months before travel, so at this point, anything is a guess. Looking at your dates, the November dates are going to the most likely to see a good discount.
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we are looking at a disney vacation,as new florida residents. is there any florida resident discounts into the late/ early winter? all i see right now is September.
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Bronwyn – Right now, there are only the September deals available, nothing past that. We are expecting them at sometime, but they have been releasing them closer and closer to the travel dates, so it may be a while.
There are Fall discounts available to everyone, probably pretty close to what FL resident rates will be. You can book the room only and purchase FL resident tickets at the gate once you arrive. You can also switch it over to the FL resident rates once released.
http://www.mousemisers.com/2013/2013-fall-walt-disney-world-savings/
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Hi. My family is coming to Disneyworld September 27- October 2 and are staying at the campsites at Ft. Wildereness. We are going into Disneyworld a couple of days and also going to seaworld. I was trying to see if there were any types of discounts that we would be available for? Thanks for any help that you can do.
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TJ – Not that I am aware of. Typical Disney discounts are for packages that include your Disney resort and park passes, and you have to get the discounts when you book. They do not discount just tickets, or anything else, everyone pays the same price.
There are some places in the parks and in DTD that offer discounts for Disney VISA cardholders, annual passholders and the like, that information can be found on their websites. Have a great trip!
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Keith…. I am going to Disney Oct. 2, 2013 with 4 adults, 1 four year old and 2 two year olds, celebrating an adult birthday. Looking at reviews for Yachtsman Steakhouse and California Grill, ( which will be back open by then), just wondering which one would you suggest? Both have good reviews.
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Beverly – Well, here goes: I hate CA Grill. I have been there more times than you can imagine, and I never have had a good meal there. Now, that is just me, I know plenty of people who absolutely love it, and eat there numerous times each Disney visit. They have completely redone their menu and restaurant, so I will give it another try once it is open.
Yachtsman is great, absolutely fantastic steaks/food. However, it really doesn’t feel “special” like CA Grill. No view, no fireworks, etc. If you are going for something special, try the new CA Grill, most likely you will love it.
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Hi Keith,
When are the discounts for Winter typically announced? Specifically January. Also do they typically include Marathon Weekend?-
Colby – We would expect them soon, probably sometime in late September, possibly as late as October. The current Fall deals expire September 15, so as long as they are not extended, should be after that.
Yes, typically marathon weekend is included in at least one of the deals released.
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I’m looking to go to WDW April 5th -13th,2014 do you think they will have any kind of discounts? Maybe on the room rates?
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Samantha – Probably. Disney typically has some black out dates right around there, depending on when Spring Break and Easter dates fall, so we will kind of have to wait and see.
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Not sure if this is true or not but someone told me that if you stayed at a Disney hotal that you could book dining 190 days out and not 180 day out???
thanks!
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Samantha – Not quite true. If you are staying in a Disney World hotel, you can book all of your dining 180 days in advance of the day you check in. If your trip were 10 nights long, then it would be 190 days from that day.
If you are staying off property, you can only book 180 days in advance of each dining date, so staying on property gets you advance access to most of your nights.
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Hello! We are planning a trip in Feb. Do you know what ride closures will be then? I have heard that Splash Mountain may be?? Thank you!
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Annie – Nothing has been announced yet for early 2014. Usually one of the big MK rides is closed for rehab in January/February though, as it is kind of the slow time. Doubtful it will be Splash Mountain though, and could be nothing this time. We just have to wait and see.
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Hi, we are going in Feb and just read that Splash Mountain is closed. Saw this on another website:
We reported earlier this week that Splash Mountain was set to close for its annual refurbishment from January 6 2014 through to January 31 2014. It now appears that the refurbishment has been significantly extended, with Splash now being scheduled to close on January 6 through to March 21, reopening on March 22 2014.
Sad because it was also closed when we went in March this year.
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One more thing…I heard that the seven dwarfs mine train may be opening in early 2014…Any guesses on when it will be? That would be great if it was open in February, although I am sure it is unlikely.
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Annie – At this point, based on what I have seen of construction in the last week, it is no where near close to opening. Usually, they will give an opening date about 4 – 6 months in advance, and then they usually open a bit before then for test runs, press, etc. My guess is that they are going to try to get it open before Summer, 2014, but again, we just have to wait and see.
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Do you a discount for public will be offered for week of mar 23 2014? If so what possible deal. This is for disneyworld
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Mary – On October 8, this deal will be released to everyone:
http://www.mousemisers.com/2013/walt-disney-world-winter-2014-disney-visa-savings/
It is currently only available to Disney VISA cardholders, that will change next week.
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I just got word that the Monorail is going to be closed for the next 2 weeks from 11am until 6pm. We were planning on taking it from MK to Ohana on 10/10 at 4:00pm (our reservation is at 5:00). What should we do instead and how much more time should we plan for?
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Sonja – Most likely, the monorail will still be running from the Transportation and Ticket Center to the Magic Kingdom and back. If so, just take that and walk over from the TTC, it is a short walk, maybe 5 minutes. If it is not running, Disney will most likely be offering some other sort of transfers to the TTC, like bus. You can use the bus, or ride one of the boats going across to the TTC or Polynesian. For the boats, figure on a good 30 minutes as they take time to load and unload, and aren’t super fast.
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Hi! We will be taking out first trip to WDW April 26th-May 3rd 2014. I saw “Winter” deals that end April 2nd 2014. Do you think there will be any for the time we are going? Thanks!
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Moriah – Yes, there should be. There are usually some sort of discount made available just about every week of the year, outside of Christmas week. My guess is we won’t see the April/May deals for a while, probably first of next year.
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Hello! If a person has an annual pass and DW is offering 20% off rooms for AP holders, and at the same time there is a public discount for 15% off rooms, can the two be combined together for 35% off? It seems like I have read somewhere that they can. Thank you for your help!
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Annie – Nope, Disney never allows you to combine discounts, ever. Often times, there may be four of five deals out at once for certain people. You just need to compare them all and take the best deal available to you.
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we are planning to go to WDW this year for New Years week. I heard that MK had two fireworks extravaganzas for New Years; one on new years eve and one on Dec 30th. is that true? also, does Hollywood studios have fireworks on new years eve?
thanks!
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Karen – In 2012, yes, Hollywood Studios did fireworks around the Sorcerer’s Hat on New Year’s Eve. I don’t see anything on the schedule at this point, but honestly, not sure how much that means.
The MK doesn’t have anything posted for midnight either, Wishes is scheduled for 9PM both nights. For 2012, they had fireworks at 11:50 PM on 12/31, but not on 12/30, at least schedule. It is possible they had a small test run, but at this point, I would just count on 12/31 at both parks.
Please note that the full New Year’s Eve schedule has not been announced yet, so your question may be clarified at some point soon when it is announced.
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Hi, we booked a trip for 2 at Pop Century for Feb. Using the My Experience on the WDW website we tried to see if we will be picked for the Magic-bands, It already has given us Key To The World card numbers. Does that mean that we are definitely not going to get to test them?
Thanks-
Katrina – At this point, they are doing testing at all resorts through November 30, 2013. They have not said anything about them after the end of November. My guess is they will be launched officially at some point soon, most likely before February, so you should be fine. Once announced, you won’t be able to order them online until about 45 days before you travel. Since they have been in testing, the rules aren’t really known yet, I am sure we will find out more once they are launched.
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I stayed at Pop Century from Sep 22 – 29, 2013, and Magicbands were waiting for us. Everyone at the resort received Magicbands. However am not sure about the other resorts.
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I will be staying at Pop Century in January and All Star Sports in February. What can I expect regarding the use of Magicbands and Fast Pass + on each visit?
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Jim – We just don’t know for sure. Right now, they are testing Magic Bands at all Disney World resorts through January 5, but no official announcement has come out about it launching. I would assume by February it will be launched and running at all resorts.
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Hi! We will be taking our first Disney World trip April 26th-May 3rd 2014. Do you know if there are any resort or other discounts available for that time frame yet? We are also Disney Visa (debit) card holders. Thanks!
Moriah-
Moriah – Nothing yet for dates past April 12, 2014. My guess is we won’t see anything for later dates until next year (early January), but I could be wrong.
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Have you any idea if Disney will be offering Florida residents Wild for 3 again in Jan. 2014?
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Stella – I would think so, but usually these tickets are not announced until the day they are made available, so we should find out sometime in early January.
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Are they going to have the food kiosks during the Flower and Garden show this year? They were awesome last year. Thank you
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Katrina – Yes, the Marketplace kiosks will be back again for 2014. I would agree, we were there for opening day in 2013, and we loved that addition, glad to see it back again.
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Hi! We are taking our very first Disney World vacation this April 26th- May 3rd. Any ideas if/when any resort(Port Orleans Riverside) or dining discounts will be available? Thanks!
Moriah
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Moriah – We are expecting the next round of discounts to be released sometime soon, definitely in January. They should cover your dates, and go through early June, though that is just a guess at this point. We will not know for sure until the actual discounts are released.
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Happy to announce they came out today and we saved over $400 🙂 Thanks!
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Moriah – I told you they would be soon 😉 Glad you were able to save a bit of money!
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When can we expect Fall discounts? What are usually the blackout dates for Sept, Oct ?
Thank you, Happy new year-
Evelyne – I would expect September discounts to be released sometime in April, and October – December deals to be released sometime in the Summer. Nothing in September is usually blacked out, but October deals are hit and miss. Your best bet is to look at the 2013 October discounts to see when they were offered:
Free Dining: http://www.mousemisers.com/2013/2013-fall-free-disney-dining/
Fall Discount: http://www.mousemisers.com/2013/2013-fall-walt-disney-world-savings/
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We have a group of 12 at Beach Club villas. A 2 room, dedicated queen for 8 and studio for 4. We requested room near each other. Are there problems if the 3 boys want to stay in the larger room, moving it to 9 sleeping at night, and 3 in the studio. Already know they will ask and we don’t want to ruin our vacation if this is not OK.
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Cathy – Just don’t tell anyone. Technically you fit the requirements, and have the two rooms, it really doesn’t matter where people sleep.
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Hi! Is my aunt(which is a relative able to purchase our 3 day park passes with her residence ID?
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Anna – Usually not. For each ticket purchased, you must provide proof of FL for each person.
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Hi there:
We are looking to do Disney World sometime in August 2014. When is the best time to book this? Do you foresee any discounts for this time of year?
Kind regards-
Yes, we are expecting discounts for August. No idea when we should see them, but I would guess late February, possibly early March.
I would suggest getting it booked ASAP so you can start planning dining and other activities now, you can always get the discounts applied in the future once released.
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Can you purchase the meal plan at Disney World, Orlando even if you are not staying at a Disney Hotel?
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John – Nope, you must be staying at a Disney hotel, just one of the perks of staying on property.
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We are headed to DWD and staying at the all star – so we currently have the 5% and the one day free at the parks
Is free dining every offered during Mid May? May 14-20 – and if so I think it would save us more (family of 4) if we could get free dining
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Kari – We have not see free dining for any dates in 2014 yet, and we are not expecting them at all until September travel dates. At this point, I think that is the best deal you are going to see for May, though there is a possibility there may be some other deal released later on.
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Do you think they will have a free dining pin for November 2014 or when they would send them out if they were ? thanx
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Shelly – No idea at this point. We have seen it for limited dates during November the last few years, so definitely a possibility. We won’t know for sure until Fall discounts are released, probably sometime in late July or early August.
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We are planning our 25th anniversary on September 9th and would like to have a small ceremony and big party with our friends in the evening. What advice, tips and discounts can you acct.
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Oh sorry, I forgot to mention at California’s Disney park.
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We’ve always been able to get discounts on Thanksgiving vacations at Disney World by arriving the day before the discount black-out days (and waiting to the end of summer for the discounts to get advertised) and since we started our vacation before the black-out days, our deal extended for our whole time there – through Thanksgiving – saving us a lot of money. However, this time we are thinking of going after Christmas (12/27/14-1/2/15???). Is there any hope of any discounts or scheduling tricks for this time period?
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Scott – I have never seen a discount over the Christmas holidays, ever. Not even a tiny 5% discount, nothing at all. By far the most crowded and expensive time of the year to go, no real reason for Disney to discount anything, since they often have to close the parks because of capacity issues that week.
I have seen some deals run right up until Christmas day, so you can do the same thing, check in that day and get the discount your entire stay, but usually they expire before Christmas, around 12/22 or so. No real way of knowing what they will do this year until we actually see the discounts.
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Hey Keith – the new intro to Disney discount released today – I don’t see it on the Disney website? What exactly is this discount ?
Thanks for your expertise!! 🙂-
Julie – Disney has not released that information. In doing the math, it is basically a % discount on the hotel rooms/tickets, but they are not saying exactly what the deal is. Disney is moving more towards the discounts where they can advertise a low $$$ figure (this one is $899) rather than the discounts that offer something free like dining or park passes, etc.
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Planning on a Disneyworld trip for January 2015, wondering if its too early to book a trip for discounts? Just worried that airfare will go up in price if not booked soon. Can I get the same discounts if I find a package not on the Disneyworld website? Also does it matter where I buy park tickets from? Are they all the same? Thanks
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Beth – To book a package that includes park passes/dining, you must wait until Disney releases packages and rates for 2015, which will probably happen sometime in July. Every year we keep hoping the move it up to June or before, it just hasn’t happened yet. I would suggest you book either directly with Disney or use a decent Disney Specialist travel agent (we suggest Mouseketrips). A travel agent will make sure you get exactly what you want for the best deal, and as soon as you can get it booked.
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I am looking to go to Disney World the second week of December before it is dubbed official “holiday” season. In the past, I have always gone in the summer and I know when deals and savings come out for those trips. When are things usually posted for December when it is considered fall season and when would it be considered too late to book. I don’t want thing to fill up by waiting for a deal or discount to be posted, but I would also hate to miss out on something if anything did come up. Thank you!
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Denae – We usually see Fall discounts released sometime in July or August. I would suggest you get your stuff booked now, and start your planning. You should be able to apply any new discount that comes out to your reservation, there really isn’t any reason to wait. As I told Beth above, consider using a Disney travel agent, they will take care of you and make sure any deals get applied to your reservation.
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Hi! Looking to book a trip for the last week of June 2014, although the current spring promotion only runs through 6/15. It seems as though summer savings were posted early April last year, although I am afraid to wait that long to book. If a sale pops up after I book, will Disney honor the lower price? is it likely that AAA would have late June promotions running now and how do they compare to WDW promotions? thanks in advance
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Carrie – Go ahead and book now. Disney will not automatically apply any discounts for you, you must find out about them, and then call Disney to have them applied for you. Consider using a Disney Travel Agent, it won’t cost you anything, and they will apply discounts for you they day they are released. AAA usually has some small discounts on the rooms during the Summer, but they honestly stink compared to what Disney will release, assuming they release Summer deals.
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My son will be 10 when we travel to Disney this summer. This makes him an adult on the dining plan. However, he will not eat adult food and will still want the kids meals. Will they allow that?
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Mary – Yes, he will be able to choose between adult or kids meal, that is not a problem. Just let the waiter know, they deal with that all day long.
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Good to know. Hate that I would be paying all that extra money for adult meals though. Would it be that bad to just say he’s 9? 🙂
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Hi, As an AP holder do you get a window sticker to show free parking?
And what suggestions do you have for making an ADR at Crystal Palace before the park opens on an expected busy busy day? Where to park, how early we can be and anything else helpful!
Thank you-
Katrina – There isn’t such a thing as a parking sticker, you just show your AP each time you enter and they let you in free. The monorail usually starts running about an hour (usually a bit more) before the parks open, so you just have to park at the TTC, catch the monorail, and walk in the parks. Make sure you bring your reservation number with you as you will need it to enter the TTC and the park.
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Thank you
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My son and family are here from Germany, I live in San Diego. Can I purchase the Southern Californian tickets for all of us?
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Robin – You are going to need some sort of proof of residency. Usually a utility bill or something that shows your address will do if you don’t have a driver’s license. For most SoCal passes, you must live within the zip codes of 90000-93599 , but I think all of San Diego applies.
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Hi,
We already have a Disney Cruise booked for July. Can I still get a Mousemisers Visa for shopping, etc. and how do I apply? Is there a phone # to call?-
Jean – Disney Visas are only available to US residents. I think you can apply here:
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Does anyone know if WDW usually offers any type of discounts for travel in December (like the week before Christmas) or in January (like the week after new years). We have always gone in the summer, but would like to try a cooler month next time. We have about a months window since my husband is a college professor. I know that Christmas through new years will be blocked and crazy busy (we always have Christmas and New Years at home anyway. Thanks!
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Loralei – You are probably going to have better luck in December. Most discounts run up until right before Christmas, so there is a pretty decent chance you will see something for your dates, especially if you travel entirely before Christmas. January is tough. With so many schools now starting later in January, the parks have become pretty crowded, and the Christmas holidays have stretched well into January. For example, earlier this year, the discounts did not start until January 5, and if you arrive before a discount starts, you do not qualify at all.
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I have a vacation booked for October 29-November 6, i am hoping for free meal plan, have they released dates yet?
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Becky – We have not yet seen any discounts for October, and it may be a while. Typically we see them released in late July or early August. In fact, we haven’t seen free dining for September either, which leads us to believe that there won’t be any free dining at all for 2014. Just a hunch, nothing concrete.
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We always go in September and have always had free dining. What makes you think there will be no free dining this fall
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Brenda – Disney has already released a discount for September, the Intro to Disney offer. They have never released another offer, and then released free dining after that.
I have also been told by several people inside of Disney that they are trying to get away from free dining, it is just getting too expensive for them to offer it.
I still think there is a chance we may see it in September. If so, it will probably be released sometime in late April. I think it is much more likely Disney will resort to a PIN code for free dining in 2014.
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When will the tickets go on sale for the Mickey’s Halloween party?
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Samantha – Tickets for both the Halloween and Christmas parties usually go on sale the first week of May. No date has been announced, but we should hear something soon.
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If we book our trip now for October without dining plan and later they offer free dining will they let you add it?
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Brenda – Yes, most likely. It would depend on dates and availability at your hotel. Disney will not add it directly, you will either need to call them or have your travel agent apply it for you.
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What time on day 60 can you chose your fast pass+ 12:01am or 9am?
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Frank – typically, they show up online about 6AM EST.
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Hi Keith,
Is there any chance of us seeing ROOM ONLY discounts for Nov. 5 – 12, 2014 ???
So sad I missed out on Free Dining, but I am unable to reset my dates to get that…so hoping for room discount…Thanks !!!-
Sheree – yes, we are fully expecting a room only and possibly another package deal that should cover all November dates.
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Keith…thank you for that good piece of news!!! I will watch very closely for those deals!!! Any idea when something will be posted about them??? I am feeling very excited about this!!! Thanks again…your information is always correct…you are the BEST !!!
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Sheree – Honestly, no idea. I would think they will wait until sometime close to or after the current September deal, and the free dining expire. That isn’t until August 8. If I had to guess, I would say sometime after that. It is also possible Disney may just extend the current September deal to cover later dates, guess we will have to wait and see.
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We have made our dining reservations for the week of Thanksgiving – but something jumped out at us and has us a little concerned. I understand that the Whispering Canyon Café will be offering a Thanksgiving themed dinner on Thanksgiving Day. Do you know if they will still offer their regular menu (the ribs, chicken, etc skillet)? Disney Dining is actually not confident on this question. Any past experience with this one?
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Jim – In the past, there has just been a set Thanksgiving menu, served family style. The normal menu items are not available that day.
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I’m looking to go to Disney World for the first time in May 2015 with my daughter (for her birthday) and my husband. We were hoping that we could luck out and get a discount on either hotel costs or maybe even the free dining plan. I see they have the free dining plan going on now but you have to travel by the end of December. Do they usually offer the free dining plan again in the Spring? If not, is that a time that they usually offer any other discount programs.
I also saw that park tickets were much cheaper through Undercover Tourist, has anyone ever purchased tickets through them and are they reliable? I’d appreciate any help anyone is able to give. This isn’t a cheap vacation but if I can save some money along the way I would love it!
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Melissa – We rarely see free dining in the Spring, I think it only happened once or twice a few years ago. The last two years, it has only been in the Fall.
We do usually see some sort of discount just about all year round, so I would assume next Spring we will probably see package deal and a room only discount released at some point.
You can usually save a few dollars by purchasing your park passes separately through a reseller, but honestly, it makes life tough. With the new Magic Bands, Fast Pass + reservations and other new things Disney is rolling out, buying tickets separately, and getting them when you arrive, makes it so it is very difficult to participate in these things. Buying tickets from someone other than Disney also excludes you from most Disney discounts, as you have to purchase tickets as part of the package in order to qualify for discounts.
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Hi Keith,
Thank you so much for the advice! That room only discount you spoke of, would that not apply if we were booking the Magic your Way package?
I also have a question about the dining plan, we’ve been tossing around the idea of getting it or not getting it. It think it would be ok for me and my husband but think it just might be too much food for my daughter. Can we get it for the two of us and pay out of pocket for her meals?
One more question, when we’re looking to go to Disney she’ll be 9 years old when we arrive but turn 10 years old 4 days into our 7 day trip, do we need to purchase kid priced tickets for the whole time or a combo of children and adult tickets?
Thank you so much for your help with everything!
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We are going in august, but friends joining us had to cancel. Can we transfer their dining reservations to our itinerary? They got into be our guest, and we did not.
Thanks
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Keith – Sorry for the delay. Typically not. Quite a while ago, Disney had a big problem with people who were booking Cinderella’s Royal Table and selling the reservations on ebay. They instituted the credit card guarantee there to stop that practice, and now use it at all WDW table service restaurants. My suggestion would be to have both of you call Disney Dining together, and see if since both of you are on the phone, if they will allow you to transfer the Be Our Guest reservation to you.
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Hi Keith—any chance we may see some surprise discounts for Nov. 5-12, 2104..We missed out on FD 🙁 Hoping maybe for a room discount or some other type of discounts. Thanks !
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Sheree – Sorry for the delay, the discount was released this morning. As soon as I have the full information, I will get it posted.
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Keith…you are the BEST !!!!! Thanks for the heads up…I just called WDW and had the discount applied to my reservation. As always, thank you for your help and 100% accurate information each and every time 🙂
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I am planning a trip to Disneyworld in August but am not staying at a Disney hotel. Can I still buy a meal plan pass or is that only for Disney hotel guests?
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Sally – Nope, the Dining Plans can only be purchased if you are staying at a Disney Hotel, and if you book a package that includes your hotel and park passes.
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Hi, can you tell me anything about what is happening with the pictures taken before your meal at 1900, Akershus, Chef and Cinderella? I am getting news that they are eliminating both the free ones at Cinderella and Akershsus and the printed for purchase options at 1900 and Chef. Making them only available to Memory Maker plans and not regualr photopass people. Thank you
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Katrina – That is correct. Disney will still be taking the photos before the meals, but you will no longer be receiving a printed version. They will be available for purchase through the Memory Maker program. If you paid for the unlimited version, then they will be included on your package for free, otherwise you will have to pay for printed versions once you are home.
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Question – can Disney employees purchase Theme Park tickets at a discount? Do these include annual passes for family members?
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Beerad – Typically, yes, cast members can purchased discounted park passes. I am unsure if all cast members can purchase tickets for family/friends, I think it varies depending upon their job/level.
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Hi Keith,
Is there any truth to the rumor that one or more surprise offers/discounts will be coming out end of August/beginning of September 2014 ???? Am hoping that is true…I need to pay balance of my trip by mid September. Room Only discount did not really make much of a difference and my dates did not coincide with Free Dining dates. As always, thanks for your help !!!!-
Sheree – We don’t comment on rumors, we only report actual discounts that are released to the public. At this point, I would be surprised to see another Fall deal, but I guess it is always possible. The Fall room only discount is available for basically all Fall dates, and the Free Dining was basically sold out for all dates Disney made it available, so it was successful in fulling all the excess rooms Disney felt they needed to fill with that discount. So the only possible way they release another one is if there are still a bunch of rooms Disney fills they need to fill up.
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Hi Keith…I apologize if you felt I thought you based your information on rumors. I know that you do not…your information is always accurate and right on target. I was just hoping maybe there was some credence in the postings on other Disney related sites stating there might be a surprise discount coming up. These sites claimed that Disney CMs told them to look for something the end of August. You are always my go to person for the real information…that is why I posed the question. You are nothing less than an honest person with the utmost integrity. Again my apologies if I offended your or this site.
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Sheree – No problem at all. I just get tons of comments and emails asking about rumors, there seem to be 10 false rumors for every real one, so we just have a policy of not commenting on any rumors, whether we know them to be real or not. My experience is that Disney CMs rarely know anything in advance, and often are unaware of discounts even after they have been released.
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Any word on when they will announce Free Dining for Jan-Feb 2014??
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Susan – I would be stunned if we see Free Dining for any dates before September, 2015. We have not see free dining for anytime outside Fall dates for a few years now, and bookings are way up, it would be a huge surprise to see anything in early 2015. I would expect some other deals to be released sometime this Fall, but not free dining.
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We are hoping to go to WDW Nov 5-15, 2015. Historically Disney has had free dining in the fall but has excluded the first week of November. Do you know why they exclude that week and whether or not they will exclude it again in 2015? If it is excluded for 2015 is there any way we can book a room for the first few nights of our vacation and then switch resorts to book the free dining (assuming it will be offered again)?
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Amber – Fall free dining is always in question. We have seen it the last few years only, and every year, they seem to exclude more and more dates and resorts. This year, it was extremely hard to find availability, even minutes after it was released. Every year, I feel they aren’t going to bring it back, and I feel the same way for 2015. If they do bring it back for 2015, expect fewer dates will be made available.
When making any deal available, Disney looks at which dates need help, and discounts those dates. If they have times that are already pretty full (mostly because of school holidays or special events), they just don’t discount those dates, or don’t include them in something like free dining.
Yes, you can change a reservation once a discount is released. One problem with your suggestion is that for free dining, you must purchase park passes as part of your package, which you will not get until you check in. So if you have three or four nights of room only before your free dining starts, then you don’t have tickets either, unless you purchase additional ones, which would pretty much wipe out any savings you will get from free dining. I have found it works doing that if you are only one night off, but any more than that, it just doesn’t make sense.
I would suggest you figure out your dates, get it booked now, and adjust as needed once discounts are released. While we may see free dining again for November, we definitely will see some other deal released that should cover all your dates.
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We’re starting to plan a vacation for Oct. 2015. We were hoping to do Disney for 5 days and Universal for 2 days. Can we still stay at the Disney resort for the 2 days we’re at Universal and still use the free ground transportation to the airport? Any advise on rental cars? Should we go through the Car Center at Disney or go offsite? Thanks for all of your help, this website is so very helpful!!
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Melissa – Yes, if you are staying on Disney property, the Magical Express is free round trip, regardless of what you do during the day.
There is a car center onsite (Alamo), and most of the Downtown Disney Resorts have car rental desks in their lobbies. I would think the Alamo option would be cheaper, but I would check any option in Lake Buena Vista, they should all provide some sort of shuttle to come pick them up. You could also look at renting from somewhere at the airport, and take the Magical Express shuttle up there to rent a car, then just drop it off on your way home.
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Out thought was to do Universal in the middle of the week (Sat-Mon. at Disney, Tues & Wed. at Universal then Thurs.-Sat. back at Disney). I just noticed when pricing out the trip that the Dining Plan is tied to your hotel stay. Is there a way to get the dining plan only for the days we’ll be at the park? It will cost us about $360 to have it for the days we’ll be at Universal. Any advice?
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Melissa – Nope. The only option is to book separate reservations, so one at Disney for your time at Disney, and then a separate reservation (at Disney or elsewhere) that is for your time at Universal. Most people do Universal before or after their Disney stay.
One thing to remember, the dining plan you pay for is not lost, so you can use those credits on days you are in the parks.
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Thank you, you’ve been so very helpful!! One last question (for now!), do the Art of Animation Little Mermaid room and/or the Standard room in Pop Century have mini fridges in them?
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Melissa – Yes and Yes. All WDW resort rooms now have a mini-fridge standard in the room.
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We are planning a trip to WDW in January. We are Florida residents and the last few years there has been a great deal on 3 day tickets for the first few months of the year($129 last yr I think). Should we expect this deal again or is the $179 tickets probably the best we will get? I was planning on waiting until January, but I could start booking fast passes if I buy tickets now.
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Joy – Very likely we will see that deal again, though no idea on the price. Historically, that deal has not been announced in advance, they announce it the first day tickets become available to the public, which is usually very early January, probably January 5, 2015 if I had to guess.
For 2014, it was announced January 3, first day you could use it was January 4.
If you want to wait until then, I fully expect to see that deal again.
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Hi! We’re looking to come to Disney for the first time with our daughter on Oct. 3-10th. I’ve read a bunch of posts saying that Disney is cutting back on the free dining plan and it’s not usually offered in October. Is there any other deal they usually offer in October though? We’re looking to stay at Pop Century, do you like that hotel? Any advice on which park to hit the first day since we’ll lose some of the day for traveling (should arrive and be checked in by 12:30 hopefully). One last question, is it a huge pain to plan a first trip without doing the park hopper passes. It’s a decent savings by not doing it but I fear it will be extra stressful to limit ourselves. Thanks a million!!
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Melissa – Well, first thing, get a hold of a good Disney travel agent, these are really questions you should be asking them. We love Mouseketrips, check them out.
Yes, Disney has been cutting back on free dining, would not surprise me for 2015 if we only saw it for a few weeks in September only. For 2014, you can see the dates they made available here:
http://www.mousemisers.com/2014/2014-disney-world-free-dining/
Expect fewer dates, not more.
For all the other questions, again, better to ask a travel agent, we really only deal with discounts. Best of luck!
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Friends of mine from up north are planning a trip to Disney. Originally it was just the 2 of them. Now I have found I can join them for some (not all) of their days. How do I get a parking pass for my car if I am not on the reservation? Is it a problem if I park at the hotel without a pass?
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Karen – You/They should be able to get a parking pass from the front desk. Parking there is fine without one, but getting in and out of the resort is a hassle. Just have them ask for a pass at check in, not really a big deal.
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We are wanting to go to WDW the week after Thanksgiving. I know they typically offer a discount during this time. I know you don’t know for this year yet, but does the discount typically start the Sunday or Monday following Thanksgiving. Thank you!
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Betsy – Always hard to predict the future, especially with Disney. For 2014, the nights of November 26 – 28 were blacked out. You could still check in, but only the nights of November 29 and later were discounted. November 29 was a Saturday.
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Hello. We were thinking about staying in a suite at art of animation. I’m wondering what is included in the “kitchenette”. They talk about there being a fridge and a microwave, but is there nothing else? In the pictures of the rooms there is a cabinet in the kitchette. What’s in the cabinet? Just needing to know what I’d be working with… Thanks much!
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Cass – It is very small, and very limited. There is just a microwave, coffee maker, sink and fridge, that is it. They do offer some paper plates, bowls and plastic utensils, but nothing else. Definitely not somewhere that you could make a dinner, really intended more for a quick breakfast or snacks.
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Is there somewhere I can find historical dates for “Kids Sail Free” for Disney Cruiseline or do you know if it has been offered in recent years?
Thanks, Susan!!
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Susan – We have not seen a kids sail free discount on DCL for 2+ years, and we honestly are not expecting one anytime soon. In fact, Disney has pretty much stopped discounted cruises, the last real discount we saw was the kids sail free in early 2013.
Here are the last four kids sail free discounts, not sure it will help much:
http://www.mousemisers.com/2012/disney-cruise-kids-sail-free-from-miami/
http://www.mousemisers.com/2012/disney-cruise-kids-sail-free-from-galveston/
http://www.mousemisers.com/2011/disney-cruise-kids-sail-free-to-mexico/
http://www.mousemisers.com/2011/disney-cruise-fall-kids-sail-free/
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Good morning, I was just wondering if you have heard any rumors or a possible time that free dining for Sept will be announced? If they offer it this year.
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Mattawn – Historically, September free dining has been announced in early May. For 2014, it was announced May 7, for 2013, it was announced May 6, 2012. Please note, the last few years, Disney has released it earlier for Disney VISA cardholders, usually 3 – 4 days early, to give them first shot. That should give you some warning it is coming soon for everyone.
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*O* we are planing another Disney trip in 2016, we are thinking of going February 4 – 11 in 2016 just wondering how are the crowds during this time. (New Orleans Mardi Gras ) and someone told me that they had free dining when they went during mardi gras. any ideas thanks
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Mirna – That week should be pretty quiet. February is a great time to go, except over President’s Day Weekend, which does get crowded. Remember though, it can be quite cold during February, if you get a good cold front that comes through, it could be in the 50s and raining for a week, so be prepared.
We saw Spring free dining in 2011 and 2012, but not before and not since. It is very doubtful we will see it next year, though there should be a pretty decent discount.
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Do I have to pay extra to order GF menu itemsfor my daughter when using the Disney Dining Plan ?
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Patricia – No, you should not. Disney World is actually coming out with specialty allergy menus at most restaurants this year, and as far as I have been told, there is no price difference.
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Planning to be participating in Princess half marathon 2016. Any packages or discounts ever offered for participants? Booking 3 rooms Feb 16 to 25 2016.We are excited already!! Thanks very much.
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Lynne – Package have been released for marathon weekend in January, 2016, but not any other dates. I do not know if they will release special packages for the February Princess half marathon, or if they will just wait until the release all 2016 travel dates. Typically, the general public deals are a better deal than the marathon deals, but you really have to wait and see.
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Thanks for the prompt reply. Since our Canadian dollar has dipped, I will certainly be watching for a deal of some type! Take care.
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Staying at Port Orleans Riverside 10/17 to 10/24 which unfortunately is not eligible for free dining. No luck in date changes either although I am still hoping for a pin code. Question is…. Are you expecting any Fall room discounts for this time frame. I am keeping my fingers crossed. It’s always nice to get some sort of discount.
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Barbie – Disney actually released a new PIN code today for all Fall dates, it is a room only offer, save up to 30%, and would cover your dates. I am also expecting to see a similar discount released to everyone at some point, probably after the free dining offer expires. Best of luck!
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I got the PIN code about a half hour after I posted the question. Worked out well and I even was able to upgrade to Animal Kingdom Lodge! Thanks so much for the help!
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My discover Disney tickets expire on June 5th 2015 is that at midnight on that date ?
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Michele – According to the Disney website:
Valid Admission Dates
January 3, 2015 through June 5, 2015.So, you can use the tickets June 5, but not June 6.
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Keith, is there any way to find out if/when more rooms are released for the summer room discount package? I check almost every day, but was hoping there was a notification system somewhere. Looking for Yacht Club 8/11 – 8/20 std room.
Thanks!!-
Keith – Disney rarely adds available rooms to a discount. Most of the time, if someone has booked a discounted room and then cancels, the rooms goes back into inventory at full rate rather than the discounted rate. If this happens quite a few times for the same dates, then the hotels may add back to the discounted pool, but it is pretty rare. You are best to just check every day. Oh, and you probably won’t find a standard room, there are very few of those, and we rarely see them available with discounts. A garden view room maybe, but not a standard view. Good luck!
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Hi Keith,
Will Osborne Light show be returning to Disney World for holiday season 2015? And if so, any ideas of dates? We will be in WDW Nov. 14-18, 2015, and hoping to be able to see the lights once again. As always, thanks so much for your help !!-
Sheree – Though I do not think it has been officially announced for 2015, it isn’t going anywhere. I believe it is scheduled to open in early November, some reports are saying November 6, 2015, so you should be just fine.
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Hi Keith,
Thank you so much for the information…..YOU ARE AWESOME !!!!!
Sheree
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Keith, I’ve heard that Disney has records from every time you visit. Is there anywhere I can access that information? We’ve been 7 times in the past 11 years, and would love the info to have with our pictures and memories…
Thanks
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Keith – I am not sure that is information they would release to you, even if you could prove that it was your information. I would start by calling the Disney reservations center at 407-WDISNEY and see if they can help you or point you in the right direction. Good luck!
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I have purchased the Birnbaum’s 2016 Walt Disney World Book. It has a coupon in the back for Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort when I called and requested the Birnbaum offer they could not find it. Does anyone know when you can use th coupon or if their is a code I am supposed to use.
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Disneyland is having their diamond celebration this summer. Will it like go through the fall?
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Betsy – The Disneyland Diamond Celebration is currently scheduled to run through September 5, 2016. It would not surprise me if Disneyland were to extend the celebration through the end of 2016, though that announcement may not come for another 6 months. Have a great trip!
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Your military discount rates are for active duty and retirees, does this include service disabled veterans that were not retired from the military? Thanks
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D – That really depends on your exact status. If you are permenantly disabled (DAVPRM), then yes, you qualify. If you are 100% or less than 100% disabled, then no, you are not. This page does a good job of describing what you may or may not qualify for:
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Is the meal plan at Disneyworld worth the price?
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Charles – There isn’t a black and white answer to this. It really depends on how you eat in the parks. For my family, we always do one table service meal each night, so the Disney Dining Plan works really well for us. I figure we save about 15 – 20%, plus everything is budgeted in advance and paid for, so I don’t have to worry about it. If you do one or two table service meals, it may not be worth it to you.
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Hello, I have a question about a unique offer code I received in both my email addresses this past weekend. It is a 8 digit code that consist of numbers and letters. It does not say what the offer code is for, however it is within the time frame that I am going to Disney with my family. This is my first time going to Disney and my first time getting an offer code, so I am unsure about what to do since my vacation is paid in full and we go on vacation June 2. Please assist me in what to do in regards to this code.
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Rashundra – Call Disney, or if you booked with a travel agent, call them. Tell them you got a PIN code in the email and they will check to see if it saves you any money. Depending on what discount you booked your trip with, it may or may not save you some money, but it is worth a phone call. Good luck!
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If you book a Disney Cruise when you are a College Program cast member, and book it with your discount but the cruise date is after your program ends do you still get the discount?
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Harry – Honestly, I have no idea at all. I would suggest you call DCL directly, or possibly someone in the college program if they help you book the cruise. For most cruises that require some sort of ID, it is usually required at check in too, so I would assume you would still need to be in the program at the time of the cruise, but again, I have no idea. Sorry!
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Does anyone know if the BOATHOUSE Restaurant will be serving it’s regular menu, in addition to a Thanksgiving menu, on Thanksgiving Day? I don’t want to spend the two meal tickets if it is only the Thanksgiving Menu.
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Jim – Have you called the restaurant? (407) 939-2628
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Hi. Do you know when of if Aulani will have a discount for January 2017?
Thanks-
Karen – Yes, we will see January 2017 Aulani discounts at some point. For January 2016, discounts were released in early August, so I would expect to see them sometime around the same timeframe.
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Keith, We are planning a trip in Dec 2018 and have a Magic your way with park hopper plan. we are trying to make fasspass+ selections and Disney won’t let us make fasspasses for 2 different parks ON THE SAME DAY; do you know why when we have park hopper ??? Thank you
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Suzanne – Walt Disney World’s fastpass system currently only allows you to make reservations in one park per day, regardless whether you have the hopper or not. There is no way around it right now. However, go ahead and make three reservations in the one park. Once you use those first three, you can get additional ones in a different park.
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I’m retired Air Force and can only buy 6 tickets through the military discount program. Are there exceptions for military families with 8 people in the family?
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Ed – My understanding is that there are not any exceptions, everyone is limited to the 6 tickets. I might suggest you call Shades of Green though as they do handle ticket sales, or your military base ticket office. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help, and good luck!
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Hi Keith,
Any idea if Disney World will be offering room discounts and or Free Dining dates for March of 2018. Thanks !!
Sheree-
Sheree – Room discounts, yes, we should see those released sometime late this year. We WILL NOT see free dining for March dates.
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Hi Keith,
Thank you so much for your reply!! As always, your help is much appreciated !!
Sheree
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I have to watch every penny I spend as well as a lot of other people but do you have any ideas how I can feed three kids and I adult while at Disney cheap?
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Kim – I am a big fan of the Disney Dining plans. Not that they are huge money savers that they once were, you can still save your money. What I do like is that everything is pre-paid and budgeted in advance, so there isn’t any stress while at Disney about the cost of meals.
Alternatively, Disney does allow you to bring your own food into the parks if you wish, so it would be pretty easy to pack a lunch for everyone and store it in the lockers on Main Street.
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Do you know is Disney offers for he ‘Discover Disney “ Florida Resident pass each year? We took advantage of this great offer last year and hope to do it again. If so, is January the typical start time?
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Angi – No promises for 2018, but they have offered it the last 4 years like clockwork, so I would assume we will see it again early next year. Typically, Disney releases them right after the first of the year, usually within a few days after January 1.
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I am planning my first vacation to Disney with my family of 5. (Husband, me, 3 young boys). We have it narrowed down to a week and a resort. I have made a room-only reservation. This year, they issued discounts in 2017 for the same week we will be there in 2018. I understand there is no guarantee that the same discount will be offered, but for the sake of conversation, let’s say it is. So , I’m booked, with reservation #s, and by the time the discount is released, I will have made dining reservations (and perhaps FP reservations). If I call Disney after the discount comes out, will they apply it to my reservation? Will I have to cancel and rebook, thus losing my dining reservations? Also – I’m currently booked at the Art of Animation. I understand those reservations are excluded from discounts. But what if I call, there is availability at another resort that is part of the discount – can I simply change hotels, keep the same reservation # and apply the discount without losing dining reservations?
I really suspect that Free Dining and/or discounted rooms will be offered at my time of travel. I want to plan ahead, but also want to maximize the discounts. Thank you so much! The details are overwhelming!
Thank you for your help!
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Erin – The short answer is yes, the long answer is much more complicated. If you are in a Little Mermaid room at AoA, there will be no discounts released, those rooms have always been excluded, so you will have to move in order to get a discount. Discounts are based on availability, so just because you have a room and a discount comes out means nothing, there has to be a discounted room available. If there is, and you just want the room only discount, they can apply it to your existing reservation, it will not change any dining or other reservations you have. However, if free dining comes out, that is a package discount, which means you will have to cancel your room only reservation and book a brand new package reservation. The good news is that typically that does not effect your dining (if you have a reservation and cancel because you are no longer coming, you still have to to go cancel all of your dining too).
So, this can all be very confusing, which honestly, is why Disney travel agents are still in business. I would strongly suggest you contact one of them to help you out, it will not cost you anything and they can handle all of this for you. We love our sponsor Mouseketrips, check them out, I can promise it will be worth it to you.
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Thank you for your response! If I use a Disney Travel Agent though, they will push the package option, correct? That’s how they are paid from Disney right?
I’m not against going with a package, but I find the cancellation policy of a room-only reservation better (we have no intent of cancelling within a 30-day window but you never know). I also like the idea of buying tickets from an outside vendor, but I haven’t been impressed with the $ savings there. It looks like only $200ish for a family of 5, 6 day park ticket. Am I missing something there?
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To be more clear, packages are generally more expensive, right? So the upside is that I get an agent at “no cost” to me, but the cost is really the difference in buying park tickets from a reputable 3rd party. But then I have to weigh the cost of the potential discount that Disney might offer. OMG – planning this is no small feat for those of us who are type A, huh? 😉
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Erin – If your travel agent is decent, they will book whatever you want. Packages tend to be the same price as room only + tickets, but packages tend to have some perks that booking separately do not. Many discounts released recently are package only (free dining, stay, play, dine, etc), so by booking room only, you miss out on these discounts. Knowing a lot of travel agents, I would say 10 years ago, it was probably 50% packages, 50% room only. Now, almost no one books room only, basically only passholders, there really isn’t any reason to do it.
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Has all of Pop Century undergone the room renovations? We stayed in a standard view renovated room last October, and want to go back – but to a preferred poolside room. Have these been done yet, and if not are they planned to be by labor day?
Thanks!
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Keith – Pop Century is not 100% done yet with the room updates, they are scheduled to be done later this year (they are saying late Summer, but you never quite know).
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