The fountain in the garden at Port Orleans French Quarter
by Soarin’ Diva
If you have jumped online to do any kind of planning for your upcoming Disney vacation, I’m sure you have heard tons of terms you are unfamiliar with. You sit, scratching your head, and think to yourself, what are these people even talking about. They are using initials in place of names of rides, resorts and attractions. There are crazy names that get others all excited, but maybe you are a little clueless about what it means. How about the “Bounce Back Offer?” Have you heard of this one? My husband and I had always heard the term “bounce back” but never really delved into what it could mean. About three years ago, we found out, unfortunately a little too late to take advantage of it.
The welcome package usually found in your resort room
Have you ever noticed that thick envelope called a Welcome Package that appears on the table of your Walt Disney World Resort the first day you arrive for your vacation? Did you ever just stop and take the time to go through all that paper work? We never had, but somehow, the welcome package was thrown in the suitcase as we packed for the trip home. Once we were home and back in our ho-hum, boring lives, I began going through all the paper work. That’s when I discovered it. A slip of paper inside, letting us know that if we booked our next vacation WHILE STILL STAYING AT THE RESORT ON OUR CURRENT VACATION, we would be eligible for free dining on that next vacation.
What??? Do you mean to tell me that I’ve missed my opportunity for free dining for my family for our next vacation? Me being m
e, and unable to accept the fact that we had totally messed up and given up free dining, I called the number anyway. It can’t hurt to ask, right? Well, in this case, I was told, in a very nice, pixie-dusted and total Disney way, that no, I was no longer eligible for free dining. You absolutely MUST call the number from your resort to book the next trip, which makes you eligible for the bounce back offer. I won’t lie, it stung. It stung most of all because I knew that we were totally at fault for it. We should have known what a bounce back was. We should have looked into it before our trip. We should have LOOKED AT THE PAPERWORK while still on vacation. Lesson learned, I wouldn’t make that mistake again.
The insert telling you about the bounce back offer
I was ready for it by the time our next Disney vacation rolled around. I did all the investigative work & knew what was expected of me. As soon as we got to our Walt Disney World Resort room, I charged straight for the table to see if there was a current bounce back offer. But wait! Where was my welcome package? It wasn’t on the table. It was nowhere to be found!
Don’t stress, I told you I was ready, I told you I did all the investigative work. I knew exactly what to do, and I’m about to let you know how to find that bounce back as well. It’s a very simple TIP really, you simply dial extension #8844 from your resort room. When that lovely Disney cast member answers, you very nicely ask, “Excuse me, but could you possibly tell me what the current bounce back offer is?” I was in luck, when I called I was informed that if I booked between certain dates, my family would be eligible for free dining again. Of course I wasted no time and we immediately booked our next vacation the very first night of our current vacation.
There are a few things you must remember about the bounce back. First of all, there isn’t always going to be a bounce back. They are only available at certain times for certain dates, and the vacation you book MUST fall within the dates they give you. Another item to remember is that there will be black-outs on bounce backs on certain resorts as well. We were able to book our next vacation on a bounce back this past vacation as well, but were told that our favorite resort was blacked-out and not eligible for the bounce back. We were bummed, but hey, it’s free dining and it’s a little exciting knowing we will be staying somewhere different and having a different experience. We were also told this last time that we would be required to purchase the park-hopper option on our tickets to take advantage of the bounce back. This was a new requirement, but again, it’s a little exciting to do something different. Remember also, that anytime you book a vacation, you are required to leave a $200 deposit, and booking through a bounce back offer is no different, so be prepared for that.
The bounce back won’t always be free dining. Sometimes, it could be a resort discount, perhaps 20% off a resort stay or up to 30% off a resort stay, depending on which resort you choose. This may actually suit some of you better than free dining, but again, it all depends on what Disney offers, not specifically what we want. For my family, most of the time the free dining is a huge blessing for us. It gives us an opportunity to eat at more sit down restaurants than we would normally take the time for. Honestly, though, any special offer Disney gives through the bounce back will be a hit at my house. The more money we save on resorts and/or food, the more money we have to spend on those souvenirs or even put toward the NEXT Disney vacation! Who doesn’t like to save a little money, right? So remember, next time you are on your Disney vacation and you already know you plan on coming back for another vacation, check for a bounce back. If there is no welcome package, dial extension #8844 from your room and just ask. Cast members are always happy to answer any questions you have.
Are you ready to start planning your magical vacation and enjoy all that Disney has to offer, but you aren’t sure where to start? Contact our recommended travel agent, Patricia at All Dreams for Travel, and she can do all the work for you. Best of all, all of her services are FREE, all you have to do is click here to request a quote!
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