Free Dining Plan, Di$ney100 etc

[EpicKevin]

Hi Fellow UK folks.

I know the offer for Free Dining Plan, 100 Disney Dollars, 7 nights for the price of 14 has been going round a while and it ends in a couple of days. But last year I think it made a comeback later in the year etc.

Does anyone know if this is likely to happen again this year?

Thank You!!

(I love how helpful and knowledgeable the Disboarders are! )

[OhanaSam]

Don't know if it's any use but we booked our holiday with all of the stuff you mentioned, but with the $200 gift card, in June last year

[EpicKevin]

Originally Posted by OhanaSam

Don't know if it's any use but we booked our holiday with all of the stuff you mentioned, but with the $200 gift card, in June last year

Yeah - they vary slightly each time.

We booked it last time through that and got Free Dining Plan, $100 and the tickets thing. But I know it later went to $200 and this time it's only a QSDP.



But at least you booking in June lends weight to my theory that it comes out again later in the year. But I guess there's no guarantees and I would imagine it depends on how popular it has been this time.

Thanks for your reply.

[orangetiggs]

I think they are trying to phase out the dining plan offers hence why its now only qsdp

[Disneynutinlondon]

Originally Posted by orangetiggs

I think they are trying to phase out the dining plan offers hence why its now only qsdp

OMG I sincerely hope not as with my lot that's the ONLY way we can afford it. On our last trip last October we had the free regular dining plan and we worked out we saved about £1400 so it really made a BIG difference

[EpicKevin]

Originally Posted by orangetiggs

I think they are trying to phase out the dining plan offers hence why its now only qsdp

Yeah - I was worried about that.

I'm not convinced I will be able to get a final and definitive answer on this... but I'd love someone to be able to prove me wrong.

[Elise79]

My guess is that this may be it for 2013 offers - however I think you will see 2014 offers later in the Spring. What they are is anyones guess at this point. Things to note are Disney have not been shy at letting it be known that they want to reduce discounts and the UK market isn't as important to them as it once was.

[tinkerpea]

Originally Posted by Elise79

My guess is that this may be it for 2013 offers - however I think you will see 2014 offers later in the Spring. What they are is anyones guess at this point. Things to note are Disney have not been shy at letting it be known that they want to reduce discounts and the UK market isn't as important to them as it once was.

Exactly there reducing discounts yet raising the prices!!
I could not believe what a fab deal I got on SSR last time with free DDP it was only £4885 for 6 ultimate tickets DDP and 16 nights in a 2 bed! Now they want £6900 without tickets or DDP!

We have bought the DDP in the past as we like everything paid for but to get it free really helped us,
Not so sure we could afford it if they keep treating the UK peeps like this that would be sad after 25 years of going!

[luke]

Originally Posted by tinkerpea

Exactly there reducing discounts yet raising the prices!!
I could not believe what a fab deal I got on SSR last time with free DDP it was only £4885 for 6 ultimate tickets DDP and 16 nights in a 2 bed! Now they want £6900 without tickets or DDP!

We have bought the DDP in the past as we like everything paid for but to get it free really helped us,
Not so sure we could afford it if they keep treating the UK peeps like this that would be sad after 25 years of going!

We're just not their targeted market at the moment, they've switched to the likes of South America for their more 'aggressive discounts'

[chmurf]

I have also been wondering for a long time.

But I bit the bullet 2 days ago and booked for october.
upgraded to DDP for £672 (still a bargain compared to OOP) for 21 days

If I booked, it's because I don't think the deal is coming back this year

1st, you get less and less with those deals : gift card is reduced to $100, DDP is scaled down to QSDP.

2nd, it seems that most guests report an increase in attendance (for us, october regulars, it seemed obvious last year, and we even wondered if the "secret" was out ...). It looks like Disney has rebuilt a momentum where it may no longer needed to offer large discounts especially during the last stretch before the 2014 season where the final stage of new fantasyland will have the resort packed.

3rd, this year was the first time that QSDP was offered with virtually no date restrictions. It was offered for the entire year up until Dec. 8th.
The US site will have deals in the weeks to come. So there is little chance that we get another shot at a free dining deal in 2013

When I booked 2 days ago, there were no standard room left at POR, only preferred or water view.
There were standard rooms available a few days before.

So it seems they have almost sold out the rooms that were alloted to the offer. They will sell more on the US site in the weeks to come (no reason to believe we get deals and the americans don't)

The mere nature of this years offer on the WDTC-UK site leads me to believe that this is it for this year.

We might see late booking offers like there were in 2012, with 30% off on accomodation, but free dining ? ... I doubt it

[duffdo]

I am an avid price watcher on the Disney UK website and have now booked 3 trips through it. In order to maximise your discount/freebies, the way to go is to book as far in advance as humanely possible. I travel to WDW in October 2013 and actually booked my hotel/tickets in May 2012. I then waited until December 2012 (until flight schedules are released,) rang Disney on the day my return flight was released and booked the flights. After checking the website at least once every week from May 2012 onwards, I reckon I have saved around £400 on a £5000 package compared to booking at any another time. I got $200 gift card to boot!

Failing this, I have found that one of the best times to book is between Christmas and New Year when everybody has no money! Disney UK are sneaky too, they charge no credit card fees and let you put a low low low deposit down (£100 for room/ticket packages and £300 for a full package holiday!) After speaking to them last week, they also told me that they accept part payment over the phone at any time before the full balance is due!

[Disbabe]

I'm so glad I booked when I did as we got regular DDP, but have since looked at how much the same holiday would cost now and would only have got QSDP.
My jaw dropped when I saw how much the Beach Club with tickets and free DDP was when I booked. I snapped it up very quick through Complete Orlando, £1834 for 5 of us for 1 week. This is our 8th time out there and have never been able to afford to stay onsite, but to have gotten a deluxe resort at that price, at that time, which was cheaper than SSR and OKW with their offers and the value resorts! I pushed the boat out and decided it was about time to experience an onsite hotel
And we have FREE DDP to boot. I've added up roughly how much it would likely cost for the 5 of us to eat at the places I have chosen and it'll come close to the amount I've paid for that room.

Shame to see that this deal may no longer happen again. Someone up there was looking down on me and pushed me in the right direction!

[2Tiggies]

Originally Posted by orangetiggs

I think they are trying to phase out the dining plan offers hence why its now only qsdp

Originally Posted by Disneynutinlondon

OMG I sincerely hope not as with my lot that's the ONLY way we can afford it. On our last trip last October we had the free regular dining plan and we worked out we saved about £1400 so it really made a BIG difference

I'm not convinced they are getting rid of it just yet.

It is normal for the late offers (deals for the current year) to offer less, which is why I always rush to book as soon as I can. In a couple of months or so we are going to see the offers released for 2014 and we will then have a better idea. As a previous poster mentioned, your best deals are the first deals.

[dixonsontour]

My guess is the uk offers for 2013 will be replaced by the 2014 offers - they usually launch beginning of April.

But remember the US 2013 free dining deals haven't been launched yet.

We are supposed to be offsite this October but I will see what if any US deals there are for our dates. I know free dining US offers have been released July/Aug the last 3 years for our October dates.

I would be suprised if UK disney completely stops the offers for 2014 - maybe free QSDP only or much more restricted dates for the offer.

[2Tiggies]

Originally Posted by dixonsontour

But remember the US 2013 free dining deals haven't been launched yet.

We are supposed to be offsite this October but I will see what if any US deals there are for our dates. I know free dining US offers have been released July/Aug the last 3 years for our October dates.

I'm code watching with you for October. Hoping for a room discount rather than FD, although I'm not fussy