Disgusted with the Fall 2012 free dining offer

[Don Disney]

It would never happen but I would like to see them stop offering all discounts.

Obviously not needed by some,but very appreciated by others.

 

[artemis908]

By the same token, what business is it of yours if someone wants to spend $5,000 on a vacation? You don't know these people, don't know their lives or their finances or their families, so it seems rather presumptuous to try to tell them how to conduct their lives. I'm not saying that if that much money is a financial burden, go anyway. But people who are seriously into Disney come here to plan their trips and talk about their obsession with WDW in general (or other parks/aspects!). That's like going to a comic book convention and being surprised that people there are into comics and then telling them they're wasting their money. Sorry, but I think that's pretty rude.

Completely agree. For some people vacations ARE important. A car is just an object, a vacation is a memory you share for years. It's time spent with your family and time away from work. Vacations are far more important to me than objects like a car. I don't look back at my first car and go "oh! what a memory!" I think back at the trips I took with my loved ones. I also don't have pictures of my car all over my desk either, I have pictures of my husband and I on vacations. So yeah for some people vacations ARE important enough to drop some money on.

 

[were45]

Can't we all just get along?

 

[twinmom1107]

Can't we all just get along?

I second that! All those agreed? Aye!

 

[Bettie]

I just want to live somewhere that $5,000 is half a down payment on a house!!

 

[danceintherain]

The above post is spot on.

I can tell you from first hand experience that Disney does not like it when someone with an existing reservation changes it to get free dining. However, as long as you haven't booked flights, they don't have much of a lever to pull because you could always simply cancel your existing reservation and then rebook a completely new reservation with free dining (I suppose they could change their policy and make your $200 deposit non-refundable right off the bat, however, I believe that would cost them a lot more in overall bookings than they'd lose by people switching to get FD).

But if you've already booked your flights and particularly if you've booked through WDW Travel, they have a perceived lever because, in that situation, you're at their mercy to get your flights changed (if booked through WDW Travel, you can't rebook directly through the airlines). In that situation, they can allege that the cost to change your flight(s) is approximately at least the same (if not greater) than your savings from getting FD. You can, of course, counter this by calling the airline and getting information about how much it SHOULD cost to switch flights (had you booked them yourself) but you're ultimately at the mercy of WDW Travel to change them and, believe me, it can be a major hassle.

Take home message: NEVER book flights (especially through WDW Travel) if there is even the slighthest hint of a possibility that you may want or need to change them.

Yup. If they made the deposit non-refundable, then very few people would book until they were absolutely sure that they were going to be able to go at a certain time. This wouldn't give Disney the opportunity to predict occupancy and counter with a discount.

I'm fully aware of the fact that if Disney stops offering discounts, we would only be able to afford a Value resort and would likely end up staying off property, or at the very least in a non-Disney hotel on property. I'm just happy that they've offered the discounts they have in the past few years and that I've been able to take advantage of a few.

 

[simonsayz]

I wanted to say that yesterday i gave Disney Reservation Center a call and saved $420!!!

i know this post isn't really exactly relevant to what you guys are talking about now, but i just want to share

I booked my vacation without knowing the FD. I booked a value resort and add the Dining Plus.

When i did a little research and found out there's FD. i called and got the price adjustment. phew

and for the disgusted part with different weeks have FD and how Disney should let people know about FD in advance...they can do what they want. They are running a business.

If you chose on the week to go and have no FD, that's because you chose the time when they are having lots of guests or at least enough guests coming in.

I, myself, know they offer FD, but I booked my vacation according to the time i can take off, it just so happened that my checkin date lands in the middle of the week that they are offering FD.

Last year, i booked and wasn't qualified for FD, literally was in the middle of the weeks that they offered FD

but i still enjoyed my stay!

 

[ctl]

I think we need to remember that the Mouse is running a business. I have never been able to take advantage of FD, because I had to book my flights very far in advance to be able to afford them. FD is a way to fill rooms in an otherwise low occupancy period. It would be nice to avail myself of this perk, but with my kids having set vacation times with school, I don't have the luxury of changing around my dates. Just be thankful if you are lucky enough to get a great deal with FD. It's an extra perk, not a right.

 

[jking6]

Well I fell through the cracks with AP as my dates are in Aug 8th - 19th which splits the dates and there are 2 nights not included So I decided to rent DVC points and stay @ Saratoga Springs the last 3 nights of our trip. I saved a little money over CBR summer special. I only saved $32.00 but I upgraded to a deluxe!

 

[crostorfer]

I think the real, evident, problem here is that people have come to "expect" free dining.

 

[crostorfer]

I think we need to remember that the Mouse is running a business. I have never been able to take advantage of FD, because I had to book my flights very far in advance to be able to afford them. FD is a way to fill rooms in an otherwise low occupancy period. It would be nice to avail myself of this perk, but with my kids having set vacation times with school, I don't have the luxury of changing around my dates. Just be thankful if you are lucky enough to get a great deal with FD. It's an extra perk, not a right.

 

[Phatoomch]

I think the real, evident, problem here is that people have come to "expect" free dining.

 

[cwt580]

my bet is that sometime in the future...FD will disappear. They will think up some new discount scheme again like buy 4/get 7.....or just room discounts. I dont recall FD when we went back in the 90's......


I do think FD has had the biggest impact on pricing, quality, and amount of adr's(or lack of walk ups). Kinda ridiculus that we have to schedule at 180 days before to get a chance to eat where we wish.......cmon Vegas can feed its masses. high end resturants etc that adr's are not needed.


maybe only free dining offered if booked within 45days of arrival. free reg dining with std view type rooms....free deluxe dining with deluxe rooms or suites...that will fill up resorts...kinda like last minute boat cruisers...


I think the addition of more villas etc will have an impact on whether Disney needs to continue FD to keep the cash flow. more people staying is more $$ spent in the property.

 

[saskdw]

I think for the time being FD will continue to be their go to promo. It's seems to be a huge success in filling rooms for WDW. It gives people that "all inclusive" feeling. Last December we stayed at WDW for 14 nights on FD. With 10 days park hopper and more passes in hand, Seaworld passes paid for before hand. We spent 15 days in Orlando and I spent less than $500 out of pocket while there. Some people really like that feeling of the whole trip being paid for before they go. It gets a little irritating paying $100 here and there for food at WDW, especially when alot of it is overpriced.

For that reason I think the FD promo appeals to a larger number of people than a room discount. But like I said in previous posts if they dropped there prices by 40% they would be fair and wouldn't have to discount.

 

[Paivafamily12]

Subscribing

 

[hoopity1]

I booked my Disney trip last month for this fall. This month, the Free dining offer came out, and I successfully added free dining to my trip.

So what am I complaining about? Just this: I notice that they allow free dining for arriving dates only on certain weeks, often skipping a week or two here and there:

"Sept. 30 - Oct. 4, Oct. 19 - Nov. 1, Nov. 9 - 15, Nov. 23 - 29, Dec. 10 - 13"


I just happened to book during the week when the free dining is on. What if I had booked on the week when free dining is off? The on and off is totally random, not because of holidays or anything, so one can't anticipate it.

My opinion is that Disney does this to make some people not able to add the free dining later. If anybody books flights with the vacation, chances are that they cannot adjust the flights to accommodate the free dining dates and then they will be refused the free dining option even though in name, you can always add the discount later.

I am lucky that I got the free dining this time, but I am writing this as a warning to myself and others. Next time, don't book ahead expecting to be able to get free dining if it's offered! If you think there might be free dining, wait for it to come out first!

I think it's sneaky and annoying of Disney to pull this trick.

I am one of those that did not get free dining because we are missing the check in date by 4 days. Cant come eariler because it is our school fall break. back a few years ago we were lucky there was not a black out during our time

 

[Piannan]

Don't the discounts come out about 90 days in advance? I'm new to all of this. But the very last thing I ever book are plane flights. The only definitive fare hikes happen at 14 days and 7 days out. Other than that, it's a total gamble as to how much the fares will be. For that reason, I always wait, since plane flights are the one thing that cannot be changed.

I'm still trying to figure out the right late 2013 week for us to go to WDW. But our one DD is only 2 and not in school yet and we are in driving distance, so I can plan around the discounts. I'm actually interested in the AP discounts this time.

 

[niffer5150]

Don't the discounts come out about 90 days in advance? I'm new to all of this. But the very last thing I ever book are plane flights. The only definitive fare hikes happen at 14 days and 7 days out. Other than that, it's a total gamble as to how much the fares will be. For that reason, I always wait, since plane flights are the one thing that cannot be changed.

I'm still trying to figure out the right late 2013 week for us to go to WDW. But our one DD is only 2 and not in school yet and we are in driving distance, so I can plan around the discounts. I'm actually interested in the AP discounts this time.

historically, no. http://www.mousesavers.com/historical-information-on-walt-disney-world-resort-discounts/

 

[jsw1114]

We booked in march for free dining in September, that was plenty of time to make arrangements on how we were getting there I don't think I could pull a spur of the moment trip anyways I'm too much of a planner. I knew I would only come back when they offered FD

 

[poohbear13]

I am not understanding why you are upset. You got FD. You may want to make note that when you book ahead in hopes of FD offer to come out (Disney Does Not HAVE to present the offer, although it is nice) That you can be flexable with your dates to adjust to the offer. Offers, in my experiance, have come out early enough for me to adjust and get flights at a reasonable rate. Congrats on your free dining. enjoy and try to understand that it is a promotion not a standard process. Cut the mouse some slack.