End of August Whining...

[Goseethemouse]

For us it is also a pretty big disappointment. Because of the expensive/long flight from overseas we only go every other year (no bounceback for us) and really can only go in August up to about Labour Day (all other vacations are too short to make it worth flying so far). As we generally stay at least 10 days and my older son is now 10 FD would really help out. We generally stay at Values so the (well, we have stayed at CBR and the Cabins for part of our trips previously but prices there are now so ridicously high that we won't do that anymore!) room discount doesn't really help. The MV-discount is great - but you still pay more than I want to (granted you get to stay at a deluxe).

I am okay with room and ticket prices but feel the meal costs are just not fair. We mostly do buffets as I have a picky eater (loves veggies and fruit, refuses cheese and meat) and with a 10 year old that won't work anymore. No way will I pay $40 for him to have a plate of fries or some chips and dips. It isn't so much that I absolutely can't afford it but thinking of a 100$ bill at the end of the meal will really spoil it for me. We can eat at offsite restaurants (TGI Fridays, Chilis, etc.) for under $40. Sure, Disney is worth a premium but to me not more than twice the amount.

Really not sure what we will do. Kids are not very flexible and want to go to Disney because "we go every second year". I'd love to go too but refuse to pay for eating out like we have in the past (we actually haven't always had free dining but both kids were young enough that the DP cost was reasonable). Unfortunately, we have gotten spoilt and I know there will be a lot of complaining if we don't eat at all our favourites...

I keep going back on forth about not going to Florida at all or staying offsite or staying onsite and just cutting down on number of days and meals...

 

[Grandmatoniko]

We got very spoiled with fd and swore we would never go back without it. But with the kids getting older we are doing one last 'family' trip and there are 8 of us. I am hoping any kind of discount comes out. We are only doing 6 nights at a value and 5 day base ticket. I also did end up buying the qsdp just so we know most of our meals are paid for. With our air and everything else our total is almost 6k...ugh. We will not be doing another trip for a few years and it will only be 3 of us when we do.

 

[DebbieB]

Has anyone considered that maybe because so many people booked bb that may be the reason they changed the dates?

Not only bb but people who booked rooms in anticipate of free dining. If they see high occupancy, no need to offer free dining.

 

[PinkMagnolia]

Add me to the group hug.... I'm so disappointed too! I'm the kind of person who worries about the cost of things all the time, and I was hoping with FD I wouldn't be so hung up on the cost of our meals and snacks. In our family situation, FD would have saved us MUCH MUCH more than a 15% value room discount!

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

I'm sure someone has said this but Disney never releases discounts in chronological order. Something may come out for August even coveted free dining, just be on the look out. Don't give up hope yet this rumored FD for Sept may be a test (or heck it may be wrong rumor info!) to see how well it books up then other times can come out.

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

I'm sure someone has said this but Disney never releases discounts in chronological order. Something may come out for August even coveted free dining, just be on the look out. Don't give up hope yet this rumored FD for Sept may be a test (or heck it may be wrong rumor info!) to see how well it books up then other times can come out.

From your lips to Disney's ears!!!!! Here's hoping....

 

[verlee]

Thanks for the reminder that there still may be hope Pirategirl!

 

[disneyfantotheend]

I will say first that I know you can never rely on a discount. Not many places offer the same discount year after year. I do think too many people got used to FD, because no matter what time of year people were going this year, I saw the waiting for free dining comments. I am still hoping for it for our November trip. Thinking it won't be, but won't lose hope until it is official. I guess we learned a lesson not to rely on a discount. However, not everyone can afford to go yearly to take advantage of BB.

 

[Zeppelin]

I am right there with all of you. We are also a family of 4 and my youngest is 10. I too feel bad about complaining, but I do feel let down. We are still going. We are still going to have a great time, but we are switching to a value and spending less days there as a way to make up the cost difference. Maybe Disney will hear us? I guess we can only hope.

don't feel bad about complaining....fact is they are offering discounts through most of the summer but the cutoff date is what? 8/14?? (we arrive on 8/18)..

 

[Cookie Princess]

don't feel bad about complaining....fact is they are offering discounts through most of the summer but the cutoff date is what? 8/14?? (we arrive on 8/18)..

So does that mean that there will be no package discounts of any kind for the end of August?

 

[Goofy22]

Amen to this! I'm still kicking myself for not booking the BB. I will always put the deposit down and cancel if we can't make it from now on.

Same here

 

[pixidust1976]

I know that it is frowned upon that I couldn't go to Disney without free dining, but I really just can't... so we selected our dates to line up with free dining. We would have preferred to go when the kids didn't need taken out of school.

Just a little snap shot of why free dining is necessary for us is this:

From my 1999 receipts to WDW vs. Allears 2013 menus here is the increase in food costs in 14 years.

Flame Tree BBQ combo cost 7.95 in 1999 vs. in 2013 it costs $11.99. 51% increase

Electric Umbrella Cheeseburger meal cost $5.59 and Chicken Caesar cost $5.50 in 1999 vs. Bacon Angus Cheesburger (not listed if it comes with fries like the 1999 meal did) is $9.39 and Chicken Caesar is $7.99 in 2013. That is a 68% and a 45% increase respectively.

Allstar Cafeteria Individual Pepperoni Pizza was $4.29, Pasta w/ Marinara was $4.59, Turkey Meal was $6.99 in 1999 vs. Individual Pepperoni Pizza at $7.29, Pasta w/ Meatballs (which I know is different but they didn't have a marinara option) $8.49, Turkey Meal at $10.19 for 2013. Pizza went up 70%, pasta computes to 85% but I would settle for less than that with the meat ball difference but even still, 46% increase for the Turkey Meal.

Kringla Bakery in 1999 was $4.50 for open faced ham sandwich, $.75 for muffin top, $3.75 for cheesecake. in 2013, Ham and Apple sandwich is $6.99, and they don't have an exact match for the other two. For the ham sandwich there is a 55% increase. They don't have a thing on the menu for $.75 either today, the lowest is a $1.99 Lefse for my sweet tooth.

Aloha Isle sold us Pineapple floats for $2.85 in 1999 and they are $3.79 now. A 33% increase.

We bought a meatball combo meal at Typhoon Tilly's for $7.25 and The Warming Hut sells this for $8.99 today. That is only 24% increase, except that in 1999 it came with a drink as a combo meal and today I would have to spend an additional $2.59 to get that coke. Which actually comes out to $11.58 today to get the same food and drink or a 60% increase.

My park tickets cost $263.96 for 6 day all in one tickets (hopper and waterpark and more options) and today they would be $380.21. That is a 44% increase.

My airfare on Southwest went up from $186 roundtrip to $215. That is a 16% increase which is MUCH more reasonable.

My salary is 30% higher than it was 14 years ago, but I had to take night classes to finish my degree to see that increase.

I LOVE Disney, and I made the "mistake" of getting my kids to LOVE Disney. I promised them a trip every three years because I thought for sure that if I saved a little from every pay like a "Christmas Club" then I could afford to go every three years. Sadly though, the price increases are growing faster than my income, or my ability to save money.

Without free dining, I couldn't go (and stay onsite). By 2016, we may have to drive and stay offsite at a place with a kitchen and brown bag it every day as well as only go to the park for 4 days with the 4 days of travel time to drive to and from Florida just to make it happen and keep my promise, and by 2019 they will be adults. (REAL adults, as in their late teens and early 20's not "Disney Adults" at 10 years old)

Please don't get me wrong, Disney is an awesome vacation... but they got me hooked and then priced things up so much over the course of my children's childhoods that it just wrung me dry financially. I need free dining.

 

[bhc2000]

I feel for you pixidust1976. We all try to do the best for our kids. I myself have been unemployed for 2 years. FD for the last two weeks of August would have been really helpful.

 

[tnd]

We have also been enjoying very large discounts at the end of August for the last several years, but it looks like that is at an end. We are staying at the Art of Animation resort this year instead of a villa or deluxe resort as we have in the past, and we'll likely rent a car, which we have never done before. With renting a car, we will probably eat less on the WDW property and we'll buy groceries and bottled drinks to save money. Next time we go, we may not even stay on site. It was a good run, but I suspect that with the recession largely past us, Disney will not need to offer the deals it has in the past. It's probably just as well, we need to see some other parts of the country anyway.

 

[wdwnomad]

It might not do much good this year but for those going in late August this year don't forget about the bounce back offer. Hopefully, this year they will offer the free dining bounce back for August/September 2014 even for those people staying in August. I always include the deposit in this year's trip budget even though it will be the next year's trip.

 

[disneysmyhappyplace]

It might not do much good this year but for those going in late August this year don't forget about the bounce back offer. Hopefully, this year they will offer the free dining bounce back for August/September 2014 even for those people staying in August. I always include the deposit in this year's trip budget even though it will be the next year's trip.

That is what we are hoping for when we go on our bounceback FD trip this August. I will certainly be looking for the bounceback offer when we are there as we will not go without FD

 

[Pirate princess 2]

Let's all start a chant so we don't forget....bounceback...bounceback...bounceback.
This is the first time DH has said I could book it while we are there. I haven't even gone this year yet, now I'm excited for next year too.

 

[apooh812]

I've pissed also that there is no FD in late August. So guess what? I've just booked a resort off-site that lncluded free breakfast buffet. Instead of heading to Disney parks for 4 days, I just go to SeaWorld ( free all day dining ), Legoland, Islands of Adventure and 1 day of Disney park.

 

[donnaf516]

I really believed that FD would be a given again this year. I know I shouldn't have, but I did. Friends of ours wanted to join us this year and I told them not to worry about it as I was SURE FD would be offered. I feel horrible about it and most likely we'll be going alone.

 

[HopperFan]

While I've always done Sept I was quite surprised to see August left out since it was included in last year's Bounceback. But they also had very strange dates for moderate which made me book bounceback a week earlier, missing F&W which we always do. I could have changed once they announced FD but I'm keeping it to compare crowds. I too include my deposit for Bounceback in my budget. It's the only guarantee, but of course it requires annual trips.