FREE DDP Hits UK

[JimMIA]

Keep in mind that nothing is official until it's official. The UK deals have always been a little different (as in "not as good"). There have been more restrictions, and more requirements...like having to buy park tickets for the entire stay.

Even if this goes through, it will not decrease Disney's business during September. Rest assured they have done a ton of market research and they know what they are doing. If they go through with the QSDDP for mods and regular DDP for deluxes, they will do so knowing it will increase their bottom line. They don't do things that hurt their bottom line.

From Disney's perspective, this new tiered approach makes a lot of sense. Value is no-frills. Mod is limited frills. And deluxe includes an actual meal plan. That is very much in line with getting what you pay for.

If they go through with this, it will certainly be a blow to families on tight budgets. Those families may have to make less frequent trips and stay in deluxe, or rent DVC ressies if DVC continues to get the basic DDP (which we should).

Or, as some have suggested, look at other options. There are a LOT of very nice places to stay offsite, and food is better and cheaper offsite. We really go to WDW for the parks, not the food or buses, and there is really no BAD way to visit.

 

[disneyjunkie]

Guess what? even with the counter service as the free dining plan, people will still take advantage of the free dining so disney really won't be hurting too bad.if you think about it , it really isn't that awful a thing...at least it is FREE.They could do away with free dining all together.

ITA

I don't understand how anyone can complain about something that is free.

I'm sure for every DISers that says they will go else where, there are several non DIS families (heck I’m sure there are DIS families as well) that would love to take advantage of the free dining plan.

 

[ElizabethB]

Disney is smart but they seem to have overlooked one thing -- just how bad the economy will get. And, even if it's better by next September, people will be booking for September in April. That will barely be three months after the new administration takes office. And, there will be much uncertainty and we likely will be in a recession by then.

There was bad news just today from Freddie Mac, indicating the bottom in housing is still a long way off. AIG lost over $5 billion last quarter, after losing $7 billion in the first quarter on credit default swaps related to mortage CDO's.

With oil prices sky high, many fewer people will be flying to their vacations next year -- and many, if not a majority, of WDW's visitors arrive by plane.

WDW is overly optimistic, IMO, if they think they can fill rooms in September with a counter service free dining offer.

Even this year, with modified free dining, they had to offer a last minute code to fill rooms in August and September.

I buy that Disney has great marketing people. Apparently, they don't, however, have great economists.

 

[stepdisney]

If they are tiering the dining plan, does anyone wonder why it isn't CS for value, DDP for moderate and DxDP for Deluxe? This would be a significant savings for those staying at, say, Poly who almost always save more with codes.

 

[disneyjunkie]

If they are tiering the dining plan, does anyone wonder why it isn't CS for value, DDP for moderate and DxDP for Deluxe? This would be a significant savings for those staying at, say, Poly who almost always save more with codes.

Maybe because that won't fit in with the Magic Your Way theme.

A family may want to stay in a value resort, purchase the fully loaded park passes, and opt for the deluxe dining plan.

Another family may decided to book a deluxe resort, but go with base tickets and the DDP.

The MYW packages were designed to allow families to construct packages that work best for them.

Just because someone picks a value resort, doesn’t mean they can’t afford the higher priced dining plans or park passes.

 

[mrsltg]

ITA

I don't understand how anyone can complain about something that is free.

I'm sure for every DISers that says they will go else where, there are several non DIS families (heck I’m sure there are DIS families as well) that would love to take advantage of the free dining plan.

MTE!!! It's a vacation, not a right. I enjoy Disney discounts but I'm certainly not going to complain if they change them. For the Love of Bob, people!!!

 

[Momto3Girls&Max]

MTE!!! It's a vacation, not a right. I enjoy Disney discounts but I'm certainly not going to complain if they change them. For the Love of Bob, people!!!

I'm not complaining just saying that if this is what they will be offering as FD for next August/September, we will not stay onsite. We'll probably still make the trip to Orlando, but we'll divide our time between WDW and US/IOA and stay in a timeshare through Skyauction. We've been visiting WDW every year since 1993 and the old free dining plan with appetizer and tips included was what convinced us to stay onsite for the first time. We could justify paying rack rate for our room because of the value that free meals added to our vacation. It was a bit of a stretch to justify value-wise this year because tips and appetizer are not included, but we will be staying onsite again. If the plan changes, we won't be staying onsite again. Not a complaint -- just a statement.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

WDW is overly optimistic, IMO, if they think they can fill rooms in September with a counter service free dining offer.

Even this year, with modified free dining, they had to offer a last minute code to fill rooms in August and September.

Actually, every year after the "free dining" offer expired, Disney offered a room only / package discount - this year was no different than last year or the year before.

disney doesn't seem to have a problem filling the values or even the moderates so I can understand offering the CS plan.

There are usually deluxes available though so I can see still offering the DDP at that level.

Also, $78 a night discount for a family of four at a value or moderate is a good discount. Not so great for Deluxes - but $100 discount (cost of DDP for a family of 4 - 2 A, 2 C) per night at a deluxe is okay.

 

[stepdisney]

I meant with the free dining. Someone said they were tiering the free dining for UK with NO dining for value, CS for moderate and DP for deluxe. I meant if they were going to tier the FREE dining offer, they should offer CS for value instead of nothing, DP for moderate and DxDP for deluxe, not on a regular basis for just booking and paying for dining plan.

 

[JimMIA]

If they are tiering the dining plan, does anyone wonder why it isn't CS for value, DDP for moderate and DxDP for Deluxe?

I don't wonder about that at all. Disney doesn't do it because they don't have to. Like everything else about DDP, it's a money thing.

I'm sure their research showed that the values would be full enough without offering free DDP, and that they didn't need to offer free basic DDP to mod customers to get them to stay there.

Don't forget where free DDP came from. It was the result of WDW getting hit by two hurricanes in 2004. That resulted in very low advanced bookings during the 2005 hurricane season, and Free DDP was the result. WDW has not had a hurricane since 2004 and visitation is back up considerably. Therefore, they don't have to offer the same promotions they've been offering.

Or...this could just be the UK free dining. I'd expect the US free dining to be essentially the same, but it doesn't have to be.

 

[Katiebell]

ITA

I don't understand how anyone can complain about something that is free.

I'm sure for every DISers that says they will go else where, there are several non DIS families (heck I’m sure there are DIS families as well) that would love to take advantage of the free dining plan.

I wouldn't complain, because I agree, free is free

However, the CS plan free would not be enough to lure us to WDW in hurricane season, during some of the hottest, most humid weather of the year, and to pay rack rate for a room. We might consider it if we could upgrade to the standard DDP for $10/day per person. We like the CS restaurants, but wouldn't want to do two a day -- we like having one sit down TS every day.

I think we'd be more likely to try January or February, hope for a discount code, and pay for the regular DDP OOP. But I'm sure a lot of families who don't really care too much about TS meals will find the new CS plan ideal for their vacation style

 

[TandCmum]

i'm from the UK and am considering booking for POR with the CS plan for free (if it is actually what is offered as we don't know anything other than rumours just yet) At first i was not impressed but thinking about it, it will probably work for us as having 2 young children having to centre our holiday around TS meals is all a bit much, so having the CS credits will be enough to feed us some days and we will just do a few select TS, that way we can be a bit more flexible. I don't think i would pay for the plan as i think it seems expensive for what you get but if it's free then i'll take it.

We have looked at offsite and granted we could stay offsite in a motel for a lot cheaper than onsite but we like the disney hotels and being emerged in the magic and the offsite hotels have no appeal to us, we have also looked at vacation homes and whilst lovely being just one family they don't work out any cheaper overall than staying onsite

 

[PEANUT1]

well things do change...we don't really care however because we never had any interest in going to the world in August or September.

Sorry others are sad....

 

[grahampb]

Update, the CS DDP is for Valuue and moderate. Full DDP for Deluxe................

 

[tim allen]

Update, the CS DDP is for Valuue and moderate. Full DDP for Deluxe................

where did you get this info from also does it say when it starts thanks

 

[LisaInNc]

I don't understand how anyone can complain about something that is free. /QUOTE]

Because for some reason people can't seem to understand that Free Dining isn't REALLY free. You have to pay rack rate for the room. I have been to Disney something like 24 times and with the exception of free dining I have NEVER paid rack rate for my room.

Depending on the size of the party INSIDE that room free dining may or may not be a good deal. This Sept I am at a Moderate with 5 people in the room in that case paying rack rate and getting free dining is still a better deal. If it were me alone paying rack rate that same room would end up costing me more with free dining than staying with my AP discount and buying my own food.

 

[Momto3Girls&Max]

I don't understand how anyone can complain about something that is free. /QUOTE]

Because for some reason people can't seem to understand that Free Dining isn't REALLY free. You have to pay rack rate for the room. I have been to Disney something like 24 times and with the exception of free dining I have NEVER paid rack rate for my room.

Depending on the size of the party INSIDE that room free dining may or may not be a good deal. This Sept I am at a Moderate with 5 people in the room in that case paying rack rate and getting free dining is still a better deal. If it were me alone paying rack rate that same room would end up costing me more with free dining than staying with my AP discount and buying my own food.

Exactly -- we're a family of 6 and get 2 rooms at POP. The cost of the rooms is just slightly more than the cost of the "free" dining plan. So we consider it a good value -- we get 2 rooms and a TS meal, CS meal and snack each night for each person in our party. If it was just DH and I, the value goes down considerably and we probably would search for a room discount or stay offsite.

 

[mrzrich]

I wouldn't mind having free CS and supplementing it with an OOP TS meal here and there. I don't need to eat TS every day.

 

[shellybaxter]

I am so sad - This will be our 3rd year with free dining it is only only reason we go.

I'm not trying to be sarcastic or snarky - but really - free food is the only reason you go to WDW?

 

[bentleygirl22]

oh well...

We already knew this was going to be our last free dining trip .. glad we got 2 in before they changed..