Nothings FREE with free dining???

[mommycrawford]

OP...with only 2 in a room the price breaks are minor, but many families travel with children, so I think in that scenario, free dining saves them considerable money...especially since children over 9 would be paying about $42 a day for the plan...so a family of 4, with 2 kids over 9 would save $160+ a day.

I do understand not being impressed with the "free dining" discount when others are comparable, but I am going for 11 nights with 3 people over age 9, so free dining is very attractive to me.

 

[persimmondeb]

I think the real confusion came from believing that the Expedia rate was the "rack rate". Although when it comes to promotions, I always like the word "included" better than "free". No matter how good a deal it may or may not be, the provider always has to account for it somehow.

 

[Planogirl]

I think the real confusion came from believing that the Expedia rate was the "rack rate". Although when it comes to promotions, I always like the word "included" better than "free". No matter how good a deal it may or may not be, the provider always has to account for it somehow.

ITA. Regardless of whether this is wise marketing or whatever, it still comes down to people looking at what it's going to cost them and free dining ending up costing them more doesn't FEEL free. I understand why it is but the impression is that it's not.

 

[deerhart]

wow, saying that this is a bait and switch or that its lowball marketing is like looking at two grocery stores and seeing that salad dressing is b1 g1 free at regular price at one place and the other is 2 for $3.00. You then have to figure out which is the better deal for you

Look Disney is running 2 promotions. Count them 1 - free dining plan 2 - % off the room rate.

You get one or the other but not both. I've not ran into a hotel, amusement park, etc that will allow me to use multiple promotions to save more money.

It's NOT a bait and switch, its not lowball, but rather its consumers who don't read EVERYTHING about the rate they are quoted before jumping the gun. Further expedia is HORRIBLE at producing that fine print. I check prices on there but then always go to the source to confirm pricing (hotel website, etc) and check out the details of the price before purchasing.

 

[crisi]

ITA. Regardless of whether this is wise marketing or whatever, it still comes down to people looking at what it's going to cost them and free dining ending up costing them more doesn't FEEL free. I understand why it is but the impression is that it's not.

And, quite honestly, Disney has had such good success with "free dining" that its become not nearly as good a deal over the years. They seem to have moved to a "Kohl's model" - everything is on sale all the time, so if you are buying it for 20% off, you are pretty much paying full price - its the 40% off sales that are the good ones. And Free Dining - unless you have four adults in a value room - is often more of a 20% off sale than the 40% off sale.

I've never really "gotten" the dining plan - free or not free. I remember when the "budget board" had a lot of threads on how to save money eating at Disney - and it was never suggested that a sit down meal once a day with dessert and tip was going to save you money. Its a really nice value add for a lot of people's vacations - but its still possible to eat a lot cheaper at Disney than using the dining plan.

 

[deerhart]

ITA. Regardless of whether this is wise marketing or whatever, it still comes down to people looking at what it's going to cost them and free dining ending up costing them more doesn't FEEL free. I understand why it is but the impression is that it's not.

I just don't get why you see it this way. Lots and lots of sales aren't the "best buy" and end up costing you more. Just look at your grocery store. They will run numerous sales left and right. The salad dressing I talked about is a good example. One week is buy 2 for $3 the next week it's b1g1 free and the regular price is $3.29. Of course the sale he week before was the "better" deal and saved me more money, but that does not make the free bottle THIS week somehow not FREE because I could have saved $0.29 buying a different way.

It was just like when Disney was running the % off promos and the gift card promo at the same time. You got one or the other and needed to do the math to determine which one would result in better savings for you.

 

[Planogirl]

It's the word 'free'. That word conjures up a lot of images for people and something costing more is likely not one of them. Again, I understant the points and why Disney does this but it leaves some people with a different impression until they check the figures. If it works out to cost more of course they're disappointed.

 

[deerhart]

I guess its all in point of view.

If I have the option of buy this get that free and THIS costs me $10, but all I need is THAT and it costs me normally $9, I can either get both for $10 or just buy what I need and only spend $9.

at $150 a night for 6 nights her room will cost her $900 + tax. Her tickets will be roughly $600 for two adults. A meal plan for two adults would be $504.00 This is for the 40% off sale for a total of $2004

with free dining her hotel is $250 a night for 6 nights for a total of $1500 + tax, tickets are still 500 and the meal plan is free. Thus the total is $2100.

When she compared just tickets and room at the 40% to tickets and room with free dining, she wasn't comparing apples to apples because she left off the cost of dining in her first equation. I assume she thought she would get it as well as the 40% off the room rate so she would only have a cost of $1500 for 6 nights at a deluxe resort, tickets, and the regular dining plan

 

[crisi]

It's the word 'free'. That word conjures up a lot of images for people and something costing more is likely not one of them. Again, I understant the points and why Disney does this but it leaves some people with a different impression until they check the figures. If it works out to cost more of course they're disappointed.

Does Disney call it "Free Dining" - I haven't paid much attention but most of the promotional materials I've seen say something like "Free Disney Dining with the purchase of a minimum five night stay at a Disney resort."

Free Dining is, as far as I know, Disney Fan community shorthand.

 

[4Seasons]

Of course it's marketting 101. Disney is a business and good marketting is part of business. How is that bait and switch? The price doesn't get increased after the dining plan is added. It is EXACTLY what is advertised which is the complete opposite of bait and switch.

I still want to know what happened to personal responsibility. Businesses aren't going to scream "we can save you even more money than the discount we're already offering" from rooftops. The website makes it easy to see other deals and CMs are CRO will also go over other discounts if consumers take just a few minutes to ask.

Exactly....DISNEY IS A MASTER AT MARKETING!!!
If this promotion didn't work they wouldn't have offered it year after year.

I mean look at it, look at the MILLIONS AND MILLIONS of people who "drink their Koolaid" and come back again and again, year after year (sometimes many times a year). Disney does something to attract and hook MILLIONS of loyal patrons (look at this board!)

Is it misleading or "bait and switch"?? NO

Is it a good deal??? Depends on your situation, for some it is, other not. That's totally for the consumer to determine.

Look at the fine print on promo advertising on other products/services. Many if not MOST times, it will be limited in some way, shape or form (i.e. "not combinable with any other discount/promotions).

It's nothing new, so I don't see what all the fuss is about. It's a very common marketing practice.

Bottom line is.......if you don't like it, don't buy it. Simple as that.

 

[brymolmom]

OK - serious question because I'm curious for those who think that free dining isn't really free or that Disney is misleading consumers or whatever along those lines...

Do you think a reasonable consumer should expect to be able to get 40% off a room, PLUS the $500 gift card promo, PLUS the kids play and stay and dine free offer, PLUS the QS dining plan free using a PIN? Maybe a family of 4 would end up paying a couple hundred dollars for this trip??

I guess I just think that it makes common sense that I can't get all of these things together. So, to me, FREE dining is free...I don't expect to get the other discounts but do expect not to have to pay for the dining plan portion of my bill thus making it FREE as in I'm not paying for it. I am just surprised that it is misleading UNLESS you truly think the above could happen. THEN, I could see BIG disappointment.

 

[3boymthr]

I guess its all in point of view.

If I have the option of buy this get that free and THIS costs me $10, but all I need is THAT and it costs me normally $9, I can either get both for $10 or just buy what I need and only spend $9.

at $150 a night for 6 nights her room will cost her $900 + tax. Her tickets will be roughly $600 for two adults. A meal plan for two adults would be $504.00 This is for the 40% off sale for a total of $2004

with free dining her hotel is $250 a night for 6 nights for a total of $1500 + tax, tickets are still 500 and the meal plan is free. Thus the total is $2100.

When she compared just tickets and room at the 40% to tickets and room with free dining, she wasn't comparing apples to apples because she left off the cost of dining in her first equation. I assume she thought she would get it as well as the 40% off the room rate so she would only have a cost of $1500 for 6 nights at a deluxe resort, tickets, and the regular dining plan

Actually, her dining wouldn't cost her $504 because the DDP isn't available when booking thru Expedia. Her meals would be 100% OOP. So the total cost could actually end up costing her more even with the 40% off room rate.

 

[3boymthr]

OK - serious question because I'm curious for those who think that free dining isn't really free or that Disney is misleading consumers or whatever along those lines...

Do you think a reasonable consumer should expect to be able to get 40% off a room, PLUS the $500 gift card promo, PLUS the kids play and stay and dine free offer, PLUS the QS dining plan free using a PIN? Maybe a family of 4 would end up paying a couple hundred dollars for this trip??

I guess I just think that it makes common sense that I can't get all of these things together. So, to me, FREE dining is free...I don't expect to get the other discounts but do expect not to have to pay for the dining plan portion of my bill thus making it FREE as in I'm not paying for it. I am just surprised that it is misleading UNLESS you truly think the above could happen. THEN, I could see BIG disappointment.

Nope Free Dining isn't "free". To me free dining is when I go someplace like the Hueston Woods Resort in OH and get the Family Getaway pkg. (or whatever pkg.) which includes two nights room at a discount of $20/night off rack rate and Free Pizza each night plus I'm getting 20 tokens for the arcade and something else I can't remember what. Now the caliber of the resorts isn't comparable, but roll with me here.

Or to use another analogy - When I stay at the Country Inn & Suites when I visit my MIL I can go pay rack rate or I can pay AAA rate or I can use a coupon or I can bid for a room at 50% off via priceline AND no matter I pay what I still get a free breakfast.

Now, I know WDW is offering way more in terms of food and entertainment, etc. but there you have it.

 

[Bren's Mom]

OK - serious question because I'm curious for those who think that free dining isn't really free or that Disney is misleading consumers or whatever along those lines...

Do you think a reasonable consumer should expect to be able to get 40% off a room, PLUS the $500 gift card promo, PLUS the kids play and stay and dine free offer, PLUS the QS dining plan free using a PIN? Maybe a family of 4 would end up paying a couple hundred dollars for this trip??

I guess I just think that it makes common sense that I can't get all of these things together. So, to me, FREE dining is free...I don't expect to get the other discounts but do expect not to have to pay for the dining plan portion of my bill thus making it FREE as in I'm not paying for it. I am just surprised that it is misleading UNLESS you truly think the above could happen. THEN, I could see BIG disappointment.

I can understand your point, and that of everyone else who agrees with you. I think most consumers easily understand that there are different promos and that it's imcumbent on you to check out the options to see which promo works best for you or is the better deal. In the case of free dining, though, I think what some of us are relating to is the 'FREE' part.

Let me give you an example of my thinking:

You normally buy X brand shampoo, 24 ounces, and it costs $4.99. (Forget that this is the budget board and you got it free after CVS'ing and coupons...LOL...pretend you really normally pay $4.99.) You see an ad that says 'Get 25% more FREE!' for this shampoo. So you go to buy your now 30oz bottle of shampoo and it's $6.99. Are those extra 6 ounces really free? Um, no. You're paying MORE per ounce than you were before. That's misleading. You expect that when you buy the 'bonus' bottle, the price will remain the same.

So I still think it's reasonable for someone to think that FREE dining is really FREE. That during X time when you book a Disney vacation, they throw in the dining plan at no cost to you. So if you've been looking at Disney properties and see that they cost $150 per night (or whatever) that you might be unpleasantly surprised to find out that no, you don't get FREE dining with that room if you happen to be booking during the promo time period, that in fact, you have to spend much more for the room in order to get the FREE dining.

 

[labdogs42]

And, quite honestly, Disney has had such good success with "free dining" that its become not nearly as good a deal over the years. They seem to have moved to a "Kohl's model" - everything is on sale all the time, so if you are buying it for 20% off, you are pretty much paying full price - its the 40% off sales that are the good ones. And Free Dining - unless you have four adults in a value room - is often more of a 20% off sale than the 40% off sale.
.

LOL. Love your reference to the Kohl's model. Everything is overpriced so we can put it on "sale" all the time! I love free dining and I love Kohl's, too! Guess I'm a sucker for a crappy deal!

 

[skw444]

Let me give you an example of my thinking:

You normally buy X brand shampoo, 24 ounces, and it costs $4.99. (Forget that this is the budget board and you got it free after CVS'ing and coupons...LOL...pretend you really normally pay $4.99.) You see an ad that says 'Get 25% more FREE!' for this shampoo. So you go to buy your now 30oz bottle of shampoo and it's $6.99. Are those extra 6 ounces really free? Um, no. You're paying MORE per ounce than you were before. That's misleading. You expect that when you buy the 'bonus' bottle, the price will remain the same.

Using your analogy of the shampoo, here is how I think Free Dining works.

You go to CVS to buy a bottle of shampoo. It costs $4.99. This week they are offering a deal where you get a smaller travel size bottle free. The price is still $4.99 but you're getting the extra bottle (that you normally would've had to pay for) for free. But say it's the following week. The same $4.99 bottle of shampoo is on sale for $3.99 but because it's a different promo, you don't get the free bottle of shampoo. So, now if you want that extra bottle of shampoo, it's $3.99 plus the cost of the shampoo.

So, yes the first scenario costs you a little more money but you are getting the travel bottle free.

 

[Bren's Mom]

Using your analogy of the shampoo, here is how I think Free Dining works.

You go to CVS to buy a bottle of shampoo. It costs $4.99. This week they are offering a deal where you get a smaller travel size bottle free. The price is still $4.99 but you're getting the extra bottle (that you normally would've had to pay for) for free. But say it's the following week. The same $4.99 bottle of shampoo is on sale for $3.99 but because it's a different promo, you don't get the free bottle of shampoo. So, now if you want that extra bottle of shampoo, it's $3.99 plus the cost of the shampoo.

So, yes the first scenario costs you a little more money but you are getting the travel bottle free.

Ahhhh...BUT...

Let's say the free travel size bottle free is for the month of September. And then a separate promo is in that store's ad for the week of Sept 1-7, the $3.99 sale. Wouldn't you think you'd get both?

 

[LisaNJ25]

OP...with only 2 in a room the price breaks are minor, but many families travel with children, so I think in that scenario, free dining saves them considerable money...especially since children over 9 would be paying about $42 a day for the plan...so a family of 4, with 2 kids over 9 would save $160+ a day.

I do understand not being impressed with the "free dining" discount when others are comparable, but I am going for 11 nights with 3 people over age 9, so free dining is very attractive to me.

exactly... for us we are paying $150 a night for POR and with getting free dinning it is saving us approx $150 a night. So its like we are getting the room for free.

I can see how the free dinning deals arent as good for couples or smaller families.

 

[ReneeA]

So what about those families of 4 that go to WDW during free dining, stay in a value resort at a rack rate of $97 a night? They are also getting the quick service plan free, which would cost $84 a night (2a, 2c) to add if they were paying; even more than that if one or more kids were over the age of 9.

You can't tell me you don't consider that free. Even a 30% discount on the room only amounts to a $32 a night savings...and then you still have to pay OOP for food (which will cost a family of 4 a boatload more than $32 a day).

I can see the argument that it's not as great of a deal for the deluxe resorts...but it doesn't hold water when discussing values or even moderates when we're talking families with children.

 

[Huff]

To me free dining is when I go someplace like the Hueston Woods Resort in OH and get the Family Getaway pkg. (or whatever pkg.) which includes two nights room at a discount of $20/night off rack rate and Free Pizza each night plus I'm getting 20 tokens for the arcade and something else I can't remember what. Now the caliber of the resorts isn't comparable, but roll with me here.

Per some comments here you didn't get the pizza free nor the tokens. Odds are you could have gotten the room cheaper than $20 off rack by bidding on priceline or perhaps some other discounted offer.

What if there was a clear choice made in advertisements. Perhaps the ad read Free Dining OR 40% off room rate? The choice is yours as to which is better. For our group of 4 the free dining far exceeds the 30% off a value resort.