Actual Poll- NO DW if NO FD?

[asmit4]

People are writing all about FD and DW. I thought I would post an actual survey to get counts of people's plans/thoughts without having to go through and actually count posts. So let's see what us DISers are going to do...

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

We are booked and will go no matter what. We only go on vacation once every other year and save like crazy to go. Do we hope for a deal, sure. Free dining would be nice, buy 4 get 3 would work. But the factis we are booked now and know that is the highest we will have to pay and if we pay less then all the better!

Our last 2 trips have been with free dining and previous to that we have never paid rack rate, while we believe we will get a deal, if not, like my DH said, we have had a good run.

 

[luvthatdisney]

MickeyMom~ we are in the same boat. We are going regardless. Our trip is in June and I would love to save some money, but we did get the 35% off rate that expired at the end of March. So at least we have something. We would save a few hundred more on FD.

We have not been since 2005 and wanted to make this trip special due to our anniversary, so I will keep my eyes open for FD.

 

[Port Orleans fan]

retract.....

 

[asmit4]

Honestly, I DON'T CARE!!!!!

I'm hear to talk about Disney, not listen to people whine and complain.


1) I don't care if someone finds it annoying that people will only go to WDW if free dining is offered. Keep it to yourself!!!!!

2) I don't care if someone can or can not afford to go to WDW (with or without a discount). Not my problem.


I joined these boards in hopes of having good discussions about Disney. Yes I like to talk about discounts....and yes I'm disappointed that no fall discounts have been announced yet. But I don't force it down anybody's throat.

I'm surprised the Mods haven't stepped in yet because the 'Dis Boards' have not been enjoyable the past 2 days because of all the whining and complaining going on. It's ridiculous.


Edit: This is not directed towards the person who started this thread. However, this thread is only going to end in one way.

Then why are you looking on the discounts and codes portion of the DIS boards? Right now the main discount that everyone is thinking about is the FD discount which typically comes out right about now. For many people it's the best discount DW offers- particularly if you aren't into the Deluxes which can offer the 40% discount or if you aren't into 7 night trips (the 4/3 discount is great for that).

If you don't want to talk about FD- then skip this section. If you are looking for a different code for a different month then go to that thread. There are lots of 'looking for codes in xyz month' threads that aren't Sept/Oct.

And what do you mean about how it's only going to end in 'one way'? I don't see any FD thread that's ending badly. The threads that end 'in one way' are the pool hopping threads! LOL!

I don't see anyone really complaining on any of the other sections of the DIS site. If you are here to plan a trip- check out the other sections. No one is talking about discount codes on the attractions section or other non related sections when it comes to codes and rates.

I was on the US site last night of DIS. Someone wrote ALL about how they don't like US and won't ever go there. Well then WHY are you on the US portion of the site? Go to the DW portion to chat about how you love DW. I don't get why people open threads about things they don't care about and then complain to the posters about how they don't care about it.

 

[Port Orleans fan]

Then why are you looking on the discounts and codes portion of the DIS boards? Right now the main discount that everyone is thinking about is the FD discount which typically comes out right about now. For many people it's the best discount DW offers- particularly if you aren't into the Deluxes which can offer the 40% discount or if you aren't into 7 night trips (the 4/3 discount is great for that).

If you don't want to talk about FD- then skip this section. If you are looking for a different code for a different month then go to that thread. There are lots of 'looking for codes in xyz month' threads that aren't Sept/Oct.

And what do you mean about how it's only going to end in 'one way'? I don't see any FD thread that's ending badly. The threads that end 'in one way' are the pool hopping threads! LOL!

I don't see anyone really complaining on any of the other sections of the DIS site. If you are here to plan a trip- check out the other sections. No one is talking about discount codes on the attractions section or other non related sections when it comes to codes and rates.

I was on the US site last night of DIS. Someone wrote ALL about how they don't like US and won't ever go there. Well then WHY are you on the US portion of the site? Go to the DW portion to chat about how you love DW. I don't get why people open threads about things they don't care about and then complain to the posters about how they don't care about it.

retract.....

 

[dolfinjuls]

We are booked in hopes of free dining. If free dining is not offered, we may switch to a november/december trip instead. But we're already staying at a value so no downgrading for us!

 

[ADisneyQueen]

We just went in Dec., but I would book again if FD comes out. We've never had it and I would love to get it.

 

[chocovrdmicears]

We booked with a 40% off PIN for August. We are going regardless.
Disney sent out a lot of PIN's in the past few months. I wonder if that impacted or will impact the Free Dining *decision* for them?

I wonder if Disney is more inclined to fill rooms with PINS rather than Free Dining? I would think that would generate more income for them.
For example:
We are saving more $$ staying at a Deluxe with 40% off. We are still buying the regular dining plan and tickets.
Free Dining at a Value would have saved us less, but also cost us a lot less. We would have paid about $100 per night, had Free Dining and then just purchased tickets.
Even though the PIN saved us more money it cost us more OOP than Free Dining...Disney is getting more money from us this year because of the PIN.

 

[my3squeals]

We booked with a 40% off PIN for August. We are going regardless.
Disney sent out a lot of PIN's in the past few months. I wonder if that impacted or will impact the Free Dining *decision* for them?

I wonder if Disney is more inclined to fill rooms with PINS rather than Free Dining? I would think that would generate more income for them.
For example:
We are saving more $$ staying at a Deluxe with 40% off. We are still buying the regular dining plan and tickets.
Free Dining at a Value would have saved us less, but also cost us a lot less. We would have paid about $100 per night, had Free Dining and then just purchased tickets.
Even though the PIN saved us more money it cost us more OOP than Free Dining...Disney is getting more money from us this year because of the PIN.

Very good point. We jumped on FD in 2005 with a pin long before it became public. It "sold" us on the DDP. We have gone back since and paid OOP for it and will do so again this trip if necessary. Bottom line WDW wants to make $$ and bring ppl in. I know in the past some of Disney's pin codes have been a pre-cursor to the GP offer. 40% a deluxe is a pretty darn good deal, even to still factor in the other things. So is their Gift card approach. I am anxious to see what it is and had I not already gotten a discount I would be biting my nails wondering what it would be. It's kinda like Christmas, there's a big box undr the tree and no one knows what it is!

 

[LaDonna]

I think were definately still going regardless of free dining, we'll just have to downgrade our stay and pack pb&j sandwiches OUr first trip to DW was with our 3 and 4 yr old during spring break! DH was military so we got a terrific deal and stayed off site and paid hardly nothing for the tickets, dh was free, we did pack pb&j's and ate a lot off site and split meals in the park, and even with all the crazy crowds still had wonderful time, BUT not NEAR as great of a time when we went twice with free dining! The dining itself was a "trip" within a trip! We never, even here at home go into a restaurant and order drinks and whatever sounds good as our entree, and gasp never dessert! We always have to and the kids too order water, try to order one of the cheaper entrees and eat dessert at home. Just seeing the kids faces when those aweseome look'n desserts came to their tables was wonderful......we actually felt like "royalty" so it will be so so so so if we don't get the fd anymore.......not to mention we can stay longer and do the water parks for the budget I have w/ fd, but without fd all those will have to be cutout too.....sigh guess it doesn't help that my 2 oldest are now considered adults..................I'm just anxious really because I am such a planner, and I don't want to plan our trip(strategy and so forth) until it is actually booked! I did that once for a anniversary trip san kiddos to the Smokies just to have dh put on stop loss while in military and not able to go, I had never been so dissapointed in all my life. We still have not ever been able to take a vacation without the kiddos, never even had a honeymoon.....okay now I'm babbling too much

 

[mistysue]

We are booked and going no matter what. If we get a good offer or free dining- we will upgrade... even though the upgrade will probably mean we pay more OOP, we just aren't willing to do more than we are without a discount on something. I'm not paying rack rate plus fill price for DxDDP and hoppers with water parks... but might pay discount rate for mod or deluxe resort with all the extras.

 

[ncmickeyluvr]

Last week, I would have said that we weren't going if we didn't get free dining. This week, we're going regardless Apparently, I was so pitiful last week that dh caved and said to book with the 20/30/40 pin that I got months ago. So we have some discount....but I'll be happier if I can get free dining instead. It will have us a couple hundred dollars at POFQ.

 

[DaniB]

Ok, I choose the "I will book/have booked- I will NOT downgrade my trip if there is no FD"

But I would have choosen this option instead if it was listed:

"I will book/have booked - I MAY upgrade my trip if there is no FD"

LOL - I know, completely opposite of most people. However if my husband gets the overtime he thinks will be happening, then we want to upgrade from POP to CSR (regardless of FD) just for the queen beds!

 

[waynesgirl]

My DH and I have been many times, with and without our children. We always try to get the best deal on our rooms, going during the slower times, and booking what we can afford, based on the amount we have saved specifically for the trip. We always do OOP. (And oddly enough-please don't flame me-the CM's breathe a small sigh of relief when we tell them.)

Even with our children, I have done the figures and even with the FD or DDP, we would end up spending more money. We eat a decent breakfast, bring a lot of snacks from home (like nuts, granola bars, chips, and powder drink mixes) so we tend to not eat at the parks as much, and then have a really nice dinner. If we do snack at the parks, it is on a piece of fruit and the stuff we bring, and the powder drink mixes with a bottle of water that we reuse again and again.

Though I am happy that so many people like the FD, I don't get it. Based on what I spend to go, I think it is not the best option for me. Mind you, we budget to go...and want to go back, so I tend to make sure we really watch what we spend when we are there.

Regardless of what anyone chooses, have a wonderful time and remember that you are lucky to go when so many others will never be able to do so.

 

[Don Disney]

We are booked in hopes of free dining. If free dining is not offered, we may switch to a november/december trip instead. But we're already staying at a value so no downgrading for us!

I concur!

 

[Port Orleans fan]

I would like to issue an apology to asmit4 for my earlier rant. I was wrong to assume that this thread was going to be the very next complaining/insult thread about 'people not wanting to go to Disney without FD'. I was wrong.

In fact, this thread has developed in to a rather interesting topic/discussion. Well done.



I retract my earlier post.

 

[dvc at last !]

We are dvc members. No FREE dining for us !

 

[sunny45]

Booked and going no matter what. Main purpose is the Christmas decorations.
Praying for FD but might be packing PB & J for lunch LOL.
Never seen the Christmas decorations before and that is why we are going

 

[asmit4]

Thanks everyone! I think this post turned up some interesting info. Granted we are a very small slice of the population but here's what we found out.

Roughly 25% won't go without FD (some have booked already and will cancel, and others haven't booked yet)
Another 10% will be downgrading their trip (presumably going less days, staying offsite, staying at a lower cat. resort etc)

DW may still offer FD, we won't know until after the fall passes. BUT- if they don't- I wonder how it will affect their bottom line. If 35% either won't go or will be downgrading what they spend I wonder what this means- if anything.

We are a very small subset of people but these #s are rather high to me. I have shares in DW so I hope DW knows what they are doing