Any News if Disney will be offering free dining

[karpy111]

I figured this was a good spot to post. I understand that the current disney promotion for rooms is over March 30th or 31st. Does Disney usually have another promotion the following day?

Also for anyone that received free dining last year for November, when would that news come out?

Thanks

 

[black562]

I figured this was a good spot to post. I understand that the current disney promotion for rooms is over March 30th or 31st. Does Disney usually have another promotion the following day?

Also for anyone that received free dining last year for November, when would that news come out?

Thanks

The next promo is for summer room only discounts which begin on April 2. The late summer free dining will drop around the end of April. November may very well not be up for free dining this year.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

seems like most of the posters have more of an issue with the excessively rude holier-than-thou tone that the poster took moreso than his stance on Disney dining. Its one thing to have an opinion on the quality of dining at WDW; its another to insult the intelligence of others on the board, especially in the way that Mr. Pirate did.

perhaps...but there is another side to this little debate.

I am only speaking for myself...but i can tell you where my two issues on this come from:

1. Entitlement. No need to argue this. It has many layers...but threads that tend to ask about free dining can come off as entitlement. And the mention of it is grating to some. Another "when's free dining?" thread just popped up today...about the 6th in the last two months. A little bit of an issue with perception.

2. The history of free dining...i.e. why it even happened in the first place and why it makes no sense to ask when its coming.
Rollout of the dining plan - as a way of indoctrinating the masses, and down economy are the sole reasons for free dining.
It tends to get looked at as thought this was part of the business model.

Of course its not...which means the only way it will continue is if they have to offer it to fill rooms...and those days have been trending downward for a couple of years down.

Here's the model:

Week + stays in disney hotels (prepaid)- prepaid park tickets - maintain property presence with park perks, magical express, transportation interally...now with new RFID system and complete megasizing of downtown - prepaid disney dining plan - vacation dollars in pockets after arrival spent solely on merchandise/ retail (the source of profit)

And the bigger picture beyond that is disney's perpetual research engine and huge executive hierarchy attempting to guarantee revenue (part attracting new faces...more getting repeat customers that build long histories...maybe even by a timeshare) by balancing out capital expenditures to ensure this (the good part for us...what they build new)...but only what is NEEDED to limit the outlay.

That's it in two paragraphs...Walt Disney World.
Notice "free dining" falls nowhere in the model.

 

[dadddio]

Oh geez...

I'll try not to politik here...as much as possible.

It's simple analogy...like the SAT

If a person can only afford 70% of the price...can they afford it at all?
And subsequently...if 100% of the cost is not available, then should the discounted rate be paid even if its available? Aren't those resources likely needed somewhere else?

This is back to the "I need it or I can't afford it". That stance is exactly why free dining gets so many detractors here. That combined with long stays on free dining or annual/bi-annual stays on free dining.

Even if you use or like free dining...you have to be able to step back and see what a screwy picture this creates to the impartial observer...let alone the antagonist.

I tried to follow your logic, but I failed. Perhaps I was locked out. Please help me.

Let's say that my family's budget allows for a $5000 vacation. Pricing our vacation without free dining would cost $6000, so obviously we would choose not to go. Pricing it with free dining would cost $5000. You appear to be arguing that we still should not go on this vacation even though it's cost would now be within our acceptable vacation budget.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

I tried to follow your logic, but I failed. Perhaps I was locked out. Please help me.

Let's say that my family's budget allows for a $5000 vacation. Pricing our vacation without free dining would cost $6000, so obviously we would choose not to go. Pricing it with free dining would cost $5000. You appear to be arguing that we still should not go on this vacation even though it's cost would now be within our acceptable vacation budget.

I see your point...and there's no right answer on this...but I'll tell you how I see it:

I reject the "we can afford 5,000 but not 6,000" argument for two reasons:

1. Cut down the stay...which is the right choice for a budget situation. Go 4,5,6 nights instead of 7 to accommodate the money.

This is how budget conscious traveled used to do it long before bad economy free dining hooks.

2. In just numbers terms...i
Can't have sympathy. If we're talking about $5000 vacations. Disney is not
"Affordable" nor ever stated to want to be. That is not the goal.

This is an old issue I have predating dining...the post 9/11 "heroes" 50% ticket and room discounts that were given out were heavily abused by some...to the tune of 3,4,5 visits in a year.
That was abuse and people take whatever they can swipe from you. Case in point. Some of the whininess about free dining tends to resemble that type of thing a lot.

And (this is not meant to be personal nor no offense whatsoever) but a few things stick out on these threads:
First, the people are already booked...which means they never had any attention of not going with or without free dining. So that's a pet peeve as I pay my $120.00+ dinner checks.
Second, some of the complaints seem
Logical on the surface - the cheaper it is the more options is gives. Except that doesn't make
Sense. I kinda don't care about extra money for side trips to universal, car rentals, or an upgrade from POP to port Orleans. Again, my opinion, but I don't like the idea of subsidizing this in any way. Because Disney is not footing the bill alone - all the customers pay in the end.
And third, there's no justification for pleading for free dining and staying at the Polynesian or that price category and you see that a lot as well. That doesn't jive...it's trying to eat the whole cake.

All my opinions...feel free to open fire on the messenger. Game on.

 

[dadddio]

I see your point...and there's no right answer on this...but I'll tell you how I see it:

I reject the "we can afford 5,000 but not 6,000" argument for two reasons:

1. Cut down the stay...which is the right choice for a budget situation. Go 4,5,6 nights instead of 7 to accommodate the money.

Why would I cut down the stay if I can afford the entire planned time with free dining?

And (this is not meant to be personal nor no offense whatsoever) but a few things stick out on these threads:
First, the people are already booked...which means they never had any attention of not going with or without free dining. So that's a pet peeve as I pay my $120.00+ dinner checks.

I'm still not seeing your point. If my hypothetical vacation budget was $6000, I would book the vacation without free dining. Certainly, I would still be very interested in whether FD would be offered as it would save me $1000.

Second, some of the complaints seem
Logical on the surface - the cheaper it is the more options is gives. Except that doesn't make Sense. I kinda don't care about extra money for side trips to universal, car rentals, or an upgrade from POP to port Orleans. Again, my opinion, but I don't like the idea of subsidizing this in any way.

People should not attempt to save on their vacation costs in any way? Everyone should pay rack rate or they are somehow cheating the system?

Because Disney is not footing the bill alone - all the customers pay in the end.

That is a theoretical argument that can be made about every discount. It isn't really accurate, however, since it is a package discount instead of a straight freebie. The cost of free dining is offset by the fact that you have to pay rack rate for the room. This is why people are forced to weigh free dining against room discounts to see which is the better deal for their family.

(It's rumored that this year's free dining offer will be replaced with a room/park ticket/dining combo discount that for many families will be as good of a deal. Time will tell.)

And third, there's no justification for pleading for free dining and staying at the Polynesian or that price category and you see that a lot as well. That doesn't jive...it's trying to eat the whole cake.

If the company offers a discount on the entire cake, what's wrong with eating the entire cake?

If they offered a room discount that gave the option of either staying at a discounted deluxe or a rack-rate moderate for about the same price. Most everyone would choose the deluxe. There's nothing wrong with this. There is no ethical dilemma in accepting an offered discount.

All my opinions...feel free to open fire on the messenger. Game on.

I hope that you don't think that my post is 'opening fire' on you. I am merely probing an apparent difference in opinion.

 

[RedsDrew]

Man, everyday it seems that I come across multiple posts where people just don't have patience for each others' views.

1) After reading this thread, I am stating that I have the right to speak up about what I'm reading because there's no warning ahead of the thread telling me not to read it because people aren't being politely tolerant of each other's view points/opinions.

2) After reading this thread, don't bother telling me to simply avoid the DIS as a previous poster was told to stop going to Disney because he simply expressed his view.

3) In the past, I too have taken advantage of free dining promotions, so while I understand why everyone likes free dining from a financial savings aspect, I too can understand some of the posts against free dining which cite quality and overall negative impacts to the wholistic theme park experience (I personally have experienced longer food lines and table waits even with reservations during free dining than some peak times throughout the year).

4) Not to create a crazy stir, but whether the intention is as such or not, anytime someone specifically states they are counting on free dining, the perception is a sense of entitlement. Discounts are offered not because you need them, but because the Disney franchise needs them. They generate business, but to expect a company every single year at the same time of the year to continue to offer the same type of discount is impractical - unless you're talking retail stores and holiday offers. Keep in mind though, even then the same offers are not repeated every single year.

My point? We are all human beings with opinions. What started out as a perceived friendly banter turned into a perceived breakdown of courtesy and manners. Can't we all just get along?

 

[lockedoutlogic]

I hope that you don't think that my post is 'opening fire' on you. I am merely probing an apparent difference in opinion.

And this is the important part. We disagree and that is perfectly ok. there are two established sides to this and that presents no problem.

Your take and mine are ok...though i'm still gonna say you shouldn't get free food if you pay $400 a night for a disney room. I know them inside and out...can't tell you how overpriced that is. And its a frivolous expense. Which means "free dining" doesn't fit.

That's a philosophical debate. I'll die on that hill.

I should preface the whole discussion that i'm not just against "free dining"...i'm adamantly against the dining plan as a whole. I was when i actually used it the first year or so and have been preaching doom and gloom on it ever since.

I thought it would allow them to jack up their prices, lower standards and quality across the board, and kill the casual atmosphere and booking system that was perhaps the BEST feature of WDW for 20 years.

And unfortunately that's what has happened.

Free dining not only allowed them to shove the whole dining scheme down everybody's throat...but continues to perpetuate it.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Man, everyday it seems that I come across multiple posts where people just don't have patience for each others' views.

1) After reading this thread, I am stating that I have the right to speak up about what I'm reading because there's no warning ahead of the thread telling me not to read it because people aren't being politely tolerant of each other's view points/opinions.

2) After reading this thread, don't bother telling me to simply avoid the DIS as a previous poster was told to stop going to Disney because he simply expressed his view.

3) In the past, I too have taken advantage of free dining promotions, so while I understand why everyone likes free dining from a financial savings aspect, I too can understand some of the posts against free dining which cite quality and overall negative impacts to the wholistic theme park experience (I personally have experienced longer food lines and table waits even with reservations during free dining than some peak times throughout the year).

4) Not to create a crazy stir, but whether the intention is as such or not, anytime someone specifically states they are counting on free dining, the perception is a sense of entitlement. Discounts are offered not because you need them, but because the Disney franchise needs them. They generate business, but to expect a company every single year at the same time of the year to continue to offer the same type of discount is impractical - unless you're talking retail stores and holiday offers. Keep in mind though, even then the same offers are not repeated every single year.

My point? We are all human beings with opinions. What started out as a perceived friendly banter turned into a perceived breakdown of courtesy and manners. Can't we all just get along?

excellent

 

[dadddio]

Your take and mine are ok...though i'm still gonna say you shouldn't get free food if you pay $400 a night for a disney room. I know them inside and out...can't tell you how overpriced that is. And its a frivolous expense. Which means "free dining" doesn't fit.

I think that I understand the disconnect.

I think that you equate free dining with some kind of charity, for lack of a better way to put it. As such, it should only be offered to people who actually need it. That's where the disconnect is because people who need charity should not be considering such an expensive vacation.

I see free dining as a discount; a price reduction; a sale. As such, it doesn't really matter if the offer is free dining or a discounted room rate or whatever. It also doesn't matter if the person 'needs' the discount, or not. Any person who satisfies the conditions of the offer can take advantage of the offer.

As far as people 'counting' on free dining. I think that people are really 'hoping' for free dining (or a similar discount). There's nothing wrong with hoping for a discount, right?

 

[PACVII]

The bounce back offer for the free dining was September so with todays announcement of the percentage off running up to the end of August and booking to mid June not expecting to see any FD for a little more time.

 

[cbmamainnf]

I am new to this board and I have to admit I started coming here to find free dining rumours. We are going on our dates regardless....and have factored dining into our budget. I had started out thinking I would get the plan regardless but in the last week or so I have downloaded the excel spreadsheet and did the math outright. IF dining comes free excellent....but if not it will not change my plans. I will not turn it down but if it is not offered I will not get it...but will still do one ADR/day and one QS/day. We used our snacks last time on fruit and since we will be in Florida we will pick up apples etc...bottled water and bring it with us.....

 

[Don Disney]

FD works for us!

 

[cbmamainnf]

That is just it...if it works for you then it works for you. I would love to have FD...but if it is not offered I will notgo with the DP. My kids will be 10 & 11 and are not big eaters so Ibwoukd be paying for more than we can eat. I hope for all those who are lookong for it get it.

 

[floridajen]

Free dining sounds awesome

 

[lockedoutlogic]

I think that I understand the disconnect.

I think that you equate free dining with some kind of charity, for lack of a better way to put it. As such, it should only be offered to people who actually need it. That's where the disconnect is because people who need charity should not be considering such an expensive vacation.

I see free dining as a discount; a price reduction; a sale. As such, it doesn't really matter if the offer is free dining or a discounted room rate or whatever. It also doesn't matter if the person 'needs' the discount, or not. Any person who satisfies the conditions of the offer can take advantage of the offer.

As far as people 'counting' on free dining. I think that people are really 'hoping' for free dining (or a similar discount). There's nothing wrong with hoping for a discount, right?

i don't think of it as charity - per se.

nobody that goes to disneyworld qualifies for charity.

I do think it can be loosely termed as either "spoiled" or "entitled"

but to each their own.

And if you boil it down - it is a discount. But one with more consequences than a room % discount.

If somebody gets 30% off a package...they do so by fitting into a defined number of rooms to stay in. so that is a pretty simple 1 on 1 relationship. Crowds may be higher than normal - but how they spend their time while there is still open.

However, if "free dining" is the hook...then that means that more people, or more accurately people who may be disinclined to do so if no free dining...flood the table service restaurants.
That's an artificially inflated number...and that DOES effect me. And restaurant "booking" just sucks by all measures as a consumer. Great for disney...inconvenient, expensive, loud, disappointing for us.

 

[Team Bunch]

Then go at a time with no free dining and avoid us.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Then go at a time with no free dining and avoid us.

Why would i want to "avoid" anybody?

I don't begrudge the users of "free dining"...i don't like it as an operational/marketing tool used by disney.

All my "concerns" are about how the operation is handled and how the "masses" allow them to use it against them in the big picture/long term by going along with it. In this case free dining leads to some bad habits on this board...but its disney's fault.

That and people who believe silly rumors everyday without switching their brain on...

no worries about anyone or thing other than that

 

[ReneeA]

We booked free dining the first year it was offered -2005. It was very, very affordable for our family of 4 (2a, 1c, 1 baby)... total was $1900 for an 8d/7n all inclusive. That included the regular DDP at values with appetizers and tips. That price also included airfare that year.

The next year we started pricing out vacations, and couldn't come even close to the value Disney gave us the prior year. We didn't necessarily plan to go back every year, but for the quality and value, we booked again free dining in 2006. However, my DH wanted nicer accommodations, so we upgraded to a moderate resort. This went on for years... every year looking into other vacations and deciding that for the price, we'd rather go back to Disney.

We have gone on 6 trips since 2005 - all ranging from 8 to 11 days in length, never returning to the value resorts after that first year. We always travel the last week of August through Labor Day...my DH can get that week off every year, and we've found that it's a great week to go - low crowds, great discounts, and late park hours. Basically, you get the perks of high season without the cost and crowds. Free dining worked for Disney in the case of our family, because we probably would have branched out and done different trips if not for it. They really made a lot of $$ off us over the years.

 

[RedsDrew]

Then go at a time with no free dining and avoid us.

I just don't understand where people get off on this "avoid us" or avoid Disney World" mentality. A poster made a comment. It was an opinion. He/She's allowed to have one just like everyone else. But how rude to say someone should avoid a certain group, or time of year, or Disney World altogether.

He's not saying for everyone NOT to book free dining (again, I've even booked free dining myself). He's just saying that free dining clogs the pipes that are Disney table service restaurants, which is by my own experience very true. He's not telling you to NOT use free dining discounts, so why in the World of Disney would you ever come back at someone whose simply stating an opinion by telling them to "avoid you or a specific group which by default means avoid booking at that time of year?" Or as a previous poster told this other poster "If you aren't pleased with the quality of Disney, find a new vacation spot."

Apparently some people need to re-watch Bambi over and over because maybe the Thumper-mentality of "If you can't say something nice, don't saying nothing at all" might just stick.