Does anyone else hate free dining?

[mvc1997]

Don't get me started....

It's unfair to anyone who is paying for their dining, DVC or not. DDP or not. I don't mind not getting it as it is not "free", but I resent the heck out of not getting my ADR's (or not being able to change them as our plans change).

I also resent the frazzled service I have been receiving this year as a result of the "screaming masses" wearing out the staff. I also dislike the menu changes that may or may not be a result of the "free" dining.

It can't end soon enough.

JMHO

Couldn't have said it better!!
Especially the menu changes!! Seems like the same stuff just different diner! (SSDD)

 

[mskayjay]

I can't stand the free dining and I *hate* the whole ADR thing. I've been going to WDW since a year after MK opened and I was just a kid. I sooooo miss the days of picking up the phone in the resort and making plans for our dinner that night or even better, walking through a resort and saying "hey are you hungry? Let's stop and have dinner here" and just being able to walk into a place and eat.

 

[mskayjay]

I also have to wonder how many reservations made end up as "no shows"? That possibility really gets to me as we (on our 3 trips so far this year) have tried from 90 days out up to the day of to get specific restaurants and times to no avail. Podium CM's have told us many times that they are loaded down with "no shows" during "free dining".

Perhaps "free dining" should also be accompanied with a credit/debit card hold requirement in case of a "no show" at ALL restaurants with an ADR. Heck, WDW has the room number, put a "no show" charge on the room account if needed. Say $10.00 per seat if there is no cancellation call up to 15 minutes prior. Possibly that would cut down on "no shows". Might also make those people think twice about making a reservation if they aren't keeping them. Disney could look at that as another money maker, lol!

Even though you're a Cards fan I agree with this completely. I think there should at least be a $20 no-show fee attached to a room charge for any ressie made and not either used or cancelled within 72 hours. Folks are openly admitted to having multiple booking that they are holding while they decide where to go and folks are sitting on the ressie site like vultures hoping to pick up cancellations. Its crazy!

I also think the reservation system should be set up in a manner that automatically bumps off a reservation that is at a duplicate time as another one under the same room ressie when a second dining reservation has been made and the first one has not been cleared/cancelled withint 24 hours. I would not let go of a ressie until I had a new one booked but c'mon.....cancel the old one and give others a chance.

 

[photobob]

So-called "free dining" is just a discount program to fill rooms that would otherwise go empty during the low-demand season. Customers pay the full undiscounted rate and then get a discount in the form of "free" meals.

It doesn't make the parks "super crowded" -- at least not as "super crowded" as at peak times -- because most off-site hotels have low occupancy at that time.

We DVC members get a different kind of discount. The DVC point charts are designed to spread demand across the whole year, so we get DVC nights for fewer points when demand is traditionally lower. We can make our own decisions about where to dine -- whether on-site, off-site, or in our DVC villas. That seems like a much better deal to me.

Dining reservations are "almost impossible to get on short notice" for the most popular restaurants all year long, especially during the busiest seasons. The solution is to pick restaurants other than the most popular ones and not to wait too long. I don't care if I can't get into Le Cellier; my most recent dinner there was so disappointing that I'm in no hurry to go back.

I agree. I doubt there are more people, there are just more staying on-site because of the free dining. The main thing they are doing is pulling more of the people who are coming that may normally stay off-site to stay on-site. They are also insuring that they stay in Disney parks for their entire trip, spending their money all within Disney gates.

When business is slow you do what you have to do to bring people in. Do I like free dining? No, but I sure understand the reason behind it.

 

[TLSnell1981]

I believe, free dining has affected the menus and the quality of the food...and not in a good way. It's also (IMHO) responsible for the "herding in and out" of guests....especially with character dining.

 

[Tozzie]

I have taken to finding the restaurants that don't accept the dinning plan and eating at those. I had ADR's for my trip in August and still had to wait an hour to be seated.

 

[DMKEDM]

Just returned from 6 days at BWV, during free dining (8/30-9/4)...

Empty tables everywhere--I peered into restaurant windows and also noticed at the restaurants we ate at; we got first-choice dates & times ADRs (including Cinderella's Castle & Chef Mickey's) two months prior to our trip...crowds were noticeably small in the parks; e.g., at 4 on Wednesday there was only a 40-minute wait for Soarin! Had young ones w/us (6 and 3) so didn't do "big people" rides...but waited only 5 minutes at Peter Pan, no wait at all at any other Fantasy Land ride (altho Dumbo, even w/out a wait, takes "forever" to load/unload)...

On check-in day, I stopped at Dundy's Sundries at BWV and the CM asked if I was happy to be there...I said, yes but noted I'd be happier still if I could get into my room (it was 4:05 and I'd been waiting since noon)...the CM was very surprised; said "what, no room yet? How strange, we're only at 30% occupancy this weekend."

So...

This was our first trip during free dining and I saw zero impact on crowds or on access to restaurants...

Maybe I just accidentally picked a good week (for us if not for Disney)?

 

[TiaMaria]

Even though you're a Cards fan I agree with this completely.

LOL!

 

[DVC Mike]

Free Dining isn't much of an issue for me. I'm more concerned with the impact of the DDP as a whole on the menus at the various TS restaurants I frequent. The menus are becoming the same - less variety and unique offerings.

 

[mac_tlc]

Free Dining isn't much of an issue for me. I'm more concerned with the impact of the DDP as a whole on the menus at the various TS restaurants I frequent. The menus are becoming the same - less variety and unique offerings.

I agree. I think the much bigger impact over the past 3-4 years has been the proliferation of the DDP itself. Before then, you could almost always get dining reservations the "day-of". Anyone remember the guest services video terminals at EPCOT a long time ago? It is frustrating at times to not be able to get a ressie the day of, or the day before. Not talking about the most popular dining times, but anything.

Oh, BTW, I just got off the phone after spending 53 minutes on hold to book the Candlelilght dining package for 12/7. Called at 7:04 AM..... on a Sunday.....


mac_tlc

 

[DVCPAT]

Free Dining isn't much of an issue for me. I'm more concerned with the impact of the DDP as a whole on the menus at the various TS restaurants I frequent. The menus are becoming the same - less variety and unique offerings.

I agree… Disney seems to be letting accounts determine the product quality. GM and Ford had accountants as CEOs when Pinto’s and Chevette’s were marketed. They sold a lot of them, but the low quality hurt them down the road.

 

[work2play]

I have a love/hate relationship with free dining!

Love-

We book at least one extra trip a year that we would not have done (both Sept and Dec this year!), with 2 teenage boys we get one good sit down meal a day which is probably worth approx $150 to us just for that meal. The food alone is worth approximately $200 a day to us. So unless they are paying me to stay at a moderate resort it is better than any room discount they are offering.

It runs when airfare is really cheap (BWI to MCO) $49 each way.

I don't have to cook, or feel guilty for not cooking!

The trip is paid for before I leave. I never come home to the food bill!

Free dining is offered during low seasons when the parks are less crowded and we tend to be more park commandos on those trips, so staying in a moderate resort is fine when you are not spending much time in the room.

I get to save points for the trips I want to relax on, and can easily book 1 BR instead of studio, and I really get to enjoy the resort.

Hate-

Calling to make reservations at oh dark thirty on some random 90 day mark. (Although making them online in my pjs this time made that much better!)

Having to stick to a schedule on when and where to eat the TS meal.

Not being in my favorite DVC resorts!

I do feel that the quality at some of the restaurants has declined over the last few years, but I am not sure that is related to free dining. I also think that the move to offer a different free dining package for the value resorts that does not include TS meals will help with some of the restaurant crowding issues.

 

[TexasErin]

Yep. Hate free dining. We were there the first week of free dining. I had intentionally chosen what used to be a little lower attendance and booked it at 11 months out. I was very disappointed when free dining was announced later. The parks were a lot more crowded than they used to be in August.

I remember a couple of years ago actually being able to get into Tony's for dinner on the same day by stopping by the restaurant earlier in the day. This year, the only thing I could get was about 8:30 at night----and that was trying for it repeatedly for over a month out.

We were at the parks early and used FP's so we avoided any majorly long lines, but just walking around the parks was terrible because of the hordes of people.

 

[DVC92]

Free Dining isn't much of an issue for me. I'm more concerned with the impact of the DDP as a whole on the menus at the various TS restaurants I frequent. The menus are becoming the same - less variety and unique offerings.

I concur with Mike. The DDP has degraded the dining experience in general. Buffets have been stripped of prime rib. Boma used to have sea bass, now it is salmon like every other restaurant. A shrimp cocktail at Le Cellier, which I can no longer get a reservation at, used to be giant shrimp in lieu of miniscule ones like you find at Old Country Buffet. I remember ordering The Wave dessert at Coral Reef after DDP started. Unfortunately, the wave part was noticeably missing. Bison steak disappeared from Artist Point. Further, surcharges on the buffets during so-called "peak" or "holiday" seasons. Give me a break! Fortunately, I have TIW.

 

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

I would guess that the test market was successful, as it is getting people there during the "off" times.

I think in the future, that when you buy a package, they are going to start giving free dining to everyone as an incentive.

 

[MissMet]

My only objection to free dining is the negative effect it has had on menu choices and quality. :

I totally agree!

Why can't they have a "free dinning menu" or even a "DDP menu" & then an "a la carte menu" for those of us who don't use the DDP. I use the TIW card, I'm not a fan of the DDP at all.

Here in NY they have a pre-fix menu & then an a la carte menu. Why not do something like that??

 

[Carolina Mouse]

I can't stand the free dining and I *hate* the whole ADR thing. I've been going to WDW since a year after MK opened and I was just a kid. I sooooo miss the days of picking up the phone in the resort and making plans for our dinner that night or even better, walking through a resort and saying "hey are you hungry? Let's stop and have dinner here" and just being able to walk into a place and eat.

AMEN! Disney used to be an adventure in spontenaity. Now its an adventure in lining up ADRs and going to a particuular park on and particular day just to make the ressies. Sheesh.

 

[leanne2255]

AMEN! Disney used to be an adventure in spontenaity. Now its an adventure in lining up ADRs and going to a particuular park on and particular day just to make the ressies. Sheesh.

I agree. I never make ADR's anymore because I hate to commit to being at a certain place and a certain time. Also, been there and done that at most of our favorites, so if I can't get in doing a walk-up, oh well, there's always next trip.

 

[caewe]

While I loved the idea of eating in all of those restaurants with my family of six....I did not love my schedule being dictated by those same dining reservations....

We have had free dining for 3 trips now and the decision I made about NOT having a sit down meal every night helped contribute to my decision the buy into DVC.

Absolutley agree,I DON`T LIKE THE SCHEDULE CONTROL,I also hear so many people I know say,``I`m not cooking on vacation`` and then waste so much time being controlled at dining time.Why I bought in was we normal weekly shop off site,and we are usually at the resort during late afternoon anyway,and take full advantage of a full kitchen

 

[queenie82]

I was quite happy with the free dining when it was announced AFTER the ADR booking window had started. (as in when it was 180 days) It meant those planning to pay and were the ones making the ADRs. I know it then got into a pattern such that people would make adrs in anticipation...but they wouldn't necessarily get the +10.

Like many here my biggest complaint is the quality decrease....
I think the offers should be a free TIW card and maybe one free CS meal per day. Why do they need to offer free TS?

I got DVC for the accommodation. I am happy to pay for the DDP. But to get me to pay for it you need to let me get ADRs and keep the quality up!!