Free Dining '10 Update: Disney Visa FD Released (See pages 1 & 57+ for details)

[jfoofj]

Thanks, I needed that!!!! Glad I'm not the only one that had 'that' kind of a morning

While I have 2 dogs that I often trip over, today I sat on my cat who was sleeping soundly on the chair in front of the computer. I didn't see him there, and he didn't expect my tush to be in the computer chair that early.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Ok, I'm done. I am nervous that whatever deal they do end up offering (IF they end up offering) will be blacked out over Columbus Day weekend (we are going Oct 5th-11th) and I won't be able to take advantage of it.... for us to go during the school year we need to take advantage of the long weekends and teacher workshop days.... that weekend is the perfect storm for us.... Thursday is a half day, no school for teacher workshops on Friday and long weekend through Monday (Columbus Day). We are flying out Tuesday at 6pm so the kiddos will only miss a day and a half of school to have 6 nights in Disney. SO, if I have to pay rack rates, I will, so that I'm not on the Bad Parent List at the school!

 

[mking624]

Let's see:

There has YET to be any information 'leaked' for free dining. Maybe this is because there isn't any free dining TO leak?!?

Disney has said (on more than one occasion) the they want to go back to rack. The Gift Card promo was a pretty decent step in that direction.

Actually they said they planned on scaling back the discounts starting in late 2010...not they they planned on going completely back to rack rate. Since that announcement, there have still been pretty good deals released. 40% off room rate isn't something I'd consider being close to rack rate. And the gift card promo can either be well more than FD or less...depending on where you stayed and for how long.

CM's have told posters that it's not free dining, people on this thread have had their TA's tell them it's not free dining, yet only because everyone here simply wants it, everyone thinks it's still coming.

CMs and TAs have also told guests that it IS coming, so explain that. Fact is, every year that FD has been offered, people have been told that it won't be happening. CMs and TAs don't always have accurate information...you can get a different answer every time you call. It's just hard to believe Disney would offer some decent incentives to visit during the summer months, but then wouldn't offer anything useful for guests to visit during prime hurricane months.

Am I the only one who thinks the reason that there hasn't been any leaks is because it's not a very favourable deal and no one wants to be the 'bearer of bad news'?

Lack of leaks doesn't necessarily mean there will be bad news. Just because it wasn't released today doesn't mean it won't be released at all. In the past, FD wasn't released until April. Yes, April is a few days away, but one year it wasn't until a week into the month. Until it is an absolute, everything is merely speculation...including the negative.

 

[doccoc2002]

Oh I don't know, just some guy named Bob Iger.

Well...I guess they are not doing a good job sine they are offering all these room discounts!!! They have room discounts for the begining of the year...does not sound to me like they are trying to do more rack rates.

 

[Halloweenqueen]

I think there are three good reasons why FD WILL be offered...

1. The economy

2. Harry Potter World

3. They offered QS dining pin during their busiest time of the year! People with pins are able to get FD in June and July! I can't imagine they wouldn't offer it during the slowest/Hurricane season.

We are all getting a little impatient. We are close, but not close enough.

I listened to the podcasts that preceded the FD announcents for the last two years. Both gave fair warning about FD. The next podcast should be available here or on itunes on Wednesday. I bet we will hear something on that podcast.

 

[metsno1]

Oh I don't know, just some guy named Bob Iger.

I guess it's a matter of interpretation. Here's what Iger actually said:

“What we do is we test the marketplace. …You maintain pricing — meaning higher pricing — to a point, and, then, if the marketplace doesn’t respond to that, that’s when you judiciously roll out your promotional strategy,” Disney Co. President and Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger said. “I’m pretty confident that we’re going to be able to drive the volume that we need over the course of the year. The question is how much we will have to discount to get it.”
Those discounts might have to deepen quickly for Disney to narrow the 10 percent booking gap going forward, said Laura Martin, a stock-research analyst with Needham & Co."

In the same article, found HERE, we learn that bookings for the Orlando resort were actually still down 1% despite rather aggressive discount offerings.

Seems that they're following the exact strategy identified by Iger above: Try and maintain bookings at as high a price as possible for a while and then respond with more (new and different) discounts as the lack of bookings warrant. That's what they've been doing all year. That's why we saw so many PINS come out at different times, in addition to the gift card offers and the 4/3.

FD for the value season might not be a done deal yet based on this strategy, but unless there's some crazy anomaly happening during August/September where they're filling rooms during their slow season at a rate that's actually higher than the traditional busy season, there's no way we won't see a responsive offer very soon. And it'll likely be FD.

 

[babybunny223]

I am with MKing 624; history suggests there will be a deal at some point. Here's some reasoning:

1. There are no public offers for later August and September; this is a historically low attendance time.

2. For some time, Disney will have to compete with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It's going to take some business away from Disney at least while it is fresh in everyone's minds. I'm staying at Disney in September, but my husband and I are (cheating and) going to see it. We are definately Potter fans.

3. Why would Disney offer some great deals during the peak season but poop out on the value season? They need to be able to bring people in during hurricane season and back to school season.

4. Free Dining for fall has been offered this year by bounceback and PIN code thus far (I unfortunately, have neither). History shows that Visa card holders (that's me!!!) and general public follow.

I am booked already and going regardless of whether they offer free dining, but I will be absolutely flabbergasted if I have to pay rack rate for one of he slowest weeks of the year. Anything's possible, but from a business standpoint, I think they are going to offer something for the fall. We have to sit tight and be patient while they monitor this forum and laugh at us.

 

[Belle_princess]

When I called about ten days ago, I had a very pleasant CM who I started chatting with. So I decided to go ahead and ask him about FD. He said, and this is a direct quote:

"No sir, I haven't heard a thing about it. They're gonna do it. And even if I had heard, I wouldn't be at liberty to talk about future promotions. Value Season. We really don't get any information before the general public, and if we do, it's usually only a day or so in advance for training purposes. You can book now, and add it later."

Ok, so my question is: is the smaller bolded stuff your intrupretation or did he actually say that????

I'm getting nervous! My friend and I can't really afford to go without FD, and I had so set my hopes on going. What will I do if it isn't offered????

PLEASE Disney. . .we all want to visit the mouse, but we can't if you don't offer FD!!!

(I hope that is convincing enough for them!)

 

[twokids0204]

I guess you can build a case in either direction. The only thing about your theory that doesn't hold water for me is that it's based on info that people either have gotten or typically get through back door channels. We all know that CM's know next to nothing about upcoming promos, and that the "advance info" that we get from them is typically incorrect. And most TA's are usually even further out of the loop. My TA didn't even know what a PIN code was when I stopped in about a month ago to see if he had "heard anything!"

When I called about ten days ago, I had a very pleasant CM who I started chatting with. So I decided to go ahead and ask him about FD. He said, and this is a direct quote:

"No sir, I haven't heard a thing about it. They're gonna do it. And even if I had heard, I wouldn't be at liberty to talk about future promotions. Value Season. We really don't get any information before the general public, and if we do, it's usually only a day or so in advance for training purposes. You can book now, and add it later."

The guy cracked me up. I still haven't booked, because I'm starting to buy into the theory that advance booking decreases the inventory available for the promo, but if I went solely by what CM's say, then I'd already have made the ressi!

But again, even if you take Disney's "stated" desire to go back to rack rate (who said that, btw?), I think that value season would be literally the last time of year that they'd make the move. Why in the world would they extend the current promotions through the busiest season and then not have anything equally or more significant through the slowest periods. I just think they're a lot smarter than that.

Ah yes, an oldie but a goodie for those SNL lovers.

It's Kevin Nealon's - Mr. Subliminal

 

[DaniB]

I think there are three good reasons why FD WILL be offered...

1. The economy

2. Harry Potter World

3. They offered QS dining pin during their busiest time of the year! People with pins are able to get FD in June and July! I can't imagine they wouldn't offer it during the slowest/Hurricane season.

We are all getting a little impatient. We are close, but not close enough.

I think your "Harry Potter World" is a good point.

Before booking our trip, my husband & I decided that we would have this first trip a completely Disney trip. Nothing else in the Florida area - just Disney.

We would prefer to book a second trip in a year or so to explore other things outside of Disney.

However, with Harry Potter World being opened soon, I'm being mightly tempted to figure out how to get over there while we are in WDW

 

[Luvmepluto]

I am with MKing 624; history suggests there will be a deal at some point. Here's some reasoning:

1. There are no public offers for later August and September; this is a historically low attendance time.

2. For some time, Disney will have to compete with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It's going to take some business away from Disney at least while it is fresh in everyone's minds. I'm staying at Disney in September, but my husband and I are (cheating and) going to see it. We are definately Potter fans.

3. Why would Disney offer some great deals during the peak season but poop out on the value season? They need to be able to bring people in during hurricane season and back to school season.

4. Free Dining for fall has been offered this year by bounceback and PIN code thus far (I unfortunately, have neither). History shows that Visa card holders (that's me!!!) and general public follow.

I am booked already and going regardless of whether they offer free dining, but I will be absolutely flabbergasted if I have to pay rack rate for one of he slowest weeks of the year. Anything's possible, but from a business standpoint, I think they are going to offer something for the fall. We have to sit tight and be patient while they monitor this forum and laugh at us.

fivebyfive is on here to start a feud!!! Kick her out I say.

 

[tiki23]

However, with Harry Potter World being opened soon, I'm being mightly tempted to figure out how to get over there while we are in WDW

http://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/universal/ Look about halfway down the page.

 

[Leeanne]

http://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/universal/ Look about halfway down the page.

Does that say what I think it does....that for $109 I get a one day/two park admission plus transportation?! And does that mean that they will pick up from a Disney hotel (not just Disney area but an actually on property Disney hotel)? Hmmmm..........this just might work!

 

[tiki23]

Does that say what I think it does....that for $109 I get a one day/two park admission plus transportation?! And does that mean that they will pick up from a Disney hotel (not just Disney area but an actually on property Disney hotel)? Hmmmm..........this just might work!

 

[fivebyfive]

fivebyfive is on here to start a feud!!! Kick her out I say.

lol...and you'll all be begging me to come back after it turns out that I'm right.

 

[fivebyfive]

Seems that they're following the exact strategy identified by Iger above: Try and maintain bookings at as high a price as possible for a while and then respond with more (new and different) discounts as the lack of bookings warrant.

new and different discounts. Wouldn't that mean that Free Dining wouldn't be offered, seeing as has been for the past oh 4 years or so?

 

[kerabriann]

Im gonna be really ticked off if i booked for August and get nothing!!! I did see some better offers at Universal but we love disney!! I just may be one more person who is going to cancel

 

[metsno1]

new and different discounts. Wouldn't that mean that Free Dining wouldn't be offered, seeing as has been for the past oh 4 years or so?

Good point.

But new and different doesn't mean that it will disappear. There's been lots of speculation about only offering QSDP for the Values, and DDP for the mods and deluxes. Or maybe they'll go to a three-tier promo? QSDP at the values, DDP at the mods, and DxDDP at the deluxes? Combination of a small room discount with free QSDP, smaller discount with DDP? There are about a hundred possible variations.

All I'm saying is that whatever they offer for value season will likely be more significant than what's been offered during the busier seasons, and I can't see it not including some variation of free dining.

 

[kittycat9]

Well, I'm just glad I booked with AAA and saved over $500 off of rack rates on our room. Even if Disney doesn't offer a special - at least I know I got a better rate, and we get some extra perks with AAA for both us and for the kids while we are at the parks and during our trip to and from.

 

[luvdisney00]

If you book with AAA and free dining comes out do you still get the AAA rates or does it still go up to rack rate? I've done an AAA trip before, just never during FD.

 

[Wendy*Darling]

Am I the only one who thinks the reason that there hasn't been any leaks is because it's not a very favourable deal and no one wants to be the 'bearer of bad news'?

I think it's highly likely the reason that there have been no leaks is that Disney may just be cracking down on the leakers so TAs are less likely to do the leaking! I figure if Disney wanted it leaked, they'd leak it themselves on their web site but they never have. There have been comments in the past where some TAs get advanced notice, but not all of them do. Some find out the same way the rest of us always have...from the leakers! Since the leaks usually come on the same web sites, and those web sites have established relationships with travel agencies, I wouldn't be surprised if the TAs who get the advanced notice are now being told there will be penalties if we trace a leak back to your office.

Just my guess. I have no insider info on that! My TA was pretty tight lipped about this offer today yet she did say she wasn't anticipating free dining with this code release. I guess the good news is that she didn't say she wasn't anticipating free dining AT ALL, just that she wasn't anticipating it right now. I can still hope!