>> FREE DINING 2011 WATCH - Read Post # 1 BEFORE Posting

[disneychick0412]

I saw that same thing on Facebook, so I rushed to the DIS! I just knew
someone would be talking about it! Fingers crossed we get good news!!!

I'm hoping for free dining for November or a decent room discount!!!

 

[Colleen27]

I am VERY new to this all....just now booking my family's first Disney vacation and received an email today from Disney Destinations.

Stay with us and save 30% at select Disney Resort hotels.

Disney Value Resort $67* per night plus tax in a standard room.
For stays most Sunday–Thursday nights 10/1/11-10/6/11 and 10/10/11-10/31/11.

Disney Moderate Resort $119* per night plus tax in a standard room.
For stays most Sunday–Thursday nights 10/1/11-10/6/11 and 10/10/11-10/31/11.​

So....my question is is this a good deal? IS the 30% just on the room (not the park tickets). Value resorts will be fine with me....but what are the regular room rates? What if I want to stay more than Sun - Thurs like til Saturday? I (like everyone else apparently) would REALLY like free dining....lol....is it worth waiting for or should I jump on this?

Like I said I am BRAND NEW to this all.... Thanks for any input!

The 30% if off the room rate, not the rest of the package.

The code is valid on weekends, but the $67/night sample pricing is the Sun-Thurs rate. Weekends are $10 more per night before the discount, so they'll be $74 with the code.

Regular prices that time of year at the values are $95 Sun-Thurs and $105 Fri-Sat.

If you're planning on going regardless of whether free dining comes out, it is worth jumping on the PIN offer. If free dining does come you can always switch, but if it doesn't 30% is about the best room discount as you'll see at the values/mods.

 

[fivebyfive]

Not to burst any free dining bubbles, but there is a huge announcement/press event live from NYC from DCL on Wednesday, April 6th. I would imagine that this is what they are referring to.

 

[LindsayLou]

The 30% if off the room rate, not the rest of the package.

The code is valid on weekends, but the $67/night sample pricing is the Sun-Thurs rate. Weekends are $10 more per night before the discount, so they'll be $74 with the code.

Regular prices that time of year at the values are $95 Sun-Thurs and $105 Fri-Sat.

If you're planning on going regardless of whether free dining comes out, it is worth jumping on the PIN offer. If free dining does come you can always switch, but if it doesn't 30% is about the best room discount as you'll see at the values/mods.

THANKS! Is there a big enough difference between the value and moderate to spend the extra $$ on it? Bed sizes are the same....room sizes look fairly comparable. Any other huge differences?

 

[StEpHandMiKe<3Disney]

Ok, am I loosing it... I read Friday, April 6..... Isn't that Wed? So do we think it's Friday or Wed after reading the Facebook email?

 

[Colleen27]

THANKS! Is there a big enough difference between the value and moderate to spend the extra $$ on it? Bed sizes are the same....room sizes look fairly comparable. Any other huge differences?

That's going to be pretty subjective depending on your family size and priorities. We've stayed at all levels and enjoyed them all, but the moderates tend to be our favorites for the balance of amenities and affordability. I wouldn't hesitate to stay at Pop again either, though, if that was what better fit our budget.

Bed sizes are the same for some moderates (double beds at CBR, POR) but not for others (queens at POFQ, CSR). Disney is changing over the moderate resorts to queen sized bedding as they do rehabs, with POFQ wrapping up shortly and POR starting after Easter. Also, the Alligator Bayou section of POR has a trundle bed in addition to the two doubles, so if your kids don't want to share that might be something to keep in mind.

The value rooms are noticeably smaller than the moderates, and with the exception of Pop the values lack the privacy curtain between the bedroom and the vanity area. With my older kids (DS13, DD9) that extra bit of privacy is important for getting ready in a semi-efficient fashion in the mornings.

There are also some differences in resort amenities. For my kids, the important one is the pool slide. Moderates have them, values don't. For myself, the hot tub factors in because it is so nice for relaxing at the end of a long park day. Again moderates have them, values don't. The sitdown restaurant and other behind the scenes amenities like frequency of luggage service don't matter so much to us.

On the flip side, the moderates (except POFQ) are large, sprawling resorts and you can end up with a room a fair distance from those amenities. That was something we loved about Pop - it is a compact resort with only one bus stop, and you never had to hike a mile to the food court or the pool.

 

[Colleen27]

Ok, am I loosing it... I read Friday, April 6..... Isn't that Wed? So do we think it's Friday or Wed after reading the Facebook email?

Right now there are two different things going on for sure. There's a DCL press event on Wed at which they're expected to announce a new Mexican itinerary sailing out of Galveston for 2012.

Then Friday there will be a press conference about the Shanghai park that is expected to announce the start of construction.

I don't see how either of those would justify overtime for WDTC agents, though, unless they're expecting a truly immense response to the new cruise offering. There are just shy of 900 staterooms on the Magic and the Houston Chronicle reported the schedule will be for 12 sailings.



This went out to TAs from Disney:

Mark Your Calendar for Magical Announcements

Exciting things are on the horizon for The Walt Disney Company. First, you'll want to chart a course to disneytravelagents.com at 1 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, April 6, for a big announcement from Disney Cruise Line®.

Also, check back on Friday morning, April 8, for more news from Disney.

And a relative in Houston who has been trying to get us to come visit forwarded this to me about the DCL plans:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/7506462.html

 

[hcmommy]

My husband showed me the chron article last night, very exciting as I live very close to Houston!

 

[Luvmepluto]

This was posted on my facebook page by a travel agency (not sure if I am allowed to include the link)

here is an announcement Friday Morning (April 6) from Disney. Nobody knows what the announce is, but I would think is has to do with a new Disney World Vacation offer. If you are planning a Disney Vacation this year, please save yourself some time and money and book today & *** Vacations will switch you if a better offer comes out. Be ahead of the crowd. www.***Vacations.com

My friend is a TA and she just told me that.......she said that she believes that it is and that whatever it is will probably give Disney Visa Card holders first dibs (of course). Woohoo!!!

 

[sjs314]

I am VERY new to this all....just now booking my family's first Disney vacation and received an email today from Disney Destinations.

Stay with us and save 30% at select Disney Resort hotels.

Disney Value Resort $67* per night plus tax in a standard room.
For stays most Sunday–Thursday nights 10/1/11-10/6/11 and 10/10/11-10/31/11.

Disney Moderate Resort $119* per night plus tax in a standard room.
For stays most Sunday–Thursday nights 10/1/11-10/6/11 and 10/10/11-10/31/11.​

So....my question is is this a good deal? IS the 30% just on the room (not the park tickets). Value resorts will be fine with me....but what are the regular room rates? What if I want to stay more than Sun - Thurs like til Saturday? I (like everyone else apparently) would REALLY like free dining....lol....is it worth waiting for or should I jump on this?

Like I said I am BRAND NEW to this all.... Thanks for any input!

I would definately call and book,(you can always modify or cancel later) also the pin may be good for other dates than just the ones mentioned , inquire of the CM at CRO if those dates do not work for you.

My DH rec'd a pin that stated it was good from 12/1 to 12/22 but when I called it was good from Oct 18 through Dec

30% on values and mods is good , our pin was only for 20% but I still booked hopeing for better pin or GP offer

The discount is only on the room rate but it also covers weekends which is at a higher room rate, you can add tickets and DP if you like just no discount on those

 

[MWGreene]

WOOO HOOOO DH just gave me the green light to book CB pirate room for December!!!! Yay! Now let's hope that announcement has something good!

 

[5boyz]

Oops, I didn't even notice the date! However the CM overtime offer is promising... I know in the past it has factored into speculation fingers crossed!!!

LOL!!! I do it too!!! I didnt know if I was missing something...

 

[vwaller72]

I'm guessing the announcement will revolve around them starting to take reservations for the Art of Animation resort. I have no inside info or anything, just a gut feel. The message seems too "get ready" for any of their traditional discounts.

 

[dbennett3899]

Was reading this article below. Its an interesting read and may have been posted already but it says pretty much what others have been guessing. Heres to hoping Friday actually means somthing to us and isnt just a "crummy commerical" of sorts.

http://www.everythingwdisneyworld.com/

 

[JuneCleaver]

I wouldn't get too excited! I googled Disney announcement April 8 and this is what came up:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-...e-park-partner-plan-april-8-announcement.html

looks like Shanghai is a go!

Realistically, when has Disney ever given a heads up about a discount? I think everyone is getting excited for no reason unless of course you are planning a trip to Shanghai!

June

 

[dbennett3899]

I wouldn't get too excited! I googled Disney announcement April 8 and this is what came up:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-...e-park-partner-plan-april-8-announcement.html

looks like Shanghai is a go!

Realistically, when has Disney ever given a heads up about a discount? I think everyone is getting excited for no reason unless of course you are planning a trip to Shanghai!

June

I’m certainly not getting my hopes up, and that’s exactly what I meant when I said “I hope it’s not some sort of crummy commercial” in my earlier post. I personal could care less about Shanghai and If that will indeed be the news/announcement on Friday that would be an ultra-waste/let down for the majority of Dis-ers on these boards. With that said, why would Disney be giving Travel Agents a heads up on “news” coming out Friday and asking Call center CM’s to work overtime just for a Shanghai announcement? Again, not getting my hopes up here so we’ll just have to wait for something new to be leaked…

Either way I’m having a blast trying to hunt info down! :O) I live for this DIS planning stuff lol.

 

[MWGreene]

If it was just about Shanghai then why the ot for the call center?

 

[DisneyCrafter]

Okay, I'm getting more excited now, I have a feeling that some sort of Fall discount is going to be offered very soon. All of the speculation last week didn't give me much hope but for some reason more rumors are getting around about FD, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's true. We have a room discount pin applied right now (it's pitiful) so FD would really help! I may even consider upgrading to a moderate if it does come out! Come on Free Dining!!!

 

[Jenn9]

If it was just about Shanghai then why the ot for the call center?

Ugh! I think it is Shanghai too. I was just on with Disney reservations and the CM I spoke with said no ot on Friday and no free dining.

 

[KELLY]

Ugh! I think it is Shanghai too. I was just on with Disney reservations and the CM I spoke with said no ot on Friday and no free dining.

I don't think they are going to tell you that info.