Free Dining frustration <tiny vent>

[rayelias]

nevermind

 

[Microcell]

It may be crazy but, I love planning my ADRS 180 days in advanced. But I also pack a few weeks in advanced.

Me too! I have done it when paying for dining, and not! I am being a total slacker on the packing... 22 days out and the suitcases are still in the crawlspace!!!

 

[Pumbaa_]

I want to remind everyone of the posting guidelines on the DIS.

3. NO FIGHTING/SARCASM: While we'd like to think that a Disney fan site is always lighthearted, there are times when there are disagreements. Let's face it, there are certain topics that can transform any of us into a raging "Donald Duck." When you sense this is happening, we ask that you step away from the discussion before it escalates into a fight. Just like Mom always said about fighting, we don't care who started the argument and we don't want it on the DIS. (Okay, she didn't say the part about the DIS, but you know what we mean.) No attacking others and no sarcasm please. Either will result in an infraction

If you cannot post nicely, walk away from the thread!

 

[jw50]

Yes, I'm sure people would cmplain if the free dining plan was counter service only, and I'm sure that plan wouldn't be nearly as effective as filling rooms during hurricane season, which is the aim of offering the DDP for free.

If this was true Disney would offer the "free" dining plan from the 1st of June through the 1st of November

It is kids going back to school that causes lower occupancy during late August and September, not the remote possibility of a hurricane dumping a bunch of rain in the Orlando area.

 

[DznyDreamz]

I resent the tone of the OP. I had planned to be in WDW during the week of 9/14 regardless. It was almost a year after I planned my trip that the free dining promotion came out. So I jumped on it. Wouldn't you? Or in your view I should decline so someone else who might feel they are more entitled to dine in the TS has an open door policy? If you have your ADR's, what difference does it make to you if the person next to you pays or not?

 

[Sammie]

Just wanted to chip in here. Unfortunately we don't have the luxury of being able to plan holidays months in advance.
We recently booked a few night's stay in late September / early October at OKW and when I phoned to make some ADR's (for 2) none of the ones we wanted were available. I did think it was interesting though that the CM first asked me if we were on the dining plan - would it have made a difference to availability if we were - just a thought!

Keep trying, cancellations happen all the time. You might have to be flexible with the times. Also try after you get there.

I booked my ADRs for our summer trip months in advance and changed over half of them after I arrived with no problems.

And that included, Yachtsman, Cape May, Kona Cafe, LeCellier, Captain Jacks and Concourse Steakhouse.

 

[LizinSTL]

Just frustrated is all. Sorry you are taking my post the wrong way. I have actually received letters from Disney regarding the growing concerns of the free dining and its impact on the ADR's. While there are some things that you just should make an ADR for like CRT, character dining etc.. I find it a bit odd that in my 2 week stay, on day 2, I was unable to get ANY ADRs for *anytime* of day at the following locations:

Kona
Whispering Canyon
Artist Pallette
Hollywood Brown Derby
and a few more
Boma
Jiko

Please also understand my frustration in that before the free dining incentive, this was never an issue.

As far as the dining plan goes, I have no issues with that. I do not feel the overcrowded sit downs are a direct result of the Dining Plan.

Disney can address that by limited the rooms available with the free dining promotion. They choose not to do that. Obviously it makes them money. If they are sending you letters sympathizing with you, I think they are probably just trying to make you happy. You have NO way of knowing if a guest paid for the DDP or got it free- even if they are staying at a value resort

 

[LizinSTL]

We heard them answer yes, when asked by the waitstaff if they were on the free dining plan

If a server is asking guests if they are on the "Free" dining plan as opposed to the "disney dining plan" that's absolutely inappropriate. IMO, that's like asking a guest if they paid for their trip in cash or if they put it on a credit card. I really think you misheard the question. There's NO difference between the DDP and free DDP. None. There's NO reason for a server to ask a guest if they booked it during the promotional period and got the discount, anymore than they should ask a guest if they got a AAA discount.

 

[Alpha Omega]

Just to toss my 2 cents here. ADRs can book 180+10 Days out from any guest trip. (6 months). So guests could start booking their dining for august back in february. The free dine offer was not even out at that time, so a good portion of ADRs were booked by guest who did not have free dine. The free dine program helps to fill in where is needed. So for people on here to say that free dine is the root cause of why people cannot get ADRs, it is kind of silly.

Guests come from all over the world to Disney and plan. You have to understand that you are competing against thousands of guests coming during the same time as you. If you dont take the time to plan, then you accept the leftovers of those people who were smart enough to realize where they are going adn if they want to have the time they want at Disney, planning is involved. Please no flames, but sometime people are quick to balme Disney for their policies instead of taking ownership of their own vacations and making it the best possible.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

I think everyone is silly saying how free dining or the dining plan in general is causing problems. The real problem is that Disney is not building new restaurants to solve the problem.

Yeah, I know they are building Yak and Yeti but at the same time Tusker House is closed. Therefore, just at AK you have about 150 places out of the hourly dining inventory. How about Teppanyaki? How many people is that taking out on a typical day?

Instead of whining to Disney about not being able to "wing" your ADRs maybe you should be asking Disney why can't they build places to eat that will meet the consumer demand?

You are correct. Disney is becoming more and more crowded each year, dining plan or no dining plan. When we went in 2004, I called in advance and made our ADRs and there was no dining plan then. In 2005, I called and made ADR's well in advance and it was November and free dining was not going on. What is the big deal about planning in advance anyways? I am sure someone will say, well I don't like to plan and I like to take last minute trips. Well, with the crowd levels at WDW right now, you probably won't get ADRs you want whether there is a DDP, a Free DDP or no DDP at all, unless you plan in advance. It's going to be crowded and you need to make advance ADRS for popular restaurants, simple fact. And the OP does sound a bit ridiculous. Sorry we DDP peons have ruined your precious DVC vacation. Also sorry for my rant, but it is not nice to chide people for taking advantage of free dining or the regular dining plan for that matter. Obviously, Free DDP is working for a lot of people and for Disney, or they wouldn't be offering it. By the way FREE Dining for next fall is already being offered to UK residents through the WDW UK website. So, I would be looking for it to head this way again next fall.

 

[LizinSTL]

Actually, I booked 11 months ago.... was hoping the free dining was not going to be around another year. I do believe I would have needed to book a value for the 2 weeks in order to get 2 weeks worth of free dining. Cant imagine they would give you 2 weeks worth of free food for 1 night at the PoP

As I have said already, the problem is the "reservation" policy. It needs tweaking.

Just because the free dining does not allow for a room discount too does not mean your dining is not really free...its just another of Disneys incentives to get bodies there in "slow" times....which is really funny because the last time I checked....Sept and Oct are pretty jammed now with MNSSHP and the F&W

Well, of course you'd need to book 2 weeks of value rooms to get 2 weeks of free dining. I never suggested one night would get you 2 weeks of meals for free. That's just silly. But you'd get 2 weeks of meals and your room for about $1400 (ballpark figure)- that's 28 adult TS meals, 28 adult CS meals, 28 snacks. Assuming a cheap average TS meal of $35 and CS meal of $8 and $3 snack that's a total of about $1400 (after tax/tip). You chose to stay on points at DVC vs staying at a value resort on free dining.

 

[kaytieeldr]

- ADR's should be an actual reservation, not the bizarro meaning WDW gives them. An actual table would be reserved for your party if you make an ADR.

That makes sense. Disney dining reservations are the equivalent of 'call-ahead seating' - except the non-Disney restaurants that practice this expect the customer to be on the way to the restaurant right then... not six months later

was there for free dining in 2005 -- the first time they offered free dining -- and yes, the DDP had been in existance prior to the "free" dining period for at least a few months.

By the time you went, a little over eight months. It started January 1st or 2nd, 2005.

Is it more acceptable for me to take up one of those tables you felt you were slighted on because I paid for my dining plan

Um, yes but you should get a worser (sic) room?

My guess is yes, it would apply. I could certainly be wrong, though. Those are both tremendously popular, although they are not a dinner show like Hoop de Doo or the Luau. Maybe WDW took a lot of heat for booked up ADR's for those two restaurants, yet they may have had empty tables come ADR time, maybe because there was probably no penalty for not showing up. For all I know, though, they may have been like that at those restaurants all along.

Nope.
- There was a group of online do-gooders, associated with a (I think) now-defunct guidebook and forum, who were taking orders for CRT reservations and filling up both the phone lines and the restaurant. Guests who could not get through and could thus not get reservations complained in great enough numbers and volume to Disney. Disney changed their policy. Credit card hold required, name on reservation cannot be changed, card charged for no-shows or late cancellations.
- Guests would make reservations for California Grill for around fireworks time, go up to the restaurant to wait in the lounge, watch the fireworks, and leave without eating. This left, yes, lots of empty tables that could have been filled by actual diners. Disney instituted a similar cc policy (but not a name change prohibition), and either then or some time later, to prevent Guests from not making ANY reservation and just going up to watch the fireworks, moved the podium to the second floor. Now, you can't go upstairs until a table is ready for you or unless there's room in the lounge (and if you then watch the fireworks and leave, your CC is charged).

Hoop De Doo and the other dinner shows have actual, I think assigned seating.

If this was true Disney would offer the "free" dining plan from the 1st of June through the 1st of November

It is kids going back to school that causes lower occupancy during late August and September, not the remote possibility of a hurricane dumping a bunch of rain in the Orlando area.

Nope. While hurricane season is June 1 to November 30, (a) hurricanes don't have a calendar (apparently there were tropical storms as late as January) and (b) PEAK hurricane season is August and September. Think bell curve.

I resent the tone of the OP.

I did, at first. But the OP seems like an intelligent, reasonable person and has been having a very decent conversation in this thread on the last couple of pages.

 

[kaytieeldr]

The fact that I am a DVC member has no real relevancy to this post. I only wanted to make it known that I am not on the free dining plan because it is not available to DVC members. Please do not imply that I feel I am any more important because I am a DVC member.

Okay, fine. You're not eligible for the free dining promotion, and apparently visiting Walt Disney World during the 44 weeks of the year when free dining is NOT offered. On the other hand, as a DVC member, you ARE eligible to purchase the Disney Dining Plan and be treated exactly like all the Guests taking advantage of that promotion. This includes being reminded when you order the DDP that you really, really should make your dining reservations in advance; and two of those perks to which grimley1968 was refering are that DVC members do NOT have to pay in advance, and do NOT have any ticket purchase requirements.

No, you don't need to plan your entire trip 180 days in advance. But as much fun as it might be to pop into the Disney restaurant of your choice and be seated immediately, thousands of other Guests - free DDP, paid DDP, no DDP, local residents - will have made reservations SOME time prior to the day of the meal.

How did you know all of the people around you were "free diners"? Did you ask?

We heard them answer yes, when asked by the waitstaff if they were on the free dining plan

I believe you misheard. NO server would ever ask that question. The question would be "Are you using (or 'on') a dining plan?" First, as stated above, not everyone with the Disney Dining Plan has/had it free; plus, there are several layers of Dining Plans.

Does anyone know if someone has an ADR,and they do not check in for the proposed time, do they get scratched off to make room for other guests, or will they wait a certain amount of time before releasing the time spot?

Arrive and check in five to ten minutes before your 'reservation' time. You will be seated at the next available table for your party size at or after that time. (can you tell I call a lot?)

And when they are done, they can work on a cure for Cancer and ending World Hunger!---

That's kind of you, but really - adding restaurants is good enough.

Look, the point is the system sucks. Whether it is free or not. I don't know why people insist on dragging the DVC into this.

I disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the DIS your right to say it

Just because the free dining does not allow for a room discount too does not mean your dining is not really free...

I guess it's accounting. After perusing* various menus, and doing some math, I figure my room is going to end up costing me net about $40 a night.


*I couldn't find any dictionary to back me up, but I'm SURE that word means 'committing to memory'

 

[danielle782001]

What is with all the tension towards DVC members? I am not getting it.

 

[XQIXX]

I do not think the OP meant to imply she is better because she is a paying DDP guest and DVC member.Just frustrated with the system.As far as DVC perks, members make a long term investment in Disney and should be rewarded for their loyality with some perks.Same as being a member at Cosco or Sam's Club.As a paying member, you get lower prices(or so you think!).As stated before,Disney is a business and nothing is free for anyone!We are all so passionate about Disney and what it represents to us,that we can get a little heated.Bottom line is a hotdog at Casey's instead of dinner at CRT is still a great day!!

 

[danielle782001]

I do not think the OP meant to imply she is better because she is a paying DDP guest and DVC member.Just frustrated with the system.As far as DVC perks, members make a long term investment in Disney and should be rewarded for their loyality with some perks.Same as being a member at Cosco or Sam's Club.As a paying member, you get lower prices(or so you think!).As stated before,Disney is a business and nothing is free for anyone!We are all so passionate about Disney and what it represents to us,that we can get a little heated.Bottom line is a hotdog at Casey's instead of dinner at CRT is still a great day!!

Well said

 

[XQIXX]

What is with all the tension towards DVC members? I am not getting it.

Because we own the park!!

 

[jw50]

Nope. While hurricane season is June 1 to November 30, (a) hurricanes don't have a calendar (apparently there were tropical storms as late as January) and (b) PEAK hurricane season is August and September. Think bell curve.

Actually peak hurricane season is mid-August through October and the annual probability of the Orlando area experiencing hurricane force winds is less than 2% (over the last 100 years) and if Disney was really taking that into consideration for free dining it would only be offered during La Nina years.

 

[marivaid]

Next thing you know someone will be complaining about all those AP holders who take rooms and pay less than the family next door.
Maybe WDW should restrict AP rates to value resorts or camping spots (heard there's room at Legendary Years,too!).

I'm sure that'd go over reallllllllly well, after all we're getting a discount so we shouldn't be picky.

 

[Kaler131]

I've never been asked by a server if I was on the FREE dining plan. I have been asked if I was on the dining plan, but never if it was free or not.

Me either. I also have NEVER heard any CM ask if someone was on the "free" dining plan.