Free Dining frustration <tiny vent>

[LizinSTL]

We're arriving on the 12th; the travel agent gave us Feb 14th as the 180 day mark. (Next year is Leap Year-- you may have missed that!)

Thanks for the info

Can your travel agent make your ADRs for you? At least the very popular ones? The lines open at 7am.... if your TA can't make them, you may be able to get through if you call right away for your dining reservations at 7am. Worse case....call when you can and try to get your reservations. They don't open 100% of them at the 180+10 day mark for CRT. They open some of them. Plus people cancel all the time. When you have to pay for a meal in full 6 months in advance, it really makes people rethink their plans

 

[acourtwdw2]

I've read a bit about some restaurants that fill up on the 180 day mark.

My 180 day mark is Valentine's Day... a full day of school for me followed by speech class for my daughter, home to feed the kids before I head to the faculty dinner before parent conferences. It's entirely possible that I won't get to the phone until 10 pm.

Can someone tell me which restaurants tend to book up early? That way I'll plan for some backups in case I can't get my first choice. Any suggested backups?

In case it matters, there are 5 of us: my husband and myself, our eat-anything 10 year old son,(counts as an adult on the meal plan), my I-eat-chicken-nuggets-and-not-much-else 8 year old daughter, and my somewhere-inbetween 5 year old.


Thanks so much for any help you can give to a confused newbie

Oops... sorry! I meant to start a new thread instead of hijacking this one!

My suggestion is to get the WDW for Kids book and let them each decide where they want to eat. Have them each pick 2 places that way if one is not available then the other might be. Remember WDW is the happiest place on earth and kids like to be included. We've taken my neices and nephews( we started taking them when they were 2 and 4 years old) to disney so many times that there parents are jealous. They always get to pick where they want to eat and are now teenagers and we still do it. We dont make ADR's which i know is probably stupid but we love to play it by ear and no matter where we eat at least we didnt have to cook it and were at disney world.

 

[LVSWL]

I heard a few times before that Disney vacation club members can get free dining too. All you have to do is buy a one day ticket and you will be able to get free dining your whole trip.

I wish!

 

[lustergirl]

Hey guys!

Just wanted to note that all of our ADR's are in place before I begin my rant...

I was just wondering if anyone else feels it is a tad foolish of Disney to practically refuse "paying" customers for those that have free dining?

Our last visit was almost ruined due to no availability at high end restaurants, yet all the tables around us at the Yachtsman were "free diners"....we save money all year to be able to dine like kings and we spent most of our trip dining counter service while others flooded the sit downs w/ their free dining.

I am the first to jump at freebies and I think it is a great marketing scheme, but I feel that it does have some flaws.

There should be more guidelines. Like, not applicable during busy dinner times.
Or heck...seeing as how it is "free" how bout only allowing the free dining to be used at counter service locations? People can't be upset if it is free right...then they may be more likely to spend actual cash in the sit downs...

Sorry to complain but will the free dining ever end? We have to deal with it again on this trip! ack!

Does anyone else feel this program has some flaws?

I wrote to Disney after last year and received a reply that they had received more then a few complaints/concerns about the free dining.

< Incase anyone is wondering why I don't have "free dining" it is because I am a Vacation Club owner, and even though I pay dues all year long, this "perk" does not apply to us>

Again, kudos to anyone having the free dining but what about the rest of us?!

Thanks for the vent!

Jenn

I have to ask a question:

You stated that the Yachtman's was full of "free diners". Did you go around to each table and take a poll to find out who was eating for free or actually paying for it. You don't know how many people were enjoying the free dining promo to begin with and just assumed. I believe that the people that take advantage of free dining aren't really getting it for free because they are actually paying rack rate for their rooms anyways.

 

[lustergirl]

What does is matter if the diners are on the free dining plan or if they paid for the dining plan? Either way, the restaurants are filling up quicker due to the dining plan in general --free or not and no matter what time of the year it is.

The way you keep singling out the "free diners" makes them sound as if they are peons and not worthy. JMO.

Good point!!!

 

[aviva5675]

You should be fine calling when you can get to the phone that day or even erly the next day. The only exception probably CRT or something similar. I called 179 days ahead for our trip last Nov and got every restaurant and every time we wanted no problem.

 

[dbertola]

I have to ask a question:

You stated that the Yachtman's was full of "free diners". Did you go around to each table and take a poll to find out who was eating for free or actually paying for it. You don't know how many people were enjoying the free dining promo to begin with and just assumed. I believe that the people that take advantage of free dining aren't really getting it for free because they are actually paying rack rate for their rooms anyways.

I have to agree with this. My husband and I were there last Sept and we ate at the Yachtman's but we were paying out of pocket(I didn't know about free dining last year). I made an ADR 6-8 weeks out. So contrary to what to what the OP thinks, not everyone eating are "free diners".

 

[PrincessBelle39]

Amen....i also was a little aggravated with free dining last year. Vacation should not mean having to make a spreadsheet 6 months in advance, just so we can eat.

Its not just free dining that causes this. We are travelling in December. We are there for the entire month so I was expecting the earlier and mid parts of the month would be a bit quieter. No such luck. Six months out and I still couldn't get some of the things I wanted.

 

[XQIXX]

Some DVCers seem to think Disney owes them the world.

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1547387

Not the world....just the 4 parks!!
Imagine how the non DVC'ers would feel if they knew how they open the parks up for DVC'ers after they close...oops!!

 

[LVSWL]

Some DVCers seem to think Disney owes them the world.

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1547387

Sad that you think that. How many DVC members do you know personally? Really? I know I have personally witnessed bad behavior from both DVC and non DVC members in WDW. I know that I am thrilled with the "perks" that I receive as a DVC owner and feel that I have invested in our future vacations and continue to invest each time I pay our dues, so if Disney wants to thank
me by offering me an opportunity to save a little on my AP, that's great. Of course, it is good for Disney too, since I will be going more often with my AP and eating in the wonderful restaurants and even with my DDE card I think that they still come out WAY ahead. And yes as others have said I get a discount as a DVC member, but that is only on DVC properties, so it is not like Disney is just "giving us the world" or anything even close. If you think about it, most of our "perks" really encourage us to come more often and spend more often. But that's ok, because we love WDW!!!

 

[AKLRULZ]

Can your travel agent make your ADRs for you? At least the very popular ones? The lines open at 7am.... if your TA can't make them, you may be able to get through if you call right away for your dining reservations at 7am.

All TAs can do this as we have a dedicated number to make these calls. It's a great service that should be offered.

Good luck!

 

[ReneeA]

You know when you can't get a good ADR for dinner time there are also lunch ADR's to be had many times.

Sometimes you need to suck it up and change your plans...like eat a late TS lunch and then a light dinner.

 

[alldiz]

The only problem I see....
Is that you didn't make any ADR's

If you had you wouldn't have had to worry what everyone
else was doin

I just returned from the free dining....
MOST PEOPLE WERE NOT ON FREE DINING...
It is very limited....

Waiters had no idea who had it or not....
Kerri

 

[rayelias]

Not the world....just the 4 parks!!
Imagine how the non DVC'ers would feel if they knew how they open the parks up for DVC'ers after they close...oops!!

Shhhh!

Plus, we don't want them to know that we eat for free during that time, and we're just trying to shut down free-dining for non-DVC people, not because we can't get ressies, but because we want to keep all the perks for ourselves.

 

[LVSWL]

Not the world....just the 4 parks!!
Imagine how the non DVC'ers would feel if they knew how they open the parks up for DVC'ers after they close...oops!!

 

[TMB1203]

I haven't read all the posts yet. I am also a DVC owner and I make our ADR's at the 180 mark. There are several locations that are our "usual" spots.

I understand the frustration of restaurants being booked, we did a last minute trip a couple years ago and it was very difficult to get dining at places that we really wanted. I was frustrated and it wasn't even free dining. I can't imagine how hard it would be during free dining.

I would suggest making the ressies as soon as you are able. You can always cancel the ressies if you change your mind.

 

[TMB1203]

- Tearing down parts of CR to build villas for DVC.

Isn't this still a rumor?

 

[lulupethybridge]

I'm glad I didn't buy the dining package. I tried to make ressie's and the restaurants I wanted are all booked. I won't be able to take my parents to any sit down dinners. I am a bit bummed by this since this is their first and probably last trip to WDW.

I wonder though if I had bought the dining plan if they would have available seating? HUMMMMMMM!!!

Not everyone plans a vacation 180 days in advance to get the ressie's you want.

 

[TMB1203]

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!!!

Oh, I would be so stressed
My trip is in 60 days and I figured this time next month I should be fully packed. I was at Wal-Mart today and debated buying things for our trip, I did decide to wait (even if it is only until next pay day).

I will try to justify my pre-packing to my DH by saying that my class ends the Friday before we leave so I have to have as much done before finals week.

 

[TMB1203]

Not all DVCers think that way, as you posted that thread. However, I think that those who are not DVC members have backed those who are members up against a wall.

Just like many of you have done with the 1st poster. It is no wonder why DVCers feel as though they have to defend themselves.

What about just enjoying the magic that Disney has to offer, last time I checked Disney was not created for those who felt as though they are more superior!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great post. As a DVC owner, I do not believe that I am owed anything more than what I paid for. I also did not get this from the OP, but I think that people have a way of spinning it so that she is villianized.