Free Dining in 08???

[Lil'DisneyMom]

What is your honest opinnion?? Do you think they will offer the free dining in 2008 again??

 

[allaboutmm]

I hope so! My DH and I are going in Sept 2008 for our 15 year Anniversary!!!!!

 

[poeticdiabetic]

Nope!

I think that they may offer something enticing, but not free dining.

 

[RichieGraciemom]

Nope!

I think that they may offer something enticing, but not free dining.

I agree, I think the free dining is over. I am so disappointed in the new dining plan. being a dvc member I have to pay for it anyway. remember backa few years ago when they had buy three get four days free or maybe it was buy four get three free, that was a great deal.

 

[Lewisc]

We can't have an "honest opinion" unless we have facts. We know free dining was very popular. We know Disney has traditionally offered great deals during the "hurricane season". We know the 2008 DDP will be more profitable for Disney. Free dining in 2008 will cost Disney less then free dining did in previous years.

BUT

Disney doesn't normally repeat the same promotion more then once and free dining was repeated twice.

You want an "honest opinion"? Wait and see if Disney offers free dining to UK and/or repeats the bounce back promotion. I'll speculate Disney won't offer free dining to the public unless they first offer free dining to the same groups they offered it in 2007.

 

[salmoneous]

Like everyone else, I'm just guessing. But Disney just made it a whole lot cheaper to offer free dining. If they've offered a pretty expensive free dining plan 3 years in a row, why cut it off just when you've made it soo much cheaper??

For what it's worth, back in 2006 when we were guessing about a possible 2007 plan, lots of people guessed wrong and thought it wouldn't be offered.

 

[thunderbird1]

Reasons I think they won't have free DDP again:
-Way too popular, restaurants overwhelmed
-It's been 3 years now, so time for a new promotion

Reasons I think they might have free DDP again:
-It brings in the people during a slow time
-New DDP will be less costly for Disney
-New DDP won't be as popular as the old

And the big unknown is what kind of hurricane season they have this year. If it's bad, I think free DDP is more likely; if it's mellow, less likely.

Like always, we'll just wait and see.

 

[TenThousandVolts]

YES- I think we will see free dining again. Now that you have to pay for tips and extras (such as soup or salad) it makes more sense now for them to offer free dining than it did before.

 

[bicker]

I think we will see Free Dining again. With the Dining Plan structured the way it is for 2008, it is a fine incentive.

 

[Mickiethepooh]

What is your honest opinnion?? Do you think they will offer the free dining in 2008 again??

Nope I don't see them offering it again.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I hope if they offer the regular DDP for free that they offer the deluxe DDP for a discounted price. Like maybe 1/2 price. I wouldn't mind paying $30 - $40 a night for the deluxe plan.

 

[M2DD's]

As nice as the FD has been I would like to see them offer the room discounts like they did this yr(140 for WL)and just pay for the dinning plan OOP or just eat CS.We recieved the free upgrade to 1bdroom at OKW or we would of canceled FD and booked with the room only discount and pay for dinning.JMHO

 

[n2mm]

I don't think we'll see it again. This should've been a poll.

 

[mickey2000]

YES- I think we will see free dining again. Now that you have to pay for tips and extras (such as soup or salad) it makes more sense now for them to offer free dining than it did before.

I agree! Don't forget that they also get rack rate on the room !

 

[JimMIA]

I think it may hinge on what kind of hurricane season we have. If we have a hurricane, I don't think there's any doubt there will be a "Free" DDP during August/September 2008.

If we go unscathed, it's hard to say, and I guess the only answer is it depends on what their bookings look like. The first indication might come if they offer another "Bounce Back" promotion in Nov-Dec like they did in 2006. If they do that, I think they will at least offer a UK "Free DDP."

I don't think they will make a decision on free DDP for the general public until after the Bounce Back and UK promotions are over (if they do them). IF they get that far, I'd expect free DDP to the general public to be for a shorter timeframe and with less availability...like they did this year.

Free DDP is a great promotion for Disney because it puts people in beds during a period when nobody wants to go to WDW, but if their bookings are stronger, at some point they'll conclude they no longer need it.

 

[Amyrlin]

I think it will be offered agisn, but each year it is becoming more targeted, I think that is likely to continue.

 

[sorul82?]

If Disney offers free dining, will they pick up the tab for the tip? If we still have to pay the tip, then it's not really free.

 

[Luv2Roam]

As someone mentioned just because free dining is in it's 3rd year now makes me think they will go with another promotion. However, I would expect to see a comparable promotion, either in discount for rooms, days, and/or features/tickets.

 

[thunderbird1]

If Disney offers free dining, will they pick up the tab for the tip? If we still have to pay the tip, then it's not really free.

No, they won't. Of course, it really isn't free this year, if you consider you're giving up any room discounts to get it. Here's an analysis I posted on another thread about how free DDP in 2008 could actually cost my family more than skipping the DDP and paying OOP for all our food:

I actually did a quick calculation this afternoon, and found that we'd spend about $63 on a typical DDE TS meal (20% tip). If we were on the DDP at the same restaurant, we'd order more food/different items, pay for some of it OOP, and that same meal would cost us $43 (for OOP items and 20% tip). If I figure we could save $50 a night off the rack rate for a moderate resort if we aren't on free DDP, that brings the daily total up to $93, $30 over our DDE TS meal. That leaves $30 for food for the rest of the day.

And if, like Luv2Roam suggested, they have a different, but comparable offer that doesn't include the DDP, you can bet there will be a lot of people happy to forgo the "free" food (that will actually cost them ~30% in tips and appetizers) if it means better room discounts or ticket upgrades.

 

[pixiedustholidays]

I can say for certain that "something" will be offered for the timeframe next year. It is just a very slow time for them (kids back in school and hurricane season) and they need to fill the hotels/parks with some kind of promo. I have over 100 families booked on free dining, and not ONE of them would have booked at that time of year without the promo. Most of them would have done Disney at "some other time", and some others called me thinking Disney would be too expensive for their family, and with free dining in value resort they could manage it, but couldn't have gone at another time of year without the promo. If they don't offer some kind of promo, the place will be a ghost town next September, and Disney is smart enough to make sure that doesn't happen. I spoke at length with my Disney rep about free dining (back in March, before even this year's promo was announced), and her take was that they would continue to offer it, as it is the promo that has had the greatest impact....people talk about it (even "normal" people who are not Disney obsessed!) and remember it, and isn't that what marketing is all about? Who remembers what the promo was in 2004? I know there was one.....but can't remember.

If it is not free dining, I would expect to see something else free......like book a room and DDP and get passes for free or something.......

But free dining seems to make sense, as they have reduced what it consists of, so their cost of the 2008 DDP is much less......

Jen
Pixie Dust Holidays