Free Dining - Is the Mouse Playing Games

[Wood Nymph]

Which circles back to my main point. RIVERSIDE is not offering free dining. A very, very limited number of rooms at Riverside are offering free dining on selected dates during the promotional period. Simply put, Disney should be more transparent about what will be made available.

I agree that it would have been nice if Disney gave more details with their offer.

This is the first time I have followed the free dining process and I was surprised at how many people booked rooms ahead of time so that when the offer went live they simply had to modify their reservation. There looked to be a flurry of last minute bookings with hopes of being able to get free dining with this method. There were also people who admitted that they had a multiple reservations, one reservation through a travel agent and a second reservation they booked themselves just in case their TA couldn't get them one. How is Disney going to know ahead of time how many empty resort rooms they will have when the offer goes live? They certainly can't let you book a room that isn't available. Maybe the airlines can sell seats that have already been sold, but I doubt Disney would do this for a free dining promotion.

This is a big corporation and they have to plan all the promotional details ahead of time. That is why they would include Riverside in the promotional offer.

Disney probably knows that people will double and triple book, that people will book and then cancel, that TA's will reserve rooms for their clients, so they have learned to be conservative with the initial offer. We have seen that rooms are released later, so maybe Disney is trying to accommodate those people who couldn't get a room because someone else took it and then gave it up.

 

[Delirium]

Not all rooms at any given resort are available for the promotion. Riverside might have about 10% of its rooms available (I don't know if that is the exact number but it's not a huge number). They don't have any obligation to make the exact dates and exact number of rooms available for a discount promotion on any particular resort or room type public. They do indicate which resorts are excluded entirely for the full length of the promotion, but they don't have to tell you how much of each included resort is included, or how many promotion rooms in each room category are available on any given day.

They are not "holding back" rooms. They are making available the type of rooms they most need to fill. For most resorts, that is the more expensive categories.

If any given day is sold out of promotion rooms, then the entire stay will show that it is not available with the promotion.

It's entirely possible that standard rooms are either at very low promotion availability or excluded entirely at certain dates and times. They don't have to tell you which individual days are excluded or at very low availability for certain categories at certain resorts. Standard rooms are the cheapest. They book up fastest. Many of them may have been booked before the promotion was announced - so they didn't need a promotion to fill them.

And the system has been recently changed so that you can no longer "add on" or "take off" a day or two. You have to rebook and that resort and room category AND promotion has to be available for the new length of stay - without taking into account your current reservation.

Your post does not account for the fact that I can get a room at Riverside for 9/4 to 9/12, but I can't get a room for 9/5 to 9/12 at Riverside. If the 9/5 is available for a registration starting on 9/4 that has not been booked yet, it HAS to be available for a registration starting on 9/5 as well.

Whether it's a glitch or the Mouse playing games, things like that are frustrating.

 

[Delirium]

Riverside is either eligible or not eligible for free dining. If it's eligible, this does not mean that every room in every category must be available for every single night of the promotion. And I don't think they ought to be expected to put out a chart showing how many rooms at each resort in each category are available with free dining on each check-in day.

The OP has run afoul of the new booking rules in that you can no longer just "add a day." You have to book an entire new reservation. And that new reservation must be available at the same resort, in the same category, with the promotion, for the entire length of the new stay. It's no longer a matter of just adding a vacant day to an already booked reservation.

We knew about the new rules and were attempting to book a new reservation, not simply trying to add a day. In fact, we were able to do so at Caribbean Beach without even having to cancel our original Riverside one (that's been done since).

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

Whether it's a glitch or the Mouse playing games, things like that are frustrating.

What kind of "game" do you think they are playing?

 

[Delirium]

I agree that it would have been nice if Disney gave more details with their offer.

This is the first time I have followed the free dining process and I was surprised at how many people booked rooms ahead of time so that when the offer went live they simply had to modify their reservation. There looked to be a flurry of last minute bookings with hopes of being able to get free dining with this method. There were also people who admitted that they had a multiple reservations, one reservation through a travel agent and a second reservation they booked themselves just in case their TA couldn't get them one. How is Disney going to know ahead of time how many empty resort rooms they will have when the offer goes live? They certainly can't let you book a room that isn't available. Maybe the airlines can sell seats that have already been sold, but I doubt Disney would do this for a free dining promotion.

This is a big corporation and they have to plan all the promotional details ahead of time. That is why they would include Riverside in the promotional offer.

Disney probably knows that people will double and triple book, that people will book and then cancel, that TA's will reserve rooms for their clients, so they have learned to be conservative with the initial offer. We have seen that rooms are released later, so maybe Disney is trying to accommodate those people who couldn't get a room because someone else took it and then gave it up.

I agree with the logic in what you said. Double and triple bookings certainly add to the chaos.

 

[Delirium]

What kind of "game" do you think they are playing?

I don't know what's behind the 9/5 availability, but it's illogical.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

Quote my entire post instead of a portion of it and offer an explanation as to what's behind the 9/5 availability.

So basically the room you want, when you want it, isn't available for free dining, so Disney is playing games. To what end?

Book the room or don't book it. If you don't book it, Disney will try to fill it with someone else. If you do book it, you get a room for the price that Disney is asking.

You need to keep in mind, Disney doesn't own anyone "free dining."

 

[wilkeliza]

Your post does not account for the fact that I can get a room at Riverside for 9/4 to 9/12, but I can't get a room for 9/5 to 9/12 at Riverside. If the 9/5 is available for a registration starting on 9/4 that has not been booked yet, it HAS to be available for a registration starting on 9/5 as well.

Whether it's a glitch or the Mouse playing games, things like that are frustrating.

It may not be just that the room is available or not. It could actually have something to do with turn overs. So if someone checks in out on the most normal check out day which is a Sunday that is 9/4. They want to sell that room as a check in for 9/4 as well. If you have the last Riverside room for the promotion they are not going to let that room go under promotion if it is also going to sit empty for 24 hours thus making them no money. With that the room is empty and they are losing money one you with free dinning. It is bad business for a hotel to leave a room empty for a day so their system is set to make sure that doesn't happen or if it does very rarely.

 

[Delirium]

So basically the room you want, when you want it, isn't available for free dining, so Disney is playing games. To what end?

Book the room or don't book it. If you don't book it, Disney will try to fill it with someone else. If you do book it, you get a room for the price that Disney is asking.

You need to keep in mind, Disney doesn't own anyone "free dining."

You are correct in that Disney does not 'owe' me anything.

You are also correct in that I can always choose to vacation elsewhere.

Where I strongly believe you are wrong is that I should just lie down and accept whatever Disney does if it is an obvious error or unfair practice. The 9/5 scenario I outlined qualifies as a glitch (it should be corrected) or intentional (for which Disney should be challenged).

To me, it's no different than if you returned to your room late at night and found housekeeping had not been there. Whether it was an oversight or an intentional slight, most people would at least complain.

 

[wilkeliza]

You are correct in that Disney does not 'owe' me anything.

You are also correct in that I can always choose to vacation elsewhere.

Where I strongly believe you are wrong is that I should just lie down and accept whatever Disney does if it is an obvious error or unfair practice. The 9/5 scenario I outlined qualifies as a glitch (it should be corrected) or intentional (for which Disney should be challenged).

To me, it's no different than if you returned to your room late at night and found housekeeping had not been there. Whether it was an oversight or an intentional slight, most people would at least complain.

Why do you think Disney should be challenged if they are the one's running the hotel? If they say you can't book the room on promotion on 9/5-9/12 then you can't. It is their sandbox and their rules. I pointed out that it is possible that for them letting you book the room only for 9/5-9/12 is not smart business for them. They don't want that room to sit empty for 24 hours because a 1 day reservation is almost impossible to sale.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

You are correct in that Disney does not 'owe' me anything.

You are also correct in that I can always choose to vacation elsewhere.

Where I strongly believe you are wrong is that I should just lie down and accept whatever Disney does if it is an obvious error or unfair practice. The 9/5 scenario I outlined qualifies as a glitch (it should be corrected) or intentional (for which Disney should be challenged).

To me, it's no different than if you returned to your room late at night and found housekeeping had not been there. Whether it was an oversight or an intentional slight, most people would at least complain.

How is it "unfair?" They are offering some rooms on some days for free dining. They don't happen to be the rooms you want on the days you want.

Since Disney doesn't have to off any promotion, comparing this to housekeeping not doing their job, makes no sense. Part of your reservation includes housekeeping services. Part of your reservation does not include free dining.

Now it may be a glitch. Call Disney and see what they say. But it also could be planned. In which case, it is what it is.

 

[DisBuckMan]

The redass on display here by so many after this promotion is released almost makes it TOTALLY worth it.

It's either total jubilation by those who got FD, or total redass by those who didn't. There is no middle ground amongst those who attempt to secure the FD promotion, no "well, maybe I'll get it next year" by those who didn't get it.

Not singling anyone in particular out, but I love the "Disney owes me something" attitude.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

It may not be just that the room is available or not. It could actually have something to do with turn overs. So if someone checks in out on the most normal check out day which is a Sunday that is 9/4. They want to sell that room as a check in for 9/4 as well. If you have the last Riverside room for the promotion they are not going to let that room go under promotion if it is also going to sit empty for 24 hours thus making them no money. With that the room is empty and they are losing money one you with free dinning. It is bad business for a hotel to leave a room empty for a day so their system is set to make sure that doesn't happen or if it does very rarely.

This is exactly how it works. WDW has changed their system so as to cut down on having random rooms available for a single night here and there. That leads to issues with booking when one is trying to get both a promotion and a certain length of reservation starting on a certain day. That day might have been available as a check-in day but not as a day in the middle of a stay, or a last day. Or vice versa. They're selling inventory...not actual physical rooms. The rooms themselves are not assigned until later.

Sorry the OP didn't get what they wanted. I don't know what kind of "challenge" the OP intends to mount.

There's the outside possibility that extra inventory will be allotted to the free dining promotion in the future; it's happened before.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

our post does not account for the fact that I can get a room at Riverside for 9/4 to 9/12, but I can't get a room for 9/5 to 9/12 at Riverside. If the 9/5 is available for a registration starting on 9/4 that has not been booked yet, it HAS to be available for a registration starting on 9/5 as well.

I don't know what's behind the 9/5 availability, but it's illogical.

Actually, I suspect it is extremely logical.

Disney can forecast room bookings. 9/4 is a Sunday, within Labor Day weekend. 9/5 is the Monday of Labor Day weekend. If the 9/4 is left unbooked, and we are looking at the same room, there may be a high historical chance of that night staying unbooked. Meanwhile, if they disallow booking it starting 9/5, the room may be available for the whole of the weekend, and past data tells them they will be able to have a guest in it all weekend, including that 9/4 date, and including all the dates after 9/5.

Disney have massive amounts of data on booking patterns, and can adjust availability based on booking patterns to maximize residency.

The assumption that they want OP in there 9/5 even if 9/4 isn't part of the booking presumes they do not believe that they can get that 9/4 booked if 9/5 and after are available as well.

Clearly, their data suggests otherwise.

 

[Delirium]

Actually, I suspect it is extremely logical.

Disney can forecast room bookings. 9/4 is a Sunday, within Labor Day weekend. 9/5 is the Monday of Labor Day weekend. If the 9/4 is left unbooked, and we are looking at the same room, there may be a high historical chance of that night staying unbooked. Meanwhile, if they disallow booking it starting 9/5, the room may be available for the whole of the weekend, and past data tells them they will be able to have a guest in it all weekend, including that 9/4 date, and including all the dates after 9/5.

Disney have massive amounts of data on booking patterns, and can adjust availability based on booking patterns to maximize residency.

The assumption that they want OP in there 9/5 even if 9/4 isn't part of the booking presumes they do not believe that they can get that 9/4 booked if 9/5 and after are available as well.

Clearly, their data suggests otherwise.

Okay. Analyze this one. Caribbean Beach - Available for 9/12-9/20 (non-holiday Monday through Tuesday), but not available 9/13-9/20 (non-holiday Tuesday to Tuesday). However, 9/13-9/21, Caribbean Beach is back available.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

Okay. Analyze this one. Caribbean Beach - Available for 9/12-9/20 (non-holiday Monday through Tuesday), but not available 9/13-9/20 (non-holiday Tuesday to Tuesday). However, 9/13-9/21, Caribbean Beach is back available.

I still would love to know what kind of game you think Disney is playing. Especially to what end.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Okay. Analyze this one. Caribbean Beach - Available for 9/12-9/20 (non-holiday Monday through Tuesday), but not available 9/13-9/20 (non-holiday Tuesday to Tuesday). However, 9/13-9/21, Caribbean Beach is back available.

Again, my guess would involve data pools.

• Other inventory in play on each of those dates for the discount
• Mapped predicted booking patterns
• probability curves of getting full price for those rooms between now and September

One of the reasons availability is not transparent is because it's not like walking up an aisle at the grocery store for a brick of Velveeta.

 

[DisBuckMan]

Okay. Analyze this one. Caribbean Beach - Available for 9/12-9/20 (non-holiday Monday through Tuesday), but not available 9/13-9/20 (non-holiday Tuesday to Tuesday). However, 9/13-9/21, Caribbean Beach is back available.

Disney probably wants to keep "blocks" of days available for that room, because they know they can rent the room in a 3 night and 5 night block....or a 4 night and 4 night block...whereas leaving the single night isn't a good business decision for them.

As for the 9/13-9/21 dates, it's probably a different room.

 

[Delirium]

Again, my guess would involve data pools.

• Other inventory in play on each of those dates for the discount
• Mapped predicted booking patterns
• probability curves of getting full price for those rooms between now and September

One of the reasons availability is not transparent is because it's not like walking up an aisle at the grocery store for a brick of Velveeta.

I appreciate your feedback. There may well be some validity to what you are saying.

 

[Delirium]

Delete.