Free Dining trip wrecker?

[mom2rtk]

Obviously, the "free dining" promo is working since so many people feel that they are getting a good deal.

I don't just THINK I'm getting a good deal. I AM.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

These discussions are almost pointless.... yet I've seen them over and over here on the boards. People are comparing apples and oranges. Those staying at a deluxe resort have an entirely different opinion than those staying at a value resort. Disney runs all sorts of specials, like 40% off the room only rate. If you're at a deluxe paying $500 a night, that's a $200 discount per day. If you're staying at the POP for $82 a night, that's $20a day, almost not worth mentioning. So those of us staying at a value resort will ALWAYS look at free dining as FREE, whereas those staying at a deluxe will look at it as not worthwhile because they would have to give up that steep room discount.

We're staying at the POP for 7 nights and the truth is that we wouldn't be going if it weren't for FREE dining (well, you know..... sort of free..... I DID have to give up the chance of finding a $20 per night discount on the room.....)

Actually I've always stayed at the value resorts, and have never thought as free dining as free. I just see it as a discount. A good deal for me, yes, but not free.

 

[gkrykewy]

(I'm getting the QSDP for one night in August but that is really to get the mug on a split stay. The mug costs $12 and the plan is $30, so that turns out to be $18 for two CS meals and two snacks.

OT, but tell me more! We've never done the DP (free or otherwise) because it's never made sense for us and the way we dine, but we do get the mugs, and will be getting new mugs in August as well for a 10-night split stay. What's the deal with the plan you mentioned? Do you just get the QSDP for the first night, and just for one person? Intriguing

 

[mickey2000]

It's surprising what people will put up with when you use words, ''free and Disney" together.

It's because of the DDP, not free dining that Disney has reduced the quality and quantity of their food. Menus are chosen because they are easy and require less preparation time. Turning over tables is a priority and as a additional cost savings, the servers now bus their own tables.

The DDP's have changed the way that Disney does business, and it makes them so much money, that they will never get rid of it.

I totally agree! Some just don't understand and think that the menus have never changed ???? People hear what they want to hear. I even told of a sheet of plywood under my matress at the Beach Club. Someone responded that I should have asked to have it removed, and led me to believe that it was there because of someone with a BAD BACK .
It was there because the matress was OLD and BAD with NO support...

 

[TDC Nala]

OT, but tell me more! We've never done the DP (free or otherwise) because it's never made sense for us and the way we dine, but we do get the mugs, and will be getting new mugs in August as well for a 10-night split stay. What's the deal with the plan you mentioned? Do you just get the QSDP for the first night, and just for one person? Intriguing

It's a one night resort stay (annual passholder room/dining package) with QSDP. Moving to a DVC resort (which is actually within the same resort complex) the next day for the remainder of the stay. The reservation is only for one person. It's a solo stay. If you had two or more persons on the reservation, you'd have to get the same dining plan for all of them.

Because I'm an annual passholder I don't need to buy tickets for either stay. If I wanted the dining plan with the 8-night DVC stay I could add it without having to buy tickets - but I don't want it for 8 nights.

There is no minimum stay on regular package reservations - yes you can book them for one night. There is a three-night limit on some special promotions like free dining.

 

[DsnyQueen]

The menus are not changed during free dining - obviously as stated not EVERYONE gets to take advantage of the promo. I have noticed that the parks are not crowded during the Sept free dining, but since the original question was regarding the week before Thanksgiving b/c of a special pin - all bets are off! I would say that other than maybe the Holiday menu changes, there would be no difference in menu especially given that a pin was used in lieu of a GP discount.

As a note, I love free dining and do consider it to be free. Most % off are special pins, so unless you get lucky, you would be paying rack rate anyway and my family likes to stay on site to take advantage of Disney transportation since we fly in and don't rent a car. We usually do the value resorts, too, in the interest of cost, so even a 40% pin would only save us about $40 per night versus free dining which is double the savings for just 2 adults. It's a great deal for me and allows us to enjoy nice restaurants during our entire vacation.

 

[Don Disney]

I think we'll just PAY for our meals(tickets,room,souveniers)-gimme a break. Actually,I'm just really waiting for the"Free 10 Day Park Hopper" promo so I can pay $369/night for rooms at Pop!!! I guess the cost of feeding us is incorporated into the price of our tickets,room,and transportation.Kinda weird I would have paid the same price or more for these anyway.

 

[gkrykewy]

I think we'll just PAY for our meals(tickets,room,souveniers)-gimme a break. Actually,I'm just really waiting for the"Free 10 Day Park Hopper" promo so I can pay $369/night for rooms at Pop!!! I guess the cost of feeding us is incorporated into the price of our tickets,room,and transportation.Kinda weird I would have paid the same price or more for these anyway.

Why are you still having these arguments? If you:

-Stay in a value
-Have kids, preferably more than one
-Would buy the DDP anyway
-Would buy MYW tickets anyway

Then "FREE DINING" is a good deal for you. The further you get from those four simple factors, the less of a deal it is. That's it; the end. Endlessly arguing is a waste of time.

It's a one night resort stay (annual passholder room/dining package) with QSDP.

Thanks for following up -- sounds like it wouldn't work for us, since we don't have any 1-night stays. I appreciate the info!

 

[jwhtewolfd]

People hear what they want to hear. I even told of a sheet of plywood under my matress at the Beach Club. Someone responded that I should have asked to have it removed, and led me to believe that it was there because of someone with a BAD BACK .
It was there because the matress was OLD and BAD with NO support...

I was simply pointing out:

1. it's not unheard of for this to be medically prescribed (though I now understand it was an old mattress - that wasn't clear in the first post) and

2. for me, even on a crummy dorm mattress, adding a sheet of plywood underneath actually made for a very comfortable bed. So much so, that I used the same setup for my own bed at home.

I always advocate this setup because it literally changed my life. No mattress alone was able to provide the amount of support I needed.

But if you choose to believe I am easily duped into going to Disney because of pseudo-free dining and I simply have a strange idea of comfort, so be it. I still think people should run the numbers on their own based on their own needs and desires and select the promotion that works best for their individual situation.

 

[Don Disney]

Why are you still having these arguments? If you:

-Stay in a value
-Have kids, preferably more than one
-Would buy the DDP anyway
-Would buy MYW tickets anyway

Then "FREE DINING" is a good deal for you. The further you get from those four simple factors, the less of a deal it is. That's it; the end. Endlessly arguing is a waste of time.



Thanks for following up -- sounds like it wouldn't work for us, since we don't have any 1-night stays. I appreciate the info!

Because I LIKE a good argument!!!! Sometimes you actually learn things!!!

 

[mickey2000]

Rember this at Canada !
BeaverTails was franchisee that Disney dropped in 2004.

They were a tasty pastry stretched into the shape of a beaver's tail, fried and served hot. The tail was topped with butter and any choice of cinnamon sugar, maple butter, apple cinnamon or chocolate hazelnut.

CLICK BELOW TO SEE VIDEO:

 

[avahoneybee]

It's surprising what people will put up with when you use words, ''free and Disney" together.

It's because of the DDP, not free dining that Disney has reduced the quality and quantity of their food. Menus are chosen because they are easy and require less preparation time. Turning over tables is a priority and as a additional cost savings, the servers now bus their own tables.

The DDP's have changed the way that Disney does business, and it makes them so much money, that they will never get rid of it.

I totally agree.

 

[KatMark]

We have done Free Dining the last three Septembers and have found very low crowds at the parks; yes, the restaurants were more crowded, but we got ADR's at every restaurant we wanted. And all of our meals were very good to excellent with the exception of Boatwright's and Whispering Canyon Cafe--two places we won't be returning to. Some of the places we ate where the food was very good to excellent were LeCellier, Biergarten, Rose & Crown, Mama Melrose, Crystal Palace, Plaza, Liberty Tree Tavern, etc.