FREE DINING UPDATE- RUMOR and SPECULATION / Update Page 80 !

[mking624]

I guess I'm not seeing any hostility. All I'm seeing are different viewpoints on why Disney should or shouldn't release a code...and speculation on whether or not they will.

 

[CanadianGuy]

I guess I'm not seeing any hostility. All I'm seeing are different viewpoints on why Disney should or shouldn't release a code...and speculation on whether or not they will.

I knew there was a reason I liked you.

 

[mom2aba]

WE LOST everything. There is currently a foot of water spread throughout 1500 sq of our house. We will lose everything in our house to mold.

I'm sorry for what you are going through. We had to have our basement redone because of mold and I know what a frustration (and expense) this can be. Best of luck getting everything remedied.

Carole

 

[francie57]

Disney offers promotions based on trying to fill hotel rooms. I wonder if all the people that have made reservations hedging their bets for free dining have made Disney look and see that there aren't as many empty rooms available and that may actually hurt the next promotion. It has also been reported in news articles on this site that Disney lost more money by offering free dining than when they offer a room discount so they may be rethinking the free dining and offer it, if at all, for a shorter time frame. We are there Aug. 12-19 and I hope that if they offer free dining its not until after we leave, as in years past (except for last year).

 

[mom2aba]

I guess I'm not seeing any hostility. All I'm seeing are different viewpoints on why Disney should or shouldn't release a code...and speculation on whether or not they will.

Same here. Didn't sense any hostility either.

 

[mking624]

I am a business major both undergrad and Masters. I totally understand the concept your trying to get across.

Thing is times are hard but they are hard everywhere. I , like Canadian Guy , have spent numerous trips at rack rate with full Disney prices. I know friends that have even when promos are out. Disney or US or any other theme park for that matter isn't a necessity. Vacation time from work may be a given- going somewhere away from home to relax, spend money, and enjoy yourself however are not.

I wasn't trying in anyway to argue here with anyone. Wasn't trying to get into a shouting match with anyone. Just trying to make people realize that I went to Disney over 30 times before FD ever even existed. I have also been 7 times since it started but only had FD once. Will more people go to US if FD isn't offered, probably, but in the grand scheme of things Disney will still get it's people. There may only be 4 and 5 crowd days where you would have seen 7 or 8 days. I assure you there are TONS of people that go all the time and know nothing about pins, codes, FD or anything else. That is the point I was making. My family enjoys our yearly trips to the world, the discounts only make them a little sweeter they don't become the determining factor if we actually go or not.

Oh I know you weren't trying to be argumentative in any way, I think it's good for us to look at everything. You're right, there are people who will go regardless of a discount. People will go and have gone under rack rate. I was just pointing out in comparison to last year when they did lose numbers in their attendance. From a business standpoint, you obviously need a profit, but profit can't be made (or at least there won't be as much of it) if you're losing people...which happened in Q4 last year. To make that profit, you need to figure out ways to bring those people in, particularly during a time that has a lower attendance rate than the rest of the year. Rack rate might guarantee some extra money from those that book, but doesn't necessarily mean they will increase the guest attendance as many guests can only afford to go with a discount of some type (and that can ultimately harm their profit for that time period as less people = less spending as a whole). And some of their moves indicate that they are definitely trying to increase their attendance (such as incentives during the summer months). More guests attending can ultimately mean more profit as it means more people spending money in the gift shops, for example. I guess it comes down to perspective on the issue and what angle you're looking at it. I'm looking at it from their quarterly attendance and seeing what would make sense in terms of bringing those guests back. That's all I was pointing out. I've appreciated your take on it.

 

[babybunny223]

I think most of us are reacting to the fear of the unknown. I, myself, paid rack rate in September 2008. Didn't bother me a bit until I found out Free Dining was offered the week before we went. We just went in January and when we decided we would go back this September...well, I find myself obsessed with Free Dining, promotions, and the "what could be". I don't plan on paying rack rate again during one of the lowest seasons again, but I will if I have to.

All that being said and Free Dining aside, can anyone offer a decent "speculation" of when we will hear something? The sooner we know something, the sooner we can come to terms with the AWESOME news (or, unhopefully, the carnage). Here's to AWESOMENESS!!!

 

[my3squeals]

Canadian Guy.....but you opened this can of worms

We are passionate ppl when it comes to our Disney vacations and our discounts......

I thought you were wearing your flame retardant suit

We need a smiley with a fire extinguisher

I hope FD does come our way, we are booked either way with a 40% off code. I keep crunching and analyzing and refiguring for the what-ifs...... If I factored in the actual lost time at work and being "mom" that I have compensated with all this figuring and re-figuring,(not to mention the therapy) I could probably pay for GF CL at rack rate! and DXDDP

 

[mommyof3grlz]

Subscribing

 

[scdisneyguy]

QUOTE=mking624;36065288]I guess I'm not seeing any hostility. All I'm seeing are different viewpoints on why Disney should or shouldn't release a code...and speculation on whether or not they will. [/QUOTE]

I certainly wasn't trying to be hostile in anyway. I wasn't even arguing that Disney shouldn't roll out some discounts, I was just trying to give a perpective on why they MAY not. I want them to release every code in the book. Heck it they do a buy 2 get 5 I am all for it. I just realize in the bigger picture people will come regardless.

There is a reason why you don't see promos for Christmas thru New Years. Also not normally for Thanksgiving, Easter etc. Disney knows they are gonna fill up regardless.

Sorry if I was the one to rub someone the wrong way, I sure didn't mean to.


Even my first post I clearly said that I hope everyone gets some pixie dust for the fall .... and that still holds true.

I hope everyone reading these boards gets the promo or code that works best for them.

 

[disneyfantotheend]

I wonder if all the people that have made reservations hedging their bets for free dining have made Disney look and see that there aren't as many empty rooms available and that may actually hurt the next promotion.

And just how many people did this? You hear of a lot of people on here that made reservations already, but this is a planning site, most planners do book a trip several months ahead of time not once Disney decides whether or not to offer a promotion. However, my bet is there are a lot of nonplanners who wait until they see the advertisement on the tv for free dining, buy 4 get 3, gift card promo or whatever. Then there are those who just call and book without even looking into discounts. My opinion is that many of these people wait until the last minute as well. I would pretty much stake money on the nonplanning group being much larger than the planning group. But I could be wrong, because I am just guessing.

 

[maxsmom]

It doesnt make much sense to me that the dis would have a discount (15,20,25,30) only to release another deal a week later.
However, the theory that visa discounts can be opened up to general public after a week makes sense.
So, Im speculating that the kids eat and play free would be the deal to be released next week, if there were one.
However, that seems like a deal too good to be true. Free admission and dining for children in the summer? Would be right up my alley.

They had something like this that ran all summer like this one. It was until the end of summer. We went in June on the 4/3 deal and then went back in Aug w/ the room only discount.

 

[mking624]

I certainly wasn't trying to be hostile in anyway. I wasn't even arguing that Disney shouldn't roll out some discounts, I was just trying to give a perpective on why they MAY not. I want them to release every code in the book. Heck it they do a buy 2 get 5 I am all for it. I just realize in the bigger picture people will come regardless.

There is a reason why you don't see promos for Christmas thru New Years. Also not normally for Thanksgiving, Easter etc. Disney knows they are gonna fill up regardless.

Sorry if I was the one to rub someone the wrong way, I sure didn't mean to.


Even my first post I clearly said that I hope everyone gets some pixie dust for the fall .... and that still holds true.

I hope everyone reading these boards gets the promo or code that works best for them.

Nope I didn't think you were being hostile and it didn't rub me the wrong way at all.
You're absolutely right that we typically don't see promos for those times of years because of them being peak seasons...no reason to offer an incentive to come if the resorts filling up and parks close to capacity. It also was pretty unheard of to find any decent promo for the summer months since they never really had a problem then either. That's not really the case with the fall months though, which is why it's way more common to see discounts then.

Bottom line, we ALL want to save money in some form, so I'm hoping for the best for us all!

 

[3"Mouse"keteers]

I know I may be in the minority, but I do hope senario number 1 is true.. We just finally decided that we could swing a May trip and I missed the March 27th deadline for the summer promo. The new promo they released isn't nearly as good of a discount and I seriously don't know if we'll be able to go if a better discount isn't released. I hope Free Dining is still released for all of you planning sept/oct trips, but I also hope for better May discounts.

 

[Mommytobree]

I don't understand the hostility. We are hoping for a discount, not a hand out.

We have paid rack rate before. This was back when we had a couple of kids and lived within driving distance. Now we have 5 and live 3000 miles away. It is difficult to get a WDW vacation for under $10,000 for my family. (we stay at POP, btw)

Every little bit saved helps. The free dining discount is important to me...the mom. Yes, everyone in my family is guaranteed to have a great time, but the dynamic of our vacation will change if we do not get FD.

Yes, I know any WDW is better than no vacation, but staying onsite creates a better vacation for Mom. No cooking, cleaning, or driving required. Free Dining also eliminated the need for compromise when my family made their food choices. It is wonderful to not have to explain to my kids how they need to order the cheaper selections, or to share, or only drink tap water. These little luxuries make a vacation for me.

I find it funny that people seem judgemental over this. If we can't afford the rack rate we shouldn't go? FD will discount our current vacation by almost $4000. I can see where many families would cancel if there was no FD. We are lucky enough to be able to rearrange our plans to create a WDW vacation that fits our budget. Though Hawaii is looking better by the minute...and would be almost half the price!

I completely agree with everything you said. If there is not FD, I am fortunate that I will not have to cancel but I will be rearranging our vacation plans and probably downgrading to stay at a value.

 

[Port Orleans fan]

Disney offers promotions based on trying to fill hotel rooms. I wonder if all the people that have made reservations hedging their bets for free dining have made Disney look and see that there aren't as many empty rooms available and that may actually hurt the next promotion.

And this is one of the main reasons why I haven't booked yet. If too many people book (hoping for deals), Disney may very well offer a smaller promo because they are getting closer to filling their quota.

 

[mom2aba]

Yeah, I've been wondering if they have been holding off because the summer peak isn't doing as well as they hoped (thus the promos) and they hope people will just go ahead and book earlier rather than waiting to see what incentives will be out for fall. And, if as you say there are so many nonplanners, those people won't make their fall plans until much later anyway so advertising for 5 months from now is not as important as filling in those peak months which also have higher price tags. Just a thought ...

Carole

 

[CanadianGuy]

Yeah, I've been wondering if they have been holding off because the summer peak isn't doing as well as they hoped (thus the promos) and they hope people will just go ahead and book earlier rather than waiting to see what incentives will be out for fall. And, if as you say there are so many nonplanners, those people won't make their fall plans until much later anyway so advertising for 5 months from now is not as important as filling in those peak months which also have higher price tags. Just a thought ...

Carole

This exactly what I was trying to get at in post 1. You said it way better and in fewer words. Next time I'll get just you to write the post.

 

[doccoc2002]

Disney offers promotions based on trying to fill hotel rooms. I wonder if all the people that have made reservations hedging their bets for free dining have made Disney look and see that there aren't as many empty rooms available and that may actually hurt the next promotion. It has also been reported in news articles on this site that Disney lost more money by offering free dining than when they offer a room discount so they may be rethinking the free dining and offer it, if at all, for a shorter time frame. We are there Aug. 12-19 and I hope that if they offer free dining its not until after we leave, as in years past (except for last year).

Actually, Disney took a Q4 loss in attendance. They are trying to get that back up...a very good promo could help that! They need more people coming into the parks and filing the hotels is one way. If they are having trouble filing rooms during peak season...they probably are going to have a problem with value season as well. I just think they are not looking too far out...more worried with HERE and NOW PROMOS!

Oh I know you weren't trying to be argumentative in any way, I think it's good for us to look at everything. You're right, there are people who will go regardless of a discount. People will go and have gone under rack rate. I was just pointing out in comparison to last year when they did lose numbers in their attendance. From a business standpoint, you obviously need a profit, but profit can't be made (or at least there won't be as much of it) if you're losing people...which happened in Q4 last year. To make that profit, you need to figure out ways to bring those people in, particularly during a time that has a lower attendance rate than the rest of the year. Rack rate might guarantee some extra money from those that book, but doesn't necessarily mean they will increase the guest attendance as many guests can only afford to go with a discount of some type (and that can ultimately harm their profit for that time period as less people = less spending as a whole). And some of their moves indicate that they are definitely trying to increase their attendance (such as incentives during the summer months). More guests attending can ultimately mean more profit as it means more people spending money in the gift shops, for example. I guess it comes down to perspective on the issue and what angle you're looking at it. I'm looking at it from their quarterly attendance and seeing what would make sense in terms of bringing those guests back. That's all I was pointing out. I've appreciated your take on it.

I agree!!!

They had something like this that ran all summer like this one. It was until the end of summer. We went in June on the 4/3 deal and then went back in Aug w/ the room only discount.

I remember that..The last few years I believe they've usually had a room discount out.

 

[Luvmepluto]

I guess I'm not seeing any hostility. All I'm seeing are different viewpoints on why Disney should or shouldn't release a code...and speculation on whether or not they will.

I missed it.....lol!! I thought it was just a discussion.