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

[disneyfantotheend]

Sorry but I totally disagree about them supposedly being full already for FD time, all because of those who booked planning on FD.

Anyway maybe you noticed I am not posting much anymore, but I am still following the threads. We booked back in August 2009 for this trip. We did book hoping for free dining, because it was August or June and FD in August swayed our choice. I kind of wish I would have picked June, only because everything would be concrete now with rates and such. We are going no matter what and always were, although I did say a few days ago about considering US instead. So we have our trip booked.

Guess even if FD is offered in June, it will still be a blessing for us. But I do still absolutely think, without a doubt, they are going to lose a lot of bookings by not offering FD or something similarly as good. Again by offering it in May or June, many businesses require months in advance notice for time off work and other places is a first come first serve type of basis. So you go to ask for the time off work and it is too late because for example 3 other guys already have that week off. Oh well, guess they lost another booking.

I really get that Disney can do what they want to do. I really get that they are not going to offer a deal sooner "just for me". I just don't get how they don't think about the things I have mentioned above when considering offering a deal so close to travel dates. Now late April or early May isn't too bad. But June, imo, is way too close for those who need advance notice for employment reasons.

Just a few of my thoughts.

 

[mking624]

Yep...that's exactly what happens. Those people that book now, in hopes of changing to a discount when one is offered are really shooting themselves in the foot. Disney puts out discounts when it sees that not enough rooms are being booked. When Disney does put out a great discount, more often than not, you have to cancel the original booking and then rebook at the discounte rate. If you miss that 'window' when there are plenty of rooms available, then you may be out of luck. Especially if Disney doesn't offer a lot of rooms at that price. And there is no telling exactly how many rooms are going to be offered at that great price.

People are booking now in hopes of an offer because they are planning ahead. For some people, waiting until a couple of months before their trip to actually book the trip is not much time...discount or not. It's not shooting themselves in the foot, this is how some people plan.

As far as canceling the original booking, that typically does not need to be done unless one of two things occur...
-you're already booked under another promo
-you're booked under a resort/room that is not available for the promo (in which case they don't always cancel the booking, just look to see how they can modify your ressie)

And if the reason why Disney offers promo is to get more bookings, then by that reasoning (which is definitely a good one) it's almost guaranteed there will be some sort of fall promo this year...considering the same time last year they had an attendance drop.

 

[luvdisney00]

Another MODERATOR stated that the folks on this site are merely a fraction of the people that attend Disney. The 'few' people that are booking now and still hoping to get FD know they can do that. Like the other MODERATOR said, when Disney advertises FD or Discounts the general public goes Hey that sounds like a good deal and books. Very few folks that go to Disney know about this site or any unoffical site. I bet it's less the 3% and that is the high end estimate.

I agree, I don't think the few (in the grand scheme of things) that book in hopes of FD affect the overall picture and Disney knows that some people will cancel if no deal is offered. As far as BB goes, I don't know what the overall % would be, but I bet a lot of people don't even understand the BB postcards let alone book. A lot of people HERE book BB, but if our total is around 3% of all Disney visitors, it's still not A LOT of people by Disney standards. I'm sure the average person who doesn't follow Disney discounts obsessively like we do, would think booking for NEXT year while they were on vacation would be unneccesary. I'd bet most of them don't realize that you could book and get ALL of your money back if you cancel.

As far as pin codes and those coveted postcards (I never get one!!!) , I don't think the general public even realizes that they are something special. My boss (who hasn't been to Disney since the 80's) seems to get EVERY one that comes out, and he's always giving them to me saying "I know you love Disney" or something like that, and doesn't seem to understand that you can't "share" them.

I really doubt that bookings are "good" for late summer and fall, my guess would be they are concentrating on summer first and then will get to fall discounts. (I hope!!)

 

[vinotinto]

And if the reason why Disney offers promo is to get more bookings, then by that reasoning (which is definitely a good one) it's almost guaranteed there will be some sort of fall promo this year...considering the same time last year they had an attendance drop.

I'm booked for September with a room-only discount. In our case, any room discount is a better discount than FD (staying deluxe), so I'm psyched. I am watching all these threads closely precisely beause of the previous point - I want to make changes to my booking if something better comes along.

Last year, with FD, attendance dropped. I think Disney will be offering a different type of discount than FD. I think it will be a discount that will encourage people to stay onsite and spend more onsite - like offering a nice room discount and also offering a nice gift card offer and maybe a combo of the two if you stay at least x number of nights. I think they will encourage people to stay at Disney and spend money at Disney.

In any case, what all the info on this thread is saying is:
- There WILL be a promo for the Fall.
- The promo will likely be announced later this year, after they've filled as many summer rooms as possible, in line with the classic marketing theory of not undercutting your own product.
- The promo may or may not include FD, but it will have to be good enough to improve attendance and profits since last year.

And no, I don't have connections. I just read the entire thread and I'm just summarizing.

 

[mousebit]

Okay, we all get the controversy of booking a trip way in advance just "in case" FD is offered. We understand that if enough people do this, it might skew the numbers and Disney may not feel the need to offer more incentive for travel at that time of year.

BUT, that's just a moot point by now. We're within 6 months of that fall time frame. People have to plan their vacations - arrange time off work, create their budgets, etc.

In this economy, if Disney does not offer folks something they know they can plan for and reach financially, they will either give up on their plans for a fall vacation or go someplace else more affordable.

No matter how creative the marketing, I'm afraid it's getting close to being "too little, too late." Most people cannot drop everything, come up with the extra money and plan a vacation in a couple of months. Not these days. At least not in my middle class neck of the woods.

So come on Disney - throw working class families a bone! Give us something to plan and budget for. We need MORE time to plan our Disney vacations these days, not last-minute deals.

 

[tinksgilrs251520]

very true I am going regardless but i would just like to know what kind of fall discount is available so i can make my plans...... its just frustrating because last year my trip was paid in full and know I am scrambling around and worrying every day .....Please Disney come on

 

[TammiDZ]

Yep...that's exactly what happens. Those people that book now, in hopes of changing to a discount when one is offered are really shooting themselves in the foot. Disney puts out discounts when it sees that not enough rooms are being booked. When Disney does put out a great discount, more often than not, you have to cancel the original booking and then rebook at the discounte rate. If you miss that 'window' when there are plenty of rooms available, then you may be out of luck. Especially if Disney doesn't offer a lot of rooms at that price. And there is no telling exactly how many rooms are going to be offered at that great price.

I truly don't see a lot of people canceling trips to WDW and then staying at US/IoA resorts simply because of the new Harry Potter stuff. I guess I could very well be wrong, but that new attraction still doesn't make financial sense to me to stay at US for a week. I would much rather stay at WDW and then head over to US/IoA for a day or two. But, that's just me..I'm sure plenty of people have different views on that one.

If you book a reservaton and then a promotional offer comes out, you do not have to cancel your reservation. They simply add/change the offer to your existing reservation.

I am planning on going to Disney in the fall - if free dining is announced. I have my hotel and plane tickets. If the fall deals are not good enough for our family, we will still visit Orlando, just not stay at Disney. We will stay offsite, and visit Disney once or twice, Universal once or twice, Sea World and maybe some beaches. So, it's not us that are shooting ourselves in the foot at all. ALL reservations (except airline) are 100% refundable outside 45 days. It's Disney that will be losing "some" of the travelers that have already booked.

 

[Goofy41]

As A Disney Card holder. I recevied an e-mail about a week or so ago and it offered FD for children under 12 or 15. Not sure and it was for June. We go in Dec. and last year they offered FD during this time. If they do they do, if not it won't deter us from going. We would only do the counter service plan now anyway. Making ressie at places becomes tiresome and since we've been on it, we always had to wait alot longer then we thought to be seated.

 

[focusondisney]

Okay, we all get the controversy of booking a trip way in advance just "in case" FD is offered. We understand that if enough people do this, it might skew the numbers and Disney may not feel the need to offer more incentive for travel at that time of year.

BUT, that's just a moot point by now. We're within 6 months of that fall time frame. People have to plan their vacations - arrange time off work, create their budgets, etc.

In this economy, if Disney does not offer folks something they know they can plan for and reach financially, they will either give up on their plans for a fall vacation or go someplace else more affordable.

No matter how creative the marketing, I'm afraid it's getting close to being "too little, too late." Most people cannot drop everything, come up with the extra money and plan a vacation in a couple of months. Not these days. At least not in my middle class neck of the woods.

So come on Disney - throw working class families a bone! Give us something to plan and budget for. We need MORE time to plan our Disney vacations these days, not last-minute deals.

Very good post! I agree with everything you said. I really don't get that Europeans get to plan their vacations a year in advance but in the US/Canada you have to wait til 3 months before to get a promo. Many Us families need to budget for vacations, too. At my job we pick our vacation days in Nov. for the whole following year. So my travel dates are pretty much set in stone after Nov. Not expecting promos that far out, just making the point that a lot of people do need to plan ahead.

That said, I do think bookings must be down quite a bit for the summer. I don't remember so many summer promos before. Gives a little hope for Sept. promos.

Edit to add: I guess if lots of people take advantage of this latest summer discount promo, it will blow the theory about most people not wanting to plan last minute trips. I'm hoping not too many people book under this last minute promo.

 

[My2Angels]

I received an email pincode about a week ago with the offer for Free Quick Service dining for stays now through August 14, 2010.

Does anyone think this may be a last minute general public offer coming to get more summer bookings?

 

[mking624]

I'm booked for September with a room-only discount. In our case, any room discount is a better discount than FD (staying deluxe), so I'm psyched. I am watching all these threads closely precisely beause of the previous point - I want to make changes to my booking if something better comes along.

Last year, with FD, attendance dropped. I think Disney will be offering a different type of discount than FD. I think it will be a discount that will encourage people to stay onsite and spend more onsite - like offering a nice room discount and also offering a nice gift card offer and maybe a combo of the two if you stay at least x number of nights. I think they will encourage people to stay at Disney and spend money at Disney.

In any case, what all the info on this thread is saying is:
- There WILL be a promo for the Fall.
- The promo will likely be announced later this year, after they've filled as many summer rooms as possible, in line with the classic marketing theory of not undercutting your own product.
- The promo may or may not include FD, but it will have to be good enough to improve attendance and profits since last year.

And no, I don't have connections. I just read the entire thread and I'm just summarizing.

Oh I completely agree with you. I've been saying for some time now that a fall promo may very well be something other than FD. I just think it's highly unlikely that there wouldn't be a fall promo at all...considering last year's attendance findings and what they're doing to boost attendance during times that didn't experience a drop. FD is definitely my hope, but with the exception of a couple promos, any other will be fine for me.

 

[Luvmepluto]

Reopening for bookings can be a result of cancellations, or in the case of promos, adding additional rooms to a promo.

Aahhhh....I always thought it was to fill rooms in resorts that have a harder time filling up

All I know is that I want a great promo for the fall. Yikes.........anything yet? I sound like y daughter.....Are we there yet?

 

[mking624]

I received an email pincode about a week ago with the offer for Free Quick Service dining for stays now through August 14, 2010.

Does anyone think this may be a last minute general public offer coming to get more summer bookings?

That offer has been around for a bit now, but people are still getting the offer. I got it back in February.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

My theory - WDW is seeing lower summer bookings and it needs to continue to book summer vacations, so it is holding off on the late Aug / fall deals a little longer. The economy and Harry Potter have combined to produce lower bookings, so this is their answer.

At some point, they will have to accept what they have for summer bookings and change their focus to the fall. When that happens, we will see free dining.

 

[mickeystoontown]

I received an email pincode about a week ago with the offer for Free Quick Service dining for stays now through August 14, 2010.

Does anyone think this may be a last minute general public offer coming to get more summer bookings?

That offer has been around for a bit now, but people are still getting the offer. I got it back in February.

I wouldn't mind if this was the next special offer to come out for the general public. It would save me an additional $248.00 over the 30% off offer I am already booked under.

 

[focusondisney]

My theory - WDW is seeing lower summer bookings and it needs to continue to book summer vacations, so it is holding off on the late Aug / fall deals a little longer. The economy and Harry Potter have combined to produce lower bookings, so this is their answer.

At some point, they will have to accept what they have for summer bookings and change their focus to the fall. When that happens, we will see free dining.

Totally agree!

 

[justtobeme2]

That offer has been around for a bit now, but people are still getting the offer. I got it back in February.

This IS the code I need!! WAHHHH

Well we are booked with 25% off but we have decided if FD doesn't come out we are staying offsite. US had a GREAT deal so we are already booked for 1/2 our trip. The US deal is 5 nites at partner hotel (#1 rated by trip advisor Fairfield INN and suites Universal) but not on property, 4 day passes for each person for, get this, 499.00, which INCLUDES tax!! Unbelievable to me that Disney won't try to get more people into their rooms but who knows.

 

[Wendy*Darling]

I've been back and forth with my TA about rebooking my trip due to my son's broken leg. In the course of discussion, I asked if she was surprised not to have a fall promo. She said the majority of reservations she's been making the last few months are for travel less than 3 months out, which is not how things were a year ago or more. She's still not anticipating fall promos anytime soon but says she isn't worried about them. Her advice was "sit tight and don't get your heart set on free dining. You'll get a discount, and I would bet a good discount but it might not be free dining."

If people are booking less than 3 months out, then I guess Disney is figuring you fish with the bait most likely to bring in a big haul. Late May/June would be 3 months out for the late August/Sept travel period and that lines up with the "sources" of a few people out there. I just wish they would "fish" for more than one season at a time! Release something for summer, but release fall too!!!

 

[twokids0204]

This IS the code I need!! WAHHHH

Well we are booked with 25% off but we have decided if FD doesn't come out we are staying offsite. US had a GREAT deal so we are already booked for 1/2 our trip. The US deal is 5 nites at partner hotel (#1 rated by trip advisor Fairfield INN and suites Universal) but not on property, 4 day passes for each person for, get this, 499.00, which INCLUDES tax!! Unbelievable to me that Disney won't try to get more people into their rooms but who knows.

We will stay off site as well.....

Got an e-mail from mousesavers.com today. There is a hotel with complimentary breakfast buffet, and a disney gift card for $84 per night. (have to look into the details).

 

[focusondisney]

I've been back and forth with my TA about rebooking my trip due to my son's broken leg. In the course of discussion, I asked if she was surprised not to have a fall promo. She said the majority of reservations she's been making the last few months are for travel less than 3 months out, which is not how things were a year ago or more. She's still not anticipating fall promos anytime soon but says she isn't worried about them. Her advice was "sit tight and don't get your heart set on free dining. You'll get a discount, and I would bet a good discount but it might not be free dining."

If people are booking less than 3 months out, then I guess Disney is figuring you fish with the bait most likely to bring in a big haul. Late May/June would be 3 months out for the late August/Sept travel period and that lines up with the "sources" of a few people out there. I just wish they would "fish" for more than one season at a time! Release something for summer, but release fall too!!!

Intresting to hear from a travel agent about people booking so last minute. I really haven't thought that's what people are doing. Guess I was wrong. Maybe people are waiting to see how much money they have before they book. Rats! That will just encourage Disney to delay promos til closer to the time they are for.