"Free" Dining

[minnie56]

Oh and-apologies for bringing up the gratuity issue..it was merely an observation and I shouldn't have added it here.

 

[princessmom29]

Nope. sorry, but we like the DDP and FD is a good value for us. I see the lack of menu choices and ADRS blamed on FD all the time, but even when FD is not offered ADR's are tight. LImiting choices is about bottom line profit, not FD. FD patrons pay rack rate for rooms, so disney is profiting either way. They pay virtually the same for their meals as those who pay OOP when all is said and done so iti s nto about lost profits. I think we all need to accept that Disney is doing it to make a buck and stop blaming "those FD people".

 

[mcd2745]

Just curious, for those who keep clamoring for the "good old days" and the "the way things were"...do you refuse to ride Expedition Everest or any of the other newer attractions?


I agree with the PP who said if there was anything to blame for this supposed decline in food quality, it's the economy. Food prices have skyrocketed over the last several years (I'm sure most people noticed this when they do their grocery shopping). Restaurants all over, not just in WDW, have to cut corners in order to keep their prices from getting out of control and losing customers.

You can talk about the effect the DDP (free or not) has had on restaurant availability, and I'd agree there is some validity to that. However, another PP complained about having to make their dining plans 6 months in advance. I couldn't agree more. But, that is not because of the DP, that is because of Disney's ridiculous 180 day policy - probably THE biggest factor affecting restaurant availability.

 

[momtotaryn]

Nope. sorry, but we like the DDP and FD is a good value for us. I see the lack of menu choices and ADRS blamed on FD all the time, but even when FD is not offered ADR's are tight. LImiting choices is about bottom line profit, not FD. FD patrons pay rack rate for rooms, so disney is profiting either way. They pay virtually the same for their meals as those who pay OOP when all is said and done so iti s nto about lost profits. I think we all need to accept that Disney is doing it to make a buck and stop blaming "those FD people".

Thanks for your comments! I was starting to get really confused! On the one hand, there are posts stating that FD is not free, because we are paying the outrageous rack rates, and the cost is included there. Then on the other hand, others are saying we are cheap folks who wouldn't go to TS restaurants unless we have FD, and are bad tippers on top of that.

Everyone should do the math for their own trips and figure out if FD is the way to go. I suspect ADRs are difficult, even when FD is not available, from what I've been reading on this board.

 

[clanmcculloch]

Every trip we've taken since 2007 has been with free dining. It's been a great deal for us. We're among those for whom the math works out like katieeldr explained. Our savings is more than the cost of our room when we stay at a value or moderate. This coming trip we're going with a room discount because when I do the math it's a better deal for my family with the choices we're making meaning we'll be at a deluxe resort. We're booking the same ADRs we would have with free dining. It's not influencing my dining choices at all.

Free dining is a discount and nothing more. Saying that people who are now booking up the more expensive restaurants because suddenly they get TS credits when they would have only paid for CS meals is very elitist. For most who go with the free dining promotion, it's just the cheapest way to go once you add the total costs. I don't see how this makes those who use this promotion any less than anybody else.

FYI: I booked my next trip around 4 months out. It's during a free dining period that's also an extremely busy time of year (I think top 5 time periods). I got every ADR I wanted at the exact times I wanted them. Free dining didn't stop me from getting anything I wanted. That includes 'Ohana, LeCellier and 1900 Park Fare.

 

[princessmom29]

Every trip we've taken since 2007 has been with free dining. It's been a great deal for us. We're among those for whom the math works out like katieeldr explained. Our savings is more than the cost of our room when we stay at a value or moderate. This coming trip we're going with a room discount because when I do the math it's a better deal for my family with the choices we're making meaning we'll be at a deluxe resort. We're booking the same ADRs we would have with free dining. It's not influencing my dining choices at all.

Free dining is a discount and nothing more. Saying that people who are now booking up the more expensive restaurants because suddenly they get TS credits when they would have only paid for CS meals is very elitist. For most who go with the free dining promotion, it's just the cheapest way to go once you add the total costs. I don't see how this makes those who use this promotion any less than anybody else.

FYI: I booked my next trip around 4 months out. It's during a free dining period that's also an extremely busy time of year (I think top 5 time periods). I got every ADR I wanted at the exact times I wanted them. Free dining didn't stop me from getting anything I wanted. That includes 'Ohana, LeCellier and 1900 Park Fare.

Same here. we booked 3 1/2 months out for Thanksgiving and got Ohana, Le Cellier, CRT, Akerheus, Brown Derby Fantasmic, ect.

 

[momtotaryn]

Another GREAT thread here on the boards is this one...

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2381706

It helps you get some wonderful things for your snack credits. We had a great time trying new things using snack credits. Enjoy

Thanks for reminding me of this thread. I saw it a while back and skimmed through it quickly. I need to really study this and figure out what our credits can be used for. So many of the goodies sound so yummy!