Friend called yesterday on last day of discount and CM told her this..

[always]

I can believe no more summer discounts (through the end of the summer high season), particularly since room availability for June & July is starting to look pretty slim. But I can't believe no more discounts at all this year, because the slowest time of the year - late Aug through end Sept, when it is summer-hot, peak hurricane season, and schools are back in session - is still to come. Something will come for late summer/early fall... The only question is what/how good the offer will be.

The Deluxes (CR aside) look pretty wide open the last week in July/first week in August. I'm still hoping for some sort of room discount.

 

[5boyz]

For me it was the counter service cashier girl. I believe what she said was.. "Enjoy that meal.. it's the last free one you are getting from Disney all year lady!"

 

[distrack]

Disney is SOOOOOO addicted to special offers there is zero chance this is true.

Is it really Disney that addicted to discounts or is it really all us Disney lovers that is addicted to discounts. I think its us ! With that said I do think they will offer more discounts. Remember last year when the FD discount was not announced till May. The rumors of no discounts really were flying then. Lets just have some patience and they will come

 

[CanadianGuy]

my friend put her deposit down on a late summer trip yesterday, the last day for the spring/late summer discount and my friend was asking her if she knew if the current discount would be extended? The CM told her she didn't know but in the past they have been told a week or before the expiration that would be extended and it was.. But, then the CM said to her and I quote " But, we have been told that there will be NO other discount programs for the rest of the year"

Do you think there is any truth to this?

Nope. None.

The folks on the phones talk big game.. god love them.. but the majority have no more idea on the corporate plan anymore than you or I would know what Fedex's plan for world domination is.. or what Burger King's new sandwich will be this fall...

We just have to sit tight and wait ...

 

[ElizabethB]

Disney clearly is trying to curb the discounting. And, it serves their purposes to tell their employees that there will be no further discounts this year. It creates a sense of urgency-- which is what marketers do.

Only Disney knows if it is deliberate "dis"-information. But, I look at the economic signs and it does not look good for Disney's "no discounts" strategy.

Airfares are up drastically, oil and gas are more expensive than they've been in the past two years, unemployment remains very high, people are still fearing for their jobs and inflation is kicking in big time with food and other necessities. There is an article in the NY Times today that says food manufacturers are afraid to raise prices, so they are cutting the size of products -- 16 ounce packages now only have 12 ounces of product and so forth.

Families are going to start feeling the pinch, if they haven't already. That does not spell rah rah times for Disney.

I predict we will see numerous discounts for the latter 1/2 of the year. I think the peak-of-summer discounts are probably over.

It seems to me Disney has decided they are willing to take some losses on empty rooms (and the related losses on park tickets, merchandise and food) in order to try to wean the public away from discounts.

If the economic numbers were better, I think they would have a chance. As things are, I don't think they do.

 

[Jalva22]

Nope. None.

The folks on the phones talk big game.. god love them.. but the majority have no more idea on the corporate plan anymore than you or I would know what Fedex's plan for world domination is.. or what Burger King's new sandwich will be this fall...

We just have to sit tight and wait ...

Completely agree. I don't think the phone CM's know anything about future discounts. Or at least I've never seen a shred of evidence in the past that they do. Might as well ask a bus driver. I just think they do their very best to keep the conversation moving so they can either get your ressie booked or move on to someone else who wants to get their ressie booked.

 

[ollyg]

Nope. None.

The folks on the phones talk big game.. god love them.. but the majority have no more idea on the corporate plan anymore than you or I would know what Fedex's plan for world domination is.. or what Burger King's new sandwich will be this fall...

We just have to sit tight and wait ...

I hope that something comes out soon for my dates and prior to my ADR date. In the meantime, I think I will get my fix by maping out a preliminary plan so that if they do release something I will be ready to book.

 

[Colleen27]

Completely agree. I don't think the phone CM's know anything about future discounts. Or at least I've never seen a shred of evidence in the past that they do. Might as well ask a bus driver. I just think they do their very best to keep the conversation moving so they can either get your ressie booked or move on to someone else who wants to get their ressie booked.

Yep, phone CMs aren't terribly well informed overall. Every fall there are about a thousand threads started on the dining board because CMs tell people that restaurants not on the brochure won't be accepting the plan. Well, NONE of the restaurants owned/operated by 3rd parties are on the first draft of the list, and there is ALWAYS an update once the contracts are finalized.

This has been happening every year since the DDP as we know it has existed, and in all that time only one restaurant has actually been dropped. But call and ask Disney dining phone CMs in November about whether Teppan Edo or San Angel Inn will be on the plan for the coming year and odds are you'll get a confident (and inaccurate) no.

 

[ccgirl]

I agree with you about them not holding back rooms, but other posters have mentioned them holding back rooms. Based on bookings for the week we are going it does look like rooms are being filled without a discount. The only thing offered for that week was the free dining pins that went out. I am not very hopeful for summer discounts being released!!!!!

I have learned never to say never.

Disney is a business. They offer discounts to fill the rooms if they are not being filled. Didn't they already offer free dining thru the entire year? I know it expired but....

The only thing we can do is wait and see.

 

[1budai]

I just rebooked my package and the CM said " the fall codes are not out yet".
The big word "Yet"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[TDC Nala]

Not sure how there would be any way for a phone line cast member to know for sure in March that there will be no discounts offered for the rest of the year.

 

[sjs314]

My thought is Disney has been testing the waters for lessoning the discounts offered.

We saw them offer FD and room discounts earlier in the calendar year this year than in previous years.

We have seen pin numbers for smaller percent off, such as 10 & 20 %

We have seen the more popular mod and deluxe resorts offered at a lessor discount than in the past

We are seeing a change in the FD plans offered at mod going from the reg DP to QS.

What are they finding out?

That people will book further ahead
They will book with a smaller % off discount
They will still book at the Poly or AKL even if they can save more with a bigger discount at another Deluxe Resort
They will upgrade the DP if offered one of less value

Are they going to phase discounts out eventually? Honestly I do not think so but I do think it might be more random, than it has been for years, so that when they do offer say 20 or 25 % off any level resort or Free QS at any level resort people will gladly book, happy to get any discount, especially with the new FantasyLand and the new Animation Resort opening.

I have been watching US and haven't really seen any deals good enough to make me run there and fight the crowds HP is drawing, and I don't think Disney will need to offer big discounts either to entice people to head to their resorts and parks.

 

[cardramblues]

I think people have to remember that Disney has already offerered:
-Room only discounts for summer book-end seasons
-Free Dinning durring the traditional free dinning period in addition to late spring free dining.
-Kids play free promotion also offered during the same times.

Bottomline is that the discounts people are asking for have been out there. With that said, it doesn't mean more are not coming but there is a trend at the package discount level over the last year to offer early to those willing to book and fill in with room only discounts.

Think cruise lines... this is how they do business and Disney management is recognizing the success of early package commitments.

With ALL of that said, bottomline is putting butts in beds and they will do what they think is best to accomplish that based on demand.

 

[DisneyRunner2009]

Remember, a percentage of rooms at each resort are offered for room only discounts. Hence POP being sold out, but there is availability at AS. Disney looks at occupancy levels to determine discounts. That is why booking ahead, in hopes of a discount, can limit the promotions and work against you.

 

[Rita007]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think we've seen any gift card offers for awhile, or Buy 4 get 3 or anything of that nature. I wonder if we may see something like that for the fall. I think that's been offered before for late summer/fall bookings.

Hubby just hinted that maybe we can add a few days to our Myrtle Beach vacation (driving 15 hours from Toronto so what's another 7 hours to Disney?) so I'd love to see something tempting for late August otherwise we'll probably stay offsite because there seem to be a lot of reasonable deals.

 

[mom2rtk]

A friend of my uncle's daughter-in-law's second cousin, has a grandfather that mentors a disney CM, and she says that a new discount might, or might not come. Take it for what it's worth.

I heard the same thing from a Disney bus driver!

And I've said it before. I'll say it again. Disney is absolutely addicted to packing the resorts and packing the parks. NO WAY will they go without additional discounts into the fall. Keep in mind resort rates went up already for December, pushing it into a higher rate category.

I also think that if they really intend to cut back, I think you'll see it in less dramatic discounts, not the complete disappearance of discounts. I think we'll see free dining, because it moves the business like nothing else. But since the pin codes (not that I know......... since I never get any......) have been for QS dining at value and mods, I think that's what we'll see for the next general public offer. Keep in mind the cost to upgrade went up a bit too. And I think we will absolutely see it for targeted weeks just like before.

 

[g3pak]

I would bet my first born that there will be more discounts.

Can I offer up my second born? I would hate to lose my first born, but my second...well...she is a handfull.

(please don't flame me- I love both of my DD's and would give my life for them)

 

[bell.of.the.ball]

Can I offer up my second born? I would hate to lose my first born, but my second...well...she is a handfull.

No flames but lots of laughs...I have one of those too!!

 

[lfigment99]

Minnie Mouse whispered to me that there may or may not be more discounts offered either this year or next year. Mickey agreed with her.

 

[ElizabethB]

A previous poster mentioned Universal. We booked Portofino Bay Hotel for late August on their stay longer/stay cheaper promotion (or whatever it's called). We have a deluxe club level room for $310 per night.

Beach Club deluxe club level room for the same time frame, with public code 35% off, is $395 per night. GF RPC with 40% off pin code is $490 per night.

Our stay at Portofino Bay club level recently was wonderful and we loved every minute. Plus, the FOTL access is amazing. Seems to me that Universal hotels are very competitive with Disney and that Disney is going to have to keep discounting in order to stay competitive. If we had to pay rack rate at Disney, we would not hesitate to book our entire Orlando stay at Universal and simply drive to Disney to do a park or two.