Getting Free Dining Offers

[robertlair]

I have seen that Disney has not been offering free dining plan packages lately. We are going to Disney World about 3 a year, and I know that Disney sends special deals to families that are regular attenders. The problem is I am not sure how to get Disney to see us as one of the regular attenders. Living in Ohio and going to Disney 3x a year I would think would automatically qualify us.

We are going again in May, but the dining package really isn't an option for that trip, but we are counting on going again in early December. I was really hoping to get the free dining plan for that trip.

Any tips/suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
Bob

 

[EagleScout]

This is always the great mystery of Disney marketing - how to get on "the" list for the "special" discounts. Nobody seems to have an answer, but because it is part of Disney, many have suggested with anecdotal evidence that exposing oneself to lots of different "forms" of Disney marketing can help b/c at any given time, a different division may be sending offers. So get a disney.com account, order free planning dvd, order customized maps, consider a Disney visa, make a purchase from disney store or disney.com or disney store online catalogue (or all 3), buy park tickets from disney rather than reseller, stay onsite, etc. Good luck! Some also suggested ensuring both spouses make some of purchases so two names in system.

 

[robertlair]

Good suggestions, I will get to work. I have also been told to call the Disney reservation line and ask them to put me on the list. I figured it is worth a try. Thanks!

 

[eliza61]

There have also been rumors that disney is cutting back or trying to "wean" customers off of the deals.
Originally they were meant to fill up rooms during slow periods, now with the economy getting better (supposedly), the new fantasyland bringing folks in, and park revenue up rumor has it they are returning to the original intent of free dining.

As Eaglescout pointed out, these are rumors. Unless you're a disney exec, no one has a rhyme or reason why the head mice do any thing.

 

[mistysue]

Just as a warning, try not to get your hopes up. If they send you something, great, but I have been on every marketing list, we buy disney stuff like crazy, order the information... I've even followed occasional threads where somebody found the trick to trigger a pin code and read as everybody else had codes show up... and none for me even after my husband and I both did the trick.

Two years ago we even booked a trip and completely cancelled it (didn't go at all) and never got anything.

So don't feel left out if it doesn't happen for you, we could probably start a club of people with no pin codes.

 

[klynn]

I know that Disney sends special deals to families that are regular attenders.

Not true. For several years we have spent about 5-8 weeks a year (about 3 trips/yr) at Disney. We always stay on property and eat in their restaurants. We have never gotten anything free or been offered special deals.

 

[pixiedustaholic]

Maybe Disney doesn't see the need to offer special prices to people who come regularly since they come anyway without being enticed. They probably figure they are going to get your money either way and why not at full price? I get post card and email offers from them 2-3 times per year but it's always for times that I can't go. We don't do WDW every year because of the pricing now that both our kids are Disney "adults"...way too expensive. Our trips have been 1999, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2008, 2011. I do get on their website sometimes to price out vacations so I don't know if they are pulling from that or from where we have visited in the past.

 

[Sunnywho]

Maybe they target the free dining pins to small families? The larger the family, the more it costs Disney to provide the free dining. (We never get pins.)

 

[akl2004]

Maybe Disney doesn't see the need to offer special prices to people who come regularly since they come anyway without being enticed. They probably figure they are going to get your money either way and why not at full price? I get post card and email offers from them 2-3 times per year but it's always for times that I can't go. We don't do WDW every year because of the pricing now that both our kids are Disney "adults"...way too expensive. Our trips have been 1999, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2008, 2011. I do get on their website sometimes to price out vacations so I don't know if they are pulling from that or from where we have visited in the past.

I totally agree. I have ordered the planning dvd's for the past 3 years and have gotten pin codes each year, as many as three one year. As pixiedustaholic stated always at a time we can't go. We were also going every year for several years and have not been there for a few years, so maybe that has something to do with getting codes. As stated several times, these codes seem to be the closest gaurded secret outside of government.

 

[MomToOne]

They also seem to target different areas of the country for different parks.

We live in Northern CA - I get PIN codes for Disneyland (where I always stay offsite ) 2-3 times a year, even though we go more often to WDW.

I got ONE code once to Florida, despite going many years in a row. And it was a free dining code for a time period where they had previously offered free dining to the general public, it was just after that the offer was no longer available generally

And for someone who asked - our family consists of DD12 and I. So I don't think it's a small family thing.

 

[pigletto]

For the first 3 years I was a member of this board I got pin codes all the time. There was a period of time I was getting them once a month. They dried up for awhile.. I want to stay about 2 years. And now they are back and dh is getting them too. We've gotten that free dining pin with Ariel on it 4 times by email and once in snail mail.
I have no idea what I do differently than anyone else. The only thing I can think is that I plan and save trips and run numbers all the time. It's some weird obsession of mine and I am always trying to get the best deal so I play around on the site quite a bit. I haven't ordered a planning DVD in 3 or 4 years. I'm not saying this to brag.. I just have no idea what I am doing to trigger them

 

[ziggystardust]

Just recently my boyfriend received a code ( Disney has his email as mine so it came to my account). I did not. We traveled together 2 years ago but I'm the one with all the Disney accounts. Disney world site, i order stuff thru Disney store, have a Disney visa, price out vacations. So all that stuff is associated with me.

So I'm thinking they know ill probably be heading back soon with or without a pin code. Him, they need to entice.

 

[faindrops27]

As for the free dining code, have you called the general reservation line to see if a code is associated to your name. I called 4 times, 3 times I've had a pin code attached.

But, what has truly worked for us. Being available to travel during off peak months, and basically bouncing back to get free dining. Of course with the rumors of them phasing free dining out, we are looking into other travel destinations. So I will enjoy it this time. It may be years before we go back.

Oh, we are a family of 5 so I do not think it has to do with large families.

 

[Colleen27]

Not true. For several years we have spent about 5-8 weeks a year (about 3 trips/yr) at Disney. We always stay on property and eat in their restaurants. We have never gotten anything free or been offered special deals.

From personal experience, they seem to send those codes to one-time/very occasional guests who haven't booked in a while. I got several in the two years between our first two trips and a few more in the almost two year break we took when our youngest was born, but haven't gotten a single one since fall of 2010. I've had at least one trip booked almost continuously since then and I think they've realized they don't need to send me special discounts to lure me back.

 

[pigletto]

From personal experience, they seem to send those codes to one-time/very occasional guests who haven't booked in a while. I got several in the two years between our first two trips and a few more in the almost two year break we took when our youngest was born, but haven't gotten a single one since fall of 2010. I've had at least one trip booked almost continuously since then and I think they've realized they don't need to send me special discounts to lure me back.

Dh and the kids and I are going for our 8th trip since 2008. We did take a two year break from 2008-2010 and we've been twice a year since. However your theory might hold true because we rented DVC points for 3 of those trips. So perhaps because we didn't make a booking through Disney it looks like we haven't been. Also it kind of seems to go back and forth on which name we use to book our trips with Disney. We're married but with different emails and last names so sometimes we both get the same pin code and sometimes only one of us gets it. And lastly, we're Canadian and maybe a different target group.

So there you go OP. Enough variables to make your head spin

 

[3pletprincesses]

I alway book our trips under my name and never get offers. Dh who never books but has an account on the site, always gets them. It seems liek he gets them a few times a year. I can't complain as I use them when possible but I find it interesting how he gets them and not me. I guess they figure I'll go anyways as I have been going every 6months or so therefor why bother sending me codes KWIM.

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

We've been 14 times since 2007 - no pins ever. We're a family of 3 so the small family theory doesn't work for us anyway.......

 

[EagleScout]

As I already acknowledged, I have no actual knowledge of the often mysterious inner working Of disney marketing, but the idea of "catching" infrequent users has some anecdotal appeal, and does conform to our recent experience. We go almost every year, but usually stay at dolphin. I ordered a planning dvd a few weeks ago and then got a 35 percent off pin code for the time period we stated we wanted to go. Unfortunately, we already had used the 30 percent pin plus discounted park tickets offer for the trip, and the few dollars difference was not worth hassle of rebooking. Also, we booked two rooms, and my mom is "lead guest" in other room- they used to go every year and stay in disney institute (before it was closed to create ssr) and do whole deluxe package, etc. And she recently got a multi-page glossy personalized "welcome back" pamphlet that was personalized to our hotel, etc. (Even though my Visa is paying for it.)

 

[tzolkin]

From personal experience, they seem to send those codes to one-time/very occasional guests who haven't booked in a while. I got several in the two years between our first two trips and a few more in the almost two year break we took when our youngest was born, but haven't gotten a single one since fall of 2010. I've had at least one trip booked almost continuously since then and I think they've realized they don't need to send me special discounts to lure me back.

I agree. Our experience has been similar to EagleScout's.

A few years ago my parents came along on a trip with us. I made all the reservations, but they had their own room.

I have received way more offers (including Disney Visa) for the "MaidenName" family. They are always completely useless because the name and address must match to redeem the offer.


I have had some success getting PIN offers after getting an online quote or requesting the planning DVD. Unfortunately they never work with our travel availability.


We always get some sort of discount every trip (free dining, 30% off, etc) but they are always the Disney Visa/general public offers.