I hate to say it , and I hope I'm wrong , but ...

[crazymomof4]

My DH tells me to plan a budget trip, and then he tells me how he wants to travel! LOL!

When he is with us we go Deluxe...Deluxe DDP, Deluxe Resorts. Becasue what he says and what he wants are two different things. LOL!

Ditto my DH. He's a foodie-- his WDW planning consists of looking at the online menus! LOL And he's in love with BC. BUT.... his face contorts when I tell him the trip total. So FD def suits us best. Not only in crunching the numbers but also in our style of doing WDW.

 

[Nancyg56]

Ditto my DH. He's a foodie-- his WDW planning consists of looking at the online menus! LOL And he's in love with BC. BUT.... his face contorts when I tell him the trip total. So FD def suits us best. Not only in crunching the numbers but also in our style of doing WDW.

Buddy does not like the BC, but he said he will "suck it up" because our two little Princesses will love it there. He wants the CR or the Poly. He is an awesome man but such a pill!!!! LOL!!! Last trip with him we had free dining and stayed CL. For some reason the man who pays for the whole shebang, and who Denys us nothing, got so confused on what he "could have" that I decided that any trip he is with us, I am booking DxDDP. HE can have "anything""!!!! LOL!!! And no CL again for him. HE complained I did not book him breakfasts, and that "oatmeal" is not food! LOL!

 

[Nancyg56]

Yes, gratuity was included up to 2007 :/

Oh yes, and still folks were upset about that. I rememebr people complaining that they thought the servers got too much money,and that they wanted to control the tip. Mission accomplished!

 

[crazymomof4]

wrong thread

 

[crazymomof4]

wrong thread

 

[crazymomof4]

wrong thread

 

[revdisney33]

"Free Dining" has always been an illusion anyway. It's not really free, you're paying full price for a room to get it. I've never understood why people get so excited about it.

Although paying rack rate makes room more expensive, still a savings for us at a value resort. Depending on how many have gone, it has saved us $300-600 on certain trips. At the moderate and deluxe, the room discounts may be better, but at a value at 10-20% savings per night, do not make up for the food costs.

 

[JoWilly]

I have to say that all evidence is pointing in the direction of NO MORE FREE DINING ! And for that matter no more free anything . Disney is in full , all out cash grab mode , make no mistake about it . Yes , I know they'e a business that has stockholders to answer to BUT , enough is enough ....what's next ? Can you imagine them expanding the Wishes Dessert Party and/or the Illuminations Sparkling Dessert Party to the areas currently used for guests with FP+ ? I can . And once the new Star Wars fireworks show starts you can be sure they'll have a dessert party area for that as well . Rivers of Light has already begun accepting reservations for "a $pecial viewing area " for those who purchase the $pecial dinner package . Do you see where this is going ? Premium parking spots coming soon to EP , followed soon after most likely by AK & HS . Oh , I forgot to mention the rumored $15 per night resort fee that is expected to be implemented soon . All the while more and more cuts , reductions , and less amenities are taking place every day it seems . Most of us can and do accept price increases every year but it's gotten ridiculous these last few weeks and I don't see anything but more money grab moves coming . I love going to WDW with my family , and it's never been cheap , but moving forward we will look to cut our spending there wherever and however possible . I hope I'm wrong but this is , for the forseeable future what I feel Disney execs have decided to do to keep the gravy train rolling at record speed . Hope the train doesn't jump the tracks . Hey ' I've got an idea for their next advertising campaign...."Disney Parks , where less costs more !"

It was never free.

 

[Disneylover99]

It was never free.

It can be free. It was free for us a few years back when my husband requested that we go to POFQ for his birthday. We booked the FD bb and I'm thankful that we did. The following year, POFQ was shut out of FD and there were zero discounts offered at POFQ the week we were there.

 

[beer dave]

I've got to say captain america that it is darn near impossible to read your posts with all of those jumping creatures. Seriously.

little ADD eh? consider it an exercise.....haha

 

[JoWilly]

It can be free. It was free for us a few years back when my husband requested that we go to POFQ for his birthday. We booked the FD bb and I'm thankful that we did. The following year, POFQ was shut out of FD and there were zero discounts offered at POFQ the week we were there.

Im sorry but it wasn't free, its called a loss-leader and you definitely paid for it.

 

[PamNC]

I agree completely. I have found over our last trips that it was a far better deal to use a discounted room rate/special package and pay for dining.

"free dining" is obviously a marketing ploy

 

[Melanie230]

"free dining" is obviously a marketing ploy

Not for us. Free dining always saved us more than any other discount. We will probably go back next year but will stay off site.

 

[OKW Lover]

I seriously hope that Disney does away with "free dining" as an incentive to book hotel rooms. Being a DVC member, and now living nearby, I never had free dining. But I was affected by it because of the dumbing down of the food in the various restaurants. Maybe when free dining goes away the restaurant people will return to quality food and service to attract customers.

There was only ever one purpose for free dining: to get heads in beds during slow times of the year. When Disney owned hotels are staying mostly full year round, free dining is gone.

Agree with this almost entirely. No question that free dining is a marketing thing designed to do exactly that. Similarly, there are seasonal discounts offered on rooms for AP holders and other target groups. I guess the only thing that leaves me wondering is the fact that Disney's current hotel occupancy rate is the envy of the industry. Can't recall the number off-hand but from its stockholder reports it was very high. I'll see if I can find this and edit the info later.

 

[Robertfam08]

If saving over $1000 per trip is just a marketing ploy, I'll take their marketing! No other discount touches free dining for us. We wouldn't go to Disney at all without free dining, so yes, it's a "loss leader" in the sense that they would see $0 from us in their parks without it. That doesn't mean we're being duped in any way, we know exactly what we're paying for and the value for our family at this point, especially compared to other vacations we have priced. A family of six doesn't travel cheap anywhere, but if we're all fed for a week and two of my kids get into everything for free (for now), that's hard to beat anywhere else. It becomes less of a value as our family ages, for sure. But it's definitely free for us now.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Free dining in some form will likely stay around for September, if only b/c Magical Dining Month would destroy Disney table service restaurants without it. Why pay a minimum of $50-$100 for a 3 course meal at a Disney restaurant (app, entree, dessert) when you can pay $33 at a Morton's/Ruth's Chris/Emeril's/Bluezoo, etc and be giving a $1/meal to charity to boot (and why pay a $10/no show fee to Disney when your reservations off-site are always penalty-free)? Disney is the only "big guy" that doesn't participate in this annual endeavor - instead, they look to fill their restaurants and hotels with "free" diners who pay rack rates for hotels, extra for tickets, and extra for views...

Now, outside of September, I can see free dining getting eliminated and the "one meal a day" perk being the max they provide b/c they don't have this restaurant "competition" any other time of the year...

 

[mom2rtk]

Maybe when free dining goes away the restaurant people will return to quality food and service to attract customers.

I love your optimism, but don't hold your breath on that! The only thing that would cause them to go back to better quality and service would be diminishing demand. And if that happens, their first move would be to reinstitute free dining. It moves customers like nothing else.

 

[disneyseniors]

My husband and I did FD for 3 trips. then last year, we went OOP. I've got to say that FOR US, we saved a lot of money, stressing over adr's and getting to them, too much food, etc. We enjoyed splitting meals, which was more than enough for us, just ordering exactly what we wanted, finding a fun place to try without a schedule, not tipping every meal, and saving money. For us, OOP worked.
My daughter, son in law, and 3 teenagers saved a lot with the FD plan. The boys even ate more than FD provided! But they saved a lot of money with the FD plan for their family.
I hope Disney doesn't get rid of it for families who actually save with it. I know it helps with the cost a lot!

 

[Disneylover99]

Im sorry but it wasn't free, its called a loss-leader and you definitely paid for it.

Explain how we are paying for it, if we were planning to stay at POFQ in a standard room at rack rate anyways that week, regardless of discounts available at other resorts? You gotta eat. Right?

 

[Eoghann]

Explain how we are paying for it, if we were planning to stay at POFQ in a standard room at rack rate anyways that week, regardless of discounts available at other resorts? You gotta eat. Right?

You don't think they make up for that loss by bumping prices all over?