I'm a little bummed about new free dining offer.

[Pig Pen]

As a DVC member I am NOT jealous or bitter about free dining. Actually, I hope lots of people can take advantage of this great deal. I am bummed because this most likely means more crowds for my October week! Luckily, I have passed my 90 day ADR deadline so my ressies are already made.

 

[DisneyFreaks]

I totally know what you're saying. Our trip isn't until next year and we always visit in the fall. We decided to move up a month to september because we heard it is less crowded. (This year we tried going in march and the crowds were horrific) If Disney extends free dining again next year we're going to be in the same boat if we go back to the fall trips. Oh well what can you do. I think it's starting to get to the point when there is no longer a "less crowded time" to go to WDW. Congrats on getting all of your ADRs!

 

[photobob]

Honestly i am not sure if it will mean more crowds, it will mean a horrific time getting a decent ADR and you can forget about walk ups. I think it will mean more people staying at Disney instead of offsite which is precisely why Disney does the promotion. So I am not sure if it will mean more total people traveling or a higher percentage of those traveling staying onsite.

Is my way of thinking here right? I'm sure it will boost attendance some but I'm not sure how much.

 

[helenk]

I agree with photobob, I do not think this will have an impact on the crowds in the parks as it will for the dining reservations.
I would suspect that this late in the season most people have made their vacation reservations. I think that you will see more people modifying their existing reservations than we will see a huge wave of people making new resort reservations. Just my opinion.

 

[danielle782001]

#1- I wish people that pay for the dining plan had a longer window than free diners...I know that would be a impossible for Dinsey to manage but it does not feel very fair...But I guess I just have to deal.

#2- We have made an investment in Disney by becoming DVC members....I just wish we could get a discount on our dining plan if others are getting it for free on the same dates...Again, I do not see this as every happening but it would be a nice thing for Disney to do since we have spent and continue to spend large sums of money being DVC members.

 

[SamSam]

#1- I wish people that pay for the dining plan had a longer window than free diners...I know that would be a impossible for Dinsey to manage but it does not feel very fair...But I guess I just have to deal.

#2- We have made an investment in Disney by becoming DVC members....I just wish we could get a discount on our dining plan if others are getting it for free on the same dates...Again, I do not see this as every happening but it would be a nice thing for Disney to do since we have spent and continue to spend large sums of money being DVC members.

As DVC members who do not do dining plans, I wish we could have a longer window than those on plans and/or free dining. We use to always be able to play it by ear and eat wherever we want. We still play it by ear for most days, but it's almost impossible to just 'drop in' to eat. Off-site has some terrific restaurants.

 

[whitfamily]

We found this amazing little bistro at WDW that we can walk into anytime and eat. Good food and much less expensive than the normal WDW locations. Chef always seems to make our meals just the way we like them. Not to mention the calorie/grease/saturated fat intake is significantly less than the counter service options.

Its called Whitfamily Cafe-- funny thing is it seems to move to whatever DVC location we're staying at.

 

[funatdisney]

Clever! When reading this post, the idea did pop in my head that one advantages of a DVC unit is being able to cook in your room.

Now don't get me wrong- having a nice dinner out at WDW is nice, too.

 

[tjkraz]

Honestly i am not sure if it will mean more crowds, it will mean a horrific time getting a decent ADR and you can forget about walk ups. I think it will mean more people staying at Disney instead of offsite which is precisely why Disney does the promotion. So I am not sure if it will mean more total people traveling or a higher percentage of those traveling staying onsite.

Is my way of thinking here right? I'm sure it will boost attendance some but I'm not sure how much.

I'll third that!

In prior years you'd still see Disney resorts operating near full occupancy even without such deals. And there would be a healthy volume of guests staying off-site.

In 2009 Disney is having trouble just filling its own resorts. IMO, the most likely scenario is that Disney resort occupancy will spike but it will come at the expense of the off-site destinations. Now it makes more sense to pay $100+ per night for POP plus "free dining" rather than $75 per night to stay off-site.

Overall I suspect crowds will be no worse than in prior years...probably smaller. But restaurant availability will be what we've come to expect from these "free dining" periods.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I'm a bit nervous about the dining promotion that will extend to December because we're going to be in Europe when my booking window opens. We do get the dining plan particularly for the Candlelight Processional package, and it would be sad to us to have nothing available when we come home. We are pretty flexible with restaurants.

We return when the 90 day window will be on our last day, out of 4. Do people here think we'll be OK (open to 5 possible restaurants, including Garden Grill, Germany, Chefs de France), or should I ask someone to go online and book for me if I give reservation number etc.?

Bobbi

 

[rentayenta]

I'm a bit nervous about the dining promotion that will extend to December because we're going to be in Europe when my booking window opens. We do get the dining plan particularly for the Candlelight Processional package, and it would be sad to us to have nothing available when we come home. We are pretty flexible with restaurants.

We return when the 90 day window will be on our last day, out of 4. Do people here think we'll be OK (open to 5 possible restaurants, including Garden Grill, Germany, Chefs de France), or should I ask someone to go online and book for me if I give reservation number etc.?

Bobbi

I would have a friend make your ADRs.

 

[Dizny Dad]

Not yet stated here on this thread - I am concerned for the quality of the food and the care of which it is presented. It just seems like everytime there is free dining, the food takes a hit in those areas, and why shouldn't it.

History has always shown, where there is a chance to make a profit, the quality will go up in the battle for the $. Free dining means no profitablility. they are holding there own at best.

The free enterprise system has a way of providing balance and regulates itself: good quality commands a higher price; too high a price yields loss of market share.

 

[Greysword]

#1- I wish people that pay for the dining plan had a longer window than free diners...

#2- We have made an investment in Disney by becoming DVC members...I just wish we could get a discount on our dining plan if others are getting it for free on the same dates...Again, I do not see this as every happening but it would be a nice thing for Disney to do since we have spent and continue to spend large sums of money being DVC members.

I agree, but on different points. Others on the board have suggested allowing DVC members (maybe only those staying on points) to have a longer reservation window during free dining times (or at all times for simplicity) as a member perk. I would like this, as it further strengthens the membership, and can be done (fairly easily?) through member services instead of WDW Dining.

However, I do not think we should have this perk simply because of the amount we are paying for DVC. Instead, I think the validity comes from the longevity of our memberships, as Disney knows we will be (very) frequent visitors and they can count on our $$ being spent on property. Extending the dining reservation window may entice some to have a few more meals at WDW restaurants (even one extra per family per stay would help Disney), and may even make the DDP more enticing for others.

- Chris

 

[kid-at-heart]

We found this amazing little bistro at WDW that we can walk into anytime and eat. Good food and much less expensive than the normal WDW locations. Chef always seems to make our meals just the way we like them. Not to mention the calorie/grease/saturated fat intake is significantly less than the counter service options.

Its called Whitfamily Cafe-- funny thing is it seems to move to whatever DVC location we're staying at.

Does the Whitfamily Cafe take reservations?

 

[alamode]

Although it would be nice to have as few others in the park as possible, remember that Disney is a business. It is in their best interest to make as much money as possible. That's not a negative comment towards Disney, it's just the way I look at things from their perspective.

In a downward economy, there will naturally be a momement to spend less on "extras" like vacations. Some Deluxe people will move to Mods, Mods to Values, and some values simply won't come.

There was obviosly a glut of people trying to book the value "Pop Century", so to make room, they upgraded a certain number to SSR. There's no real downside for Disney, as these rooms would have been empty anyways, and some may choose to purchase DVC as a best case scenario.

The free dining is an offer to try and entice value customers or new customers to come to WDW. While this may cause issues for ADRs, this is a problem for visitors, not Disney (from a strictly money point of view). People are spending SOME money at Disney, rather than nothing.

That said, why should Disney give DVCers anything to offset our inconvenience of ADRs? They know they are getting our money, so their primary focus is elsewhere, that being filling the parks and resorts.

 

[tjkraz]

Seems like an ADR window could have negative repercussions for Disney, as well. We DVCers may not be a huge percentage of guests in the parks at any given time, but I believe we're over 10% of all guest rooms now. If given a 10-day head start on ADRs, I'm quite certain we could fill LeCellier for dinner most nights. That wouldn't sit well with other guests.

They could hold back a percentage of tables, but then you get into the whole "I called 99 days out and couldn't get a table but someone calling 89 days out got their reservation!!!"

 

[jboysen]

My problem has been the same whether its been the cable company, cell phone company, or DVC. There are great promotions to attract newcomers, but they tend to forget about their long standing customers who have kept them going. I love my DVC, I'm not trying to complain, I know I got a great deal! It would just be nice for a company to show their appreciation for those of us who are loyal clientelle.

 

[alamode]

My problem has been the same whether its been the cable company, cell phone company, or DVC. There are great promotions to attract newcomers, but they tend to forget about their long standing customers who have kept them going. I love my DVC, I'm not trying to complain, I know I got a great deal! It would just be nice for a company to show their appreciation for those of us who are loyal clientelle.

While I totally agree with you, with your cable have other optionsm, as you're only paying at most a month ahead. With DVC, you're locked in for the long haul.

I'm not saying they're not concerned about DVCers customer satisfaction, but getting new customers makes them more $$$.

 

[kid-at-heart]

As many have said, Disney is a business and needs to make money to continue to be a business. If I were a potential DVC buyer, the pot would be sweeter if Disney promoted not only DVC as a vacation home away from home but included advance dining reservations as a part of the DVC packet. It would be a no-to-low cost way to provide an extra incentive to buy into DVC. Plus then we would (maybe) stop complaining about the free dining promotion.

I had planned to add on points this year but it is becoming such a hassle to vacation at Disney that I have decided to wait and see what happens.

 

[tjkraz]

As many have said, Disney is a business and needs to make money to continue to be a business. If I were a potential DVC buyer, the pot would be sweeter if Disney promoted not only DVC as a vacation home away from home but included advance dining reservations as a part of the DVC packet. It would be a no-to-low cost way to provide an extra incentive to buy into DVC. Plus then we would (maybe) stop complaining about the free dining promotion.

It may have a low cost to implement, but may still end up costing Disney in the end. Aside from DVC members, Disney still has to worry about filling 25,000 guest rooms on a nightly basis. With an ADR advantage, DVC members could easily take many of the prime dining slots. We could fully book LeCellier most nights. We could grab most of the prime dining times at popular locations like Crystal Palace and Chef Mickey's.

Imagine paying $400-500 per night for a room at the Grand Floridian, only to go on-line 90 days out and find the only times available at Chef Mickey's are 1:30pm for lunch, and 8pm for dinner.

We could fully book many of the theme park character meals for the prized pre-opening seatings between 8-9am.

I don't mean to belittle your concerns because I'm sure there are many like yourself thinking "I would add more points if ____." But Disney also has to concern themselves with the tens-of-thousands of resort guests who aren't going to pay $500 per night for their room if they are forced to eat dinner at 8pm.

Just some...ahem...food for thought.