No free DDP, will you cancel?

[Cookie Princess]

We are seriously pondering skipping our WDW vacation this year and going somewhere else. I feel slighted by WDW as they have offered the free DDP package to others for longer time periods. I know they are a big company and don't care, but I can't help feeling like they don't care abour their "old faithful" customers. Will anyone else cancel too?

 

[Judge Fudge]

I don't get what you are trying to say, really. Offered to others? Does that mean it's not at the time frame you are going?

Personally, if I don't get it for my vacation, I will be going somewhere else. I was just there last year, but the plan is a great deal and hard to pass up.

 

[noseybuddy]

I kinda feel that way also. I haven't booked yet, still hoping some sort of discount will come out for the early August disers. I thought for sure that if they had fd again this year it would be at the same time. So I booked my airfare the same time as last year, and now they go and change the dates. Not sure what I am going to do.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

We are seriously pondering skipping our WDW vacation this year and going somewhere else. I feel slighted by WDW as they have offered the free DDP package to others for longer time periods. I know they are a big company and don't care, but I can't help feeling like they don't care abour their "old faithful" customers. Will anyone else cancel too?

Do you suppose they purposely planned the Free dining offer when they knew you wouldn't be able to book it? Maybe your vacation companions weren't as well behaved as they might have been....

Just kidding. You can't be taking this personally! They are just trying to book rooms for the traditionally slow period. Can't blame them!

 

[crazy_for_the_dis]

Nope, we're not cancelling. Now looking forward to lower crowds, and the P&P party. Although FD sounds enticing, it is not worth taking kids out of school for, at least at the ages that mine are 9 and 12. Maybe younger kids. If it is a toss up between a few hundred bucks and setting an example that school is important and not to be dismissed for a "good deal", I'll gladly pay for our dining. At the beginning of the year, school is actually fun. They get to see all their friends again, and get into the swing for the new year. I'm not sure that my 12 DD would even want to miss one of the first weeks of school (now if I made that offer to miss a week now, she would jump at it!)

 

[OntFamily]

We were potentially going to go Sept 29, if free dining was available. Since free dining doesn't fall into our dates, we'll go elsewhere.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

No, wouldn't cancel even without free dining. Booked it with the thought I would pay for it. If I don't have to, bonus, if I do, oh well.

 

[HopperFan]

It is purely marketing. They are trying to fill the resorts on the weeks they have determined are slower. Free Dining is just one of many promos they offer to bring in guests. What about that great 40% off code that some folks got. I have stayed onsite 3 times in the last 2 years, but I didn't get that code. I feel like I am regular enough to earn it. Especially since I have also stayed offsite 3 times in that span because there was no discount. They have added P&P in August which is probably great for folks who wanted to go but couldn't travel Jan-March, but still didn't help me. They have the F&W in October, which used to be a slow time of year. We always went in October when the kids were young and it used to be empty. They tried Bounceback this year and free dining to our overseas guests (who come for a long visit with cash to spend), they have added several major sports events, Minnie Marathon last year, Muddy Buddy this year....Wide World of Sports was a great addition to fill the hotels. It's just all about filling the rooms. They offered Free Dining early for Disney Visa because many of those were the folks who were members of Magic Kingdom Club for many years (at a fee) with great room discounts, then moved over to the Disney Credit Card and then were moved to Disney VISA with promise of perks. This is one of them. They offer codes off and on, and discounts to AAA members, AP holders and Florida Residents. We even stayed there on a Georgia Resident discount offered one year. All of these promos combined are our rewards and hopefully one will work out for us. We are going for free dining - just myself and one adult child. I can't pull the other two from school. Yeah, we wish we could all go and enjoy this treat of free dining....especially the three I am leaving home.....but it didn't work out date wise. Another special - another time. Would I have gone without ? Probably...room only with AAA discount, purchased smaller tickets from broker, done a few non-Disney activities and eaten mostly counter service. Even feeding us they are probably still making more money than they would have otherwise. I will stay on property more to use the DDP and spend more money since I don't have to pay for food, and I am paying rack rates on room.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

They lopped off our dates this year. To be honest, I'm not surprised. With the dates as they were last year, one could come down that final Saturday in September and stay through Columbus day all on Free Dining. Well as you know Columbus day weekend is heavy. And it's no longer in Value season which ends that first week in October. By cutting it off 22 september, that makes it not possible to do that any more. On a 10 night trip, arriving the 22 means departing 2 October. I think that's at or near the last day of value season.
So. I'm not surprised. I'm sure Disney was seeing something similar at the August end of the dates as well. I understand how everyone that gets left out is feeling, but honestly spite over this isn't a reason not to go.

That having been said we are not going to WDW this year. We go where the bargains are during the time windows we can travel. Add that and the fact we've gone to WDW two years in a row and it's getting slightly stale, we won't be going. And of course if we want to see them add our week back in the future, the solution is to not go and hope enough others do the same that they add it back. But we did find cheap air fare out to Disneyland during another time window that we can go and we're going to head out there. There are off site hotels right across the street within a 5 minute walk.

 

[burberryplaid]

We are going even without free dining.

Why would anyone feel slighted? You aren't entitled to anything. Disney and any other company for that matter, has a right to make any kind of offer they want to anyone they choose to offer it too.

I don't mean to sound rude but there are many people who will never go to Disney World once in their lifetime. There are many people who won't get to go when a special offer is made because of one reason or another. I for one have never been to Disney World..this will be my first trip. If I get the free dining it will be a wonderful treat, but I don't expect to be given something just because I've never been there and I wouldn't expect to get something if I had been there 100 times..

 

[LadyTrampScamp&Angel]

No, we won't cancel. I didn't make a plan that was contingent on free dining and I don't take it personally if it doesn't happen for me. It would be nice but I'll look at the bright side - I won't gain that 5 pounds that free dining put on me last time! Only time I've ever gained weight at WDW was with all the free dining food!

 

[Kdog]

I for one have never been to Disney World..this will be my first trip. If I get the free dining it will be a wonderful treat, but I don't expect to be given something just because I've never been there and I wouldn't expect to get something if I had been there 100 times..

Have a wonderful trip; you are going to love it!

 

[nbodyhome]

. I know they are a big company and don't care, but I can't help feeling like they don't care abour their "old faithful" customers. Will anyone else cancel too?

Disney doesn't offer promos to make everyone happy, they do it to fill rooms during the time period when kids go back to school. They are darned if they do and darned if they don't at this point, I think it's very generous to do this a 3rd year in a row.

I live here - if I can get free dining, then I'll stay on property for 10 nights to try that out again (and work on photo blogs and reviews for my site). If not, then it's not like Disney is losing any money by not having me there. They can't be making much off of my husband and I on the free dine with 1 day base tickets at the Pop or Music! (we are passholders).

Disney often offers deals for October - and I'd say the October guests are as faithful as anyone, die-hard Food and Wine fans. But rooms with discounts are scarce, very hunt-and-peck. At least there tends to be lots of availability for September, for the time period Disney has chosen.

If you don't go to Disney, there are million other places - I'm heading to London and Paris in a few weeks. But September is a great time to go to Disney (including late September), free dine or not.

 

[dennisnlisab96]

We are booked August 14-23...I was hoping for free dining because we are a family of 8 (6 kids). Now I am hoping the crowds will be even lighter during that time because so many people will be going during free dining.

 

[nbodyhome]

I think there was some free dining offered earlier in the month (to UK residents and bounceback?) Either way, that should still be a good time to visit.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

No one ever mentions the dark side of free dining... but it does exist. I don't want to alarm people, but it's important to know.

Your kids will return from WDW expecting a wide array of snacks valued at just under $4, a counter service meal with a cheap dessert and, worst of all, an appetizer, an entree, and a choice of desserts at every sit-down meal. Every day. They will swirl their napkins over their heads every 20 minutes while eating. My kids even tried to flash their KTTW a few times and ask how many credits they had left. They stopped doing that when I threatened to run them through the shredder.

I don't have a handle on my kids. I know this. I just hope this can be a lesson to the rest of you.

 

[novdisneydreams]

No one ever mentions the dark side of free dining... but it does exist. I don't want to alarm people, but it's important to know.

Your kids will return from WDW expecting a wide array of snacks valued at just under $4, a counter service meal with a cheap dessert and, worst of all, an appetizer, an entree, and a choice of desserts at every sit-down meal. Every day. They will swirl their napkins over their heads every 20 minutes while eating. My kids even tried to flash their KTTW a few times and ask how many credits they had left. They stopped doing that when I threatened to run them through the shredder.

I don't have a handle on my kids. I know this. I just hope this can be a lesson to the rest of you.

Those are dangers of the dining plan even when you pay for it. Last time we went to WDW DH and I joked all over the airport, "WHAT? They don't take our card? The nerve!" The DDP is just the greatest!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[fla4fun]

I don't know exactly what the dates were for the UK and Bounceback programs, but could it be that Disney is trying to spread things out a little, so they don't overwhelm the restaurants like last year? Also, last year was expected to be a bad hurricane season according to the predictions. Since the year before WAS bad, Disney probably assumed the predictions would come true, that bookings would be affected as a result, and set their dates accordingly. However, the hurricanes never showed up. So this year, the hurricane predictions are out for a busy season again, but will they be accurate? Maybe Disney is hedging it's bets, by having a shorter span of free dining right at the peak of hurricane season, just in case, but trimming off the dates that might not be as much at risk. If we don't get any hurricanes this year, I would be surprised to see free dining come back at all next year.

 

[2forMe]

Well if we don ot get the free dining.. we will either go at a later date and possibly stay in a house rental instead. We will still go to disney in the next year though.. just would be nice to actually get the free dining.. so only time will tell

 

[mkross]

With our flights for two people running almost $1000 and the trip...ouch! We will probably cancel. Paying rack during hurricaine season??? It would have been nice to have some sort of discount. UK got it, bounceback got it and many got 40 percent off. It's very frustrating sitting back and watching everyone else get discounts and great airfare and I get nothing! Kuddos for those that did, but very unfair for the rest of us (especailly the ones having to fly all the way acoss the united states). Just my two cents!