No free DDP, will you cancel?

[Sxofus]

It's very frustrating sitting back and watching everyone else get discounts and great airfare and I get nothing!

AAA

 

[mkross]

We'll...just called and cancelled my ressie. I'm so upset because the CM said I did have a code attached to my name for a different time (I could have gone anytime during the summer) but it is now expired. All the times I called they said I didn't have one. Never received the e-mail....I check them all. Oh, we'll...maybe not meant to be! Next time AAA.

 

[caresy]

We will not be staying at WDW if we don't get the free dining, but we will stay in Orlando and visit the WDW parks on 2 days only, and go to Wonder Works and possibly Universal.

The Buena Vista Suites is only 1 1/2 miles from Disney, as a 1 bedroom suite with 2 queen beds and a pull out couch, FREE hot breakfast, and a kitchen/kitchenette for only $549 incl taxes for the time frame we are going - Aug 27th to Sep 2nd. There is also free shuttles to the parks. (This rate was booked through Dreams Unlimited Travel) This is a pretty good price I think.

The only thing is then I need a rental car and I get lost driving around the block (well not quite, but I am seriously directionally challenged!)

The Free Dining Plan lets you eat at all these fantastic restaurants and do character dining that we will not eat at or do in if we don't get the FDP. But it is just too tempting to pass up if we can get it.

Hurry up Thursday!!!!!!!

 

[Lewisc]

Disney offers discounts to fill rooms that might otherwise be empty. People making reservations on "spec" may have reduced the motivation for Disney to discount during that time period.

Why did you book at rack rate if you had no intention of keeping that reservation? All you did was reduce, in this case to zero, the number of discounted packages that Disney might be motivated to offer for your resort during your dates.

I'm not sure why early August was considered off peak. Now that the southern schools going back in session later in August the need to discount prior to labor day is reduced.

I can understand that you might be bothered by the fact that others got better rates but that's no different then the deals FL residents get.

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!

 

[nbodyhome]

Disney offers discounts to fill rooms that might otherwise be empty.

Right, discounts aren't there to give to everyone, just to fill whatever rooms might not be filled. It's like Priceline - some people are paying higher prices for hotels, some people pay Priceline rates. Or on airlines - the person next to you might be paying more, or less. It wouldn't be a good business decision for Disney to give out free dining to everyone on site.

That said - I hope I do get it when I call on Thursday. I am way too cheap to spend big money on restaurants, so it's fun to be able to try them and I love the Pop Century.

 

[helenk]

Looking at the historical dates on Mousesavers, it seems the free dining has started earlier each year:

2005: 8/21-10/4 6 weeks 3 days
2006: 8/13-9/30 7 weeks
2007: 8/5-9/29 8 weeks 1 day (for guests who booked while in WDW in 2006)
2007: 8/26-9/22 4 weeks

It seems as though the really good deal was for those who booked ahead last year

 

[Captn Jack Sparrow]

Uh I thought that this year it was from 8/26 - 9/22 . but that is not what I was going to write about any way.

I can't believe that some people have a problem with this whole free DDP or that you would literally cancel your entire trip over whether or not you got something for free. Admittedly the Free DDP is a very sweet deal (I have never personally experienced it) but come on If I had rooms during that time and I missed it I would not cancel my trip over it (I would have 3 very up set children and one very ticked DW ) I am sure I would cuss a lot at home to myself and be sad that I missed it but I sure wouldn't cancel.

Besides count your blessings that you are even able to consider going to WDW, some folks never make it to that 'Magic Kingdom in the sky'. (Musical reference to Da Vinci's Notebook)

 

[caresy]

I can't believe that some people have a problem with this whole free DDP or that you would literally cancel your entire trip over whether or not you got something for free.

I won't cancel my whole trip, but travelling with two kids aged 9 and 11 can be very expensive when coming to eating! It averages out to $29 a day per person for me (adding the 2 adults and 1 child and dividing by 3) and there is NO WAY we can eat at character meals and expensive restaurants for that much! Counter service meals alone run me $25 to $30 a meal!

We had free dining last time we went and I added up how much we would have spent on meals vs what we did spend on meals and it was over $750 for the week saved.

If we stay at WDW I know my children will want to go to Chef Mickey's and Alfredo's and Whispering Canyon Cafe, and the Scifi Dine Inn, and Ohana etc etc.... I can't afford that if I don't get the free dining, so if we don't stay at WDW they won't expect it. I know a lot of people may say, "Just tell your kids they are not going there, you are the Mom!" and yes I am, but that is all part of the WDW experience for us and if we can't do that I'd rather stay off site and make it an Orlando holiday not a WDW holiday. And I wanna eat there too!!! (stamping my foot loudly!)

***Just want to add that I think the DDP is a great deal for what you get whether it is free or not - if it is free you are getting one heck of a great deal!!!!!

 

[CoolPool]

For clarity's sake, the 2007 dates per mousesaves is 8/26 to 9/22.

I'm going late july/early aug. I might have shifted my dates later by a week or two but I can't go as late as 8/26. But we are going! And we got a great rate at our preferred resort which saved us $1400 - about the same as the "free" dining plan would have cost. So we are a wash and that's okay.

 

[nbodyhome]

Why not just tell the kids that you can go to Disney, but can't go to the character meals? They can choose to go on the trip anyway, or not.

I don't generally spend a lot to eat out - if I don't get the free DDP and stay onsite, it'd be unusual for me to spend more than $15.00 per day for myself (I'm cheap!) I'd do a nice meal or two - like breakfast at Trails End, that would be a big day of eating for me!

 

[slyjly]

We are going with or without free dining. If we do get the free dining that is just icing on the cake

 

[helenk]

For clarity's sake, the 2007 dates per mousesaves is 8/26 to 9/22.

I'm going late july/early aug. I might have shifted my dates later by a week or two but I can't go as late as 8/26. But we are going! And we got a great rate at our preferred resort which saved us $1400 - about the same as the "free" dining plan would have cost. So we are a wash and that's okay.

oops sorry the 8/5-9/30 was for the guests who booked while in WDW last year...my eye sight is not as good as it should be.

 

[wdwmaw]

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?

So, I assume you are getting free dining elsewhere ? We are going in October with no free dining. You are on these boards, where there is a will ,there is a way !!

 

[caresy]

Why not just tell the kids that you can go to Disney, but can't go to the character meals? They can choose to go on the trip anyway, or not.

I don't generally spend a lot to eat out - if I don't get the free DDP and stay onsite, it'd be unusual for me to spend more than $15.00 per day for myself (I'm cheap!) I'd do a nice meal or two - like breakfast at Trails End, that would be a big day of eating for me!

The big problem with that is that if we stay at WDW, unless I shell out big bucks for a room with a fridge and microwave or kitchen, we will be eating counterservice meals all week, and that can be very unhealthy. I've had the salads at the counter service restaurants, they are not great. Even eating at the table service restaurants is expensive! I may as well pay for the dining plan then because it will cost that much anyway! Personally I have some dietary restrictions that eating poorly all week will affect, nothing that will kill me over a week but by the end of it I sure will feel bad.

If we stay off site at a resort (at one third of the price of the Disney hotel alone) where I have a full kitchen I can at least cook some decent meals.

The dining plan just makes it much more enjoyable for us - we don't have to put restrictions on the places we eat and it really is part of the magic for us. The first thing my kids were jumping up and down about was going back to Whispering Canyon at WL, not the parks!!!

 

[Captn Jack Sparrow]

I won't cancel my whole trip, but travelling with two kids aged 9 and 11 can be very expensive when coming to eating! It averages out to $29 a day per person for me (adding the 2 adults and 1 child and dividing by 3) and there is NO WAY we can eat at character meals and expensive restaurants for that much! Counter service meals alone run me $25 to $30 a meal!

I feel your pain I have DD18 DS10 and DS2. not to mention DW and myself. I have experienced only four character meals in my times there CRT, Holywood & Vine, Chef Mickey's and the breakfast at AK don't remember the name. I don't need character meals to make my day, even for the youngest. We can find the characters in the parks at some point during our visit.

I guess what I was trying to say is I would not let free food dictate my WDW visit. Now if you knew me you would think 'Yeah right', I live for food.

Our next visit will be June 08 and we are trying to figure out whether or not we can afford the DDP or afford not to . I hope you have a good trip either route you go.

 

[caresy]

Our next visit will be June 08 and we are trying to figure out whether or not we can afford the DDP or afford not to . I hope you have a good trip either route you go.

I think it is definitely worth it if you pick your restaurants ahead of time. You can get real value out of the $39 a day per adult by picking a restaurant that would normally run you twice that much for a meal including appetizer and dessert.

I'm with you, I love food too and that's why I am such a big fan of the dining plan, you can eat at fabulous restaurants for a fraction of the price! It is a great way to eat well during your stay.

Now, if you or most of your group would rather just grab a sandwich or hot dog each meal, then it is definitely not worth it.

 

[kldmom2000]

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.

My sentiments too! Although I'd hoped for the free DDP when I booked, I knew it was a possiblity it would not be offered at that time.... so now I'm looking on the bright side and hoping that everyone decides to go after me and make the parks empty!

 

[CanadianGuy]

Ok we've strayed off topic pretty substantially and I'm going to delete a couple of posts and close this thread.

I'm not issuing any warnings or infractions this time around.

Please please please try to remember to treat other posters with respect and try to remember that even tho some are trying to inject levity others may not see it that way.

Thank you,

Knox