No Free Dining = No WDW This Year?

[ppoe65]

Wow...maybe you should pick another place to go. I can understand people saying they can not afford to go without a deal, but your demands of Disney are just plain shocking!

Here is from wikipedia...

"Walt Disney World Resort is the largest and most visited recreational resort in the world[citation needed], containing four theme parks, two water parks, 24 themed hotels, and numerous shopping, dining, entertainment and recreation venues. The resort complex is owned and operated by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, a division of the The Walt Disney Company. It is located in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, a tourist area southwest of Orlando. The property is often abbreviated as Disney World or WDW."

It also goes on to say that there are over 20 million visitors to the MK annually. Another 15 Mil + to Epcot and over 10 mil each to AK and DHS.

Disney resorts and theme parks make billions in profit annually, even in hard times. This does not include The Disney Companies other businesses like entire TV networkS. This is only the parks and resorts portion.

Next time you wish to give a shout out to Disney saying you will "NOT" go because they wont feed 8 of you for a week, think about the other 19,999,999 people who will go. I dont think they really care about your $8000, which is not all profit. Another 8 will come along and take your place.

Have fun at Yosemite.

Very well said...If you don't get FD then perhaps shorten your trip. With out the FD, maybe the restaurants won't be so crowded when we go; with or without FD.

 

[focusondisney]

Did I read correctly that you and your husband are both out of work right now and looking to take a vacation?

Yes, you read right. But then she came back to say she was going anyway, even if she had to get a fourth job to pay for it. Joking posts or stirring the pot?

 

[damone]

Thank you Beansmom, I dont have a mortgage/rent, my home is paid for. I still have the $350/month property taxes though, and they are due by Nov 30th of each yr. Having a high-value home does come with some setbacks, but I will get to Disney one way or another this Dec. If I have to get a fourth job, thats what I will do. Thank you for being so nice! I am wondering now if I should talk to my brother-in-laws aunt that works at Disney, she is the parade coordinator for the AK jammin jungle parade, I bet she could help us out a bit. If worse comes to worse, thats what I will do.

Now I'm completely confused.

Here you said: My husband has been off work for almost 6 months and I am laid off, so funds are a little limited.

Now you're saying: If I have to get a fourth job, thats what I will do.

 

[beansmom]

Now I'm completely confused.

Here you said: My husband has been off work for almost 6 months and I am laid off, so funds are a little limited.

Now you're saying: If I have to get a fourth job, thats what I will do.

I took it to mean she is anticipating finding work asap and that she will do whatever she has to to try to make her Disney dream come true. I wish her the very best of luck.

 

[lustergirl]

As I sit here reading this thread I tell myself "wow". I am contemplating right now in cancelling my upcoming trip because I just dont feel like shelling out that type of money. I and hubby are gainfully employed (thank god) but with current economic times it is hard to shell out such money. If I was unemployed I would be more worried about paying bills and putting food on the table, providing for my family at home. Disney will always be there and I hope that the OP will realize this.

 

[my3squeals]

To Jenny- I don't know your situation. You could both be unemployed and still doing by far better than my DH and I who both work, it really is none of my business. If you want to go to WDW, then plan away...... I do understand how a discount makes a trip easier.

Just my 2 cents worth otherwise.......

I really have no idea if FD will come or not. We planned WDW this year and we will be going. FD was/is a promo. I have said this before, FD I believe was introduced to introduce me to the DDP. We had been to WDW times before and had never done the DDP, probably never would have either. That said we now LOVE the DDP (thanks to FD) and now wouldn't do Disney without it, free or OOP.(again we've done FD and OOP) If I could not budget for the DDP or get FD, then we by all means probably would not go to DIsney. I like the convience of having it taken care of ($$ wise) before I arrive. FD is a huge savings for my family too. But so is 40% off at a deluxe (which is our current discount). I also most likely would never stay offsite, not really an option for us. So in that case most likely, if it were off site or not at all, we would be vacationing elsewhere...... close to home, beach, whatever. I know when we go to Disney it is a big chunk of change for us. $3000 is alot to us and to save and pinch pennies, give up little extras while I am paying on the trip is how we manage it. Last year we went to Stone Mtn for 3 days with a pkg(which was excellent I might add) for about a tenth of the price that we will spend at WDW this fall. I refuse to pay full price for Disney. I have done my homework on discounts and know they are out there. Bad economy or good I have seen Disney offer incentitives to ppl to come stay/play with them and whether it will be FD or not who knows. But I truly believe discounts will come......

Let's all just work on giving ppl advice for what they ask for advice on and leaving snide comments to ourselves If I posted every thought I had about a post my count would be 10,000!!!

Most of the time I'm just

 

[trickiwoo]

I went with my boyfriend to WDW last September. We're currently considering a trip again this September.

If they offer FD, we are definitely going to book right away.

If they don't offer FD but offer a different promotion, we will think about the promotion and see if it's something we feel is worth taking advantage of. If so, then we'll book.

If they don't offer any promotions for September or they offer a promotion we're not interested in then we'll go somewhere else instead.

 

[lauraf]

To the OP, I'm not going to judge you, what you do with your own money is your business. I hope you do get FD, sounds like you need to have something fun in your life with your current situation. You never know, by the time your trip comes around you will both be working. I am sure the free dining will come, so make your plans. Remeber you can always cancel.

 

[Jenny Wren]

Did I read correctly that you and your husband are both out of work right now and looking to take a vacation?

Yes, you read it correctly, but I should have been more specific. My husband just got back to work after being off for 6 months, he is self-employed, and with this economy the way it is, he is working, but not like he was years ago. He does home remodeling, and people just arent gettin things done to their homes unless its absolutely necessary. Roofs and windows are about it, cause they have to have them. Me, on the other hand, I am self-employed, have a house cleaning business, and also tend bar at a social club that my parents have run for 30 yrs. I got a third job at school this year, but have not been called to work since Dec 09. I was a substitute. So, no income there. I got this job to go on vacation once a yr, but if Im not workin, then I guess I need to get something else to fill that gap.
Just talked to my brother-in-law he is going to talk to his aunt that works there and see if she can help.
So, I wanted to clarify what I posted earlier. Thanks to all that know where I am coming from. I hadnt been to Disney since I was 12 yrs old, and when we went last yr, I have to say, I had the time of my life. Hubby even loved it, which was a bit unusual. So, my Disney planning is full swing now.

 

[lauraf]

Congrats to you, have fun planning!

 

[Huff]

Wow...maybe you should pick another place to go. I can understand people saying they can not afford to go without a deal, but your demands of Disney are just plain shocking!

Why? We too will not go if there is no FD or comparable discount. Disney becomes too expensive for our vacation. Especially in Sept. when its hot, humid, rainy, hurricane season and we'll have to take kids out of school. FD makes it worthwhile for us. Not worth it for us at Disney's full price. We pick Disney for our destination when it's a good value. Some will pay anything to go to Disney. We won't and not sure why thats troubling to some!

I do understand the 180 day issue partly. People want to plan their bigger vacations well in advance. If the specials come out 180 days but ADR's are less thats gonna make things difficult. I would have no problem if discount specials came out 120 days along with ADR's. Shorter than that and airfare etc. becomes a bigger issue.

 

[Huff]

Very well said...If you don't get FD then perhaps shorten your trip. With out the FD, maybe the restaurants won't be so crowded when we go; with or without FD.

Thats great. If you have the money to not care about discounts such as FD then by all means go! However, if I had such money I'd probably go at a better time of year than Sept! We love late Jan./Feb. with the great weather and low crowds. With FD in the fall we opt for that time as its far more affordable for us.

 

[damone]

I don't understand why some are saying Free Dining or nothing. Is anyone forcing you to eat at all sit down restaurants? AAA discounts are about 20%. General Public discounts are anywhere from 25% - 40%.

Sorry, but I can't feel bad for anyone who "won't go" just because they don't get free dining. Clearly, if you can afford it but won't go because you don't get Free Dining, you don't really care about going that much. No problem, but if you don't care, then why complain about it?

 

[leahjade]

Next time you wish to give a shout out to Disney saying you will "NOT" go because they wont feed 8 of you for a week, think about the other 19,999,999 people who will go

Gee, people get testy if you decide to vacation somewhere other than Disney - it's a big world out there!

I wonder if these people who are judging others who are trying to get a good deal are all paying full rack rate with no discounts? I doubt it!

 

[damone]

I wonder if these people who are judging others who are trying to get a good deal are all paying full rack rate with no discounts? I doubt it!

I'm not paying rack rate. I got a discount. But I really want to go, and if no discounts had come out, I'd stay where I could afford to stay, not complain that Disney was treating me unfairly.

 

[Melanie230]

Gee, people get testy if you decide to vacation somewhere other than Disney - it's a big world out there!

I wonder if these people who are judging others who are trying to get a good deal are all paying full rack rate with no discounts? I doubt it!

I wouldn't worry about it. To some people they think going to Disney is worth full rack rate or a small discount. For our family it isn't. We went to Disney last year for a week and stayed at Pop, and including FD it was $1500. It was totally worth that. I wouldn't pay more than $1800-$1900 to go to Disney for the same deal. We love Disney...we just dont think it is worth the prices they ask.

 

[DISNEY1975]

Its not being testy. Maybe we are reading it wrong, but it sure seems like a lot of people are saying.."If I dont get free dining, Ill show them, Ill give my money to Universal".

Disney is not your local small town restaurant. They really dont care if a few individuals decide not to go because they dont give free dining. Saying you'll take your business elsewhere only makes you sound a little whiney. Venting is one thing, but the babyish finger up to Disney, a place everyone is suppose to love, just makes you sound dumb to me. If Disney were hurting that badly, they would have offered it by now. Apparently they are doing OK without the offer so far. It could still come, and I hope for those going in Sept is does. I also hope there is an offer for Oct, when Im planning on going, but post after post after post on these threads that "Ill go to Universal if they dont give me a super deal" is just _____________ (you can fill in the bank with whatever you want).

Disney did not become a multi billion dollar business by giving everything away. 1,000,000 people can complain about it, but if there is still 19,000,000 people willing to go, they dont have to offer anything for free.

 

[damone]

I wouldn't worry about it. To some people they think going to Disney is worth full rack rate or a small discount. For our family it isn't. We went to Disney last year for a week and stayed at Pop, and including FD it was $1500. It was totally worth that. I wouldn't pay more than $1800-$1900 to go to Disney for the same deal. We love Disney...we just dont think it is worth the prices they ask.

There's nothing wrong with trying to get a discount. I would go no matter what. I wouldn't stay at a Deluxe without the 40% discount we've gotten the past 3 years, but we'd still go. If it's not worth it to you, then don't go. Not trying to sound rude - Just being honest.

 

[damone]

Its not being testy. Maybe we are reading it wrong, but it sure seems like a lot of people are saying.."If I dont get free dining, Ill show them, Ill give my money to Universal".

Disney is not your local small town restaurant. They really dont care if a few individuals decide not to go because they dont give free dining. Saying you'll take your business elsewhere only makes you sound a little whiney. Venting is one thing, but the babyish finger up to Disney, a place everyone is suppose to love, just makes you sound dumb to me. If Disney were hurting that badly, they would have offered it by now. Apparently they are doing OK without the offer so far. It could still come, and I hope for those going in Sept is does. I also hope there is an offer for Oct, when Im planning on going, but post after post after post on these threads that "Ill go to Universal if they dont give me a super deal" is just _____________ (you can fill in the bank with whatever you want).

Disney did not become a multi billion dollar business by giving everything away. 1,000,000 people can complain about it, but if there is still 19,000,000 people willing to go, they dont have to offer anything for free.

 

[dd50]

I'm not paying rack rate. I got a discount. But I really want to go, and if no discounts had come out, I'd stay where I could afford to stay, not complain that Disney was treating me unfairly.

I went last year the week before free food because I didn't want to deal with so many crowds and I paid for the DDP. When I started going to Disney there were no discounts and the parks were pretty full.