No Free Dining = No WDW This Year?

[damone]

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.

We go every year, and honestly, I don't remember the last time I paid rack rate. We've either gotten an AP rate, a Bounceback Offer, or a AAA rate.

I agree with those that have said I really hope Free Dining doesn't come for this summer. We're going in August and already have all of our ADR's, but I can't stand standing behind people at CS restaurants or food carts in the park who are either complaining about what they have left on the DP or don't know how to use it. Sorry to those waiting for it, but there are other options out there for good discounts.

 

[Melanie230]

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.

For me you are reading it wrong. No other way to say it. If Disney doesn't offer Free Dining we will go to Universal. Nothing whiney, or dumb. It makes good financial sense for us. For the record...not everyone loves Disney. We liked Disney a lot. We had a great time. Did we have a great enough time to go back this year...same time, same place, with dining included BUT pay double what we paid last year? Absolutely NOT. In my opinion anyone that would do that is dumb. We prefer to pay a lot less, stay in a MUCH nicer hotel, and have front of the line passes and go to Universal for much less. nothing dumb, whiney, or _____________(fill in the blank however you will) about it.

 

[damone]

For me you are reading it wrong. No other way to say it. If Disney doesn't offer Free Dining we will go to Universal. Nothing whiney, or dumb. It makes good financial sense for us. For the record...not everyone loves Disney. We liked Disney a lot. We had a great time. Did we have a great enough time to go back this year...same time, same place, with dining included BUT pay double what we paid last year? Absolutely NOT. In my opinion anyone that would do that is dumb. We prefer to pay a lot less, stay in a MUCH nicer hotel, and have front of the line passes and go to Universal for much less. nothing dumb, whiney, or _____________(fill in the blank however you will) about it.

We're doing both Universal and Disney this summer, but I don't find Universal all cheap, by any means. We're paying about $1,400 for 3 nights with tickets. That averages out to about $466 per night. We're staying at Yacht Club for 13 nights at an average of about $392 per night.

 

[Melanie230]

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.

I dont think you are being rude. I believe that is what I said. It isn't worth it...we won't go. I wasn't trying to be rude either...I am just being honest.

 

[Melanie230]

We're doing both Universal and Disney this summer, but I don't find Universal all cheap, by any means. We're paying about $1,400 for 3 nights with tickets. That averages out to about $466 per night. We're staying at Yacht Club for 13 nights at an average of about $392 per night.

Well I don't know when you are heading down to Universal. We are going in Oct. We got the stay more save more rate. We are staying at the Hard Rock Hotel for $131 per night. (In reality we are paying for 4 nights and getting 3 free) You add that to the $396 we spent of 7 day 2park unlimited pass we will be spending $1452 for hotel and tickets. Add another $900 for food and the total is $2352. That is much less than the $3000 Disney wants for hotel, tickets, and dining at a value resort. Not to mention the Unlimited FOTL passes.

 

[damone]

Well I don't know when you are heading down to Universal. We are going in Oct. We got the stay more save more rate. We are staying at the Hard Rock Hotel for $131 per night. (In reality we are paying for 4 nights and getting 3 free) You add that to the $396 we spent of 7 day 2park unlimited pass we will be spending $1452 for hotel and tickets. Add another $900 for food and the total is $2352. That is much less than the $3000 Disney wants for hotel, tickets, and dining at a value resort. Not to mention the Unlimited FOTL passes.

That's an awesome rate for the HRH. We're going in August, and there's no such great rates unfortunately. Not complaining though - Universal is well worth the extra cost to stay on site with FOTL.

 

[Melanie230]

That's an awesome rate for the HRH. We're going in August, and there's no such great rates unfortunately. Not complaining though - Universal is well worth the extra cost to stay on site with FOTL.

Absolutely...FOTL is amazing! I couldn't believe how cheap it was either. In fact I called reservations to make sure.

 

[englishrose47]

I have to agree the only way I can afford to go this september is if there is frre dining !!Not that Iwill be going to Universal instead !!I am kicking myself for not doing bounceback last year!!! I plan on booking this week and then praying FD is there I have SWA credit so airfare is taken care till Oct/Nov !!! Would be willing to go later if FD offered then !!Infact as long as I can still use my credit I would prefer it later !!

 

[Huff]

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?

Plain and simple! Food at Disneyworld is very expensive. Tickets are expensive, Hotels are expensive, airfare to get there is expensive. Free dining makes WDW affordable for us. Otherwise, nope. If you have gobs of cash to go no matter what the cost then by all means go! Don't knock us poor folks who aren't so lucky!

That said, if there were some other room, ticket, airfare package that saved as much as free dining then yes, I would take that and go. We stay at the values and the room only deals are currently 20% on a PIN I got. That would save us about $150 or so. Not enough to be affordable for us.

 

[Huff]

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.

What crowds? Parks have never been crowded during FD when we've gone. Restaurants are a bit crowded but even then many were not. Disney can't offer free food for every single room they have on property. There are not enough restaurants to support them. Free dining is also only for onsite guests. That means off-site hotels are slim bookings which means parks are not crowded at all.

 

[Melanie230]

I have to agree the only way I can afford to go this september is if there is frre dining !!Not that Iwill be going to Universal instead !!I am kicking myself for not doing bounceback last year!!! I plan on booking this week and then praying FD is there I have SWA credit so airfare is taken care till Oct/Nov !!! Would be willing to go later if FD offered then !!Infact as long as I can still use my credit I would prefer it later !!

I sort of want to kick myself for not booking bounceback. However I am also glad I didn't. At the time we didn't have our school schedule and had no way of knowing what their track out would be like. We go on a year round school calendar and it started last year Sept 26...this year it starts Oct 2. Oh well...maybe Free dining will be back and it wont matter!

 

[DISNEY1975]

Plain and simple! Food at Disneyworld is very expensive. Tickets are expensive, Hotels are expensive, airfare to get there is expensive. Free dining makes WDW affordable for us. Otherwise, nope. If you have gobs of cash to go no matter what the cost then by all means go! Don't knock us poor folks who aren't so lucky!

That said, if there were some other room, ticket, airfare package that saved as much as free dining then yes, I would take that and go. We stay at the values and the room only deals are currently 20% on a PIN I got. That would save us about $150 or so. Not enough to be affordable for us.

Im not knocking anyone. I, too, am waiting for a discount. I have never paid full price for anything, and I dont plan on starting now! Like a PP said, there are options. AAA, AP pass, Disney Visa..

Im knocking the people who just WONT go because there is no free dining. Like I said in many many previous posts, for people who are on a budget and need it and are wishing for it..thats me too! BUT..people saying No FD, Disney needs my business and has to offer me something grand or Ill go elsewhere..thats just ridiculous, IMO.

 

[Melanie230]

Im not knocking anyone. I, too, am waiting for a discount. I have never paid full price for anything, and I dont plan on starting now! Like a PP said, there are options. AAA, AP pass, Disney Visa..

Im knocking the people who just WONT go because there is no free dining. Like I said in many many previous posts, for people who are on a budget and need it and are wishing for it..thats me too! BUT..people saying No FD, Disney needs my business and has to offer me something grand or Ill go elsewhere..thats just ridiculous, IMO.

Who has said that? Who ever said that...I agree that is ridiculous.

 

[catrax]

I would just like to say that we all do this kind of thing in our everyday lives. We pass by certain items in the supermarket from week to week waiting for a sale so that we can stock up. If the exact item that we want isn't on sale, we might opt for the generic brand b/c it's not worth the extra cost on an average day. Maybe we are so attached to that brand (like my Coke ) that we will buy it no matter what. Or when we go car shopping - we wait until certain times of year to buy a car or simply avoid a certain type of car or dealership b/c they aren't offering discounts. It's not a perfect analogy, but it definitely does ring bells for me. Brand loyalty only gets you so far - everyone has their limits and it's all relative to your individual situation. Either way, I'm not sure that it is childish to say, "Show me the deal or I'm heading next door!"

I, for one, will be going this year regardless - the kids are begging for it! It will just mean that we're cutting back on other things - Christmas, b-days, eating out - all of that. My kids are young (6, 4, 1) so I wouldn't go to Universal since the ages don't quite work out. If my kids were all 5 years older, we'd be heading straight for Universal and the much more enticing deals and new features they are offering. Also, please note that they'll be tearing up Fantasyland and Mickey's TTF in the coming months which takes a bit away from our upcoming vacation. All things that I have considered carefully and just decided to go anyway - it doesn't make me feel any extra Disney magic, but it is what it is. I'm still crossing my fingers for Free Dining for me and everyone else who has planned their vacation around it.

 

[tpholland]

Well said. I also do not know WHY people think Disney OWES them a discount on anything. But yanno what? I think I'm gonna call up Buckingham Palace and DEMAND that Old Liz send me a check because I had to pay for all my own food, hotel AND entertainment in London last year. And Hollywood...I was just there LAST MONTH and again, I had to pay for all my own food, etc. They owe me a nite in the Governor's mansion NOW. I'll deal with Texas, NYC, NJ, and New Orleans when I get back from my compensation week in Hawaii! Lookout Italy, here I come!!

I am also glad to get discounts and freebies, but I don't think Disney OWES them to me. And, frankly, if you can't afford a vacation somewhere if you don't get free food, I wouldn't plan on going at all. Camp close to home...go to the beach in your own state...find something you CAN afford. We went to Disney at least 5 times last year but this year, we are spending two weeks in my mil's condo in upstate NY. Why? Coz it's cheaper.

And Port Orleans Fan, we are right with ya. We are NOT selfish, imo, I just want to be able to take two steps without stepping on your child and I don't want to wait 3 hours in line for Peter Pan. I also spend American currency on my vacation. I don't get to pay with monopoly money.

Yes, I will take advantage of any discounts I can but I am not gonna stand here and stomp my foot and scream because Disney expects me to PAY them for using their facilities and eating food there. (Nervy bums!)

AMEN AMEN AMEN. We are currently booked for a bounceback, but it would not keep us from going if it were not offfered. In fact after the first year (which we actually thought was to get people interested in table service) we said we would continue to puchase the dining package. We did table service prior to the package & we love the idea of having everything paid for up front. To expect something for free is ridiculous jmho

 

[Huff]

people saying No FD, Disney needs my business and has to offer me something grand or Ill go elsewhere..thats just ridiculous, IMO.

Disney does have to offer me a good deal or I won't go. Whats wrong with that? Now I do understand that if the parks and hotels are full then I wouldn't expect any great deals. That would also mean I would not be able to afford to go and I would indeed go elsewhere that is a more affordable vacation. Disneyworld is too high priced for me without a deal such as FD or some other comparable offer.

 

[Huff]

I think people have a wrong attitude towards those that will not go without FD or comparable offer. I don't think Disney owes me anything. I do think their standard rates are absurdly high priced. I refuse to pay such high rates and will take my money elsewhere without a decent affordable offer.

Sometimes I get the impression that because it's Disney people should just suck it up and pay whatever Disney charges...because its DISNEY! Like any product or service if the price is too high I vote with my feet. Disney doesn't owe me anything but I don't owe them more than what their product is worth to me.

 

[Melanie230]

I would just like to say that we all do this kind of thing in our everyday lives. We pass by certain items in the supermarket from week to week waiting for a sale so that we can stock up. If the exact item that we want isn't on sale, we might opt for the generic brand b/c it's not worth the extra cost on an average day. Maybe we are so attached to that brand (like my Coke ) that we will buy it no matter what. Or when we go car shopping - we wait until certain times of year to buy a car or simply avoid a certain type of car or dealership b/c they aren't offering discounts. It's not a perfect analogy, but it definitely does ring bells for me. Brand loyalty only gets you so far - everyone has their limits and it's all relative to your individual situation. Either way, I'm not sure that it is childish to say, "Show me the deal or I'm heading next door!"

I, for one, will be going this year regardless - the kids are begging for it! It will just mean that we're cutting back on other things - Christmas, b-days, eating out - all of that. My kids are young (6, 4, 1) so I wouldn't go to Universal since the ages don't quite work out. If my kids were all 5 years older, we'd be heading straight for Universal and the much more enticing deals and new features they are offering. Also, please note that they'll be tearing up Fantasyland and Mickey's TTF in the coming months which takes a bit away from our upcoming vacation. All things that I have considered carefully and just decided to go anyway - it doesn't make me feel any extra Disney magic, but it is what it is. I'm still crossing my fingers for Free Dining for me and everyone else who has planned their vacation around it.

It wouldn't be fun for the 1 yr old at Universal...but your 6 and 4 yr old would have a blast. The first year we went to Universal my children were 4 and 6 yrs old. They loved it. Cried almost the entire way home.

 

[beansmom]

Sometimes I get the impression that because it's Disney people should just suck it up and pay whatever Disney charges...because its DISNEY! Like any product or service if the price is too high I vote with my feet. Disney doesn't owe me anything but I don't owe them more than what their product is worth to me.

And sometimes *I* get the impression that people think because it's Disney and they're a HUGE conglomerate that Disney can afford to give the shop away. That's it's almost immoral for Disney to make a profit on us poor addicts.

But, I think the thread---for me anyway---is digressing. My original thought was for the PP who stated she and her DH hadn't worked in a while but she was worried about being able to go to Disney. Again, her business surely, but it did seem a little messed up priority-wise to my mind.

And that PP came back and stated that her original post wasn't even close to the reality of the situation. When you give a half-baked story, you will get half-baked responses.

 

[damone]

Sometimes I get the impression that because it's Disney people should just suck it up and pay whatever Disney charges...because its DISNEY! Like any product or service if the price is too high I vote with my feet. Disney doesn't owe me anything but I don't owe them more than what their product is worth to me.

I don't think so. I just think some people think that Disney owes them something because they have been loyal customers. There are some things Disney does that I don't like. I think their dispersal of who gets pin codes is kind of unfair, but it is what it is. They don't owe anyone anything.