Sept. Dining Plan Option...What do you think?

[jenins121681]

Just wondering what everyone thinks about the following:September Disney Dining Plan Option

In anticipation of the increased demand at the full serve restaurants during the Magic Your Way "free dining" period, guests who arrive by September 22, (length of stay thru September 29) can redeem a Table Service meal for a Quick Serve meal. In consideration, you will be given your choice of:

Disney Dining Plan Snack Certificate good for two snacks. (These must be redeemed at the same time at the same snack location) ~OR~
Disney Merchandise Certificate good for one selected Disney collectible pin and lanyard set.

While it doesn't effect me because I made all my ADRs 180 days out.....I still don't know what to think.....On the one hand I think it is good that Disney is acknowledging that there are not enough TS options open during free dining and that they are trying to compensate for that....but on the other hand I don't think a CS meal and 2 snacks or a collectible lanyard and pin set is comparable to a TS meal.....what do you all think???

 

[bicker]

Last year, it was two snacks AND the lanyard. So apparently, that was a little too generous for Disney, so now it is the two snacks and the lanyard.

I wouldn't recommend taking the exchange but it is an option for people too uninformed or blaise to make advance reservations and too lazy to truck off to Olivia's or Shutters to have dinner.

 

[num1tigerfan]

I know it sounds silly, but last year we opted to trade in our TS. It was so very hot and we just were not hungry. we already had our ADR's but cancelled last minute. We wanted to keep riding rides and not take the time for sit down so it made sense for us. We only got the CS and 2 snack cert. NOT both. Again it was not the best trade but it was better than losing the credit all together. We used the snack credits to get mickey pretzels to take home to the kids.

 

[DanaHesson]

well....
We were leaving ONE floating TS credit, to probably use at ESPN or BnC on our check out day. I think maybe I will book it somewhere,anywhere, and then cancel later if we decide not to eat where we booked it.

 

[Microcell]

Not my cup of tea. I like to eat, and I got on the phone at 7AM 180 days out, and we will be paying OOP for a TS, so I need all the free ones I can get!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Not for me, but bicker, do you remember there being questions about this exact thing recently? And other posters saying they wish they could trade their table service credits for counter service?

OP - you're right, it's not comparable, but this option is only valid during the Free Dining promotion, so it's not as if Guests actually paid cash for the DDP and aren't getting their money's worth. ARGUMENT PREVENTION ALERT: Yes, I'm aware of the "but it's not free because you pay full price for the room" POV, but since that's going on in various other threads, let's leave it out of this one, okay?

 

[Nienor]

Last year, it was two snacks AND the lanyard. So apparently, that was a little too generous for Disney, so now it is the two snacks and the lanyard.

I wouldn't recommend taking the exchange but it is an option for people too uninformed or blaise to make advance reservations and too lazy to truck off to Olivia's or Shutters to have dinner.

No, last year it was for two snacks OR the lanyard/pin OR a poster.

I exchanged one TS credit last year. I had one left due to me being too sick/tired on our arrival day to want dinner. I sat at Prime Time Cafe and watched my DH and DS eat. Couldn't convince my DH it would have been better to go back to the hotel and get counter service. So it was great to exchange one random TS credit for a counter service and pin/lanyard set.

FYI, the pin/lanyard set is pretty cheesy. Last year it was a plain blue lanyard and a Donald or Mickey on a plane pin. I think getting the two snack voucher is better value, but both snacks have to be redeemed at the same time.

 

[POOHDRMR]

There are days when we just don't feel like going to a sit down meal. I don't like having to pick what i'm in the mood for 6 months before I go all the time.Sometimes my daughter justs wants to stay longer at the park or go swiming and not have to go to a restaurant.We were able to exchange the credits last year and it worked out great for us on the day after mnsshp when we were all tired from staying up till 2 in the morning.Yes I made adr's for the places i really want to go but we are going for 10 days and I left 3 days free to decide.I am sure we will exchange 1 again this year.Plus my daughter loved getting the pins and trading them cause she didn't want to trade the ones she picked out and bought!So basically to each his own on this subject is my feeling!!

 

[aubriee]

Just wondering what everyone thinks about the following:September Disney Dining Plan Option
In anticipation of the increased demand at the full serve restaurants during the Magic Your Way "free dining" period, guests who arrive by September 22, (length of stay thru September 29) can redeem a Table Service meal for a Quick Serve meal. [/COLOR][/SIZE]

Anyone notice that the dates for this are for arrivals prior to Sept 22nd with length of stay only thru Sept 29th. It looks like they purposely did not include all the UK and Bounce Back dates. I'll be there Sept 29th-Oct 7th and also have free dining, but through the Bounce Back Program. While not really interested in this offer, it would be nice to have had the option to trade for a few more snacks for the Food & Wine Festival booths .

 

[bicker]

No, last year it was for two snacks OR the lanyard/pin OR a poster.

That's not the way I remember it, but to be fair, my memory of things like that is sketchy. However, from the Dining Plan FAQ for this forum:

During the 2006 free dining promotion, Disney did extend an offer to use TS credits for CS meals (plus two snacks and a lanyard), but that offer has expired.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1479952

If that was inaccurate, and it was the snacks or the lanyard, and this year it is the snacks or a choice of qualifying merchandise including the lanyard, that makes the exchange more generous than last year, and that doesn't fit with some of the other changes we hear are coming down the pike for the Dining Plan.

 

[bicker]

Anyone notice that the dates for this are for arrivals prior to Sept 22nd with length of stay only thru Sept 29th. It looks like they purposely did not include all the UK and Bounce Back dates. I'll be there Sept 29th-Oct 7th and also have free dining, but through the Bounce Back Program. While not really interested in this offer, it would be nice to have had the option to trade for a few more snacks for the Food & Wine Festival booths .

Actually, I suspect that it was specifically the Food & Wine Festival that they were trying to avoid complications with regard to -- nothing against the UK and bounce-back patrons themselves.

 

[Lewisc]

My memory is last year the advance information was 2 snacks or the pin/lanyard but Disney wound up giving guests both. Unless they improve the quality of the "collectible pin" I'd expect this year to also wind up being both.

 

[StrollPatrolMom]

My guess is there are angry free diners who didn't plan in advance. Boo-Hoo.

As late as last week, both myself and the friends we are going with were able to make additional TS ADR's at 4 different restaurants...we are traveling from the 21st-27th

We booked San Angel Inn
Jiko's
Yachtsman
Boma just late last week.

We each have like 13 or something TS reserved....I can't imagine not trying to somewhat plan in advance which is why I found the disboards...I guess its nice that they are being somewhat flexible, but I saw this coming from 10 miles away...(especially considering we booked our trip THE first day it was open to the general public and weren't able to get a few places we wanted in APRIL )

 

[StrollPatrolMom]

maybe this part of free dining is going to be really busy

I hope not.

 

[Luv2Roam]

If there is free dining, you can bet on being busy. But still do-able. Just have to plan better. And I know Dis-ers HATE to plan.
At least guests have an option. There are various reasons they do not use all their meal credits, from illness to just over tired. At least they get something.
There are places to dine. Even ADRs can normally be made somewhere last minute. The ADR just may not be where they want, the time or place. But that is what goes without making ADRs in advance.
Last minute or non-ADRs throws in a lot of extra time, effort and possibly money. (Like last weekend when I was at DTD and a guest is trying to find a sit down to walk in and eat on the DDP. Nothing available until the 9:30 - 11:30 pm range.)

 

[Nienor]

That's not the way I remember it, but to be fair, my memory of things like that is sketchy. However, from the Dining Plan FAQ for this forum:http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1479952

As I said, I did exchange one TS credit so I remember. It was a coupon you could redeem for 2 snacks at once anywhere or a pin/lanyard set or a poster that could be redeemed in the gift shop. With the quality of the pin/lanyard set, they should have given me both. That pin was immediately traded and the blue lanyard is lurking around my house somewhere. I went the last week in September last year and they still weren't giving out both items. When you turned in the coupon it was done. I saw the poster too and didn't think the poster was anything special or 'commemorative' as it was being described.

Personally, I couldn't imagine trading in a whole set of TS credits for CS. You could get reservations somewhere even if it's only for breakfast. But it was nice for my one random credit. I wasn't reserving an entire extra meal to use one credit.

 

[kimisabella]

Last year while at the POP, a family was leaving the foodcourt and they came up to dh and said they didn't use all their credits and were leaving so they gave the credits to dh - we went over and used the credits to buy my dd a lanyard & pin, then used other credits for the snacks - so it definitley was the lanyard or the snacks.

I still can't get over the fact that people would actually leave disney with
10+ credits - just grab any snacks, ect!!!

 

[GIGI&MIMI]

We paid OOP at Sci-Fi for a kids meal (5.99) and ended up with a extra TS credit on our last day. We traded ir for a CS breakfast and the lanyard/pin set, plus we got a voucher for the 2 bus pins with our reservation packet. We went to DTD before we left and DD was able to trade all 3 pins and had a great last day. So it was worth it for us considering the meal value plus the pin.

 

[melomouse]

....I wouldn't recommend taking the exchange but it is an option for people too uninformed or blaise to make advance reservations and too lazy to truck off to Olivia's or Shutters to have dinner.

(Italics mine)


This just struck me as hysterically funny, bicker.

 

[bicker]

Now I'm dying to know what you actually italicized, since the board software italiced the entire quote.