Sign if you booked WDW trip in hopes of FREE DDP & will cancel if not offered

[WDW1st-timers]

Okay I thought that I would see actually how many people out there have booked a trip with Disney in hopes that the free dining plan would come out, BUT are going to cancel and not go if Disney doesn't offer it.

 

[harleyquinn]

I highly doubt too many people will tell you they are doing this whether they are or not.

The situation you describe will get anyone who admits to it flamed like there is no tomorrow.

The belief on this board is that booking a room intending to change if a deal comes out doesn't help anyone because
1. You are not guaranteed to get exactly what you booked before if you change to a deal. Deals are limited.
2. Booking a room makes it less likely that anything will be offered, because Disney doesn't have to fill your room, you already booked it.
3. If everyone booked with the hopes of a deal, no one would get it because the rooms would already be booked.

It would be nice to know what percentage of people do do this. I bet Disney would love that information.

 

[harleyquinn]

Actually, Disney encourages this practice.

Allowing refundable deposits and easy price adjustment to your rezzie don't peanalize people for changing their mind. If they didn't want people to be able to book *potential* trips, they would not refund deposits or allow price adjustments later when codes come out.

CMs will tell you directly on the phone that it's the smart thing to do. They'll say "It's much better to book now and cancel if you have to, then wait for a code only to find out the hotel is booked and you can't get in.

Even outside Disney this is standard practice. My daughter is in a sport where nationals are held at Norte Dame every summer. The hotels all tell you...book a year in advance and cancel if you're not coming, do NOT wait until summer because the rates will be higher and the hotel full.

To compensate for this practice, hotels overbook. They work off a historical cancel % estimate. Disney by now are experts. Those experts KNOW people are booking for August and September hoping for free food. Many people have mentioned/asked about the chances of free dining again this year and that gets passed to Mgt (because in a call center you hear the reps talking and saying things like 'they all keep asking if there will be free food'.)

Anyone who is not booking a risk-free vacation to save their place for Aug/Sept is missing an opportunity to have their foot in the door when/if Free DDP is offered. The only thing you stand to lose, if you took it, is the vacation insurance ($119 for 2 adults, kids free) and that's a risk a lot of people are willing to take too. If those people cancel, Disney gets $119 for doing nothing! They love that! If the customer keeps their rezzie, they love that too!

No one should feel bad, they should feel smart. It's all good business practice and The Mouse is not losing in any way.

I took that off another thread. I hope the OP doesn't mind. it's a great post! it's always good to have another point of view.

My personal opinion is you should do whatever you want to do! If you feel more comfortable being booked, then book. it's none of our business unless you make it. I wouldn't care even if you did beyond knowing how many people were planing this. I think it would be a very interesting number!

 

[HaleyB]

I am about to book a possible trip for Sept/Oct.

If they offer free food we will keep it, if they do not we will change our dates. Sept is not the best time of year for us, so there needs to be a big perk to get us to go. If we are going to pay close to rake rates we will go when it is a better time of year for us.

 

[Ms_Maggs]

I took that off another thread. I hope the OP doesn't mind. it's a great post! it's always good to have another point of view.

My personal opinion is you should do whatever you want to do! If you feel more comfortable being booked, then book. it's none of our business unless you make it. I wouldn't care even if you did beyond knowing how many people were planing this. I think it would be a very interesting number!

That was my post. I don't mind that you used it I posted it because I didn't want people to feel bad about booking possible trips when, as a former Corporate Exec and someone familiar with the hotel industry, I know how things work.

I can't think of an executive who would say "I'd much rather my rooms be sitting unbooked than to have someone book one who *might* not end up coming." First and foremost, it looks bad to stockholders to have your hotel rooms empty. If people cancel and they need to fill those room in Sept/Aug, they will run a promo to make up the difference. The more time your rooms are booked the better the outlook looks to shareholders. That's exactly why Disney CMs enourage you to book trips even if you say "I can't afford that". Their standard line is "it's early, there's still plenty of time for a deal and your money is refundable until _____."

There will always be a % of people who book thinking they won't go, but manage to pull it out anyway (or put it on credit) because they've had the dream for months and can't bear to cancel. If you discourage potential trips, you lose all of those people. Think of it like a car dealer letting you test drive a new car...they want you to be home dreaming of it being yours. That's what you start doing once you book.

Another % book the trip to motivate themselves to save for it and they do it, because they have their eyes on the prize. If potential booking was discoraged, the company would lose them too.

Even with the free DDP last year, the parks were NOT crowded. They needed the patrons, as much as some patrons needed the free DDP.

To the Corporate Exec...a dollar is a dollar. There is none of this "those people aren't the kind we want to attract" thinking. Not many companies can afford to have that attitude. Today's family who is struggling to make a trip, can become tomorrow's family who pays cash for the Grand Floridian. I took my family to DW after spending at DL for years, because of the Free DDP making it enticing to try it, even though I wasn't planning on going until my youngest was 5. I'm now willing to fly to the opposite coast, and we're going back this year...two trips before I had planned on starting to visit DW.

Posters may bash 'Free DDP or We're Not Coming people', but the Disney Accountants will welcome them with open arms. A good chunk of them will arrive in Disney thinking "Since the food is free, I can buy more stuff!!!"

I will still go if free DDP is not offered this year, but there was no way I was going to keep my Rack Rate vacation package that I initially booked, because I've never paid Rack Rate in my life! LOL why would I start now? 40% off the room is a nice deal, free DDP would be even better. Booking a Rack Rate trip is a starting point, then you should always look for a better deal. Any self-made millionaire will agree with me You don't throw money away if you don't have to and there's always some kind of deal somewhere.

I hope that helps some people not feel bad, even if they've been bashed already.

 

[TDC Nala]

I took that off another thread. I hope the OP doesn't mind. it's a great post! it's always good to have another point of view.

My personal opinion is you should do whatever you want to do! If you feel more comfortable being booked, then book. it's none of our business unless you make it. I wouldn't care even if you did beyond knowing how many people were planing this. I think it would be a very interesting number!

But if enough of you reserve your place, it cuts down on the likelihood that WDW will need to offer a promotion.

 

[DISNEY FIX]

I have the sinking feeling that we making our back to high school.
Are posters really afraid of being bashed for making a trip in high hopes and not having it work out? I am going to guess 2 things: These trips we talk forever about, a lot of people simple cannot afford, free dining or not. Secondly the %age of people who go far enough to book a trip and put a deposit down on it will wind up going. Even if the dates are moved a week/month here or there.
So in reality how many people are tipping the balances to the panic of 'no free dining', only in big fat America will people get riled up over 'free food they should be getting.'

Thank you,
End of rant
P.S. please let me know if t he horse get up we'll beat em' again.

 

[WDW1st-timers]

By all means I did not want this to be a rant. Honestly I just wanted to see approximate numbers. I didn't want anyones feeling to get hurt. I'm sorry now that I posted something like this...........

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

There have been lots of threads similar to this in which most included anonymous polls -- and still only a few people were truthful about booking only to secure a room in hopes free DDP would be offered. So, I'd be really surprised to see very many people responding.

I went ahead and booked with the 40% off promo and thought: Hey, if something better comes along I'll rebook...if not, I've got a great rate anyway. For me it's going to be a win/win situation regardless of free DDP. (And yes, I will jump on the offer immediately if it becomes an option!)

 

[disneyjunkie]

I went ahead and booked with the 40% off promo and thought: Hey, if something better comes along I'll rebook...if not, I've got a great rate anyway. For me it's going to be a win/win situation regardless of free DDP. (And yes, I will jump on the offer immediately if it becomes an option!)

I did the same thing.

I know that we're going, I just don't know which discount I'll be using. (40% or free dining )

 

[Trekker]

People - People - People

Take a chill pill and be nice to each other, there is no reason to take pot shots at each other or get sarcastic in your responses.

Booking a room now in the hopes of free dining later is no different than all the people who have AP or AAA or are waiting for a code who book the room ahead of time in the hopes they can apply the AP or AAA or whatever code when it comes out.

Happens all the time, has been happening for years, has very little if any affect on what Disney does or does not offer.

You gotta realize that although we are the largest community on the net dedicated to Disney we are but a handful of the people who are guests of Disney each and every year.

 

[Lewisc]

Your 100% right, this is the same situation as people who used to book on "spec" hoping for an AP or other code discount. It's possible more guests are booking "on spec" for free dining than for previous promotions.

Guests who book "on spec" in case their favorite hotel become sold out for their dates aren't doing anything. Disney won't be offering discounted inventory (including free dining) if a hotel is sold out, or nearly sold out, for those dates.

It makes more sense to book a resort class you might keep, at the rates you booked, and upgrade if a promotional package (including free dining) becomes available.

I agree a couple of people booking "on spec" doesn't do much to affect Disney's decision but a guest calling cold has about the same chance of grabbing a promotional room as a guest who already has a reservation. Last two years almost every poster who called within the first couple of weeks of the free dining promotion got what they were looking for.

People - People - People

Take a chill pill and be nice to each other, there is no reason to take pot shots at each other or get sarcastic in your responses.

Booking a room now in the hopes of free dining later is no different than all the people who have AP or AAA or are waiting for a code who book the room ahead of time in the hopes they can apply the AP or AAA or whatever code when it comes out.

Happens all the time, has been happening for years, has very little if any affect on what Disney does or does not offer.

You gotta realize that although we are the largest community on the net dedicated to Disney we are but a handful of the people who are guests of Disney each and every year.

 

[Trekker]

upgrade if a promotional package (including free dining) becomes available.

Last two years almost every poster who called within the first couple of weeks of the free dining promotion got what they were looking for.

Both very good points - I tend to do the first one, book a value - maybe upgrade to a deluxe if rates come out.

LOL! Last year we did not plan to go to Disney -- well we were there in Aug because when I got the free dining offer I could not resist - booked in the first week is was offered - had my choice of any resort.

Have a good week folks!

 

[skier_pete]

Hey, I don't care what people think.

I booked a week at POP in September, and I have no intention of going if they maintain the rack rate. However, that being said, I am 100 % convinced that there will be some kind of public discount. Come on, folks. They have a public code for Feb and March, they have a public code for May and April. Now, admitttedly these are only for free hopper upgrades, but these are MUCH BUSIER times of year than September. They will offer a public code in AUGUST/SEPT. I am 90 % sure it will be free dining. (For numerous reasons I won't go into here, but if not, they will offer something.)

Yes, people got the 40 % off code that weren't supposed to, but so what. There are 20,000 hotel rooms on Disney property to fill EVERY DAY. If I say the average person stays for 5 nights, that's 1.46 MILLION reservations a year Disney needs to fill. The few thousand people that lucked into this special code are distributed across all the weeks. The only affect this will have is MAYBE a few less rooms will be made available on a public code, so all the more reason to spring right away.

If they offer free dining, I will change my ressie and upgrade to a mod. If they only give a discount (25 % say), I might stay where I am. If they offer nothing, I will cancel.

SkierPete

 

[ktink]

We are currently booked at AKL and have paid for the package in full. We always travel in September however if free dining doesn't come out, we will downgrade to a value and pay for DDP. DH and are wanting to stay at ASMu anyway, I however want to stay at AKL so we're still in debate over resort anyway. Only difference is that WDWT will owe us a little refund.

 

[pperfectmom]

We are currently booked at AKL and have paid for the package in full. We always travel in September however if free dining doesn't come out, we will downgrade to a value and pay for DDP. DH and are wanting to stay at ASMu anyway, I however want to stay at AKL so we're still in debate over resort anyway. Only difference is that WDWT will owe us a little refund.

We are planning something similar. I'm booking WL because that's what I really want. We'll be able to pay 2/3 up front. When April comes with/without free DDP we will have to reconsider. If our finances are in great shape we will keep WL if they do free DDP and still have to come up with over $1000. If our finances are squirrelly and they offer free DDP we will drop down to a mod(probably CBR). If they don't offer free DDP at all and our finances are squirrelly we will drop down to a value(probably ASMo) so we can pay for the DDP ourselves. We are totally sold on the DDP idea and will have it one way or another. Just WHERE we'll actually be eating all of our yummy grub is the only part that's negotiable.