Strange Free Dining 2012 Encounter

[ChristianR]

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/special-offers/

When you click on this link and then change the country setting at the bottom to United Kingdom you will get this Special Offer:

Minnie Reasons to Book Early for 2012!
Dine for Free plus $300 Disney Spending Money

Strange that it shows $300 although it is for the UK. For some reason when I click on the special it does not work. The current Free Dining 2012 for the UK is different from this offer. Could this be a hint for the US Free Dining offer for 2012?

 

[Tinker12]

Wow! I'm jealous! I wish we had deals like this!!! Maybe we need to move

 

[DebbieB]

Looking at their dining plan prices and converting the pound to dollars:

Counter Service Plan for May (23.99) = $39
Regular Dining Plan for May (33.99) = $55
Deluxe Dining Plan for May (52.99) = $86

 

[dishguy1977]

OMG! I just tried this and it let me price it out....you can combine a 45% room discount (deluxe villa) with the free dining and you get a 14 day "ultimate ticket" (hoppers and waterparks) for the same price as a 7 day premium (hoppers only). For our booking it is about a $1500 savings for next May compared to what we paid this May plus we would get hoppers and waterpark instead of just base tickets.

Looks like this is actually good for any European country based on the payment screen where it lets you pick from a drop down list of countries for billing. So...how do we get this deal in the US/Canada?? We can't even book packages for 2012 until August!!!

 

[ShellyLynn3630]

Looking at their dining plan prices and converting the pound to dollars:

Counter Service Plan for May (23.99) = $39
Regular Dining Plan for May (33.99) = $55
Deluxe Dining Plan for May (52.99) = $86


Crazy pricing. Ridiculous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[su_A_ve]

Uk folks are always allowed to book well in advance than us. And they get different free dining offers.

 

[ChristianR]

But although this special is shown on the UK site it is not for the UK. Instead of the $300 it should show 300 Pound. That´s what I find very strange.

Minnie Reasons to Book Early for 2012!
Dine for Free plus $300 Disney Spending Money

I think this could be the Free Dining offer for the US. You just cannot book it yet.

 

[jlhay]

It could still be for UK since when they are here they would be spending dollars at wdw not pounds. Hope you are right though! Would love to lock in a special for a 2012 trip!

 

[sjs314]

I believe you are just seeing the offer for the UK. As someone else said it says $300 since that is what they will recieve to spend USD not pounds, most likely a GC.

The deals are always better in the UK since their airfare is so expensive and their offers come out long before US since they book much further in advance and stay longer than US guests(ergo 14 day tix for price of 7 day tix)

As far as a deal like this for us in the US , I say dream on

My personal thought as of yesterday with the announcement that Disney is raiseing the tix prices 6/12 two months earlier than usual is they are in financial trouble if they need to get that extra $ during the popular summer season and then don't forget the smaller discounts on room rates this year and the change of FD with some of the pin# of QSDP at Value/Mods and DDP only at Deluxe Resorts(not GP offer)

 

[jcieutat]

Nothing like being screwed over since we actually live here. If they would offer these kind of deals to us, we would visit more often. Sometimes I don't understand marketing.

 

[Donnainnj]

Nothing like being screwed over since we actually live here. If they would offer these kind of deals to us, we would visit more often. Sometimes I don't understand marketing.

My guess is they spend a lot more money then we do when they get here.Their dollar goes so much further here then home.

 

[mom2rtk]

My personal thought as of yesterday with the announcement that Disney is raiseing the tix prices 6/12 two months earlier than usual is they are in financial trouble if they need to get that extra $ during the popular summer season and then don't forget the smaller discounts on room rates this year and the change of FD with some of the pin# of QSDP at Value/Mods and DDP only at Deluxe Resorts(not GP offer)

If they need the cash that bad, then offering fewer discounts won't get the job done, and I think they know that.

The discounts will be there. Between the price of gas, the price of airfare, the continuing high unemployment rate......... I think they still have their work cut out for them.

Just raising prices does not insure raising revenue. As prices go up and discounts drop, bookings go down.

 

[LovinPooh]

I want this!

 

[mackay_j]

to put all in the picture the total price - as it must be booked as a package with flights (virgin atlantic only) to get both of these is

- £7084 for 14 nights in Aug 2012 for a mod hotel with QDD

- £7284 about $11592 for delux villa studio

Or if only getting the free dining and not doing flights (so no $300 gift card) then the total price is less as you don't need to book the flights with disney/virgin.

Doing this the total cheepest I can get is at studio OKW 3- 17 Aug (which means taking kids out of school as some of this is after summer hols are finished). $9572

The free dining is still a good offer but not good enough as I can go to a villa for 2 weeks off site with 5day +water parcs for $5800 and this can be done in the school summer break. The flight prices are almost $300 more each in the free dining offer period.

I am holding off and waiting to see if the US site has any good deals that come out for july time. If not I will have to stay off-site.

These prices are for 2Adults and 2 teenagers

 

[Missytara]

OMG! I just tried this and it let me price it out....you can combine a 45% room discount (deluxe villa) with the free dining and you get a 14 day "ultimate ticket" (hoppers and waterparks) for the same price as a 7 day premium (hoppers only). For our booking it is about a $1500 savings for next May compared to what we paid this May plus we would get hoppers and waterpark instead of just base tickets.

Looks like this is actually good for any European country based on the payment screen where it lets you pick from a drop down list of countries for billing. So...how do we get this deal in the US/Canada?? We can't even book packages for 2012 until August!!!

They are allowed to stack discounts for UK residents, because they come from farther away and tend to stay longer, and spend more money.

You won't see discounts like this for Canada or the US.