Summer availability but Free dining booked solid

[Princess Jes]

I think the simple answer to this is that while Disney hasnt cancelled the free dining promo altogether due to occupancy being high, they've scaled back availability because people (yet again) book rooms in anticipation for free dining, Disney sees occupancy rates are high so offers diddly squat availability for free dining because guess what? They don't NEED to offer it if everyone is already booked up!!

When will people get it through their thick skulls that if they book in advance with the anticipation and expectation that free dining will be offered per previous years, Disney will see less and less reason to offer it.

Anyway, it suits me because I'm sure plenty of people booked with the hope that they'd get free dining, and may not be able to afford to go without it, so will cancel and the parks will be less crowded for me!! (Because only I matter of course!)

How did the team not even mention this? Pete says it every year!

 

[AdamEfimoff]

I am just going to say. Why do they even offer it? Is the crowd numbers bad or something

 

[Princess Jes]

Why DO they?
Because they've trained their return guests to expect it.

Why DID they initially?
To fill rooms during autumn once kids went back to school after 9/11 killed tourism

 

[pjweaver]

I am just going to say. Why do they even offer it? Is the crowd numbers bad or something

They offer it because they have in the past and now people expect it, actually demand it. I personally would prefer they just let it die on the vine but at the end of the day it's a business that wants to make sure their resorts are at 98% capacity.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I am just going to say. Why do they even offer it? Is the crowd numbers bad or something

I think they are scared to just end it and then people complain - so they think doing it this way and creating this frenzy and excitement about it is better. Plus perhaps some people book expecting to get Free Dining and when they can't still keep the reservation that they might not have originally booked, but now they have it in their head they are going so don't want to cancel

I agree they should just end it and then people would be excited if they ever bring it back

 

[rteetz]

Speaking of free dining some more availability was released today still very limited.

 

[Princess Jes]

Speaking of free dining some more availability was released today still very limited.

The two nights I'm booked through Disney (the following 5 are booked renting points) are within all of these discounts, the last 2 days of awaken summer and the first two days of most other discounts).
Currently, I'm on the awaken summer discount at YC, and have no intentions of changing it even if there was availability.
Seems like far too much hassle for me.

 

[rteetz]

The two nights I'm booked through Disney (the following 5 are booked renting points) are within all of these discounts, the last 2 days of awaken summer and the first two days of most other discounts).
Currently, I'm on the awaken summer discount at YC, and have no intentions of changing it even if there was availability.
Seems like far too much hassle for me.

I don't blame ya

 

[BradChristian]

I think the Free Dining is to get people to upgrade to a deluxe resort... I'm sure there is 0 availability at the moderates... However - the first trip I looked at the Grand Floridian had free dining available... Its a $6,000 trip even with free dining, but its available to those who can.

 

[Sean91]

I think the simple answer to this is that while Disney hasnt cancelled the free dining promo altogether due to occupancy being high, they've scaled back availability because people (yet again) book rooms in anticipation for free dining, Disney sees occupancy rates are high so offers diddly squat availability for free dining because guess what? They don't NEED to offer it if everyone is already booked up!!

When will people get it through their thick skulls that if they book in advance with the anticipation and expectation that free dining will be offered per previous years, Disney will see less and less reason to offer it.

Anyway, it suits me because I'm sure plenty of people booked with the hope that they'd get free dining, and may not be able to afford to go without it, so will cancel and the parks will be less crowded for me!! (Because only I matter of course!)

How did the team not even mention this? Pete says it every year!

I could have sworn that they spoke about this on the Podcast :s Maybe I dreamt it.
Its like you say, they clearly don't WANT to do Free Dinning any more but are too scared to pull the plug on it.

 

[HubbDave]

The two nights I'm booked through Disney (the following 5 are booked renting points) are within all of these discounts, the last 2 days of awaken summer and the first two days of most other discounts).
Currently, I'm on the awaken summer discount at YC, and have no intentions of changing it even if there was availability.
Seems like far too much hassle for me.

And r/o discount at the YC might be a better deal than FD anyway

 

[Princess Jes]

And r/o discount at the YC might be a better deal than FD anyway

Probably. Because it's only 2 nights, it could be a wash, but I'd rather just go with the flow dining wise, for the most part.
I have a few ADRs at this stage, and hoping to lock down my (rough) park days this weekend.
The thing is, we'll get up early every day, hit a park and then usually wing the night, unless I have an ADR, which at this stage, no evening ADRs.
Makes fast pass selection difficult too if you don't know which park you'll be in at night.

 

[Sean91]

We always go with the full dining plan with it being free and... why not if it's just something you get. In all honesty if they took it away I don't think it would be a huge loss, we spend a lot of time searching for restaurants that interest us and only really have 3/4 that we really love. I would probably be just as happy with quick service and those 3/4 meals sit down. DDP got us fat!

 

[UKYRob29]

I think the simple answer to this is that while Disney hasnt cancelled the free dining promo altogether due to occupancy being high, they've scaled back availability because people (yet again) book rooms in anticipation for free dining, Disney sees occupancy rates are high so offers diddly squat availability for free dining because guess what? They don't NEED to offer it if everyone is already booked up!!

When will people get it through their thick skulls that if they book in advance with the anticipation and expectation that free dining will be offered per previous years, Disney will see less and less reason to offer it.

Anyway, it suits me because I'm sure plenty of people booked with the hope that they'd get free dining, and may not be able to afford to go without it, so will cancel and the parks will be less crowded for me!! (Because only I matter of course!)

How did the team not even mention this? Pete says it every year!

Maybe people just don't care and book anyway? Not sure what your argument is....You are stating that people should purposely not book a trip because MAYBE a free dining offer will come? Umm..idk...You are thinking way too much into it IMHO

 

[Accident]

When will people get it through their thick skulls that if they book in advance with the anticipation and expectation that free dining will be offered per previous years, Disney will see less and less reason to offer it

Disney offered it a lot.. it was the bounceback for a lot of 2015.. The light version of it earlier this year. I think a ton of people who do get it every year already had it.. But I agree, it's a reason to come to disney promotion and when disney bookings are doing great they don't really need it. It was stupid limited though with the exception of the 14 day UK offering... Seems they like how much other money UK visitors spend that they got a lot more targetted on who they want to visit and tease over with free food.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

While booking ahead of the discount obviously skews numbers and surely reduces the number of discounted rooms, I'm sure the overall popularity of TS dining and the need to book certain things right at day 180 drives a great deal of the booking ahead. The perk of being able to book ADRs 180+length of stay for onsite guests with rooms or packages booked is surely a driver in this. I mean, if I were banking on free dining for my trip, making sure I had my ADRs secured for said dining promo would certainly be incentive. Why go to all of the trouble of trying to get free dining if you don't have good ADRs? And even if you are like me and prefer a room discount, if you've gone during free dining, ADRs are in high demand. Now, there's no stopping people from canceling their room or package booking after the 180 mark has passed, but Disney is probably wise to these #s too and factors that in when determining number of discounted rooms. Many people also use the "book what I can afford, but upgrade if there's a discount" mentality for this. It still messes up #s, but in their minds, they'll have a trip either way. The ones who really suffer are the ones who can only afford the trip IF they get the promo, but that's just how it goes.