This forum is called "Rumors and News"...

People that get free dining are paying rack rates for their rooms correct? So it really isn't free. It is worked into the price of your package! It's just clever marketing...people love to get something for nothing, or "free". Disney is always offering package discounts...this is just another one of those. Another way to fill their resorts during historically quieter seasons. Some discounts are better than others but they also offer 30% off nightly room rates...if staying deluxe this is a better savings than free dining.

This. I'd MUCH rather get 30% off than get Free Dining.

I've had Free Dining. I've also paid for the table service Dining Plan. And I can't believe how much you need to eat to make it worthwhile ($$$). If you aren't willing to eat around 3,000 calories / day (great for ANY diet!!! :rolleyes2), it just isn't worth it.

30% off nightly rates, however......... :worship::woohoo::banana:
 
we are staying at a value resort so our RO discount would only be about $25.00 per day. It is hard for 4 people to eat less than that. While free dining isn't free for us it is a better offer. Rumor has it they will never get rid of FD. Disney is addicted to special offers and FD is their most popular.
 
This. I'd MUCH rather get 30% off than get Free Dining.

And you're probably only going to get 30% off of a deluxe resort, which not everyone can afford, even with 30% off. My only time staying at a deluxe was when they had a 7 nights for the price of 4 promotion (which works out to about 43% off) and even with getting a standard room at AKL (which is the cheapest way you can do deluxe), it still cost me $200 more than rack rate at a value would have. (It was definitely worth it, though.)

I've never understood the "free dining isn't free because you have to pay rack rate for the room" argument. First of all, if you don't pay for something, it's free, and even if you get a room discount, you're still going to have to eat, which you're going to have to pay for. Second, why would anyone expect Disney (or any other business for that matter) to allow you to stack discounts? I do realize though that free dining isn't going to be the best value for everyone - it depends on the resort level and number of people on the reservation.
 

This. I'd MUCH rather get 30% off than get Free Dining.

I've had Free Dining. I've also paid for the table service Dining Plan. And I can't believe how much you need to eat to make it worthwhile ($$$). If you aren't willing to eat around 3,000 calories / day (great for ANY diet!!! :rolleyes2), it just isn't worth it.

30% off nightly rates, however......... :worship::woohoo::banana:

Excellent...I was trying to get this across without using too much evil juice...

But I have been either too lazy or stupid to this point to accomplishment my goals...

Thank you

Even though 30% off a rack there is still accomplishment with the desk clerk wearing a ski mask and pointing a laser fun at you
 
Excellent...I was trying to get this across without using too much evil juice...

But I have been either too lazy or stupid to this point to accomplishment my goals...

Thank you

Even though 30% off a rack there is still accomplishment with the desk clerk wearing a ski mask and pointing a laser fun at you

I am and do go in Sept every year. I do not schedule or plan for FD. But now I eat for free while there. This has happened many times. I cant control what Disney does with its room pricing or restaurants. Now, explain why I should not be happy I dont have to pay for my food on vacation?
 
as far as the OP is concerned i agree - i like coming to this particular board for Disney/Disney Parks news and rumors, not free dining stories.

don't get me wrong though i love the free dining offer i just would rather have that discussion going on elsewhere, like in the "Discount Codes and Rates" section for example
 
I am and do go in Sept every year. I do not schedule or plan for FD. But now I eat for free while there. This has happened many times. I cant control what Disney does with its room pricing or restaurants. Now, explain why I should not be happy I dont have to pay for my food on vacation?

You should be happy if you are planning on eating mediocre food. If you were going with the plan of having some meal experiences that were above average or something unique, you might be out of luck. In order to offer free dining and still make huge profits, the quality and selection of the offerings has been drastically dropping since the introduction of free dining. So for the people who include some great dining experiences in their list of what they want from a vacation, free dinning sucks.
 
You should be happy if you are planning on eating mediocre food. If you were going with the plan of having some meal experiences that were above average or something unique, you might be out of luck. In order to offer free dining and still make huge profits, the quality and selection of the offerings has been drastically dropping since the introduction of free dining. So for the people who include some great dining experiences in their list of what they want from a vacation, free dinning sucks.

Another good point. You might think your getting something but you are paying in....lower quality.

I'll go over to Schula's for an excellent steak. Matter of fact as a whole the restaurants are better at the Swan/Dolphin than at Disney. I guess you get what you pay for.

I go to three restaurants now.

Germany, not a must, what can they do to a sausage and I like the band.

Ragland

Portobello's

and Earl of Sandwich.... a decent cheap meal.
 
You should be happy if you are planning on eating mediocre food. If you were going with the plan of having some meal experiences that were above average or something unique, you might be out of luck. In order to offer free dining and still make huge profits, the quality and selection of the offerings has been drastically dropping since the introduction of free dining. So for the people who include some great dining experiences in their list of what they want from a vacation, free dinning sucks.

I guess it depends on what a "great dining experience" means to you. For me, character buffets are above average and unique. This is exactly what I want from Disney. I am very happy with the food offered on the dining plan. :)
 
I guess it depends on what a "great dining experience" means to you. For me, character buffets are above average and unique. This is exactly what I want from Disney. I am very happy with the food offered on the dining plan. :)

I guess I am too old school. We have done all the character meals years ago, lucky for my bank account, when they were no more than 15.99 pp. Once we realized that my kids have been there so many times that they didn't care about the characters, we stopped going. Right about the time (06 maybe) that the prices doubled. Same eggs and sausage, same characters, now 30 + pp, and now available on the free dining plan. (I am not exactly sure on the dates).

And are you happy with the food because it is free, or are you happy with the food because it is good--- two different things. They should do like sea world and have a few locations (in each park) for the dining plan and leave the rest of it alone.

And now I have hijacked this thread and apologize.
 
And are you happy with the food because it is free, or are you happy with the food because it is good--- two different things. They should do like sea world and have a few locations (in each park) for the dining plan and leave the rest of it alone.

I am happy because the food is good, but I am happier that the food is free. :lmao:

Seriously though I have heard many reports on how the food has gone downhill since the addition of the dining plan and free dining. My first trip to DW since the eighties was in 2010 so all I really know is the dining plan.

We have done Disney with and without free dining in the last four years. I do enjoy the food very much and we try to eat at different restaurants each time. I've always had a great meal and since we rarely eat out at home, dining at Disney is a treat for me. :)

As for the buffets.....I love the variety of food available and I like sampling a little bit of this and a little bit of that. That's how I like to eat. :goodvibes
 
I am happy because the food is good, but I am happier that the food is free. :lmao:
You've never had the great meals at WDW in that case. Most of them used to be a true dining experience with great quality food and attentive experienced waitstaff. Today under the dining plan, even when it's not free the food is mediocre at its best! Everything has been demoted to the lowest common denominator. You're getting basically the same food at every restaurant with some minor exceptions.

Those of us who know how the dining was before went south would truly like to see it back to where it was. Yes, it proportionally cost us much more 00P per meal than the plan does but it was worth it. We also in many cases didn't eat 3 large meals per day, we only had one or 2 meals in a few snacks so the total cost wasn't outrageous.
 
You've never had the great meals at WDW in that case. Most of them used to be a true dining experience with great quality food and attentive experienced waitstaff. Today under the dining plan, even when it's not free the food is mediocre at its best! Everything has been demoted to the lowest common denominator. You're getting basically the same food at every restaurant with some minor exceptions.

Those of us who know how the dining was before went south would truly like to see it back to where it was. Yes, it proportionally cost us much more 00P per meal than the plan does but it was worth it. We also in many cases didn't eat 3 large meals per day, we only had one or 2 meals in a few snacks so the total cost wasn't outrageous.

I'm trying to understand these complaints, but I really don't get it when I'm told I'm getting the same food everywhere. :confused3 When I choose my restaurants to dine in, I try to choose different experiences and foods. I have chosen places like Tusker House, San Angel, Via Napoli, Biergarten, Garden Grill, Boma, etc....

I really want to know, what great meals have I missed that I can't get now? :confused3

As for attentive, experienced waitstaff......well maybe that is something that has gone downhill. My one complaint is that I do feel rushed at meals everywhere I go. I know a lot of people are in a hurry at DW and they like quick meals, but not me.....I prefer leisurely meals. :goodvibes
 
I'm trying to understand these complaints, but I really don't get it when I'm told I'm getting the same food everywhere. :confused3 When I choose my restaurants to dine in, I try to choose different experiences and foods. I have chosen places like Tusker House, San Angel, Via Napoli, Biergarten, Garden Grill, Boma, etc....

I really want to know, what great meals have I missed that I can't get now? :confused3

As for attentive, experienced waitstaff......well maybe that is something that has gone downhill. My one complaint is that I do feel rushed at meals everywhere I go. I know a lot of people are in a hurry at DW and they like quick meals, but not me.....I prefer leisurely meals. :goodvibes

The overall quality of not only the food...but more importantly the selection of items on menus over the last decade...has declined as a whole at wdw restaurants.
Most menus feature little variation now...where they once had different menus as most every site. You see now a "core" menu (some type of filet or strip, chicken breast, salmon, burger, short rib, pasta) with little else to choose from at alot of the places. That combined with steep price increases has create a situation where the food is not as enjoyable as it was in the past. That dining experience was one of the things that had set wdw apart from other places.
 
Then it's all relative isn't it? I've had the dining plan, not always free, since our first WDW trip in 2006 so I don't remember the good ol' dining days. For the most part the food has been good, sometimes excellent and sometimes not so much. BUT because my husband and I choose not to rent a car when we're at the theme parks, being able to dine on property for free is a great deal and very convenient.

....and I can't believe I'm on the Rumors and News board discussing FD when that horse has already been beaten to death elsewhere (hey! maybe they put that in the food! ;) ) (JK!JK!) :rotfl:


The overall quality of not only the food...but more importantly the selection of items on menus over the last decade...has declined as a whole at wdw restaurants.
Most menus feature little variation now...where they once had different menus as most every site. You see now a "core" menu (some type of filet or strip, chicken breast, salmon, burger, short rib, pasta) with little else to choose from at alot of the places. That combined with steep price increases has create a situation where the food is not as enjoyable as it was in the past. That dining experience was one of the things that had set wdw apart from other places.
 
Then it's all relative isn't it? I've had the dining plan, not always free, since our first WDW trip in 2006 so I don't remember the good ol' dining days. For the most part the food has been good, sometimes excellent and sometimes not so much. BUT because my husband and I choose not to rent a car when we're at the theme parks, being able to dine on property for free is a great deal and very convenient.

....and I can't believe I'm on the Rumors and News board discussing FD when that horse has already been beaten to death elsewhere (hey! maybe they put that in the food! ;) ) (JK!JK!) :rotfl:

Ah-- wonderful-- the thread is back to it's original intent. If people would stop posting news and rumors about when they might get free dining on this forum, we wouldn't be discussing it here.
 
You should be happy if you are planning on eating mediocre food. If you were going with the plan of having some meal experiences that were above average or something unique, you might be out of luck. In order to offer free dining and still make huge profits, the quality and selection of the offerings has been drastically dropping since the introduction of free dining. So for the people who include some great dining experiences in their list of what they want from a vacation, free dinning sucks.

Again. I am going in September, like I always do. I have to eat. My food is free. The quality of the food would be the same if I payed for it or not. Do you refrain from going to Disney now because of the poor food quality? Do you still eat when you go? If my biggest concern was fine dining I would go somewhere that has fine dining. I am going for a Disney vacation, and I need to eat. My food is free, saving me a significant amount of money. There are 11 of us. Add it up yourself. To come on the forum and try to tell everyone what a rotten deal they are getting is borderline insane. I know how to add.
 












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