What do you think of Free Dining as a DVC member?

[dgaston]

In the minority here along with Blondietink, I have had a positive experience with free dining. This happened in 2008 when I had used available points. I was able to take my adult DD and DS to All Star Sports and book the regular DDP for cash. We ate at many of our favorites including LeCellier, Crystal Palace, Grand Floridian Cafe, Mama Melrose, and Boma. Whenever I spoke to Disney CMs they kept talking about what a bargain we had. I agree and can only note that now we would only receive the QSDP.

Was ASSP DVC? Of course not. But it met our needs that Dec. And we loved both the CP and the MVMCP we attended.

 

[Disney Dad Canada]

I am wondering what people are saying about the food going downhill. Is the food worse DURING free dining, has it gone downhill in general or both? Personally when we went last May I quite enjoyed the food,although having not gone in about 20 years I have nothing to compare it to.

It may just be Disney's way of saving money by homogenizing the food experience similarly to how the same souvenirs can be bought at almost every stand. Or possibly DVCers, who naturally go more often than most, are remembering "the good old days" with rose colored glasses.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I am wondering what people are saying about the food going downhill. Is the food worse DURING free dining, has it gone downhill in general or both? Personally when we went last May I quite enjoyed the food,although having not gone in about 20 years I have nothing to compare it to.

It may just be Disney's way of saving money by homogenizing the food experience similarly to how the same souvenirs can be bought at almost every stand. Or possibly DVCers, who naturally go more often than most, are remembering "the good old days" with rose colored glasses.

The quality and variety has gone down in the past three to five years. There have been a lot of favorites removed from the menu and in some cases, poorer quality substituted.

 

[dbs1228]

Lets face it whenever Disney offers "freebies" or discount prices everywhere else goes up! We just stayed in Feb 2010 Cabins "book 4 nights get 3 nights free" well it actually cost us the same as the previous 2 year (same time of year/same accomadations so where was the free nights?) nightly rates went up. Before discounts we were paying about 225.00 a night went up to 335.00 per night within 3 years. WELL golf cart rentals jumped from 45.00 per day to 57.00 per day, locker rentals 7.00 per day to 12.00 per day, parking rates went up, stroller rentals (31.00 a day for a double stroller RENTAL what????)etc.... It is always nice to get a deal but I do think dvc owners and "yearly wdw visitors" are the ones who get the short end of the stick! Just my opinion.

Too bad Disney does not reward loyal customers like so many other major companies.

 

[DonnaL]

We do like dining out.........but, not every day of our vacation.....so free dining isn't a big deal to us. We usually dine out maybe three dinners of a seven day vacation and a few lunches or maybe instead of lunch......a late buffet breakfast or two........much less than paying thousands for our deluxe accommodations and getting free dining for doing so?????????? I love our DVC!!!!

 

[starstruck93]

I wish DVC got at least a discount off of the dining plan but I've always been a dreamer!

Yes... I totally agree. We're DVC members and we always use the DDP, but a discount would be really nice.

 

[Tara]

Yes... I totally agree. We're DVC members and we always use the DDP, but a discount would be really nice.

DVC members get the benefit of not being charged the peak season pricing if they use the DDP during that time. So in effect, if you travel during peak season pricing time for DDP, you get a discount.

 

[TDC Nala]

The British are currently recieving free dining offers for 2011...more than one British travel company has released information that in 2011 none of the dining plans will include dessert. Not sure how prices of the plans will be affected, or how the plans will look when they are released for package reservations in August. It appears from the British info they are adding an extra snack per night to the basic plan and removing the refillable mug from the QS plan.

So it's possible that unless you do the deluxe plan (with which it appears you would still get an appetizer) or a lot of buffets, you may not want the plan so much next year. It will depend on how much they charge if indeed they do remove the desserts from the plans.

 

[Crystal_27]

I am wondering what people are saying about the food going downhill. Is the food worse DURING free dining, has it gone downhill in general or both?

I will say that, before DVC, we went to Disney during free dining in 2008 and were on the DDP (although we opted for a room discount at the Poly and paid out of pocket for the DDP). Due to reports about how insane free dining was, I was expecting horrible food and jam-packed restaurants, but we actually had the exact opposite experience. We were always seated within 5 minutes (except for when we went to Ohana for breakfast where we waited about 15 minutes), had personable and attentive servers, and had really good quality of food. So, I'm certainly not of the belief that the DDP has ruined Disney Dining (although we started going to Disney in 2007 so maybe the bar was already lowered by that point - LOL). But, for what its worth, we always have pretty good luck with Disney Dining whenever we've gone.

The British are currently recieving free dining offers for 2011...more than one British travel company has released information that in 2011 none of the dining plans will include dessert. Not sure how prices of the plans will be affected, or how the plans will look when they are released for package reservations in August. It appears from the British info they are adding an extra snack per night to the basic plan and removing the refillable mug from the QS plan.

I read that on the Restaurant board yesterday and, if desserts are indeed removed (God forbid in addition to a price increase), we'd officially be done with the DDP (and, at that point, I honestly can't imagine a situation where the DDP would be a good value for *any* family). We've always done well on the DDP and it matches our style of dining, but if the rumored changes occur, we'd just go with the TIW (which would probably end up being more healthy anyway in that all of us could split one appetizer and one dessert, instead of each of us getting our own dessert). Still, I sure loved the option of getting my own dessert with every meal, and am really bummed about losing the convenience of the DDP.

 

[starbox]

About food quality - Flyinf Fish has been one of my favorite restaurants because I love seafood. I always get the potato wrapped fish that they are known for. Last year. during FD, this was my one TS and my birthday meal. The hostess asked about food allergies as usual and I said MSG but that I knew they did not use MSG in Disney.

Well, almost immediately my waitress says there is a problem and the chef needs to talk to me. He said the just switched vendors and many dishes were no longer safe - about 3/4 of the menu. My favorite fish was okay to get. It was not awful, but it was much chewier - a sign of previously frozen fish rather than fresh. So yeah - they definitely cut corners.

 

[lucyem]

Free dining has never had an impact on us going to WDW, it would never make me go on a vacation I was not going on anyway.

I am actually excited to be a DVC member because we can now take advantage of APs & TIW, not to mention have some meals in the room. TIW allows us to eat like we normally eat and get a discount.

Free dining IMO makes it almost impossible to get into the really popular restaurants even at 180 days out. Makes them all more busy with longer wait times. It forces people (especially DxDDP) to manage their day based on where the next meal is, which is not necessarily bad since they are not in line with me

 

[Magicdad]

Quote:
Originally Posted by iwrbnd View Post
I wish DVC got at least a discount off of the dining plan but I've always been a dreamer!
DVC members do get a discount of sorts on the plan for parts of the year because they are not charged the seasonal price increase.

Can someone explain this? I must be missing something because I get charged the seasonal price increase at every location I eat at.

IMHO, I believe the free dining plan is bad for DVC. It is a great marketing tool for Disney, just bad for DVC members. When I do the math for a fall trip to Disney the cost come out close to my DVC costs. I'm not sure using the "rack rates" is really fair in comparing costs. I also agree that the quality and variety of the dining experience at Disney has shown a progressive degradation. I don't think this is due to the free dining plan (which is only a marketing tool). But, the dining plan in general and the approach to dining in Disney has taken a progressive degradation over the last few years. Just my opinion.

Have a magical vacation and welcome home m'friends.

 

[dmoore22]

If I were not a DVC owner and paid OOP I would definitely opt for the "Free" dining if the package included a discounted room rate/park admissions. When the fine print says "when paying non-discounted standard room rates" it becomes a wash. Financially we are better off staying at our home resort and purchasing the DDP or TIW. (We compared both and the costs ended up being within a few dollars of each other. Unfortunately the DDP did not cover our favorite libations).The other problem for us has been that the travel periods in which these incentives are offered are not during periods in which we can travel, hence we could not take advantage of them even if we wanted to. Here is a nice article/analysis of DDP that was posted at Mouseplanet.com: http://www.mouseplanet.com/8492/Disneys_Dining_Plan

As for the issue of the quality of food we have found, for the most part, that it has been consistently inconsistent. If we order the same meal at the same restaurant on two different visits it will not be the same in quality. Last Christmas, at Le Chefs de France, they did not charge for my wife's food because we reported to the CM how bad it was. They provided a substitute gratis.

 

[Sandisw]

Can someone explain this? I must be missing something because I get charged the seasonal price increase at every location I eat at.

IMHO, I believe the free dining plan is bad for DVC. It is a great marketing tool for Disney, just bad for DVC members. When I do the math for a fall trip to Disney the cost come out close to my DVC costs. I'm not sure using the "rack rates" is really fair in comparing costs. I also agree that the quality and variety of the dining experience at Disney has shown a progressive degradation. I don't think this is due to the free dining plan (which is only a marketing tool). But, the dining plan in general and the approach to dining in Disney has taken a progressive degradation over the last few years. Just my opinion.

Have a magical vacation and welcome home m'friends.

If you are not on the dining plan, then you do indeed pay the seasonal charge for the restaurant.

In 2010, Disney has a tiered price for the DDP. Certain times of the year the price goes from $41.99 to $46.99 per person. For DVC members, we pay $41.99 regardless of the time we go.

Most feel that this will change in 2011. I certainly know if they change the terms of the plans for 2011 (eliminate dessert, get rid of the mug for quick service, etc.) then we may or may not decide to do the plans with our DVC reservation.

I am not bothered by the free dining promotion and believe it is just another way to get a discount. For some it is a better deal and for others, % off the room is the way to go.

I bought DVC to lock in my room discount for many years to come. I no longer have to wait and hope for Disney to offer it. And, look at what happened with the promotion this year. The values are only getting QSDP and the ticket requirement went to 2 days, not one.

So, those that go with this promotion are getting a smaller discount than last year. As a DVC member, I have my great deal and will for another 49 years!!!

 

[TDC Nala]

Can someone explain this? I must be missing something because I get charged the seasonal price increase at every location I eat at.

DVC members dont pay the seasonal price increase on the regular dining plan itself. Anyone who pays out of pocket at the buffet or fixed price restaurants is subject to the seasonal price increases there.

Disney does not charge seasonal price increases at all locations. This is done at Disney buffets, all you can eat family style restaurants, fixed price restaurants and dinner shows - basically any Disney-operated location that charges a fixed price per person and not a varying price per item ordered.

 

[needtogomore]

It kind of bothered me at first...last year when people were staying at value resorts and getting the dining plan for free while we were paying over $1500 for our dining plan.

not at all bothered by the free dining, what wound us was the upgrades from values to 1 bedrooms in DVC properties ( including FD ).

 

[needtogomore]

The British are currently recieving free dining offers for 2011...more than one British travel company has released information that in 2011 none of the dining plans will include dessert. Not sure how prices of the plans will be affected, or how the plans will look when they are released for package reservations in August. It appears from the British info they are adding an extra snack per night to the basic plan and removing the refillable mug from the QS plan.

So it's possible that unless you do the deluxe plan (with which it appears you would still get an appetizer) or a lot of buffets, you may not want the plan so much next year. It will depend on how much they charge if indeed they do remove the desserts from the plans.

Its 42% off + FD

 

[Alexander]

We usually take advantage of the free dining and squeeze in another trip. We have no problem using all of our points for our villa stays, so when free dining comes along, we pay cash and take advantage. When we are staying in the villas we usually don't get the dining plan, because we just don't need to eat out every meal.

 

[MelissathePooh]

The only thing that bugs me about FD is the impact it has on having to make dining plans and reservations so early and planned out completely. I'd much rather have my DVC than pay rack rate for a room just to get "free" food. Of course my opinin of the dining plan in general and the effect its had on Disney dining is a whole different story

 

[DVC mom]

We LOVE our DVC and only eat in our villa for breakfast. We buy the DDP but would like a discount at least during "free dining" because we do visit the TS and CS every trip at twice a day. Just a thought...