Why I think Disney has to do free dining again...

[calypso*a*go-go]

Thats because the 40% offer is a PIN offer and only those to whom the PIN offer has been sent are supposed to be able to book it. Yes, there were some screw-ups and people without the offer were able to book it, but the 40% offer that has caused so much talk IS A PIN OFFER; therefore it stands to reason that it would not be well advertised.

I don't believe this is true. I was able to book with the discount and did not receive any notification via email or snail mail. Told the CM I didn't have a pin but was told we were a "target" family and qualified for the promo. It could be there is more than one promo running. I've had more than three conversations with different CM's regarding this reservation and at no point did they say or do anything that would indicate it was a "screw-up" that we were some how allowed to take advantage of.

As for free DDP -- it would be very interesting to see what the current occupancy levels are as it could be that the bounceback offers/40% off promo have raised it to a high enough level that the plan won't be offered. Especially if the majority of people booking with the 40% off promo added the dining plan to their stay. For people staying in the Deluxes, the discount was actually a better deal than free DDP.

 

[Palendat]

We booked, but will probably only stay on-site if we get free dining. We booked because we are locked in (airfare purchased) and are a large group (21), so when our 180 window opens, i wanted to book dining for the absolute MUST-DO restaurants. If free dining is not available, we will probably stay, off site in 3 or 4 large suites, save the money to pay for the dining, and still be pretty much even.

 

[DISNEY FIX]

We booked, but will probably only stay on-site if we get free dining. We booked because we are locked in (airfare purchased) and are a large group (21), so when our 180 window opens, i wanted to book dining for the absolute MUST-DO restaurants. If free dining is not available, we will probably stay, off site in 3 or 4 large suites, save the money to pay for the dining, and still be pretty much even.

21 PEOPLE!!!! Holy cow and there is nothing that grand gatherings can do for you?

 

[wisconsinmom]

I am hoping for free dining, but who knows. I do think Disney will likely offer some sort of general discount for late August and September. It is hurricane season and kids are back in school.

 

[lillygator]

Actually Hurricane Season is June 1, 2007 through November 30th, 2007 ----- August and September may be a bit more active than some other months but hurricane season lasts a while....hopefully we will have a very quiet year this year.

 

[El&Asmom]

I know a lot of people feel that the 40% off deal and BB program are going to make a difference in whether Disney offers free dining this year, but in the overall picture of those select people who were able to book those promotions in relation to the total number of hotel rooms at Disney, I think it's pretty small.
When I think back to last year when free dining was offered. The original promotion I believe had to be booked by the end of June. (Someone correct me if I'm wrong). After those day's passed, Disney extended the dates that you could book free dining. And after that promotion ended, they offered another discount for that time period, although I can't remember what it was.
You can't tell me that with those very public promotions, and the need to continue to extend them, that they won't offer some type of promotion this fall for those very slow months at Disney. Even with the relatively small, not very publicized 40% off/BB programs.

I also see that people think that the free dining was too much of a hassle, and that too many people were complaining about not getting ADRs. Somehow I have a hard tme believing that Disney is worried that their TS restaurants are all booked. Angry CMs or not. They're thrilled that people are staying on property to eat, drink and spend money.

We were at Disney this past Sept. We got into all the TS restaurants that we wanted to go to. We even were able to visit WL, walk up to WCC and get a table in 15 minutes at dinner time around 6p. This was after we called and were told there were no ADRs there. (We canceled our original ADRs for Le Cellier that night since we didn't get to Epcot that day).
We also were able to walk on to Dumbo about 10 times with 2-3 minute waits.

My point of all this is, that Disney is pretty slow in Sept. Getting ADRs, free dining or not, can't be any harder than it is during holiday season. I also think Disney will do whatever it has to to fill up their rooms during this slow time.
And fwiw, the CM that I spoke with when booking my vacation for Sept said he was pretty sure they would be offering free dining again, although we're not betting the vacation on it.

JMO

 

[Ms_Maggs]

Hmmm...why would people book, taking up rooms and ADR's only to cancel if they did not offer free dining? Hurts the rest of the folks that actually want to dine in those restaurants or stay at certain resorts...regardless of a "sale". And I think too, if everyone is booking, thus showing the resorts at a higher capacity for certain times of year....then why would they need to offer incentives?

I'm always ready for a discount or to save money....but the trips I plan are ones I am ready to take and pay for whether or not the discounts come out....

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.

 

[lillygator]

well, just like everything else it is good for some and not for others.

 

[Sammie]

Free dining has been offered in traditionally non busy times such as hurricane season to fill rooms that would have gone empty.

If people are truly booking on speculation you are hurting your chances of free dining being offered, because booked rooms do not encourage Disney to offer free dining. Why would they.

There is no way for them to know that people will cancel if they don't offer free dining, all they know is the occupany levels. And if they are up, free dining is out.

As to the CMs encouraging this, well of course they do, they want you to book and book right then. They could care less if free dining is offered or not, what they do care about is their booking quota.

 

[TDC Nala]

If you're only going if they offer free dining, why are you booking before it's offered?

 

[lillygator]

If you're only going if they offer free dining, why are you booking before it's offered?

the million dollar question~!

 

[k5thbeatle]

I think that they will find if they don't do the free dining that they are going to have a ton of people who have made reservations purely hoping that if they have the promotion, they will go, but they can cancel if the free dining doesn't happen.

Does Disney want to lose that many people during a down time?

Which are exactly the people they should not be trying to attract in the first place!

 

[Tink rules]

Yup... but they've bred them... and grown them for 2 years and they're going to book ahead because they think they can get it again and maybe they're afraid that Disney won't have enough rooms (I know... silly, but some don't know how big WDW is...)

Will they shoot themselves in the foot? Maybe.

I'm going either way.

 

[TDC Nala]

somehow I think that if one calls up Disney and says "I booked a room and I will cancel it if you don't offer free dining" the response would not be "oops, better get that free dining out right away" but "Made ya book, didn't we?"

They'll offer free dining if they feel like they need it to fill up those rooms for hurricane season, period.

 

[Sammie]

Yup... but they've bred them... and grown them for 2 years and they're going to book ahead because they think they can get it again and maybe they're afraid that Disney won't have enough rooms (I know... silly, but some don't know how big WDW is...)

Will they shoot themselves in the foot? Maybe.

I'm going either way.

That is the only smart way to book ahead. If anyone truly is not going to go, unless they offer Free Dining and have already booked a room, then yes you are hurting your chances of getting the very thing you want.

Don't you see what they do. They offer free dining. Get everyone hooked, have everyone make reservations on speculation and then don't have to offer it.

 

[Cookie Princess]

I guess I would be suprised if they didn't offer free dining. I think by offering it to people from the UK and then bounce back folks, and then not offering it to their other repeat customers they are going to tick some people off. The big wigs at WDW must keep tabs on these boards and know that there are a lot of people waiting for the free DDP again.

Also Universal offers a lot of sweet deals that could easily attract a bunch of disappointed WDW customers. I am keeping my fingers crossed, but I sure hope I am right.

 

[blossombrd]

Question -
If you want to book a ressie with the hope of free dining, would you book a package? Or can you book just a room and change it to a package with free dining if it is offered later? Just wondering.

 

[Tink rules]

Last year they were able to change reservations over even from just rooms to packagages so the people who did find out about it and already had reservations could change it to get the free dining.

There are people who have put in ressies just hoping for the free dining. Some will still go, like myself, others will decline and go another time, maybe not making the extra trip because the benefit isn't what they want.

The free dining also got alot of people who didn't even think of trying the DDP to try it and some have also said that they would pay for it in the future. Others said it was too restrictive for what they like to do. Personal taste with that one. So Disney won some and lost some.

 

[dclfun]

"I guess I would be suprised if they didn't offer free dining. I think by offering it to people from the UK and then bounce back folks, and then not offering it to their other repeat customers they are going to tick some people off. The big wigs at WDW must keep tabs on these boards and know that there are a lot of people waiting for the free DDP again. "...

With all the confusion over the PIN codes, etc. and so many people disappointed that they didn't manage to snag the 40%, I really don't think Disney cares if people are ticked off. I also don't think the "big-wigs" are going to base a marketting decision on guests who post on the DIS boards and their opinion. There are many other factors, many other guests, and many reasons they consider when offering a promo. Whether we want to complain or demand or threaten to cancel our trips if we don't get our way...doesn't really matter in the overall scheme of things. As another poster mentioned, if Disney needs to fill the resorts and parks...that's when a promo comes out, and perhaps it might not be the free dining or 40%, etc. While I also wish they would have the same offers each year so I can plan and budget accordingly, I know it's not gonna happen unless numbers are crunched to justify it. ---Kathy

 

[BroadwayGirl]

I don't believe this is true.

................................ - the fact remains that the offer that has caused such headaches for the poor CMs at Disney Reservations is a PIN OFFER. Yes people booked it without having the PIN code - some may have had the offer attached to their profile in Disney's system without being aware of it and others may simply have benefited from a CM's ignorance - but the 40% off was, and still is a PIN OFFER.

With the insanity surrounding this particular offer as well as the bounceback program that was offered in late 2006 I would not be surprised if there was NOT a free dining offer. Also as another person mentioned, the restaurants were so swamped due to the free dining last year I'd imagine Disney will be trying other ways to encourage guests to travel during August and September.