The Death of Free Dining?

[christyk2002]

From what I've observed, it's sometimes sent via email or via a postcard through regular mail. The emails that we've gotten have come from "Disney Destinations". They seem random but I'm sure Disney has a system for who gets them. It seems as though UK guests may get offers a bit earlier than US. Also, there are offers that go out to Disney Visa card holders a bit earlier than the general public offer via email. I'm not sure that DVC members are even eligible for free dining as Disney already has their money. Edited to add: I've always associated getting on the Disney Destinations" email list with ordering the Disney trip planning DVD's as I believe those come from DDs as well. Again, that's just the email address that our PIN codes have come from.

Thank you for the info!

 

[6loversofdisney]

I'm confused about this "pin" that people are saying they get to be able to use free dining. Is this something that is emailed to you as a previous disney goer or maybe just DVC people get one? Help! Thanks

I never really knew about or had gotten a pin - now all of a sudden I get them. I don't know how they determine who gets them. Maybe I had to go 'enough' times and then they thought it would be easy to lure me back with a pin I don't know for sure. But now I do get them. They have been for times I can't go but it's still nice to get them like others do PS - The pins have come to me in a flyer with our name on them in the mail.

 

[6loversofdisney]

The topic of whether free dining is worth it is almost as hot as 'pool hopping'...here's my take...it just depends.

For us, we have 'adult' children (at least in Disney's eyes) and only one child that is considered a child. However, we all still love character experiences when it comes to the meals. So, if we go and get free dining instead of taking the room discount, we just can't beat it. Now, if we don't get free dining when we go, we change the whole dynamic of the trip. We do maybe one character meal and eat a lot of snacks in the room, go to a grocery store, etc. All things we don't do if we get free dining.

When I just priced out two weeks, two rooms in a value for early December, they said $6000 - when I said now add DDP, they said $10,500 - Yeah, FOR US, it's worth it when it's free!!

 

[mom2rtk]

I never really knew about or had gotten a pin - now all of a sudden I get them. I don't know how they determine who gets them. Maybe I had to go 'enough' times and then they thought it would be easy to lure me back with a pin I don't know for sure. But now I do get them. They have been for times I can't go but it's still nice to get them like others do PS - The pins have come to me in a flyer with our name on them in the mail.

LOL, if only. I can confirm that doesn't do the trick.

 

[Kristine316]

I may have a dumb question but, here goes...

I have received pin codes in the past but, always before we had a trip already booked. This year I have a trip booked for first week in September... does that mean I probably won't be getting any more mailed offers or codes since they already have our business? I wonder if already being booked with a package means we are taken off the mailing list for offers?

Right now we are booked without any specials.. just regular rates. I was hoping at some point I would get an offer and be able to call and lower our package price.

 

[smitch425]

I may have a dumb question but, here goes...

I have received pin codes in the past but, always before we had a trip already booked. This year I have a trip booked for first week in September... does that mean I probably won't be getting any more mailed offers or codes since they already have our business? I wonder if already being booked with a package means we are taken off the mailing list for offers?

Right now we are booked without any specials.. just regular rates. I was hoping at some point I would get an offer and be able to call and lower our package price.

Not a dumb question at all! I get PINs all the time, and I have already been booked almost every time. Good luck!

 

[luvmylatte]

First I will say I love Disney and the whole experience. So much so that the thought of maybe not going this year due to costs w/o FD upsets me. That said.....

I view FD as a gift, they don't have to but if they do it is awesome. I see them giving the MM as the equivelant of saying " Hey at least we gave you something"

Economically, it's a win for Disney. The MM only costs $149 per family as opposed to the FD which is $549 'ish pp adult. The math is in their favor and the people keep rolling in. Face it, someone still has to pay for Fantasyland and Avatar World and people are not going to just stop going.

We have drank the Kool Aid and as much as we may be "upset" for not getting that FD we find a way to still go and enjoy the magic.

 

[morganax]

All I can say is I HOPE AND PRAY that the plan is offered.
We went Halloween time in 2012 and had the plan ( 3 adults/1 child) and it was FANTASTIC!!!
We are going this year w/ 5 adults/1 child and are trying to plan our trip around the free plan....late October/early November.
If plan isn't offered we probably won't be able to go , it really DOES save you money...at least for our family.
I won't hyperventilate just yet though! I am sure Disney will offer something else...even though that 30% resort room deal is not something that works for our family.

 

[Skylarr29]

I just wanted to add that while the dining plan, in general, has contributed to the quality of restaurants going down, free dining makes no difference. Free dining is paid for by the hotel, like other discounts, not the restaurants.

There's already been a free dining bounce back for September so I think it's likely that there will be one.

 

[GOOFY4DONALD]

It's far too early to be releasing the fall discount. I waited and waited last year to get free dining for our Halloween trip, and it didn't become available until late July or early August. I find it highly unlikely that will be the only discount for fall.

we visit the world usually the last week of nov or the first week of dec... I just looked at out last trip arriving nov 26. We received free dining but it was not offered until July. It seems to me it's just too early, regardless of what discount comes out.

 

[GOOFY4DONALD]

Mt friend and I priced it out and the FD is a bonus because we stayed a POR and the FD (QS, snack and TS) was worth about $500 pp vs saving about $300 pp with hotel discount.

i do agree. Our first trip we saved about $650 with a room discount. When free dining was offered we saved at least twice that ( depending on how old the kids were when we went)

 

[mousehockey37]

As others have stated, the free dining could have been to lure people back to the parks during what was once, disastrous weather and uncertain travel times. Well, things are looking up and the parks are staying busy. So, if things are going to keep going without the need for a discount, will there really be one? Probably not, or if there is, it will be short lived with a ton of terms and conditions.

For the people that want to jaw back and forth about is the free dining worth it? Well, it can be beneficial for some and a detriment to others. You have to take into account family size, where you're eating and how often you're eating. A solo trip or couple going on free dining, isn't going to have the same financial impact as a family of 4+. Solo/couples are going to lose out because they're just not going to be able to eat to equal the deal. A larger family can reap those benefits though, just be weary of the terms and conditions that apply (aka Free dining doesn't cover tips or alcohol).

So when all is said and done, even if they don't offer free dining, don't look at it as a death sentence. If you plan accordingly, you could still be able to swing a free dining type of trip by using other resources.

 

[mousehockey37]

As others have stated, the free dining could have been to lure people back to the parks during what was once, disastrous weather and uncertain travel times. Well, things are looking up and the parks are staying busy. So, if things are going to keep going without the need for a discount, will there really be one? Probably not, or if there is, it will be short lived with a ton of terms and conditions.

For the people that want to jaw back and forth about is the free dining worth it? Well, it can be beneficial for some and a detriment to others. You have to take into account family size, where you're eating and how often you're eating. A solo trip or couple going on free dining, isn't going to have the same financial impact as a family of 4+. Solo/couples are going to lose out because they're just not going to be able to eat to equal the deal. A larger family can reap those benefits though, just be weary of the terms and conditions that apply (aka Free dining doesn't cover tips or alcohol).

So when all is said and done, even if they don't offer free dining, don't look at it as a death sentence. If you plan accordingly, you could still be able to swing a free dining type of trip by using other resources.

The following link http://www.darksideofdisney.com/?p=96 is a site that tells about how the "free" dining, isn't free.

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

The following link http://www.darksideofdisney.com/?p=96 is a site that tells about how the "free" dining, isn't free.

It may not be "free", but it's still a great deal IN CERTAIN CASES. It really, really irks me when people dismiss it out of hand as a bad deal that's only for "suckers"--which I've heard numerous times. Please, someone explain to me how this is not a good deal for my family.

Let's look at numbers! My family is me, DH, DS13, and DS11, so 4 Disney adults. If we stay at a moderate resort, we'll get maybe a 25% discount (if we're lucky) on the room under RO discounts. Okay, let's say a room is on average $200 a night. That gives me a $50 per day discount. Right now, Disney is throwing in an extra day to your tickets. Well, with a 6-day ticket, that's a whopping $10 per person. So that's $40 they're letting me save, total, so less than $10 a day on a 6-day stay, but let's round up to $10. Now we're up to $60 per day. Now, another argument is that the DP forces you into larger tips than you would normally do. So let's say for our one TS meal that day, we need to leave a tip of $25. So now we're up to $85 grand total for the day that I could save with a room/ticket/no forced tip discount.

So take that $85 and explain to me how I'm going to feed my family of four at Disney for the entire day, including a TS meal (because we like the break each day and consider it part of our vacation!) with tip.

With the DP, we split meals, use snacks wisely, and end up paying very, very, very little beyond that for food.

So how exactly is this not a good deal for my family???? If my math's wrong please correct me. If there's something I'm missing, I'd like to know. But so many people say I'm being suckered in by Free Dining, yet can't explain exactly how.

 

[GOOFY4DONALD]

It may not be "free", but it's still a great deal IN CERTAIN CASES. It really, really irks me when people dismiss it out of hand as a bad deal that's only for "suckers"--which I've heard numerous times. Please, someone explain to me how this is not a good deal for my family. Let's look at numbers! My family is me, DH, DS13, and DS11, so 4 Disney adults. If we stay at a moderate resort, we'll get maybe a 25% discount (if we're lucky) on the room under RO discounts. Okay, let's say a room is on average $200 a night. That gives me a $50 per day discount. Right now, Disney is throwing in an extra day to your tickets. Well, with a 6-day ticket, that's a whopping $10 per person. So that's $40 they're letting me save, total, so less than $10 a day on a 6-day stay, but let's round up to $10. Now we're up to $60 per day. Now, another argument is that the DP forces you into larger tips than you would normally do. So let's say for our one TS meal that day, we need to leave a tip of $25. So now we're up to $85 grand total for the day that I could save with a room/ticket/no forced tip discount. So take that $85 and explain to me how I'm going to feed my family of four at Disney for the entire day, including a TS meal (because we like the break each day and consider it part of our vacation!) with tip. With the DP, we split meals, use snacks wisely, and end up paying very, very, very little beyond that for food. So how exactly is this not a good deal for my family???? If my math's wrong please correct me. If there's something I'm missing, I'd like to know. But so many people say I'm being suckered in by Free Dining, yet can't explain exactly how.

for us it's not a great deal but it does save our family more than a room discount. We have grazers for kids so they don't gorge themselves at buffets but after a breakfast buffet at 7:30 the do want a snack at lunchtime and will be wanting dinner around 5 and another snack before the end of the day. I'm sure if we planned it just right we could skip most of the TS meals and share QS meals. And save way more money but that is not how we like to vacation. We are a pretty healthy family and I watch what I eat everyday. One week every 2 years I like having dessert everyday and I allow my son to have a mickey bar for dinner if he chooses. The major plus for me is the convenience. I probably wouldn't go to a disney TS rest. If I had to pay almost 300 for a buffet for my family. But with the dining plan I feel like I can splurge a bit.

 

[mousehockey37]

It may not be "free", but it's still a great deal IN CERTAIN CASES. It really, really irks me when people dismiss it out of hand as a bad deal that's only for "suckers"--which I've heard numerous times. Please, someone explain to me how this is not a good deal for my family.

Let's look at numbers! My family is me, DH, DS13, and DS11, so 4 Disney adults. If we stay at a moderate resort, we'll get maybe a 25% discount (if we're lucky) on the room under RO discounts. Okay, let's say a room is on average $200 a night. That gives me a $50 per day discount. Right now, Disney is throwing in an extra day to your tickets. Well, with a 6-day ticket, that's a whopping $10 per person. So that's $40 they're letting me save, total, so less than $10 a day on a 6-day stay, but let's round up to $10. Now we're up to $60 per day. Now, another argument is that the DP forces you into larger tips than you would normally do. So let's say for our one TS meal that day, we need to leave a tip of $25. So now we're up to $85 grand total for the day that I could save with a room/ticket/no forced tip discount.

So take that $85 and explain to me how I'm going to feed my family of four at Disney for the entire day, including a TS meal (because we like the break each day and consider it part of our vacation!) with tip.

With the DP, we split meals, use snacks wisely, and end up paying very, very, very little beyond that for food.

So how exactly is this not a good deal for my family???? If my math's wrong please correct me. If there's something I'm missing, I'd like to know. But so many people say I'm being suckered in by Free Dining, yet can't explain exactly how.

The line that I bolded and underlined is key. Normally when there is free dining, no other discounts will apply, regardless of where they are from. You will ONLY get the free dining.

There will be no room discount. There will be no way to get tickets from another source. You are paying full price for the room and tickets, but hey, you can eat for "free".

 

[mom2rtk]

The line that I bolded and underlined is key. Normally when there is free dining, no other discounts will apply, regardless of where they are from. You will ONLY get the free dining.

There will be no room discount. There will be no way to get tickets from another source. You are paying full price for the room and tickets, but hey, you can eat for "free".

I don't think the PP thought they could get the discount plus free dining. They are using it as a basis of comparison to find the better deal. With 4 Disney adults in a room, it's not even a close call (at a value, even with upgrade cost, or a mod).

 

[Vidia2]

The line that I bolded and underlined is key. Normally when there is free dining, no other discounts will apply, regardless of where they are from. You will ONLY get the free dining. There will be no room discount. There will be no way to get tickets from another source. You are paying full price for the room and tickets, but hey, you can eat for "free".

It's not free. Everyone knows that. It's a discount. It's a bigger discount than a room only offer or any other discount that I've ever been eligible for.

It's a real way to save money. It's not imaginary or a trick of some kind. No one cares that we're paying rack rate for a room because the overall price of the package is a great deal.

 

[smitch425]

The line that I bolded and underlined is key. Normally when there is free dining, no other discounts will apply, regardless of where they are from. You will ONLY get the free dining.

There will be no room discount. There will be no way to get tickets from another source. You are paying full price for the room and tickets, but hey, you can eat for "free".

We only stay value, and we are 3 "Disney adults" and 1 child. The QSDP fits our eating style perfectly, so FD is by far the best deal for us. There is no scenario in which a room/ticket discount would be a better deal for us, so yes, our free dining is 100% FREE.

The whole "free dining isn't 'free' " spiel is so stupid. It is free (as in you are not paying for the actual food), but it isn't always the best deal. It's all about where you stay, your party size, the ages of your party, your eating habits, and the other available discounts at the time. You have to do the math to see what works for you.

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

The line that I bolded and underlined is key. Normally when there is free dining, no other discounts will apply, regardless of where they are from. You will ONLY get the free dining.

There will be no room discount. There will be no way to get tickets from another source. You are paying full price for the room and tickets, but hey, you can eat for "free".

As someone pointed out, I know very well you can't get both discounts. I was trying to show what the typical alternatives are to free dining. Many people come on and say there are better discounts than free dining and that free dining is actually a scam. I was showing the math to prove that for our family, it is FAR from a scam!