Heya all
Rumoured this wasnt happening but here is the first email on it I've seen ....
Rumoured this wasnt happening but here is the first email on it I've seen ....
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2020 FREE DINING UK
- Thread starter DreamalittleDisney
- Start date
All sires now advertising with first bookable date being 25th April
It does work out quite good of you are coming over from the UK
nickys
Premium Member
Why? It’s pretty much the same offer they have every year on the U.K. site, and with U.K. travel agents.
No free parking this time though. And the booking conditions essentially say they can cancel / increase costs up to 3 before travel due to Brexit. Although they have the date down as 29th March at the moment.
Jon81uk
Well-Known Member
I wouldn't be staying on-site without the offer.
We save probably £1000 between the two of us and without that discount the Disney hotels are just too expensive.
DznyGrlSD
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
I'm ok with the UK offer...but domestic "Free dining" has been completely unnecessary to get people to come to Disney during "off" seasons for about 10 years. There are no "off" seasons anymore.
My biggest gripe is that "Free dining" is responsible for wal-marting TS dining for the last 15 years. The quality and variety of food offerings has gone downhill. What you get with the DDP has also gone downhill...remember when you got an appetizer, entree & dessert? Remember when tip was included?
Plus "free dining" isn't really free depending on how long you stay, and how big your travel party is. I'd rather have a room discount any day and the DDP is way too much food. The rediculous amount of snaks and QS credits I've seen people end up with at the end of their trips is laughable.
Jon81uk
Well-Known Member
Its been over 10 years since tip was included in the dining plan, I remember travelling in 2010 with UK free dining and no tips. Think appetisers had already been removed by that point as well.
Also with no appetisers we didn't find it a huge amount of food, the quick service dessert was still an excess I didn't want but even without the plan we would still have had a similar two meals and at least one snack (one breakfast snack and an ice cream or similar as well, plus bottled drinks).
I do agree that the dining plan did result in a lot of table service meals getting simplified, but unfortunately 10-12 years on it doesn't seem like they are changing back significantly, although it doesn't seem as bad as it was.
For the discounts offered to the UK I think the free dining is worth a lot more than any other offer, as I said I could be saving us over £1000 between the two of us (two counter service meals for two people would still be $70 a day or about £50, over a 14 day trip that alone would be £700).
Indy_UK
Well-Known Member
This deal has me interested. To the point that we may go September 2020 instead of 2021 now and try to avoid the 50th anniversary.
If my guesses are right, a moderate hotel should include free quick service which for 3 of us is worth about £800-£1000 on the quick service plan. Current options show £500 more to upgrade the the regular plan.
I'm seeing prices for a 3 night cruise, 10 nights at port Orleans riverside with standard dining, tickets and flights for about £6K if the dinning does save about £1k which I find very tempting
If my guesses are right, a moderate hotel should include free quick service which for 3 of us is worth about £800-£1000 on the quick service plan. Current options show £500 more to upgrade the the regular plan.
I'm seeing prices for a 3 night cruise, 10 nights at port Orleans riverside with standard dining, tickets and flights for about £6K if the dinning does save about £1k which I find very tempting
WDW_Jon
Well-Known Member
Jon81uk
Well-Known Member
£6k all in seems a great price.
I'm seeing £4k+ just for 14 nights at Wilderness Lodge.
Indy_UK
Well-Known Member
Where we booked last week, I think we bagged a good deal.
4 night Disney Dream cruise, 10 nights at AKL with free regular dining plan, return flights from London Gatwick and park tickets for 3 of us was just over £7K which we are happy about.
Virgin has given us a $300 gift card rather than the standard $200 too
Just looking again today, it works out about £500 more to book the same trip than last week.
4 night Disney Dream cruise, 10 nights at AKL with free regular dining plan, return flights from London Gatwick and park tickets for 3 of us was just over £7K which we are happy about.
Virgin has given us a $300 gift card rather than the standard $200 too
Just looking again today, it works out about £500 more to book the same trip than last week.
Last edited:
Q_Division
Member
We originally booked under the "free" dining offer for last year's trip but then changed it later to drop dining for a "discount" equivalent to the cost of dining. When we first did it back in 08 (when it was appetizer, entree, dessert and tip) it was effectively free, however over the last 10 years or so, it becoming less free and more "free" and as others have stated it has taken away some of the "quality" of the TS restaurants (simiplification of menu, more "minor" changes like the stopping of freshly baked bread etc.)
That said based on what looks like current UK prices £7k for flights, tickets, cruise, AKL and dining, is a pretty good price (we really need the exchange rate to improve
)
As an aside the $300 is "standard" this year for the first couple of weeks but doesn't seem to be showing on the WDTC website currently (when you can get on)
That said based on what looks like current UK prices £7k for flights, tickets, cruise, AKL and dining, is a pretty good price (we really need the exchange rate to improve
)As an aside the $300 is "standard" this year for the first couple of weeks but doesn't seem to be showing on the WDTC website currently (when you can get on)
We booked too @themolesfamily and were meant to be waiting until 2021 booked at CBR (we stayed there in 2016) Thomas cook were by far offering best rates as far as my search it may not be quite as nice and shiny as Virgin but their best price match meant an extra hour in car to different departure airport in the UK and £1800 more than TC price !
booked at CBR (we stayed there in 2016) Thomas cook were by far offering best rates as far as my search it may not be quite as nice and shiny as Virgin but their best price match meant an extra hour in car to different departure airport in the UK and £1800 more than TC price !
Agree we have gone TC premium as difference once we had added seat allocations and drinks on wasnt that much difference to economy but what Virgin wanted was crazy money