Free Dining General Public offer released today 3/30/2009

[Missing20K]

We are debating booking a trip, but usually go during slow times, and enjoy eating spontaneously. Are the greater crowds, harder to get ADR's, and longer QSR lines, that I've heard occur during free dining periods, offset by the fact you get to eat for free?

 

[hokielutz]

In the "Unintended Consequences" category...

Annual passes are now worthless.

If one adds up all the General Public promos for 2009, then compares the total cost to the total cost of an AP, and benefits given? An AP is a bad deal.

Won't be renewing ours this year.

Depends on your individual situations.... such as how many days you expect to attend the parks in one year, whether you normally stay onsite vs offsite, etc.....

the APs are still very cost effective for my family, since we stay mostly offsite(vacation home), have tables in wonderland, free parking, and the other small discounts we get with the AP.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

We are debating booking a trip, but usually go during slow times, and enjoy eating spontaneously. Are the greater crowds, harder to get ADR's, and longer QSR lines, that I've heard occur during free dining periods, offset by the fact you get to eat for free?

We've been during free dining and found the crowds very manageable. I would NOT go without my ADR's made. The busiest part of the parks was the restaurants, but that was no problem with ADR's. People that didn't have them, however, were struggling. Rides were more in the 20 minute wait range. We thought it was a great time to go.

 

[Master Yoda]

We are debating booking a trip, but usually go during slow times, and enjoy eating spontaneously. Are the greater crowds, harder to get ADR's, and longer QSR lines, that I've heard occur during free dining periods, offset by the fact you get to eat for free?

Crowds are manageable but a little planning will be required on your part for dining. You will need to make ADR's in advance and eating at off times at the CS places is a big help. However, being able to order the $35 Fillet Mignon and finish that off with a $8 slice of Chocolate on Chocolate Whiskey Cake for nothing but the gratuity really makes up for it.

 

[nibblesandbits]

We've been during free dining and found the crowds very manageable. I would NOT go without my ADR's made. The busiest part of the parks was the restaurants, but that was no problem with ADR's. People that didn't have them, however, were struggling. Rides were more in the 20 minute wait range. We thought it was a great time to go.

Crowds are manageable but a little planning will be required on your part for dining. You will need to make ADR's in advance and eating at off times at the CS places is a big help. However, being able to order the $35 Fillet Mignon and finish that off with a $8 slice of Chocolate on Chocolate Whiskey Cake for nothing but the gratuity really makes up for it.

I agree with these two...

I've been during free dining time twice now...once with free dining, once without.

Waits for rides really weren't bad...they were in that 20/30 minute range stated above.

However, that being said, it is imperetive that you have ADRS scheduled! Especially if you have free dining, so you can take advantage of eating all the free food.

I especially stress that if you have specific restaurants that you are dying to have, you MUST call at your 90 day window this year. There will be no if, ands, or buts about that one. Since this is the first year that Disney has had a 90 day window during the free dining time (every other year, it was the 180 day window), and the fact that free dining ends not long after most of us have to make our ADRs, everybody and their brother will be calling on your 90 day window at 7 am (at least everbody and their brother booked on the same day as you)...I also strongly suggest having multiple restaurants picked out, as you will likely not get your first choices on all of them.

All this being said, last year, I was not on Free Dining and I had 3 weeks to go before my trip and no restaurant ressies made. I decided to just try for one of them because I knew I would have trouble...I don't know what was going on last year because I got a prime time at 50s Prime Time Cafe...a 6:05 ressie. Something I thought was impossible, especially during free dining. So, it just goes to prove, if you need to, keep trying to change those ressies to fit what you want.

I also agree with the eating at off times at CS meals. Although, since I mostly eat at off times at CS meals, I've never had a problem during free dining in that regard.

Oh and Yoda, I couldn't agree more about how wonderful it is to spend $38 on a Filet and $8 on cake and walk out paying just the tip...

 

[she-luvs-disney]

what do you get with your quick service counter meals and your sit down meals? is there anything excluded? and where do i find a list of the restaurants that participate in the free dining? i am heading to the world with my family sept. 18-25 and we have the free dining. (yay!)

 

[Master Yoda]

what do you get with your quick service counter meals and your sit down meals? is there anything excluded? and where do i find a list of the restaurants that participate in the free dining? i am heading to the world with my family sept. 18-25 and we have the free dining. (yay!)

All of you question will be answered by following the two links.

http://adisneyworld.disney.go.com/media/wdwi/images2003/languagespecific/en_GB/tickets/DiningPlanInfo.pdf

http://adisneyworld.disney.go.com/media/wdw/images2003/languagespecific/eng/nontheme/tickets/08Dining.pdf

 

[she-luvs-disney]

All of you question will be answered by following the two links.

http://adisneyworld.disney.go.com/m...uagespecific/en_GB/tickets/DiningPlanInfo.pdf

http://adisneyworld.disney.go.com/m...agespecific/eng/nontheme/tickets/08Dining.pdf

thank you so much for the info. very informative and to me, very valuable.
again, thanks!

 

[PhotoDave219]

Just a side note.....

I'm pretty offended that I have friends who are getting laid off and fearing for their jobs and the company turns around the next day and gives away free dining packages.

That just sucks IMO.

 

[Computer Magic]

Just a side note.....

I'm pretty offended that I have friends who are getting laid off and fearing for their jobs and the company turns around the next day and gives away free dining packages.

That just sucks IMO.

Well Dave, it could be worst. Disney could not offer a discount for that time period and more of your friends get laid off because people don't visit.

I feel like I'm helping people keep their jobs by going to Disney this year. I could skip the free dining and stay home/

 

[Snowflake82]

As DisneyFalcon pointed out this is not correct but I can see why your TA would think that. The official email said it was only for value resorts with something like a 5 or 6 night stay....which was incorrect. About the only requirement with this deal is a minimum 1 day ticket purchase and a 3 night stay.

Thanks to all of you from KK for the explanation-our guy has not steered us wrong before, but I was starting to worry when he was saying that he had different information from what I was seeing here. He got us booked at POFQ for August 16-23 - now we gotta start figuring out what ADRs we want!

 

[wild01ride]

Just a side note.....

I'm pretty offended that I have friends who are getting laid off and fearing for their jobs and the company turns around the next day and gives away free dining packages.

That just sucks IMO.

Well Dave, it could be worst. Disney could not offer a discount for that time period and more of your friends get laid off because people don't visit.

I feel like I'm helping people keep their jobs by going to Disney this year. I could skip the free dining and stay home

Seriously! I think that your priorities are all wrong if you're "offended" that they're trying to remain viable as a business. I'm in the auto industry...in Michigan...hanging onto my job by a thread and I am in no way offended when the automakers offer more and more incentives so that they can maintain positive cash flow and consequently stay in business. That's how business works, and like Computer Magic said, your friends could all lose their jobs if Disney isn't seeing enough volume on their bottom line. You and your friends should appreciate the fact that Disney is doing what's necessary to maintain business rather than just closing the doors like a lot of businesses are doing these days.
Again, like Computer Magic said, it's people who are going to WDW - whether they're getting Free Dining, Annual Passholder rates, 10% off T-shirts, or WHATEVER - that are keeping things afloat.
Furthermore, I think that it's safe to say that you are relatively "local" to WDW from what I've read, which might make it difficult to understand what people are facing right now who otherwise might not think twice about booking a vacation. This means that, for you, it doesn't take $350+ in airplane tickets, a day and a half of round-trip travel (=vacation time at work), or $64, $99, $149, $249, or whatever a night in hotel charges to visit WDW. Obviously, people are reluctant to spend that kind of money with the way that the economy is (which is a large part of the reason why the economy is the way it is). Needless to say, an enticing offer like "Free Dining" (which, we all know, doesn't really cover everything you might need to eat in a day's time) may be just the thing to make the difference of someone plunking down the cash to make the trip, or to just stay home. That $1500-?? per family that is riding the fence is what WDW needs to keep things going.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Seriously! I think that your priorities are all wrong if you're "offended" that they're trying to remain viable as a business. I'm in the auto industry...in Michigan...hanging onto my job by a thread and I am in no way offended when the automakers offer more and more incentives so that they can maintain positive cash flow and consequently stay in business. That's how business works, and like Computer Magic said, your friends could all lose their jobs if Disney isn't seeing enough volume on their bottom line. You and your friends should appreciate the fact that Disney is doing what's necessary to maintain business rather than just closing the doors like a lot of businesses are doing these days.
Again, like Computer Magic said, it's people who are going to WDW - whether they're getting Free Dining, Annual Passholder rates, 10% off T-shirts, or WHATEVER - that are keeping things afloat.
Furthermore, I think that it's safe to say that you are relatively "local" to WDW from what I've read, which might make it difficult to understand what people are facing right now who otherwise might not think twice about booking a vacation. This means that, for you, it doesn't take $350+ in airplane tickets, a day and a half of round-trip travel (=vacation time at work), or $64, $99, $149, $249, or whatever a night in hotel charges to visit WDW. Obviously, people are reluctant to spend that kind of money with the way that the economy is (which is a large part of the reason why the economy is the way it is). Needless to say, an enticing offer like "Free Dining" (which, we all know, doesn't really cover everything you might need to eat in a day's time) may be just the thing to make the difference of someone plunking down the cash to make the trip, or to just stay home. That $1500-?? per family that is riding the fence is what WDW needs to keep things going.

I dont want 10 families to show up, spend $1500 a piece and stay at the all stars. I want 1 family to show up, spend $15,000 and stay at the Grand Fla.

Disney has insane cash flow and has had record crowd/profits until recent. To say that they are somehow losing money is only viable when you compare it to the egregious amount of money they were making before. Somehow the financial gurus on Wall Street expect every quarter to have insane (see ExxonMobil) type profits for every company or they have to make cutbacks. Alas Disney is still making an obscene amount of money on a daily basis, but the timing on this promotion sucks.

 

[kimmychad]

I dont want 10 families to show up, spend $1500 a piece and stay at the all stars. I want 1 family to show up, spend $15,000 and stay at the Grand Fla.

Disney has insane cash flow and has had record crowd/profits until recent. To say that they are somehow losing money is only viable when you compare it to the egregious amount of money they were making before. Somehow the financial gurus on Wall Street expect every quarter to have insane (see ExxonMobil) type profits for every company or they have to make cutbacks. Alas Disney is still making an obscene amount of money on a daily basis, but the timing on this promotion sucks.



if those 10 families don't spend $1500 at the allstars that family spending $15000 at the grand floridian will have to find somewhere else to spend their money. It's the average family that keeps disney open, not some rich snob that hires tourguides at $125 an hour with a 6 hour minimum.

 

[TURKEY]

Disney isn't hurting for business. Disney would survive with just offering the promotions. Are they better off offering the promotions? Yea, probably.

Disney is making cutbacks/firing people to reduce their costs. No real reason. Areas of Disney are now being cut that don't need to be. Why, to cut costs to improve the bottom line.

 

[Lucky]

Disney has had free dining every Aug-Sept since 2005. If it made business sense in 2005-2008 (and it must if they kept doing it) surely it makes sense in a recession.

Otherwise you're in effect increasing prices, which makes no sense in a recession. I'm going in late August because of free dining. Without free dining I would not be going at all this year.

 

[fl_actuary]

I have a free dining question.

I booked this trip

Checkin: 9/18
Checkout: 9/22

How many days of dining is that?

 

[Master Yoda]

I have a free dining question.

I booked this trip

Checkin: 9/18
Checkout: 9/22

How many days of dining is that?

It will be equal to the nights in your resort. In your particular case 4 days worth.

 

[fl_actuary]

It will be equal to the nights in your resort. In your particular case 4 days worth.

I was hoping somebody would say 5. But we can live with four.

Now we have to determine where we are eating.

 

[Master Yoda]

I was hoping somebody would say 5. But we can live with four.

Now we have to determine where we are eating.

Well I could say 5 but I would be wrong.