Free Dining 2014 Discussion

[LGTD]

Did you think this was okay for your husband to do? Demand special treatment? I would have been mortified.

I am not sure where I stand on this. For us the truth is that if we can't get POR with FD for our family of 5 we are not going this year, we will go to a Wisconsin Dells indoor water park instead (It is a stretch financially already but would be possible with free dining). If I let the CM know this, is that demanding special treatment? I think its a little like buying a house, negotiate an offer I can afford or I will look elsewhere not necessarily a threat.

 

[Later_Mater2009]

Deluxe resorts get the regular dining plan with free dining, not the deluxe dining plan. Or did you want the quick service plan only, with no table service meals? I don't think you can downgrade, but I'm not positive.

Ok, I thought the deluxe rooms got deluxe dining.. good to know.
I am going to see how much of a difference the RO discount would be for us.
Do you know the daily prices for regular dining plan per person?

 

[jcemom]

Ok, I thought the deluxe rooms got deluxe dining.. good to know.
I am going to see how much of a difference the RO discount would be for us.
Do you know the daily prices for regular dining plan per person?

$60.64 per night per adult is the cost of the regular dining plan.

 

[FuDog]

Positive thoughts for discounts next week.

 

[bafleyanne]

For us I think FD is the best financially. We are going regardless, have already booked (at POFQ ) but with 2 adults who enjoy TS dining and a teenager who can eat more than I can, the dining plan is definitely worth it.

 

[Yellowshoes23]

Wow, well we are booked at Port Orleans Riverside. So I guess if this is true we will switch because I want the FD. When I called last week I had no problems downgrading from a river view to a standard view room. Every time I have talked to a CM they have not directly said that FD would be released soon but all but said it by assuring me that I probably didn't have anything to worry about. On a positive note my card is supposed to be here tomorrow so when they do announce the DV offer at least I will have that option. Still think the pin code offer will be better..it always has been. More dates anyway! I honestly think they are messing with us! It is the devoted Disney fans that are wait for the offers to come out I would think!

 

[DisMama5]

I wouldn't count POR out just yet, the lucky few that did get FD today seem to be just that, lucky, congrats to the few of you, but you never know POR may very well be included, it is a rare instance these few some how did get the FD promo an maybe for them POR wasn't included, the actual promo hopefully coming tomorrow for visas.. Or to the gp soon hopefully could very well include POR, I'll be shocked if it doesn't. It's always good to have your back up plans ready of course but I see some stories about families thinking to cancel due to the few posters that got FD and said POR is a no go, I hope you all get to still enjoy your vacation and never say never just yet..

 

[DisMama5]

Question on Room Only discounts.. So deluxe get 30% and %25 off mods off and 20% off value, is this correct? What does AOA suites get off??? Is there any word that these RO offers are coming out also, I haven't been researching these at all and have never used one.. But I see so much chatter about these RO offers in this thread ... Sparked my interest .. Never stayed at a deluxe... Just maybe...

 

[bookgirl]

RO discounts usually end up being a better deal than FD in the Deluxe resorts.

This is the case for my trip this year. We decided to do a deluxe. If it is a 30% rate then I save something like $550 dollars. We wont eat that much food OOP (my last value trip in the same amount of days my total food bill was around $84 and that was with two TS meals, even adding my mom I expect to spend only about $150 OOP) so a room discount is much better than rackrate and free dining for me.

If I was staying Moderate I would break about even. RO would have saved me about $150 and that's about what I would have spent OOP.


Value QSP with OOP for TS would probably be even or a small savings.

 

[Later_Mater2009]

$60.64 per night per adult is the cost of the regular dining plan.

ok my math based on our dates family of 5.
amounts are rounded up (I dont like adding cents)

Say we stay at deluxe, i chose the least expensive for our dates
which was Beach Club
360.00 a night x 6 nights =2160.00
2160.00 x (RO) 30% =648.00 savings

VS.

free dining
4 adults x 60.64 x 6 = 1455.00
1 child x i dont know say 30.00 x 6 =180.00

total savings with FD is 1635.00

looks like room only would not work out as a better savings, unless im completely wrong on this, if so let me know

 

[HBGdancermom]

I just read something on the room discounts and it's rumored to be tiered on resort level and travel time this year....so very confusing. Normally it's 20% Value, 25% Mod and 30% Deluxe. Then AOA was only 15%....not sure if other Suites were also at 15% or not as we've not had need of a Room Only discount before this year.

I got 30% off the BC CL last August when I booked our October trip.

 

[CJK]

I just read something on the room discounts and it's rumored to be tiered on resort level and travel time this year....so very confusing. Normally it's 20% Value, 25% Mod and 30% Deluxe. Then AOA was only 15%....not sure if other Suites were also at 15% or not as we've not had need of a Room Only discount before this year.

Could you tell us where you read this? I'd like to find out more. Thanks!

 

[Dawn Dis]

Just an FYI. I contacted CBR today directly to ask about a refurb. The extremely nice woman told me that she had a few calls today regarding that already and checked with management. She said right now the Frenzy is surrounding the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and it will be for the next few weeks. However they are planning to refurbish the rooms they are just not sure if it's only curtains and linens or if they are replacing beds as well. It will not start until mid to late summer. Hope that's helpful.

turning into a Disney fanatic

 

[lisafab]

What I don't get is if the rumors are true and all dates are going to be released at once that some resorts can be excluded from all those dates? For example, rumor has it both Port Orleans will be excluded but CSR is included. For my dates (Sept 19th to Oct 1st) CSR only has king rooms available whereas POFQ has all room categories and POR all except standard. Why would Disney then include a resort that's nearly booked out but exclude ones that have lots of availability (on the surface anyway)?

I'm just trying to be positive because POR is our first choice, POFQ our second and CBR our third. If CBR has to become our first I don't have a 2 & 3!

 

[CaraMiaBelle]

I wouldn't count POR out just yet, the lucky few that did get FD today seem to be just that, lucky, congrats to the few of you, but you never know POR may very well be included, it is a rare instance these few some how did get the FD promo an maybe for them POR wasn't included, the actual promo hopefully coming tomorrow for visas.. Or to the gp soon hopefully could very well include POR, I'll be shocked if it doesn't. It's always good to have your back up plans ready of course but I see some stories about families thinking to cancel due to the few posters that got FD and said POR is a no go, I hope you all get to still enjoy your vacation and never say never just yet..

Yes, I agree completely! Please don't change plans before the actual release! Just be prepared for the worst, I guess.
Speaking of, for you fellow families of 5 hoping for POR, what are your back-up plans? 2 rooms at a value? AoA? FW Cabins? Upgrade to a deluxe? Off-site?

 

[DisMama5]

ok my math based on our dates family of 5. amounts are rounded up (I dont like adding cents) Say we stay at deluxe, i chose the least expensive for our dates which was Beach Club 360.00 a night x 6 nights =2160.00 2160.00 x (RO) 30% =648.00 savings VS. free dining 4 adults x 60.64 x 6 = 1455.00 1 child x i dont know say 30.00 x 6 =180.00 total savings with FD is 1635.00 looks like room only would not work out as a better savings, unless im completely wrong on this, if so let me know

Wow that seems cheap for a deluxe.. May I ask when you are going?

 

[Later_Mater2009]

Wow that seems cheap for a deluxe.. May I ask when you are going?

August 31- Sept 6
thats room only doesnt include tix, its the price WDW website gave me??

 

[TheRatPack]

Could you tell us where you read this? I'd like to find out more. Thanks!

October's group on FB

 

[Kate and Family]

Does Room Only follow the same dates and resorts as Free Dining - or - could the dates and resorts differ? In other words if no FD is offered for Oct 19-Oct23 does that mean that RO will not be offered for that time period. If the dates of stay are within the time frame, but FD is not offered at POR, does that mean that there will be no RO at POR?

Thanks in advance
-Kate

 

[Fenway1970]

I'm wondering the same thing. We're already booked at POR (we're going with or w/o free dining so I booked early to be able to make ADRs at 180+10) but will switch to CBR or CSR to get FD if we have to. I'm sure there are many others who will do the same. If Disney sees they have a lot of people switching to other resorts, and therefore POR/FQ are no longer booked, will they open those resorts up for FD at a later date? Has that ever happened, that more resorts are added to a promo later?

I'm in exactly the same boat. Our dates aren't flexible, we're going either way and are already booked at POR. Let me say I'm sorry to all if POR is in fact excluded from FD, since we contributed to that (albeit not intentionally).

If I can't switch to another mod then I'll likely just suck it up, cancel the dining plan, and pay out of pocket for food. Not sure I'm willing to switch to a value since we've done POP to death, but maybe.

I'd say the chances of them retracting an exclusion once it's announced are slim to none. POR and POFQ are popular enough that even if we all switch to get FD, they'll probably still get decent bookings at those resorts.