"Buy 4, Get 3" Possibly Coming Back?

[Ed]

From an Orlandosentinel.com blog ~~

Could Disney bring back its 7-for-4 hotel deal later this year?

posted by Jason Garcia on Jun 23, 2009 9:34:43 AM

Could Walt Disney World bring back its seven-for-four hotel-night promotion later this year?

One analyst thinks so.

Disney earlier this year stopped accepting bookings for the popular promo -- which has helped Disney World prop up attendance but at the cost of lower profit margins -- and replaced it with a free dining offer that travelers can book until late July. But Richard Greenfield, an analyst who follows the Walt Disney Co. for Pali Capital, wrote in a recent post on the firm's research blog that "we sense" that the free dining promo has not been as successful as the hotel discount was.

The seven-for-four travel window runs until mid-August; the free dining travel window is from mid-August to early October.

"We suspect Disney will need to go back to a 7 for 4 or better promo in the near future to sustain attendance levels" for the final three months of 2009, Greenfield wrote. The final three months of the calendar year are also the first three months of Disney's 2010 fiscal year.

Greenfield added, "Our thesis remains that without a notable pick-up in the economy, Disney will need to significantly discount pricing in 2010, further pressuring margins…or experience a substantial decline in attendance given how much vacation share they took within the Orlando market over the past year and how many vacations they have pulled forward by aggressively discounting."

[Live4WDW]

Oh what an awesome thought!! Please do. It won't bother me a bit! DW and I are staying at CR in Nov/Dec and would love to take advantage of this offer.

[gueli]

pofq at end nov beginning of dec.
yeah 4 for 3

[magicofdisney]

I'm surprised this is more popular than free dining, although at the moderate and deluxe levels this is probably the better deal.

[Dsnygirl]

I'll take whatever I can get... we're there in October for a split stay, moderate and then deluxe -- so either one, 4 for 3 or free dining, would work beautifully!! C'mon Disney -- listen to the analysts!!

[biggun35]

I wish for free dining the week of Christmas, we are there for only 4 days.

[#1donaldfan]

.....we did the deal with 3 free last week and I'd do it again....hopefully it'll be for spring break 2010....!!

[Belster]

This would be wonderful!!!!!! I would be sooooo excited!!!

[Gooftroop5]

I'm surprised this is more popular than free dining, although at the moderate and deluxe levels this is probably the better deal.

Free Dining is only a draw if it is what you want that Dining Plan.

I admit the 4/3 deal is why we are going again this year. Free dining isn't a draw for us. We did that meal plan last year it took a lot of time out of our trip plus it was a lot of food for December when it was cool. I can't imagine having all those bigger heavier meals in August with the heat.We are going the 1st week of August & paying summer rates w/ the QS meal plan. It really wasn't that much of a difference price wise for us to entice us to go for free dining. (we are paying ~ the price for one children's meal plan above the free dining).

Either way we are paying less for a family of 5 then we did for a room of 4 (2 adults & 2 children 4&5) last year. DD stayed in my parents room. This year she is in our room & she turned 10 since our trip in the beginning of December so add adult pricing for tickest & meal plan. All around we saw it as a great deal for us. We are staying at the same level of resort. Last year was CBR this year POR (so we can get all 5 in one room).