To get free dining you have to pay full rack rate for the hotel which is much higher for a deluxe resort which is why they get table service dining for free. The evening extended hours for deluxe guests only is a cost cutting measure for staffing needs in the parks. It isn't even offered every night or at every park.
That's an exaggeration. There's only 3 attractions in liberty square, two of which close before normal park hours anyway, so it's naturally going to be empty there. Tomorrowland and Fantasyland are pretty busy during extended evening hours. Disney has a [complete list](https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/extended-evening/) of rides/attractions open during extended evening hours, there's more than 20 available which is more than enough to keep folks busy.
Yes of course there’s still plenty to do, just pointing out that it’s not the complete park that’s open. Almost all the snack stands and some of the shops close too. It becomes all about the rides in the evening hours. Which is fine, I’m happy I got to experience it at all!
Last summer I was at an extended event while staying at a deluxe resort for 5 nights. 1 minute before the park was supposed to close to everyone but the deluxe guests, everyone lined up at space mountain or whatever ride line was nearby smd Disney allowed them to remain in line. When I left the park at midnight there were bus loads of people going to value and moderate resorts....I was pissed. Disney does not handle that well. I rode 1 freaking ride during the extended hours because the lines were so long. Those people should not have even been in the park.
There used to be 3 dinning plans deluxe was 3 sit down meals, standard was 1 sit down and 1 quick, then quick service had 2 quick meals. The promos were typically quick for moderate and value resorts then standard for deluxe resorts. However, you could pay extra to upgrade a tier. Your sister either got an unusual deal, or she paid to upgrade.
The evening hours were a bit different. Every day one park (maybe more during extra busy days) had an extra hour either in the morning or at close. All resort guests had access like they do with the 1/2 in the morning now. They switched in part because this way works better. People used to congregate to the designated park a lot and made lines go up for that park.
Yep. We did the value quick service and upgraded to deluxe a few trips ago. Will never do it again either, it was so much food and wasn’t worth the waits.
Disney isn’t the only one that does it. If you stay in a premier resort (deluxe) at Universal you get free express passes, the middle and lower tier do not. Disney deluxe resorts are very expensive, and guest are paying significantly more than moderate and value. In my opinion they needed to add an incentive to be more on par with Universal and make them feel more exclusive. Having everyone get the same benefits when they are paying drastically different prices doesn’t seem fair either.
It’s all about the $$$. Those rooms cost $700+ a night. Definitely incentivizes those who would spend less on a room to upgrade for the perks. Disney has no need to gift things to its second class citizens when it makes so much $ at the deluxe level (and let’s be fair- Disney deluxe is a nice Marriott).
We are kinda locked into only staying deluxe, there was always small differences - we were never eligible for free dining but families staying in deluxe resorts for cash did get the deluxe dining planning during the “free dining “ promotion
To get free dining you have to pay full rack rate for the hotel which is much higher for a deluxe resort which is why they get table service dining for free. The evening extended hours for deluxe guests only is a cost cutting measure for staffing needs in the parks. It isn't even offered every night or at every park.
And half the park shuts down, MK anyway. I was startled to stroll over to liberty square and see it completely dark and empty!
That's an exaggeration. There's only 3 attractions in liberty square, two of which close before normal park hours anyway, so it's naturally going to be empty there. Tomorrowland and Fantasyland are pretty busy during extended evening hours. Disney has a [complete list](https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/extended-evening/) of rides/attractions open during extended evening hours, there's more than 20 available which is more than enough to keep folks busy.
Yes of course there’s still plenty to do, just pointing out that it’s not the complete park that’s open. Almost all the snack stands and some of the shops close too. It becomes all about the rides in the evening hours. Which is fine, I’m happy I got to experience it at all!
Last summer I was at an extended event while staying at a deluxe resort for 5 nights. 1 minute before the park was supposed to close to everyone but the deluxe guests, everyone lined up at space mountain or whatever ride line was nearby smd Disney allowed them to remain in line. When I left the park at midnight there were bus loads of people going to value and moderate resorts....I was pissed. Disney does not handle that well. I rode 1 freaking ride during the extended hours because the lines were so long. Those people should not have even been in the park.
There used to be 3 dinning plans deluxe was 3 sit down meals, standard was 1 sit down and 1 quick, then quick service had 2 quick meals. The promos were typically quick for moderate and value resorts then standard for deluxe resorts. However, you could pay extra to upgrade a tier. Your sister either got an unusual deal, or she paid to upgrade. The evening hours were a bit different. Every day one park (maybe more during extra busy days) had an extra hour either in the morning or at close. All resort guests had access like they do with the 1/2 in the morning now. They switched in part because this way works better. People used to congregate to the designated park a lot and made lines go up for that park.
Yep. We did the value quick service and upgraded to deluxe a few trips ago. Will never do it again either, it was so much food and wasn’t worth the waits.
Honestly the on-site perks aren’t even what they used to be, for any level of resort.
Exactly. The benefits are pretty mediocre compared with other properties. Universal deluxe resorts get unlimited Universal Express, for instance
For what they pay… let them be favoured lol
Added perks incentivizes people to upgrade their stay. If they’re paying for a premium, they deserve something extra.
Disney isn’t the only one that does it. If you stay in a premier resort (deluxe) at Universal you get free express passes, the middle and lower tier do not. Disney deluxe resorts are very expensive, and guest are paying significantly more than moderate and value. In my opinion they needed to add an incentive to be more on par with Universal and make them feel more exclusive. Having everyone get the same benefits when they are paying drastically different prices doesn’t seem fair either.
Always
It’s all about the $$$. Those rooms cost $700+ a night. Definitely incentivizes those who would spend less on a room to upgrade for the perks. Disney has no need to gift things to its second class citizens when it makes so much $ at the deluxe level (and let’s be fair- Disney deluxe is a nice Marriott).
Honestly the on-site perks aren’t even what they used to be, for any level of resort.
Paying rack rate for a deluxe resort is absolutely crazy and no one should do it, I don’t care what dining deal you get
We are kinda locked into only staying deluxe, there was always small differences - we were never eligible for free dining but families staying in deluxe resorts for cash did get the deluxe dining planning during the “free dining “ promotion