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I will be checking the replies to this thread, we have never used free dining but hope it might be an option this fall. We know our dates, give or take a day in November but are waiting to see what if any discounts are offered as if we stay on property, it will be at a value resort. Some have suggested I go ahead and book and I probably should but it just seems so far away, I hate to do it. I had planned to wait until June/July to book. I am curious as to what the responses will be to your post.
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You have to pay "rack rate" for the room in order to get free dining. So for a value, you aren't spending a huge chunk of change on your reservation. However, for the Mods/Deluxe, which could go anywhere from $180-$360+ per night full price, the price of the "Free" dining becomes negligible. There is much speculation on whether or not Disney will offer any free dining this year, or if it will be on a "tiered" basis (none for values/QS for Mods/Regular Dining Plan for Deluxe bookings). Typically some type of ticket media purchase is needed as well to access the "free" dining.
Carol (aka KylesMom)
INTERCOT Staff: Mousellaneous & Trip Reports
Last Trip: ICOT 15
Happy A/P Holder 2002 - 2011
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Oftentimes, you will make out better if you get a room discount rather than the free dining (or perhaps just break even).
I don't always eat as much as the dining plan allows in any given day so you're almost forced into eating more than you might otherwise eat. Also, when figuring out costs, folks take the value of what they've eaten on the dining plan to figure out if they've broken even or not. However, is I take into account several desserts and a number of snacks that I would not have purchased except that it was included on the dining plan, am I really breaking even and/or saving money or just eating too much to get full value from the plan?
Linda aka: Faline
INTERCOT Staff: Vacation Planning,Trip Reports and Disney Camping
[email protected]
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By our math, the more the room costs, the less of a good deal "free dining" becomes.
We saved over $170 a night on our room at the Poly and the regular dining plan is costing us just under $120 for our family.
So, going this May was approx $50 a day cheaper, paying for our dining plan, than it would cost us in September, with the assumption that there will be free dining then.
Disneyland: many, MANY times!
WDW:POR POFQ BWV WLV ASMu POLY
Am I a huge disney fan? YOU BETCHA! I blame it all on my parents! They are the one's that walked around Disneyland all day to induce labor! Yep, I've been going to Disneyland since the day before I was born!
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I look at it this way:
The Free DDP offer is generally (not always) made in a Value Season - cheapest room prices, least busy times of the year.
Cost of Standard DDP: $42 (approx.)
Cost of Least expensive room:
DELUXE: AKL - $240 | Poly - $365 | GF - $410 | CR - $440
MODERATE: CB/POR/POFQ - $149 | CS - $154
VALUE: $82
Typical Room Only Discounts range from 20% (Value); 30% (Moderate); 40% (Deluxe).
Assuming that you will partake of all the meals allotted:
The Free DDP is always a better discount than the Room Only discount for the Value resorts.
The Free DDP is a wash with a 30% Room Only discount for ONE person.
The Free DDP is NOT a better deal versus a 40% discount on Room Only.
You can adjust the above numbers depending on the level of room/view booked and number of people in the room (Adults/Children.)
-Bud
Walt Disney World:
9/03 - CBR
1/09 - BWV
9/05; 2/07; 12/07; 9/08; 9/09; 9/10; 9/11; 12/13; 12/17; 4/18; 10/18, 4/23 - PC
5/15 - POR
1/22 - ASMO
10/22 - ASMU
Disneyland: 12/15 - Paradise Pier Hotel
Next up: ???
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Just to give a simplified answer...
Free dining is not a good deal at Moderates or Deluxes (as explained above) ONLY if there are other discounts (ie room percentage discounts) that are available at the same time.
If free dining is the only discount Disney is offering that you qualify for, then free dining is most certainly a good deal not matter how you crunch the numbers!
I think a lot of people on this board operate with the assumption that nobody ever takes a trip that is not discounted in some way. I have done so twice, and while Intercot has opened my eyes to a lot of potential missed opportunities, not every trip made to WDW is going to have a menu of discount options available for you to chose from.
Disney Dream May 2019, WDW Dec 2019
18 Oct ASMv
16 (APs) Jan POR, Feb CSR, April ASMv, June BC, Oct Pop & Cabins, Dec ASMv & AKL & Pop, Jan '17 POFQ (10k!)
15 May Pop&CBR pirates
13 Oct ASMu&AoA
10 (APs) June CR, Oct AKL&Pop, Dec Pop
07 March ASMv
04 June POR
94 June Onsite
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Value of 'free' dining
I received an email this morning about free quick dining now through August. Also told my friend about it who is going and she actually received a postcard flyer in the mail, so she just added it to their reservations for July. Wish they would have had this last July when I went. Now I wish I could go this year. Hoping maybe they will offer it again in December.
Kimber
WDWCP Fall 1990
1991 Friends Apt
1993 Sister at Vista Way
1994-1998 CBR
2001/2002 ASS; ASMo;Timeshare
2003 - ASMo
2005/2006 - Timeshare
2007 - ASMu
2009 -- Pop!; POR
2010 -- Hong Kong Disneyland Hollywood Hotel
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I also think that it depends on how many are in your family. Free dining for a family of 5 can save a ton of money.
Off-Site several times between 1983-1992
1993-Grand Floridian
1996-Poly
1998-Poly
2001-Poly
2004-Pop
2008-Pop "First MNSSHP"
2009-Coronado Springs" MNSSHP"
2010-Pop Century "MNSSHP"
Next Trip 10/01/2011 MNSSHP !
"Now approaching carousal of progress."
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We already booked for September (4 adults) w/quick service dining and possibly upgrading to regular dining plan. After booking I received a pin code for 30% off moderate resort stay. Sent it to Kathy at Magical Journeys and it saved us $400. If they do free dining in September and we opt for that (which we would) instead of the room discount, we are looking at saving $1400. Sounds like a pretty significant savings to me......
Dean
"Scream like a girl" Expedition Everest
Sept. 2005 Caribbean Beach
Oct... 2005 Animal Kindom Lodge
Sept. 2006 Port Orleans Riverside
Sept. 2007 All Star Music
May 2008 All Star Movies
April 2009 All Star Music
Sept. 2010 Port Orleans French Quarter
Sept 2012 POP Century
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Well we usually use our DVC points and don't add dining plan. However we booked a package in December at a Mod with free regular dining. For us it was a good deal, because both of my kids are now considered adults and we do eat at least 1 table service per day any time we go to WDW. Eating at our favorite TS's is part of why we go on vacation. In our case it saved us alot and meant we didn't need to cough up a whole lot of extra cash right before Christmas. Sure we still spent some out of pocket for a beer or glass of wine and of course the tip. However, I agree it does depend on the accomodations too (probably better used staying at value) and your eating habits, and probably your kids ages. Like mine were 11 and 12 so paying OOP for the dining plan would have been expensive.
Trips: Too Many to Count! Last Trips: April 2013 CSR; July 2013 Aloha Aulani, The Sequel, Hawaii. Multiple trips to WDW, DL, DCL!
Coming up: September 2013 "Scary September" at Disneyland/DCA/Universal Hollywood.
Proud DVC Members since 2004!
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Depends on circumstances
We are a family of 5, so we CAN'T stay at a value resort (unless we stay at ASM in a suite, which is more expensive than a moderate). We also have 2 kids age 10 or over, so the dining plan is over $170/day for us. Free dining REALLY helps. If you don't have many adults/juniors it's not as good a deal.
We're having a family reunion there this fall, and if we can get free dining, we'll save $3500 for a party of 14 (11 adults > 10, and 3 children)! Please , please, PLEASE have free dining!!!
2002 - 2022: 20+ visits (POR, BW, All Stars, VWL, CSR, BLT, BC, SSR, CB, Dolphin, OKW, Poly, offsite x8)
DL - 1996, 2019
Next up - January 2023 short trip! We just want to try that 50th Anniversary chocolate monstrosity at Mexico!
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Three years ago this fall, we went for the free dining promo and got two connecting rooms at Pop for the value season rate for my family of 6. Since 5 of us were ten and over, the dining plan would've cost us around $1100 for the five nights we stayed. The free dining plan allowed us to try restaurants that we couldn't have afforded any other way AND let Mom have a carefree vacation! With 3 teenage boys, food (and lots of it!) is a pretty big deal for us so the dining plan was a great. Without free dining, we would have had to breakfast in the hotel rooms and pack lunch to take into the parks every day, which is still would've necessitated a budget of about $75 per day for one other counter service meal. Even at that budget, given free dining, we would still be saving about $500 including the breakfast and lunch groceries for the same five day trip.
We are going next month but having to stay off site in a villa mainly because of the cost of food. A free dining promotion would've tipped the scales for us in favor of a Disney resort, which, of course, we would prefer!
Disney keeps raising prices and making it harder for people to afford to visit and stay in their resorts but still seem to go unaffected by the economy.
1979 First time!
Then 1988,1989,1991...
2004 (1st time with kids!)
2007 (1st time onsite - Pop Century!)
2008 Disneyland (We loved it too!)
2010 Sheraton Vistana Villages
2012 Wyndham Bonnet Creek (Epcot View!)
Next up: May 2013 Gram, Mom and Daughter Trip!!!
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Originally Posted by KylesMom
You have to pay "rack rate" for the room in order to get free dining. So for a value, you aren't spending a huge chunk of change on your reservation. However, for the Mods/Deluxe, which could go anywhere from $180-$360+ per night full price, the price of the "Free" dining becomes negligible. There is much speculation on whether or not Disney will offer any free dining this year, or if it will be on a "tiered" basis (none for values/QS for Mods/Regular Dining Plan for Deluxe bookings). Typically some type of ticket media purchase is needed as well to access the "free" dining.
As my DW posted above (on my account), this all depends on the size of your family. For us, a family of five, it has *always* been cheaper to do free dining than a room discount, and it is even more so now that two of our children are over ten, and so have to order off of the adult menu. We don't have a large family....three kids. But that means that we can't stay in a value resort. It means staying at POR or a Deluxe that allows five (or a family suite at ASM). So, by our calculations, staying at POR is the cheapest option, and in the value season (the fall) that's $149/night. So, for a typical 7 night stay, that's gonna be just over $1100 (w/ tax). The DDP costs $40 - $43 a day for an adult, and $11 per child. So, for our family, that's $183 a day.
Resort stay (7 days) = $1100
Food (7 days) = $1281
Free dining for a week for us is obviously worth about $1200. A discounted room (let's say 40%) is only worth $440. That's a big difference.
But, of course, it depends on your eating habits (we love one sit down a day), and the size of your family.
Like my DW said in the previous post under my account, this fall we're having a family reunion at WDW. 14 people. 11 "adults" as far as dining goes. So here's the math:
DDP = $495/day or $3465 for the week.
POR Resort = $450/day (3 rooms) or $3150 /week.
Free dining is obviously worth $3465 for this group. A 40% discount at POR is only worth $1260.
So, the point is, do the math for your family, and see what's better.
2002 - 2022: 20+ visits (POR, BW, All Stars, VWL, CSR, BLT, BC, SSR, CB, Dolphin, OKW, Poly, offsite x8)
DL - 1996, 2019
Next up - January 2023 short trip! We just want to try that 50th Anniversary chocolate monstrosity at Mexico!
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Originally Posted by septembergirl
Disney keeps raising prices and making it harder for people to afford to visit and stay in their resorts but still seem to go unaffected by the economy.
Thank you ma'am!
We are a family of 5 and we love WDW (as we all do here at Intercot), if they don't offer specials, send out PIN codes-whether for meals or for rooms, then there is just no way we can go. I would think WDW would want some of my money every year instead of none. I know it's a business, but my family is a business too.
Here's keeping my fingers crossed that we all receive a deal that works best for us!
Autism Awareness-Solve the Puzzle
June 1989-Off Site
May 2002-Off Site
October 2006-All Star Movies
March 2007-All Star Sports
March 2008-Pop Century
September 2008-Pop Century
October 2009-All Star Movies
February 2010-Dolphin
November 2010-Birthday & Christmas
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Every time I've calculated the savings of free dining vs. a percentage off the on the room rack rate, the free dining offers didn't have the same impact in the overall cost.
GF, Poly, Contemporary, Yacht Club
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