What is no free dining? What's your dining Plan-B?

[DannyDisneyFreak]

I'm curious of how dining plans will change For folks who normally plan their trips to coincide with free dining. What would you do different? How would your plans change? Would your eating habits change?

 

[SouthJersey]

I'm curious of how dining plans will change For folks who normally plan their trips to coincide with free dining. What would you do different? How would your plans change? Would your eating habits change?

I'd go the same way. The savings are nice and a plus, but if that's the time of year we prefer, I'm not going to change the entire trip. We'd go and dine the same way without it, it's just nice to work a few weeks around to save a chunk if possible.

 

[tabistar]

I'm making my ADRs in anticipation of free dining, but am prepared to cancel some/most of them if we don't get it. We'd do more CS and maybe some off-property meals. After paying for a dining plan twice, we won't ever pay for it again. We didn't pick our dates because of FD, though; it just so happens to coincide with possible FD dates.

 

[mileshuff]

It's a matter of overall cost for tickets, hotel, dining and airfare. Generally we would not be able to afford a week long trip without significant reductions to cost such as free dining. Simply put, we could not afford to go and would vacation elsewhere. A large part of our enjoyment at DW is nice dining every night. Disney World regular rates for tickets, dining and hotel are absurdly high...we can't afford that!

 

[Elffriend]

We are going in September regardless. Our current plan is to stop at a grocery store and pick up food for eating breakfast in the room and snacking. We will do counter service for lunch most days and leave the parks to have dinner at a non-Disney restaurant. Our only two exceptions will be dinner at Boma one day and lunch at Crystal Palace another.

If we manage to snag free dining we will still eat breakfast in the room and counter service for lunch, but will stay in the parks/on Disney property for dinner.

 

[mchelle77]

The last two trips we happened to go during free dining. This upcoming (short) trip, we're going to mainly snack it out and get a QS or two. I have one TS at MK chosen (Plaza, pretty cheap) and one our first night at the Boardwalk planned. Next trip (hoping for next February) my mother will be coming and it's her first trip - I know she'd love to try a few different restaurants, so we'll spring for the DP if only to have it all prepaid.

 

[aaarcher86]

We are DVC now, so we don't qualify if we use our points. We used TIW last trip and prefer it.

I'd go the same way. The savings are nice and a plus, but if that's the time of year we prefer, I'm not going to change the entire trip. We'd go and dine the same way without it, it's just nice to work a few weeks around to save a chunk if possible.

This is pretty much us. We plan the trip we want within our budget.

Discounts are a bonus.

 

[minnie mum]

I would much prefer the usual room discount instead of free dining. I dislike the restrictions of the dining plan, so I wouldn't take it period. We would rather eat where we want, when we want, and how we want.

 

[MSLRAC]

I'd go the same way. The savings are nice and a plus, but if that's the time of year we prefer, I'm not going to change the entire trip. We'd go and dine the same way without it, it's just nice to work a few weeks around to save a chunk if possible.

This is us too. We plan our trip and if a discount comes out that works for us then great but if not then we still go as planned.

 

[nat8199]

I have budgeted for our trip with assumption that we will not get any discounts at all. So, even if there is no free dining our package and all our plans would stay the same. If there is no FD and a room only disscount, then that would at least save us something. I am really hoping for FD, though, because it would offer us the biggest discount possible.

 

[natfrac]

Since it's cheaper for us to rent DVC points than pay rack rate and get free dining, it does not impact our vacation plans. We've had the dining plan before and we tend to eat the same regardless of whether we're on the plan or not. If we want an appetizer we'll pay extra for it and we'll decline dessert if we're full.

 

[msb578]

I would much prefer the usual room discount instead of free dining. I dislike the restrictions of the dining plan, so I wouldn't take it period. We would rather eat where we want, when we want, and how we want.

Yeah I prefer to book room-only. With a Disney room discount and an Orbitz promo code, I feel we do pretty well.

 

[disneyseniors]

Interesting post, OP: Thanks. We always do free dining, but I must admit I get pretty tired to running to TS reservations the entire time. I would love to have a "half" dining plan. We have 2 or 3 must do favorite TS's, but honestly could get by with QS. The last 2 years, I have asked to just do QS and try it once. we can book our must do favorites and pay OOP. Waiting to see if we get FD this Nov/Dec or not. If it is offered, we willdo it, but we find we cancel some at the end of our stay when we are really tired.

 

[Disneylover99]

Interesting post, OP: Thanks. We always do free dining, but I must admit I get pretty tired to running to TS reservations the entire time. I would love to have a "half" dining plan. We have 2 or 3 must do favorite TS's, but honestly could get by with QS. The last 2 years, I have asked to just do QS and try it once. we can book our must do favorites and pay OOP. Waiting to see if we get FD this Nov/Dec or not. If it is offered, we willdo it, but we find we cancel some at the end of our stay when we are really tired.

You should try just quick service once and even ditch your favourite TS restaurants. It's freeing! We alternate our free dining stays every year. One year we stay value and do just quick service, and then the following year, we stay moderate and do TS. Staying at a value every other year saves us a ton of money. Plus we save even more by not having to factor in tip money. We love it!

 

[OZMom]

Without free dining we would only stay on property with a deep room rate discount. Otherwise we would get a suite off property where we could cook meals and pack food for the parks. We might do a CS here or there and maybe 1 or 2 TS meals that we love.

 

[GrumpyBelle]

We have never done the dining plan. For us, it never made sense. It is too much food for us. We pay OOP and find significant savings based on our eating habits.

 

[tasha99]

Well, I will be sad because even though I don't use it lately, free dining means full restaurants and less full parks. We're staying in DVC villas in Aug/Sept, so it won't be offered to us.

 

[HopperFan]

Still go with changes to our style. But probably spend less.

As you can see we did "free" dining for many years. When our group dropped from 4 to 2 that time of year the cost of "free" dining was too much as I only wanted the regular DDP. We still went that time of year but we used a Room Only Discount. As with the DDP we packed breakfast items to eat in the room. We brought food to make nice sandwiches on great rolls and pringles to take to the parks for lunch. We purchased the snacks that we would have gotten free. We booked about half our dinners with TS that we really wanted to enjoy, we left the others up to what we felt like. Some were QS, some were TS that we could walk up like at DTD and some we actually left property to eat (what's a week without Chickfila).

We have TIW so that gives us the extra 20%, even at our resort food court. Less TS means less tips to pay. Room Discount is money saved. Not investing in 2 day tickets to sit on until we renew APs. For two of us POP is just fine but QSDP is not.

 

[Texas Barbie]

We are going in September because of low crowd levels, and have already rented points at a DVC. I agree with the previous poster that it is freeing not to have worry about adrs. We will enjoy the the resort more and just do quick service if we are in the parks at mealtime. With little kids, its easier anyway.

 

[Squirlz]

Not interested in free dining. We can't eat that much and would rather have the room discount. On our trip last December every server seemed relieved when we told them we weren't on a dining plan.