Dining plans (paid)

[WAMUMOF4]

We had FD for WDW and i dont think we would pay for the DP we used all our credits in the end but only because we met people for lunch and used it for them as well and on our last night i used it for some random people in the ques meals we ended up using most of snack credits for lollies to bring home and we got 8 chicken wraps and 2 pizzas the night before checkout just so we could get bags of lollies and drinks to take home with us we actually took 20 drinks with us in our checked in luggage that we used at DL the luggage guy at the airport jokingly asked us if we had a drink for him and we gave him a couple of wraps and Gatorade he couldn't stop thanking us. There is no way we would of broke even if we had paid for it we also gave away most of our desserts.

AT DL we used the giftcards we had purchased earlier in the trip and i loved that we didn't have to carry cash around we also purchased vouchers from Getawaytoday for our character meals and we would most certainly do that again so next WDW or DL trip OOP with a giftcard is the way to go for us.

[backinoz]

We'll be in WDW for 8 days from mid December & do have DDP this time (Yayy for free dining) - family of 4 with DD13/14 & DD15. I would have not purchased the DDP if it weren't FD. I did crunch the numbers and FD comes out well above getting an AP & TIW card this time around - last trip we did the AP + TIW option (14 days) - AP gave us a better room discount, and TIW discount is for food AND drinks. (No FD available @ that time). Just need to be aware that there are a few restaurants that don't accept TIW. The extra cost of the AP & TIW was only about $20 more than our room savings (In a value resort, so if u want to stay moderate or deluxe the savings would be much more), so more than paid for itself with TS discounts, plus the AP gave us merch discounts.

Loving the DISBoards App on my iPhone :-D

[Franrose]

Originally Posted by backinoz

We'll be in WDW for 8 days from mid December & do have DDP this time (Yayy for free dining) - family of 4 with DD13/14 & DD15. I would have not purchased the DDP if it weren't FD. I did crunch the numbers and FD comes out well above getting an AP & TIW card this time around - last trip we did the AP + TIW option (14 days) - AP gave us a better room discount, and TIW discount is for food AND drinks. (No FD available @ that time). Just need to be aware that there are a few restaurants that don't accept TIW. The extra cost of the AP & TIW was only about $20 more than our room savings (In a value resort, so if u want to stay moderate or deluxe the savings would be much more), so more than paid for itself with TS discounts, plus the AP gave us merch discounts.

I'm so hoping for this, but not holding my breath, hearing all the FD phase-out predictions.

[WanderlustNZ]

Interesting thread. I too am trying to work out if it's worth it and am thinking if free dining is not offered we will pay out of pocket. Not just because of the price, but also because of how disappointed I am by the variety (or lack thereof) of kids meals at Disney. I've been researching the menus and they seem really limited. I really don't want my son limited to chicken nuggets and macaroni cheese for 11 days in a row. One of my sons favourite meals is a great big ham and salad sandwich. I'd rather buy him something like this off-plan than have him eat something deep-fried on-plan.
If they offer Free-Dining I'll be really grateful, however I'll probably share a few adult meals with my son just to make sure he gets his full dose of vegetables.

Off to the side, do Disney send giftcards internationally? I've looked at their website and can't see any reference to it. I thought about suggesting this to grandparents when buying my son's next birthday present. That way he can use them in WDW to buy something on his birthday.

[ky71]

We like the DDP when we have had it "free" however I just wanted to point out that when you have the DDP you will want to "get your money's worth" so you will do TS meals when you could easily and quickly have CS. You will eat more snacks to get bang for your buck.

We found that with the "free dining" we made more ADRs and spent way too much time waiting for servers to bring checks and finalise DDP and that's on top of the extra time spend dining at TS.

Upside is we can pick whatever we want without care for the budget and my DH doesn't continually complain about doing character meals (because we've already paid for them, we're gonna do them)!

For my family we'll take it free but prefer OOP dining.

[ky71]

FWIW - disney fans in the UK have already been offered Free Dining for all dates except Easter in the whole of 2013 (must book by 15.11.12)...so much for phasing it out!

[WanderlustNZ]

Originally Posted by ky71

FWIW - disney fans in the UK have already been offered Free Dining for all dates except Easter in the whole of 2013 (must book by 15.11.12)...so much for phasing it out!

Wow! How come UK residents get such special treatment and how do those of us Down-under get in on this deal too?

[WanderlustNZ]

Does anyone know if we are able to book our holidays via the UK website?
I've quickly scanned the T&C's and can't see anything that specifically says you must live in the UK.

They have a pretty good special on at present: Free Dining, $100 credit and a cheaper 14 day pass. The free dining isn't quite as good as what is usually offered on the American site (i.e. No free dining for Values and Quick Service for moderates), but overall it seems like a really good deal. I'm tempted.

[zaccy]

Originally Posted by WanderlustNZ

Does anyone know if we are able to book our holidays via the UK website?
I've quickly scanned the T&C's and can't see anything that specifically says you must live in the UK.

They have a pretty good special on at present: Free Dining, $100 credit and a cheaper 14 day pass. The free dining isn't quite as good as what is usually offered on the American site (i.e. No free dining for Values and Quick Service for moderates), but overall it seems like a really good deal. I'm tempted.

I am sure I have read somewhere on here that someone booked trough a UK travel agent. Maybe if you start a thread someone can help - or pop over to the UK boards and see if anyone can recommend one .

[WanderlustNZ]

Originally Posted by zaccy

I am sure I have read somewhere on here that someone booked trough a UK travel agent. Maybe if you start a thread someone can help - or pop over to the UK boards and see if anyone can recommend one .

Thanks Zaccy. I'm actually keen to book directly with Disney UK so I can keep some control of my booking. I've emailed them to see if there are any restrictions surrounding international bookings. Hopefully they'll get back to me soon.

Edited to say: Disney UK got back to me and apparently you need to be a resident of UK, Ireland or the EU. Darn, I was getting all excited about the prospect of booking today.

[Franrose]

Originally Posted by WanderlustNZ

Wow! How come UK residents get such special treatment and how do those of us Down-under get in on this deal too?

Agreed - not like we don't fork out enough to be able to get to there in the first place!

[WanderlustNZ]

Originally Posted by Franrose

Agreed - not like we don't fork out enough to be able to get to there in the first place!

Hear, hear. Given that we have such a trek to get there, I wish they would entice us with some extra special deals. Unfortunately though I think it comes down to the fact that, unlike the UK, there is not enough competition between providers and holiday destinations down this side of the world. :-(

[DizOz]

Last time we went I decided to DDP. We then received free dining so we upgraded to the Deluxe Plan. It worked out great as we love our food and went to a number of restaurants that required 2 credits. Even so we didn't use all our credits.

This time I have decided to use DDP instead we are going to get a Premier Passport which will get us into DL and WDW, combine it with TIW. This will get us 20% discount at most restaurants in DL and WDW, discounts on merchandise and if next year is the same as this year a 35% discount on our room. Doing the numbers we should save a fair bit.

[LisaAJ]

Can I ask what TIW stands for? We are going in Jan 2014 and I'm trying to weigh up the discounts especially for rooms and the dining options. Thanks

[5ofus]

Originally Posted by LisaAJ

Can I ask what TIW stands for? We are going in Jan 2014 and I'm trying to weigh up the discounts especially for rooms and the dining options. Thanks

TIW is Tables In Wonderland. It's a discount card for Annual Passholders and Florida residents. I think it gives 20% off(?) food AND drinks at most WDW restaurants. It costs about $75 upfront.