Free Dining/Disney Dining Plan: Not the Best Deal?

[morethananyonex]

I haven't read all 7 pages of comments but I just wanted to tell the OP that he did a nice job on his blog post. Very informative and honest.

I compared my room-only discount to doing the dining plan for my stay at WL for my honeymoon next month and the room-only discount was a WAY better deal. I think DF and I would have had to spend between $60-70 a day on dining, which we would NEVER do.

We also rent a car on our vacations, so to have to be constantly leaving the parks to get the best "value" on the plan to go to a restaurant reservation does not sound appealing at all. We booked a few special meals (Cali Grill for Wishes, for example) but we'll be eating CS at the parks and dinner at a nice sit-down off-site.

Almost sounds like free dining would be the better option for you.

Not at all lol.

There's 2 adults in a deluxe who are planning on eating the majority of their dinners offsite. Free dining won't beat a discount there. It won't be a better value for someone who was never planning on doing many TS in the first place.

 

[lilaggie2002]

Thanks for the post..I've been trying to wrap my head around whats best for us, etc.

Right now we currently have reservations at a value resort, with an upgraded dining plan. While we are still coming out below are "planned" budget it does make me wonder if we are getting the best deal.. I guess I better start number crunching.

 

[Br'erBriere]

Not at all lol.

There's 2 adults in a deluxe who are planning on eating the majority of their dinners offsite. Free dining won't beat a discount there. It won't be a better value for someone who was never planning on doing many TS in the first place.

I meant in terms of renting a car rental, doing california grill (equivalent of two sit downs), counter services at WDW and sit downs off property...seems as if that negates the entire discount the room only savings would get someone who just stayed on property with free dining.

 

[morethananyonex]

I meant in terms of renting a car rental, doing california grill (equivalent of two sit downs), counter services at WDW and sit downs off property...seems as if that negates the entire discount the room only savings would get someone who just stayed on property with free dining.

But, you'd have to assume someone was only renting a car because of the offsite dinners and that they actually want to eat at the Disney restaurants. Also, you'd have to factor in tips, because this person wasn't planning on eating in the Disney restaurants in the first place.

With 2 people it's only a $90 discount for FD, and that's assuming you actually want it. It just doesn't work out as nicely with 2 people in a deluxe versus a family of 4 Disney adults.

 

[TDC Nala]

I meant in terms of renting a car rental, doing california grill (equivalent of two sit downs), counter services at WDW and sit downs off property...seems as if that negates the entire discount the room only savings would get someone who just stayed on property with free dining.

It appears they would have rented the car anyway (there are plenty of Disney guests who would NEVER go without a car) and they don't WANT to eat at WDW sit-down restaurants except for a couple of special ones. They want to do mostly CS at Disney. The CS dining plan might work for them, but you can't get CS dining free at a deluxe resort. I think they've chosen the correct avenue for their particular trip, resort and party makeup.

It's like saying that free dining is only completely free if you were already planning to pay rack rate for the room and buy tickets as part of a package.

You can likely get better value paying cash at California Grill than you would using two TS credits for it...depends on what you order.

 

[Asellus]

Tom, you're missing a vital point here. Some women have husbands who fuss and fume the entire week about the cost of every meal. So even if the dining plan might be a wash or even not the greatest discount for everyone (like it is for us) it's a peace-builder. For the length of time they are at Disney, there's no looking at menu prices, no negotiations with the teenage kid who orders the most expensive thing on every menu he sees, no need to "settle" for counter service when they really want table service.

It's merely an extension of the immersion into a fantasy world for the week.

This is so similar to my husband! Its not so much that he fusses over whats ordered, its that he gets stressed out about all the expenses we have at Disney, so being able to prepay everything (including dining), saves him a lot of stress.

 

[disneymom0104]

We like free dining. I have played with numbers over and over and over, and for our family- the discount is usually greater. We enjoy the character meals and the sit down restaurants. No, they are not necessary and we could probably pay less on food than the dining plan offers. But, we enjoy it. When we went in 2008 and stayed at Pop Century, I think we paid $82 a night and were saving $100/night with the free dining plan. It is not as great anymore since you only get the Quick service plan at values, and the moderates cost more- but the dining plan is something we do anyway- and for our family getting it free saves us more than a room discount would.

We just got a pin for free dining at DL. We would not have purchased the dining plan at DL since there is essentially no savings. But getting it free is appealing. We are paying rack rate at one of the resort hotels, which is a lot there. I had everything priced out for an off property stay, eating mostly out of the parks and this deal came within $200 of that overall. So, for us it is worth it to be able to stay in a nicer hotel and get some of the perks that DL resort guests get, as well as have all our food paid for (and tax and gratuity are still included in the vouchers at DL!)

Anyway- it is all perception. I don't look at it as free as much as how the entire vacation averages out. We have been able to eat at a ton of restaurants that we never would have tried without the dining plan. When I think of how much we spent on our first trip- staying in a villa and buying the DDP- free dining is definitely a great deal!

 

[joy13]

Very good points--I thought adding more people (than 2) did increase the price of the room, though? Granted, it's always just my wife and I, so I have no first hand experience.

Isn't there pretty much always some room-only discount available? Whether it be AAA, AP, or general public? We always book around the discounts, because I'd never be willing to pay the inflated rack rate at WDW.

I'm not AAA, have a AP, or in the military. I'm going 11/16 - 11/21 - there were no general public discounts for that time. I was lucky enough to get a pin code, but it was only 15 or 20% and we stay value, so that's not a huge discount, it was only a $65.00 saving for the whole trip. But if I wouldn't have had that pin - free dining was the only savings available to me. You have mentione Tables in Wonderland - don't you have to be DVC or AP for that?

 

[PrincessAli]

We have done the 'FREE' Dinig plan for the past few years and this year have decided that as other have posted--its not free if you are paying full price for your room. Being retired Navy we have booked rooms useing the Military Discount, we are saving so much more than if we booked Free Dining again. POP CENTURY at only 45.00 a night compared to 85.00 with the Free Dining, PO Riverside at $101.00 a night compared to $185.00 with the Free Dining. Besides we are tired of spending alot of our precious park time eating.

 

[mom2rtk]

We have done the 'FREE' Dinig plan for the past few years and this year have decided that as other have posted--its not free if you are paying full price for your room. Being retired Navy we have booked rooms useing the Military Discount, we are saving so much more than if we booked Free Dining again. POP CENTURY at only 45.00 a night compared to 85.00 with the Free Dining, PO Riverside at $101.00 a night compared to $185.00 with the Free Dining. Besides we are tired of spending alot of our precious park time eating.

You do have to keep in mind most folks don't have access to the military discount. Without it you won't get anywhere near a $45 rate at the POP.

And we actually schedule our ADR's as a chance to get off our feet INSIDE the park so we can keep going without having to leave for a mid-day break. So it actually gets us MORE park time.

 

[mking624]

I'm not AAA, have a AP, or in the military. I'm going 11/16 - 11/21 - there were no general public discounts for that time. I was lucky enough to get a pin code, but it was only 15 or 20% and we stay value, so that's not a huge discount, it was only a $65.00 saving for the whole trip. But if I wouldn't have had that pin - free dining was the only savings available to me. You have mentione Tables in Wonderland - don't you have to be DVC or AP for that?

Tables in Wonderland membership requires you be an AP holder or a Florida resident.

 

[BubMunkeyBles]

We crunched numbers and we won't save between military discount and AP's. The military discount has a lot less block out so we won't be effected by the no discount issue. I'd be all over free dining if it benefited us. Some of it also is that our kids are both younger, if they were on the adult plan it would definitely be worth it. Four adults on DDP at a moderate is about the same price as the room.

 

[jenrose66]

I agree, I was excited about free dining the first year, but do much better buying all my vacation elements separate. I will buy my room at a discount or even better, with a pin code! I then get my tickets from undercover tourist.

Plus with the dining plan, I don't really eat the way the plan works. I don't like getting dessert at the restaurant, I'd much rather get a treat in the parks or at Downtown Disney after dinner. We usually do a couple quick service meals and lots of snacks.

 

[Celidh]

For us, I believe the fd is the way better discount. We are 6 people, 3 adults and 2 Disney adults and the third child has been upgraded to a Disney adult because I don't the the kids dp will work for her.

We are staying at Pop so we wouldn't get much of a discount, I think the best I have seen is 25%, so for two rooms, that would be somewhere in the vicinity of $500.00 give or take a bit. We would have to eat no matter what and the qsdp would cost us over $2,000.00 for our 10 night stay. Yes, we could eat cheaper than that oop (we most likely wouldn't get many desserts) but it would still cost us quite a bit to feed 6 people at Disney for 10 nights/11 days.

I also know that if I was paying oop for food, I would be ordering the cheapest items on the menu and encouraging my kids to do the same. This is a once in a lifetime trip for us. We have never been and will probably never get to go back so I don't want to do that. I am paying oop for breakfast at Chef Mickey's but it is still cheaper in the long run with fd. Mama wants to have breakfast with Mickey!!

So, we can save $500.00 or so on our rooms or over $2,000.00 on the dining plan. That is a no brainer for us!

Now, that said, if we were staying in a room that was $500.00 a night or more then definitely the room discount would be better. Or, if it was just my partner and I, and we wanted to stay in a better resort, I would take the room discount and pay oop for food.

I don't understand why some people need to tell other people what is right for them. We all need to do what is right for our own situation. Figure it out and do what is the best deal for you and don't give others a hard time about their choices, no matter what the reason.

I agree with a pp who said that a good value isn't always monetary. If peace of mind knowing your food is paid for ahead of time and you don't have to worry about getting the cheapest thing on the menu and don't have to worry about making sure you have the right amount of $ budgeted, then do it.

 

[GrumpyDad1974]

Well,if free dining is all there is, then I'll take it. I would have been paying rack rate otherwise AND paying either OOP or for the dining plan. You have to eat, one way or another. So, hmmm... Should I pay rack rate and OOP for all my meals, or should I pay rack rate, get a free dining plan, and maybe pay OOP for a couple of appetizers? In this situation I don't see how you could NOT call this a free dining plan.

And yes, if other discounts are available, then it is only prudent to do the number crunching to see which offer is more advantageous to you. It would be fiscally irresponsible not to. For our visit next month, we found that for us the dining plan would actually save us more than $200 for our 7 night stay, over the current room discount.

I agree that blindly selecting the dining plan just for convenience could be a big waste of money. But, as someone on another thread stated, these are probably the same folks who believe that those TV products really are for a limited time only!

Thank You... couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[Ress76]

I fail to see where anyone has ever said that the "free" dining offer is always going to be the best offer available for everyone. I don't think there's any dispute that it varies by the size of the group, level of hotel, level of dining, tastes of the guests, ages and appetites of the guests etc. Last year, I went with 3 girlfriends, spread across two rooms, for 8 days. We would have had some TS meals anyway, and we came out way, way ahead on the dining plan, even with upgrading from DS to DDP. I'm going solo in December, and I figure it will be about a wash...I might come out a little behind, but as PPs have said, the knowledge that everything is set and paid for NOW is worth the minimal (I'd say less than $20 over most of 4 days) difference. My husband and I took our then 17 year old son a few years ago, because I said at the time, it's the only way we could afford to feed him. We came out ahead that year as well, though not as much as with my girlfriends (different "free" plans at the time). I've taken plenty of trips without "free" dining, and done just fine...maybe 1 TS instead of daily, maybe Ponderosa some DTD day instead of eatting at a park.

For the above example, with the $45 military discount being so much better than the $85 rack rate...with the example of my husband, me and 17 year old in the $45 room, we'd be spending far more than $40 a day in food for the 3 of us (we probably could have spent $40 feeding just DS some days.....) For other folks, I'm sure the thought of spending $40 a day on food for 1 or 2 people is inconceivable. If it was DH, me and a 17 month old, then yes, the DDP wouldn't be worth it (QS maybe).

Disney markets this because they are trying to get people to stay onsite. If you take ME and have the dining plan, every penny of your vacation fund will be spent on Disney Property, and that's what they are aiming for. If you (general public-excited over the discount "you") don't look into the prices, ADRs, and realistic dining style of your party, Disney doesn't care; the same way they don't care that you get to the MK and wonder how to get to the Harry Potter ride. They've got you, they're got your money, and they hope and expect that their customer service and the magic of Disney will bring you back again....at which time, you will not have looked at the prices on a menu yet (because it was all "free" last time) and will purchase the DDP without a second thought.

 

[TDC Nala]

You have mentione Tables in Wonderland - don't you have to be DVC or AP for that?

AP or Florida resident.

 

[WDWFigment]

We have done the 'FREE' Dinig plan for the past few years and this year have decided that as other have posted--its not free if you are paying full price for your room. Being retired Navy we have booked rooms useing the Military Discount, we are saving so much more than if we booked Free Dining again. POP CENTURY at only 45.00 a night compared to 85.00 with the Free Dining, PO Riverside at $101.00 a night compared to $185.00 with the Free Dining. Besides we are tired of spending alot of our precious park time eating.

We crunched numbers and we won't save between military discount and AP's. The military discount has a lot less block out so we won't be effected by the no discount issue. I'd be all over free dining if it benefited us. Some of it also is that our kids are both younger, if they were on the adult plan it would definitely be worth it. Four adults on DDP at a moderate is about the same price as the room.

If you're military and staying at a moderate, have you considered Shades of Green instead? We stayed there last year for the first time in a while, and were blown away by the place. The last time I had stayed there prior to 2010 was probably 2000, and a big refurbishment/construction occurred in the interim. It's especially beautiful at Christmas. Might be worth checking out!

 

[MaisieMooandCometToo]

We do the dining plan when it's free- we've done it twice (2007 + 2010) and will do it when we hopefully return next year not because it's the best deal in the world but it is the only affordable way to have a table service in a disney restaurant everyday which to us as a family is extremely magical

 

[Don Disney]

Well,if free dining is all there is, then I'll take it. I would have been paying rack rate otherwise AND paying either OOP or for the dining plan. You have to eat, one way or another. So, hmmm... Should I pay rack rate and OOP for all my meals, or should I pay rack rate, get a free dining plan, and maybe pay OOP for a couple of appetizers? In this situation I don't see how you could NOT call this a free dining plan.

And yes, if other discounts are available, then it is only prudent to do the number crunching to see which offer is more advantageous to you. It would be fiscally irresponsible not to. For our visit next month, we found that for us the dining plan would actually save us more than $200 for our 7 night stay, over the current room discount.

I agree that blindly selecting the dining plan just for convenience could be a big waste of money. But, as someone on another thread stated, these are probably the same folks who believe that those TV products really are for a limited time only!

Very well put!