2016 Free Dining Watch ~ Part 2

[Disneylover99]

True. But it did cost at least $750 more to stay at a moderate with free dining than it did to keep their "wonderful" deluxe vacation. So the additional cost for food might only be another $100 per day. And avoiding huge bus trips with multiple stops every day , and being able to see fireworks from your resort, and having a balcony, and having a bigger room, and having an awesome pool, would be worth it.

We love Pop more than the BC so maybe I just don't get it. We're staying at Poly this summer.

 

[CaraMiaBelle]

$3,000 is a fantastic price for a BC/Poly split stay, by the way. I would not touch this deal. You are doing to have a great time. Those two resorts are awesome. Truly - this is a good deal.

Okay, so I tried to price out your trip dates and both the Poly and the BC are sold out for your dates, unless you want to switch to Poly club level for $736 per night. Free dining requires you to pay rack rate for your room, so staying at a deluxe resort isn't always worth it with free dining.

If you switched to a standard view room at CBR then it would cost you $3,719.68 to get a free dining reservation.

That would be my dream split stay vacation! And it sounds like you got a great deal too!!

 

[Wood Nymph]

Yep. If "cheaper" is the goal, why would anyone consider a moderate when the values would be even cheaper....not by much once one pays the upgrade to the regular dining plan fee, but still cheaper.

Good point. It is cheaper to stay at a value and upgrade to the regular dining plan for some families than to stay at a moderate.

 

[CaraMiaBelle]

The storytellers at Epcot and then Candlelight Processional. Love Epcot already so even more reason to spend my mornings in MK and then nights in Epcot.

I love Epcot too....I forgot I had read somewhere about the storytellers!

 

[Disneylover99]

Yep. If "cheaper" is the goal, why would anyone consider a moderate when the values would be even cheaper....not by much once one pays the upgrade to the regular dining plan fee, but still cheaper.

Believe me. I'm struggling with this myself. But if you have two adults and two kids ten or older, it's slightly cheaper (during my dates) to stay in a standard room at a moderate, then to upgrade the dining plan from a value.

 

[Jonzy2]

On a NORMAL day DW website updates/opens for new bookings at 6a.m. EST. But when FD starts is not a normal day. I've seen on here that in past years FD becomes available at various times 12am, 4am, etc. Phone lines always open at 7am EST. So to summarize, website gets you earlier access.


I hope that was an isolated incident. I've got my eye on Coronado for my upcoming trip.

Dh and I stayed at CS last year, very nice! !

 

[CaraMiaBelle]

Yep. If "cheaper" is the goal, why would anyone consider a moderate when the values would be even cheaper....not by much once one pays the upgrade to the regular dining plan fee, but still cheaper.

A moderate is much cheaper for families of 5 actually.

 

[Wood Nymph]

We love Pop more than the BC so maybe I just don't get it. We're staying at Poly this summer.

I hope you have a great vacation. We like the BC a lot more than the Poly. But I know a lot of people don't like the BC. The counter service options aren't as good as they are at value and moderate resorts. It isn't the resort itself we like, it is the location. We love being able to walk to Epcot and DHS.

That would be my dream split stay vacation! And it sounds like you got a great deal too!!

We have a free dining BB in June at POR and we have two magical RO deals for the BC, one in Oct and one in Dec, which can't be beat. I learned all about these deals on the Dis Boards. I am over the moon about the free dining deal, since it enabled us to take our grandsons in June, when they are out of school. All the other free dining deals occur when they are in school. And the idea of eating for free is really attractive to me, since I love a bargain. But free dining only works for us in a moderate resort. Otherwise we eat OOP and use Tables in Wonderland for discounts.

 

[DisBuckMan]

A moderate is much cheaper for families of 5 actually.

Well, of course, since a family of 5 would have to upgrade to a family suite to be able to stay in a value anyway (assuming none are in a pack and play, of course).

 

[tinkamom]

Can someone tell me where I can find a deal like this?

 

[tinkamom]

$3,000 is a fantastic price for a BC/Poly split stay, by the way. I would not touch this deal. You are doing to have a great time. Those two resorts are awesome. Truly - this is a good deal.

Okay, so I tried to price out your trip dates and both the Poly and the BC are sold out for your dates, unless you want to switch to Poly club level for $736 per night. Free dining requires you to pay rack rate for your room, so staying at a deluxe resort isn't always worth it with free dining.

If you switched to a standard view room at CBR then it would cost you $3,719.68 to get a free dining reservation.

Let me try this again! lol!

Can someone tell me where to find a deal like this?

 

[Disneylover99]

I hope you have a great vacation. We like the BC a lot more than the Poly. But I know a lot of people don't like the BC. The counter service options aren't as good as they are at value and moderate resorts. It isn't the resort itself we like, it is the location. We love being able to walk to Epcot and DHS.

Thanks!

There is nothing like being so close to Epcot! That definitely made up for the lack of counter service food options at the BC and I may stay at there again one day for the proximity to Epcot. I hope I like the Poly, but maybe I won't. It's fun to try new resorts. If not, I'll be back at Pop next year.

 

[CaraMiaBelle]

I found the 2015 ticket prices.

07
Apr
Magic Kingdom Hard-Ticket Party Event Dates and Ticket Prices Announced for 2015
19 comments - Leave comment
Posted in:The Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World Resort


All tickets go on sale tomorrow, 4/8/15:

MICKEY’S NOT-SO-SCARY HALLOWEEN PARTY 2015

• September 15, 18, 20, 22, 25, & 27
• October 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 15, 16, 18, 20, 22, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31
• November 1

All September dates & 10/1 – $68.00 plus tax age 10+, $63.00 plus tax age 3-9 in advance, $74.00/$69 same-day

October dates & 11/1 – $74.00 plus tax age 10+, $69.00 plus tax age 3-9 in advance, $79/$74.00 same-day

10/31 – $87.00 plus tax age 10+, $82.00 plus tax age 3-9

Passholder Rates available 9/15, 18, 20, 22, 25, 27; 10/1, 4, 6, 8, 12, 13, 15, 18, 20; & 11/1 – Rates are $63/$58 plus tax for September nights and 10/1, $70/$65 plus tax for October nights and 11/1.


MICKEY’S VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS PARTY 2015

• November 8, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 20, 29
• December 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 18

Advance Ticket Sales – $74.00 plus tax age 10+, $69.00 plus tax age 3-9

Same-Day – $79.00 plus tax age 10+, $74.00 plus tax age 3-9 in advance

Premium Night 12/18 – $82.00 plus tax age 10+, $77.00 plus tax age 3-9

Passholder Rates available 11/8, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19; 12/1, 3, & 8 – Rates are $70/$65 plus tax

Why is Dec 18 considered a "premium night"? Is that just because of its proximity to Christmas and being the last one of the year which makes it
more in demand?

 

[CaraMiaBelle]

Thanks!

There is nothing like being so close to Epcot! That definitely made up for the lack of counter service food options at the BC and I may stay at there again one day for the proximity to Epcot. I hope I like the Poly, but maybe I won't. It's fun to try new resorts. If not, I'll be back at Pop next year.

Agreed! Who needs counter service in the resort, when all of Epcot is a short walk away?!!

 

[crazymomof4]

12 pgs already! I've got some "homework" this Sat morning!!

 

[DisBuckMan]

$3,000 is a fantastic price for a BC/Poly split stay, by the way. I would not touch this deal. You are doing to have a great time. Those two resorts are awesome. Truly - this is a good deal.

Okay, so I tried to price out your trip dates and both the Poly and the BC are sold out for your dates, unless you want to switch to Poly club level for $736 per night. Free dining requires you to pay rack rate for your room, so staying at a deluxe resort isn't always worth it with free dining.

If you switched to a standard view room at CBR then it would cost you $3,719.68 to get a free dining reservation.

I was able to price it out this morning. 8 nights with 7 days of tickets (standard tix, no ph or wp&m) at BC (the cheaper of the two) is $5923 for those dates. That's with a pool view room (no standard rooms available for those dates). So, basically a 50% savings. Poly would be even more expensive. Great deal.

 

[CaraMiaBelle]

No way! We've got two threads to post on now!!!

Lol! I'm sure I could...not sure if I could keep up with 2 though!
They shut down at 250, so everything will be moving over here.
Don't know about the rest of you but this is the ONLY thread I am following!

 

[karmomof3]

$3,000 is a fantastic price for a BC/Poly split stay, by the way. I would not touch this deal. You are doing to have a great time. Those two resorts are awesome. Truly - this is a good deal.

Okay, so I tried to price out your trip dates and both the Poly and the BC are sold out for your dates, unless you want to switch to Poly club level for $736 per night. Free dining requires you to pay rack rate for your room, so staying at a deluxe resort isn't always worth it with free dining.

If you switched to a standard view room at CBR then it would cost you $3,719.68 to get a free dining reservation.

So the family got together and planned the TS restaurants where we would like to eat and came up with 2.5 that everyone agreed to. So we are doing Cape May Cafe for breakfast (just 2 people), Ohana, and Crystal Palace. On Epcot day, the kids want to walk around the World Showcase and just sample various types of food. They prefer Flame Tree Bar-b-Q over Tusker House at AK. We are morning people and usually do a light breakfast with fruit, granola, yogurt. We usually eat lunch and go back to our resort around 2:00 to relax, swim and maybe take naps. Then we eat a light dinner and go back to the parks at night if we feel up to it. I priced out what we would eat and it is definitely cheaper and better to stay deluxe based on our eating habits. We will probably add one more TS and call it a day. I just got caught up in the FD. DIS boards will do that to you. Everything about Disney I got from here. Thanks for all your responses.

 

[Tracy11th]

So I have a question- I used a TA for the first time and booke a 4 night stay with park hopper at CSR - when I booked it I hadn't seen the dates for free dining yet so I chose October 30 th as check in but really I can go anytime in October or November - so my TA knows I'm trying for free dining and I'll be up all night trying for free dining I am prepared to make a second reservation if needed in case I get in but can't get in touch with the TA that moment or whatever could happen - I'm thinking I'm going to try for check in 11/27 - so my real question do I ask my TA to change my dates now just for making it easier to add free dining or do I wait and see because 1 - maybe the dates leaked aren't exact or 2 she's going to have to change something anyway so it just doesn't matter - or should I have her change them? Thanks in advance- FYI - we r going whether we get free dining or not - but if we get free dining I may bring my daughters friend but need the discount to afford it

 

[Jonzy2]

Yes, what happens and when at Epcot? MK obviously gets enough Christmas to hold the parties as early as Nov 7, but what about Epcot? Those of us planning to go in the first half of November will definitely miss out on the Candlelight Processional, but what about IllumiNations or Holiday Around the World? Will the tree get put up right after Halloween, or are they too busy with Food & Wine?
This could affect whether we go before or after Thanksgiving.

Last year there was no tree at Epcot until after the Food and Wine.