2016 Free Dining Watch

[Elsaalltheway]

I haven't tried it but aren't there taco bowls or at least tacos at the CS in epcot?

I dont know. I'll have to check that out. I didn't see any. but I will def look. Thank you.

 

[TigerlilyAJ]

I've been crunching numbers tell me if this will work...we have to check in on the 28th of November I'll do a five day package. Check out December 3rd and add a room only ressie for that night. If I remember right, our dining credits are good until midnight on check out day which would be December 3rd at midnight. We get up early December 4th and drive home. It will save us about $400 doing it this way. Will this work?

So, I believe you're saying that you would like to book the final night hopefully with a room discount. So five nights at full rack rate to get FD and one at a discount, but you'd only have to buy breakfast OOP on the 4th before driving home. It sounds like your savings are (Rack rate) - (Discounted room rate). Unless you're in a serious Deluxe room, it's hard to imagine that a room discount would be worth $400/night. The biggest room discount is 30%, and $400 is 30% of $1333.33.
I should also note that dining-plan credits are based on the number of nights, not days. So, if you're arriving early enough on the 28 to use both meals, you might not have much left on Dec 3rd, and might need to buy a meal OOP that day, too. (Five nights on DDP, for example, gets you five QS meals, five TS meals, and five snacks.)
GL! I love hearing people's ideas on how to maximize FD usefulness!

 

[Niixxter]

No problem. That's one of the reasons I became a TA, there are only so many times I can price and book my own vacation...

Anyways, here are the numbers. I ran your dates for a Garden Room at the CR. I wasn't sure how many park days or if you would originally have park hopper but since free dining will probably require park hopper I added it. The following numbers include your dates, 6 day ticket + park hopper and the regular dining plan. Here are some numbers.

Free Dining = $6,345.60 + dining plan tax $140 (estimate) = $6,485.60
30% room discount = $6,259.46
30% room discount without park hoppers = $5,965.54
25% room discount = $6,486.14
25% room discount without park hoppers = $6,192.22

So assuming a 30% discount is offered for Garden View rooms your savings over free dining would be $226.14. Without park hopper the savings would be $520.06. If only a 25% discount is offered and you want park hopper then its basically even, whether you take free dining or room discount. If you don't want park hoppers then the 25% would still save you $293.38.

Generally a 30% discount is offered at Deluxes. But I just threw 25% out there in case they include any surprises.
Also, if you want the deluxe dining your savings would change, the prices above will just go up.

Thank you for doing this...gives me something to think about. I was so obsessed with free dining that, until I started reading here a bit, RO didn't really occur to me as something to even consider. I guess I'll still be waiting though...to see what actually drops. Ugh!

 

[ml sumner]

This is kind of off topic but are people really getting good deals from that TA? I recently put in a request to them and the price I was quoted wasn't a good deal at all. I priced out 7 nights at AoA and Pop. The "exclusive rate" total was exactly the same price for both resorts as Disney's rack rate on the same dates. Did I do something wrong?

I've been thinking the same thing as you. I have got quotes on several different occasions and they would not be one penny cheaper than what I found on the Disney website. Maybe I used a wrong TA for quotes. The one time many years ago when I did let a TA book for me I came to realize I knew more than she did and had to correct her several times on the information she sent to me about the free dining plan. I decided then that I was too OCD to let someone else have that kind of control!!

 

[LinaNate]

I remember wayyy back when I made this thread and thought to myself - "Why is no one on here?" Now I'm considering a new poll question, "How often do you stalk this page"? For me it's multiple times daily in addition to the emails I get when someone makes a new post. I'm FDing obsessed!!!

I'm in bed sick and obsession over the FD announcement rumors cause we might be able to swing our 2nd family trip to WDW *if* our house sells... FD would help a ton.

 

[LovingDisney2012]

I just requested a quote from a certain place. For those of you that have gotten quotes, are they prompt? I would love to know something today in case any thing drops tonight. I a bit terrified though, the one time I used a TA for Disney, it was a nightmare!!!

 

[Mickeycrocs]

I just requested a quote from a certain place. For those of you that have gotten quotes, are they prompt? I would love to know something today in case any thing drops tonight. I a bit terrified though, the one time I used a TA for Disney, it was a nightmare!!!

It took the one I requested a day to get back to me, I just got it this morning.

 

[prettypatchesmsu]

So, since many of you have done DW before. I'm just going to ask where are your favorite places to eat on the QS FD. We are staying at Pop and have discovered we really like the options there, but when in the parks where does everybody else suggest?

I didn't answer yesterday, so I'll throw our ours. Note, we love food but we are not super fancy and like a good burger haha!

MK:
BOG Lunch
Cosmic Ray's
Peco's Bills

HS:
ABC Commissary (we really like their burger and the Minnie Halloween cupcake when available)
Fairfax Fare

AK:
Flametree BBQ
We are going to try Restaurantosaurus this time

EPCOT:
Liberty Inn
Electric Umbrella

Disney Springs:
Wolfgang Puck Express Marketplace
We are going to try Earl of Sandwich

For Table Services we pay OOP:
Via Napoli - Pizza is crazy delicious
Crystal Palace - Fun Breakfast Buffet
We are going to try Garden Grill and Hoop Dee Doo

 

[Elsaalltheway]

I didn't answer yesterday, so I'll throw our ours. Note, we love food but we are not super fancy and like a good burger haha!

MK:
BOG Lunch
Cosmic Ray's
Peco's Bills

HS:
ABC Commissary (we really like their burger and the Minnie Halloween cupcake when available)
Fairfax Fare

AK:
Flametree BBQ
We are going to try Restaurantosaurus this time

EPCOT:
Liberty Inn
Electric Umbrella

Disney Springs:
Wolfgang Puck Express Marketplace
We are going to try Earl of Sandwich

For Table Services we pay OOP:
Via Napoli - Pizza is crazy delicious
Crystal Palace - Fun Breakfast Buffet
We are going to try Garden Grill and Hoop Dee Doo

Wow that is great feedback.
And yeah a few of them we are big fans of too. Thank you so much.

 

[Jgeauxmo]

So, I believe you're saying that you would like to book the final night hopefully with a room discount. So five nights at full rack rate to get FD and one at a discount, but you'd only have to buy breakfast OOP on the 4th before driving home. It sounds like your savings are (Rack rate) - (Discounted room rate). Unless you're in a serious Deluxe room, it's hard to imagine that a room discount would be worth $400/night. The biggest room discount is 30%, and $400 is 30% of $1333.33.
I should also note that dining-plan credits are based on the number of nights, not days. So, if you're arriving early enough on the 28 to use both meals, you might not have much left on Dec 3rd, and might need to buy a meal OOP that day, too. (Five nights on DDP, for example, gets you five QS meals, five TS meals, and five snacks.)
GL! I love hearing people's ideas on how to maximize FD usefulness!

We are driving in on our first night and will only use one credit for dinner maybe two if we do lunch. We have always planned on upgrading to the deluxe plan no matter what we do. (Just how we like to travel) So we are saving the upgrade for three adults for that day. That is a $213 savings right there. we already have the six day tickets. When I run the numbers it's $4688 for six days with qs free dining upgraded to deluxe for three adults v $4389 for the same package but have a room only ressie for our (4,059 package + $330 room only at end). I'm even considering going down to the little mermaid room for our last night to save more. Or I can get two rooms at Cbr and for essentially the same thing for $10 cheaper. That's without any discount on the room. Just wondering if our dining credits really don't expire until midnight the day we check out.

 

[scard192]

I just requested a quote from a certain place. For those of you that have gotten quotes, are they prompt? I would love to know something today in case any thing drops tonight. I a bit terrified though, the one time I used a TA for Disney, it was a nightmare!!!

I filled out the on line request form at 7:15PM last night, when I checked this morning the quote had come in at 2:58AM.

 

[prettypatchesmsu]

Wow that is great feedback.
And yeah a few of them we are big fans of too. Thank you so much.

You're welcome! We love Pop Century. Their pizza is pretty good, we get one and share several times a trip. It's two QS credits if you pick it up yourself, but you get your drinks, desserts too. And if you use your mug, it's really a good deal. We've walked over to AoA too, their make your own pasta bowl thing is pretty darn good. We're going to do that this time too. Cool to look around at the decor, and I have to say their gift shop is really nice!

 

[The Dirty Steve]

I didn't answer yesterday, so I'll throw our ours. Note, we love food but we are not super fancy and like a good burger haha!

MK:
BOG Lunch
Cosmic Ray's
Peco's Bills

HS:
ABC Commissary (we really like their burger and the Minnie Halloween cupcake when available)
Fairfax Fare

AK:
Flametree BBQ
We are going to try Restaurantosaurus this time

EPCOT:
Liberty Inn
Electric Umbrella

Disney Springs:
Wolfgang Puck Express Marketplace
We are going to try Earl of Sandwich

For Table Services we pay OOP:
Via Napoli - Pizza is crazy delicious
Crystal Palace - Fun Breakfast Buffet
We are going to try Garden Grill and Hoop Dee Doo

HDD....absolute favorite. A must every time we go and it's our thanksgiving dinner every year. By the way, they will say it's unlimited beer, wine, and sangria. But there's a limit! Anyone know what happens when you get cut off???

 

[sahm2two]

Damn y'all are so fast I can't catch up!

 

[prettypatchesmsu]

We are driving in on our first night and will only use one credit for dinner maybe two if we do lunch. We have always planned on upgrading to the deluxe plan no matter what we do. (Just how we like to travel) So we are saving the upgrade for three adults for that day. That is a $213 savings right there. we already have the six day tickets. When I run the numbers it's $4688 for six days with qs free dining upgraded to deluxe for three adults v $4389 for the same package but have a room only ressie for our (4,059 package + $330 room only at end). I'm even considering going down to the little mermaid room for our last night to save more. Or I can get two rooms at Cbr and for essentially the same thing for $10 cheaper. That's without any discount on the room. Just wondering if our dining credits really don't expire until midnight the day we check out.

We always arrive in the afternoon or evening of our first day, so we tend to only use one of our QS credits each that first day. So we save the extra from that day and use them on our departure day for breakfast. Hope that helps.

 

[prettypatchesmsu]

HDD....absolute favorite. A must every time we go and it's our thanksgiving dinner every year. By the way, they will say it's unlimited beer, wine, and sangria. But there's a limit! Anyone know what happens when you get cut off???

Nope, what happens when you get cutoff??!!?? I'm planning on the Sangria and my DH the beer, so it would be good to know

 

[SJSloan]

I remember wayyy back when I made this thread and thought to myself - "Why is no one on here?" Now I'm considering a new poll question, "How often do you stalk this page"? For me it's multiple times daily in addition to the emails I get when someone makes a new post. I'm FDing obsessed!!!

I starting following when this was first created and I was surprised of how little activity there was on it. I thought maybe there was another one out there that I was missing.

I'll be the first responder to the poll...Every waking hour that I am not forced to complete a task at my real job, or driving, I am refreshing the page. To the point where I am wondering how many other important things I am missing on the boards. But I can catch up later. Right now my mind is consumed with free dining!

 

[Elsaalltheway]

You're welcome! We love Pop Century. Their pizza is pretty good, we get one and share several times a trip. It's two QS credits if you pick it up yourself, but you get your drinks, desserts too. And if you use your mug, it's really a good deal. We've walked over to AoA too, their make your own pasta bowl thing is pretty darn good. We're going to do that this time too. Cool to look around at the decor, and I have to say their gift shop is really nice!

Last year they had this really good burger that had this pesto aoili and it was great. But its not on the menu right now. Will probably eat there a few times. We like their Benedict burger. I will probably try their picnic burger. And I may take a trip to AoA for that pasta. We are going to be there the week before you get there.

 

[Atlanta WDW Fan]

Okay...it's official. I have a headache.

 

[SJSloan]

SJSloan,

Can I ask a quick question? My parents are FL residents. So, we were going to get 2 Fl resident tickets (adults), and 4 regular price tickets(2 adults, 2 under 10), non park hopper, and then hope for a discount for FL Residents (our dates are Nov 28th to December 2nd). I'm guessing I will save a more money with the ticket discounts for 2 people and the % discount for the room vs full price on room and 6 park hoppers to get the free dining deal? Do you know what the usual discount around that time for FL Residents for room only? Wilderness Cabins is our plan currently.

I was getting ready to look into this when my boss gave me a project. (She doesn't understand that I need to focus on this thread...). But I will take a look at it this evening and let you know what I find out.