4/3 deal versus free dining

[lady_hlh]

Am I correct that free dining is a better deal than doing the 4/3 deal plus dining at AKL for 2 adults and 1 child? If I changed to a cheaper resort would that make the 4/3 deal better than free dining for us?

 

[mbanks21]

The 4/3 deal gets better as you go to more expensive resorts. If youre at a value resort 3 nights free might only be like $300. If youre at a deluxe 3 nights free could be $1000. Free dining for 2 adults and a child is $90/night so even for a 7 night stay youre saving $630.

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

Look at it this way, Free Dining would save your family $91/night for your entire stay. For 7 nights, that would mean a savings of $637 regardless of what level resort you choose.

The 4/3 deal will save you whatever the rack rate of your room is for 3 of those 7 nights. For a value resort during "regular season", that amounts to about $350. For AKL (std. view, regular season), the savings comes to about $970. Bump your stay up to a Poly Concierge Lagoon View room and you'll save $2100!

So, the 4/3 deal is better if you're staying in a deluxe resort but the free dining is better if you plan to stay in a value resort.

 

[rt2dz]

How much free dining saves you is really more about how much you’d spend out of pocket on dining than what the dining plan would have cost you. Only you can determine that. Use All Ears menus and prices to figure that out.

Don’t forget: There are things not covered under free dining (appetizers, tips, alcoholic drinks) and some restaurants cost two TS credits. Really compare. You have to keep in mind that when you book free dining, you must buy tickets through Disney instead of a discount broker and you must pay rack rate for a room. That adds to your costs. With the 4/3 deal, you still have to buy tickets from Disney and are paying rack rate for the room, but receive up to 3 nights free, which gives you an overall discount. You also get up to 3 days free on the tickets—not a big deal for base only or PH, but an exceptional savings with NE, especially if you want APs. Which *you* probably don’t, but a lurker might.

4/3 v. free dining does have a lot to do with value v. deluxe, too!

 

[Mark Stern]

I would go for the 4/3 deal if I were you, sounds better.

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

Point well-made, rt2dz! It's only a savings if you were intending to get the DDP anyway. Otherwwise, it's just a bonus of sorts. You can always find ways to eat for less than what you'd pay for the DDP. But you will not eat as well!

 

[lady_hlh]

Thanks everyone, I guess I just didn't realize how much more expensive the room rates are in the spring. AKL with the 4/3 deal and just QS dining is over 2700 while it would only be 2400 with free dining at the end of August. We have had the dining plan on every trip and really enjoy the meals so I don't want to not have it or downgrade to save $s on food. I guess we will just brave the heat again this year to enjoy free dining.

 

[rt2dz]

Point well-made, rt2dz! It's only a savings if you were intending to get the DDP anyway. Otherwwise, it's just a bonus of sorts. You can always find ways to eat for less than what you'd pay for the DDP. But you will not eat as well!

Well, thanks for the kudos. However, I disagree strongly that you will not eat as well when spending less. We do a lot of TS. Once, sometimes twice, a day each day during our trip. But, after I make dining plans, figure up the costs and compare that to the true dining plan costs (basic and deluxe), I find that paying out of pocket costs less.

I have children that don't eat fast food. Actually, one has a ton of food allergies so what he can eat is pretty limited in the first place. We don't eat fast food at home. I can't stand it. My kids won't touch a piece of fried chicken--strips or nuggets--because it isn't in their pallets. They will only eat other fast food items (hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza) in limited amounts. Wouldn’t do us real well when our visits are for 10 days each. DS7 would much rather order off the adult menu. Not possible on the dining plans. This is just as bad as the family that has a 10yo that would rather eat off the child's menu, but can't on the dining plan.

DS3 can out eat the other two together and needs more food than the child's menu usually offers; I wish I had that kid's metabolism! He'd eat two kids pizza's and still be wondering where the rest is. Again, not real productive on the dining plan. On the opposite end, except for a couple of times a week when he inhales food and out eats a linebacker, my one with allergies eats like a bird. He can eat a little off my plate and a little of DH's plate and be happy--provided it doesn't upset his allergies. Sometimes that's not a go. Sometimes my kids will split an adult entree. Or eat an appetizer for a meal. All still not good with the dining plan.

The other thing is we eat at signature restaurants a bit. Two TS credits each. We'd run out of TS credits quick. Then we'd still be paying extra for more meals.

Sometimes we like an appetizer. Or a glass of wine, a beer or a margarita with dinner. Not tons of drinks, but one drink for each adult at 1/3 of the TS meals through a 10 day visit adds up quite a bit. Not covered under the dining plan.

Sometimes I prefer an appetizer or two as an entree instead of a traditional entree. I get a little bit better taste of what is offered in the restaurant. But, not a dining plan friendly thing to do.

Not everything we order is always the most expensive thing on the menu, which really just ups your tip costs. By ordering the less expensive things, you might not be getting a ton of value out of your plan during those meals. And then, sometimes dessert isn't of any value to us. We're simply too full.

If you get a sick child and need room service because you are room-bound and order a pizza in, that's TWO TS-credits gone. Or just extra OOP funds spent on the dining while credits go to waste.

We're not big snackers during the day, so those credits wouldn't be used. I don't really need to go and buy a ton of cookies to take home. Shhh...I don't really enjoy boxed cookies.

I think a lot of people get the dining plan because they think it is easier. How, I don't know. You still have to tip OOP and then additionally track credits. Seems like more work to me. I think others think it will save them money, but if they don't utilize it to the fullest, it isn't a cost savings measure at all. Of course, that's the point. Would Disney offer it if it didn't turn them a profit?

Although I evaluate it every time I book a trip--basic and deluxe. Hey, you never know! For us, we have the Tables in Wonderland card instead. I'm already saving less by paying OOP v. the dining plan, but then I receive an additional 20% off--everything we eat and just what we eat. We get to eat anywhere we want and order anything we want. I eat way better than most do on the dining plan too!

It's more about dining style. How does the dining plan fit the way you eat? What things do you still pay for OOP? How much would go to waste? What other discounts are available to you--TiW, AP, DVC? What are your OOP costs solely v. the cost of the dining plans (even when free--How much free dining saves you is really more about how much you’d spend out of pocket on dining than what the dining plan would have cost you.)?

Wow! Sorry this got so long. And so OT.

 

[lisaanddenny]

..............................anyways heres some more off topic opinions, we did the DDXDP for the first time in Sept 08, we loved it, but we were all adults, no kiddies on this trip, a girl's trip and we are not park commandos, we loved sitting down to eat, like human people do, 3X a day.......in an airconditioned atmostphere.......we were lucky, we did everything r/t the short lines.......no one says one has to gorge and order the biggest meal or fill their buffet plates three times, you eat normally and when you start feeling satisfied, you stop! As for snacks.......who said anything about cookies? I didn't have a single cookie, but I did use my snacks for bottled waters and diet caffiene free cokes, ice cream, popsicles and even FRESH FRUIT, YES FRESH FRUIT. It is all about choices.............it all depends on your plans for the parks, is this your first trip, perhaps your more of a park commando your first trip, trying insanely to see everything, although that gets exhausting....and just cannot be done........been there, done that. Feb 09 is my third trip in one year, so once again, we are taking it slowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww, DDXDP all the way, many times we are doing signatures at night, breakfast in am and snack for lunch...............when we went FD last Sept, we paid $32 pp more for the DDXDP, we were there 7 nights, I did have to say we ate at very good places, no fast food for me the entire 7 nights, I too hate fast food. There were 2 women per room, my roomie and myself added up all of our receipts for the 7 nights, including our snacks, and it added up to $1500, .....my roomie had water with each meal, she doesn't drink soft drinks, I don't drink adult beverages, she had maybe 3! Keep in mind, we did order Lobster twice, each...lunch one day at Tuttu Italia for myself and roomie was $90...I had filet, ALOT, she ordered scallops a few times, we had the most expensive meals on the menus many and probably most of the times because they appealed to us, I don't order things I don't like, I never try new things in restaurants..... our bills for breakfasts for two of us were over $45....we did rent a car and we went and ate at every hotel.
we stayed at ASMu, our first time in a value, we truthfully really enjoyed it, its a bit colorful, less grounds than the mods, it really suited our purposes we went in with an open mind and were pleasantly pleased, I have done deluxes and Mods too, as much as we are in the room, I just couldnt feel the difference, definately between the CBR and POR compared to the ASMu, not that big a difference for me at all, and NOTHING, I MEAN NOTHING SUPPORTS THE PRICES OF DISNEY'S DELUXE HOTELS! IT STILL AMAZES ME THAT PEOPLE FEEL THERE IS JUSTIFICATION FOR THE PRICES..they are prettier but the rooms at the Poly were no better than the rooms at the ASMu. I guess that is what makes us all different. I don't do public hot tubs, yuck, I don't use concierge services, No matter which hotel I stayed in Disney, the food courts are the same and 300 screaming kiddies everywhere, I would not eat at the same restaurant on site every day for any meal, we rent a car and we eat at every hotel, the pools are different in each resort but still none wow me, a bus is a bus, deluxe or value, I never had "resort" days in Disney, I don't spend time in hotels unless it truly is a resort, i.e. Sedona AZ spa, Palm Springs, CA spa, Riviera Maya, MX, ..............................lets be serious, Disney has hotels, no true resorts...just because spa services are available, that does not make it a spa/resort, ...........All Star Resort? Nah, I don't think so! I have visited every hotel in Disney/ on property, either staying there or eating there or just shopping there! Polynesian is probably the worst, and yes I have stayed there, the noise level in the lobby is horrible ...I think so many people come there to eat from different hotels it makes it chaotic for some reason, would never even eat there again, let alone stay there again. The GF and the BW are probably the nicest, r/t quiet resort feels! We were there in Sept, seriously, we left the poly, we couldnt even sit and hear ourselves talk while waiting for our reservation, kiddies unsupervised everywhere running around, I had a back up ressie, thank goodness.

 

[DWFan4Life]

I'll better go for 4/3 deal, it really works for us.

Have a nice day.

 

[Halloweenqueen]

It depends on your family. We hope to book for free dining this year, staying at a value. We plan to bring a cousin, so we need two rooms. That's eight people on the dining plan, only two would be considered children. Six adults and two kids would be over $260 a day. That's better than the 4/3 day, especially if we go for more than seven days. (hoping for ten)

 

[su_A_ve]

You have to keep in mind that when you book free dining, you must buy tickets through Disney instead of a discount broker and you must pay rack rate for a room.

FYI - few FD promos do include discounts on room. Last Dec. Visa FD included 20% off room rates... Same goes for BB offers...

 

[rt2dz]

lisaanddenny—

I’m having a real hard time reading your post with the way that it is written, so I only skimmed parts and may have missed a lot. However, I am not in any way saying that the dining plan is wrong for everyone. I am not implying the dining plan is EVIL and stay away. I am saying that it is not the best choice for everyone. I am saying that the cost of the dining plan isn’t the savings when saying which is a better deal, it depends on how well the dining plan fits *each individual traveler* by its use.

I stated examples in how the dining plan CAN be ill fitting for some people. I know a lot, I mean A LOT, of people who have many of the same issues I have with the dining plan. It is not a small minority. There are tons and tons of people on the DisBoards who talk about how they had to stock up on snacks to bring home, hence the cookies. Or chocolate (which I don’t like either) or any other type of junky, pre-boxed candy. Fresh fruit doesn’t travel well; I wouldn’t want to be sitting in a car with “fresh” fruit for over 20 hours while driving home. If you note, I said *my family* is not a big snacking family.

I was also stating that eating well does not have to equal the dining plan or higher costs. Actually, that was the biggest point of it all. You most certainly can eat very well off the dining plan and spend less than the dining plan. I have stated over and over how you must compare what your OOP costs are compared to your dining plan costs. Since all is not covered under the dining plan (no plan includes alcoholic beverages or tips), that goes for free dining, too—which is not deluxe dining, so no appetizers either. I’m saying that you should include your overall costs, including the resort and ticket costs, when comparing the free dining offer. I do it every single time. It just never works out that the dining plan is a good deal. Nor does free dining ever work out since WDW has almost always had a nice (usually 40% off) room only discount during free dining time.

Yes, as su A ve pointed out, one time last December a discounted room was included with the free dining plan, but that was only for specific DVC resorts. When I looked at it, it really cost more than if you booked at WL rack rate, and a heck of a lot more than if you booked rack rate at a value—which is where most people suggest staying to make free dining really worth it.

My view point is Disney is expensive. I’m going to cut certain costs as much as possible. I’m not going to cut down on the type of vacation we want--we eat where we want, whatever we want, we stay in deluxe resort (can't stand the dorm room feel of the values and I like the amenities of a deluxe; I just prefer to stay in a Hotel and not a Motel), etc--but I’m going to pay as little as possible for those things. We don’t pay rack rate. The dining plan isn’t convenient and it doesn’t save us any money so we forego it.

Now, that is all I am going to say on the matter. I do not want to hijack the OP’s thread. OP—my apologies. Please forgive me.

 

[dzneelvr]

As annual travelers to WDW since DD and DS were little (DS is now 21 and DD 19), I jumped on the 4/3 deal immediately. We choose the DDE plan for the 20% off because our family would never be able to eat all the "free" food under the dining plan, and I DO NOT want to have to figure out all the credit-nonsense under that plan My mantra is "never have to think more on vacation than necessary" . We get 2 rooms at ASMo so saved $600 and we normally save $300+ using DDE (with 1-2 TS daily plus resort meals) and around $400 in Visa Disney Rewards, so we're set. See you at the World in June 09