40% off room only or free dining

[rackerlee92]

what would you do? Utilize 40% off room only (AKL) or free dining (POFQ)?

 

[DisneyRookie2007]

what would you do? Utilize 40% off room only (AKL) or free dining (POFQ)?

whatever saves me the most $$

 

[ready123go]

We love POFQ, but if the money was the same, we would choose 40% off AKL. Reason being the dining plan is (for us) just too much food.

Either way, can't lose!

 

[chocovrdmicears]

You need to run the numbers for your family to see what saves you the most. There are so many factors involved it is impossible to compare other families choices.
The size of your family, which type of resort you prefer and your eating habits will determine which is a better value.
For our family of 4 (2 adults, 1 kiddo who is 10 - so a Disney Adult and 1 child) - we would probable save more $$ by using Free Dining at a Moderate..but we prefer AKL..so we would use the % off discount there and get the QS dining plan. But again, that is just what would work best for our family.

 

[mickeynut1]

My choice would be AKL .

 

[Karlzmom]

what would you do? Utilize 40% off room only (AKL) or free dining (POFQ)?

I think more information is needed....how many in your party and age? If its straight dollars and cents, then figure out how much your room would be [which may change slighly based on room type/view] and multiply it by .60 to come up with your room cost.

For your free dining, add (the number of adults x the price of the dining plan) [which year are you going, as the price changes in 2012] to the number of (children x price of plan) to come up with your "savings".

However, you should also consider the following:

1) would you get a dining plan if it was not "free"? If not, why not? If it doesn't really "fit" you/how you eat/etc. then it may not be good deal for you, as while the program doesn't cost "extra", hence "free dining", you will pay rack rate for your room, so you are "paying extra" already....

2) One upside to a room only discount is you KNOW you saved money from the sticker price. The catch with "free dining" is you may OR MAY NOT actually save...

Follow me, for a moment. If you book a room only, then you can place "real money savings" straight into your pocket from the outset.
With the dining plan, IF you use all your credits, you MAY have "spent" enough money to offset and "save". Credits left in your pocket at the end of your trip, or if you go to an less expensive restaurant, or order the least expensive entree MAY cause you to not "maximize" your "discount"..you won't know what *real savings* you have until your trip is all over....something I suspect Disney knows and factors in...the psychology says "I got it for free..." so a person gambles a *known* discount upfront in hopes of getting a better deal later....you are betting that over the trip you will consistently spend more than the value of the dining plan, Disney is betting you won't....

Only you can decide which discount will be best for you....have a great trip!

 

[beansmom]

since there are only 2 of us, the room only discount is always more cost effective for us and the dining plan is just...tooo...much...FOOOD.

 

[disneydreamkate]

I would run the numbers. Last year we did the room discount and purchased the dining and saved more $! That said, we stayed at AKL Pool View room and absolutely LOVED it!!

 

[disneygal58]

You can't go wrong with either option - 2 of my favorite resorts!

 

[dawz1026]

Room only always comes out cheaper. For us free dining is not enough food and you still need to pay tax and tip. We figured it out and refigured it out at the room discount is way better, I am Beach Club 6 nights with hoppers. Before room discount it was 4100.00 with dicount I paid 2800 with tax and insurance..

 

[Susan595]

AK for sure

 

[mommyof3princess27]

AK for sure

I agree!!!

 

[wen8jr]

Room only always comes out cheaper. For us free dining is not enough food and you still need to pay tax and tip.

I knew you paid the gratuity OOP...but you have to pay the tax OOP as well when on the regular Dining Plan?

 

[mickeynut1]

I knew you paid the gratuity OOP...but you have to pay the tax OOP as well when on the regular Dining Plan?

No, the DDP includes tax; only the tip is paid OOP.

 

[wish*i*was*in*the*vi]

I agree that the dining plan is ALOT of food. Too much food for us, and we don't have petite appetites. We also love AKL so we would pick the room discount at AKL over free dining at POFQ.
Whatever you decide have a great trip!

 

[grahamfam3]

DW and I wouldn't want to be locked in to reservations and having to be at a certain place at a certain time farther out than that morning, plus we often share/split meals, so 40% off the room rate would work better for us. Depends on your style of travel.

 

[johnsonet]

Take the 40% off and run with it. AKL is so wonderful!

 

[AndreaDM]

I would have taken 40% off AKL for our last trip instead of free dining, HOWEVER, AKL and WL were only 25% off vs. 35 or 40 (can't remember) for the other deluxes. So, in that case, the free dining saved us more.

O, and just realized this is my 1,000th post!

 

[mommyof3princess27]

We were offered FD last year but since we upgraded to the POLY with our 40% off code, we got to book CL and the 6 day trip with 3 kids was not that much more than a value!

 

[pixiedaisy]

Whatever is cheapest probably. Depends on how tied you are to a certain resort. For us, my dad ONLY wants to stay at GF, so a 40% would be great. However, free dining is better than nothing. I'd probably take a room discount and stay at a deluxe, just because we are partial to those and the dining plan is more food than we need.