40% vs. Free Dining

[DAZY3BYZ]

okay, I know the "general" answer to which is the better discount is related to whether you stay at a deluxe hotel or not. Usually people say that if you're staying deluxe the 40% off is the better discount. However, we are planning a trip in August at the BC for 2 adults and 3 kids. 2 of those kids Disney considers adults so are we really better off taking the 40% off the room at BC? Or since we have so many "adults" are we better off taking advantage of Free Dining?
Also, we have never done the dining plan before. Is it a lot of trouble? Do you feel limited with your options and end up paying out of pocket for hidden costs or is it a really good deal? My family does like to eat and we do a lot of buffets like CP, CM, Ohana and Boma. What do all you experts think?
Thanks in advance!

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

The best way to decide is to figure out the cost of the DDP for your family. It's $39.99/adult, $10.99/child. So, for your family of 4 Disney adults and 1 child, that's $170.95 per day. If the per-day discount on your BC room is more than $171, then that's the better deal. That puts the rack-rate at $428. If rack-rate is $428 or more, then the 40% is better, otherwise FD is better.

*Unless you have APs and would have to buy 1-day tickets for everyone in your party that would not need otherwise. Then, you have to figure that into your calculation.

 

[Chuck S]

It also depends upon your normal dining habits. If those adult kids normally eat adult meals then the free DDP is likely a good buy. If they are happy with chicken nuggets and fries, then I'd stay with the discount, and not do a DDP

 

[mickeyluv'r]

At a deluxe, probably 40%off is abetter deal, but you'll kind of need to look at the numbers more closely for your family.

As far as the dining plan, I find it plenty of food, and pretty straight forward. I just got back from a trip with my parents though. They also enjoyed it, but it took them a little while to get how it works. Even still, I had to remind them a few times that dessert was included with their QS meals.
Even if they didn't really want dessert - they could get a yogurt at many places, which my mom liked better than more chocolate cake.

If you go witha larger group, it makes it much easier, since you don't have to worry about dividing the check or anything. Everyone gets what they want. (You just have to take turns paying the tip. I dunno, our family doesn't nickel and dime on splitting the cost of a tip.)

What we typically do is split meals. Either that, or if I eat a buffet dinner the night before, I'm really not that hungry the next morning. I'll either skip breakfast, eat later, or grab a 'snack.' So long as I also get my cup of coffee. I do find a refillable mug or two a nice addition to the DDP. (Mostly for coffee) At breakfast, we take bottled juice and have it later. I'm not a huge soda drinker.

We did pay for a few drinks oop, but then we kind of ended up with a bunch of snack credits to use up at the end.

It also matter how you plan to use your first and last day. If you arrive late and leave early, you may find yourself with easily enough credits to eat one night at a signature dining place.

 

[michelle1]

We have done the free dining twice before and have mixed feelings about it. We would have to split meals because my kids are considered adults and can't eat an entree plus dessert to themselves..I usually can't either for that matter. Food is not really a big deal to us on vacation so we found ourselves eating just to use up meal credits and having to eat at planned times which we prefer not to do. All that being said, with the dining plan it is nice to eat in restaurants or a buffet that I might not otherwise if we were paying oop for. If I had to pay for the DDP I wouldn't because it would cost me $160/day for my family and we never spend more than $100/day on food on vacation because we are not big eaters and we don't go to very many character meals. We got the 40% pin code also so what are doing this year is doing a split stay...5 nights at a moderate on the free dining plan and 3 nights at a deluxe using the 40%. The dining plan will carry into our first day at the deluxe and then we will pay oop for the last 2 days. This satisfies the kids who want to stay at CSR and me who wants to try a deluxe!