anyone else not care about free dining?

[goodferry]

From the numbers I have crunched, the only way Free Dining is a better deal then the straight percentages is if you are willing to cram four adults (in Disney's eyes) into a Value room. There are not enough free mickey bars in the world to make me ever want to do that! I too have a hard time being excited about sleeping in a double bed for a week with my over six foot tall husband who likes to toss and turn...

 

[Poohbear Family]

I just want *any* discount. Right now the bounceback (40%) is a better deal for us but in a few years when my kids are over 9, the free dining will be better.

We never imagined staying onsite until a few years ago when they had the buy 4, get 3 free deal. That got us hooked on staying onsite. Now DH is even hooked on CR since we tried CBR and although it was fantastic, DH prefers CR (that's where we used the buy 4 deal).

As long as they offer some type of discount (room or dining), we'll be staying onsite. If they stop offering both, then we'll be staying offsite and not doing as many table/character meals.

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

I prefer the 40% discount because it is a greater discount for me at the Poly. I added dining last year (on top of the buy 4/get 3) because of the great room deal and my husband was sick of eating counter service for every meal. We loved being able to get the dining for a great price (especially for the 2 kids - it is so cheap if you have kids). But we didn't like having to eat table service every single day and it kind of felt like we were taking time away from the parks.

Fast forward to this year and we got the 40% discount - yeah! - and our friends are going and want...to do the dining plan Well, we thought that was fine since it gave us an opportunity to eat so many good meals and now we know that it takes up a certain amount of time and we will be OK with that.

If I had a choice between free dining and 40% off or buy 4/get 3, we would NOT choose free dining. That doesn't mean it isn't a really good deal for many people - especially those staying at value or moderate resorts.

 

[DisneyLvr12]

We don't care about free dining. I'd much rather have the 40% off rooms!

 

[TJA]

Add me to the club about not caring about FD. We like deluxe resorts best, so the room discount is a better deal for us.

 

[haleakala]

We went last year with free dining and it was alright. This year we are using the 40% off bounceback offer. We have already decided not to change to the free dining if and when it comes out. We found that we had way too much food last time and the way we figure it, we can split meals or whatever we need. Our kids are not big eaters at all. We also like to have donuts or poptarts in the room so we have breakfast covered. We figure we can save more money this way.

Are we the only ones who don't give a rip about free dining?

We (two adults - 24 yo old daughter and myself) are staying at a Value, and already had a 20% off the room PIN. That saved us about $85. We will now be paying that (I can use Disney reward $$), but in exchange for Quick Service FD, which actually will works better than Full Service I think

We went two years ago, no discounts or codes on anything. And yes, we shared counter service lunches most days and had brought pop tarts to eat in the morning, to save $$. I even brought my own hot pot and tea bags! (and some mornings made instant oatmeal instead of pop tarts)

This time, it will be nice to NOT have to do breakfast in the room, feel a little freer to get separate lunches, not because we'll eat more, but because we may not always want the same thing, and can now free up some finances to do a few nice dinners.

We'll see how it goes this time, and may make a different decision for the next trip. For now. I'm thrilled with Free Dining!

 

[haleakala]

Maybe I have been working too much overtime at work or something but I just can't fathom why if you are going to the parks at a time that free dining is available, and there is no other discounts that you are using why wouldn't you take advantage of it?

1) It's free.

2)You dont have to make ADRs and eat at TS resturants - as already pointed out you can use your TS credits at a QS establishment.

3) Yes, if you don't eat a lot of food, I will agree it is a lot more food offered than you would want, but again, it's free and you are not forced to actually eat all the food that is available to you.

I ws thinking same thing. Daughter and I may well still share some lunches, as we did before. Just don't feel like we HAVE to order the same thing now.

 

[haleakala]

It isn't free - you are paying full room rates and other fees have been raised in order to accommodate it. So, if they didn't offer it you would actually be saving more money. I can tell you there is no such thing as a free lunch at Disney - it doesn't just apply to Economics! They don't lose any money offering such a promotion. Disney is full of geniuses who know how to make money!

My choice was 20% off room (about $85 for total stay) or free QS for 6 days. I'm pretty sure the FD for two adults, even though we aren't big eaters, will be better.

 

[chefmb]

I've never paid for the dining plan because we aren't big eaters and it never made sense. I've always preferred the room discount. However, I'm going with my aunt and dad as a treat before Christmas (leaving DH and college aged sons at home this time--we just had a great family trip to Disney last month), and we got the free QS dining plan. It will save us more in the long run than a discount. I doubt I'll be eating all those desserts, and it will probably be more food than I can eat, but I'm looking forward to not looking at the prices I must say, I wouldn't want the regular dining plan--too much trouble to have a long sit down meal each day--there's too much else to see and do. I don't want to spend my day getting to a particular place for lunch or dinner!

 

[dizfamily4]

I too do not want the stress of getting to a reservation on time etc, wedo not spend that much time on "eating" so I would so much rather a room rate discount which I am awaiting for my 11/2-6th quick get away with my hubby

 

[victory-rc]

well,I just returned from a week of disneyworld and food costs alot of money but we were ready for it. I dont know how the meal plans work and need to find a link but I can say YOU WILL blow past $40 a day per person.

If the meal plan gets you the food cheaper it is worth it because you cant go any place else, correct ?

any links for me to see the meal plans available? ... I,m ready to try it I think.

 

[dvc at last !]

Free Dining does not help us - we stay on DVC points.

We order some groceries. Take some snacks such as crackers, micro popcorn, breakfast cereal, oatmeal, granola bars, package of oreos, rice, tuna, bagels,coffee/filters and tea. Breakfast is at the resort except one breakfast at Kona for the press pot coffee and Tonga Toast.
Lunch some in or at the pool and some out while visiting the F & W Fest.
We always have ADR's for dinner and gotta have the TIW Card.

 

[mom2t]

We do not care for free dinining. I do not want to be tied down to that many sit down meals.

 

[chottsy]

We don't care about free dining. I'd much rather have the 40% off rooms!

yep! us too!

 

[KELLY]

We simply cannot afford to stay deluxe anymore. Mods and values yes. So the free dining is great for us. We don't over eat either. If we don't want desert we don't get it. It seems like the free dining is a better deal for us than a room only at a value or moderate. I cannot wait for the QSDP this time around. Only one adr' for 10 days. Plus t-rex and rainforest so we will have extra credits and probably won't use them but no big deal for us.

 

[JenC025]

Man we must be big eaters The dp doesn't seem like all that much food to us- we are probably going to do more than 1 snack per day- than breakfast or lunch for our qs and 1 ts meal. That's not that much food, unless you are refering to the deluxe plan but that's not offered during the free dining is it?

 

[goodferry]

We like the DP too, just when crunching the numbers it doesn't make sense if you stay at a deluxe resort, you can do better with the % discounts that are out there.

 

[inaminute]

No more "free" dining for us, either. I hated planning my days around where we were going to eat our table service meals.

Besides, since the last time we used the dining plan, I've had gastric bypass surgery, and DH is eating healthier, too. I think our next WDW trip is going to be pretty inexpensive when it comes to food! LOL!

 

[Missytara]

Free dining never works for me; I travel alone.

I am paying for the price of two people, so a room discount always works for me.

 

[dawnmommy]

I think free dining helps a lot of families, and is the best discount for them.

We are staying at The Grand Floridian, so the 40% off pin (thank goodness we have one!) works out a lot better for us.