Anyone rather free dining then resort discount?

[kandb]

We got a code for our upcoming trip from 10/30-11/07 for 35% off at POR. The price is $164/174(weekend), so 35% is a lot less of a discount then free dining would be (2 adult, 2 children, 1 infant). We always get the dining plan and it costs around $110/day. Moral of my story, hope they offer FREE DINING. Linda

 

[wdwmaw]

We also like free dining over resort discount. Our kids are condisered adults so 4 adults on the dining plan saves us over $180 per day. Very hard to get a discount to save that and with our teens and the way they eat. They eat way to much to take food for the room, split meals, you all know all the tricks to save and let me tell ya, we have done them all.

 

[latmck]

I received a pin for a room discount 35% off of CBR. The room discount would be $113.75 vs $175 weekdays. I have booked the free dining for Memorial day week. I have 11, 5, 2. I know that my 5 & 2 yrs old dd will not eat much. But I have made ADRs for character meals & family style meals. I don't know if I want to pay opp for this meals.

 

[Robin K]

We also chose FD over resort discounts. We did the math and for us it was cheaper to get our dining free. We like to stay longer in a mod than shorter stays in deluxes. I know some people disagree with me but that's what makes the world go around...
Plus we like to eat......and it's always better when someone else is paying for it...
Enjoy your vacation

 

[Funky Chicken]

I don't look at it as a preference-it's purely a financial decision.
Staying at a Value or Mod with 3 or more guests-free dining usually trumps the room only discount.
Staying at a Deluxe with 2-3 guests, room-only is a bigger discount.
Gotta run the numbers every time. My last trip was a free dining trip at a value using a pin to upgrade to standard DDP and my upcoming one is room-only discount at a Deluxe using a pin with the dining plan out of pocket. I look at both as being very good values.

 

[latmck]

I just did the math, & free dining works for us. My kids love to snack alot. lol

 

[wildcatfan]

The free dining also works best for us...I have been running the numbers for this year. Last year we got FD, quick service and it cost $1981 for 4 of us to stay 7 nights at Pop. This year I priced the room only discount and the *** was $2689 for only 6 nights. Come on free dining!!!!!!!!! Do you think ther is hope for it this year??? Has anyone received a pin for it?

 

[nooneshome]

We are a family of four adults - me, DW, DS16 and DD15. We like staying at POP so a room discount isn't that much. We saved a bunch with free dining for Thanksgiving 2009 and had a blast with all the snacks. We would have done the same last year but I had eye surgery.

Can't wait for FD this Thanksgiving too - I know - wishful thinking!!!

 

[ldhr2005]

I think that FD vs no FD is going to make the difference between onsite and off. $2600 to stay at a value for 8 nights w/ no dining to me is not worth it...especially when I have gotten 8 nights w/ FD for $1500. If I have to buy all of my food anyway, it just seems to make more sense to stay offsite...with that said COME ON FREE DINING!!!

 

[isk8]

We are booked for FD at CSR in September - 3 Adults, 1 Kid, 2 rooms - and did the math when the latest room only discounts came out. And FD is the better way to go for us.

Last year, we got a discount on our total package (room, tickets, dining plan) and that was awesome!

 

[nkereina]

I missed the free dining promo by 2 weeks so I settled for the room only discount. We're two adults in a mod so there's not a drastic difference in price, but we're paying about $200-$300 more than if we had the free dining promo. So here's hoping they re-release it!

 

[KELLY]

I missed the Fd promo for September so we are doing the kids stay free for now and added the DP. But we are booked for the last week of September so if FD comes out for October we will just move our trip up a month. Dh would rather stay in October. We then will probably up garde to a moderate. So it will cost us another 250.00 for the upgrade for 8 nights.

 

[texasbloke]

We would love FD. We have taken advantage of the "Kids, Stay and Play Free offer." But FD would be a better deal for us, since we are paying for the 4 of us and my in-laws. I hope they release it again for the dates not covered in the last FD promotion. We would have booked it, but it did not cover our May dates.

 

[gris gris]

We got a code for our upcoming trip from 10/30-11/07 for 35% off at POR. The price is $164/174(weekend), so 35% is a lot less of a discount then free dining would be (2 adult, 2 children, 1 infant). We always get the dining plan and it costs around $110/day. Moral of my story, hope they offer FREE DINING. Linda

if you don't mind me asking, what is the price of your trip with this discount? this is the week we are thinking of going and would like to stay at POR but I didn't know if it would be a blackout period. I'd prefer free dining too! We are 2 adults and 2 children.

 

[MickeyEars]

We're booked for 10 nights at Riverside over Memorial Day week with the free dining and we saved $1840. We are 4 Disney adults (our boys 21 and 18) so there's no way a room only discount could equal that.

We have been going every year for 20+ years and we've never had free dining so we're way beyond excited!! My young men love to eat so this is wonderful for us. I booked Aug. 16 the day free dining was released and I still cannot believe Disney included Memorial Day.

Carla

 

[whodat1229]

I just booked 2 rooms x 7 nights at a deluxe with 40% off, and it was a substantial savings, more than we would have gotten with FD, if it is even offered the week we're going. It seems that when I figured it up, FD would have saved around 1500, room only was around 2200. I feel like we got a decent rate, all things considered. It's still ridiculously expensive. I decided to pay for convenience this time around. I may decide to go back to Value for the next trip.

 

[kckmom]

I am looking to book for mid-August at Pop, got a pin for 35% room discount. We usually stay off property, so my question is, once I book the room with the discount (have to book by 2/28), if disney decides to do free dining during my vacation dates, does disney automatically add FD to my already booked package?

Thanks in advance!

 

[kandb]

GRIS GRIS,

To answer your question, we are staying at POR for 8 nights, MYW tickets for 2A, 2C (2 year old free), and the regular dining plan, no insurance. The total was $2930 or $2980. (I forgot, will check and let you know,) We had a pin with our name, so that was the reason we were able to book those dates. We received a postcard the day after I made these ressies and it did not cover the first 2 weeks of November. Linda ps. guess we had more then one pin.


PS: Just looked it up it was $2930

 

[Bete]

This all depends on how many are in your party to a room, as well as, adults vs. child and whether you are staying deluxe accomodations or not. If there are less in your party and you stay deluxe it will normally be better to take the room discount over the dining plan. If you do upgrades to the deluxe accomodations it's even more beneficial for a room discount.

The dining plan has more savings then meets the eye, too. You don't pay sales tax on your meals and if go for higher priced food items then you even make out better than the cost of the plan; so, you get an enhanced benefit with the DP. If you stay at value or even moderate and have a larger group for a room then this is the way to go.

The rumor mill is saying it may be tough to continue the free dining plan offers like they have been over the last two years. The critical point this year will be whether they offer a general code to the public for the last quarter of the year. There is a pincode I've received just this day for 40% off deluxe accomodations and 35% for moderate and value resorts for the last quarter. There are no current offers for FD for that same time period yet. It's really too early to tell if this will happen for the last quarter this year based on when these free dining offers came about for the last two years.

I find it a bit strange that Disney came through on FD offers so early for most of the 2011 year except for the last quarter. I'm hoping with many of you that this offer will come.

 

[gris gris]

GRIS GRIS,

To answer your question, we are staying at POR for 8 nights, MYW tickets for 2A, 2C (2 year old free), and the regular dining plan, no insurance. The total was $2930 or $2980. (I forgot, will check and let you know,) We had a pin with our name, so that was the reason we were able to book those dates. We received a postcard the day after I made these ressies and it did not cover the first 2 weeks of November. Linda ps. guess we had more then one pin.


PS: Just looked it up it was $2930

awesome kandb! enjoy your trip and maybe we'll be there at the same time!