camping or free dining

[marybrat]

I know I'm jumping the gun here since free dining hasn't been offered to the public yet, but bare with me. We're planning on towing our camper from Buffalo, NY in August. If free dining is offered, we could change our plans and stay at the POP. Camping we save money by cooking in the camper. Free dining means not towing a camper, so less gas costs. Camping means all the comforts of home. Free dining means I'm not having to cook on vacation. Don't get me wrong, we will still eat out at our favorite places. Aagghh!! Someone help!! Please offer any thoughts!!

 

[drafthorsecrazy]

Its a tough call to make...so many variables huh? I like having the comfort of my own space. I can sleep/watch tv in the bedroom while husband reads or watches another tv program in the living area in our RV. Plus we like to travel with our pets. I dont know how many are traveling in your party?? I would think the main questions to ask yourself are: Can you live together in one room at the values happily for the length of your stay? Are you prepared to eat almost every meal out? That would be way tooo much food for us, but I know its an individual thing.

 

[poohbearwithme]

My 2 Cents:

I love to camp but to get out of cooking for a few days is always a good thing. Is the cooking shared or do you have to do it all? The bad thing about the comforts of home is while everone else is having fun and relaxing - guess who usally ends up doing most of the (chores)-Mom. This is not the case in all families but is true with a lot. If everyone helps in the chores then staying in your own bed is always great. Because the thought of sleeping on bed with someone's stuff on it is kind-of I can see where you are in a tough place. Boy, I was no help

 

[clkelley]

I'm not much help, but I'm doing both!! We going for a few days at Pop
Century in September on free dining, then I'm going camping at Ft. Wilderness for two weeks in October

 

[seven dwarfs]

We did Free Dinning in Sept 06. We stayed at PorFQ. I do not have enough time to get into all the details but it was the biggest mistake. Lets just say if it had been my first trip, I would never go back. As it is, we are taking a break for a year. My kids are 6,6,4,4,4 and two. We had two connecting rooms. (And for the first time ever got our request) We were forced to move by day 3 for a water main brake which flooded our room. Can you say NIGHT MARE! Anyway we left Disney after 11 nights with everyone agreeing never again. The camper we will stay the next time. Everyone missed the campground! Good luck on what you decide. I like to always try things once. But after that if it doesn't work back to the old ways!

 

[rbork]

We are seriously considering DDP and paying for it too as there are no free DDP deals going on during our travel time. I must have been in the dark ages because the last time we went to FW I budgeted 100$ a day for 4 for dinner mostly because we had cereal in the pop up and packed snacks until dinner. Prices however, seem to have gone up since 2004 So, I just added what it would cost for 4 persons for TS dinner out for 10 days and it was only a 70$ differrence. Yes, we don't skimp on dinner as it is my reward for camping . I love coming back to a quiet campground and sleeping in my own bed. It is still cheaper for us to camp on partial hook up and pay for DDP than stay at one of the POP's.
It would be nice to not have to put on shoes and a coat to use the restroom in the middle of the night though!

 

[wifeofjack]

This is my dilemma this morning, also. Do we keep our reservation at the Fort for Aug. 19 for 8 nights, price almost $500, bite the bullet and tow our new to us fifth wheel, which we will get maybe 8 miles to the gallon, the 1200 miles each way, hoping that gasoline is NOT $3.00+ per gallon, meaning over $700 for fuel alone, or do we book a room at one of the values and hope for the free dining. We would still have to factor in the cost of the hopper passes, food for the 8 days, and incidentals. It does not make that much sense to me to do the camping.
Don't get me wrong, we would LOVE to stay the Fort, but when we crunched the numbers last night, it would cost us over $800 more just to camp. Don't know if it would be worth it to us.
We have been to Disney 8 times in the past, the most recent last September with the Free Dining and we loved it. We don't mind staying at the Value resorts as it is just the 2 of us. Hubby enjoys the pool at the All Star Music, the food court is not that bad and we have a good time, no matter where we stay.
I am also considering that it is our vacation and I am not sure that I want to spend that much time at the camper cooking and cleaning. At least at the Value there is Mousekeeping and clean towels every day.
Just rambling, I know, but I am having a difficult time trying to decide.
Guess I will wait a couple of months and see if the Free Dining is offered and then make my final decision.
Either way, we will be in Disney and that is what we both want.

 

[Whosemom]

Our trip in June was with a group and we had to stay at an All Star. Our trip prior to that (a year and a half) was in the camper. My kids thought we were going to enjoy the "treat" of a hotel, but we were all reminising about FW. We didn't even do much of the campground stuff (we tend to opend AND close the parks ) . But it just lends a whole different feel to the vacation, maybe because its calm and quiet, or just easier to relax in your own "home".

When I picture a disney trip, the first image is walking back through the fog to our Christmas decorated Pop-up

 

[loriandmatt]

we were torn with this same decision last year. we love our camper and we love FW and we love the totally different experience we feel we get when we "Do Disney" in our camper as opposed to "Doing Disney" at an onsite resort.

We ended up deciding on booking a rack rate at a resort and taking the free dining.

We have already decided that even if it is offered again this year, we will pass and return to FW and our camper.

yes, free dining was a great value. tons of food. but more than we generally eat daily and because i am fiscally minded (hate to throw away/not use what i feel i paid for) we felt like we were on a quest to use credits. it was all about making and ADR. We felt like we spent so much time sitting and eating or making our way to a place to eat.....more than we would have done if we were paying for all of our food out of pocket.

while camping we will still make some ADR's for places where we really really want to eat - we will purchase our Disney Dining Experience card to get a discount on those dinners. (we are AP holders) but we will go back to our normal eating routine of only one large meal a day, and some snacks.

i have tons of camper friendly meals that we either eat at the campsite or pack and take to the parks with us.

 

[jennifer293]

Can you not get free dining if you at staying at the Fort? I thought it was available to anyone staying onsite.

 

[ftwildernessguy]

Campsites are not included in the free dining promotion.

 

[marybrat]

Thank you all for the thoughts regarding this very difficult decision. I believe we have finally made up our minds. Free dining or not... we are camping. YAY!!!! I can't wait.

 

[julie222]

Hi mary i am from buffalo too!
I am not sure of the cost or if free meals are offered if you stay in a wilderness home but that might be a thought for you. You would be at fort wilderness, i have done both a site and a home in the past and we all love it there, with or without kids. We are thinking of renting a wilderness home next time we go, we are DVC memebers as well.
Good luck with your decision and on a personal note, isnt this nice with No snow so far this year?!!! LOL

 

[Tricializ]

Thank you all for the thoughts regarding this very difficult decision. I believe we have finally made up our minds. Free dining or not... we are camping. YAY!!!! I can't wait.

I know I would pick camping at FW and also know that it's not necessarily a great value. I rent a golf cart and do a preferred site each time. When you add all of that up, the value reosrts are way cheaper. But, I don't like the congestion of those resorts and even with free dining, you end up eating more of a bunch of crap or the kids don't eat at all. (I have picky eaters...long story). I find we are all happier in familiar beds, our own space and our "normal" food. There are only so many chicken fingers a kid can eat in a week and still feel good. For all of that, there is nothing worth giving up FW to me.
Happy camping.
Tricia

 

[Gillian]

We camped in our pop up with the AAA discount and added the (not free) dining. It was worth it for our family. With the free dining you can't get a discounted room, just something to keep in mind.

I know we will end up staying at a value or moderate resort one of these days, but I'm dreading it because of the small beds! I know that sounds silly, but DH & I have a king at home, and are fairly comfortable in a queen, but double beds are just too small for us.

Recently we stayed in a hotel with 2 doubles. I slept with DD 3 and DH slept in the other bed. DS slept on the floor (strange child). Besides DD kicking me, I had DH snoring and too far away to kick! Just 2 nights so no biggie but a week would kill me. If Disney would allow us to sleep 4 in a king room it would be no problem, but I know they won't.

 

[marybrat]

Hi mary i am from buffalo too!
Good luck with your decision and on a personal note, isnt this nice with No snow so far this year?!!! LOL

Hi neighbor!! I'm loving no snow!! WIth the october storm, the district I wirk for changed our school calendar already. We have NO more snow days available. YIKES!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

We don't ever qualify for free dining b/c we don't do packages.
Fla residents with passes---I know we can do something like book the first day a package..but for the tix for the one day--the rest it would just maybe cover food for the rest. Plus we are eligible for DDP which gives us discounts on food an alcholol.

So for us--plus we live so close...it would be camping.

It is a hard decision adn the best option for you is to number crunch and see what happens.