December trip do I do free dining or no

[ottawamom]

A girlfriend and I are going to the World for 7 Days in November/December. Free dining will be available for our arrival date. We have already acquired tickets through AM for the trip.

Here's my problem. Do I pay out of pocket for 7 day tickets (we had planned to upgrade to PH when there) so that we qualify for free dining and save the two tickets for May 2018 trip with my family or do we just continue the way we had originally planned. We are staying at a value resort and don't plan on eating a huge amount of food as we both have small appetites anyway.

The last time I did dining plan on a trip I just remember being tired of eating by the end of it. On the other hand it would be nice to not have to think about the $ when we eat and I hate to pass up on a good deal.

 

[pigletto]

I really don't think it will be that great of a deal for you. As you said, it's not quite how you eat, and you would have to buy tickets. If they are offering free dining for your dates I am willing to bet there will be a room only discount for your dates that would save you something on your room. A deal is only a deal if it's what you wanted, and it doesn't sound like free dining fits for you.

 

[ottawamom]

Thanks that's the same conclusion my son just came to as well. I just hate to pass up on free dining but like you said it's only a deal if that's what we were going to do anyway. Here's hoping for the RO discounts

 

[mort1331]

What dates have been released? Havent seen any yet.
As far as if its worth it, you would have to look at where the two of you would be eating. For value and some mods it could be worth it. You would have to do a quick run of numbers and sample of meals you might be doing.

 

[ottawamom]

If you go to the Discounts Sticky Thread on the Resorts Board there is a posting there. Also Air Canada Vacations has a posting about it for booking starting April 25. We went ahead and got our tickets from AM because historically the timeframe we were going hasn't been included in free dining. With the AM tickets and a small RO discount we will end up saving about $250US out of pocket (on the holiday total) after paying for our own food. My girlfriend is on a tight budget for this trip so I guess the status quo might be our best alternative.

I suppose I could always pay out of my pocket for the two park tickets and save the AM tickets for use in 2018. But that limits what I may be able to do discount-wise re free dining at that time. I have 3 20something young men who would take advantage of the free dining volume of food.

I wish they were releasing the RO discount at the same time because then I wouldn't feel like I was missing out on a deal of some sort. Patience is not my strong point.

 

[pigletto]

http://www.mousesavers.com/historical-information-on-walt-disney-world-resort-discounts/#codechart

The above link will take you to a chart of past discounts and their release dates. I'm not sure what your exact dates are but I am pretty sure if your dates are covered by free dining that there will be a RO discount during the same time. It just stands to reason that if they are trying to fill rooms they will offer a few different discounts.
I've been during the December free dining period in the past. I had booked already by renting points and was locked in to that contract. At first I was disappointed but in the end, I determined we saved way more by renting points for the Wilderness Lodge and eating the way we always do than we would have by being forced to get more tickets and make the free dining work for us at a moderate. I do understand the internal struggle but I think waiting will be your best bet.

 

[ottawamom]

I am resigned to waiting for the RO discount. My waistline with thank me in the end. If I could get the Dining deal I would just end up eating way more than I normally do. This trip I was going to try and eat more like I do at home which is small meals (at Disney that is sometimes kids meals) and breakfast in the room. I'm not a real foodie and I'm not a big dessert eater (girlfriend can't even eat sweets). It's so easy to get caught up in the excitement that the boards can generate about something (good or bad).

Rational minds prevail here on the Canadian Board!

Thanks gals.

 

[momof2gr8kids]

Or you could purchase the minimum 2 day ticket requirement for the FD and save the tickets from your package for your next trip (or sell to family members that won't be using AM for their tickets). You're going in May next and for sure you won't get a FD offer during that time.

I dunno...it'd be a toss up for me. If I had the $$ and I knew for sure we would be using those tickets at another time, I might go for the FD. And your friend who's on a tight budget might like not stressing about the prices of food. You can find healthier options at the QS and get fruit instead of desserts. Or share some Disney magic and treat some strangers to a meal or snack if you've got extra credits.

Maybe price it out once it's online. Might be that only the pool side preferred rooms are available for the FD which will drive the price up as well. Looks like RO discount for Nov/Dec time frame last year was 10-25% off. So a value at 10 or 15% off might not save as much as the FD. Unfortunately, you won't know what will save you more until RO discounts are out.

I'd be inclined to book it and decide later and cancel if needed. But that's just me. I tend to be irrational when it comes to Disney and FD!

 

[TigerlilyAJ]

As others noted, you only have to get a couple of days of PHs, which you can save and use the AM tickets this December. Also, if you're staying at a Value, you would get the QS plan, so perhaps not so much food as the DDP and you don't have to worry about tips. I also think it could be nice for your friend to not be thinking about the price of her food every meal. You can also convert QS meals to snack credits, which might work for your preference for smaller meals. I think it's worth pricing it out.

 

[ottawamom]

I've still be tossing this one around. Crunched a whole pile of #'s this morning and yes Free Dining would end up cheaper for us in the long run. I would buy the AM tickets off my girlfriend and use them later. If I were taking my family (20something males) Free Dining would be a no brainer.

I spoke with my girlfriend this morning and tossed the idea around with her and it was decided that we just wouldn't eat even 2 counter service meals a day. Likely one entree and then a soup or a small sandwich for the other meal. Breakfast we are planning on cereal in the room. Our small appetites will keep our budget in tact without having to watch the $.

So we are just going to keep things status quo with our AM tickets, hoping for a RO discount and OP meals.