did you do free dinning what did you save

[Miffy2003]

Dumb question time, what is CS and TS?

No it's not a dumb question, it's a dumb abbreviation if noone understands it

Counter Service
Table Service

 

[Avarelle]

just got back from using the dining package...saved $ but there is no way we would normally order that much food!!

 

[paulh]

Miffy its realy Quick service but i will let you of for that
Paulh

 

[UKDEB]

Boss hog luxury means not having to drive for over half an hour then get on boat to MK and when you are at pool you know the lifeguards are watching the pool at all times.
OK this time we stayed at pop but you are treated the same at disney from a value to a delux and we have stayed at all
We have never looked at room size as a priority the room is only to sleep in
Paulh

Sounds as though we are in agreement of sorts, Paul - I call this convenience rather than luxury (which is why I say we will continue to stay onsite for part of our trips). Having said that, the villas we stay at are no further away from the parks than Pop Century. The one advantage you have is a bus directly to MK rather than having to go via the TTC. With that single exception, we'll beat you to the parks everytime.

 

[Miffy2003]

Miffy its realy Quick service but i will let you of for that
Paulh

Oh that gets me every time! I still keep going to say PS instead of ADR as well

 

[paulh]

just got back from using the dining package...saved $ but there is no way we would normally order that much food!!

Welcome to the boards Avarelle hope ypoe are not stuffed ater all that food
Paulh

 

[Avarelle]

yes we are all stuffed, went to the gym today to make up for all the free dining meals! haha

 

[mattnkatsmum]

OK. We saved about $1500 in seven days and that was for three of us. But where's the value debate? It was FREE!!!! We didn't necessarily go for expensive options, and I can easily see how Paul could have racked up $3000 in savings. For instance, we ate at Le Cellier and our bill for 3 would have been just over $200. On the other hand, we used our credits for breakfasts which were considerably cheaper.

This is the second time I have used the dining plan (the first time I had to pay). Is it worth it? I think it depends. Yes, there is far too much food, but if you don't venture off site, you're a slave to Disney prices anyway. I think the convenience of being able to order what you want, when you want, is worth it for us. I think, that if we pay for the plan out of pocket we save a bit. Not a fortune, but enough to justify its cost.

 

[paulh]

the way i look at it is we have had to pay for meals ie outback ect $100 per day for breakfast muffin or shortbread $8.00 per day afternoon meal $35.00(we would share 3 couters betwen the 4 of us).So for the day it would be $143.00 per day for 4. total for day on ddp 4 x $39.00=$156.00,so for an extera $13 a day we get a snack each worth 4 x $4.00($16.00) anextra cS for dinner $9.00 plus we get 4 x drinks and a desert x $8.00($32) and at evening meal we would get 4 x desserts x $8.00($32).So for an outlay of an extra $13 a day we would get a minnimum of $88.00 of food and drinks and tips on top paid for .To me its a no brainer toget it even if paying cash.If you can get it with the free dinning the better
Paulh

 

[SimonV]

The bottom line is, are Disney - a company built around making a profit (and big profits, come to that) going to be giving people something for nothing? Does anyone give away anything for nothing these days? It is all about perceived value, and Disney are past masters of it. IMHO, if Disney thought they were giving guests thousands of dollars' worth of food for free, they simply wouldn't do it. The marketing set-up behind the 'free' dining is that Disney have discovered they have a food surplus which they can use as a hook to get more people to stay onsite and spend more time at their parks. At the same time, they have discontinued most of their accommodation discounts, which means that the vast majority are now paying rack rate for Disney hotels in return for 'free' food. Disney are also selling a lot more length-of-stay passes and fewer people are visiting the other parks. It is all part of Disney's strategy, which they started with Magic Your Way and continued with Magical Express, to try to dominate the market even more than they have done in the past and squeeze out the opposition.

For the UK, there is a hidden extra benefit for those who book with a tour operator as Disney have not increased their hotel prices in order for UK guests to qualify for free dining (which is effectively what they have done for US guests). Of course, to qualify for DDP, UK guests still have to buy either the Premium or Ultimate tickets, so it is quite likely that many people are buying either more ticket than they need or settling just on Disney and spending more time in Disney parks to get full value.

Now, if anyone is savvy enough to take advantage of what Disney are offering here (and, by the sounds of it several DISers are discriminating enough to have done just that), it is certainly possible to save substantially on DDP, providing you are doing what you normally do, i.e. staying on site and eating primarily on site, still visiting the other parks and not sticking slavishly to the Disney ticketing which DDP requires. My own feeling is that it may still be possible to rack up a similar total cost saving by staying and eating primarily off-site, but it may be worth someone doing a price comparison to see if this is right. It is certainly an intriguing thought.

The other downside, which I have noted elsewhere, is that the Disney parks have become noticeably more frenetic since DDP was introduced, and the restaurants are increasingly crowded (and pretty uncomfortable at times). By contrast, Universal, SeaWorld and Co have been a walk in the park (pun totally intended!). Conversely, there is a noticeable 'Me first' attitude about many Disney visitors these days, and I wonder if this is connected with this perceived benefit of free food.

It is an interesting strategy by Disney, but have no doubt that it IS a hard-nosed business strategy intended to boost attendance and revenue, and hurt the competition. And, as much as I like and enjoy Disney and am in awe of their unique Imagineering style, there is something slightly disquieting about this particular approach which seems to appeal to an increasing societal tendency to expect (and even demand) something for nothing. Just MHO, but I think it's worth bearing in mind in this highly worthwhile debate.

 

[paulh]

I get what you say,I know its ¬free¬ but to get it we have to pay for an unlimited pass so for 4 of us thats £720 for 2 weeks.If we paid for ddp(and stayed in our dvc as we dident have to buy tickets )cost would be £1176.So we are saving £456.00.We will be staying on at SSR for a week after to recover not on ddp but might add it ?
I carnt see disney offering it i its current form again to the USA market,i think they have done there work about spreading the word about the ddp.They might make them get a length of stay pass
As have been stated it locks you into disney that isant no big deal to me as we tend to do one year disney then next yeat the outher parks in florida(love cypress gardens floridas hidden gem)Also uk visitors spend more per person so locking them in is better for the bottom line
On a cost point food is cheap ie i know it only costs 18p for a bun and a burger at MacDonalds so mark up to 99p shows there is plenty of profit in food
Paulh

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

Two weeks ago over seven days saved over $1300 gave up counting but Disney gives a printout at the end, used a lot of credits last day before going ot the airport to add to this.

 

[mattnkatsmum]

I agree with your thinking, Simon. I think whether or not the free dining works on the value front, depends upon whether you are departing much from your plans.

We would have stayed at the WL anyway, and wouldn't have left WDW during our stay. We had to buy one day base tickets, but we cashed these in against our DVC annual passes. The rate we could have got with an annual pass ($75 off rack rate per day) still meant that the free dining was a better deal - but I know what you mean, the saving isn't as wonderful as it might initially seem.

I'm not overly impressed with the UK free dining deal. Firstly, having to buy a five day pass doesn't appeal, and secondly I much prefer booking through US Disney with their favourable cancellation terms and cheaper rates ( I have at least found it cheaper with the generous exchange rates)

 

[cleo]

Two weeks ago over seven days saved over $1300 gave up counting but Disney gives a printout at the end, used a lot of credits last day before going ot the airport to add to this.

And that is where I fail to see it as a true savings. What I keep reading is, people are eating far more than they normally would, there has to be a HUGE amount of food being thrown away (because your stomach is not necessarily as large as your desire to use every credit possible), and I'm not convinced people would be leaving an 18% tip in most cases (certainly not when they would otherwise be dining at counter service). SimonV's points all factored in as well and I fail to see this as 'savings'.

Perhaps it's just my flawed viewpoint, but I think 'savings' is based on what you would normally have done. If you buy something just because it's 'on sale' at the store, when you don't really need it, have you saved big? I would suggest, No.

 

[paulh]

cleo i have posted above what we would normaly send over 2 weeks.The DDP make it more like an all inclussive resort food and entertainment included.
It looks like you have to try it out to see the real benifits
Paulh

 

[wideeyes]

I don't understand why people would eat more just because they got free dining. I have looked at the dining plan and looked at where we want to eat, we plan to go to some non Disney theme parks and eat off site. We always planned to stay on site as we have a 4y/o who has never been to Disney World before, and we always planned to get the 14day pass. The way I see the DDP plan is that when we choose to eat at Disney we will get some free meals, and when we don't we will pay for our meals, it does not really bother me.

 

[paulh]

I don't understand why people would eat more just because they got free dining. I have looked at the dining plan and looked at where we want to eat, we plan to go to some non Disney theme parks and eat off site. We always planned to stay on site as we have a 4y/o who has never been to Disney World before, and we always planned to get the 14day pass. The way I see the DDP plan is that when we choose to eat at Disney we will get some free meals, and when we don't we will pay for our meals, it does not really bother me.

If you have never been before its great value.We would only order what we would eat so there was never a case of leaving food.Only meal that we left food was ohanas but it is the way its served there
Paulh

 

[cleo]

My comment above was not directed toward anything you posted, paulh. And it isn't likely I'll be trying DDP, free or not, any time in the foreseeable future, but I appreciate your suggestion.

 

[jonkatony]

We went last year and was not on the ddp. This year we was on the ddp, which we paid for. This year being on the plan worked out about £50 more EXPENSIVE for us as a family.
Would I buy the ddp again? yes in a heartbeat, we eat in some very nice resturaunts.
We would not have eaten t.s every night if not on the ddp, so I would not count this as a saving because I would have not spent that amount of money on food.
We would also have an entree and may not of had desert.

 

[Lizzybear]

I think Simon makes some good points. Obviously Disney want to do all they can to keep people in their parks/on their property in general cos they won't be spending elsewhere while they are. Plus I imagine some people will have extra spending money cos of the free dining savings and Disney certainly doesn't miss an opportunity to sell you a plethora of non-food items.. Pins, ride photos, plushes, etc etc. It's all about the souvenirs
Personally though the free dining has brought our holiday cost down to the level that staying on-site for the whole stay and hiring a car (including surcharges for me being 23 when we travel) was more financially viable than splitting our stay 1 week onsite and 1 week off. We will be having some meals off-site but TBH with bf being vegetarian we're finding the Disney restaurants simply have better options for dinner with some off-site places having no 'real' veggie option at all. Hence, the plan works well for us.