Does free dining change your mind?

[kerplop]

For our first trip it makes a difference, but after having extensively researched trip costs I can honestly say our next trip (if there is one) won't be on-site. Free dining or not.

 

[debbs0723]

For our first trip it makes a difference, but after having extensively researched trip costs I can honestly say our next trip (if there is one) won't be on-site. Free dining or not.

This was kind of the point my husband also made last night. For our first trip we paid for the DDP and did 7 table service meals of which 5 of them were character meals. Our second trip was the disney cruise followed by 4 days at the park at a value and we paid for quick service plan. Unfortunately we have never gotten it free. On the disney cruise you almost can't get away from the characters. My girls like the characters and we are all for getting a pic from them if convenient but now they are all about riding things numerous times. I think each trip has to mean something different. One thing I promised myself if we were going to do this over and over again is that each trip will be unique so we can really distinguish them.

 

[kerplop]

This was kind of the point my husband also made last night. For our first trip we paid for the DDP and did 7 table service meals of which 5 of them were character meals. Our second trip was the disney cruise followed by 4 days at the park at a value and we paid for quick service plan. Unfortunately we have never gotten it free. On the disney cruise you almost can't get away from the characters. My girls like the characters and we are all for getting a pic from them if convenient but now they are all about riding things numerous times. I think each trip has to mean something different. One thing I promised myself if we were going to do this over and over again is that each trip will be unique so we can really distinguish them.

I wanted DP and me to experience the "magic" of staying in the world, but I can't justify the cost to myself if we go again. I could get a room comparable to what we got for about half the price and yes we'd have to rent a car, but the difference was phenomenal - especially if we ate off-site for quite a few meals which we would do. But for the first time? Gotta do it

 

[shalom]

I think when it comes right down to it he is more excited about "snacking" around the world rather than being locked down to meals.

I'm with him. Even the QS dining plan is entree, drink and... ... well, okay, I forget the particulars, but I do remember you get two entrees a day, which is not what I want.

As a stay at home mom I dont love the idea of going to the grocery store on the way to condo and having to be responsible for any cooking but also reminded me of how tired and gross we feel eating out for every meal and that simple deli type stuff back at the condo will be easy.

After a day snacking on typical Disney fare, my kids are good with cold cereal or raw veggies or heating themselves up a frozen burrito for dinner. And avoiding that "overstuffed but undernourished" feeling is one reason we like to prepare a lot of familiar food on trips. Once in a while I have someone else make something, but it's usually me doing it as well. *sigh* I'm just glad I'm not dealing with what my mom did -- a stay-at-home mom who did all the cooking at home, and then had to prep for, and cook during, camping vacations, too. At least with a condo, I usually have a full kitchen!

I'm just one of those people that I hate the idea of passing up on something free, but I guess I just have to figure out what free really means to us.

Hubby struggles with passing up free (and big sales), as well; took him years to get the idea that free and cheap stuff always carries invisible costs. I tend to go the opposite direction -- if I can't get exactly what I want, I won't get anything -- so I'm hyper aware of the costs of his approach, while he's hyper aware of when my approach is making us miss out. One of the costs of free dining is that you're paying rack rate for the room, which most people get. But another cost (if it means you're choosing an onsite room instead of an offsite condo) is that comfort and space, which for some people is a very high cost.

If free dining means your family will be crowded enough (or over eat enough, or whatever) that you don't enjoy the trip as much as you would have without that free dining, then it may be free, but it isn't a good bargain.

 

[debbs0723]

I'm with him. Even the QS dining plan is entree, drink and... ... well, okay, I forget the particulars, but I do remember you get two entrees a day, which is not what I want.



After a day snacking on typical Disney fare, my kids are good with cold cereal or raw veggies or heating themselves up a frozen burrito for dinner. And avoiding that "overstuffed but undernourished" feeling is one reason we like to prepare a lot of familiar food on trips. Once in a while I have someone else make something, but it's usually me doing it as well. *sigh* I'm just glad I'm not dealing with what my mom did -- a stay-at-home mom who did all the cooking at home, and then had to prep for, and cook during, camping vacations, too. At least with a condo, I usually have a full kitchen!




Hubby struggles with passing up free (and big sales), as well; took him years to get the idea that free and cheap stuff always carries invisible costs. I tend to go the opposite direction -- if I can't get exactly what I want, I won't get anything -- so I'm hyper aware of the costs of his approach, while he's hyper aware of when my approach is making us miss out. One of the costs of free dining is that you're paying rack rate for the room, which most people get. But another cost (if it means you're choosing an onsite room instead of an offsite condo) is that comfort and space, which for some people is a very high cost.

If free dining means your family will be crowded enough (or over eat enough, or whatever) that you don't enjoy the trip as much as you would have without that free dining, then it may be free, but it isn't a good bargain.

I agree on all points. Although we have never had free dining before we have also always had 30-40% discounts on room rates. Honestly I can't believe what rack rate in a value is. It made me laugh. I'm not a hotel snob by any means and even I was just not happy in a value. as far as food goes in the condo I think the most cooking we will do is throwing a pizza in the oven or pouring a bowl of cereal. I can't see doing any ellaborate nighttime meals because even with early closings in January we still get there at Rope drop and close most parks down. I'm not one for taking a picnic into the park. lugging it around till lunch doesn't appeal to me. I might rather starve

I apologize for being so wordy today. I'm stuck on the couch with strep throat and a sinus infection and I'm bored to tears.

 

[2Pirates2Princesses]

For our first trip it makes a difference, but after having extensively researched trip costs I can honestly say our next trip (if there is one) won't be on-site. Free dining or not.

This is kind of how we stand as well. Our upcoming trip this month is our first family trip and we wanted things to be as all inclusive as possible and didn't want to feel like we were "missing out" on the onsite experience. Since we would have to rent a minivan if we stayed offsite, staying onsite with the free dining costs us about the same as it would to stay offsite in a condo or hotel suite and rent a minivan. This is primarily because all my kids are between the ages of 2 and 9, so things will definitely change for us in the years to come. I also have to say that the choice isn't always about budget or economics. Even though staying offsite may be the better value financially for my family of six, I am sure we will not want to spend a week in a hotel again for several reasons, even with the allure of free dining. So when we plan our next trip, we will definitely be looking into the many condo and vacation home options available to us.

 

[two*little*birds]

Money isn't the deciding factor for us, we just prefer offsite (namely for the space).

I can see why people would want the FD package though, we did that for our first visit 5 years ago. But getting an ADR seemed much easier then!

 

[QTrunninglady]

I couldn't go to WDW for 16 years because my soon-to-be-EX husband wouldn't allow it. It was just too expensive and he couldn't take time off work. I am a self-proclaimed Disney freak so when he left for his contracting job in Iraq a couple years ago, I signed myself up for the WDW half marathon. Our daughter and I went with him. We use 40% off room discount that time. (2010)

Last year's marathon weekend was exactly two weeks after my soon-to-be-EX husband sent me an email from Afghanistan demanding a divorce. That time our daughter and I used the $500 gift card discount. (2011)

In January 2012, the year I'm going GOOFY, our daughter and I are using the FD. To me, it's not about Florida. It's all Disney to me. I do not want a car or the responsibility to do all the driving. I do not want all the other distractions. I want Disney and everything Disney. Nothing else. I'm there because I want Disney. (2012)

Now, why did he say no all those years but after he decided he needed to work overseas, I finally got to go? Well, because he left in January 2008 and I was accepted to nursing school in March 2008. Now that I'm making my own money as an RN and can have as much overtime as I want, I spend my money the way I want! I love to splurge on Disney. It is what it is and that's fine with me. 2012 will be my Goofy year and I plan on doing the half marathon at DL that same year (Coast to Coast) but after that I think I'm going to branch out on my races. I'm going to cut back on the Disney races and go see some other cool places in our awesome country! So, Disney will probably be every 3rd year or so. January is a good time to go (unless it's 28 degrees with snow flurries like the 2010 half marathon was) and in just two years our daughter will be out on her own anyway.

So, FD is fine with me. We're doing a split stay. Pop Century the first week and then Poly with FD the second week. We're happy.

 

[mdcousins]

Please help us decide...

We are a group of 10 going to DW in December. We have reservations at Bonnet Creek. Now we are indecisive with the FD offered for our dates...Our Choices...

3 BD Bonnet Creek, DW tickets--4300.00 plus food and parking (We have reservations at Crystal Palace, Rain Forest, T Rex, Whispering Canyon, & Tusker House)

2 Fort Wilderness Cabins (I've heard they are gorgeous at Christmas), FD, Tickets--7445.00

3 rooms at Pop with upgraded FD (1 TS, 1 QS, & 1 SN), tickets--5700.00


Please help us decide, we have never been to Disney. We want the overall best experience.

We will be driving so we won't need transportation.

We have small children so we wouldn't be using extra magic hours often...

Which one for those that have been?????

 

[BrerMama]

Please help us decide...

We are a group of 10 going to DW in December. We have reservations at Bonnet Creek. Now we are indecisive with the FD offered for our dates...Our Choices...

3 BD Bonnet Creek, DW tickets--4300.00 plus food and parking (We have reservations at Crystal Palace, Rain Forest, T Rex, Whispering Canyon, & Tusker House)

2 Fort Wilderness Cabins (I've heard they are gorgeous at Christmas), FD, Tickets--7445.00

3 rooms at Pop with upgraded FD (1 TS, 1 QS, & 1 SN), tickets--5700.00


Please help us decide, we have never been to Disney. We want the overall best experience.

We will be driving so we won't need transportation.

We have small children so we wouldn't be using extra magic hours often...

Which one for those that have been?????

Rainforest and T-Rex aren't covered by the free dining, so out of the ADRs you have, only 3 would be covered by the dining plan.

As for what's better, only you can decide what's best for your family. For our last two trips, onsite was the only way we'd go. Now we can't imagine being onsite because it doesn't work well for the ages of our kids. It's a matter of comfort for us.

 

[Stinky_Pete]

as far as food goes in the condo I think the most cooking we will do is throwing a pizza in the oven or pouring a bowl of cereal. I can't see doing any ellaborate nighttime meals because even with early closings in January we still get there at Rope drop and close most parks down. I'm not one for taking a picnic into the park. lugging it around till lunch doesn't appeal to me. I might rather starve

A "tradition" I've had from my DVC days is on arrival night we bake one of those big Stouffers lasagnas, a frozen garlic bread (or get a loaf of bread, pack garlic powder, and make my own) and bagged salad. That's dinner the first night, and leftovers that can be reheated on other days for lunch or dinner. Not much effort for lots of food!

 

[shalom]

I apologize for being so wordy today.

I realize this part of the comment probably wasn't directed to me alone, but it cracks me up to see someone else apologizing in a post quoting me for being too wordy. Pretty sure I've got the winning hand in that game.

For our first trip it makes a difference

I want to do at least one onsite WDW trip (and hopefully many, assuming I can convert hubby into a Disney fan ), but I'm not convinced the first time is best. I think, for my kids, it would be way too overwhelming to do the parks AND stay in an onsite resort for the first time at the same time. I believe we'll enjoy the parks more when we're first experiencing them if we can get a complete break from them every night to kind of process and absorb the whole experience, and will enjoy the resort more once we've explored the parks, because then it'll be easier to relax and enjoy the resort rather than feeling like we should be spending that time checking out something we missed.

While I think there's more to do at WDW than we're likely to accomplish in a decade, that list is a lot shorter when it comes to "must sees" and my kids, meaning we should be able to hit all the must sees the first time. After that they'd have a much better idea "what they're missing" if they're hanging out at the resort, and wouldn't be thinking, "Wow, what if there's another ride like Autotopia I could be tracking down" (middle child's current fave -- she loved the DL version and is dying to try out the one in the MK). None of them are even remotely interested in reading the descriptions of the rides or otherwise researching them; they foolishly trust me to tell them what they might like.

There's a whole different energy to "I haven't seen the important stuff yet" and "there still might be some hidden gems I haven't encountered," if you see what I mean. The first has an urgency to it that would distract from enjoying the resort in a way the second won't. The possible hidden gems in the parks are more on par with the possible hidden gems of the resort, I suppose you could say. The torch lighting ceremony at the Poly and the trolley parade at the MK have a much closer energy level than the torch lighting ceremony and the Celebrate a Dream Come True parade.

We are a group of 10 going to DW in December. We have reservations at Bonnet Creek. Now we are indecisive with the FD offered for our dates...Our Choices...

3 BD Bonnet Creek, DW tickets--4300.00 plus food and parking (We have reservations at Crystal Palace, Rain Forest, T Rex, Whispering Canyon, & Tusker House)

What kind of a deal are you getting at Bonnet Creek? If you're going through Wyndham I *think* you can get a better deal renting a four or five bedroom house, meaning you'd have more room for your group. I was looking into renting Wyndham from owners and renting a house and it was about the same price; I would assume renting direct from Wyndham would be more expensive.

 

[lizabu]

Please help us decide...

We are a group of 10 going to DW in December. We have reservations at Bonnet Creek. Now we are indecisive with the FD offered for our dates...Our Choices...

3 BD Bonnet Creek, DW tickets--4300.00 plus food and parking (We have reservations at Crystal Palace, Rain Forest, T Rex, Whispering Canyon, & Tusker House)

2 Fort Wilderness Cabins (I've heard they are gorgeous at Christmas), FD, Tickets--7445.00

3 rooms at Pop with upgraded FD (1 TS, 1 QS, & 1 SN), tickets--5700.00


Please help us decide, we have never been to Disney. We want the overall best experience.

We will be driving so we won't need transportation.

We have small children so we wouldn't be using extra magic hours often...

Which one for those that have been?????

If you stay at the value its the QsDP included so none of the ADRs will be included. If you pay out of pocket for those you will have Quick service credits left over. It probably wouldn't be worth it to upgrade to the regular dining plan with only 3 ADRs to think about. The Fort Wilderness cabins are about $3000 more. Divide that by 10 people is $300 each. It sound like your talking about a 7 day trip. $300/7 is around $42 per day. You could likely do food for less than that per person per day but it's pretty close. With 10 people you may have to pay for parking for more than one vehicle. It sounds like both Bonnet Creek and Fort Wilderness are pretty close in price once you add it all up. With a group of 10 you will have an 18% tip added to all table service meals. With that added into the mix staying at disney will be slightly more expensive but not by much.


ETA- I just reread your post and realized it was an upgraded dining plan at the value. Have you considered just the QsDP and paying for those 2 meals OOP?

 

[debbs0723]

Please help us decide...

We are a group of 10 going to DW in December. We have reservations at Bonnet Creek. Now we are indecisive with the FD offered for our dates...Our Choices...

3 BD Bonnet Creek, DW tickets--4300.00 plus food and parking (We have reservations at Crystal Palace, Rain Forest, T Rex, Whispering Canyon, & Tusker House)

2 Fort Wilderness Cabins (I've heard they are gorgeous at Christmas), FD, Tickets--7445.00

3 rooms at Pop with upgraded FD (1 TS, 1 QS, & 1 SN), tickets--5700.00


Please help us decide, we have never been to Disney. We want the overall best experience.

We will be driving so we won't need transportation.

We have small children so we wouldn't be using extra magic hours often...

Which one for those that have been?????

This is a very hard question to answer. The first thing I noticed is that you are considering the pop. You will only get the counter service plan with that and trust me when I say the POP and Bonnet creek is not a fair comparison as far as hotels go. You are comparing apples to raisins here.

I have to say that if I was going with that many people I would seriously considering renting a really nice house nearby but offsite or a condo. I guess my question is that I'm unclear on whether this is all about financial decisions for you. Bonnett creek is beautiful but there are places that are very nice while being cheaper like Windsor Hills condos or homes. Don't get me wrong I'm not knocking BC I'm just trying to get an idea of where you are coming from trying to make your decision. If staying offsite are you planning on renting like a huge van for everyone or a couple of different cars? because then yes you will have to pay to park all those cars.

If you are okay with a downgrade in the niceness of your room then by all means choose the POP, upgrade to TS restaurants and pick only restaurants that this will work for. One thing you didn't really mention was moderates. I guess that price didn't make sense? If you want more space and you absolutely need the place you stay to be part of your experience then stick with BC, find another place offsite or do the wilderness cabins. Just too many factors in there to really help you. You can also look at allears.net at restaurant menus and do a loose budget that will help you figure out what you will spend on food. This really helped me. In the end the free dining worked for us and would have saved us about $200 overall but we chose space in an offsite condo instead.

Let me just say.... you will have fun either way. Just figure out what works for you financially and what is most important to you. I think whatever decision you make you will be happy with in the end.

Debbie

 

[Travelingdad]

We're in the middle of trying to figure this out but my gut says yes. We are a family of 5 with children all under 10. We need one room. We are not regular vacationers, this will be only our second true getaway family vacation ever (the first just last month to WDW). We are not going to waste it cooking, getting groceries, driving back and forth, etc. if at all possible.

Originally we were planning next Xmas but the FD is making us consider spring. It is $1000 less right off the bat for the same on property and number of days we want. Comparing off site I am seeing a marginal difference. We would do hotels, I'm not interested in renting someone's house or condo. Averaging cost of meals for us (we like to have a sit down dinner andwouldnt leave the park midday for lunch), the fixed cost of tickets and assuming a hotel stay at a very conservative rate puts us at about $300 less off site. So half that goes to gas and time and the other half plus some is offset by the likelihood of hotel rates being higher than I planned.

I will say that a bias to being on site exists, we are willing to pay somewhat more for being immersed and not having to worry about anything. The comfort of the dining plan in terms of not jugglign costs mid trip since it is paid ahead (exluding any tips) lets us enjoy the ride more.

We're still crunching it all but that is where we are at now.

 

[Gr8t Fan]

We're in the middle of trying to figure this out but my gut says yes. We are a family of 5 with children all under 10. We need one room. We are not regular vacationers, this will be only our second true getaway family vacation ever (the first just last month to WDW). We are not going to waste it cooking, getting groceries, driving back and forth, etc. if at all possible.

Originally we were planning next Xmas but the FD is making us consider spring. It is $1000 less right off the bat for the same on property and number of days we want. Comparing off site I am seeing a marginal difference. We would do hotels, I'm not interested in renting someone's house or condo. Averaging cost of meals for us (we like to have a sit down dinner andwouldnt leave the park midday for lunch), the fixed cost of tickets and assuming a hotel stay at a very conservative rate puts us at about $300 less off site. So half that goes to gas and time and the other half plus some is offset by the likelihood of hotel rates being higher than I planned.

I will say that a bias to being on site exists, we are willing to pay somewhat more for being immersed and not having to worry about anything. The comfort of the dining plan in terms of not jugglign costs mid trip since it is paid ahead (exluding any tips) lets us enjoy the ride more.

We're still crunching it all but that is where we are at now.

As I've said before, if we could all fit in 1 value room with FD (and our trip was only 1 week), that's what we'd do, no question. But we go for 2 weeks and need 2 rooms, so that tips the scales two ways -- cost and us being on top of each other all the time for 2 WHOLE WEEKS! Even with 2 rooms it gets quite claustaphobic,.

 

[Planogirl]

I would do it if I could stay in a moderate and if it worked well for only two people. It's a good deal for a larger group but not for just two. I'm not a fan of the budget resorts so that's out plus I LOVE having a car.

It's all about priorities. We booked a short 6 night stay offsite at a Hyatt Place for just over $1200 with car and flights and insurance included. It does not include passes and food so the total will probably add up to be similar to onsite at a budget if we'd gone that route.

 

[kathy884]

If you are doing just Disney and like eating most of your meals out, I could understand free dining being tempting. But that's not us. It is an attractive offer, and if that sounds like a good bet I can certainly understand people going for it. There are a lot of great resturants.

This is just me, but I much prefer being able to eat at our condo for breakfast and some other meals. I don't want to have to eat all our meals out (just gets old really fast for me). Sure we'll eat some meals in the parks and some meals out, but I don't want to have to have every meal like this. DS is a picky eater too and eats so much healthier in. I also these days for a trip longer than a few days (if the option is available, attractive, and economical) prefer a condo or house to a hotel room (like that common area space for hanging out with family / extended family / kitchen / laundry / big balcony with table and chairs). Disney condos (even renting DVC points), just don't come close for us on the economical category.

Also, SeaWorld is our favorite park, and we will spend two days there (onsite or off). We also are planning a resort day and a Kennedy Space Center day. We are only doing two days at Disney parks. Free dining at Disney doesn't work well obviously if you are planning and want to do lots of non-Disney stuff.

Bottom line is that it really depends on what you are looking for and are what you are looking to do on a vacation.

 

[2Pirates2Princesses]

If you are doing just Disney and like eating most of your meals out, I could understand free dining being tempting. But that's not us. It is an attractive offer, and if that sounds like a good bet I can certainly understand people going for it. There are a lot of great resturants.

This is just me, but I much prefer being able to eat at our condo for breakfast and some other meals. I don't want to have to eat all our meals out (just gets old really fast for me). Sure we'll eat some meals in the parks and some meals out, but I don't want to have to have every meal like this. DS is a picky eater too and eats so much healthier in. I also these days for a trip longer than a few days (if the option is available, attractive, and economical) prefer a condo or house to a hotel room (like that common area space for hanging out with family / extended family / kitchen / laundry / big balcony with table and chairs). Disney condos (even renting DVC points), just don't come close for us on the economical category.

Also, SeaWorld is our favorite park, and we will spend two days there (onsite or off). We also are planning a resort day and a Kennedy Space Center day. We are only doing two days at Disney parks. Free dining at Disney doesn't work well obviously if you are planning and want to do lots of non-Disney stuff.

Bottom line is that it really depends on what you are looking for and are what you are looking to do on a vacation.

I agree with this. It seems like this thread is going back to the onsite vs. offsite discussion and there are so many different reasons and preferences for choosing to go either route. It is not always about space and budget or full immersion and all inclusiveness. Depending on what you plan do do, how long your trip is for, and what your overall preferences are, an onsite stay with free dining may suit a family perfectly one year but may not work at all for that same family on another trip.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

It did tip us to onsite this time!

I've been to WDW twice, once onsite and once off. I loved BOTH for different reasons. For us, FD will save us about 100$, so I'm giving up a larger space for that, BUT, also giving up all the stress I was having about how much I needed to budget for food. It may be the only time we stay onsite, we're a family of 5 (6 this time b/c of dd's friend) and getting two rooms at Pop with FD just worked better for this trip. I'm sure I'll miss the space, but I think there are pros and cons to on and offsite, this time we'll go for on!