Fee Dining vs 40%

[disneynewman]

I just got a postcard in the mail for 40% off hotel. We are already booked at POP with free dining, has anyone done the math to see if you can get into a mod, pay OOP for the dining plan for the same or less $? I tried to go online and check but the reservation system is down and I figured someone here must have figured it out before.

 

[Karlzmom]

If the 40% is room only, take the rack rate of the room [available at mousesavers] and multiply by .60 [the remaing money after you take 40% off].

Add up the OOP cost of the dining plan, and add to the number the .60 factor gives you and you'll have the cost of your stay with the coupon. A quick glance looks like the cost of the moderate room would be just about the same price as you are paying for the Pop, but then the dining would be on top of it.....so you would spend more $ to do the moderate.

You'll have to run the numbers to come up with the exact cost.

 

[DebbieB]

With a value, usually free dining is better. If Pop is $90, 40% off would be a $36 discount. Dining for 2 adults and 2 kids would be way more than that. Now if you are staying in a $400 room (deluxe), it would be $160 off and the discount would be better.

 

[danceintherain]

Chances are, for you, Free Dining is the better deal simply because you're staying at a Value Resort.
If you were already planning on staying at a Moderate, then the chances of a 40% off being a better deal would increase, but it would depend on the number of people in your party.

This is what I've figured out between Free Dining and AP discount (around 40%) for December (Value Season) for two adults.

Value Resort-Free Dining = $838 (incl. food, tickets, and room)
Moderate-FD = $1209.63 (we would be paying extra for the King Bed)

Value-AP discount = $909.63 (same as above)
Mod-AP = $1174.13

Costs for you would vary based on the number of people you were traveling with, and whether you paid extra for a King Bed or Preferred Room in the Moderate.
The Moderate will still most likely be more expensive than what you'd be paying at a Value.

 

[Stinky_Pete]

Whether the "free" dining is the best deal for you depends on your party size, how you eat at WDW and where you are staying.

If it were me, going solo, I would take the discount. Well, I probably wouldn't be staying at POP in the first place, but that's another thread.

More people in the room than that? The "free dining" at POP is almost always a good deal. Like a PP said - it's once you start getting into the prices of the deluxe resorts that the 40% off might be a better deal. Again, depending on your party size, how you eat at WDW and the actual rack rate of the resort you're staying at.

You will see people analyzing this in terms of the cost of paying for the dining plan vs. the difference between the rack rate and the discounted rate. To me this is an incorrect way to look at the question. It assumes you'd be getting the dining plan anyway. What really matters is the difference between the rack rate vs. the discounted rate + how much your OOP costs would be for food that is included in the DDP.

Personal example:

I don't do a TS every day and when I do a TS it is more often lunch and then something light in the evening.

I have a light breakfast in my room. I go to the Biergarten for lunch that is around $30. Maybe $32 with tax. If I get a beer that's not covered under the plan so it would be OOP either way. I might have a Mickey head bar for a snack in the afternoon - covered by snack credit. What do they cost? $3? Then for dinner I go to the lounge at the WL for an appetizer and cocktails. Nothing there is covered by the DDP.

So I've spent $35 on food that is covered by the DDP that day. But the plan cost $40/day. $42/day in 2010. So I've "lost" money that day.

Another evening I plan on going to the CA grill for CA rolls and maybe a flatbread. Again, not a "meal" under the DDP. And if it were it would be 2 credits!?!

However, if you eat the way the dining plan is set up, even a solo at POP would come out ahead with the "free DDP" vs. a 40% discount.

Now, watch all the fans of "free dining" who are staying in value resorts come and post what a "great deal" "free dining" is for their family. Yes, we know it's a great deal for you. But it's not for everyone. Everyone needs to run the numbers for their own group. Just saying "Free dining is a great deal for our family!" doesn't help anyone else figure out it if would be a great deal for their group.

 

[danceintherain]

Also, unless the pin specifies a package, then you may not be able to add the Dining Plan.

 

[aubriee]

As someone else already said, at a Moderate it will depend on how many people are in your room. At a Value free dining will almost always beat a room discount. At a Deluxe a room discount will beat free dining. However, at a moderate you just have to run the numbers for your party.

For example, I am traveling solo and staying at CSR for my Sept/Oct trip. I originally had bounce back free dining. However, when the AP discounts came out, I switched to that. For a solo at a moderate the 40% room discount easily beat free dining and with the money I saved I was able to upgrade to the DxDDP and Disney still owed me a little money back. However for my Dec trip I am again staying at CSR, but will have my husband and mom with me. I originally had a 40% PIN code that I used. When free dining for Dec came out I switched to that. With three adults in the room (and two of them needing tickets anyway), free dining beat both the PIN code and also the AP code that's available for those dates (plus I will now have a one day ticket that's worth about $80.00 that I can use at a later date). Again it will depend on your party size, if you decide to go with a moderate.

 

[maxiesmom]

Just this last week I switched my AP rate (42% off) Moderate room only reservation to one with Free Dining. After figuring out the cost of passes and the meals we already had booked, the Dining Plan was only going to be $6 more, and I'm sure we will eat more than $6 worth of counter service meals!
Plus I was then able to add in another character meal which the Dining Plan will pay for!

In looking at your costs do you have the counter service only Free Dining plan, or the regular Free Dining plan?

 

[Cindironi]

I would also say that it depends on how many people in your party(adults/children). However, for our family(DH,myself, DD-15, DS-8) we are booked at CSR and looking at every aspect 40% off, free dining, etc. free dining saved us approximately $200.00.

 

[disneynewman]

Online res. system came back up last night and FD wins by a long shot. if we really wanted to stay at a delux maybe worth it to switch but we have budgeted for POP so looks liek we are staying put