Free dining 2015 - no return?....

[Elise79]

No you can't walk anywhere from Bonnet Creek - coming out is all roads with no sidewalks.

The only resorts that you can walk to the parks from are YC, BC, BW, Swan, Dolphin for Epcot & DHs and CR to MK.

 

[joolz1910]

mm lots to think about here / can u walk to hollywood studios from bonnet creek?

we dont mind having the car and also enjoyed all our meals in on our road trip part , we did notice the whole offsite bill coming in similar price to just our disney tip and cocktails , black angus had a great cocktail menu

i was also waiting for free dining but im thinking now

the only place we ate on dining plan i would feel desperate to return to was ohana both for the food cocktails and then the beach after oh and the bread pudding

I checked the transportation out after Wayne pointed that Bonnet Creek charge for the Shuttle bus. It's $6 per person for a round trip. As there are 5 of us, that would come to around $360 - which is definitely something which would put me off. You do get free parking but....

No you can't walk anywhere from Bonnet Creek - coming out is all roads with no sidewalks.

The only resorts that you can walk to the parks from are YC, BC, BW, Swan, Dolphin for Epcot & DHs and CR to MK.

Definitely swaying back towards onsite...

 

[wayneg]

I checked the transportation out after Wayne pointed that Bonnet Creek charge for the Shuttle bus. It's $6 per person for a round trip. As there are 5 of us, that would come to around $360 - which is definitely something which would put me off. You do get free parking but....

Definitely swaying back towards onsite...

You need to look at the whole costing, incl transport, food etc. you can't do much til prices/offers are released

 

[joolz1910]

You need to look at the whole costing, incl transport, food etc. you can't do much til prices/offers are released

I know lol, I'm jumping the planning gun as usual.

 

[zippy99]

We enjoy having the dining plan. This year we have paid just over £1000 OOP so we can have the dining plan for our 7 night stay at AKL (in addition to the £900 room cost).

Yes it is expensive and we probably break even on the costs -

Counter service = 28 x $18
Table service = 28 x $42 (steak eaters in our family)
Snacks = 28 x $6 (food & wine is on!!)

= $1848 / £1155

If I am honest perhaps we would skip some of the desserts on the counter services if we paid OOP but in fairness the cost for us is not too bad - it saves me having to do battle with the traffic and drive just to eat, I can pay in advance and happily allow the family to order the expensive stuff without wincing and if I am completely honest - I LOVE eating in the disney restaurants the theming and service is great and the food is pretty good too.

 

[Disneynutinlondon]

We enjoy having the dining plan. This year we have paid just over £1000 OOP so we can have the dining plan for our 7 night stay at AKL (in addition to the £900 room cost). Yes it is expensive and we probably break even on the costs - Counter service = 28 x $18 Table service = 28 x $42 (steak eaters in our family) Snacks = 28 x $6 (food & wine is on!!) = $1848 / £1155 If I am honest perhaps we would skip some of the desserts on the counter services if we paid OOP but in fairness the cost for us is not too bad - it saves me having to do battle with the traffic and drive just to eat, I can pay in advance and happily allow the family to order the expensive stuff without wincing and if I am completely honest - I LOVE eating in the disney restaurants the theming and service is great and the food is pretty good too.

Yes agreed to all of the above

 

[joolz1910]

We enjoy having the dining plan. This year we have paid just over £1000 OOP so we can have the dining plan for our 7 night stay at AKL (in addition to the £900 room cost).

Yes it is expensive and we probably break even on the costs -

Counter service = 28 x $18
Table service = 28 x $42 (steak eaters in our family)
Snacks = 28 x $6 (food & wine is on!!)

= $1848 / £1155

If I am honest perhaps we would skip some of the desserts on the counter services if we paid OOP but in fairness the cost for us is not too bad - it saves me having to do battle with the traffic and drive just to eat, I can pay in advance and happily allow the family to order the expensive stuff without wincing and if I am completely honest - I LOVE eating in the disney restaurants the theming and service is great and the food is pretty good too.

I feel the same way. I know it's not an absolute bargain but it really made our holiday special. Being able to order ANYTHING from the menu and eating in places that I wouldn't have usually booked was great. I am the original 'picnic' Mum when I am at home. I even take squash and water so I don't have to buy drinks. The food/drink felt like a treat as we don't usually get to do it as a family.

 

[April2012]

I'm really glad I've read this thread as we've just booked for Oct 2014 and booked the dining plan which worked out at around £1329 for 3 of us for 2 weeks.
I know this is a lot but for us it's a case of it being part of the whole disney experience. Maybe it's just psychological but it feels more special just being able to order what you want from the menu without picking up the tab later!
I did half heartedly try to convince OH to not bother with it in the hope of saving a few quid, but we both decided to book it in the end

 

[Elise79]

Before paying for the DDP I think everyone should do the sums for themselves - I think you will find in most cases it isn't cost effective.

I checked our on site dining costs for December (we are 2A 1C) our most CS meal was $37 however DH did have a beer in that. Our other CS meals where right around the $20 mark.

Our TS meals were Ohana breakfast - $66 , Teppen Edo CP package $167 and YS - $151

The DDP would have cost us $128.34 per night as we were staying on our DVC points so pay in $$. Assuming 5 nights as that the TS credits used it would have been $641.70. Our Dining cost $494 even if you added on 15 snacks at $4 which we didn't eat it still only totals $554.

Our on site meals (in fact any meals when on holiday) we always had what we wanted - we did share a dessert at YS but that was because we were both too full really but still wanted to try one

 

[zippy99]

I would never dream of trying to persuade people, I am a firm believer that we are all different and what is important to us varies - when it costs at least £2k to just to fly to Orlando I don't want to do the important part of our holiday on the cheap! Others would not consider going unless they fly PE - we prefer to spend our £££s on where we stay & eat.

My DH is head chef at a Rosette standard restaurant so being able to enjoy his food is important - he loves the disney table service and him not complaining about food (as he does back home) is worth more than anything we over pay by paying for the DDP oop.

 

[LiquidSunshine]

TBH I am starting to wonder about the Quick Service DP that was part of the package when I booked. Maybe it is just my "first-timer" confusion kicking in.

I had originally thought the QSDP would cover us for 2 meals each day (was planning breakfast & evening), then a snack each which I was going to use at the parks. Then lunch would be somewhere in the parks - was hoping to schedule some TS meals in my plans.

Now I am wondering if the QS plan is going to be enough and am I going to need to allocate even more money to food than I initially thought!

 

[wayneg]

Before paying for the DDP I think everyone should do the sums for themselves - I think you will find in most cases it isn't cost effective.

I checked our on site dining costs for December (we are 2A 1C) our most CS meal was $37 however DH did have a beer in that. Our other CS meals where right around the $20 mark.

Our TS meals were Ohana breakfast - $66 , Teppen Edo CP package $167 and YS - $151

The DDP would have cost us $128.34 per night as we were staying on our DVC points so pay in $$. Assuming 5 nights as that the TS credits used it would have been $641.70. Our Dining cost $494 even if you added on 15 snacks at $4 which we didn't eat it still only totals $554.

Our on site meals (in fact any meals when on holiday) we always had what we wanted - we did share a dessert at YS but that was because we were both too full really but still wanted to try one

One year when we were on the DDP I did a spreadsheet with every meal & snack, it averaged $163/day which was just about the cost of buying DDP for 3 of us but we took every dessert and myself & Matt ate the dearest items on the menu at just about every meal.
In my experience with DDP you have to take everything, and eat high value to break even, its almost impossible to get value from it.
Personally I wouldn't pay for DDP to possibly break even, I would rather pay OOP. If I did pay OOP then we wouldn't order desserts at lunch, we would share dessert in the evening etc. Where lunch totals around $50 on DDP we usually pay $30-35 OOP
Some prefer to pay for the convenience, I couldn't, I would have to get value from it, to me its just as easy to hand over the credit card than a room key.
But then again if I wan't on DDP I would rather eat offsite

 

[Elise79]

One year when we were on the DDP I did a spreadsheet with every meal & snack, it averaged $163/day which was just about the cost of buying DDP for 3 of us but we took every dessert and myself & Matt ate the dearest items on the menu at just about every meal.
In my experience with DDP you have to take everything, and eat high value to break even, its almost impossible to get value from it.
Personally I wouldn't pay for DDP to possibly break even, I would rather pay OOP. If I did pay OOP then we wouldn't order desserts at lunch, we would share dessert in the evening etc. Where lunch totals around $50 on DDP we usually pay $30-35 OOP
Some prefer to pay for the convenience, I couldn't, I would have to get value from it, to me its just as easy to hand over the credit card than a room key.
But then again if I wan't on DDP I would rather eat offsite

We like offsite too

In fact we have got to point were other than character meals and signatures there is only one TS restaurant we will consider paying for OOP which is Teppen Edo

 

[2Tiggies]

TBH I am starting to wonder about the Quick Service DP that was part of the package when I booked. Maybe it is just my "first-timer" confusion kicking in.

I had originally thought the QSDP would cover us for 2 meals each day (was planning breakfast & evening), then a snack each which I was going to use at the parks. Then lunch would be somewhere in the parks - was hoping to schedule some TS meals in my plans.

Now I am wondering if the QS plan is going to be enough and am I going to need to allocate even more money to food than I initially thought!

My personal opinion is that the QSDP is more food than the regular DDP, unless you are eating at mainly all you can eat buffets for your TS meals.

We started using the QSDP in 2009 and have never looked back. And we always have leftover credits. Fair enough, this is going to be our first trip where there is only one snack per person per day (there used to be two) but even so, we always had more than half our snacks left over at the end of the trip so I don't expect we will be short any - just won't be bringing tons of stuff home this year. And I can live with that.

I agree that the value of the DDP has reduced considerably in the last few years. The removal of the second beverage if you used a CS credit for breakfast and then last year's dropping of the second snack puts you out of about $8 per person per day, at a conservative estimate. Yet the price has increased, albeit at a slower rate than the regular DDP.

You absolutely have to do your math. I will look at the free dining if the offer comes out next year but I think we are starting to reconsider now. What works out very well on one trip may be a deal breaker on the next. Not only has Disney changed, but the average family (especially with growing children/teens) sees our needs and wants change over the months between trips and reassessing is not a bad thing.

 

[LiquidSunshine]

My personal opinion is that the QSDP is more food than the regular DDP, unless you are eating at mainly all you can eat buffets for your TS meals.

That's good to know, and interesting. I just assumed the QSDP would offer less food than the regular DDP.

 

[2Tiggies]

That's good to know, and interesting. I just assumed the QSDP would offer less food than the regular DDP.

The portions for a QS meal tend to be larger. Also, because, especially at resorts, you can often get something from the Grab n Go for your dessert (I almost always take a fruit pot and then put it in the fridge) you can keep those for breakfast the next day, negating the need to use a snack credit or pay for a breakfast. For those who can stomach a pastry in the morning, CS restaurants that offer carrot cake, muffins and cinnamon rolls as dessert options work well for that too. I aim to try not to spend anything out of pocket. If we were to get to the end of the trip and be short a few snacks and a meal I would happily buy them then, but I don't want to be spending cash on those things during the trip and then leave with unused credits. That's just false economy.

 

[tinkerpea]

I agree with doing the sums when it comes to ddp however,
We are a family of 3 disney adults if we go without my mum and 4 if we take her plus 2 kids.

When it comes to a family of 5/6 eating at a TS place doing at least 3 signature meals and doing around 5 character meals the ddp works out way better for us then paying oop!
So getting it free is a no brainer!!!

However when the kids stop wanting loads of character meals and wanting to eat ice-cream till it comes out their ears, then oop will suit is fine,

We do not eat dessert and steak got the sake of it, we ENJOY dessert and steak lol even the kids want ribs or steak most meals, so Oop right now is not any benefit!

I know DDP is alot of food but we share credits for QS meals so never pay oop for any food!,
I love dessert but only want a few bites after my meal, and if paying oop I would feel I either should not get it as it will not all be eaten, or I'd stuff it in and feel sick and rubbish about all the calories!

My twins want steak but can not eat a whole meal so they share a credit between them, it works perfect..
And I'm not counting the penny's everytime they ask for an ice-cream or snack! They enjoy knowing what credits they have each and buying things they want with them!

 

[LiquidSunshine]

The portions for a QS meal tend to be larger. Also, because, especially at resorts, you can often get something from the Grab n Go for your dessert (I almost always take a fruit pot and then put it in the fridge) you can keep those for breakfast the next day, negating the need to use a snack credit or pay for a breakfast. For those who can stomach a pastry in the morning, CS restaurants that offer carrot cake, muffins and cinnamon rolls as dessert options work well for that too. I aim to try not to spend anything out of pocket. If we were to get to the end of the trip and be short a few snacks and a meal I would happily buy them then, but I don't want to be spending cash on those things during the trip and then leave with unused credits. That's just false economy.

Thanks 2Tiggies, think I am starting to understand the DP's better!

 

[chmurf]

Thanks 2Tiggies, think I am starting to understand the DP's better!

I'll add in some personal experience

we were on the regular DDP last october/november. And even if we only had one QS credit per day, we ended up throwing food away.

Breakfast is the lowest value for your credits. Wether it be TS or QS, breakfast will only get you one entrée.
Lunch and Dinner will get you a dessert, and as Lee said, you can choose from many offerings (basically a dessert is anything that counts towards a snack credit)
This mean muffings (huge), brownies, cinamon rolls, (3 beignets at POFQ), fruit (a whole banana for example), carrot cakes, you even can find fruit salads or vegetables (to dip) in the refrigerators where the beverages are.

So, if you are able and willing to do it, never use a QS credit for breakfast (or maybe the first morning). Use one QS credit for lunch and one for dinner.
Inside the parks, you'll notice that there is not really a way to save your dessert for later. You'll get ice cream, chocolate mousse, and things like that. They don't keep.

But as soon as you're in a resort with a decent food court, you can ask to have your dessert inside a plastic box.
Most of the time you'll have enough with the entrée itself.

store the dessert in the room fridge. And next morning use your refillable mug and eat your leftover dessert.

when you do lunch or dinner at a resort, don't forget your QS credit entitles you to a beverage. Take a Fuze bottle for example, and keep it for later. Use your refillable mug to drink while you eat. That's one less bottle of juice/water/etc to buy for the parks.

also think about pizza.
a large pizza will cost 2 QS credit (meaning you get 2 bottles of beverages and 2 desserts along with your large pizza)
A large pizza + 2 desserts can feed 3 person, and you save one credit. We used that "trick" (2A+1C) and even had leftover pizza for the next day.

as I said, we only had 1 QS per day and 1 TS, but even then we couldn't keep up with eating the desserts, and despite the fact that we ate a lot of breakfasts at POR, we still ended up throwing away quite a few of those desserts as we kept on bringing fresher ones back to the room ...

but the main point here, if you want to maximize the value of your DP credits, don't use them for breakfast.

If you want to know how much food it is. Imagine that each day, you could need to eat 2 large burgers and fries (not just burgers but that's for the general idea), and you'll be left with 3 large cinamon rolls (2 from desserts and 1 from a snack credit)
that's more than most guests would be able to eat in a day.

 

[themommy]

First of all a TA is not going to know whether Disney is going to have a plan or not before Disney representatives are. That's almost comical!
The dining plan and which one you choose is always different for everyone. We went over Christmas for 8 days on the DDP. My hubby wanted a sit down every day. The food was good but, it bogged us down. Too many plans made for each night. Not to mention the fact that it is way too much food. Someone put on a post once that they felt like a sausage and I told my DH "OMG" that describes it perfectly! There were 3 of us and on the last morning we went to the bakery in the hotel, got to go boxes and boxed up our last 11 snacks. We also took an empty box and put the 4 snacks in our fridge in one! That's right..15 snacks traveled back on the plane with us. With all of that left one more discouraging thing....I gained 12 pounds in 8 days! It took me a month and I just got back to my weight 2 days ago. If I get "free" dining again it will be QS and I know it will still be too much food.