Free Dining - Deal or Not

[tink_lover]

I just priced a stay in late August using both the free dining and the room discount. The room discount was cheaper by a couple hundred - booking room only, then adding tickets and dining. Same hotel, same number of days on ticket, same dining plan. Be sure to check all your options before booking free dining as it may not be the best deal for you.

 

[ancestry]

In my opinion, the free dining usually is a better deal at the values and usually is not a deal at the deluxes. The mods vary depending on family group make-up, etc.

 

[momto2inKC]

It's always best to check all the discounts! For us, free dining is saving us almost $1,200 (and that's just the QSDP!). Our kids are both considered adults by Disney, so staying at a value and getting free dining is always best for us.

 

[janloz]

For us, our 40% discount pin is a better deal by about $300 since we are staying at BC.

 

[chimo2u]

I thought if you do Room Only, you couldn't get the Dining Plan...that's the reason I decided to stay with the FD discount staying at a Deluxe. It's better than nothing, I feel

 

[tink_lover]

Someone mentioned already above, but if you are booked Deluxe, I would look at the price again. You can add dining and tickets to the room only 40% discount. We did it last year and saved $$$ as well.

 

[twogirlsandthatsit]

I priced both out as well and for us, staying at CR with 2 adults & 2 kids, the 40% discount was a much better deal than free dining.

I think it all depends on the makeup of your family and where you stay. If we would've stayed with our original plan of POR free dining would've been a better deal.

 

[daisyyy]

We usually stay at a moderate, (for now until baby turns 3.. then don't know) and for a family of 6... it's a huge savings for us. But from what I understand, if you prefer a deluxe, and you have a small group, then a room discount works out to save you more. Some people don't like to have sit down meals and would do better with quick service, and even sharing meals. It is different for everyone, and you just have to figure it out each way. We've done it with the dining planning and without, and it's always a huge savings for us. The kids like going to new places, and character meals, and if we stay a week, those $200 meals add up... Of course if we didn't have the plan we might not do so many sit downs, and probably a little more counter services, or even share our meals since there's always plenty to go around. how many times do you say, does anyone want to finish this?? BUT. I also like the convienence of knowing it's paid for upfront. It was even a better deal when they included the tip and appetizers.. but It's still what works best for us.

 

[sorul82?]

For us, a family of 5 Disney adults, free QS is a discount of $160 per day while free DP is a discount of $210 per day. The point where room only discount becomes a better deal than DP for us would be a rack rate of $526 with 40% discount.

 

[newrygirl]

I think it depends on the size of your family and if you are all considered disney adults. We booked the CR for August for 10 nights with 5 people all considered adults and with 8 day base tickets, it was still about $510 cheaper than the 35% off code/adding dining and 8 day tickets which is a good savings but it is an even better savings because I don't have any pin codes anyway. So I think it all depends on how many are in your party and if you are all considered adults.

 

[Explodo]

Just got off the phone with the REzzie folks...We're staying at the GF for 7 days, DDP, Tickets + park Hopper and MNSSHP. Total cost including airfare was $5300 (Using the 40% off the room discount)

The same trip if we use the free dining option costs $6250.

That's a big time difference.

Thank you disney for the 40% of pin.

 

[saradela]

I am going to stay at the WL for 10 nites 11 days, and I wanted the $750 GC, so What I did, was, 5 nites al WL ( minimum stay for de GC) , with regular DP, and 10 day Park ticket with Park Hopper. Then another reservation with 5 Nites at WL with the 35 % off, I already have the Park tickets in the other reservation, and I will pay OOP for food for another 5 nites, so I would add for OOP food $750. TOTAL amount for 10 nites,11 days, tickets with PH ,and food= $4011 dollars We are 3 .
This was offered to the General Public, no pin.

 

[ncmickeyluvr]

I thought if you do Room Only, you couldn't get the Dining Plan...that's the reason I decided to stay with the FD discount staying at a Deluxe. It's better than nothing, I feel

You can get the 40% off and then add tickets and dining.

My reservation was 30% off at POFQ with tickets and dining but I saved an additional $400 by changing it to FD.

 

[DisneyWisher]

I am still on the fence about which to use. For 7 days at a value using the room only discount is about $500, booking free dining for 7 nights for 2 people is $1005 (only buying the 2 day tickets because we have APs already and don't really need tickets) I deduct $330 from the $1005 because the tickets keep their value but do I really want to dish out $330 if I don't need to. Plus we still have our give a day get a day vouchers. But 7 days of QSDP is worth the $175. But again do I want to spend $330 that I don't need to right now. Decisions, Decisions, Decisions.

 

[Priorityonecb]

For us, the room only discount was the best deal. We are "basing" at Disney but will only be in a Disney park one day. The rest of time we'll be at Sea World, Busch Gardens, Aquatica, Universal...so the dining plan just doesn't offer a value this time around.

 

[a1tinkfans]

I just priced a stay in late August using both the free dining and the room discount. The room discount was cheaper by a couple hundred - booking room only, then adding tickets and dining. Same hotel, same number of days on ticket, same dining plan. Be sure to check all your options before booking free dining as it may not be the best deal for you.

With all the variables, resort level, ages of kids versus adults for meals and other "discounts" it is a good idea to check your numbers!

For us, the FREE dine is YUMMY perfect! We are BUYING the dining for our first summer trip and got a FAB room discount and for 2nd trip, FREE dine
We would not even consider Not having the dining plan for a Disney vacation, but thats just us

 

[vallamen]

Kids play, stay and dine for free worked out to be a better deal for our fall trip rather than the free dining. I'm taking my 5 yr. old and 3 yr. old for a 5 night trip by myself this time as hubby can't come due to work - it saved me about $275 over free dining.

 

[drcandon]

Disney uses a very convoluted way of calculating deals and it is often difficult to figure out which is best.

I am sorry that I have not calculated it for the values, only for the two resorts we like to stay at ( AKL and Poly) ..ps..I am not being a snob, just what we prefer and save for..

That aside, this year we got lucky and received two pins before the FD offer a 40% off code and a QSFD code as well.

After many many calls to reservations and a lot of online calculations and driving my travel agent around the bend, It became clear that IF you don't get a pin (40%) on deluxes then the FD is a better deal then the QSFD and of course better then no pin at all ( gee no kidding). If you do get a pin then the 40% is a better deal...

Now someone says what about the 40% and applying the FD to it, like they say they will do....well, again I phoned Disney reservations and tried that route and this time I have NO idea where they came up with the price but the 40% still turned out better. I was under the obvious mistaken impression that they simply take the FD and subtract it from the price of the 40% offer...well unless the 2 CM's I talked to were out of their minds they don't..

What has everyone else noted????

 

[francie57]

For us the room discount is a better deal also. We are a family of 4 (all over 20) and have a 2 bedroom villa at the BW. With the room discount we save $260/night vs. $168 for the dining plan. As someone else said, when you get to the rack rates that they charge for some of the deluxes/villas a room discount is better. We also had our AAA TA add tickets with hopper and the regular dining plan at the time the trip was booked and we didn't have any trouble.

 

[maggiew]

Disney uses a very convoluted way of calculating deals and it is often difficult to figure out which is best.

I am sorry that I have not calculated it for the values, only for the two resorts we like to stay at ( AKL and Poly) ..ps..I am not being a snob, just what we prefer and save for..

That aside, this year we got lucky and received two pins before the FD offer a 40% off code and a QSFD code as well.

After many many calls to reservations and a lot of online calculations and driving my travel agent around the bend, It became clear that IF you don't get a pin (40%) on deluxes then the FD is a better deal then the QSFD and of course better then no pin at all ( gee no kidding). If you do get a pin then the 40% is a better deal...

Now someone says what about the 40% and applying the FD to it, like they say they will do....well, again I phoned Disney reservations and tried that route and this time I have NO idea where they came up with the price but the 40% still turned out better. I was under the obvious mistaken impression that they simply take the FD and subtract it from the price of the 40% offer...well unless the 2 CM's I talked to were out of their minds they don't..

What has everyone else noted????

If you go with free dining, you lose the 40% off room discount.

Maggie