Free dining offered and I saved $200

[angierae]

For me personally and from reading other people's comments that is actually something that deters them from the Dining Plan in general (free or otherwise). The exploration of options without the concern of "is this on the Dining Plan?" "is this a good place to use the credits?" "do I feel the need to order X in order for me to perceive I am getting my money's worth with the Dining Plan?" can be freeing.

Obviously it works for some and not for others so I'm not saying anything towards you about your choice to opt for free dining.

Sure. Except I've never been one to nickle and dime the dining plan to get the "best use" of my money. The money is already spent. Then I can just focus on eating where I want without worrying about prices, whether it's more or less expensive.

 

[Hitchhiking Ghost]

You're way behind the curve if you're considering a DVC rental for the fall of 2017. The time period from late Sept. thru Marathon Weekend in Jan. is the "Fall Frenzy" at DVC that I was referring to. You may be able to find scattered nights at the larger resorts (OKW and SSR), but anything near the parks -especially studios- will be very difficult to book. Fall Frenzy really needs to be booked 11 months in advance.

I was referring more in general to any future visit that we do. Ignoring Disney offers and going thru a rented pointed system. Generally we don't do fall, we've done primarily the week or so after Thanksgiving, which much of that is excluded from this offer anyhow. I think we are looking at more towards 2018 anyhow, but I appreciate the heads up. Didn't realize that the "Fall Frenzy" extended for four months.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Sure. Except I've never been one to nickle and dime the dining plan to get the "best use" of my money. The money is already spent. Then I can just focus on eating where I want without worrying about prices, whether it's more or less expensive.

That's cool and all (and I was speaking in a generality in that sense of the getting the most for your money aspect not aimed specifically at you) but then why worry about how much money you've spent on food when you're not on the plan?

**You said: "Well, we could spend $150 on dinner, or we could do X" and suddenly we're missing out on something I really enjoy at disney (the dining) because the numbers just break my brain.**

If you would have ordered the same items on the Dining Plan that you would have ordered if paying out of pocket why is paying out of pocket such negative?

 

[Marionnette]

I was referring more in general to any future visit that we do. Ignoring Disney offers and going thru a rented pointed system. Generally we don't do fall, we've done primarily the week or so after Thanksgiving, which much of that is excluded from this offer anyhow. I think we are looking at more towards 2018 anyhow, but I appreciate the heads up. Didn't realize that the "Fall Frenzy" extended for four months.

Yes, you will definitely want to jump on the rental train in late Dec.2017/early Jan. 2018 for a post-Thanksgiving trip in 2018. That time of year requires the fewest number of points, plus you have all of the holiday decorations and MVMCP. Certain resorts and units will be booked up right at 11 months out. Inside of 7 months, you may only find scattered dates and Poly bungalows available.

 

[Marionnette]

That's cool and all (and I was speaking in a generality in that sense of the getting the most for your money aspect not aimed specifically at you) but then why worry about how much money you've spent on food when you're not on the plan?

**You said: "Well, we could spend $150 on dinner, or we could do X" and suddenly we're missing out on something I really enjoy at disney (the dining) because the numbers just break my brain.**

If you would have ordered the same items on the Dining Plan that you would have ordered if paying out of pocket why is paying out of pocket such negative?

I get where @angierae is coming from. It's not so much a numbers thing as it is a psychological thing. A lot of people get sticker shock when they open a Disney TS menu. Having the DDP or DxDP removes that impediment. I'm no fan of the DDPs, free or otherwise, but there are quite a few people who prefer to vacation without having to think about the money they are spending.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I get where @angierae is coming from. It's not so much a numbers thing as it is a psychological thing. A lot of people get sticker shock when they open a Disney TS menu. Having the DDP or DxDP removes that impediment. I'm no fan of the DDPs, free or otherwise, but there are quite a few people who prefer to vacation without having to think about the money they are spending.

Oh I totally got where the poster was coming from. I have no issues whatsoever with people utilizing the Dining Plan. My only issue comes from when people don't really know why they use it other than just do.

When the poster says they would cancel dining reservations and that they could spend $150 on food or on something else my point was what if they were actually spending $150 on that meal even if on the Dining Plan (it's just the Dining Plan could be effectively hiding that cost from them)...hopefully that makes sense?

If your eating habits aren't changing when you are on the Dining Plan than if you were on OOP then you shouldn't feel the debbie downer so to speak and actually cancel eating at one place that you really wanted to eat at. The poster said they don't nickel and dime the plan to try and get the best use of their money so I was basing my comments on that.

That's why plenty of people have said they just buy gift cards instead of being on the actual dining plan if cost is a concern for them (as well as adhering to the plan thinking about credits and whatnot).

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Oh I totally got where the poster was coming from. I have no issues whatsoever with people utilizing the Dining Plan. My only issue comes from when people don't really know why they use it other than just do.

When the poster says they would cancel dining reservations and that they could spend $150 on food or on something else my point was what if they were actually spending $150 on that meal even if on the Dining Plan (it's just the Dining Plan could be effectively hiding that cost from them)...hopefully that makes sense?

If your eating habits aren't changing when you are on the Dining Plan than if you were on OOP then you shouldn't feel the debbie downer so to speak and actually cancel eating at one place that you really wanted to eat at. The poster said they don't nickel and dime the plan to try and get the best use of their money so I was basing my comments on that.

That's why plenty of people have said they just buy gift cards instead of being on the actual dining plan if cost is a concern for them (as well as adhering to the plan thinking about credits and whatnot).

I think for that poster it's that she would take FD over a better discount because having to pay for meals causes her to cancel. She doesn't outright buy the DDP.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I think for that poster it's that she would take FD over a better discount because having to pay for meals causes her to cancel. She doesn't outright buy the DDP.

Ahh ok that would make at least a little more sense in trying to understand the line of thinking although they said they cancelled two meals last time they were there and not on Free Dining (because they didn't qualify for it) due to the cost of those meals. So it makes me think that regardless of perceived savings or not they actively alter their eating habits when using the Dining Plan (free or not) to make better usage out of it. I guess what I'm trying to get at is the cost of those meals was the determining factor in eating there or not when having to pay OOP. Therefore the person it seems at least actively plans meals out when on the Dining Plan a certain way according to the Dining Plan but that is in contradiction to what they were saying. Seems to me if you say you are not nickel and diming the plan to get the best use of the plan then why does it matter if the meal was $150 OOP if you would have eaten there anyways..

 

[mercydisney]

I'm planning a mother daughter trip for next year. I priced out some options and Pop with upgrading dining plan isn't a bad deal. I'm usually not for values since we need queen beds (family of 4) and prefer a pool slide but for just DD and myself double beds wouldn't be a problem. I normally would book the travel agent deal for end of August at a deluxe but this is something I will have to think about next year if they offer it.

e l .

My daughters and I are fortunate enough to live an hr away from the world. So every Labor Day weekend we take advantage of free dining stay a week and renew our passes since we have to buy 2 day park hoppers. It also lets us enjoy Disney as a vacation rather then a day trip.
We always stay moderated but this year oldest DD is moving to Kentucky. I could not justify staying in a moderate for just 2 people who do not take up alot of room. So we decided to stay in ASMu. We have stayed here before when we do quick weekend trips and have had great friendly CM's and clean rooms. It is a nicely themed and quite. Bus stop and food court are an easy walk.
When we have stayed deluxe we did not take advantage of FD because we thought the room discount were better. Since then we have decided we rather do moderate and get free dining. I am not sure staying in Moderate is the way to go anymore since it they are only offering QS now.

Let me know if you decide to stay and have any questions.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

e l .

My daughters and I are fortunate enough to live an hr away from the world. So every Labor Day weekend we take advantage of free dining stay a week and renew our passes since we have to buy 2 day park hoppers. It also lets us enjoy Disney as a vacation rather then a day trip.
We always stay moderated but this year oldest DD is moving to Kentucky. I could not justify staying in a moderate for just 2 people who do not take up alot of room. So we decided to stay in ASMu. We have stayed here before when we do quick weekend trips and have had great friendly CM's and clean rooms. It is a nicely themed and quite. Bus stop and food court are an easy walk.
When we have stayed deluxe we did not take advantage of FD because we thought the room discount were better. Since then we have decided we rather do moderate and get free dining. I am not sure staying in Moderate is the way to go anymore since it they are only offering QS now.

Let me know if you decide to stay and have any questions.

This is very true. I did some pricing and the travel agent deal at a deluxe with 7 day PH is around 2800. Which isn't bad for a week at a deluxe but might not be worth it for me for two ppl. Pop is 2300 with hotel, upgraded dining and tickets.

Yes if moderate offered TS FD I would definitely do that. I hope by next year they don't remove FD from the values!

 

[Dashzap]

I do like your idea of buying gift cards as we go along over the next few months (our stay is mid August) I just have to figure out if we can buy them in Canada to use in US for sure. I just read on a different thread that you can but need to go to a Disney store here and double check.

If you buy Disney GC in Canada, are they in CA dollars or US dollars?

Personally, I like the idea of making a separate bank account or mentally dedicate a certain amount of $ toward dining as spent already. That way, my bank account gets the interest until my trip. If you must do a gc, I like Visa gc in case my trip goes pear shaped...I can use the Visa gc anywhere.

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

If you buy Disney GC in Canada, are they in CA dollars or US dollars?

Personally, I like the idea of making a separate bank account or mentally dedicate a certain amount of $ toward dining as spent already. That way, my bank account gets the interest until my trip. If you must do a gc, I like Visa gc in case my trip goes pear shaped...I can use the Visa gc anywhere.

I read in another thread that it's in CAD at first then converts to usd?
I don't know this explains it
https://www.disboards.com/threads/canadian-disney-gift-cards-now-work-at-the-park.3599477/

 

[Anthony1971]

Personally we own DVC so I never used FD... But did use the DP years ago when it was a great value, included tips and a lot more than now, but found it to be to much food and still do so there is no value for us... Years ago DVC people would book a value room and stay at DVC because it was cheaper than buying the DP.. this is not the case anymore either when you factor in all the other things you must buy.. It seems now with the new changes if you are not staying value it will be difficult to justify the FD discount over other discounts. It is not hard to spend a lot less than what the DP costs over a week as most people just can not eat that much everyday, for a short trip that may be different.
Just went to Busch gardens in VA and they gave us 2 free meals per person. I still ordered what I wanted but was closer to the most expensive thing as it had more food (ribs and chicken and... rather than just a half rack of ribs), the first day was fine the second we could not finish what we ordered and the only other meal we had was breakfast which was part of our hotel package (to be fair it was pancakes, eggs, bacon etc) both days... in fact the second day I felt sick after trying to eat most of what I ordered... When it is free we (may not apply to all) tend to order a lot more food than we can eat, simply why not... when we pay we order what we really want and finish most of our meals... again for a few days we could do FD but for a week... a lot of food would be wasted and if you are throwing out half your meals or taking home a bunch of snacks just to use them do not see how there is value even if you come out ahead. But everyone perceives value different for us the room and resort matters and we are willing to pay a premium when paying cash or using DVC points others may consider this wasteful.

 

[AquaDame]

Agreed. We got the same TA deal for a deluxe (assuming anyway) but we loved staying at POR with FD. Just loved the convenience of the dining plan.
But this year when we priced out FD ad POR for the same dates, upgrading the QS to regular dining plan - we would pay about $500 more than for FD at POR last year! No thanks.
Could get wilderness lodge for a couple hundred more but.. it will still be cheaper to pay for food OOP and stay at the Polynasian.
Just have to wrap my head around how to budget and plan for the dining.

Same... we would "save" a couple hundred dollars but would have to upgrade to regular dining plus give up deluxe. I think we'd still rather stay at BC and eat where/what we want.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

For my big family (2 adults, 2 disney adults, 2 kids, a baby) FD saved us $1300. That's after the PH upgrade and paying new ticket prices, and upgrading to DDP. No other discount would come close to that, plus, we don't have to worry about "sticker shock" when we order. I priced out all the meals we'll be doing, and it would total around $3700, so even if we bought the DDP we'd save money over what we plan on spending to eat.

 

[wendow]

For my big family (2 adults, 2 disney adults, 2 kids, a baby) FD saved us $1300. That's after the PH upgrade and paying new ticket prices, and upgrading to DDP. No other discount would come close to that, plus, we don't have to worry about "sticker shock" when we order. I priced out all the meals we'll be doing, and it would total around $3700, so even if we bought the DDP we'd save money over what we plan on spending to eat.

We are a similar sized family...minus the baby but they don't eat much lol...and we go to WDW for 8-10 nights annually. We have never spent more than $1400 OOP for meals. Clearly your family is a good example of how the dining plan (and even better for you, free dining) is a good value. For us, paying OOP has always won out in terms of value. That is why this decision is so personal for each family. You gotta do what works for you.

 

[katie111]

We are a similar sized family...minus the baby but they don't eat much lol...and we go to WDW for 8-10 nights annually. We have never spent more than $1400 OOP for meals. Clearly your family is a good example of how the dining plan (and even better for you, free dining) is a good value. For us, paying OOP has always won out in terms of value. That is why this decision is so personal for each family. You gotta do what works for you.

Just curious if you only eat counter service or if you split meals at every TS? A buffet alone would cost you over $200 for one meal. We had 2 TS meals last week at Disney. 2 adults, 2 "Disney" adults, and one child. We spent over $350 with no apps and no desserts.

 

[TwoMisfits]

We are a similar sized family...minus the baby but they don't eat much lol...and we go to WDW for 8-10 nights annually. We have never spent more than $1400 OOP for meals. Clearly your family is a good example of how the dining plan (and even better for you, free dining) is a good value. For us, paying OOP has always won out in terms of value. That is why this decision is so personal for each family. You gotta do what works for you.

Same here - I posted our last trip in fall 2016 which was 13 days under $1400...it was at Universal, but we ate both CS and TS there and many offsite, although we averaged 1.5 meals out per day - no one ate "under their size" (aka kid meals for adults) or shared at main meals (snacks were shared)...

Using offered deals from Universal and offered deals offsite (as well as groceries for other meals) is a total budget saver...

Edit to add: Some deals were the AP deal for BOGO 1/2 off the CS plan at Universal, the Universal Dinner and Movie deal, Travelzoo for Hash Hash a Go Go, Groupon for the Wonderworks dinner and magic show, same day 1/2 off all food at an Orlando 360 sit down place, Coupons from Sweet Tomatoes, etc (we did pay full price for a date night at Chocolate Emporium and we used the Orlando Magical Dining Month deal for a date night at Deep Blu - which was our most expensive outing and only fed 2, but it was so worth it)...

And we ate no AYCTE places except Sweet Tomatoes (and I guess the dinner show) b/c those get expensive fast...

 

[mi*vida*loca]

When we did OOP for 10 days for a family of 4 (2 adults, 1 Disney adult and 1 child) we spent probably about 2300ish. We ate no meals in our room. Not even granola bars or water. That's with about 14 full CS meals, tons of snacks since we did most that for breakfast (pastries, bagels, etc.), refillable mugs, lots of bottled water and 9 TS meals (Ohana, BOG, CRT, Cali Grill, etc.). We also ate and drank around the world one night, had a night at Trader Sam's and Tambu Lounge.

 

[wendow]

Just curious if you only eat counter service or if you split meals at every TS? A buffet alone would cost you over $200 for one meal. We had 2 TS meals last week at Disney. 2 adults, 2 "Disney" adults, and one child. We spent over $350 with no apps and no desserts.

We pretty much stick to the same routine...breakfast in our room, two TS meals that are not buffet meals (also less $$ ones), one character breakfast on leaving day...all other meals are CS. We are not real big eaters so sharing a meal or ordering off the kid's menu is completely fine with us. My dh usually gets his own adult meal and my oldest dd will usually share with me. My other dd will frequently order off the kid's menu. For my youngest two, they either each get their own kid's meal or sometimes, we order an adult meal and then split it between the two of them. That is almost always cheaper. And, honestly, for us, we just find this to be plenty of food.

We don't drink soda (pretty much water only) or eat desserts right after our meal. We really love to snack around the World and especially at Epcot so we prefer to eat light at meals and then hit the snacks But again, we will get snacks we can share like funnel cake (get two of those to share instead of six) or three Mickey pretzels and share, etc.

We average spending about $125 a day with the arrival day and departure day being less. Our buffet meal does end up being over $200.

ETA: We do NOT share Mickey bars lol...that just grosses me out...But only two in our family eat dairy so they get their own bars The rest of us find another snack to enjoy!

ETA again: Our last trip (9/16) was 10 nights. I remembered we ate 4 TS meals...Wilderness Lodge (shared w/ ODD), Tony's (shared w/dh), 50's Primetime (ordered from kid's and still didn't eat it all) and then 1900 PF for breakfast). That was the trip we spent $1400 on dining.