Free Dining or Pin Code

[Jrabbit910]

Hey all,

I havent been to Disney since 2008 (had some kids! )... I tried to stay up to date on all things Disney just to feed my Disney Blood but alot has happend since then...

Now Disney sends me a pin code & Im curious to know is the pin discount (40%-35% off just room) is better then the free dining discount (when offered)? I noticed that the free dining has many options now & I wasnt sure which dining option they offered for free when that special comes around.

Any insight on this would be greatly appreciated! TYSM!

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Hey all,

I havent been to Disney since 2008 (had some kids! )... I tried to stay up to date on all things Disney just to feed my Disney Blood but alot has happend since then...

Now Disney sends me a pin code & Im curious to know is the pin discount (40%-35% off just room) is better then the free dining discount (when offered)? I noticed that the free dining has many options now & I wasnt sure which dining option they offered for free when that special comes around.

Any insight on this would be greatly appreciated! TYSM!

If you are staying at a Deluxe resort then the room discount is usually better. If you are staying at a moderate or value resort then the free dining is usually a better discount. Starting last year only the quick service plan was offered for free to the value resorts. But, for us, a family of 6 staying at a value resort, it was still cheaper to upgrade and pay the small difference for the basic dining plan as opposed to the room discount.

 

[momto2inKC]

The best thing to do is just run the numbers. Not every discount comes out to be the best for each travel party. It all depends on where you stay, how many people/ages, etc... For us, free dining is always the best discount. We usually stay at a value resort and are 2 adults and 2 kids considered adults by Disney. So that saves us about $170 a night with free dining.

 

[Jrabbit910]

TYSM for your advice, i tried running the numbers both ways but wasnt sure how the free dining worked... if it could have been upgraded and how much they charged for the upgrade..if its worth it to stay at a deluxe because of the tram (3 "baby" aged children 4,2,1)...i have never been so confused before!!! KIDS!!! LOL!!!

 

[Mrs D]

TYSM for your advice, i tried running the numbers both ways but wasnt sure how the free dining worked... if it could have been upgraded and how much they charged for the upgrade..if its worth it to stay at a deluxe because of the tram (3 "baby" aged children 4,2,1)...i have never been so confused before!!! KIDS!!! LOL!!!

The above posters are correct that at deluxe level the room discount is usually the greater savings while free dining is the greater savings for value. I know when I was running the numbers for 2 adults only at a Mod the free dining can out the better deal - not sure if it's always true.

So there are 3 dining plans - Quick serve - with 2 counter serve meals, 2 snacks and 1 refillable mug per person -over age 3- per night, Plus (we call it regular or DDP) - with 1 counter serve, 1 table serve and 1 snack, and Deluxe - with 3 meals your choice TS or CS and 2 snacks and 1 refillable mug.

Free dining offered is Quick Serve at values and regular dining at all else.

If you were staying at a value and get free quick serve dining you may upgrade to regular (or deluxe) for the price difference between the plans (aprrox $11-$13 per adult). You could also upgrade from Regular to Deluxe dining for the price difference between those two.

Your 4 year old will require park tickets and therefore is eligible for the dining dining plan. You 2 and 1 y.o. will not be able to be on the dining plan (unless you were to buy park tickets for them, but food is cheaper). You may share anything off your plates and the little one could have their own plates are any buffet/family serve restaurant. You may also pay out of pocket to purchase food for them at any location.

HTH!

 

[loganjared]

It depends. Last year we had 35% off mod resort and it saves us $500, then we got a free QSDP pin and swithced to it because it would save us $1000.
Our kids are old enough that we count as 4 adults so the dining saved us double what the room only would have.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

As others have said, it depends. Some other things to consider:

If you were planning on staying in a deluxe resort anyway, the % discount will almost certainly save you more. However, if you upgrade to deluxe because you now have this % discount, you vacation will be more expensive than it would have been before. Deluxe resorts are costly. So, if you use the discount to upgrade, you get the upgrade, but at an overall cost.

As for free dining, we have found that if we are staying at a Value resort, the free dining plan is the better deal - saves us the most money. If we are staying at a moderate resort, it is a break even proposition for us. Either would save us about the same amount, but that is because we are light eaters. If you are big eaters, the free dining would probably be the better deal.

When doing a cost comparison, do not value the free dining at the rate that WDW sells it. Determine what you would normally spend in WDW on food during your trip. We never spend as much as Disney charges for their dining plan, but some people do. Your savings have to be compared to what you would normally spend.

 

[pjhootch]

We don't normally stay more than 4 or 5 days, and even then we usually spend a day at the beach or at Universal. Since we don't eat more than one meal a day in the parks, the dining plan doesn't do much for us. Free dining would be better than the value resort discount, even for us. However, it wouldn't make any sense for us to upgrade. Every family has their own style so it is a good idea to figure out what your eating style is/will be. I would think with small children their meals are extremely inexpensive, but it has been a long time since I had to go that route since ours are between 20-30.

 

[Jrabbit910]

As others have said, it depends. Some other things to consider:

If you were planning on staying in a deluxe resort anyway, the % discount will almost certainly save you more. However, if you upgrade to deluxe because you now have this % discount, you vacation will be more expensive than it would have been before. Deluxe resorts are costly. So, if you use the discount to upgrade, you get the upgrade, but at an overall cost.

As for free dining, we have found that if we are staying at a Value resort, the free dining plan is the better deal - saves us the most money. If we are staying at a moderate resort, it is a break even proposition for us. Either would save us about the same amount, but that is because we are light eaters. If you are big eaters, the free dining would probably be the better deal.

When doing a cost comparison, do not value the free dining at the rate that WDW sells it. Determine what you would normally spend in WDW on food during your trip. We never spend as much as Disney charges for their dining plan, but some people do. Your savings have to be compared to what you would normally spend.

Thanks so much for your input.. I really appreciate it... because the deluxe hotel was 40% off I thought that would have been a great deal but when everything else comes into factor, I didnt know how much we would be spending. Listening to the way you put it made me think differently... tysm! ... Traveling w/ 3 babies made me think it would be alot easier to travel by tram.. but if i would be saving alot more then I would think about renting a car... SO CONFUSING!! LOL! Once again, thanks so much...

 

[DisDayz]

The easiest way for me to look at it is on a night by night basis. The DDP would cost your family between $104 and $110 per night depending on your travel dates. Take the above number and divide it by 40% (your discount rate). If that number is greater than what you would be paying for a room then the free dining is the most cost effective option. If you room rate is higher than the number you calculate then the room discount would be your most cost effective option. In this case your break even point on the room rate would be between $260 and $275 per night. A room rate of lower and the free dining would be the cost effective choose. A room rate higher and the room discount is the cost effective choose. A rate in that range and the two are roughly equal.