Free Dining Plan at Deluxe, is it worth it?

[kendzee94]

I know this has been asked before with values and moderates so bear with me. We are staying 8 nights at WL-courtyard-all that was left! (6 people, 2 rooms) and have AP's.
We were not planning in doing a sit down every day, but since this is offered again, it's worth looking at.

AP room: $3300 Free Dining plan:
food $4910 (but we would use
(1 sit down/day) $1100 $216 of the tickets
counter service $50/day $400 later)= $4694
1 snack @$2.00= $96
___________
$4896
now if I get the DDE for $50,
I should save 20% at the sit downs
-$170 ($1100-20%=220-$50)
__________
$4726-4694=$32 difference

looking at this, it looks almost like a wash, and quite frankly, we would only do the 8 sit down meals because we had to use them for the plan. Generally, we don't get appetizers and desserts either, because they are loaded with carbs!!! and the meal usually fills you up. Please give me some input as I am really stressing over this. I know that it is well worth it for the moderates and values, but it doesn't seem like it is such a good deal with a deluxe such as WL

 

[lyncruiser]

Same analysis we did -- we're staying at the Grand Floridian. We thought that, with an AP discount, it came out to about a wash in the AP Room vs "Free" Dining competition, except that we would feel compelled to eat all those meals whether we want to or not in order to get our money's worth. Also, we had to buy a one-day ticket for everyone in our group, pay in full 45 days in advance, buy insurance to cover the trip in case we had to cancel (it's hurricane season!) and not use DDE.

We decided that we'd stick with the AP rate and buy meals that we want, when we want them and use the DDE discount. Like you, we don't see ourselves consuming all that food -- especially in the heat. With the AP discount, we have the money to use as we wish -- dine at Disney, buy souvenirs, go over to Universal and dine there, go to Seaworld, etc. With the dining plan, its only value is in consuming food at Disney restaurants. Disney is cagey because it makes it less likely you'll leave Disney property -- you have to be there to eat your meals! (Same theory for the new Magical Express -- you're a Disney captive with no car! The more they keep you on site, the more money they make.)

I think the "free" dining is the best bargain when you book a value and put the maximum number of people in it, given that the difference between AP rate and rack rate is less than it is at a deluxe.

Having said that, Disney very smartly has figured out that free dining is going to generate more money for them than code discounts available to the public. With the code discounts, everyone has extra unrestricted money to spend however they wish -- with Disney or otherwise. With free dining, there is no unrestricted money in your pocket -- the money's already been spent on food sold by Disney. So, Disney has full price for the room and only needs to serve up the food. The food is overpriced anyway and the restaurants have already incurred huge sunk costs like labor so, incrementally, it doesn't cost that much more to provide the free food.

Quite brilliant, actually. Disney keeps real cash coming in (rack rate vs. code discount) while only giving out food for as long as people can eat it.

 

[Bete]

If it's basically a wash to go either way dollarwise then why not choose the free dining plan? You get more meals and food with it because you wouldn't do as many meals without it. Also, you can't look at it just from your own perspective but look at it from all the people in your party. You are not watching every cent you spend on meals and that's more relaxing. Most important and often overlooked at budget comparisons is the fact that many spend more than the allocated $35/day for adults. Many are spending like $45/day in reality on the plan by ordering the most expensive items. The biggest advantage overlooked about the free dining plan is tax and gratuity is included. We may tip a little more depending on service but what a deal that is to be included in the plan. Most budgets forget that aspect in comparisons.

The restaurant experience at Disney World is wonderful. Now, you get to try it for free. If you've been to every restaurant already, then maybe, it's no great shakes. I like the rest at the parks to do a CS and TS meal there everyday. I think the rest refreshes you and you get more out of the parks because you can last for more hours at the parks. All the restaurants have options to keep the carb levels down. I'm not an advocate of overeating but I think you can do this sensibly and still be money ahead.

 

[unixadm]

Also, a big thing to remember is that the daily tickets you buy will NOT go to waste. You can use them after your AP expires, or more importantly, you can use the money you paid for them towards a renewal of your AP when they expire!

 

[poohluvrs]

Our AAA discount on our deluxe room was more valuable than the free dining for us

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

I know this has been asked before with values and moderates so bear with me. We are staying 8 nights at WL-courtyard-all that was left! (6 people, 2 rooms) and have AP's.
We were not planning in doing a sit down every day, but since this is offered again, it's worth looking at.

AP room: $3300 Free Dining plan:
food $4910 (but we would use
(1 sit down/day) $1100 $216 of the tickets
counter service $50/day $400 later)= $4694
1 snack @$2.00= $96
___________
$4896
now if I get the DDE for $50,
I should save 20% at the sit downs
-$170 ($1100-20%=220-$50)
__________
$4726-4694=$32 difference

looking at this, it looks almost like a wash, and quite frankly, we would only do the 8 sit down meals because we had to use them for the plan. Generally, we don't get appetizers and desserts either, because they are loaded with carbs!!! and the meal usually fills you up. Please give me some input as I am really stressing over this. I know that it is well worth it for the moderates and values, but it doesn't seem like it is such a good deal with a deluxe such as WL

How many sit downs were you planning? It's tough to tell which is better with a behavior change between the two options. Simply because it's hard to tell what your original plans for dining were. It looks as if you're comparing the retail cost of what the plan would cost on the one side rather than using the menu price of what you ACTUALLY planned to eat. Note that if you plan to eat mostly counter, you've overestimated in that section. If you plan to eat lots of sit downs say 4 or 5, a-la-carte dinner places, you may have indeed underestimated on that side of the equation. If you were planning to eat mostly counter, and 1 or 2 breakfast sit downs, I'd say take the AP discount and simply stick to that. If it were 4 or 5 at dinner, then fill in your one or two and take the free food. That was the financial analysis. Now notwithstanding this, you can choose to eat higher on the hog so to speak and take the free food and splurge and try some places you ordinarily wouldn't. Hope that helps.

With the code discounts, everyone has extra unrestricted money to spend however they wish --With the code discounts, everyone has extra unrestricted money to spend however they wish -- with Disney or otherwise. With free dining, there is no unrestricted money in your pocket

To get the true out of pocket savings of the free food, one must look at what they would have spent not based upon their plans to maximize the meal plan and not based upon the retail price of the plan, but what they planned to spend off the plan That may indeed be higher or lower than the retail price of the plan. In my case, it was lower. That savings must then be compared to the savings for other discounts to see which is better. But in no way shape or form is Disney telling me what to do with my savings. One must properly calculate to tell what they truly are. Everyone's situation is different. Some will save more with the dining, some will save more with the AP discount. But money saved is money saved. Whether you save it on food or hotel, it's yours to spend as you see fit.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Our AAA discount on our deluxe room was more valuable than the free dining for us

It's a great discount at the deluxes to be sure.
I think the free meal plans were to fill up the mods and the values.

 

[kath1210]

It's a great discount at the deluxes to be sure.
I think the free meal plans were to fill up the mods and the values.

You're right. The savings also really depend on how many people are in your party and how old they are.

For us, with 4 people over the age of 9, the meal plan would cost $140 per day. I don't think AP discounts, even at the deluxes, come close to that.

 

[McKelly]

If staying at AKL or WL in value season, it is only $30.00 off a night (standard) with AAA. As a family of 4, we would definately eat more than that a day. That is how I looked at it. We don't have an AP. So I guess it just depends on the circumstances.