Free Dining Vs. AP RO Discount

[BrittyRo]

So I know this is a "based on the individual family" type of thing, however I'm still throwing the question out there!
We are heading down Sept 19-28 for F&W and we are staying at AS Music (we are two Adults; AP Holders).
RO Discount is 907$
FD is 1792$ or 2110 (for the DDP) ($885/$1203 more for the FD. Which means we'd have to spend 442.50/601.50 each over 10 days which is 44.25/60.15 a day each to "break even" [plus we get the 2 day ticket to have for the future])

I'd appreciate the insight.

 

[stinkpickle]

If free dining isn't obviously a better deal, I would go with the room discount.

 

[taiko225]

But I calculate this way... I will have deduct the 2x 2 days PH out as well which cost 279.xx each. Which means a 560 less to your numbers. I am sort of in a similar situation as you are... I normally will take the RO (no AP though) if I travel solo. But I am with a friend this time and I am worried about his food cost. So we took the plunge and go for free dining. Which for 5 days we each need to pay roughly 200 more. So it works out to be 40 per day with DDP ... And we will do Fantasmic package, Cape May dinner, BOG dinner. And seems that we will get out extra paid 200 back plus a bit of a saving too. If you think that is too much food (which I do) do a split stay... First half with free dining then RO at the 2nd half then you got to use your refill mug all the way through and can spread your credits onto the checkout checkin day of your split!!

 

[sharonabe]

Well your per person costs are right at what the two plans would cost you OOP, so you're kind of getting the tickets "free." I think I would go with the free dining.

 

[Serenebean]

I'd generally say FD is the better deal at moderates or less, but since you have an AP, you would be forced into buying tickets with park hoppers to get the FD promo, so I guess go with the room discount. Also, I'm hesitant because you'd be paying also to upgrade to the DDP (if that is your plan). Also with just two adults, I find the dining plan restrictive. I prefer to have an app and maybe not a dessert all the time. We went as two adults in April and spent around $550 on food which included tips for 5 days. Even doubling that you'd likely make out ahead.

 

[mom2rtk]

This would be an easy decision for me. I would go with free dining, but set it up in a different MDE account and use the second set of tickets for extra prebooked fastpasses.

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

If you are going to use the tickets in the future - go for the FD. We did that for years and saved the tickets we needed to purchase and then upgraded them to APs (it was nice to have some of the AP prepaid for). We stopped doing the free dining and moved to RO discount once we had 4 sets of tickets 'in the bank'.

 

[PeasandCarrots]

I went with RO and here's why. We are 2 adults. While we can eat a lot we are more "snackers" and "drinkers" than sit down meal types. We tried free dining once and ended up feeling heavy after each meal plus eating in a way that isn't what we prefer. If you like the structure of the dining plan, it *might* be worth it but usually when I do the math we can eat a lot cheaper & more flexibly & save more on the RO. Now if you were a family of 4 it would be different.

 

[msmama]

Do you eat like the dining plan will feed you?

My family doesn't. Like above poster said, I've found that smaller meals and more snacks work better for us, which is why I'll never do the dining plan. I don't want a dessert at every meal (because the desserts aren't nearly as good as whatever I can get later). Especially if you're going to F&W, I'm assuming you'd be doing more snacking than actual meals.

I, personally, don't only look at it from a financial standpoint, but the dining plan gives me more food than I can eat and I don't want to be wasteful. Even if I was breaking even with the dining plan, I'd rather pay out of pocket for what I WANT to eat than what I think I SHOULD eat to get the most out of my dining credits.

 

[kaybird]

We almost always take the FD, bank the tickets and use them to renew AP. Dining is a big part of our trips, and not worrying about sticker shock once we get there makes it even better. We generally do the mods, and if we can do 4 in a room, it is an even better deal for us.

 

[BrittyRo]

I appreciate all the feedback guys!! We rarely get desserts and always get appetizers. That's why the dining plan is kind of annoying for us. If we didn't have an AP it would be a clear choice, but with the AP it makes the FD seem not worth it. I think we'll probably stick with the RO discount.