Free Dining, why do some NOT like it?

[Honeystar120608]

We have had free dining the past 2 trips we have gone (the past 2 years) However, this year we are in a black out period (sept 27) and are not able to get free dining. It would have saved us $317 more than the discount we have now, so not the END of the world. Would have been nice to save some more money. Regardless, we are going. But why is it some don't like free dining? Are there any perks between sept 27-Oct 2 when fd starts that we will see around the parks (less of a crowd perhaps?)

 

[dawgsgirl]

Gave up on Disney dining several years ago. Just not worth the trouble. We eat a few CS meals and dine off-site. I just need a good room only discount code!!

 

[robinb]

Free dining is a discount equal to the "value" of the DDP (or QSPD at Values) for your particular family. It is not the best discount for everyone. For instance, a couple staying at a Deluxe resort will get a better deal with other room only or package discounts.

Other folks feel that the DDP is too much food, it includes food that they don't normally eat (like CS desserts *ick*) or doesn't include food they do eat (like appetizers). Some folks already have a dining discount in the form of the Tables in Wonderland card and others prefer to eat offsite. Lastly, many people (including those who utilize the discount) feel that the DDP (esp "free") has dumbed down TS selections and has adversely effected the quality of the food served at WDW.

 

[mlnbabies]

I have an off site condo booked, air, rental car, food and tickets for $3200. I just looked for on site and for 2 queen beds it will be $3200. Now I have to add air, rental and MVMCP tickets for a total of $4200. Now way can I justify staying on site.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

I have an off site condo booked, air, rental car, food and tickets for $3200. I just looked for on site and for 2 queen beds it will be $3200. Now I have to add air, rental and MVMCP tickets for a total of $4200. Now way can I justify staying on site.

We are a family of 6, we have to have 2 rooms, so a free dining discount saves us about $1,500.00. The six of us can do 8 nights at Disney, 2 connecting rooms at a value resort with 7 day tickets and have our food paid for with free dining, all for about $3,800.00 in value season. Long live Free Dining! lol!

As for why people don't like it? Lots of practical reasons like they prefer a room discount because they stay deluxe or cook/eat in their room and save money that way. There are also lots of stupid reasons like the DDP has ruined WDW, Free Dining brings in a lower class of people (no, I am not kidding, people have posted that on The Dis), makes it hard to get ADRs, etc., etc.

 

[KCSoccerDad]

I agree with Princess Tiffany (BTW - thank you for all your help with planning our trip!). We are a family of 7 staying for 8 nights with a 7 day park hopper and the free dining promotion just saved us $1600. As far as I'm concerned free dining is chalk full of win!

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

We are a frugal family of three and gravitate to the room only discounts. We do breakfast in our room, bring drinks and snacks to the parks, eat and/or share CS food for lunch, and often have dinner off site while we are "waiting" for our next FP to become valid.

We are not heavy eaters and find that even the QS plan includes too much food for us. If we get too bloated on food we find it hard to continue touring.

 

[kerplop]

I can understand why some people would rather a room only discount, be it AP or just people who are staying deluxe. What I don't get is the people who complain about OTHER people getting the discount? Who doesn't like to save money? Even super rich people are often cheap and love a discount!

 

[Queen2PrincessG]

Because many people believe that free dining is the root of bad food at Disney. To be kind of fair it is. I mean think about it anything worthwhile is rarely free. People freak out when they see it, look at the boards this morning and the flood gate that shut it down. The servers couldn't handle all the traffic!

It's not so much the idea but what it brings with it. Lot's of people and it becomes awful to make ADRS from what I've heard.

We are a family of three free dining saves us maybe 300 so in the long run not that big of a deal. It would have been cool to get but not a biggie.

 

[TDC Nala]

I have a DVC membership. I can't get free dining. I also have an annual pass (and TIW) and do not need 2 day park tickets, even though I could just apply them to the AP renewal. However, I don't want the dining plan, not even "free." I don't normally order or eat the way it requires me to order or eat. I prefer eating where I want (including restaurants that don't take DDP), when I want, and ordering just the courses I want.

 

[Lillian Gracey]

For me, it's not worth it because I hardly ate on my last trip. I didn't have any breakfast, grabbed something quick or small for lunch and same thing for dinner (minus the dinner at Cali Grill). DDP would be a waste. Plus, I would hate to make a lot of reservations just to use them. I'm more of a go-with-the-flow kind of gal and would hate to basically be on a set schedule. My next trip will be with my DBF for our 3 year anniversary and his first trip so it still won't do us much good because there are only two of us. I think it's a better savings if you have more people in your family/party.

@TDC Nala: I'm with you. I want to eat when, where and what I want. With making a lot of ADRs, you run the risk of not being hungry at the times you choose.

I'll gladly take a room only discount. I would love to stay deluxe again.

 

[mirage0306]

We don't like the dining plan (and thus free dining) because:

--We order a lot of a la carte items and the dining plan is not conducive to that (DH is gluten, dairy and soy free and it's easier for him to order simple things like a grilled chicken breast; ds2 is a very, very picky eater and the kids meals would go to waste on him; ds1 would like to order items from the regular menus)
--We do not need to have a table service meal every day; 3 or 4 for the trip is just fine
--We stay deluxe so a room discount (please please please) would be much more preferable

That's just us, though! I fully recognize how well the dining plan works for many people and if it did for us, I'd totally jump on free dining if it were ever offered for our dates.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

I agree with Princess Tiffany (BTW - thank you for all your help with planning our trip!). We are a family of 7 staying for 8 nights with a 7 day park hopper and the free dining promotion just saved us $1600. As far as I'm concerned free dining is chalk full of win!

Awesome! Yippee! So glad ya'll got the FD discount!

 

[goodferry]

For us it's a better discount to get a room only discount for a couple of reasons:
1. We have APs
2. We stay in Deluxe resorts usually
But I have no problem with other people taking advantage. I do think people hear "free dining" and foam at the mouth without taking into consideration that "free" dining means you pay rack rate for the room and that may not be the best deal available.

 

[mirage0306]

double post! ugh.

 

[EPCOTatNight]

I've read some reasonable answers as to why some wouldn't like it in this thread. That's not usually the case, so thank you. As for my family of 3, we used saved $705 for a week.

 

[Disflyer]

I don't understand why people hate it eiter, but I am sure you get people that hate room only discounts as well for the same exact reasons... For us we ended up getting FD for our Jan trip. I had an AKL standard booked already with 40% off and couldn't combine it with FD. However we are foodies and love to eat, we had a tremendous budget for food for 2 adults and one 2 y/o, after figuring needing to pay tip and for adult drinks FD came in about $40 more for our trip than our existing code. We jumped at it though since for our situation we wanted the option to even push our food budget further and go to some really posh places we wouldn't have been able truly experience the way the meal is supposed to be without FD.

Don't get me wrong, I love to save a buck but I work hard all year to really enjoy our trip, anything that allows me to enjoy it that much more is a win in my book.

 

[Tltorrez]

My DS8 would flip if we made him order from the kids menu. Plus this trip we're not doing any TS meals; just food kiosks at Food & Wine Festival.

A room-only discount will allow us to stay at a Deluxe. FD wouldn't save us anything at all.

Lots of perfectly valid reasons why it works for some and not for others.

 

[Moomduck1]

I agree with everyone who says it's way too much food for FD. The only time it saved me money was when I went with my sister and we split the cost of the room. Usually, it's my DH and kids. I have added up the cost of what we would have paid to eat and we would have made out better if we had gotten a room only discount and paid out of pocket for meals. For people who likes table service meals and/or expensive food or lots of food, Free Dining is a great deal for them. We like the deluxe hotels, so I'd much rather a discount on the room than pay rack rate.

 

[goofy4tink]

We are a family of 6, we have to have 2 rooms, so a free dining discount saves us about $1,500.00. The six of us can do 8 nights at Disney, 2 connecting rooms at a value resort with 7 day tickets and have our food paid for with free dining, all for about $3,800.00 in value season. Long live Free Dining! lol!

As for why people don't like it? Lots of practical reasons like they prefer a room discount because they stay deluxe or cook/eat in their room and save money that way. There are also lots of stupid reasons like the DDP has ruined WDW, Free Dining brings in a lower class of people (no, I am not kidding, people have posted that on The Dis), makes it hard to get ADRs, etc., etc.

I have used FD several times..,.the first time we were at POP and it saved us a whopping $230...better than nothing. The next time I used it I was staying at Pop, again, and by myself. It was almost a wash, saved about $50, but did it basically for convenience.

But truly?? Have you ever been to WDW for the first week of summer free dining? It's a nightmare. The first time it happened to me, I had already booked my DVC stay at BWV...over 10 months prior. Then, at about 3 months before our departure day, Disney came out with the free dining offer. It wasn't that I was peeved that I couldn't get it. It was the fact that I had planned my stay to be ending when free dining started, but Disney upped the start date by a week....I arrived the day before it started. The parks and restaurants were zoos..hugely crowded.
Last year, I had to book my stay to start the end of July in order to avoid that happening again...as it was, FD started the day before we left.

Because guests tend to eat at places they wouldn't normally eat at (due to costs), the menus changed. More and more people ordered the highest priced items. But, everyone still says that isn't so....but why haven't the lower priced things been taken off the menus??

Free dining does make it harder to get ADRs...for the above reason. People that would have been happy eating an occasional table service meal are now booking one for every day, rather than eating counter service meals with one or two TS meals. Does this mean they are a 'lower class' type family? Absolutely not. It means, though, that those who normally (for whatever reason) wouldn't book ADRs are now booking them. Which, in turn, makes it harder to get ADRs unless you book waaaaay in advance.

I am not saying that free dining in the devil incarnate...it isn't. And I am not saying that it isn't a good value...for some families it is.
It all depends on the size of your family, your eating style, and the level resort you are staying in.

The dining plan, as a whole, has changed dining at WDW. And free dining changes things when it is offered. Doesn't mean it's all bad, but it does change things.