Free Dining, why do some NOT like it?

[PrincessTiffany]

We also tend to rent points when staying on site, which far exceeds the discount. Disney food is average at best, so it isn't a motivator here. I mean how many little choc. and carrot cakes does a person need in a week?

Saving money by renting points is about as subjective as saving money with the DDP or FD. It certainly doesn't save every family money and renting points for our family is double the cost of getting 2 connecting rooms at a value resort.

We just got back from 8 days in the parks where we ate about $1,500.00 worth of delicious Disney food that I didn't pay a dime for because of a free dining pin code. Long live FREE DINING!

 

[jrtoastyman]

I don't have an axe to grind with the Disney Dining Plan per se, but for me, there are two main reasons why I don't plan to get it anymore:

1. It doesn't match the way I eat. I do not typically eat dessert at lunch, for example. Having DDP ends up compelling me to eat more food than I would otherwise eat, or eat at places that I wouldn't otherwise eat at to avoid wasting it.

2. We can eat OOP for far less and probably enjoy it more. Particularly at the regular TS places, I didn't find the food good enough to justify the time we took out of our day to eat it, let alone the cost if we had been playing out of pocket. On some occasions, a sack lunch would have satisfied me just fine. I know some people view Disney as destination dining, but I don't share that view.

 

[Aunt Bee]

What good is "free" if the meal plan doesn't fit the way you eat? Nothing's really ever free. The cost is built in somewhere in the business world.

The DDP doesn't suit us at all. It's just us two "old folks" now. We aren't breakfast eaters, our main meal is lunch and we aren't snackers. Around 5:00 we like an adult beverage (or two ) and maybe an appetizer and before bed we eat something light. That's how we eat at home and how we eat when we're on vacation.

It's much less expensive and sensible for us to skip the meal plans.

But I can see how families with children, especially, who eat and snack regularly might find the plans attractive. As so many have said, put pencil to paper, figure in your own eating habits and then decide.

Disney trips should be fun. Magic YOUR way. No one plan will ever suit everyone.

Aunt Bee

 

[GinnyEmma]

Exactly. Apples to apples, and figure it out, and enjoy your choices.

 

[Lynne M]

Disney trips should be fun. Magic YOUR way. No one plan will ever suit everyone.

Yep, that's it, right there. No one plan will suit everyone.

Just as there's no one right way to 'do' Disney World, there's no one single discount plan that's right for every family.

My point being , please continue the interesting discussion on why free dining is or isn't a good deal for your family. But please don't make it personal. Personal attacks and personal arguments contribute nothing to the discussion and are of no interest to anyone except the people doing the arguing.

 

[jimim]

For us it isn't worth it cause we only eat at only sign restaurants that are 2 credits. We also really never eat lunch, just breakfast.

We also have an AP so we always get the Table Wonderland card so getting 20% off our dinners makes it nice.

So room only discounts usually make a bigger diff for us. We only have AP's cause of the amount of times we go each year and for the TIW card. We don't expect room discounts cause we have AP's.

I think over the years getting reservations for dinner has become pretty hard at times. I don't know if it's cause of free dining or what. I would hope to think that free dining hasn't dumbed down the food at the restaurants. I think the places we eat at have stayed pretty consis over the years.

When we are out for dinner I will say it feels like everyone is on free dining. I also can't believe how many people have never heard of the TIW card. I think it is deff one of the best kept Disney secrets still.

jimi

 

[mom2rtk]

For us it isn't worth it cause we only eat at only sign restaurants that are 2 credits. We also really never eat lunch, just breakfast.

We also have an AP so we always get the Table Wonderland card so getting 20% off our dinners makes it nice.

So room only discounts usually make a bigger diff for us. We only have AP's cause of the amount of times we go each year and for the TIW card. We don't expect room discounts cause we have AP's.

I think over the years getting reservations for dinner has become pretty hard at times. I don't know if it's cause of free dining or what. I would hope to think that free dining hasn't dumbed down the food at the restaurants. I think the places we eat at have stayed pretty consis over the years.

When we are out for dinner I will say it feels like everyone is on free dining. I also can't believe how many people have never heard of the TIW card. I think it is deff one of the best kept Disney secrets still.

jimi

But don't you have to be an AP holder of FL resident to buy one? If that's the case, it's a moot point for the majority of people.

 

[GinnyEmma]

Lol, just more proof that there are different best options for different people. We can spend a week in a deluxe 2 bedroom onsite, pay $1000 for onsite food, and $500 for a kickbutt shopping trip at whole foods, and buy yes tickets for $3500. Some people spend nearly as much in a much smaller less nice room. But that is what work for us. We couldn't eat restaurant food for a week straight. We don't do Buffets, sodas or desserts either.

 

[jimim]

But don't you have to be an AP holder of FL resident to buy one? If that's the case, it's a moot point for the majority of people.

Anyone can buy AP. There is a separate FR seasonal pass. TIW card is for any AP holder. It's 75 for the year. If u are DVC its 50.

We live in Pa and get AP's cause we come down multiple times a year.

jimi

 

[mom2rtk]

Anyone can buy AP. There is a separate FR seasonal pass. TIW card is for any AP holder. It's 75 for the year. If u are DVC its 50.

We live in Pa and get AP's cause we come down multiple times a year.

jimi

Well, I did know anyone can buy an AP. But not everyone can get there enough times to make it worth the investment. So unless you get there minimum 2-3 times a year, TIW is just not an option.

 

[jimim]

Lol, just more proof that there are different best options for different people. We can spend a week in a deluxe 2 bedroom onsite, pay $1000 for onsite food, and $500 for a kickbutt shopping trip at whole foods, and buy yes tickets for $3500. Some people spend nearly as much in a much smaller less nice room. But that is what work for us. We couldn't eat restaurant food for a week straight. We don't do Buffets, sodas or desserts either.

I hear ya after 8 nights of large dinners out I can't wait to get home to my wife's cooking. We don't go out much at home cause we both would rather cook. That's why we usually don't do lunch cause the CS in the parks gets old real quick! We don't do buffets either and usually never drink soda. Now desserts that's a diff story. I love my sweats at night! lol

jimi

 

[mom2rtk]

I hear ya after 8 nights of large dinners out I can't wait to get home to my wife's cooking. We don't go out much at home cause we both would rather cook. That's why we usually don't do lunch cause the CS in the parks gets old real quick! We don't do buffets either and usually never drink soda. Now desserts that's a diff story. I love my sweats at night! lol

jimi

But after only 8 nights away, is your wife ready to start cooking again???? I know I'm not. And that's one of the attractions of the dining plan to me as a mother of 3.

 

[jimim]

Well, I did know anyone can buy an AP. But not everyone can get there enough times to make it worth the investment. So unless you get there minimum 2-3 times a year, TIW is just not an option.

Sorry i didn't realize what u were referring to then. Actually in Dec our pass started. so it cost us an extra 400 for my wife and I. the baby was only 13 months. so we forked out the 400 and the 75 for the TIW card. after paying for 8 nights of dinner for us and my 2 parents who were with us we were way over breaking even so even if we never used either the passes or TIW card again for this whole year we saved money on that one trip! how crazy is that. i think we saved about 800 with using the TIW card discount each night for dinner and also the 10% here and there with the AP card while buying other stuff day to day. We were there in July and will be again in Nov so it was deff worth it for us but like I said in one trip be broke way over even. . .

jimi

 

[jimim]

But after only 8 nights away, is your wife ready to start cooking again???? I know I'm not. And that's one of the attractions of the dining plan to me as a mother of 3.

She loves to cook. seriously. grant it we only got one kid right now but she really likes to cook. we get home go shopping usually and the next day she cooks dinner. she cooks 3 nights a week sometimes 4. Friday and Saturday are "rough it days" and Sunday is sauce (pasta) up my parents and if not up there we are down our house and Kris makes sauce.

jimi

 

[twoboysmom]

We have never used it because it does not fit our lifestyle. Due to work obligations for DH and I, we are able to stay for maximum 5-6 days a trip. So, when we are at Disney it is attractions all the time for the kids-they are not going to want to stop and eat at a TS restaurant each night. We do one or two character meals usually CRT for breakfast and Crystal Palace (Pooh characters family tradition.) and will eat at TS when we feel like it. We don't usually have reservation issues, but we also don't eat a Le Cellier-that would be a waste with my kids. We are not big planners, so we know what park we are going to be at each day at least for the start, and then play everything by ear. As I wait for a GP room only discount to use at the Poly for late Jan, I have looked at the free dining offer available now. I broached the subject with DH, but do not think it is for us. Great for everyone else though and happy it helps other families get a great Disney experience for their kids.

 

[fla4fun]

Not so sure of that. If you buy 30,000 pounds of quality meats,a substantial discount is more than likely;so ,the MORE that is bought,the more the discount!What supplier would'nt want to sell such a massive quantity of product-meat or otherwise?Ask the people who supply Disney-I can assure you,they are making big bucks,and Disney is saving big bucks! As for our family of 4,We love FD!The TS meals especially are just part of the whole experience.We have done 10 nights x3 during FD,and are'nt tired of it yet.The thing with us is,and many others,is that we have to eat,but don't have to sleep in "deluxe"quarters.So FD is the better deal to us!

Another thing to factor in from Disney's point of view is the cost to operate a resort room for the night is a fixed expense. So if you are paying rack rate for the room, you are giving them a nice solid profit that they can afford to offset with the food giveaway. They will have a certain profit percentage point in mind and then use room discounts or dining discounts as a tool to bring people in above that point.

For example, let's say the fixed cost of the room is $75 per night at a moderate with a rack rate of $300. Let's say they want to receive a $75 profit per night. They need to bring in at least $150 per night on the room to hit their profit target. For this example, let's say dining is $140 for two adults and two children.

For FD, the guest will pay rack rate, but get the dining free, so they pay $300 per night, well above the profit minimum. They appear to have received a $140 per night discount, but Disney is getting $150 over their profit minimum, so Disney is still ahead.

If the guest gets a 30% off code, they pay $210 per night, still above the profit minimum even before any OOP dining is added. If they pay $30 per person per day for OOP dining, that's an additional $120 per day, for a total of $330, so again, Disney is well above the profit minimum they have set.

Obviously, these are all estimated numbers, as we do not know what Disney's per room cost is and I am generalizing rates for rooms and dining plans. But you can bet Disney isn't doing anything that is going to jeopardize their bottom line. Even the remarks about weaning us off discounts just promote an urgency to travel now before the prices go up!

We book FD or any other promotion when we feel it's a good value for us. Disney offers those promotions because it brings in profits for them. Under the right circumstances, it's a win-win for both. I do believe that free dining has affected what the restaurants offer, if only because they attempt to flatten out the cost of the meals instead of offering a wider variety of items. But I don't think the quality has suffered yet to the point that people will stop buying (whether OOP or DDP) completely. It does seem that we continue to see an increase in negative comments about food choices and quality though, and at some point there will have to be a change.