Free Disney Dining Plan!!!

[lyn9856]

Is there ever any free Dining for April or May?

 

[Shooby doo]

Madmum sadly no Pop is a value,the US can get it on their program but that isn't likely to be offered until Apr/May so can you wait that long!?
Lyn again sadly no it is offered late Aug/Sept because that is WDW's quiet period so it is a carrot dangled but if you are like us & normally go Sept anyway
SD

 

[lyn9856]

Thanks SD! At least I know. I would never pay for it, but if it was free.....

We are going May again next year...........2 bank holidays in May, going either side of those stretches our Annual Leave. We managed 23 nights this year!

September would definitely be second choice though, as few families like to take children out of school at beginning of a new term


I wonder if Him Indoors fancies a second quick trip...

 

[madmumof2]

Ah well, maybe next time. To be honest, with 2 young children it'll be difficult getting to the certain places for a certain time. Much easier to just eat at the nearest place when the kids are hungry, saves a lot of stress! lol

Would love to do it when they're older though and no so fussy with what they eat.

What are the moderate resorts? AKL and FW?

 

[lyn9856]

Moderates are Port Orleans, Caribbean Beach and Coronado Springs


AKL and WL are De-Luxe

Lyn

 

[wideeyes]

I heard that AKL is getting the Lite DDP free and not the regular plan.

 

[chocomochamouse]

I heard that AKL is getting the Lite DDP free and not the regular plan.

Would be curious to know if that is true - hubby fancying going to AKL, partly due to the fact that the mods are getting DDP lite, so we thought that AKL would be having normal one, and also due to age of our kids when we go (DD12, DS6) some of the rooms have bunk beds. DD12 would be a lot happier not having to share a bed with her younger brother, but , as always, it will come down to the price we can get! I'm sure she would rather go and share than not go at al!!!

 

[Dimplenose]

Would love to do it when they're older though and no so fussy with what they eat.

I'm still waiting, mine are 14 and 17 and still fussy. Eating at WDW is a nightmare for us as they each like such different things we can seldom find it in the same restaurant - there are only so many times I want to go to a buffet.

 

[tinkandonaldfans]

oh my god i am so excited! we havn't been able to afford a holiday this year as we bought a flat and we always go in september so to get free dining will just be amazing!!!!!!!!! i really hope virgin does it as we always love flying with them!!!!!!!!!!

 

[wideeyes]

Would be curious to know if that is true - hubby fancying going to AKL, partly due to the fact that the mods are getting DDP lite, so we thought that AKL would be having normal one, and also due to age of our kids when we go (DD12, DS6) some of the rooms have bunk beds. DD12 would be a lot happier not having to share a bed with her younger brother, but , as always, it will come down to the price we can get! I'm sure she would rather go and share than not go at al!!!

Don't know if it is true however when VH had put the free DDP live on the web not long ago (by error I assume) it showed DDP lite for AKL so looks like there is a chance it could be true.

 

[Booknut]

I don't see how free dining is 'free' anymore to be honest. The cost of the dining plan is pretty much at break even point unless you make a supreme effort to always have the most expensive thing on the menu and really love having steak every night (for those places that still have steak on the menu).

If you have to stay at a deluxe now to get the regular DDP for free then you will probably lose out (especially if you are travelling in Sept as that is the slow season and you could probably get room discounts from 25%-40% off). With free dining you are paying rack rate which is the most expensive room rate for that season.

So if you're wanting to stay at POFQ and only get this new lite DDP for free you'd probably be better off booking a discounted room only, booking your tickets with undercover tourist (which are cheaper than Disney) and just eating where you want!

The way I work it out is, for instance, if a room at the POFQ with tax is $160 a night rack rate, low season, for 10 nights that's $1600 with the 'lite' free dining (which is probably worth around $25 a day). If you had that room with a discount of 25% you'd save $400 on the room. But the 'free' dining is only worth $250. You're actually paying an extra $150 for that free dining (and not a free steak in sight!).

I loved the original free dining, you really got a great deal. Sorry but this new one just sucks (if what you're saying is accurate)

 

[madmumof2]

I read something the other day along the lines of 'even though a lot think you must stay at a deluxe resprt, it isn't true, you can get free ddp at a value disney resort' but I can't remember where I read it.

I was looking for info on ddp and googled something, so will keep looking, but definitely read you can get it in a value resort.

Unless of course the info I read was out of date! lol

 

[Shooby doo]

Mad mum what you may have read about is the US offer,which up until next year you could stay at a value & get Free DDP.This offer doesn't usually go on sale till about Apr/May with the first week for Disney Visa card holders then opened up to everyone.The UK offer was strictly Mods & select Deluxe.
SD

 

[madmumof2]

Aahh, that makes sense. I thought I was going bonkers for a while then!

 

[Lizzybear]

I don't see how free dining is 'free' anymore to be honest. The cost of the dining plan is pretty much at break even point unless you make a supreme effort to always have the most expensive thing on the menu and really love having steak every night (for those places that still have steak on the menu).

If you have to stay at a deluxe now to get the regular DDP for free then you will probably lose out (especially if you are travelling in Sept as that is the slow season and you could probably get room discounts from 25%-40% off). With free dining you are paying rack rate which is the most expensive room rate for that season.

So if you're wanting to stay at POFQ and only get this new lite DDP for free you'd probably be better off booking a discounted room only, booking your tickets with undercover tourist (which are cheaper than Disney) and just eating where you want!

The way I work it out is, for instance, if a room at the POFQ with tax is $160 a night rack rate, low season, for 10 nights that's $1600 with the 'lite' free dining (which is probably worth around $25 a day). If you had that room with a discount of 25% you'd save $400 on the room. But the 'free' dining is only worth $250. You're actually paying an extra $150 for that free dining (and not a free steak in sight!).

I loved the original free dining, you really got a great deal. Sorry but this new one just sucks (if what you're saying is accurate)

I agree 100%. We did the free dining last year whilst staying at POFQ and the 'old style' DDP was great for us.. We used all the credits and ate like kings but there's no way I would or would have paid rack rate at a deluxe resort to get it, the room discounts in the low season represent a much better deal IMO and if you book through Disney US you can get them added on as they are released

 

[disneyholic family]

I don't see how free dining is 'free' anymore to be honest. The cost of the dining plan is pretty much at break even point unless you make a supreme effort to always have the most expensive thing on the menu and really love having steak every night (for those places that still have steak on the menu).

If you have to stay at a deluxe now to get the regular DDP for free then you will probably lose out (especially if you are travelling in Sept as that is the slow season and you could probably get room discounts from 25%-40% off). With free dining you are paying rack rate which is the most expensive room rate for that season.

So if you're wanting to stay at POFQ and only get this new lite DDP for free you'd probably be better off booking a discounted room only, booking your tickets with undercover tourist (which are cheaper than Disney) and just eating where you want!

The way I work it out is, for instance, if a room at the POFQ with tax is $160 a night rack rate, low season, for 10 nights that's $1600 with the 'lite' free dining (which is probably worth around $25 a day). If you had that room with a discount of 25% you'd save $400 on the room. But the 'free' dining is only worth $250. You're actually paying an extra $150 for that free dining (and not a free steak in sight!).

I loved the original free dining, you really got a great deal. Sorry but this new one just sucks (if what you're saying is accurate)

i agree
DD will be on the free dining plan in september (2 weeks from now)....
she'll be at the pop century....
when the annual pass rate was announced, i compared her free dining rate to the annual pass discount rate, and given that the free dining this year still includes table service, it was better value to be on the free dining plan...
but if they switch it to the lite plan (counter service only), it will be cheaper to go with the annual pass discount rate and pay for food...

 

[dooledoo]

We are staying at the AKL during end August/September next year so if we only get the DDP lite do you know if you can use one of the "meal vouchers" and pay the difference to upgrade to a table service meal?

 

[disneyholic family]

We are staying at the AKL during end August/September next year so if we only get the DDP lite do you know if you can use one of the "meal vouchers" and pay the difference to upgrade to a table service meal?

no you can't....at least not in the current free dining plan..
you can only use Table service credits for table service meals and counter service credits for counter service meals..

perhaps it will be different next year, but i doubt it...

 

[Elise79]

I don't see how free dining is 'free' anymore to be honest. The cost of the dining plan is pretty much at break even point unless you make a supreme effort to always have the most expensive thing on the menu and really love having steak every night (for those places that still have steak on the menu).

If you have to stay at a deluxe now to get the regular DDP for free then you will probably lose out (especially if you are travelling in Sept as that is the slow season and you could probably get room discounts from 25%-40% off). With free dining you are paying rack rate which is the most expensive room rate for that season.

So if you're wanting to stay at POFQ and only get this new lite DDP for free you'd probably be better off booking a discounted room only, booking your tickets with undercover tourist (which are cheaper than Disney) and just eating where you want!

The way I work it out is, for instance, if a room at the POFQ with tax is $160 a night rack rate, low season, for 10 nights that's $1600 with the 'lite' free dining (which is probably worth around $25 a day). If you had that room with a discount of 25% you'd save $400 on the room. But the 'free' dining is only worth $250. You're actually paying an extra $150 for that free dining (and not a free steak in sight!).

I loved the original free dining, you really got a great deal. Sorry but this new one just sucks (if what you're saying is accurate)

That was fine when we were at $2 to £1 but the way the dollar is falling at the moment we ahve decided it is not worth taking the chance as I have priced it out for us using Disney UK and it if the pound drops much more it will be more expensive for us. With the economies both here and in the US the way they are I'd rather have the security of booking and paying in £ and getting free dining than risk waiting on a room discount that is eaten up in exchange rate losses.