Free Quick Service or % off question

[mickeys friend]

Anyone who has already run the numbers or booked their trip for this summer,which is better the % off rate they are offering or Quick Service Dinning ( if they got a pin )?Please post any info on which one you've booked like number of people,resort,dates,tickets,etc.Would love to go and really don't perfer summer ( but have went many times during summer),I perfer fall,but since I will be become a grandmother in Oct,fall is out for sure and also my other daughter can not get off work during the month of Aug. and don't want to take the 8 year old out of school (have done that alot,but they are going to change things in the fall about that)so that doesn't leave us much room and like everyone else our budget is tight this year.So any help would be great.Thanks

 

[Raenstoirm]

For just dh and I the 40% off saves us tons. That being said we eat at 2 TS meals a day and often times they are signature (Castle, Cali Grill, Brown Derby, etc), so QS dining has very little value to us. We are also going for 10 days so 40% off the Wilderness Lodge is close to $2000 off.
If you are staying at a value and prefer QS then that might be very much worth your wild!
Honestly the best thing to do is to sit down for an hour with excel (or paper and pencil if you are old school) and figure it out for your family. Value really depends on your individual situation.
Good luck and happy planning!

 

[clanmcculloch]

It all depends on your dates, the members of your party, your resort preference and whether or not you even like the dining plans. You really have to do the math for your own situation.

Our kids are both Disney Adults as of July so we have to pay for 4 adult dining plans if we get it (we like the dining plans). For the basic DDP that's $168/night savings with free dining (assuming we get basic DDP at moderates) or $128/night savings with free dining at values (assuming tiered free dining). In August, room cost at a moderate is $149/weeknight, $159/weekend night. Even if they give the room to us for free, free dining saves us more. At values, room cost is $82/weeknight, $92/weekend night. Even if that room's free, free dining saves us more. It's only at deluxe rooms where we could possibly save more with a good room discount though I'd definitely do the math to see which is better.

For only 2 people, room discounts are usually better. With young children, you need to do the math though at a value, free dining is almost always better unless you have APs because to get free dining you still have to buy at least a 1 day ticket.

 

[mickeys friend]

In the past we have used the Free Dinning (regular) because we always booked 2 or 3 rooms and lots of adults and only one child so it was worth it all to us.This year would be different and only 2 or 3 adults and one child.My husband likes to eat the counter service more than the sit downs but we have never had the free counter service only regular dinning and this year we'd more than likely stay at a moderate, or a value ( have never stayed at a value before).The only child that goes doesn't really care about the sit downs either except Chef Mickeys.I will have to make time and run some numbers and see what I come up with.Thanks for all the help.

 

[clanmcculloch]

If you prefer QSDP over DDP and you're considering value and you'll have 2 or 3 adults and a child in a single room then there's no way you can beat free dining (I'm figuring it'll be tiered with QSDP at values). 3 adults and 1 child with free QSDP is a savings of $105/night. You won't get a room discount that big at a value resort. Even if you look at the most expensive date at the family suite at ASMu ($355 Christmas week), a 30% savings off that is $106.50 which is close to free QSDP for your family. If you look at 2 rooms say this July (not most expensive but not cheapest) in a Preferred value room ($149/weekend night*2=$298) then a 30% savings is $98.40 on two rooms.

Definitely do the math.

 

[ElizabethB]

From my calculations, free dining is better at the values and moderates, especially if you're filling the room. Not as clear if you only have two in a room. The percentage off is better at the deluxes.

 

[beautifultomorrow]

Don't have the exact numbers in front of me but,
Two rooms at pop, 5 adults total
6 nights late July
1-day park tickets (have AP's)
$15 pp/day to upgrade to DDP from free QSDP (pin)

was still slightly cheaper than 30% off values AP rate at Pop Century for the same dates plus full price DDP. Plus the above plan includes 1-day park tickets for everyone that we can save and upgrade at a later date. The AP rate included no tickets whatsoever.

 

[avahoneybee]

For us pricing a deluxe resort with the pin and upgrading the qs dining to regular dining, it was exactly the same price (to the penny) with the discounted summer room rate and regular dining.

 

[su_A_ve]

It all depends on the dates, resort and number of adults/kids in your party.

The more adults (or juniors) the better FD becomes.

Do your math! It's not as bad as it looks!