Glad that I can put free dining behind me!

[squeegee]

I'm in Texas, too

And actually, now that APs are restricted to 7 days of FP+, i started with a 10D myw so I can make my FP reservations. Then I'll upgrade when i get on site and buy the TiW card.

The main reason I won't do it is if by upgrading the last 3 days of FPs were to fall off my reservation.

And you can still book with the AP discount room rate this way?

 

[Candleshoe]

And you can still book with the AP discount room rate this way?

Yep! You call reservations (I don't know if it's available online) and ask for the AP rate. You don't have to show your annual pass until you check in.

I'm not sure what will happen if you check in first, then go to DTD and upgrade then go back to your resort. It might be up to the discretion of the CM on duty.

 

[mercydisney]

msdaisy, Thank You for posting. I always go back and fourth whether or not to get the FD. I booked CBR on BB and was pretty happy with the cost. I decided to get the QS and pay for it out of pocket. I have to teenage girls and do not want to sit and wait for ressies. All I keep hearing is FD is awesome, and it would be if I would of gotten the same deal we got in 2004.

THANK YOU AGAIN

 

[squeegee]

Yep! You call reservations (I don't know if it's available online) and ask for the AP rate. You don't have to show your annual pass until you check in.

I'm not sure what will happen if you check in first, then go to DTD and upgrade then go back to your resort. It might be up to the discretion of the CM on duty.

So, do you do online check in with this? (Not straight-to-room,) or only the in-person stuff. Maybe the cm will allow checkin with just the voucher? Where at DTD do you do the upgrade/activation?

And THANK YOU for your help with this! I've been wracking my brain to try and figure out how to make it work.

 

[Candleshoe]

So, do you do online check in with this? (Not straight-to-room,) or only the in-person stuff. Maybe the cm will allow checkin with just the voucher? Where at DTD do you do the upgrade/activation?

And THANK YOU for your help with this! I've been wracking my brain to try and figure out how to make it work.

The last time I had an AP /and/ stayed onsite there was no online check in. I'm thinking you may want to ask in the Resorts board

 

[usd2bmd]

The dining plan is no longer the value it was. The first time we used it was 2004 and at the end of our stay they slid an envelope under our door the night before check out that itemized what we would have paid out of pocket and the savings we had. There was savings then. I don't think they could do that now because many would realize it is no longer a savings. That is no longer the case. We like going to Disney and will continue to go but we will pay out of pocket for any meals we do on property. Plus with fast pass plus and so many other things having to be planned out so far in advance, I like the idea of simply stopping at a counter service establishment when I am actually hungry instead of going to a restaurant when I planned it 6 months ago.

I think Disney doesn't want to offer it anymore, but they don't know how to stop withotu backlash. So they are making it increasingly more difficult to get it by attaching more pre-requisites and shortening the time frames it is offered.

 

[disneyseniors]

Not trying to argue that you aren't saving yourself money but that $6500 number HAS to be wrong. Was it charging you for dining? At $200/night for the room it sounds like you were quoted $4700 for your tickets- for 4 people? You should be checking out that price again.

We are doing 13 nights in August with 5 people getting 10 day tickets with hoppers and water parks for $5100 at POR. That is for Garden view so it's not even the lowest category room. Your price was $1400 MORE for 4 nights less. Were you getting two rooms or something?

Yes, I was wondering that too. I just booked 10 nites in POR garden view for the 2 of us for 2700.00 with park hoppers. We did not book water parks or any dining options, just park hopper reservations.

 

[Ginny Favers]

We learned this, too, after we spent $7000 for a 9-day trip, staying at the WL. NO. Now we just go at value season, stay deluxe, eat when we want, where we want, and pay under $4000 for a family of 4. But obviously Free Dining has enough die-hard fans that it crashed the system, so it doesn't need me.

 

[mercydisney]

The dining plan is no longer the value it was. The first time we used it was 2004 and at the end of our stay they slid an envelope under our door the night before check out that itemized what we would have paid out of pocket and the savings we had. There was savings then. I don't think they could do that now because many would realize it is no longer a savings. That is no longer the case. We like going to Disney and will continue to go but we will pay out of pocket for any meals we do on property. Plus with fast pass plus and so many other things having to be planned out so far in advance, I like the idea of simply stopping at a counter service establishment when I am actually hungry instead of going to a restaurant when I planned it 6 months ago.

I think Disney doesn't want to offer it anymore, but they don't know how to stop withotu backlash. So they are making it increasingly more difficult to get it by attaching more pre-requisites and shortening the time frames it is offered.

I believe you are right! For AP holder you are better getting the room discount.

 

[msdaisy]

Yes, I was wondering that too. I just booked 10 nites in POR garden view for the 2 of us for 2700.00 with park hoppers. We did not book water parks or any dining options, just park hopper reservations.

Two rooms and 6 Disney adults.

 

[basketlacey]

I need to let go of FD too. Not for the same reason as you. This is actually a great discount for my family of 5. But the dates don't work. The dates aren't even close to working. We've had FD twice during October but now that October is mostly blacked out, I need to move on. I am so sad about it (I know this is ridiculous) but I loved the trips where we had FD. Oh well, I can't change the school calendar so it is what it is.

 

[mistysue]

I need to let go of FD too. Not for the same reason as you. This is actually a great discount for my family of 5. But the dates don't work. The dates aren't even close to working. We've had FD twice during October but now that October is mostly blacked out, I need to move on. I am so sad about it (I know this is ridiculous) but I loved the trips where we had FD. Oh well, I can't change the school calendar so it is what it is.

It's not ridiculous at all! I have 5 people stay at POR. The largest room discount we are going to get might cover one of us eating. Now my kids can go to all the character meals they always ask for! For $200/night we get a $140 buffet +CS lunch every day so for us the room only costs about $30/night because we would go to those meals without the plan. We have done eating OOP and we spend way more than the combined room and ticket cost differences. We saved close to $1,000 the time we went with DxDDP... I priced this trip out with discounting things as much as possible and we were going to spend more money while stressing out about what we spend and cheaping out on meals. The discount definitely works for some. I'm puzzled by it not being a good deal for families in a moderate though because food is expensive.

 

[msdaisy]

It's not ridiculous at all! I have 5 people stay at POR. The largest room discount we are going to get might cover one of us eating. Now my kids can go to all the character meals they always ask for! For $200/night we get a $140 buffet +CS lunch every day so for us the room only costs about $30/night because we would go to those meals without the plan. We have done eating OOP and we spend way more than the combined room and ticket cost differences. We saved close to $1,000 the time we went with DxDDP... I priced this trip out with discounting things as much as possible and we were going to spend more money while stressing out about what we spend and cheaping out on meals. The discount definitely works for some. I'm puzzled by it not being a good deal for families in a moderate though because food is expensive.

I do agree, if you are staying on property at a moderate with a room full of people then it is a great discount. We just happen to be a party of six who needs two rooms so that diminishes the greatness of the discount. Plus, it is just never offered when we can go - summer usually. So, over the years I learned about renting DVC points and then I discovered how great Bonnet Creek is. So, I was just shocked at how much it would be now for the two moderate rooms plus the park hoppers compared to staying off property.

If I had 8 - 10 people staying in two moderate rooms then $400 a night would be a good deal since it would feed all of us. We are going to DL this summer since we just went to WDW in March. But, we will be going back in 2016. I will have to decide if we will stay off property, rent DVC points, or maybe even try the whole Expedia UK deal next year. I will just have to compare and see what works out best.

Maybe one day we will all wake up and Disney do another great promotion like they used to. What was it? You paid for like 3/4 and stayed for 7. I get so jealous reading about some of the deals from back in the day. I never feel like I get a good deal anymore!

 

[Donnainnj]

We were fortunate enough to stay at Coronado Springs in 2011 with free dining. It was that weird year that they offered it with a check in date at the end of May. We were traveling with my mom, sister, and brother in law. I had never heard of free dining, but by gosh I checked my kids out of school two days early and off we were!

It was a great trip. My mom worried the entire trip that Disney was going to stick a food bill under our doors one night. Rack rate on the two rooms must have been around $175 or $180 per night, and of course tickets were much less even in 2011.

So, we lived it up. Well other than my mom who was super suspicious of the whole thing. Well let me tell you, free dining became the holy grail. This is very difficult to do with two kids in school. We continued to return to Disney, but we were always chasing that pie in the sky free dining!

Never. Happened. Again.

I spent some time early this morning just pricing out some things before the website became wonky. This is hard to compare apples to apples, because we usually travel in June. But, here is what my apples to oranges comparison is -

Coronado Springs rack rate is about $200 a night now. Plus, people now need park hoppers. So, it looks like we would spend around $6500 for 9 nights for the free dining deal. Now enter Bonnet Creek. I can book it with regular tickets for around $3500 for the same length of time. Sorry Disney, but you just can't have $3000 of my money. I'm fairly certain we could eat like kings for that much money.

So, I declare I give up on my free dining dream!

And, I am happy about it!!

What will your daily budget be for food per person? If you like the condo better then 2 rooms onsite, I see the value, but you will not save $3000 after paying for food for 6 adults for 9 nights unless you eat all meals at the condo. $3000/9/6 equals about $56 per day per person including tax, which is a good amount of money for food, but not luxury at Disney. I am sure you will save some money, but not near the $3000 you think you will. We stay both onsite and off. When not on the dining plan we prefer sit down lunches. Especially in the heat of summer. Offers a nice break in the airconditioning. Some of our favorites are Liberty Tree Tavern Lunch, Kona Cafe, Chefs de France, and Biergarten. We purchase the TIW card whenever we have AP's. With 4 adults and 1 child and taking longer trips, it quickly pays for itself. I also like the TIW card because it lets us eat the way we want to, not trying to get the full value from the dining plan by buying the most expensive thing we like on the menu, but getting what we really want which might include an appetizer and no dessert. I still think we would get the dining plan if it were free, but we haven't "paid" for it in a long time. Donna

 

[msdaisy]

To be honest, we mix it up. While at Bonnet Creek we had breakfast in the room, and we did a combination of pizza at the pool, quick service, and even had Tusker House for lunch one day. We do this crazy family garage sale every year. My neighborhood has one and my mom's does, too. Last year we made $1600 total so we split the money between March and our upcoming trip. Believe it or not $800 just about paid for food for everyone for our 6 day trip. We were on our own for snacks and mainly drank water. We had sodas at the condo.

We are taking the other $800 to Disneyland in June and paying for all park food. In all fairness, my two kids are girls and are 10 and 13. I swear the 13 year old eats less than the 10 year old. They will split a burger and fries and be completely full knowing that they are getting a kitchen sink right before fireworks or something like that. So, we basically have 2 girls, 3 ladies, and my husband who eats like a horse.

Next summer we will either do Bonnet Creek or I am kicking around two rooms at Carribean Beach if I can get a good deal like everyone was getting with the Expedia UK deal.

We are hoping we make that much money next year since we only have one trip. We better - my mom is demanding Biergarten!

 

[Handbag Lady]

Do we have math/accounting/business smarty pants people here?

Why is it that when you are on a cruise, the company has included dining but they can't do the same at the resorts? I don't mean for just Disney. All of the cruise ships do included dining. Why can't that business model apply to hotels as well?

 

[amylevan]

Do we have math/accounting/business smarty pants people here?

Why is it that when you are on a cruise, the company has included dining but they can't do the same at the resorts? I don't mean for just Disney. All of the cruise ships do included dining. Why can't that business model apply to hotels as well?

I think the biggest issues there is you are a captive audience on a cruise ship. You are going to eat on the ship because there is no where else to go. You can't pop over to McDonald's on your at sea day.

In a hotel, you are free to eat at the hotel, at a park, off-site, order a pizza... There are too many variables and way too much difference in cost.

 

[mickeyfan9194]

For those of you staying off-site, do you rent a car? Is that also figured into your budget? If we stay on-site, we don't usually rent a car. We also don't purchase any groceries, like we would if we were off-site.

 

[msdaisy]

For those of you staying off-site, do you rent a car? Is that also figured into your budget? If we stay on-site, we don't usually rent a car. We also don't purchase any groceries, like we would if we were off-site.

In March, we drove to Disney. But yes I will have to calculate that in if we do Bonnet Creek next summer because we are flying then. If we do CBR then we will use magical express.

 

[zeekinator]

We used free dining once, but discovered it was too much food! It was a waste of money for our family. We have also discovered that appetizers are the way to go at most restaurants everywhere, including Disney.