How does Disney afford free dining???

[jazzyjess]

I agree. Without the dining plan I would likely be in the room eating peanut butter sandwiches 3 or 4 out of the 7 nights we are there and only "splurging" on an entree (no appetizer or dessert) at a nicer restaurant. Now I will likely be ordering some wine with my meals (HUGE mark-up) and also souvenirs.
Disney aint stupid!

 

[kimisabella]

We weren't even planning on going to WDW this year, but when the free dining came out, we decided to take advantage of it. I first booked the POP, but then upgraded to the AKL - plus I'm sure we'll spend $$$ on mickey ears, autograph books, ect. - so disney made money on us for sure - going from no trip to a deluxe hotel, they roped us in!!!!

 

[threeboysmom]

Disney definitely made money from us even though we have the free dining. I was planning on getting our 5-day park hoppers through Ticketmania, but ended up buying them direct from Disney so that we could get in on the free dining deal. I think Disney knows what they're doing here!