How much was your resort/ticket package with free dining this year?

[CapJames]

I'm trying to figure out how much savings free dining actually provides, as I'm debating renting DVC points for our next trip during a typical free dining period and wanted to compare costs since you don't get free dining if you rent. I was hoping some of you could tell me how much your trip with free dining actual cost you, along with the resort you stayed at.
Thanks

 

[biondagirl]

We stayed at Caribbean Beach Resort for 8 nights in August (Friday until Saturday). We had free dining, 7 day park hopper tickets and memory maker. The trip cost $3,450.

 

[Colleen27]

Ours was $4087 for 4 nights, Polynesian garden view, 4 day hoppers, standard dining, 4 adults/1 child. Crazy expensive if you ask me but my mom had her heart set on the Poly for this one, and with two of the three kids "adults" in Disney's eyes free dining is the best way to do it.

 

[Madame]

Dec 20-27 CBR preferred
2 adults & 3 children
7 day PHs
Standard dining
$4335.80 or about $5723.00 Canadian ($1.32 exchange rate when we paid it) .
Doesn't include breakfast in the room, tips, Wishes Dessert Party or MM which I added on later.

 

[tobikaye]

Free dining only saves you the cost of your dining plan. 2016 dining prices, including tax, per night are below.

Quick Service Plan - Usually free to value resorts during free dining:
Ages 10+: $42.77
Ages 3-9: $17.54

Regular Plan - Usually free to moderate and deluxe resorts during free dining:
Ages 10+: $61.82
Ages 3-9: $20.98

2 adults and 2 kids (3-9) staying at Pop Century for 7 nights would save $299.39 per adult and $122.78 per kid for a total of $844.34.

2 adults and 2 kids (3-9) staying at Port Orleans for 7 nights would save $432.74 per adult and $146.86 per kid for a total of $1,159.20.

You really have to compare free dining discounts to those of room discounts to try and figure out the best deal for your traveling group. Usually for deluxe and some moderates, you can save more with a 25-30% off room discount than free dining.

Personally, I have never had the dining plan, as it does not fit the way I normally eat at WDW. I would only be willing to try the dining plan when it is offered for free. So far, any trip I have planned that coincided with Free Dining had better room discounts that saved me more money.

 

[raider97]

Right at $5000... Arriving Dec. 18th departing Dec. 27th. Standard view at CBR and regular dining. That does include 10 days of park tickets with the park hopping option and the memory maker photo disc. That is for two adults, two disney adults (13 and 11), and one child. Hope that helps!!

 

[jne7043]

I would have to look it up but I compared the cost this year before booking. There are 9 (5 adults, 3 kids and 1 2-year old) of us staying at Saratoga Springs. It was cheaper for us to book the free dining package than to rent DVC points. As we have so many people in our villa that makes sense that the free dining would be more worth it for our party rather than if there were 4 of you staying in a villa renting DVC points and just buying the dining plan or paying OOP for meals may be better.

 

[sharadoc]

OKW 1Br villa, 11/19-26. $5,440 4 adults, 6 day hoppers.

 

[Red1116]

4 adults, 2 rooms at Sports, 5 nights, 6 day hoppers and memory maker, right at $3000.

 

[DebbieB]

You can figure out the total cost by going online and pretend to book a room and tickets with either park hopping or water parks (don't go under special offers, it has to be full price). That would be your cost with free dining.

 

[lorenae]

Free dining was more expensive than my room only reservation. The room only reservation was 30% off regular rates, with a special additional 15% off. When you have free dining, you don't get any discounts on the room, and pay full price for the room.

We have 7 nights, preferred room at the Pop 11/28-12/5.

It is me and my GS5, so one adult and one child.

The "free dining" with the room would have cost $1246.
I paid $751 for the room only.

 

[tgbanks3]

7 nights with 7 day park hoppers (11/14-11/21) at AoA with memory maker and upgrade from quick service dining plan to the regular dining plan for 5 family members was a little over $5000.

 

[crewsn]

We paid $2630 (maybe 2632 or 2635 number is not in front of me) to stay at Pop Century for 8 nights, 6 day park hoppers, upgraded dining for family of 3. Our youngest is under 3.

Room discount wouldn't make much of a difference at Pop so it's a good deal for us since I have little ones and right now do lots of character dining.

The park hopper requirement this year didn't make it the best deal anymore, but still can't complain about everything we are getting for that cost.

 

[nherbert]

$4660usd for 14 nights arriving 21st Dec at CBR with freeDDP in standard view for 2adults, 1child, with 2 day park hoppers (we have annual pass but you need to buy tickets to get free dining so we get the minimum). Over Xmas getting free dining is normally only discount available as they don't do room only discounts. Dec 21st was last day of free dining, but if you check in during free dining period it lasts your entire stay. Even buying tickets we come out way ahead with free dining as we use this time to try restaurants we wouldn't normally and try lots of interesting snacks.

 

[jillgunter]

Couple years ago we stayed at Wilderness Lodge bunk bed room. It was around $4K for week. It was only $40 cheaper then a room only discount back then. We were 2 adults 1 child.

Free dining gets better when your kids are over 9(adults) and you have max people in room.

 

[LJSquishy]

Free dining saves the cost of the dining plan per night -- nothing more. If the savings to rent points is greater than the cost of the dining plan, you've already come out ahead. We find that we spend less money than the cost of the dining plan regardless, and that is with purchasing three meals per day (steak when we want, no "analyzing" menu prices), alcohol, and snacks/desserts.

 

[jewelspirit]

1 bd villa OKW, 5 adults. 8 nights, 12/17-12/25. 5 day parkhoppers. $7200 total for free dining package. I also ran numbers with dvc point renting and OOP dining, and for me, with the whole discounted Disney gift cards process, free dining came out better, by about $300. Think dvc point renting might have been less expensive if i didn't do discounted giftcards, since I ended up saving over $1000 that way.

 

[RumpleBumple]

4 people, 9 nights in a family suite at Art of Animation, Upgraded to the regular dining plan, 8 day park hopper, Memory Maker $5722

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

A RO offer wasn't available for our week so we took FD with 2 adults 1 child. 6 nights 4 day hoppers (we probably wouldn't have gotten hoppers otherwise) came to $4250 at AKL. But then we added another adult to the room and another RO night and another day to the hoppers so...

ETA: Going Xmas week, so, pretty much the most expensive week all year. I think the FD will be a good value for us since a lot of restaurants charge more for meals that week.

 

[castle4us]

When you are reading the amounts spent, you need to factor in the cost for the time of year that you are going. Someone posted the exact same package that I got but being it was for a different time of year, it was cheaper than what I paid.