I got pulled in to FD...and booked?! Talk me thru this...

[disneyfan2kids]

Currently have ressies at SSR for 12/05 - 12/11 (6nts) on points (about 75 pts. I think). Have to buy an annual for that time anyway...b/c planning on going back in June. Typically would just do TIW car when we get there for food...and buy some groceries in room.

BUT..they released Disney Visa code today for FD for same period. I booked WL for SAME time period with 1 day base tix AND free dining for $1900 !!! So, I'll get FD, get to stay at WL (which we do love, but wasn't available at 7 mos. out), plus free dining (we'll eat TS more often then normal I suppose, and have to upgrade our 1 day passes to AP's for all of us.

Should I do this? Basically, it's 2K for the room (which normally would be "free" using points) but with that I get my dining plan and about a $300 discount off my AP's. Hmm.... maybe it's not such a good deal? BUT I do save my points... AND get to stay at WL during Xmas... such a hard decision...

I can cancel my points ressie until November 4th...no penalty and can cancel my FD ressie up to 10/21 with no penalty. Not sure which to cancel :-(

Thoughts....?

 

[grimgrinnin]

Currently have ressies at SSR for 12/05 - 12/07 on points (about 75 pts. I think). Have to buy an annual for that time anyway...b/c planning on going back in June. Typically would just do TIW car when we get there for food...and buy some groceries in room.

BUT..they released Disney Visa code today for FD for same period. I booked WL for SAME time period with 1 day base tix AND free dining for $1900 !!! So, I'll get FD, get to stay at WL (which we do love, but wasn't available at 7 mos. out), plus free dining (we'll eat TS more often then normal I suppose, and have to upgrade our 1 day passes to AP's for all of us.

Should I do this? Basically, it's 2K for the room (which normally would be "free" using points) but with that I get my dining plan and about a $300 discount off my AP's. Hmm.... maybe it's not such a good deal? BUT I do save my points... AND get to stay at WL during Xmas... such a hard decision...

I can cancel my points ressie until November 4th...no penalty and can cancel my FD ressie up to 10/21 with no penalty. Not sure which to cancel :-(

Thoughts....?

$1,900 for 2 nights? That's some expensive free dining.

 

[Sandisw]

The way I see it, you are spending $1600 for your food and an extra 75 points (the ones you save).

Even if you rented those points, that would be $750.00 and put you around $850.00 out of pocket for your meals during your stay.

Do you think that your meals, using TIW, would run you around that, close to that, etc.?

Of course, WL at Xmas is supposed to be beautiful. We will be at BLT that same weekend, just DH and I and hope to visit the resort.

Good luck...tough one!

 

[disneyfan2kids]

 

[Inkmahm]

All I can think is Oh NO! Free dining in December, too?

I try to avoid free dining times but will be at WDW before and after our cruise in December.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Looks like pretty expensive food to me. I would NEVER do that.

 

[disneyfan2kids]

...but it sounded GREAT at the time. Anyone know if I can transfer my ressie to a friends name so she can get the Visa FD promotion?

 

[permavac]

I understand the allure of free dining - I'm doing it in September You just need to let the numbers speak for themselves. You didn't mention how many were in your party but sounds like 4. So, as you said, you would have paid for your tickets anyway and the $300 you pay to the package for tickets will be recouped. While you weren't planning on paying for the dining plan per se, you still have to eat so you will be spending something. Let's say you average $100 per night for food (including tips for any restaurant meals) - a total of $600. With the free dining, you'll only need to shell out for the tips - let's say $100 for the length of the trip. So, the $1900 you need to expend for this entire WL reservation minus the $300 that will go towards your tickets minus the $500 that will go towards your food means you are really paying $1100.00 for this reservation (in a VERY generalized sense) - anyway, this is how my little brain looks at it. Thats basically $183 per night. At this point I would ask myself, do I really want to spend that $1100 when I don't actually need to? If it were me and I really, really, really wanted WL guaranteed (i.e. not wait-listed) then yes, it would be worth $1100 - unless you can get a cash ressie there for cheaper than $183 per night which I'm not sure you can or not. Anyway, more to think about - good luck!

Terri

 

[LIFERBABE]

I understand the allure of free dining - I'm doing it in September You just need to let the numbers speak for themselves. You didn't mention how many were in your party but sounds like 4. So, as you said, you would have paid for your tickets anyway and the $300 you pay to the package for tickets will be recouped. While you weren't planning on paying for the dining plan per se, you still have to eat so you will be spending something. Let's say you average $100 per night for food (including tips for any restaurant meals) - a total of $600. With the free dining, you'll only need to shell out for the tips - let's say $100 for the length of the trip. So, the $1900 you need to expend for this entire WL reservation minus the $300 that will go towards your tickets minus the $500 that will go towards your food means you are really paying $1100.00 for this reservation (in a VERY generalized sense) - anyway, this is how my little brain looks at it. Thats basically $183 per night. At this point I would ask myself, do I really want to spend that $1100 when I don't actually need to? If it were me and I really, really, really wanted WL guaranteed (i.e. not wait-listed) then yes, it would be worth $1100 - unless you can get a cash ressie there for cheaper than $183 per night which I'm not sure you can or not. Anyway, more to think about - good luck!

Terri

This is how i calculate it also. Are you in a Villa Studio or a regular WL room? The WL rooms are much smaller than other deluxes and the DvC studios.
You could always book the Free Dining for your friend if she does not have the Dis Visa.
Rarely will Free Dining work in your favor when comparing a Deluxe to DVC even if you pay for your DDP oop. Now a Value Resort, you will save a chunk but you make many other sacrifices.

 

[DeeCee735]

I'd stay on points....but that's just me. I always plan that we'll spend sooo much on food, and we never do. One big family dinner during the week, and the rest is usually breakfast or something resembling breakfast in the room (champagne, petit fours and fruit from Publix count as breakfast!), a QS lunch and maybe a sit down for me and DH while the kids grab and go in the parks. It always comes out to less than I figure we'll spend....so free dining and paying for a regular room doesn't do anything for us....plus with 20 year old kids, we'd need a two bedroom. They are way past sleeping in the same pull out (B/G twins!

Many of the offers, I'm sure, work well for alot of people, but we bought and own almost 300 points, so with a "free" room, we're going DVC all the way!

Good luck with your decision and have a GREAT vacation!

 

[arthur06]

unless there is 8 or 9 adults in your party, not really a good deal!

 

[LIFERBABE]

unless there is 8 or 9 adults in your party, not really a good deal!

With CRO, every adult in a room over 2 pays $10 each at a Value resort so with 8 adults 4 soul pay the fee. That's $40 more dollars a day to add to the packge price.
With DVC we don't pay any extra adult charge.

 

[Alexander]

Dining plan for 4 adults (anyone over the age of 9) for 6 nights is right around $900. The tickets are approx. $300--so your looking at $1200--that would leave approx. $700 of your total ($1900) for the room. That is just over $116/night. I do think this is a good deal if you really want to stay at the Wilderness Lodge during early December. The $300 is a wash because you planned on buying APs anyways--the real question is would you have purchased the dining plan or spent $900 on food anyways. For my family, we always get the dining plan, so this would be a good deal for us and probably the only way we'd get to stay at the Lodge during the holidays since we don't own our points there.