I think *free* dining spoiled me forever!

[DutchsMommy]

We were lucky enough to take advantage of the dining deal in Sept and thoroughly enjoyed it! We visited 9 Dragons, Le Cellier, California Grill, Mama Melrose, and countless counter services places. We loved being able to order without having to think about the bill. Now one could argue that having to buy the MYW package at rack offsets the cost of the *free* dining, and I'm sure others on the DIS have done the math - lol But I can't help worrying about our upcoming trip in February. We are not doing the package so even if Disney does extend or re-introduce the *free* dining we can't take advantage. I want to be able to enjoy eating 'round the World without going into sticker shock every time they bring the bill. I specifically remember sitting in Pecos Bills after a great burger chow-down, taking a look at the bill and saying 'boy I'm glad we don;t actually have to pay for this!'. So now what am I going to do in February when I really do have to pay? Maybe I'll just charge it all on my KTTW card and hope for a 'computer glitch' in the end?!? Oh well, at least we got to experience it once.

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

LOL I hear ya. We paid for dining plan in June and then recently on our last trip had the free dining plan- in both cases we were spoiled and it was nice to not have to worry about the bill at each place we ate. The TS we usually do character meals and such so that wouldn't really be a big huge deal... but the CS- well, let's just put it this way... there's no WAY I'd want to pay that much for CS meals for us if paying real money (ie: not dining plan) LOL Lordy how much just a few chicken strips meals and drinks and desserts cost! LOL (well with the dining plan we each got a meal/drink/dessert... ofcourse when we're not on the meal we share CS because we would pay for food not eaten otherwise, usually. So I've never really added up in my head how much it would cost if we all got a CS meal/drink/dessert like that!)

 

[Demon Llama]

Agreed. Previous to my last visit, I've never stayed or eaten on WDW Property because I couldn't afford it. The last time we went we stayed on resort AND dined for free! It made the trip so much more enjoyable - like a touch of luxury. I think we'd happily pay for the dining plan in the future. Those TS credits are totally worth it.

 

[HillPete]

Agreed. Previous to my last visit, I've never stayed or eaten on WDW Property because I couldn't afford it. The last time we went we stayed on resort AND dined for free! It made the trip so much more enjoyable - like a touch of luxury. I think we'd happily pay for the dining plan in the future. Those TS credits are totally worth it.

I agree! We felt the plan was a fabulous deal when we were paying for it, and it just got better when it became free! We'll have to crunch numbers more carefully for our next trip as our little one will be 3 next week, but I'm fairly certain that even he can eat $10/day! As long as the plan doesn't change too much we intend to pay for it next time around. (Maybe there will be a great hotel deal that time)

 

[crisi]

I suspect this was one of the big drivers for free dining....it will convert some "budgeters" into "value adds" for Disney. People who never ate a sit down meal will maybe not do the full dining plan, but schedule one or two "treat meals." Others will get the full dining plan.

 

[TnTsParty]

Is it still available to purchase? And if so then does anyone know how much it costs?

 

[Cara]

I think that was Disney's idea! LOL.

 

[harleyquinn]

Is it still available to purchase? And if so then does anyone know how much it costs?

Yep, it costs (for 2006) $37.99 per day per adult, and $10.99 per day per child (9 and under). It must be booked as part of a package--you must be onsite, and buy your tickets through disney.

For 2005 it was $35 for adults and $10 for kids.

 

[henrylovespooh]

We bought it in March and we loved it. We loved prepaying for meals, we loved trying new things and not feeling like we were wasting money if we didn't like our appetizer (never happened anyway) and we liked trying new restaurants. Keeping track of credits was simple and we enjoyed all our meals. We would definitely do it again.

 

[MScott1851]

We will definitely be adding the dining plan on when we go back. The "free dining" promotion is one that I think will absolutely pay off for WDW. It gave us the opportunity to try restaurants we wouldn't normally have eaten at, and the knowledge that it was prepaid was so nice.

I'll let you in on a secret...we were at WDW for four nights last month, and the total charged to my room was $58.13. How awesome is that?

 

[Alice28]

I agree- the free dining plan was AWESOME. I always feel overwhelmed at the cost of food at Disney. This made is so CARE FREE! I would be willing to pay for it, that's for sure. We got to try new restaurants too, along with some old favorites- it was wonderful!

 

[disneysnowflake]

Free dining was great.

So, in order to get the dining plan normally you have to pay rack rate? Does anyone think there will be codes out for plans including dining?

We'd definately pay for the dining plan the next time.. maybe. It depends on how high the rate for dining will be in 2007, and how much rack rate is.

 

[Shasta]

Pardon my ignorance because I am new but have read a few comments regarding this. On one hand I read that it's a great deal. On the other, I read that there are limitations to what you can order and where you can eat.

I know I HAVE to be missing something. I thought this was more of a "pay in advance" program than real free dinning. Please, any links to details regarding this would be appreciated.

 

[bethsg]

We just returned from 5 nights at All Stars with free dining. WHat a great deal it was... we had great meals, and we kept track of the receipts... we ate $857 of free food among 3 adults.... best disney deal ever..

 

[LglBlonde]

Pardon my ignorance because I am new but have read a few comments regarding this. On one hand I read that it's a great deal. On the other, I read that there are limitations to what you can order and where you can eat.

I know I HAVE to be missing something. I thought this was more of a "pay in advance" program than real free dinning. Please, any links to details regarding this would be appreciated.

For select dates from August-October - the dining plan was a free add on - it usually is an additional charge. There are/were some restrictions with what you can order, but for the most part, its pretty lenient IMO. It's great! We are definite converts.

Disney's idea had to be to get people convinced the DDP is worth it, and it gets them to pay rack rate too!

Though, we'd be more likely to rebook a trip at a great discount off rack rates than to pay rack rate + dining!

 

[Lizzybee]

I too think this was probably a brilliant marketing plan for Disney that will pay off in the end. We had only done a couple of sit down meals at Disney, one character meal over Spring Break (Donald's at AK) and a couple of meals at Boatwrights at POR because we were there but nothing fabulous. I took the kids at the end of August for a surprise trip with free dining and had ADRs for 1900 Park Fare (dinner), CRT (lunch), Prime Time (dinner), and Donald's (breakfast - OOP b/c the kids loved it the last time we did it, I wasn't impressed much either time). I don't know if I would have paid for these wonderful meals had I never tried them. I believe the price alone on some would have been enough to keep me away, especially w/my DD11 who weighs 55 lbs at most and I have to pay for an adult price at a buffet. BUT since we have been there, we want to go back, in fact I'm not so sure I can imagine going to WDW w/o the great dining experiences now.

 

[2Xited4Disney]

the free dining plan was AMAZING our total food bill would have been 1500 for 4 adults. 1 19 year old boy and 3 picky teenage girls. It was amazing. We at EVERYWHERE, Tonys, Mama Melrose, Boma, Planet Hollywood, and France. couldn't have eaten any better. I personal spent 11 dollars for the entire week 8 on a mistting fan and the rest on water.

 

[aubriee]

Yep, it costs (for 2006) $37.99 per day per adult, and $10.99 per day per child (9 and under). It must be booked as part of a package--you must be onsite, and buy your tickets through disney.

For 2005 it was $35 for adults and $10 for kids.

Didn't I read somewhere that for 2006 they are eliminating the dessert for the CS meals?

 

[Shasta]

For select dates from August-October - the dining plan was a free add on - it usually is an additional charge. There are/were some restrictions with what you can order, but for the most part, its pretty lenient IMO. It's great! We are definite converts.

Disney's idea had to be to get people convinced the DDP is worth it, and it gets them to pay rack rate too!

Though, we'd be more likely to rebook a trip at a great discount off rack rates than to pay rack rate + dining!

Oh My!

Well in that case, I bet you guys are happy! I wish I would have had that option for my Nov. 5th trip. I gota say WOW again....WOW!

 

[DutchsMommy]

I think the ddp vs. paying rack (incl. MYW passes etc) is my sticking point. At least that's the nice thing about booking room only - the cancellation policy is quite lenient. So, my plan is to wait and see whether any type of dining deals appear for our Feb trip or for that matter if I get anything better than my current AAA discount, do the math, and decide which way to go. The stress-free dining sure was great, but it needs to be worth the $$ in the end. Plus, I really don't need to completely pig-out judging by my pants