Is FREE Dining, Really FREE?

[brunette8706]

Hi All!

I'm going to the Polynesian for a 5 nite stay (9/1 - 9/6). Paid $259.00 per night before taxes for a garden view room (hope to get a free upgrade) I asked the Disney reservationist about any FREE dining and they told me it is offered but I would have to revert back to RACK RATES which is approximately $356.00 per night. So, with that said, it appears to me that the dining isn't really free, or am I missing something.

What is your experience?

Thanks all!

Brunette

 

[disprincessatheart]

When we stayed at the GF in April there was a 30% off bounceback offer for the fall. We already had free dining booked, so we did the math - we save as much as $100 per night on average with free dining even with just the 2 of us, so the 2 deals were about the same. We're staying at a Mod, so in total this trip would be a lot cheaper than a return to the GF, no matter how bad I wanted to do that instead.

2 CS meals per day approx $20
2 TS meals per day anywhere from $50 to $100 per day depending on the meal
2 Snack credits per day approx $8

So we figure we're anywhere between $75 and $125 per day saved with free dining. And yes, we would spend that much and do that many TS meals on our trip even without the dining plan - we did it in APril using the DDE on our honeymoon.

 

[bumbershoot]

The free dining, when offered, is considered a discount, so you can't have another discount like on the room rate.

When I have looked into it for myself, I looked up the resort at the basic time I would want to stay, BEFORE free dining was offered. Found out the cost of what I would want (without adding dining). Then looked up the same after free dining was announced and you could book it (adding dining), and found that the costs were the same.

But I wasn't using any codes or TAs that might have different prices, I was just comparing disneyworld.com travel info to the same.

Just like when deciding if a package of ANY kind is better for you than getting things separately, you just have to run the numbers for yourself, see what's better for what you want at the time you want it!


But regardless, the free dining offer for this year is not being offered anymore, so for your situation this year it's pretty much a moot point.

 

[abc999]

The free dining promotion is over.. So, I am not sure why you were told it is still available.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

Is "free dining" really free? It is for us! But we have some specific circumstances that make it so.

We are Florida residents and have the resident Seasonal Pass. So, we only have to buy a 1-day ticket to get the free dining package. Our total package for 7 nights at CSR with the 1-day ticket and free dining is around $1400 (2 adults, 1 child, 1 under 3).

When the AP rates came out, I priced it to see if there was a cost difference. With an AP, I can get a discounted room + dining package and not have to buy the ticket. With the discount, it was about $8 less than our free dining package. And even though we don't need them now, we can use the 1-day tickets when we want to renew our APs, so that money is not wasted.

So, for us, "free dining" really is free.

 

[DanaAustinChelsea]

It works out to be free for us too We are staying at POP & with a discounted room would have saved at most a few hundred dollars. The dining plan we are getting free for 10 days would have cost over $1140.

 

[ReneeA]

It ends up being free when we go, too...or at least very close to it.

The biggest discount that I've gotten so far has been 20% off rack room rates. That amounts to $16 off a night at value resorts (we stayed at ASMo our first trip with kids) or $30 off a night at the Moderate resorts (where we have stayed the past 2 years, and our upcoming trip in August). The basic DDP costs our family $94 per night.

So it is actually free in our case.

 

[LadyOmega]

Hi All!

I'm going to the Polynesian for a 5 nite stay (9/1 - 9/6). Paid $259.00 per night before taxes for a garden view room (hope to get a free upgrade) I asked the Disney reservationist about any FREE dining and they told me it is offered but I would have to revert back to RACK RATES which is approximately $356.00 per night. So, with that said, it appears to me that the dining isn't really free, or am I missing something.

What is your experience?

Thanks all!

Brunette

Yep, you were told the correct info. To get the "free" dining plan, you have to book a package at rack rate. Like previous posters have said, you'd just have to crunch numbers to see if it's a better deal to take a room discount, or to pay RR and get free dining. Although, it would have to be for next year, since the deadline to book free dining for this Sept. is already long gone.

 

[IlovemythreeC's]

Hi All!

I'm going to the Polynesian for a 5 nite stay (9/1 - 9/6). Paid $259.00 per night before taxes for a garden view room (hope to get a free upgrade) I asked the Disney reservationist about any FREE dining and they told me it is offered but I would have to revert back to RACK RATES which is approximately $356.00 per night. So, with that said, it appears to me that the dining isn't really free, or am I missing something.

What is your experience?

Thanks all!

Brunette

That is a GREAT price on the Poly ~ I have always wanted to stay there ~ if you don't mind me asking did you have a code or something to get that price? Thanks.

 

[BriarRosie]

I say it's not "free" simply because all dining package participants still have to pay for the tips on each table service meal. However, it probably can be somewhat of a savings based on side-by-side comparisons of room discount/paying out of pocket vs. rack rate/DDP/tips.

 

[brunette8706]

That is a GREAT price on the Poly ~ I have always wanted to stay there ~ if you don't mind me asking did you have a code or something to get that price? Thanks.

****

We got that rate because we have the annual pass. Sometimes annual pass holders get as much as 45 percent off rack rates.

Brunette

 

[imthatgirl]

I say it's not "free" simply because all dining package participants still have to pay for the tips on each table service meal. However, it probably can be somewhat of a savings based on side-by-side comparisons of room discount/paying out of pocket vs. rack rate/DDP/tips.

i dont understand how that makes it not free, if i paid OOP or paid for the DDP i would still have to pay a tip.

yes for us it is very much free. we have 5 people and would have paid $134 a day for the DDP. we stay in a mod room and there is no way i would find a discount of $134 off a mod room.

 

[Evan&Kimberly]

We are going in September for the first time(1 Adult and 2yr Son) and we will have the free dinning,I asked myself the same question is it really free, I simply went back to WDW site put in my dates,hotel and all and it is the same price,then I go back and add the DDP and it adds over 200.00 dollars on top of the reservation I will be staying 6 nights and 7 days so that equals the 30.00 plus a day for the dinning plan, so the dinning is free and by booking during the free dinning I did save over 200.00!!!!

 

[tigger_03]

We ended up saving money (several hundred dollars) when the free dining promotion was announced. We had to change to a different room but it still saved us money.

 

[ptcbass]

I was wondering the same thing and run the numbers yesterday and since we are staying in a value we are actually getting the dining plan for free.

 

[SmallWorld71]

I suppose this goes without saying, but a cheaper resort and/or more people going can greatly increase your savings.
For example, last year we had 5 staying at POR. Rooms were going for $99 a night with discount which we had for a one night stay. For free dining we paid a rate of $159 which was an increase of $60. Dining plan for 5 (2 adults, 1 junior/ adult and 2 children) is about $140 per day. We had a savings of almost $80 a night! (x6 nights and we saved $480 over using room discount and buying DDP)
This year we are staying at Movies (2A, 2C). We could save about $50 a night with room only. However, dining plan would be about $100 per day. So, savings of $50 a night!(x7 nights and we saved $350 over using room disount and buying DDP)
For us, it's a great deal!

 

[bytheblood]

i dont understand how that makes it not free, if i paid OOP or paid for the DDP i would still have to pay a tip.

yes for us it is very much free. we have 5 people and would have paid $134 a day for the DDP. we stay in a mod room and there is no way i would find a discount of $134 off a mod room.

 

[livie1205]

for us we chose to skip free dining because I got a 40% off rate for AKL so I got AKL CLUB LEVEL for 200.00 a night so our whole package with ddp was 1800.00 for 5 nights club level so we chose to go in dec instead of dead heat of summer....

 

[disneyin2008]

Hi All!

I'm going to the Polynesian for a 5 nite stay (9/1 - 9/6). Paid $259.00 per night before taxes for a garden view room (hope to get a free upgrade) I asked the Disney reservationist about any FREE dining and they told me it is offered but I would have to revert back to RACK RATES which is approximately $356.00 per night. So, with that said, it appears to me that the dining isn't really free, or am I missing something.

What is your experience?

Thanks all!

Brunette

Well, in your case you would have been paying $97 more per night for your room. The dining plan costs $37.99 per adult (age 10 and up) and $9.99 per child (ages 3-9). You can pay those costs to add dining to your $259 rate, so basically if you have two adults and two kids, it's pretty much a wash. If you have just two adults, it's cheaper to pay for the dining plan yourself. IF however, your kids are over 10 years old and therefore charged the adult price for the dining plan....you'll save money. Of course, you also have to buy at least one day ticket for each person, but except for Annual Pass holders, you'd have to have tickets anyway. So you really have to run the numbers for your family size. And of course the value resorts are like $100 a night with free dining.....so that might be a bargain IF you don't mind the tiny rooms.

Now...the rub for me is that the free dining is only in August/September....frankly a totally miserable time to be in Florida's dripping heat. And let's not forget about the crowds too.....read the boards a while and you'll realize that getting an ADR for even the unpopular restaurants is about as easy as winning the Lottery. And let's not forget that all those ADRs which equal capacity filled restaurants also mean very long lines for the rides and shows and just standing around.


Personally, even with two kids considered adults, I'd rather go during an off season when the lines are shorter, the weather is more pleasant, the crowds are lighter and I have a fighting chance to get a few decent ADRs. It may cost more, but I'll get more rides in, more shows seen, and less frustration waiting in crowds. Heck, for some people they could just go a day or two less, spend the same amount of money and still get the same amount of things done because it's less crowded....and have a little more magical time with less stress and frustration (I'd probably still go the same length, lol). But then again, I'm not a crowd person for any reason.

The ones I really feel sorry for though, are the ones going during free dining but NOT getting free dining. Maybe they didn't know about the promotion, or they didn't get in on it before it ended....or the free dining rooms were all sold out.....whatever reason, they're going to have endure all the negatives of free dining season and still pay for their meals.

 

[TDC Nala]

The ones I really feel sorry for though, are the ones going during free dining but NOT getting free dining.

I have chosen this route. I have a DVC room, a DDE card, and an AP. I do NOT need free dining.

I'm eating at signature restaurants and those that don't take the dining plan.