Is free dining really free???

[neatokimmo]

Another way of looking at what we're getting for $2500... It's basically the same as getting 14 nights at $50/night (that's $700), 4 Disney passes for $150/each (that's another $600), 56 table service meals for $15/each (that's $840), 56 counter service meals for $5/each (that's $280) and 56 snacks for $1/each. You would have a hard time beating ANY of those prices with any other promotion.

That is a really good way to explain it. You have to eat, your choices are to pack food, keep going back to your room or eating in the park. Breaking it down shows what a deal it is with a value resort.

 

[CarolA]

I think my problem with it is I know that I am OVERPAYING for a hotel room.

I travel a LOT and I expect that Disney's hotels should provide the same quality/features as hotels in the real world. I don't find "cute" a big enough selling point to forgive inadequte features/service etc.... Sadly Disney tends to do "cute" over quality when it comes to hotels.

Think about it...

Your average Fairfield Inn offers the following for FREE

1. Internet acces
2. Coffee maker
3. Fridge (often with microwave too)
4. Rewards program
5. Interior corridors
6. King beds
7. Free Breakfast

Disney offers these only at an added cost or not at all (I still can't believe they can't afford COFFEE POTS! And I don't even drink coffee LOL!)

 

[TDC Nala]

I sort of find it bizarre that "free" dining isn't really free because you have to pay rack rate for your hotel to get it.

Even for my husband and I - a couple, staying at a Mod, it saved us $550. We didn't have a pin code, but were already planning on going, so this was great for us.

Does it really "cost" Disney that much? Probably not. But for us, it is saving us a lot of money, especially because we were planning on using the meal plan. It is like anything...don't assume it is a good deal, because it might not be for your particular situation (i.e. if you have a pin code or whatever). I don't think that's Disney's fault, and it is clear from this thread that the Free Dining has saved people money.

If you are staying at a mod or a value, then yes, it's probably the best deal. If you are a couple staying at a deluxe, and you had access to a 40% off rate (the more deluxe, the better that rate is), then that might be a better choice for you than free dining. There's also the consideration of tickets, because you must buy tickets for free dining. Can you get the tickets cheaper? What if you have an annual pass?

The observation here is that people often jump at any offer containing the word "free" without working out all the options.

 

[MichaelColey]

Even at a Moderate resort, it's significantly less of a deal.

I have no problem with the rack rate of the Value resorts. In value season, they're just $82/night. I could probably get something comparable or better for half the price through Priceline (which means the "free dining" actually costs us $40/day), but there are plenty of advantages to staying on site (including free parking and/or the shuttles, Fast Passes, etc). We bring (or buy) a cheap coffee maker. We bought and brought a fridge last year when we drove. We'll probably fly this year, in which case we'll either participate in or host a fridge sharing.

I might be mistaken, but I think they offered Season Passholders the ability to book the free dining without park admissions. Worst case, they could buy one day of park tickets each, which wouldn't be that expensive, and still get dining for their entire trip.

Another thing we do with the dining plan... Instead of just planning 14 table service meals for our 14 days, we'll probably plan around 16-18. I'll look up the menus and we'll pay cash for the ones that are the worst value on the dining plan (last year, Le Cellier was $7.49 for the kids and Cinderella's Royal Table was $35.99 -- instead of 2 table service credits -- for adults). This helps us ensure that we do everything we want and still maximize the value of the dining plan.

Some other tips for the dining plan...

For counter service meals, some are much better values and you can easily feed two people with one meal. For instance, the rib & chicken combo at Cosmic Ray's in MK or the asian combo (2 entrees, 2 sides) at Sunshine Seasons in Epcot. We also found Wolfgang Puck Express in Downtown Disney to be an incredible deal (for breakfast, lunch or dinner) on our water park or Disney Quest days. Our bill would have been $60 most days, but it just took 4 counter service credits. Incredible service, too.

For snacks, some of the best values are waffle cones, double cones, shakes, floats, cheesecake, smoothies (at Auntie Gravity's in MK), etc. Also, if your trip overlaps with the Food & Wine Festival (we plan it that way), the snack credits get you the sample size foods at the festival, some of which are normally up to $7! Last year, we got Lobster Rolls, Creme Brulee, Crab Cakes, Prawns, Lamb Chops, and a ton of other great food with our snack credits. We used the last of our snack credits at Goofy's Candy store and brought back candy as souvenirs.

 

[DawnM]

We have stopped staying on-property at all once we had the 3rd child. It is just too pricey, even with free dining. But we don't eat a lot at the parks either.

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

We are doing a split stay with PC with FD, and YC with a bounce back rate of 30% off. It was definitely worth the price difference between my AAA discount for PC and rack rate...about $20. So free dining cost me $20/night plus the cost of a park ticket over what we paid per day on our 10 day passes. Well worth it, even though we usually only each counter service and share when we don't have free dining.

Not worth the $100/night rate difference and buying another set of park tickets for YC...

It depends on what resort you are staying at, and how much you normally spend on meals. With a Value, you would almost be crazy not to participate, with a Deluxe there is more to consider.(no offense intended-just an expression. I just can't think of why anyone wouldn't..)

 

[windycitymom]

It depends on your family. I LOVE the free dining. With teenage boys and a hubby, they always look forward to a good sit down meal! If I had little kids, I probably wouldn't want to spend alot of time at a sit-down restaurant. We did the free DDP the first two years it was offered (when tips and appetizers were included!). My family still talks about how awesome it was!

I'm too frugal that I wouldn't do a sit-down meal at WDW unless it was free. My family knows I'm always watching the bottom line, so it's great to let them eat what they want w/o thinking about the final bill. It was great fun to discover new places (the Kona Cafe, for one). We decided we wouldn't go back to WDW unless we were on the DDP. When my kids were little, we did the PB&J and juice box thing in the park, but now that they are older - we appreciate the good dining that Disney offers. A good meal fuels them up to carry-on for the rest of the night.

 

[TDC Nala]

I might be mistaken, but I think they offered Season Passholders the ability to book the free dining without park admissions.

Annual and seasonal passholders may buy the dining plan on a room/dining package reservation without a ticket purchase. But you cannot get free dining on any reservation other than a full price room/tickets package reservation. Even annual passholders have to buy a one-day ticket to get free dining.