Is free dining really free?

[jannylynn]

I saved for this trip and will be paying cash? I was even willing to pay full price. I chose the dining plan to make my budgeting easier.

I'm glad you have so much extra money. Too bad you don't have decent manners to go along with it!

Since it is "free" it basically screws up ADR's for the rest of us

Sure,

If you aren't feeling bloated enough, get an $8 dessert

Plan your whole vacation around getting your $42 back each day

The Dining Plan is designed for people who put the whole thing on credit cards and really can't afford to pay out of pocket.

But I rant...to each his / her own

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

I agree with everyone that you have to run the numbers for yourself and see what other discounts are out there, but for some and even many it can be a big savings.
Here is my breakdown for our Thanksgiving trip this year.
Originally we were booked for 9 nights Our room includes me, DH, DD11 and DD8. DD15 is on the grandparent's room so her cost is not included here. So, 9 nights, value resort, QSDP and 6 day tickets. Booked at rack rate since we were going with or without a deal. $3050.67
I got a small, room only pin taking our rate to $2934.97
The free dining came out, but we missed it by 2 days, so we added 2 days (we are driving so no plane tickets to worry about) and are now staying for 11 nights with free QSDP and our total is $2345.63

So, for us, it was a HUGE savings! we have gotten FD the last 2 trips but this trip the family didn't want to do the DDP and so we were actually very happy with the QSDP and very happy to get 2 extra nights and still such a savings!

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

Since it is "free" it basically screws up ADR's for the rest of us

Sure,

If you aren't feeling bloated enough, get an $8 dessert

Plan your whole vacation around getting your $42 back each day

The Dining Plan is designed for people who put the whole thing on credit cards and really can't afford to pay out of pocket.

But I rant...to each his / her own

Sure, it makes restaurants busier, but your 180 window opens well before free dining is offered so you can work around that.
As for the $8 dessert, you are right, without DDP, free or not, we wouldn't even consider ordering one, let alone more then one, but that has added to the fun of the experience for some of us who may not normally be able to splurge like that.
I never worked to get my money's worth. If we wanted a burger we ordered a burger, if we felt like a steak we got that, but again, getting to enjoy meals we normally wouldn't be able to can really add to the experience for some people and yes, maybe lower income people but what's wrong with that? I have had a fillet for dinner 3 times in my life and all 3 have been at Disney while on the DDP. It was a treat for me and I loved it, and wouldn't have been able to do it if not for the DDP and I don't appologize for it. If Disney didn't want me to get the fillet they would take it off the menu for DDP diners. Again though, when we wanted a burger we got that, we figure we saved some on the tip that way too. Smaller cost=smaller tip we had to pay out. Maybe some people try to get all they can out of it, but many I am sure are like us and don't feel that way.
And I am not sure how DDP is designed for people who cant pay OOP. First, it simply isn't true. I currently have $5000 saved for my Disney trip, I was saving for highest cost senario. I am saving a lot now, but wanted to be prepared just in case. Also, what is the difference if someone doesn't have the mon ey in paying for a package on a CC or paying as they go on one? It isn't as if the restaurants, even snack carts for that matter don't take credit cards.

Let me share one little thing for you and maybe it will make you stop and think. 4 years ago my yougest was 4 on our first trip with the DDP. On our first night we were waiting for wishes and I went and got 7 Mickey Ice Cream bars, one for each of us. She seriously looked at me like I had 3 heads and asked who all the ice cream was for. When I said us she about jumped off her chair. She couldn't believe that she was getting her own. In the past and in our normal lives she and her sisters do a lot of sharing. We live on a budget, no poor but not rich, and we save for things like our Disney trips. She had never had her own Mickey bar and was so excited. I explained that we had the DDP and she said "I don't know what that is, but I like it!" It was so special to her and now, almost 4 years later, she still remembers that. So yeah, maybe free dining gives those of us who normally couldn't affor it a little taste of a different life, eating what you want, not looking at the price to decide what you will order, having dessert and a real treat, enjoying your own snack. But really, is it so wrong for everyone to get to enjoy something like that once in a while?

 

[momof2gr8kids]

Mickeymomof3 - that's why we're excited to be doing the dining plan. We originally had the room discount, and had the GAD tickets so adding the plan wasn't really worth it. We were going to pay OOP. But now with the FD promo I'm excited to have the experiences like you mentioned.

We too have all the $ for our trip - have 4 months to save our spending $. We don't eat out and are always watching our $. I'm looking forward to saying - yes, you can have that snack, yes, let's order desert, or yes, we can all order the $5 milkshakes as our drink! LOL We don't live like that in our every day lives, so this is a real treat for all of us. All to be paid for by cash too. LOL

 

[Looking4themouse]

That persons ignorance is astounding isn't it? It sounds to me as if it were someone just trying to get people riled up. For what purpose.... they just needs to remember that someday roles could be reversed, maybe this person won't even be able to afford to go to the grocery store never mind Disney. Karma has a funny way of biting someone in the behind when they least expect it....

 

[LouisianaDisneyFan]

That persons ignorance is astounding isn't it? It sounds to me as if it were someone just trying to get people riled up. For what purpose.... they just needs to remember that someday roles could be reversed, maybe this person won't even be able to afford to go to the grocery store never mind Disney. Karma has a funny way of biting someone in the behind when they least expect it....

Please don't shoot the messenger here, okay?

I see this situation from both sides. Our first four trips, our lodging was a tent at Fort Wilderness and we felt like we were in "high cotton" just to be on property. Then we spent a lot of trips at Pop Century and thought we had died and gone to heaven. After 22 extremely budget-conscious trips, we were finally able to swing DVC. I spent many years skimping and saving and searching for any code or discount that could help us get our next Disney-fix! So, I know firsthand how valuable FD is, especially to families with children.

BUT, I also see the other side of this too. Some folks mentioned earlier that those who are not on FD have had the opportunity to plan their ADRs 180 days out, and that they should not plan on going to Disney during value season if they want to avoid FD. Well, those aren't very kind comments either. Because Disney waits so late to announce their promotions, folks who may have specifically tried to avoid the FD times end up caught in them anyway. I know... I'm one of those people this year. Now that the kids are grown and we don't have grandchildren yet, we enjoy going with just hubby and me. We booked avoiding the typical dates of FD, knowing from previous years that the restaurant CMs frequently get cranky during FD and that the quality of the food often goes down. I'm not blaming the diners... it's just the reality of FD. For whatever reason, the cooks and wait staff seem to be overworked and under-appreciated during that time. So, we try to avoid it. Unfortunately, this year, Disney has done a last-minute extension of FD and put it smack dab in the middle of our travel dates. So, yep, I'm frustrated... not because I begrudge anybody getting a free meal, but because I booked anticipating a certain atmosphere in the restaurants while we were there, and now that won't be the experience we receive. We had to book our lodging 11 months out for our DVC home resort, our plane tickets are paid for, and now it would be literally impossible to change our travel dates. So, we're stuck. Whether it's right or not, the good fortune of those folks who now get free dining unexpectedly during that weekend now feels like the bad fortune for us.

Can any of y'all see it both ways too? (And trust me, if we still had children going with us to Disney, I'd be ALL OVER that FD offer!!!)

 

[robinb]

My question is can you get a better deal on the Magic Your Way package without any dining plan?

Sure. It all depends on how many people, how old they are and what resort you are staying at. For 2 adults staying at a Deluxe resort the common discounts (pin codes, AP rates, etc) are much better than "free dining".

 

[dandave]

LouisianaDisneyFan, I can completely relate to your post. I was considering a short trip during F&W this year, but I would really prefer not to be there during free dining. I'm as happy as a clam for those it helps, but there is a difference in restaurant service all around during free dining.

 

[jannylynn]

LouisianaDisneyFan,

My problem wasn't with the poster's opinion. It was how it was stated. The personal (and very untrue) jab about not being able to afford Disney because we chose the FD was not necessary.

You stated your opinion in a very respectful manner. And I can understand where you are coming from. So I do see it both ways. But what I don't understand is that I had a harder time getting ADRs when I was booked on a week that wasn't FD than I am currently having booking for the FD week. Granted I haven't been during FD or regular season since they put the dining plan in place. I have no other comparision other than my ADR experience.

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

Yes, I can see someone not wanting to be there for FD too, but the post that made it seem like someone may be 'less than' because they go for or possiby even need that deal to get there wasn't very nice.
The change in dates seemed to have caught a lot of people off guard, shows that attendance must really be down.

 

[TDC Nala]

I'm going to close this because it's turned into a discussion about who's being rude and not about the dining plan. I'd delete the rude post, too, but lots of people quoted it and I don't have time to delete all the references.