Is Free Dining really "free?"

[yaya74]

Not sure if this discussion is appropriate for this board. If not, mod, please move it and accept my apology in advance.


So, is Free Dining really free? I found that offer so misleading. Yes the dining plan is free but you have to pay room at rack rate plus adding options like hopper or waterparks.

I have read many posts previously that ppl got "free dining" plan with the promotion and then at the end of their trips they had many credits left but they didn't care because the dining plan was "free.".

Also with the dining plan, I personally have to be careful how I use it to maximize the value of each credit. We used it during our recent stay. We came out saving $250 at the end but it wasn't easy planning each meal and I had to study the menu very well.

 

[ELSA711]

There have been so many posts and debates about this and I think the answer really is 'no' but it is deeply discounted package. If you eat the way the plan works, I think that is the key.

Our 8night package with hopper tickets was 4791.32 in a preferred room at CBR
I priced an 8night percentage off package with hoppers + dining plan for 6209.87 in a preferred room at CBR

Saving us 1418.55 because we do take hoppers anyway and we do book preferred and we would use the dining plan, because we eat a lot of character meals and at least 1 TS a day.

I will say however, I can't see us doing this much longer as the kids are out growing those meals.

 

[tony67]

Lots of factors here - you really need to figure out both "deals" each time you are planning and decide which is best overall for you.
Sometimes booking room only and adding DDP is a better deal than free dining.

Another factor that is sometimes missed is the least expensive room is not available for free dining, but is available for a discounted room only rate.

I've run into that many times.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

It really depends on the family. It would not be "free" for us. Our vacations costs would go up considerably if we got free dining. We stay off site for less than the cost of a value, eat most meals off site in our rental in order to eat healthy, and we dont do the water parks, so it would be a waste for us. Plus I like to eat how I want to eat, with no pressure to get a dessert just because its included or ordsr the most expensive thing to get my money's worth.

 

[goofyintoronto]

Not sure if this discussion is appropriate for this board. If not, mod, please move it and accept my apology in advance.


So, is Free Dining really free? I found that offer so misleading. Yes the dining plan is free but you have to pay room at rack rate plus adding options like hopper or waterparks.

I have read many posts previously that ppl got "free dining" plan with the promotion and then at the end of their trips they had many credits left but they didn't care because the dining plan was "free.".

Also with the dining plan, I personally have to be careful how I use it to maximize the value of each credit. We used it during our recent stay. We came out saving $250 at the end but it wasn't easy planning each meal and I had to study the menu very well.

The same argument could be made for room discount...its not really a discount because you have to pay for food. Sometimes the free dining is a better deal than a resort discount. All depends where you stay, value or deluxe for example. When i went to disney with my son, we normally stayed at a value resort....so for us, yes the free dining is a MUCH better deal (even when we upgrade from QS to DDP) since we do eat at a restaurant every night, with character meals, and yes we do get dessert normally (not apps, we're not app people). FD for us was a better deal than the room discount. We save A LOT with FD because trust me, my son can eat! We use up all of our credits. Often I'd give him all of my snack credits.

Now that I travel to Disney solo at times (or meet up with a friend there)...I normally pay OOP when I go without my son. Its easier for me. However, if FD is offered I would take it over the room discount (actually I had FD last trip) because after doing the math, its still a good deal than the resort discount. Plus there's peace of mind that my meals are covered. I would never pay for the DP...but I did enjoy the DP when it was free. Had I stayed at a deluxe resort, im guessing the room discount would be a better value. It all depends on the family.

 

[Disneylover99]

It's free cause I don't pay out of pocket for food.
I also buy tickets and add on hopper or water parks anyways.

Right now I'm in a standard room at CSR with free dining. The room cost me $190 a night. I think I could have got 20% off my room with a room only discount. So technically I'm paying roughly $40 per night for my family of four to eat and drink tons of food. Not too shabby!

 

[loves to dive]

Another one it wouldn't be free for. #1 I have an AP so don't need tickets. #2 I've never been when I haven't been able to find some discount somewhere on rooms. #3 we just don't eat the way the plan was designed. We like to have an adult beverage or two if we are eating TS and that is not included. I usually get an appetizer and a salad for my meal to two appetizers, I'm just not a big eater, that is not included. We rarely eat dessert and if we do, it usually a shared one. I don't drink soft drinks and just grab the free water in the parks. There are days we don't eat any organized meals, just grab something like some fruit mid day or just snack all day. We eat what we want when we want. We don't do this to save money and we don't look at prices on the menu, we don't book ADRs in advance since we don't know if we are going to want a big meal that day or not, more often than not I'm booking them on the fly while we are walking around the parks.

 

[scard192]

"Free" not really but depending on your family it could be the best discount. for my family of 3 (all Disney Adults) staying at a Value resort even a 20% RO discount, the most this discount would come to (estimated) is ~ $30/day. I can't feed my family on $30 day so FD is the best discount for us.

the last 2 years the requirement was to add PH; we visit in the Fall when MK closes early for hard ticket events 4 of the 6 nights we are at the parks so I would purchase PH anyway to maximize our park time.

 

[HarleenQ]

I've never understood saying the DP isn't free because you have to pay rack rate. Yeah? That's the cost of the room lol.

My room is $800. I can add the dining plan for no additional cost = free to me.

My room is $800. I can take $150 off with a room discount = discounted room.

Why does paying the cost of the room mean it's not free just because I'm not now getting the room for cheaper? I don't plan with the discounted price when I book.

 

[goofyintoronto]

I've never understood saying the DP isn't free because you have to pay rack rate. Yeah? That's the cost of the room lol.

My room is $800. I can add the dining plan for no additional cost = free to me.

My room is $800. I can take $150 off with a room discount = discounted room.

Why does paying the cost of the room mean it's not free just because I'm not now getting the room for cheaper? I don't plan with the discounted price when I book.

Exactly!!!! Totally agree...that irks me too! Its not free because you have to pay the rack rate?? Um, no. Thats called paying the cost of the room. So technically yes the DP is free. As I said in my previous post, i could easily argue that your room technically isn't discounted because you have to pay for food.

 

[goofyintoronto]

"Free" not really but depending on your family it could be the best discount. for my family of 3 (all Disney Adults) staying at a Value resort even a 20% RO discount, the most this discount would come to (estimated) is ~ $30/day. I can't feed my family on $30 day so FD is the best discount for us.

the last 2 years the requirement was to add PH; we visit in the Fall when MK closes early for hard ticket events 4 of the 6 nights we are at the parks so I would purchase PH anyway to maximize our park time.

Yes, same here. That's how I see it too. I cant feed my family at $30/a day OOP so yes FD is the best deal. Tons of food! And like yourself, I always purchase park hoppers so I would have to add that anyway. Hoppers is crucial in the fall when MK closes at 7pm most nights.

 

[AliceIn]

It depends on your family size, restaurant preferences, and resort level. We are a family of 5, so free dining can be a very good deal for us now that the kids are considered Disney adults. We stay deluxe, and we always do a few buffets, dinner shows and a character meal. If the room discount is less than 35%, free dining is the better deal. An agency exclusive with a big discount 40% or more is cheaper overall than free dining.

A family of 5 in a moderate us going to save a lot more than someone staying deluxe. Free dining for a value resort is a great deal for a family of 4.

 

[chupacabra]

In my opinion its a good deal for free park food that is not really a good deal to begin with and you eat way more than you usually would it feels like. Once you start eating at the higher end dining which is leaps and bounds better you are using 2 credits per meal. Don't forget you are also on the hook for a tip that is comparable to the crazy high prices on the retail priced "free dining". For example I take my daughter to a 1 credit breakfast at akershus and just for the 2 of us the meal was close to 80.00 that's a 15.00 tip minimum and that adds up also. You are also on a disney time frame at the point with all these credits you must use or lose and free dining trips feel more like an eating competition's. Some will say its about convenience and not having to worry about paying for what you eat but if you link a debit card to your magic band and just eat when you get hungry and buy whatever snacks you want I would almost guarantee you would come out better and not feel bloated from having to get "value" from your "free dining". That being said it s a "free" country hahaha do what you like

 

[tobikaye]

Basically, you have to do the math to see if it works for your group. Any time I have been to WDW and there was a FD offer, it never saved me enough money to take it. I always came out ahead with the room discount or gift card offer, especially as I did not eat the way the DP was setup.

 

[party-of-five]

And don't forget to budget the 18% gratuity for table service meals.

 

[ELSA711]

And don't forget to budget the 18% gratuity for table service meals.

Right but if you are doing table service meals daily any way, then you still have to pay tip.

 

[ELSA711]

In my opinion its a good deal for free park food that is not really a good deal to begin with and you eat way more than you usually would it feels like. Once you start eating at the higher end dining which is leaps and bounds better you are using 2 credits per meal. Don't forget you are also on the hook for a tip that is comparable to the crazy high prices on the retail priced "free dining". For example I take my daughter to a 1 credit breakfast at akershus and just for the 2 of us the meal was close to 80.00 that's a 15.00 tip minimum and that adds up also. You are also on a disney time frame at the point with all these credits you must use or lose and free dining trips feel more like an eating competition's. Some will say its about convenience and not having to worry about paying for what you eat but if you link a debit card to your magic band and just eat when you get hungry and buy whatever snacks you want I would almost guarantee you would come out better and not feel bloated from having to get "value" from your "free dining". That being said it s a "free" country hahaha do what you like

I guess that is matter of opinion. We love Epcot restaurants and always find good food for my family at all the parks.

 

[wilkeliza]

It really depends on your traveling style. For instance we don't always buy park hoppers. So having to buy park hoppers is money we wouldn't have spent in order to get free dinning. I also don't often order dessert and instead get something I want later. With the dinning plan i am ordering dessert because it is used and then still buying that snack I really wanted later. It may or may not be a snack credit. So I'm either wasting the food I didn't want to order but was included so picked at or over eating. Then add to that we almost never buy the mugs unless we are right next to the food court. So again an expense that is added that would not usually be there. I also don't order the most expensive thing on the menu every single time. I might want the chicken dish one meal and the steak the next or heck I often only feel like an appetizer while the rest of my party eats their whole meal.

All that says is it doesn't work for me and actually isn't a discount because we are paying for things we won't ultimately use. Now if park hopping, eating the most expensive dish, and utilizing every credit is how you would have traveled with or with out the dinning plan then it may work out for you.

 

[dlavender]

For example I take my daughter to a 1 credit breakfast at akershus and just for the 2 of us the meal was close to 80.00 that's a 15.00 tip minimum and that adds up also.

This is a part of the equation that most people forget to add in.

This is how the math would have worked for us this year, had we booked using Free dining.

6 nights FD at Caribbean package - $4000

6 nights discounted room with tickets (not Park Hopper) - $2600

The costs not in the FD package are those pesky tips. Since we don't normally do a character meal every night, it is an added cost. For a family of 5, that's about a $30 tip each high end character meal. So if we do just 3xs the amount of character meals, about $90 extra on top of what we normally spend.

Since we don't normally do park hoppers, we have to find out if we would spend $1490/6= $248 per day on food, or not. We normally do about 2 character meals per trip, so that's about $200 per meal, so there's $400. Leaving us 10 meals to pay for. That's $109 left per meal. Using QS, or non character meals, we easily beat that, leaving plenty of money for snacks. Our kids are 8,4, and 2. We can get what we want and spend about $60 per meal. That leaves about $400 extra in our pockets, which we could use to buy park hoppers, leaving us an extra ~$80.

Very long, unnecessary breakdown of this one scenario, however, it shows that FD isn't necessarily free. Its basically about the same as the discounted package without it, but you are getting park hoppers. If you don't want them, its not worth it, as you come out ahead ~$400. If you do want them, you basically break even. Now if you spend >$100 per meal anyway, you could get ahead. Depends on your family breakdown and how you eat. Some people like to go ahead and use that $1400 savings up front on the FD, so they don't have to think about it the rest of the trip. I'd contend that it might be just as easy to put that $1400 on a gift card or something, and just swipe that every time. To each their own. FD also "forces" you to eat at better places. Instead of eating QS twice or going off site for dinner, you can go ahead and eat TS at the resort. I get the appeal for some. But I don't see the mega savings as some others do.

 

[MrInfinity]

Not sure if this discussion is appropriate for this board. If not, mod, please move it and accept my apology in advance.


So, is Free Dining really free? I found that offer so misleading. Yes the dining plan is free but you have to pay room at rack rate plus adding options like hopper or waterparks.

I have read many posts previously that ppl got "free dining" plan with the promotion and then at the end of their trips they had many credits left but they didn't care because the dining plan was "free.".

Also with the dining plan, I personally have to be careful how I use it to maximize the value of each credit. We used it during our recent stay. We came out saving $250 at the end but it wasn't easy planning each meal and I had to study the menu very well.

Of course it's not! It's trading one promotion for another. The biggest one is generally that 20% off room rate alternative. So if you get free dining, it'll cost you 20% of your room bill. But, it can still be the better deal, in particular if you have a really good price on your room and/or maximum # of people in the room. The less you're spending on the room, the better a free dining deal is in comparison. And then the more people you have in the room, the better value free dining is.

e.g. if you have 2 people in a room, you only get free meals for 2. But if you have 5, you get free meals for 5. Clearly bigger parties benefit more from free dining because they all get food on the promo.

Free Dining does tend to be a very good promotion if you're at the max room occupancy, so altho not free, it'll usually be the best option.