January 2014 discount watch!!

[CdnCarrie]

Free Dining is almost NEVER a better option than room only or SPD.

How do you figure that? For our family of 4 with free dining we would save $800. With a discount on Pop, where we are staying, $180 with 30% off.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

How do you figure that? For our family of 4 with free dining we would save $800. With a discount on Pop, where we are staying, $180 with 30% off.

It depends on the composition of your family and where you're staying. If you're staying in a value, it's not necessarily relevant.

 

[aaarcher86]

I have a question. Not sure if anyone can answer. This is our first time taking my son (for his 3rd birthday) and our first time every staying on site. We are planning on staying in a value and I am trying to crunch the numbers to get the best deal. We are Florida residents so, we get cheaper tickets (cheaper than the child prices for S/P/D) and I am wondering if I can get one ticket for the package and then purchase the rest with the Florida resident discount? My son will turn 3 while we are at Disney so, he will be free food and ticket-wise. Just trying to figure all this out before the discounts are released.

Nevermind, I ran the numbers and that wouldn't help us anyway!

The minimum is a 2 day ticket per person. Probably washes away any savings you might get but still look at the numbers.

ETA: caught your edit too late!

 

[FirstTimertoDiz]

What is the minimum ticket requirement to book the s/p/d deal? Does it automatically default to the total number of nights you are staying? (8 nights in our case.)

 

[aaarcher86]

What is the minimum ticket requirement to book the s/p/d deal? Does it automatically default to the total number of nights you are staying? (8 nights in our case.)

2 days is the minimum. The dining plan is attached to the number of nights though.

 

[CdnCarrie]

It depends on the composition of your family and where you're staying. If you're staying in a value, it's not necessarily relevant.

Maybe you should say that in your post then rather than a blanket statement which is untrue. Perhaps along the lines of - "sometimes a room discount is a better deal depending on your family and resort".

I would edit your other post as you may confuse newcomers to WDW.

 

[kimmmbers]

There is no Free dining for Jan-March 2014. Its P/S/D.
the dates for the above (& RO discounts..with the exception of the blackout days) Will be

January 5, 2014 – March 2, 2014
March 16, 2014 – April 12, 2014

The R.O will be the following
35% off at select Deluxe Villas, 30% off at Moderate, and 25% off at Value.

We already have a reservation for BLT theme park view 1 BR. When I check availability, it looks like all similar rooms are booked. Will I not be able to change to p/s/d for a theme park view since they are all booked?

 

[aaarcher86]

We already have a reservation for BLT theme park view 1 BR. When I check availability, it looks like all similar rooms are booked. Will I not be able to change to p/s/d for a theme park view since they are all booked?

No one can know that until the offer comes out. They do release them to fill rooms so its possible.

 

[vacation_junkie]

2 days is the minimum. The dining plan is attached to the number of nights though.

as far as I know..its a 1 day park ticket.

 

[mandarose210]

I called today to ask what some changes we want to make to our reservation would do to our total cost. I also asked about discounts and upcoming specials. The rep I talked to said to look out in early October. Best news I got all day

 

[Corjack]

as far as I know..its a 1 day park ticket.

The S/P/D is adults at kid prices or kids 3-9 free?

 

[pittsburghmom]

The S/P/D is adults at kid prices or kids 3-9 free?

Both adults and kids pay child's prices for park tickets and the dining plan. Kids (except under 3yrs) are not free. Rooms are rack rate. HTH.

 

[aaarcher86]

as far as I know..its a 1 day park ticket.

For a PIF dining reservation it's 1 day park ticket minimum. For Free Dining and SPD the minimum ticket requirement is 2 days as far as I know from when I put it on last year.

 

[Kallie724]

Ok then if it's one day for a regular dining plan can I make a reservation for Jan 2-5 with 1 day ticket and pay the reg dining plan for those nights and then another reservation for the 5-9 with the rest of our tickets and that dining plan with the S/P/D offer?

If I do it like that can I access the tickets for the 5-9 before the 5th? We would need a total of 7 day tickets. If I put 1 day on my first reservation and the 6 on my other reservation I would need to access some of those 6 before my 5-9 reservation started.

Does this make sense? LOL I hate a deal coming in the middle of our stay but at least we can save something.

 

[aaarcher86]

Ok then if it's one day for a regular dining plan can I make a reservation for Jan 2-5 with 1 day ticket and pay the reg dining plan for those nights and then another reservation for the 5-9 with the rest of our tickets and that dining plan with the S/P/D offer?

If I do it like that can I access the tickets for the 5-9 before the 5th? We would need a total of 7 day tickets. If I put 1 day on my first reservation and the 6 on my other reservation I would need to access some of those 6 before my 5-9 reservation started.

Does this make sense? LOL I hate a deal coming in the middle of our stay but at least we can save something.

It makes sense You'd be able to get your second set of park tickets from a GS location up to 3 days before your package starts. BUT I'd run the numbers. Adding a 1 day ticket is much more expensive then booking 7 tickets all together. Most people do a room only reservation for the 1 night and pick up ALL of their tickets from the package early instead of splitting it out because of the cost savings.

The money you save by adding a 7th ticket versus buying a 1 day ticket would pay for your meals for the first night before your package starts!

 

[Lizziejane]

being the OCD type, I did a spreadsheet and figured it all out, every possible way.

We are staying at BWV, 5 adults, one toddler. Free dining would save us the most;

a 35% room only discount comes in a very close second and would likely save us more because if we pay for food as we go, I doubt we'd spend as much as the dining plan costs.

S/P/D would cost us $300 more than a room only discount.

A discount that requires purchasing tickets would likely really mess us up IF the effective date is January 5, as has been suggested here on the boards. We'd have to split our reservation into two, therefore we'd have to buy 2 sets of tickets, so there goes our savings.

So possibly, the room only deal would be the absolute best we could hope for.

We're looking at about $2,000 savings, give or take a few hundred, so needless to say, I'm sitting on the edge of my chair for the next few weeks!

 

[Cobern]

being the OCD type, I did a spreadsheet and figured it all out, every possible way.

We are staying at BWV, 5 adults, one toddler. Free dining would save us the most;

a 35% room only discount comes in a very close second and would likely save us more because if we pay for food as we go, I doubt we'd spend as much as the dining plan costs.

S/P/D would cost us $300 more than a room only discount.

A discount that requires purchasing tickets would likely really mess us up IF the effective date is January 5, as has been suggested here on the boards. We'd have to split our reservation into two, therefore we'd have to buy 2 sets of tickets, so there goes our savings.

So possibly, the room only deal would be the absolute best we could hope for.

We're looking at about $2,000 savings, give or take a few hundred, so needless to say, I'm sitting on the edge of my chair for the next few weeks!

You are in the same boat as us. 4 adults, 1 child and 1 under 3 in a 2br at BLT. So hoping for a room discount!!

 

[Lizziejane]

Ok then if it's one day for a regular dining plan can I make a reservation for Jan 2-5 with 1 day ticket and pay the reg dining plan for those nights and then another reservation for the 5-9 with the rest of our tickets and that dining plan with the S/P/D offer?

If I do it like that can I access the tickets for the 5-9 before the 5th? We would need a total of 7 day tickets. If I put 1 day on my first reservation and the 6 on my other reservation I would need to access some of those 6 before my 5-9 reservation started.

Does this make sense? LOL I hate a deal coming in the middle of our stay but at least we can save something.

I could be wrong, but I think this is where it gets tricky. You'd have to buy a ticket to cover the first half; then another set of tickets to be eligible for a s/p/d discount for the second half. And seeing as how Day one on a ticket is the major expense, would you save much at all?

 

[Tinkerbellsmomma]

Anyone post release date?

 

[Kallie724]

being the OCD type, I did a spreadsheet and figured it all out, every possible way.

We are staying at BWV, 5 adults, one toddler. Free dining would save us the most;

a 35% room only discount comes in a very close second and would likely save us more because if we pay for food as we go, I doubt we'd spend as much as the dining plan costs.

S/P/D would cost us $300 more than a room only discount.

A discount that requires purchasing tickets would likely really mess us up IF the effective date is January 5, as has been suggested here on the boards. We'd have to split our reservation into two, therefore we'd have to buy 2 sets of tickets, so there goes our savings.

So possibly, the room only deal would be the absolute best we could hope for.

We're looking at about $2,000 savings, give or take a few hundred, so needless to say, I'm sitting on the edge of my chair for the next few weeks!

Can you send me that spreadsheet please? LOL

I'm trying to figure mine up as well and am having to do a split stay, so I'm trying to see if it's worth it.

We are in the same boat 3 adults 1 child but we are staying at POR. We have to have to the dining plan because we do character meals a lot so for us it comes out cheaper. So what I'm looking at is that we would have to pay the one ticket for our first reservation in order for us to pay the dining plan for that part. We are arriving on the 2nd so that would be 3 days of no dining if we did a room only reservation we have big meals planned. Why can't they just start in on the 2nd like it's always been