Just got Free Dining e-mail- could we/should we?

[Frannie115]

We booked our June trip (5 nights) with Small World Vacations and got a 20% discount on a couple of the days at CBR. I was also going to get park tickets through UT. There are 4 of us. I believe total savings would be around $360.

I just received an e-mail from Disney that they are offering free quick service dining during our stay. Could we take advantage of this offer and should we? We do tend to spend a lot of $ on food and feel like this may be worth it. We have never done Disney dining.

 

[djblu883]

for the money you are saving you could stay 2 more days!!! lol

 

[sk!mom]

We just booked free dining with a code for early August- Wilderness lodge.

Could we go cheaper? absolutely! but this is a short trip, DH would want to stay Deluxe anyway, and we always eat at least one TS a day. We've always wanted to get free dining so we'll take it. We're splitting our week between WDW and Harry Potter (Hard Rock).

I don't think that I would do it for the QS plan. I'd either consider upgrading the plan or I'd keep your room discount. Run the numbers and see which is better.

 

[DaniB]

Yes, the only way to know which one will save you more money is to run the numbers.

You already know the cost of your current booking with the room discount.

Phone your TA and ask them what the package would cost if you were to apply the FD instead. See which package is cheaper.

You can also upgrade the QSDP to DDP for an additional $11 per adult, and I think $2 a child.

 

[Frannie115]

I'm having our agent run the numbers for me. May be a good idea to upgrade to DDP also.

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Shmily1]

Depending on what foods your family likes and the time you want to spend dining, the free dining is usually a good deal. Be sure to check out the menus that are available here on the dining tab at the top of the page or on Disney's dining reservation site. For us, the dining, even when we are buying it, is usually a good deal and I love that everything is paid for way before time for me to go and I don't have to think about it again.

 

[dixonismydog]

I'm having our agent run the numbers for me. May be a good idea to upgrade to DDP also.

Thanks for the suggestions.

That's exactly what we did....upgrade for $13 per day adult and $3 per day child......for us it was a no brainer. We don't eat out a lot so a TS meal at Disney is exciting for us! PLUS we always need a break to cool off and discuss what we have enjoyed about our day so far.....and what we still want to do!

 

[58cognac]

Our first trip we did the "free" dining but upgraded it to get TS's for Crystal Palace breakfast, Le Cellier and the Royal Table(we have 2 girls ) My 11yr old can eat like a 15yr old boy so if I had a pin for free dining this time, I'd probably do it again! Just depends on the numbers

 

[Marionnette]

Congrats on getting a PIN!

If it was an email PIN then there should be a link that you can click thru to check rates right online. Of course, if you already have a reservation thru a TA, you will still need to use them to make the change but at least you can get an idea of whether the Free Dining will save you money ahead of time.

 

[LookinUp]

We've had free DDP and loved the TS breaks, too. So relaxing & cooling, not to mention the great food itself. But when running the numbers, don't forget to factor in the cost of tips for TS (including buffets), in addition to the extra $13/person/day. We found it worth it, but it might not be for everyone.
Also, I found that some QS locations will accept TS credits for days when you don't want to spend the time or $$ on TS. Great on those days when I go commando and try to see & do everything in that park in one day.

 

[Frannie115]

Congrats on getting a PIN!

If it was an email PIN then there should be a link that you can click thru to check rates right online. Of course, if you already have a reservation thru a TA, you will still need to use them to make the change but at least you can get an idea of whether the Free Dining will save you money ahead of time.

It was an email PIN. The funny thing is I didn't know it until my agent asked me for the PIN # . Now I feel special. It's the first one I've ever gotten .

We're leaning towards the QS dining. Our kids are older and would rather eat quick and keep going. Maybe DH and I can get away for a quiet meal one day

 

[SandrA9810]

Breakfast platter are huge at the Quick Service and still count as only one meal, plus you get a side item (anything that counts as a snack, such as fruit bowls, milk/oj, and that sort of thing). If you've got slightly more than the munchies mid-day, just get a kid's meal in the parks. They used to allow pretty much any item up to $4, so you could buy a full size bag of potato chips at the resort, but now it's down to a single serving size.

If you do wind up taking a night away from the kids, don't forget to use up the extra two credits. You can use any number of credits each time. They just load up 2 x 4 (people) x 5 (nights) = 40 meal credits. With the dining plan, you're looking at about $8-$12 worth of food per credit. Or about $480 worth of food (if your kids are above the age of 9).