PLEASE- explain to me Free Dining and Rack Rate

[serene56]

Looking to book our vacation and not understanding the term Rack Rate.

If Free Dining is offered we will pay Rack rate for the room

going to stay at Pop Century in early december.

where do you find the rack rates?

how much more of a price does it add to our booking?

 

[Missytara]

Rack rate is the highest rate per room category for that time period. It would be as if you had NO discount at all. No FD, AAA, AP, Room discount, etc.

Since you cannot "stack" discounts, it means that in order to get the discount of free dining, you have to pay full rack rate for the room.

You can find rack rates on the Disney site, this site or allearsnet.com

You have to determine if a room discount or free dining works better for your particular party and level of resort.

Most people find with large families or larger parties, the values and the moderates come out with better pricing with free dining. Smaller parties or solo travelers like myself do better with room discounts. Deluxe resort levels usually come out better with a room discount.

You need to run the numbers with your party with the different discounts and figure out what works best for you.

You can find lots of information on a board (right at the top of this board) - Discount codes and rates board. You can even subscribe to threads where people post the month they are planning on going and information will be posted as far as discounts on that particular thread as soon as it becomes available.

Hope that helps!

 

[ciera321]

Rack rate is the rate you pay if there is NO discount for your room or package. If you go to the Disney website and look at rooms or packages, you'll get the rack rate. If you look under special offers, you will find some special rates, sometimes including free dining or a discounted room rate. Free dining is the dining plan added to your room package. Free dining, for us and many others, saves more than a room discount rate which takes a percentage off the rack rate of the cost of your room. Hope that helps...

 

[serene56]

This is for 2013


do you know why Dec 13th starts peak season?

the holidays are still two weeks away

 

[Missytara]

This is for 2013


do you know why Dec 13th starts peak season?

the holidays are still two weeks away

Peak season is different from holiday season.

The holiday season starts December 20th; peak season starts December 13th - that is like a "ramp up" to a holiday season. It is not when the resorts/parks are the most crowded, but they are starting to ramp up bookings for resorts as it gets closer to the actual holiday period. They know they charge a bit more for it; supply and demand.

It is similar around other holidays like Easter/Spring break.

 

[serene56]

thank you for all your help

 

[TDC Nala]

Rack rate, as noted, is the full, non-discounted price for a resort room.

Disney offers various discounts on that rate, of which free dining is one. Free dining means you pay full rate for the room and they give you a dining plan (if you stay at Pop it will be the quick service dining plan) for your stay. It may or may not be the best discount for your party. Disney almost always offers multiple discount types for any given period (many are for a certain percentage off the room rack rates, but they can also throw in discounts like free dining, buy three nights get two free, or targeted discounts like for military.) Each offer will have different parameters. For some, like free dining, you have to buy a package reservation and park tickets.

 

[DebbieB]

Mousesavers has nice charts. Peak season in mid December is new for 2013. I always thought it was slow up to the 19th or 20th.

2012: http://www.mousesavers.com/2012-walt-disney-world-resort-room-rates-season-dates/
2013: http://www.mousesavers.com/2013-walt-disney-world-resort-room-rates-season-dates/

 

[canopynut66]

go on line and check rate per night of room your looking at and then if a whopping 15 or 20% discount is offered see what that is then figure what would cost you to eat for your trip and all who are with you and include snacks then decide what is best for your family. to us has always been to take the FD and we have stayed all over in last 65 trips and have been in values last several years. they offer the QS and we upgrade to where you get the TS and CS and snack and even with the upgrade charge is still better price than any discount offered on a room.