Poly GV w/free dining or GF GV with code?

[DeeCeeSW]

Hi all,
Just when I thought I was set with my plans!!!

Only 2 weeks left before the balance is due on my Poly GV ressie with free dining and then the summer code comes out!!!!

GF has garden views for $300 a night with the code and after purchasing tix on my own, I would save $300 over my Poly ressie with free dining. I will probably spend more than $300 on dining, HOWEVER, the cost of a GF GV room with free dining was $400 ABOVE the Poly ressie I have, so technically, as long as I spend less than $700 on food for the week, I will have saved with the BUK code.

SO...am I a fool to cancel free dining and staying at the Poly in order to experience the GF for the first time?

Oh, and we're celebrating a wedding anniversary on this trip.

Advice needed and greatly appreciated!!!!

 

[TammiMcMan]

Actually, a food budget of $100 a day is not that much. If you ate dinner each night at a signature restaurant, where entrees average $35 a plate, it's pretty darn easy to hit $100 on one meal, let alone three and some snacks. You might want to take a look through the menus at Allears and come up with what you think would be a realistic food budget. That will probably help you with your decision. Realistically, you'll eat much better with free dining, but if the GF is someplace you've always wanted to try, then it may need to be more counter service and middle of the road restaurants instead to offset the price difference.

 

[DeeCeeSW]

Realistically, you'll eat much better with free dining, but if the GF is someplace you've always wanted to try, then it may need to be more counter service and middle of the road restaurants instead to offset the price difference.

Thanks for your response. Yes, I am certain we would eat better with free dining! Paying OOP will definitely have us altering our current dining plan. We're ok with counter service with a few good dinners thrown in. We won't change CG for the anniversary dinner (the one upscale dinner we have planned). We'll want to keep Coral Reef (our first time there) and 'Ohana and Kona. DH and I tend to skip breakfast (and it's not included in the DDP anyway) and we also tend to keep snacking to a minimum. The deluxes have a fridge so we'd plan a trip to Winn Dixie.

I guess my real question is if it's worth it to give the GF garden view a try over the Poly GV?

 

[TammiMcMan]

I guess my real question is if it's worth it to give the GF garden view a try over the Poly GV?

Considering most things are equal with the resort, other than the GF having a hot tub and the Poly doesn't, I'd say it's just a question of whether or not you like the theme. The GF is currently undergoing room rehabs, which should be finished up sometime in December. From the sounds of it, they are taking down a building at a time, so you probably won't be bothered by noise too much. Personally, I like the GF's theme more than the Poly, but that's just me. They're both very romantic in different ways. I love going into the main building of the GF and having a drink while we listen to the Orchestra play Disney tunes. There's also a piano player in the lobby during the late afternoon.

If I had to choose, I'd go with the GF and request a room in the Sago Cay building. It's one of my favorites, nice and quiet and you can ask for a marina view as part of the garden view level.

 

[kelscross]

I was thinking the same thing before free dining came out. However, by looking at the menus at Deb's site and knowing where we usually eat (this is our first time with dining...free or not) I'm saving over 1200 on this trip with the free dining. Even with the codes I would not have saved that much.

 

[chasgoose]

The deluxes have a fridge so we'd plan a trip to Winn Dixie.

I guess my real question is if it's worth it to give the GF garden view a try over the Poly GV?

I could be wrong, but I am pretty sure the fridges at the GF aren't empty as they are minibars stocked with candy bars and drinks.

That said, I think you should go with the GF. You are getting a great deal with the room and even if it costs a little more than the Poly because of adding the cost of the dining, you are still probably getting a better deal. Out of curiosity, is it possible to add the DDP to your room at the GF with the code? If I am right in assuming that you only have two people going on your trip, then it only costs about $80 per day to add the dining plan (people get all obsessed about free dining, but if you think about it, it is only $38.99 per person per day. Nothing to sneeze at, but its not worth the frenzy that it creates.). You would still be spending less than $100 per day and you would get to stay at the GF, which IMHO is nicer than the Poly.

 

[TammiMcMan]

I could be wrong, but I am pretty sure the fridges at the GF aren't empty as they are minibars stocked with candy bars and drinks.

The rooms do come with minibars pre-stocked, but you can also request an empty fridge at no charge. They're in the process of rehabbing the rooms and there may be a chance that the fridge will be standard now.

 

[DeeCeeSW]

Out of curiosity, is it possible to add the DDP to your room at the GF with the code? If I am right in assuming that you only have two people going on your trip, then it only costs about $80 per day to add the dining plan (people get all obsessed about free dining, but if you think about it, it is only $38.99 per person per day. Nothing to sneeze at, but its not worth the frenzy that it creates.). You would still be spending less than $100 per day and you would get to stay at the GF, which IMHO is nicer than the Poly.

There are actually three of us (one child). After reading Tammi's posts and thinking about where we like to eat, I realize that it is super easy to spend AT LEAST $100 a day with lunch and dinner. This being the case, it actually is more cost effective for us to stick with the Poly. You cannot combine the two programs (free dining and the code).

The GF was an option we had early on when the free dining program came out and it would have cost us close to $3800 for the week. Even with the code, after buying tickets and factoring in food, we realize it would come out to be just about the same (maybe $100 less). This is not what we wanted, and so we would have booked the GF then.

Maybe we would see savings if the Poly GV came up under the code (sold out as of yesterday). Oh well!

Thanks for your responses. Looks like we'll be sticking with the Poly (which isn't a bad thing at all).