Room Only or Dining Package?

[scanne]

I'm thinking of booking a trip for next summer and paying it off before we ever get there. I've never done that before b/c DH's thought is, "Why give Disney our money when we can hold on to it and earn interest?" But I don't agree, so I'm thinking of trying it my way this time.

So I priced out POFQ, standard room. Rack rate, room only, was about $1500 for 9 nights. A package that includes 10 day MYW tix with the park hopper option plus the dining plan came in at $3000. This is for me, DH and DS3. Now we usually spend about $1500 cash on our trips (sometimes more ), but the package rate sounded pretty darn good to me. I emailed my DU agent about a discount on the package and the only way I could do that would be directly through AAA. DU can get me a AAA rate on the room only, but not the package.

So I guess I was wondering what you think? I am getting ripped off with the package? The only time I paid rack rate was on my honeymoon when I stayed 11 nights in a LV room at the GF. We had the unlimited park hoppers back then, and that trip, before food, was over $5000. YKES! Was I CRAZY?!?!?

So, to me, the dining package seems like a "deal." What do you guys think? DH and I are still on the fence about renewing our AP's when they're up in October...

Thanks for your input!

 

[WDWBetsy]

If you're interested in the dining plan, I personally think it's a deal. The way I look at it, the $35 per adult/per night basically pays for your table service meal (and then some!), and then the counter service meal and snack are free. If you have kids, I think it's a steal for $10 per child per night. You can look at some of the menus on www.allearsnet.com and see what you would choose and that will help you decide if the dining plan is for you.

If you have AAA, call your local AAA travel agency and you can get a discount off the room portion of your package. Or you can also go through any other state's AAA travel agency (I can recommend a wonderful one in South Carolina!). Staying at POFQ, you can save 15-20% depending on the season.

While I love having control over my reservations, I really wanted the dining plan AND the AAA discount. Every little bit of $$$ saved helps - we're saving $233 at AKL. Plus I now have an awesome AAA agent who is friendly, knowledgeable, and accessible.

 

[WDWBetsy]

Also - I don't know when you were going, but I calculated a package total of approx. $2,804 for 10/14/06 for 9 nights, 2 adults, 1 child, standard room at POFQ with 10-Day Magic Your Way with Park Hopper option and the dining plan. That's a decent savings!

 

[JELBoggio]

After much consideration, and also after reading some of these board messages for advice, we just booked the MYW plus dining package through AAA (I live in NJ too, but booked it with a wonderful South Carolina AAA agency like the other poster ). We are getting a savings of about $350 by booking through AAA. I think the dining plan will end up saving us money, especially since I have two kids on the plan with me and my DH.

 

[henrylovespooh]

I'm a huge fan of the dining plan. We used it last February and came out about $300 ahead. It was especially great for our 3 year old son. He shared many meals with his 2 year old sister so we rarely had to buy her a meal.

I highly recommend it. When you are thinking about where to eat, I recommend Kona Cafe in the Poly, Boma in the Animal Kingdom Lodge, and CRT for dinner. All three were great values on the plan. Our bill for three at dinner at Kona was $109 and we paid $85 that day on the plan.

 

[samefay]

Would really like the phone number to the SC agency. The one here in MD wasn't that knowledgeable when it came to the plans.
My e-mail is samefay@aol.com

Thanks!

 

[JELBoggio]

Would really like the phone number to the SC agency. The one here in MD wasn't that knowledgeable when it came to the plans.
My e-mail is samefay@aol.com

Thanks!

Just sent it to your email! Good luck!