Should I change to free dining? Large Family!

[mollytn75]

Hi there,

I think I am really overthinking this but advice would be most appreciated. In the past I always have done the DDP because it was free and made sense when our family was much smaller. Now that I am weighing the options for a family of SEVEN (actually 8, but we are leaving baby with nana/papa ) - I am not sure about DDP.

We have me, DH, DD 13, DD 11, DS 10, DS 8, and DS 7. So five of the seven are going to considered adults everywhere we dine. We are going 8/31 to 9/5. Right now we have booked two connecting rooms at CSR.

Total for two rooms: $1,323.02
Plus 4 Day Base: $1,619.66
Total Cost: $2,942.68 No Meals

If I switch to the free dining promo and 4 day base tickets the cost is $3,803.03.

The package adds on +860.35.

With 5 "adults" I think we are going to go through 860.35 pretty quickly? I quickly added up the meals I know for sure we would do regardless like Crystal Palace lunch, Biergarden dinner, Chef Mickeys the day we leave etc. I am just a little nervous because the kids might be a little overwhelemed by the adult meal selections (picky), etc.

This is a no brainer right?! Also I am know I knew this before, but we are arriving late on Day 1, we can use all those credits the remainder of our stay correct?

TIA!!!!

Molly

 

[Gr8t Fan]

I'd definitely switch to FD because, as you said, you'll eat through $860 in no time.

And you can use your credits as you wish, so you definitely won't lose out on a day's credits because you're arriving late.

 

[donnaf516]

Grab the free dining if you plan on doing some TS meals.

 

[JuneCleaver]

When you do the math, would you spend less than $24 per person per day on food?

Take your $860.35 and divide it by 5 nights and then by 7 people and you get $24.58 a person per night of stay.

Looks to me like switching to free dining might save you some significant money.

 

[gigi1313]

just an FYI, the disney "adult" children are not restricted to the adult choices... they can opt to order off the kids' menu (and for big eaters ask for an adult portion of said item)... we've had success w/this in the past

 

[havoc315]

With 5 "adults" I think we are going to go through 860.35 pretty quickly?

It really depends where you eat, what you order. At the buffets, you will need to pay adult prices for the kids. But at regular TS restaurants, the kids could still share meals, order off the kids menu, etc. And when you dine, do you order dessert? Do you order expensive entrees?

And will free dining cover all your food? In other words.. Instead of 5 CS meals and 5 TS meals.. Would you rather have 6 TS meals? Or 6 CS meals? In which case, you need to factor in extra OOP costs, versus any value you may be skipping out of the ddp. V

I suspect you would get your money worth out of ddp, but it really isn't a "no brainer."

 

[lovesdumbo]

The 3 meals you have listed (I assume Chef Mickey's is breakfast) would cost you $573.81. For an extra $286.54 you would get 2 more TS meals, 5 CS meals and 5 snacks.

 

[Sunnywho]

Don't forget to plan for the cost of tips on all the meals, automatic 18% gratuity added for parties of 6 and over.

The counter-service plan might be a no-brainer but the DDP does start adding up on the tips and ties you down to all the reservation times.

I would still go for it but those could be the negatives!

 

[stepdisney]

I would change to the free DDP in a New York minute. I am assuming that you had a room discount for the 2 rooms which is why it added the $800 + right? The room prices are constant no matter how many people are going to be there (except, of course, for the discounts applied). The meals are per person per day, per meal. With a large family, I would choose the dining plan every time. JMHO.

 

[basketlacey]

I would definitely switch to free dining. We went last year with 3 kids - 2 Disney "adults". After our first meal where we ordered 4 adult and 1 kid entree, we realized it was WAY too much food. So for the remaining meals, we split. It allowed us to have enough credits for another TS later. I would expect with the age of your kids, you could work it that way too.

 

[ShellyLynn3630]

Don't forget to plan for the cost of tips on all the meals, automatic 18% gratuity added for parties of 6 and over.

The counter-service plan might be a no-brainer but the DDP does start adding up on the tips and ties you down to all the reservation times.

I would still go for it but those could be the negatives!

Split the group up into two parties. I will never give an 18% tip at an buffet.

 

[mwatson011]

Split the group up into two parties. I will never give an 18% tip at an buffet.

It will be hard to split up mom, dad, and 5 kiddos, so they will probably be stuck with the 18%. However, they will be stuck with that 18% whether they use the dining plan or not.

We were in a similar predicament, and comparing the oop cost to the price difference to add the free dining, it was a no-brainer. You stated it would be $860 to cover one CS, one TS, and one snack per night per person. Figure it backwards if you are truly questioning whether you can eat for less. You are talking 5A, 2C if on the DDP, so:

5 QS/Night * 5 Nights = 25 QS
2 Kid QS/Night * 5 Nights = 10 Kid QS

5 TS/ Night * 5 Nights = 25 TS
2 Kid TS/Night * 5 Nights = 10 Kid TS

7 Snack/Night * 5 Nights = 35 Snacks

We can immediately price the kids QS @ $5 each and the kids TS @ $8 each. This is for estimating purposes only, and is the LEAST you are going to pay. Please note that kid TS buffets are usually double this price.

10 Kid QS @ $5 each = $50
10 Kid TS @ $8 each = $80

Snacks we will assume are $2.50 each. I think that is what a bottle of water costs, and that is pretty much the absolute cheapest option - again, we are lowballing it here...

35 Snacks @ $2.50 each = $87.50

We are going to estimate the adult QS at $12. This is a conservative number that takes into account that you all may not want dessert with every meal, even though you are entitled on the DDP. We do not want to overestimate here.

25 QS @ $12 each = $300

So, let's add what we already have:

50 + 80 + 87.50 + 300 = $517.50

Back to the original $860:

If you take out the very conservative, not inflated prices we already determined, you are at:

$860 - 517.50 = $342.50

That means for $342.50 you have 25 adult TS credits, which averages out to $13.70 each. Meaning if you never order beverages and never order dessert, which you are always entitled to at every meal on the DDP, you will still come out ahead, because it is hard to find a TS entree this low priced.

And, it is my guess, forgive me if I am wrong here, that having such a large family has maybe made you a little more frugal, meaning if you are paying OOP there would be less indulgence (snacks, desserts, higher priced menu items) than if on the plan.

I say any which way you look at it, opt for the free dining!

...oh, and isn't there a photopass included in the FD package this time? If that is included in the $860 difference, there is another $100 in value added.

 

[su_A_ve]

I think the photopass book is one per room - so that would be $200

 

[SnipsNSnails]

Yes, $860 for your meals + 2 photobooks! If you take those at face value (even though they are NOT worth $100 IMO) but if you do, that's $660 for the dining so about $19 per person per day. A great deal IMO.

 

[wacowgirl]

I have to agree with everyone above me- go for free dining! Look at the menus here and see what you believe your party would eat and then go from there if you think it's a great deal for you or not.

I did the dining when it was only DS (was 15 then) and myself back in '08- got free dining. I knew that we'd be ordering expensive items on the menus since we usually don't get to do that back home (single mom back then and lack of $$). It was nice not having to worry about prices and get to enjoy what we were eating.