the "free" $400 dining plan

[markpenske]

Note: This whole post is based on Disney offering the free dining this fall.

Ok, I'm trying to crunch some numbers here. I'm comparing the current disney "room only" special being offered for this fall vs. the fall free dining plan (assuming it will be offered).

Our situation:
2 adults and 1 14 year old.
12 nights at the Coronado
tickets: 10 day non-expiring hoppers.

If we go with the room only special and add the tickets out total is $3495
If we go with the free dining (same tix & same number of nights) our total is $4267, plus $200 in tips = $4467

If we are NOT on the meal plan we normally eat quick service breakfasts & outside the park chains for dinner (Uno's, Outback, House of Blues, McD....) We would spend about $600 total.
So, $600 plus $3495 = $4095 (with room only special) vs $4467 (with free dining).
About a $400 difference. Is it worth it? I dont know. On the dining plan we definately would be eating at nicers places, more fun places, places we normally would not eat, places that we could not afford to eat if paying our self.
Just something to think about.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

Fabulous. You've figured out it doesn't work for your. Me on the other hand:

$195/night for an ASMu Family Suite

At most 25% off for a room only: Save $48.75/night (ooh it'll pay for one QS meal for our family for the day)

Free QSDP value for 2 Adults, 3 Children (ages 9, 6, 4), 1 Infant (age 2.75): $105.95 (and I can upgrade to the regular DDP for an additional $22/night)

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

Note: This whole post is based on Disney offering the free dining this fall.

Ok, I'm trying to crunch some numbers here. I'm comparing the current disney "room only" special being offered for this fall vs. the fall free dining plan (assuming it will be offered).

Our situation:
2 adults and 1 14 year old.
12 nights at the Coronado
tickets: 10 day non-expiring hoppers.

If we go with the room only special and add the tickets out total is $3495
If we go with the free dining (same tix & same number of nights) our total is $4267, plus $200 in tips = $4467

If we are NOT on the meal plan we normally eat quick service breakfasts & outside the park chains for dinner (Uno's, Outback, House of Blues, McD....) We would spend about $600 total.
So, $600 plus $3495 = $4095 (with room only special) vs $4467 (with free dining).
About a $400 difference. Is it worth it? I dont know. On the dining plan we definately would be eating at nicers places, more fun places, places we normally would not eat, places that we could not afford to eat if paying our self.
Just something to think about.

$600 total for 3 people for 12 days? that seems low to me, unless you do all fast food...but you mentioned a few restaurants...so

But your analysis otherwise is spot on, ony you can decide if the $400 (or less if your $600 is off) is worth it. For my family, eating at the TS places is a huge part of the enjoyment of the vacation. So the DP is a no brainer - even at a Deluxe when the room discount is much more valuable than CSR.

Have fun either way!

 

[scribega]

The $600 for 12 nights seem low to me also. I would rethink this, plan out your 12 days and really look hard at what you would do, where you would go and how you would eat. If the real number is $800 then for $200 more you could get the dining plan and eat like kings and have some great dining experiences.

Also, you have to look at other factors. Are you leaving a park, getting in a car and driving to a restaurant outside of the Disney gates just for dinner? How much time does that waste and take away from your day? We also like the prepay factor of the dining plan - one less worry.

 

[markpenske]

$600 total for 3 people for 12 days? that seems low to me, unless you do all fast food...but you mentioned a few restaurants...so

But your analysis otherwise is spot on, ony you can decide if the $400 (or less if your $600 is off) is worth it. For my family, eating at the TS places is a huge part of the enjoyment of the vacation. So the DP is a no brainer - even at a Deluxe when the room discount is much more valuable than CSR.

Have fun either way!

I agree 100%. Dining at Disney is FUN!!!. It makes the trip more enjoyable. It's just when your on a budget you need to look at all options.

 

[Cafeen]

The dining plan is indeed free. There's no need to put quotes around it. Comparing 12 nights + tix (no room discount) vs 12 nights + tix + free dining plan will come out to the same (roughly, there may be slight rounding differences that I'm unaware of). Comparing different packages/discounts and having free dining come out as more costly does not negate the fact that the dining plan is free. (This is a pet peeve of mine, and it's pretty rampant around these parts)

Now, if you (you in the general sense) are not interested in dining at the participating restaurants, then you're (in the specific sense) correct and it's not the way to go. And yes, dining off-site in Orlando can be much cheaper than dining on-site at Disney. It's all about what you want to experience .

As far as "all" the options, and keeping budget in mind, I'd be questioning the choice of No Expiriation tickets in there. Are you planning on leaving enough days unused for a full future trip (or several)? That's pretty much the only way you come out ahead with NE tickets. If you're going to use all (or even all but one or two) the days on this trip, you could save over $600 ($639 + tax to be exact, with 3 adult 10 day hopping NE tickets going for $1587.00 and 3 adult 10 day hopping tickets going for $948.00, plus tax). Now, if you do fall into the circumstances where NE tickets are reasonable, then, by all means, they will save you money on future trips.

I'm assuming that you picked CSR for a reason, but the other Moderates are typically a bit cheaper per night, this swings the difference between Room Discount vs Free Dining a bit more in favor of free dining. Dropping down a level would save even more on dining, even after upgrading the QSDP to DDP. Again though, it's all in how you want your vacation and what you think is best for your family. If you enjoy heading off-site for meals, then it's certainly the way to go . That's why there isn't a single answer for "what's the best deal". (Though, for me it's pretty much a wash between FD and Room Discount, being solo and staying in mods pretty much means I either save ~$45/night on the room, or ~$45/night on the ddp )

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

As far as "all" the options, and keeping budget in mind, I'd be questioning the choice of No Expiriation tickets in there. Are you planning on leaving enough days unused for a full future trip (or several)? That's pretty much the only way you come out ahead with NE tickets. If you're going to use all (or even all but one or two) the days on this trip, you could save over $600 ($639 + tax to be exact, with 3 adult 10 day hopping NE tickets going for $1587.00 and 3 adult 10 day hopping tickets going for $948.00, plus tax). Now, if you do fall into the circumstances where NE tickets are reasonable, then, by all means, they will save you money on future trips.

I totally missed the NE tickets.....now I'm really confused because OP is going for 12 nights. Why do they need NE tickets?

 

[scribega]

Missed the NE too. Get rid of that like PP said and save some money.
10 day non expires are $475. Annual passes are $499. Either drop the NE or get annual passes if you plan on coming back within a year.

If you really want to save money then drop down to a value resort.
12 nights, 10 day hoppers (?) at Pop is $2397.
With free dining at value resorts you have to pay $10 each person for the upgrade to the Regular dining plan so add $360 and then $200 for tips and now you are looking at $2957.

 

[MHSweb79]

Comparing different packages/discounts and having free dining come out as more costly does not negate the fact that the dining plan is free.

When I have to pay AAA $150 MORE to add "free" dining to my package, how do you still consider that free? Now $150 for the dining package (for two of us) may be a discount, but it's certainly not free by any means.

We'll just have to disagree on this one. I'll still add the "quotes" to any of my responses to "free" dining.

As for the OP, do the math and decide what's best for your family. If you enjoy eating off-site, then do that. If you've always wanted to try a bunch of Disney restaurants but balked at the price, then the dining plan may be a good choice this time.

 

[mill4023]

Note: This whole post is based on Disney offering the free dining this fall.

Ok, I'm trying to crunch some numbers here. I'm comparing the current disney "room only" special being offered for this fall vs. the fall free dining plan (assuming it will be offered).

Our situation:
2 adults and 1 14 year old.
12 nights at the Coronado
tickets: 10 day non-expiring hoppers.

If we go with the room only special and add the tickets out total is $3495
If we go with the free dining (same tix & same number of nights) our total is $4267, plus $200 in tips = $4467

If we are NOT on the meal plan we normally eat quick service breakfasts & outside the park chains for dinner (Uno's, Outback, House of Blues, McD....) We would spend about $600 total.
So, $600 plus $3495 = $4095 (with room only special) vs $4467 (with free dining).
About a $400 difference. Is it worth it? I dont know. On the dining plan we definately would be eating at nicers places, more fun places, places we normally would not eat, places that we could not afford to eat if paying our self.
Just something to think about.

If you don't do the dining plan, you're really only going to spend $50 per day on food for 3 people? I guess it's possible if you stuck to fast food only, but you mentioned places like Outback and I would think that would be a $50 meal by itself. For 3 people, even with dining outside the park, I'd estimate at least $75 per day. And if that's accurate, then you're talking about $900 instead of $600.

 

[ccgirl]

When I have to pay AAA $150 MORE to add "free" dining to my package, how do you still consider that free? Now $150 for the dining package (for two of us) may be a discount, but it's certainly not free by any means.

We'll just have to disagree on this one. I'll still add the "quotes" to any of my responses to "free" dining.

As for the OP, do the math and decide what's best for your family. If you enjoy eating off-site, then do that. If you've always wanted to try a bunch of Disney restaurants but balked at the price, then the dining plan may be a good choice this time.

It's free dining upon paying full rack rate.

 

[disneychic2]

Cafeen has it right. It is truly free dining. I can't add much to what pp have already suggested to you for trimming your budget. Hope you find something that helps!

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

When I have to pay AAA $150 MORE to add "free" dining to my package, how do you still consider that free? Now $150 for the dining package (for two of us) may be a discount, but it's certainly not free by any means.

We'll just have to disagree on this one. I'll still add the "quotes" to any of my responses to "free" dining.

As for the OP, do the math and decide what's best for your family. If you enjoy eating off-site, then do that. If you've always wanted to try a bunch of Disney restaurants but balked at the price, then the dining plan may be a good choice this time.

That's because you are giving up your AAA discount for a free dining discount....you can't have both.

 

[mill4023]

When I have to pay AAA $150 MORE to add "free" dining to my package, how do you still consider that free? Now $150 for the dining package (for two of us) may be a discount, but it's certainly not free by any means.

We'll just have to disagree on this one. I'll still add the "quotes" to any of my responses to "free" dining.

As for the OP, do the math and decide what's best for your family. If you enjoy eating off-site, then do that. If you've always wanted to try a bunch of Disney restaurants but balked at the price, then the dining plan may be a good choice this time.

It's free because when you book a package at rack rate, you can add the dining plan for FREE.
The fact that you have can't combine free dining with other discounts doesn't change the fact that it's free.

But it's all semantics. You could say the same thing about buy 1 get 1 free sales. Is it really free? Well, if you buy 1, you pay ZERO for another one. But you can't just walk in and get a free 1. Same thing with the free dining promotion.

Whether you want to call it free or not, it's still the best discount for some people and not for others, depending on on where you are staying, how many people are in your party, etc.

 

[DaniB]

I agree 100%. Dining at Disney is FUN!!!. It makes the trip more enjoyable. It's just when your on a budget you need to look at all options.

If you really want to eat at Disney, then I thought I would point out your math is incorrect. You are not comparing room discount to free dining, because you *left out* the dining cost in one of your scenarios!

If you read through this, your cost (with free dining) would really only be $3,587 (assuming you don't need the "no expiration feature" as it doesn't make sense).

If we go with the free dining (same tix & same number of nights) our total is $4267, plus $200 in tips = $4467

Yes, correct. Your cost is $4,267 before tips. That includes the rack/full room rate for 12 nights, 10-day park hopper non-expiring for 3 adults AND the DDP for free.

If we go with the room only special and add the tickets out total is $3495

This is incorrect. Your true cost is $5,923. You took out the DDP of your scenario. To truly compare free dining versus room discount, you need to add in the cost of paying for the DDP since you opted for the room discount. That includes room discount for 12 nights, 10-day park hoper non-expiring for 3 adults and paying for the DDP.

So in your case it would be $1,656 CHEAPER to pay full room rack & get the DDP free.

What you did was compare free dining versus room discount & OOP dining.

I had to rush out the door but I wanted to add this. If you don't need the "no expiration" on the tickets (it doesn't seem that you do?), then removing it would save you an additional $680. Bringing your trip with free dining price down to $3,587 instead of $4,267.

Ohh, and these prices are all based on water view or preferred room (since that's what my 12 night dates are pulling up). If you get standard instead (if comes available), then your cost will drop again!

 

[ReneeA]

I'm still hung up on feeding your family for $50 a day!

I have a family of 4, and around here (metro Detroit area), it costs me ~$15 a meal at fast food restaurants..and that's ordering a few items off the value menu. I see that you've mentioned some offsite sitdown meals, those cost us around $35 per meal to sit down. Add in snacks, breakfasts, water, etc, and we are way over $50 a day.

Not mention, how are you going to get to the parks, then leave for 2 meals a day? That's tons of travel time to and from the parks and offsite. I would plan to eat at least 1 meal a day in the parks so you don't loose hours of touring time. Meals in the parks = more out of pocket $$$.

Be realistic when you figure out what it is going to cost to feed your family on vacation. We've done WDW with and without the DDP, and I've found that I spend about what the DDP costs per day to feed my family...and that's eating more CS meals that TS meals and being frugal with the snacks.

 

[Jenngoofys]

How are you pricing "free dining" ? that offer expired in December?

 

[MyTwoPrincesses]

Not sure how you'd get by on only $600 for that length of time for your family. Personally, I wouldn't want to spend my vacation eating off of the value menu. I'd feel sick AND sluggish and part of the fun of vacation is eating nice meals. I think free dining sounds like the better deal because I doubt you'd be able to spend less than $1000 on food unless you eat ONLY at places like Taco Bell and Mc Donald's.

 

[kmedina]

Save the money on the no expiration tickets and get the free dining. I cannot see a scenario unless it is all off site fast food eating where three people are eating for $50 a day. If you eat at even one table service restaurant per day (off site or not), you are going to be well over $50 a day. You also need to take into consideration how much you will spend in time and gas traveling to these places. The opportunity cost will be very high if you do it more than once a day.

If you are going back in less than a year, get the annual pass. It is slightly more, but should be a better value. If you are going back in over a year and will have at least three or more days left, you can keep the no expiration option. I would not buy the no expiration option if there were going to be less than three days left on them after this trip. You do not want to still need tickets for your next trip too if you are buying these.

Buying no expiration tickets also prices you out of future package options like free dining. You need to be an annual pass holder or buy tickets with the package to take advantage of those offers.

As others have already mentioned, it is fun, easy and tasty to dine on site. You will enjoy the overall experience more even if the actual cost is slightly higher than offsite dining. The opportunity cost is far too high to make the actual cost savings worth it. When all of the receipts are added together, I think it will be less than $100 rather than the $400 you are predicting. Your outside dining costs are more likely to be over $900 than $600.

 

[DaniB]

How are you pricing "free dining" ? that offer expired in December?

He's basing it on the assumption that Disney *may* bring it back. That's all.

Heck, I've done that for my 2012 and 2013 scenario - LOL