True Cost of 'Free" Dining

[PureTcrazy]

We have a group of eleven staying 5 nights at PC. I figure the difference in the code rate and rack rate is $15 per night per room, $45 per day divided between eleven of us works out to about $4 each per day. I think I will definitely eat my $4 worth!

 

[kc&dmom]

We are a great example of a family making out on free dining. Our family of 5 is staying at POR with DD 10, DD 8, DS 7. A $45 room only discount would be of very little help. The best part of free dining--taking our DD-10 to a character meal and have her deciding to eat nothing but jello; this trip I won't be ill when the bill comes!!

Our trip for 8 nights, nine days with PH came to $2438.56. Throw in DH's airline miles for plane tickets and car rental and we made out like BANDITS!!! I figure the incidentals of airport parking, misc. taxes from airline miles, and cocktails we are easily under $3,000 for our "all-inclusive" trip. Thank you Disney!!

 

[grgich]

I guess it all depends on what your family's needs/wants are. I think that chosing a deluxe during "free dining" is worth it to us.

We are a family of 5; kids are 13, 11 and 10, so all considered adults on the DDP. We require a room for 5, so the only moderate that could "possibly" work would be POR or we'd require 2 rooms at a value. My family has stayed at POR before, and it's not "high" up on my "want to do again" list because of the outside entrance doors, the air conditioner on the front wall, and the trundle. I've never stayed in a value, and really have no desire to stay in a value actually.

So, for us, we felt that the free dining with a deluxe was worth it. The rack rate for YC is $305. The cost for 5 adults on DDP is $190, so I see it as getting a Disney deluxe room for $115/night.

The code that would apply to a room only would be $75 off per night, bringing the cost of the room to $230/night. We would still need to eat, and I don't think that an estimate of $30/person/day is an unreasonable estimate (even if you don't use the dining plan). So $150 for food/day for the 5 of us + $230 for the room per night, ends up being $480/night, which is more than the $305 we are paying. I also compared to the AAA rate, which would be $244/night - again not as cost-effective as the DDP for my family.

I also looked at the YC when it was $189/night, but again, feeding my family of 5 at the cost of $150/day, the total would be $339. I guess we could possibly cut back on food and do more counter-service, and make it work out to $305/night ($23.20/person/day for food), but considering that a character breakfast costs $18.99/person, we'd maybe do one TS meal for the entire week! With the way we plan to use our credits, we'll be able to have TS every night and one character breakfast on the plan.

I guess I just wanted to give another side to the "makes absolutely no sense at the deluxes" statement.......

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Hi y'all!!

Lots of opinions here. I love opinions, that is where I get mine from.

It is all in what you want and who you are as to what anything is worth to you.

I live in a huge 18 room house that I care for myself and believe me I truly do enjoy a small Value resort room. I am not in it long enough to feel cramped and enjoy the freedom of being without 'stuff'. I am too crippled up to get in and out of jacuzzi even if I wanted to.

As far as having to buy the one day tickets it is a wash for us as I will just use ours to pay toward our next AP's for next year so it will neither cost us or save us money.

The more people you have to a room the more bucks you save on the DP so if you have enough people you COULD make out on the free dining although not as much as if you stayed at a Value. However, if you are miserable at a Value it would not be worth saving a few more bucks. Go with whatever makes ya happy!! Same goes for eating stuff you do not want just so you can make out like a 'pirate' on the Dining Plan.

bstnsprts, I would love more info on the Celebration Suites including prices and such. Also, is there a way to get from Celebration to WDW without going out on the dreaded interstates? I have seen Celebration rooms available on the AF vacation club thing where you can get rooms for about $240 a week or so.

punkin, I would hire you as my accountant any old time. I told my hubby that if they had this deal in the winter it would pay to close up our huge house and stay all winter long at DW but alas they do not.

Slightly Goofy

 

[KellyFam]

The cost goes down for the value and the mods, because during some of that time it is still regular season for them. If you booked the free dining, the rack rate of the room was that of the value season. Since alot of the deluxes are already in value season then, there is no break in the cost.

 

[poohluv2u]

We payed $868.86 for 5 nights
2A Pop Century with Dining Plan

I just checked at Disney for the same exact trip and they are asking
$878.92 with no Dining Plan

OR

If we used rack rate ($79) with Code for $15 off at PC for 5 nights plus tax
and 6 day MYW pass. That comes to 792.20 & no dining plan

So for $76.66 more
divided by 5,
that comes to $15.00 a day for food
That equals 7.50 per person

HA! We spent that much buying a hot dog with chips at Disneyland earlier this year. DDP is a great deal for us

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

I just got an email from Disney and they are offering me a room for $59 a nite plus tax so I guess my 'free' dining has increased to about $20 a day which translates to $10 a person per day. Heck, my husband can eat that much in his sleep let alone while walking around the parks.

Slightly Goofy

 

[Bete]

The whole fun of the dining plan is getting more value out of the plan then what it costs. I keep track of the actual cost of the meals and it's amazing what a good deal the plan is even if you pay for it. We don't even order the most expensive items and we still exceed the plan cost every day compared to the real cost of the meals. Now, compund this affect with the fact that you don't pay sales tax and a gratuity is included in the dining plan and you have a winner. We tip 5% more and it's still a bargain.

You can't compare grocery costs against the plan; it's not apples and apples. For one, you have to do the preparing, cooking and cleaning if you do your own meals in a condo, etc. What I love about the plan is noone has to do the work; it's much more relaxing for everyone. Meals are more pleasurable when everyone can enjoy them together without the work. Also, it takes time away from the parks to do a meal on your own.

I don't like leaving Disney grounds, either. It's way too time consuming to leave Disney World for a meal even if you can get a cheaper meal. The time going back and forth to an outside restaurant takes you away from the parks. Even if you save only an hour a day staying onsite with your meals at the end of a week it's like you had an extra day at Disney World overall.

I would tend to go to the buffets when I way paying out of pocket. Now, I'm willing to try all the restaurants with the plan. I like it!

 

[jonimce]

I do a little work for a TA a couple of weeks a year and they pay me in travel credits. Because of this when they book for me I can't get most of the specials. We were booked for 7 nights starting Aug. 13th w/full pkg. plus dinning. (this is after our cruise) When I heard about the free dining I had TA add 3 nights (we are staying at the WL) and I still got money back. So to us this is truly a great deal.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

The whole fun of the dining plan is getting more value out of the plan then what it costs.

This is true, and it's not dificult to do. We had free dining last year at WL. We thought the plan suited us so well we paid for it on our May trip. Decided our May trip was too short and booked another trip with free dining for Sept/Oct. Disney math ALSO defies the principle of dimishing returns!

One dinner at Chef Mickey's for the three of us (Me, DD17GOINGON27, DD12GOINGON12) was $104.54, including tax and tip... which equals out to $34.85 a person, only $3.14 less than the cost of the DDP per person per day. The DDP is a ridiculously good deal, even when you're not eating at Le Cellier.

Enjoy!

 

[kath1210]

Another great thing about the free DDP (or even the one you pay for) is the ability to put everyone in a large group on "equal footing."

We went last October during free dining with a group of 20 - family & friends. We stayed at AS Music. We are all at different income levels and have different ideas of how to spend our money. We went our separate ways or in varying group sizes during the days, but the free dining plan allowed all of us the ability to eat together at the same restaurant every night (or in the morning for a character breakfast).

My family could not believe that all the food was free, and they were amazed at the money they would have otherwise spent on dining without the free DDP. They all said it was the best vacation ever!

For us, the free DDP was priceless, even with paying rack rates for the rooms!

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

I wonder how many people downgrade to a Value just because it is so much a better bargain in most cases? Just curious.

I am a Value person and will remain so but I truly think that the people who stay in the Moderates and Up should get a bit of a better deal on the DP. Breakfast included or maybe getting to eat at the 2 pt places for only 1 pt or something. Just makes sense. Some sort of tiered plan maybe that people could pick the level of food that they want. I am sure DW will come up with some version at some time.

Right now I am just plain enjoying the idea of all that great food. I have lost almost ten pounds so far and sure hope that I do not gain any while I am there. Luckily I have a junkyard dog for a hubby and he will gladly eat my leftovers, AFTER he has eaten his own food.

Slightly Goofy

 

[Linda 441]

Another great thing about the free DDP (or even the one you pay for) is the ability to put everyone in a large group on "equal footing."

How true. Too bad we can't get the DDP for the rest of eating out! It is hard when you go out to eat with a group of people with varing incomes and abilities to pay! Remember the "Friends" episode when Phoebe, Rachel and Joey had no money and ordered only a little bit and the others want to get split the check? This is great because you can do that and not worry!

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

Another great thing about the free DDP (or even the one you pay for) is the ability to put everyone in a large group on "equal footing."

We went last October during free dining with a group of 20 - family & friends. We stayed at AS Music. We are all at different income levels and have different ideas of how to spend our money. We went our separate ways or in varying group sizes during the days, but the free dining plan allowed all of us the ability to eat together at the same restaurant every night (or in the morning for a character breakfast).

My family could not believe that all the food was free, and they were amazed at the money they would have otherwise spent on dining without the free DDP. They all said it was the best vacation ever!

For us, the free DDP was priceless, even with paying rack rates for the rooms!

Kath, you make an excellent point. It really does put everyone on equal footing. No one has to keep a tally! We are going this fall and several neighbors are going at the same time (tired of hearing how much fun we have, don't ya know!) and there will be times we're dining together, not to mention times when I will have all the kids with me, or my kids with them.

No headaches!

 

[frannn]

The AP discount for Sept for AS Mo is 20/night. With tax, about 22.30X10nights=223.00 discount I would've gotten on my room. The cost of the 1 day tickets for 2 A, 1 C was about 190 (I will consider this a bonus if I am able to apply what we paid to new AP vouchers, not activated APs). So, the dining plan was 223+190= 413. This is 41.30/day, or 13.76/person/day. I know one us is DD3, and her meals would be less than ours, but 13.76/person/day is awesome! For this price we are eating a TS every day, which would cost an average of 70/day alone for the three of us. We wouldn't normally eat this much or this well on our WDW trips, so this will be a treat for us. It will be a MAJOR treat for me to not have to watch pennies while ordering, and be able to order some of the more expensive menu items (we love steak & fish) without feeling the least bit guilty. I kept track of an extimated amount we would be spending while planning each of our trips. The cheapest it has been for 2 A, 1 C is 756. for 10 nights, although that included breakfast every day, and was in 2003, when dining costs were less. If we buy breakfast each day (we have DDE, so we will probably do the AS food court each morning), it will add another 9.60 to our daily total. If we end up with extra CS credits because DD3 may share some with us, we will use those for breakfast. No matter how you slice it, for us, it's a great deal! I'll still stop at the grocery store for snacks for DD3 to graze on, like applesauce, fruit cups, cheese & crackers.

 

[ElizabethB]

DDP makes a Disney stay more like a cruise. One of the things we like best about a cruise with a group of family and friends is that we can all go our separate ways doing what we want to do during the day. But, in the eveing we all gather in the dining room for a nice several course dinner that is pre-paid, with no worries about trying to split the bill, keep things equal, etc.

I see several posters are mentioning that as one of the attractions of DDP. Makes sense that Disney is trying to figure out how to keep a trip to WDW attractive in light of all the great cruise ships these days, which are siphoning off customers, especially families with teens. I know my teen nephew, given a choice, would pick a cruise every time over WDW. Disney is clearly trying to stay competitive.

 

[ElizabethB]

The cost of "free" dining is pretty easy to figure out, IMO. It's the difference between rack rate on your hotel room and an available discount rate. Ignorning AP rate, there is now a public discount available. Also, I consider the ticket price irrelevant. If you don't want it, just get the one day and apply the credit when you buy tickets, renew AP,etc.

So, with the current promotion:

At a value resort, room only is $15 off in regular season and $20 off in value season. If you've already booked free dining and don't cancel and re-book the room only, your cost of free dining is either $15 or $20 per night, plus the room tax not paid on the discount amount. With four in a room, that's a real bargain.

At a moderate resort, room only is $45 off in regular season and $40 off in value season. Cost of free dining is $45 or $40 per night, plus the room tax. Still a pretty good deal.

At a deluxe resort, room only is $70 off (only value season applies). So, your cost of free dining is $70 plus the room tax on that $70 per night, so for a deluxe it's more like $80 per night.

Everyone is asking why is the deal not so good at a deluxe. That's why. Because the discount code is worth quite a bit when staying at a deluxe. Foregoing the discount rate means the real cost of free dining at a deluxe is approx $80 per night -- not that great a value, although if you eat a TS meal each day, you'll probably still save money depending on what you order and whether kids in the room are age 10 or over. Not nearly as much savings as packing everybody into a value resort!

 

[ElizabethB]

I think in my previous post I got the value/regular season rates mixed up, but no matter. You get the idea.

 

[Debbie]

I had a room (only) booked for my (regular season) dates with AAA discount @ $750. I am paying approximately $210 more which is value season rates and includes the 4 one-day base tickets ($252), since I already have my tickets. So, you could say that they are paying me to take free dining ($210-$252) OR you could say: free tickets and I'm paying $210/8=$25 a day for the four of us (6.25 each a day). What a deal!

 

[llqool]

OK, I'm not very good at math, but I have been using Excel lately to "justify" my decision to get a pkg w/free dining. This will be our first time doing this. We actually had the opportunity last year, but chose not to b/c it didn't make sense: my husband is active duty military and was coming home on R&R in Sept. Disney released a military rate (why haven't they done that this year?!) that was 40% off rack rates and we really wanted to stay at WL, but the only room available was courtyard view. if we had wanted to do the "free" dining, it would have cost us about $1000, way more than we would have spent on food.

fast forward to this year, I *really* wanted to go to the F&W festival at EPCOT and convinced my husband to take leave during the last week of Sept. This time we are staying at a moderate (POFQ) and are getting the free dining.

In order to figure out a "true" cost of the dining plan, i decided i had to first compare room rates. That's fairly easy. THe rack rate is 40/more per day than the newly-released discount rate. so for a 5 day stay, we are paying $200 more (ignoring taxes, as a previous poster did). but the pkg also forces us to buy a 1 day base ticket. we didn't want to buy more b/c our 4 yr old already has a 7 day park hopper from a previous visit and we plan on buying our tix w/no tax from SOG. so i had to figure out a complicated formula to compare apples to apples (so to speak). I decided to figure out a per day cost for park hoppers. i won't bore you w/the details, but suffice it to say that for us, having to buy a one day base tkt (with tax) and then go to SOG and get a park hopper (without tax) is going to cost approx $1.96 *more* per park day than if we had just gotten the park hoppers at SOG and hadn't gotten the base tkt thru the pkg.

So i have determined that the "cost" of the dining for the three of us (we have an 18 month old, too, but she doesn't count, at least in this instance!) is $200 plus 1.96 x 4 (2 adults and 2 park days while we're there), so that comes to $207.84. plus there is the added "intangible" benefit of having one more day in the parks than if we had just bought the park hopper from SOG.

if i've lost you or bored you to death with this discussion, please forgive me. just trying to think things thru!