40% Cast Mmeber Discount or Free Dining

[StoneCutter589]

I currently have a trip booked from August 17-24 with a 40 percent cast member discount off the room price. Would I get a better value if I switched it to free dining, which is expected to be a available during that time?
Also, I've heard of a cast member discount off room and dining. Is that true?
Thanks.

 

[drizgirl]

That's going to depend on how you eat, where you are staying, and how many people in your room. Much harder to make free dining to pay at a deluxe since a big room discount would be greater.

 

[StoneCutter589]

That's going to depend on how you eat, where you are staying, and how many people in your room. Much harder to make free dining to pay at a deluxe since a big room discount would be greater.

We're staying at Beach Club. 3 adults one child under 2.
I've already got the standard dining plan added on to 40% off room.

 

[donaldtoo]

I was a CM at our local Disney Store for 4+ years. On both our trips in the summer of '12 and '13, we got a 50% DDP discount and a 60% resort discount.
In '12 we stayed at AoA, but, switched to ASMusic for '13 because of a CM blackout at AoA for the dates we were going.
Also, in '13 I had been a CM beyond the 3-year mark, so my merch discount was 35%, up from 20%.
Sounds like, at least some of, the discounts are different now.

 

[sxeensweet]

At deluxe where you are staying with 40% off it will likely be a larger discount being you are only 3 adults that need the dining plan. Me and the DH usually always came out better at deluxe with a room discount instead of free dining. But you have one more person. We took the room discount and added a paid dining plan and always came out much cheaper than free dining. Plus free dining you have to buy park tickets for each person (over 3) to qualify. I think most likely the room discount plus just buying a dining plan if you want would be much better and cheaper. And you can add a dining plan to a room only without having to purchase tickets. Simple math just see the difference between both totals etc and pick whichever you come out ahead.

 

[wwmmd]

Last I knew cast members get discounts on the dining plan.

Curious though...is the cast member going with you? I have a family member that is a cast member (not at the parks) and she told me she is no longer allowed to get the room discounts for anyone unless she is staying at the same time. She said this was a change starting this year I believe. Or was your room booked last year?

 

[roj2323]

Yes cast gets a discount on dining of 20% but then Disney automatically adds on 18% gratuity so the discount is basically junk. The only time it's good is durring the holidays when they give you a discount booklet with a 30%, 40% and a 50% discount coupon in it. Unfortunetly however they don't work at all dinning locations so I still have yet to eat at Le Cellier Steakhouse

 

[WDWBigEd]

Last I knew cast members get discounts on the dining plan.

Curious though...is the cast member going with you? I have a family member that is a cast member (not at the parks) and she told me she is no longer allowed to get the room discounts for anyone unless she is staying at the same time. She said this was a change starting this year I believe. Or was your room booked last year?

They cut back on cast member discounts for dinning plans. They offer them every now and again. As far as the discount on the room they have two different options. 1 the cast member has to be in the room or staying in the same resort. 2 They have a friends and family discount.

 

[KLeigh]

Always take the discount on the room. It's a bigger cost savings.

 

[larryz]

Always take the discount on the room. It's a bigger cost savings.

In this particular instance, having only one additional adult makes the room discount the most advantageous choice (by $25.76/day). However, if they weren't getting the 20% CM discount on the DDP, they'd be better off using the Free Dining (by $15.85/day).

But I think it really pays to do the math for a party of four adults. A rack rate room in mid-May at the BC is $418 (std view). The 40% discount drops that to $250, but they'd have two additional adults, so add back $50 a night to $300.80. Now add in four DDPs at $221.92 (normally $69.35 each) and the daily cost is $578.20.
As for the free dining, they'd pay rack rate of $418 plus the two additional adults -- $468. Saves about $110.20/day to use the free dining with four adults in the room.

Of course, neither of these calculations takes into account how much and how often the parties will eat, which by itself can make the DDP an untenable option if one doesn't want to eat a CS, TS and snack per day. But I find that mix to match my own Disney Dining Habits (DDH) pretty closely.

 

[drizgirl]

Always take the discount on the room. It's a bigger cost savings.

That's just not always the case.

 

[danyoung56]

Yes cast gets a discount on dining of 20% but then Disney automatically adds on 18% gratuity so the discount is basically junk.

I could not disagree with this statement more. You should be tipping at least 18% anyway, so the discount is still valid.

 

[correcaminos]

Yes cast gets a discount on dining of 20% but then Disney automatically adds on 18% gratuity so the discount is basically junk. The only time it's good is durring the holidays when they give you a discount booklet with a 30%, 40% and a 50% discount coupon in it. Unfortunetly however they don't work at all dinning locations so I still have yet to eat at Le Cellier Steakhouse

You aren't missing much there with Le Cellier honestly. However 20% is still 20% and still a good discount.

To the OP I'd run the numbers but I think paying OOP with possible food discounts would be a better deal than free dining. 40% off of BC is a big savings compared to 'free food'

 

[roj2323]

I could not disagree with this statement more. You should be tipping at least 18% anyway, so the discount is still valid.

While I understand the obligation to tip, I prefer to base that tip on the quality of service I receive rather than an arbitrary number my employer mandates. Believe it or not I have gotten service so bad at a Disney owned and operated restaurant that not only did I not leave a tip but the waiter was also disciplined as a result of his actions. On other occasions I've left a 50% tip because service was excellent. What I'm getting at here is mandatory tipping eliminates the desire of the wait staff to deliver excellent service because they know no matter what they are going to get a decent tip because disney says so and I STRONGLY DISAGREE with that policy.

 

[danyoung56]

roj2323, I completely agree with what you just posted.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

While I understand the obligation to tip, I prefer to base that tip on the quality of service I receive rather than an arbitrary number my employer mandates. Believe it or not I have gotten service so bad at a Disney owned and operated restaurant that not only did I not leave a tip but the waiter was also disciplined as a result of his actions. On other occasions I've left a 50% tip because service was excellent. What I'm getting at here is mandatory tipping eliminates the desire of the wait staff to deliver excellent service because they know no matter what they are going to get a decent tip because disney says so and I STRONGLY DISAGREE with that policy.

I have to disagree with you on this one. NO tip is guaranteed, as you can always have a manager reduce or eliminate the tip for lousy service. Just because they add the 18%, doesn't mean you have to pay it for sub-par service. We always use the TiW which also adds the 18%, but we have been fortunate that we have always received excellent to outstanding service at every sit down, so always add more. Guess we are lucky.