Boomer looks like a caceled trip for us

[G00fyDad]

Ok, I'm still waiting on someone to show me how we "pay for it". Last year's trip was 2300 and some change. This year the same time span and resort are $2600. If we add the regular dining plan on our own it jumps up to $4165.36, which is what our total is. When/If Free Dining is released, it will go back to the original $2600. What am I missing here?

That argument keeps getting made with no real evidence to back it up. I have even heard others say that Disney bleeds to cost into other things to make up the difference. Nope. Cause then everyone would be getting screwed by higher prices. Wait...... maybe there's something to that..... Really though, there is no substantial basis for that argument. Free DDP promos were awesome for families. We would typically save around $1500 to $2000 by using them. Unfortunately it looks like we'll have to use another discount, if it rears it's head soon.

To the OP, you might want to wait until around April 30th to May 3rd. I'd say that if it hasn't been announced by the 4th of May then it isn't happening. Although, I would bet that is a foregone conclusion at this point.

 

[draybook]

You pay for it with your room. I will give you a free hot dog if you give me $5.00 for the napkin.

So if I plan just a room and tickets without any dining, and then just a room and the basic total for the room stays the same, how does that equate? I'm not math whiz but if you pay the same amount whether you take advantage of FD, then exactly how are you paying for it by the room?

 

[Zipadeelady]

I hate to say this, but it looks like we might have to cancel our trip in October. we have waited for the free dining to be released and I really believe it's a no go this year. I have heard to give it a little longer to see, but by now I feel it would have been released. Yes we c an not afford disney without it as sad as I am to say this. We are a single Income family while im in school. I guess maybe next year when I am out of school and working.

Love the dining plan and have been lucky enough to have had free dining with all our trips. We also don't think it is going to be offered this year. But I have been doing some checking and with room discounts we should be spending about the same but doing more QS with only a few TS. I might even prefer it this way...we won't be so tied down with ADR's.

 

[Runmyhorse]

Well I cant change my headline.:0

On another note. Im gonna hold off before canceling. If the free dining isnt offered, I will find away to get there. I promised my kids. Plus its a early graduation present to myself. Thank you everyone and im more then happy to hear any tips for making this a cheaper trip.

 

[luv]

So if I plan just a room and tickets without any dining, and then just a room and the basic total for the room stays the same, how does that equate? I'm not math whiz but if you pay the same amount whether you take advantage of FD, then exactly how are you paying for it by the room?

In your example, tickets must equal 0. I was a "math whiz", but that one isn't tough, lol.

The thing about "free" dining is that you won't pay the same amount for the room without the "free" dining. You will pay less for the room if you don't add the "free" dining.

They're selling you a $5 napkin and giving you the hot dog for free.

 

[BigRedDad]

Rack Rates + Free Food = Not a good deal. I can save tons by not paying for their dining. Most portions for a QS are enough for 2 people. We brought our own bagels and snacks. Our entire bill for 8 days including $100 for BBB, $150 for sweatshirts, and normal souvenirs was $1200.

We had a huge room discount. The room and 3 8 day tickets was $2200. That is under $3500 for 8 days for 2 adults and 1 child. We could have saved another $400-$500 by going to Pop Century.

 

[G00fyDad]

In your example, tickets must equal 0. I was a "math whiz", but that one isn't tough, lol.

The thing about "free" dining is that you won't pay the same amount for the room without the "free" dining. You will pay less for the room if you don't add the "free" dining.

They're selling you a $5 napkin and giving you the hot dog for free.

So what you're trying to sell me on is that if I book a package at a cost of say $4300 with the Dining plan added on that if I get the Free DDP that Disney actually changes my room rates to adjust for this??? LOL I call BS.

 

[Zipadeelady]

Well I cant change my headline.:0

On another note. Im gonna hold off before canceling. If the free dining isnt offered, I will find away to get there. I promised my kids. Plus its a early graduation present to myself. Thank you everyone and im more then happy to hear any tips for making this a cheaper trip.

One thing that we will do if no free dining is offered is move our reservations from POFQ to PORS. For some reason at RS you can get a 25% off your room discount but FQ doesn't offer a room discount.

Also we are a family of 5 and currently have 2 connecting rooms. One way for us to save money is getting a room in alligator bayou that sleeps 5. Might be tight but I'd prefer that over a value resort for this trip. If we watch our food budget we could still even stick with the 2 rooms or simply save more money.

The more I look into it there are lots of options. I'm still going to have to splurge on a few TS though.

Oh and I'd leave the heading..I like it that way

 

[G00fyDad]

One thing that we will do if no free dining is offered is move our reservations from POFQ to PORS. For some reason at RS you can get a 25% off your room discount but FQ doesn't offer a room discount.

Also we are a family of 5 and currently have 2 connecting rooms. One way for us to save money is getting a room in alligator bayou that sleeps 5. Might be tight but I'd prefer that over a value resort for this trip. If we watch our food budget we could still even stick with the 2 rooms or simply save more money.

The more I look into it there are lots of options. I'm still going to have to splurge on a few TS though.

Oh and I'd leave the heading..I like it that way

If you do go for the single AB room, then get a double height self inflatable twin mattress. You can inflate it at night, it sits pretty far off the floor, and you can collapse it in the morning. We've done that a couple of times. $100 for one of these one time is far cheaper than an adjoining room.

 

[Zipadeelady]

Good tip @ goofydad!! Thanks!!

Our main concern is that we have 2 teenage girls and didn't want to have a bathroom war. But...there are double sinks so I'm thinking that is a good idea.

 

[draybook]

I've already explained that the room stays the same price without adding dining. As an experiment, I've priced packages for April using the room discount with 6 day base tickets. The difference with and without that room discount was a whopping $150. That was for a 7 night stay. Now, the dining plan is roughly $1500 extra, so can someone please explain to me how that $150 room discount voids out that $1500 price tag on the dining?


edit: Ok, so I just looked at a room only price for the same exact week, POFQ, and with 25% off, it comes to $1064.85. Add $1189.90 for required base tickets and you get a total of $2254.75. That's roughly $400 less than our current package. If our current package receives Free Dining, it will give us that $1500 worth of dining for "free". Am I wrong in assuming that $1500 > $400? So yes, we will be paying a smidge extra, but we come out ahead. We like to eat, so free dining is way more important to us than a room discount.

But like my wife said, we're going with or without Free Dining, we'll just have to work around it if they don't offer it. Honestly, we'll just stay offsite without it and use that big savings to eat.

 

[Poofiesdream]

I would wait to at least just before your 45 day cut off time to see what comes up. I bet you will see something in Mid June or early July. I also like the room discounts and pay for my own food. We eat when we want and where we want usually small meals and snacks threw out the day. Saves a lot by not doing all sit down reservation type dinning. We may do one reservation the whole time on a day we have no park plans just a day to chill out at the resort day.

 

[lilclerk]

Where you have to do the math is when room discounts also come out. Depending on your resort and how many people are in your party, a room discount can come out much cheaper than the free DDP.
Explore all your options. I don't think this would work quite as well anymore, but I know some people would buy one AP and use the AP room discount plus the TIW and would still come out better than the free dining plan. Granted, AP room discounts aren't as awesome as they were a few years ago, but it's still worth checking out.

 

[Zipadeelady]

@ draybook I'll try... if we switch to RS and get a 25% off per night that takes my $200.00 to $150.00. $50.00 per room is $100.00 per night @6 nights I'm saving $600.00. Then if i watch my food budget I will save even more. Now I will only be able to eat at a few TS but thats ok if my cost stays down. If I do those things then i'm spending the same as if I had free dining and probably even less.

Now I would prefer Free Dining and thats what i'm hoping for. Please don't freak out because my math sucks and i'm new at this and if you start throwing out number I will probably just stare blankly at the screen until it starts to blur.

 

[draybook]

Yeah, the $50 a night saved won't be better than the $1500 dining plan that we would be getting for free, because we use every single credit. Now of course we wouldn't eat that much if it was coming out of pocket, but not eating at WDW in that heat is not something we want to do again.

 

[unkadug]

Anyone that thinks that ANYTHING comes for free is in for a rude awaking later in life.

 

[Zipadeelady]

The dining plan is great for the higher priced TS and if you use all the credits. Last day of our trips we are trying to turn in our snack credits because we have so many left. We end up with a ton of Mickey rice krispy treats for the ride home.

 

[MKCP 1985]

If the Disney hotel stay AND the full experience of the Dining plan's offerings are an important part of the experience, the OP's concern about affording the Disney Vacation he imagines is valid and no amount of finagling around staying offsite and eating fewer snacks and different meals will take the place of the "Free Dining" discount offer.

Like others have said, nothing is truly free and you are paying something for that food by foregoing a room discount.

What many are saying is that you can take a famy to enjoy a WDW vacation for the money in your budget and enjoy the same park attractions by making changes to food and lodging but at the end of the day, the OP has to be happy. It's his money and time being spent after all.

 

[draybook]

Anyone that thinks that ANYTHING comes for free is in for a rude awaking later in life.

Yes, Confucius, we know that nothing is truly "free" with Disney. The point has been made that the room discount still isn't worth as much as Free Dining is in our situation. I understand that you just like to flap your gums to people on this board, but could you at least acknowledge the topic?

 

[prfctlyximprct]

You can make it work!! I've read in my unofficial WDW guide that some people bring lunch and snacks to the park to save money. Maybe only do one or two TS and the rest quick service.. portions are pretty big on QS menus I feel! If you have a car, go to a grocery store for snacks to keep at the hotel.. or eat off site to save $$.. Don't cancel your trip!!!