Free dining

[Jakesmom1]

Sorry if this has been asked and answered, but does anyone know if free dining is being offered in the fall? We are going around labor day for a week and hadnt heard anything yet.

Thanks

 

[wendow]

Sorry if this has been asked and answered, but does anyone know if free dining is being offered in the fall? We are going around labor day for a week and hadnt heard anything yet.

Thanks

Do you mean for 2017? If so, yes, free dining was offered for the Labor Day time period but the chance to book it ended earlier this month.

 

[Shughart]

I believe you want to start listening for free dining in April/May. But yes the opportunity is closed now for 2017 trips.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Sorry if this has been asked and answered, but does anyone know if free dining is being offered in the fall? We are going around labor day for a week and hadnt heard anything yet.

Thanks

Your best bet is to take advantage of Magical Dining Month and get a kick-butt room only discount at a value or mod...you will probably certainly come ahead of free dining + the table service add/on charge...and your dining will still be excellent...

 

[kandb]

Your best bet is to take advantage of Magical Dining Month and get a kick-butt room only discount at a value or mod...you will probably certainly come ahead of free dining + the table service add/on charge...and your dining will still be excellent...

We don't have the dining plan and are staying on property. What is the magical dining month? We are going 8/22 thru 8/31.

 

[Marionnette]

We don't have the dining plan and are staying on property. What is the magical dining month? We are going 8/22 thru 8/31.

Magical Dining month is an Orlando restaurant event. It runs from 8/29-10/2 this year with a preview starting on 8/25. Some Disney restaurants (most of them in Disney Springs) will be participating. Details here and here.

 

[Kaytie]

Your best bet is to take advantage of Magical Dining Month and get a kick-butt room only discount at a value or mod...you will probably certainly come ahead of free dining + the table service add/on charge...and your dining will still be excellent...

Table service add on charge?

 

[Marionnette]

Table service add on charge?

PP was probably referring to the cost of upgrading to the DDP from QSDP. Value and Moderate Resorts were offered the QSDP this year.

 

[Jakesmom1]

Do you mean for 2017? If so, yes, free dining was offered for the Labor Day time period but the chance to book it ended earlier this month.

Thank you, story of my life, always a day late and a dollar short. ha ha

 

[rottiemom]

Magical Dining month is an Orlando restaurant event. It runs from 8/29-10/2 this year with a preview starting on 8/25. Some Disney restaurants (most of them in Disney Springs) will be participating. Details here and here.

Thanks for the tip! I didn't even know that this was a thing.

OP- we were originally planning on booking a FD package but when I ran the numbers, staying at a value with a room only discount and buying tickets from UT it came out to about 600$ less before tax on the FD package. I knew we'd be doing a couple of table service meals, which would be OOP for us (QSDP was the FD offer for values and mods unless you bought up). So roughly 100$ per day over the course of our trip.

 

[Jakesmom1]

Thank you all for the info, we thought about buying the quick service plan, but not sure $765.00 is worth it for 5 days for 3 people. Any thoughts ?

 

[supersnoop]

Thank you all for the info, we thought about buying the quick service plan, but not sure $765.00 is worth it for 5 days for 3 people. Any thoughts ?

The quick service plan is almost never worth the price, especially for adults. Take a look at www.distripplanner.com to get an idea.

 

[Jakesmom1]

Can we use the snack options at the food and wine in Epcot? That might make it worth it if we can do that.

 

[wendow]

Thank you all for the info, we thought about buying the quick service plan, but not sure $765.00 is worth it for 5 days for 3 people. Any thoughts ?

We pay OOP for meals and eat almost exclusively quick service (we do two table service meals over a 10 day trip). Our family of six averages $150 per day so over a 5 day trip, we'd only spend $750. And that includes two adults, two teens and two boys who eat like they are teens

 

[Marionnette]

Can we use the snack options at the food and wine in Epcot? That might make it worth it if we can do that.

That's been an option in the past. Not everything can be purchased using a snack credit but those things that can be are clearly marked on the menus.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Thank you all for the info, we thought about buying the quick service plan, but not sure $765.00 is worth it for 5 days for 3 people. Any thoughts ?

There's a Dining Plan Santorum in the Restaurants forum that could be really helpful to determine this.

 

[rottiemom]

We pay OOP for meals and eat almost exclusively quick service (we do two table service meals over a 10 day trip). Our family of six averages $150 per day so over a 5 day trip, we'd only spend $750. And that includes two adults, two teens and two boys who eat like they are teens

See this is the kind of thing that I like to hear (read) . I'll add everything up after our trip just to satisfy my curiosity. Our previous two trips were with FD but that was back when values got the FSDP, and it was still several hundred $ OOP at the end of the trip for taxes, tips and alcohol.

Plus...if you have the Disney Visa card you get a 10% discount at certain restaurants if you use the Visa to pay for the meal. So if you're going to pay for dining you may as well pay less for it whenever possible.

 

[Jakesmom1]

That's been an option in the past. Not everything can be purchased using a snack credit but those things that can be are clearly marked on the menus.

Thank you

 

[Jakesmom1]

There's a Dining Plan Santorum in the Restaurants forum that could be really helpful to determine this.

Thank you, will have to go look at that !

 

[trouttigger]

Don't feel bad about not getting it. The higher price to upgrade from QS to regular dining plan killed the savings for us.