******Official 2017 Free Dining Plan Watch, Wait, and Dream

[ThistleMae]

If we stay at Pop we'll do 2 weeks of quick service. We love it! It frees up your time and gives you so much flexibility. There's so much variety out there, it never feels like fast food to me.

Yes, I love eating in the countries, it never feels like fast food! I'd be happy with the one quick service meal a day plan that they offered this summer.

 

[DiaryofaDisneyKid]

Since you guys are talking about ADR. I've looked all over these boards for an answer to my questions about Be Our Guest. Is lunch still counter and dinner is Table service? Do I need an ADR for lunch? I can never find any reservation openings. Any tips?

Yes dinner is Table service and lunch is quick serve and yes you need reservations for both. I would just check everyday up until you go. People tend to cancel a lot of ADR's the day before to avoid paying the no show fee. When we went last year and we decided to try 'Ohana for dinner a month before we left and I could not find an ADR for it before we left. While waiting in line at MK I found a dinner opening for 'Ohana for the next day twice. Just be persistent and check the day before you want to go.

 

[DiaryofaDisneyKid]

You can also keep checking the cancellation board for the month you are going here on the DIS.

 

[mcbutler23]

Since you guys are talking about ADR. I've looked all over these boards for an answer to my questions about Be Our Guest. Is lunch still counter and dinner is Table service? Do I need an ADR for lunch? I can never find any reservation openings. Any tips?

I used Touring Plan's reservation finder. It got me quite a few hard to find reservations last year. You do have to pay for the site, but I didn't have the time to be constantly checking the Disney site. Worth every penny.

 

[Rusty2rules]

Oh, by the way...free dining isn't always the best deal. Always check the room discounts and do the math.

I see this all the time. Maybe I'm doing my math wrong. I have reservations at a moderate (POR). It's just my son and I. So, if they do what they've done in the past, I'd get the moderate dining plan - one QS per day, one TS per day, snacks, and a refillable mug. I tried to figure it out. If I took the room discount and not FD, if the room discount was 20%, I'd be saving roughly $131ish for 3 nights. Then I went to the menus, picked out what restaurants we'd eat at and what we would typically order. In this scenario I only did one TS and the rest were QS meals. I came up with little over $200...just for the two of us...and only one TS meal. And that didn't include the snacks. That's just two of us, not even a family of four or something like that. I'm racking my brain trying to figure out how the room discount is better. It's entirely possible I've missed something. Thoughts? Calculators? Graphs?

 

[Rusty2rules]

That's IF there is free dining. I mean think about it: construction at CSR and CBR already limit the number of rooms available in the mod category. Add in the $75 promo, and I can't imagine there being many rooms left at either of these. Then you have the people who won't stay at either of these because of the construction, but still want mod, and now POR and POFQ start filling up. POFQ is almost always full anyway. I just don't see much chance for free dining at any of the mods this year, except possibly the cabins, but there aren't many of those to begin with.

We'll have none of this negative thinking! Click your heels three times and repeat after me: There will be FD this fall. There will be FD this fall. Port Orleans will be included. Port Orleans will be included.

 

[ratodino]

So, I've been lurking on these boards for weeks now. I have a trip booked at POR with QS dining mid-september for 2 rooms ( big group, so dining plan really makes sense). That money is already set aside and earmarked for the trip. BUT... if free dining comes along, then we could upgrade to Beach Club or maybe even Poly with the full dining plan for a similar amount of money. I never see much discussion on availability of the free dining offer at the deluxes. Is it just a crazy dream or could it happen?

 

[Moramoon]

So we weren't planning on our next Disney trip being until May of 2018, but now with CBR doing the $75 gift cards and possibly being able to stack free dining I'm wracking my brain trying to figure out if there's a time this fall we could go that would fall under the dates. DH will be taking classes full time and DS will be starting school at the end of July so I don't think it will be possible without pulling out one or both from classes.

 

[Disneylover99]

I see this all the time. Maybe I'm doing my math wrong. I have reservations at a moderate (POR). It's just my son and I. So, if they do what they've done in the past, I'd get the moderate dining plan - one QS per day, one TS per day, snacks, and a refillable mug. I tried to figure it out. If I took the room discount and not FD, if the room discount was 20%, I'd be saving roughly $131ish for 3 nights. Then I went to the menus, picked out what restaurants we'd eat at and what we would typically order. In this scenario I only did one TS and the rest were QS meals. I came up with little over $200...just for the two of us...and only one TS meal. And that didn't include the snacks. That's just two of us, not even a family of four or something like that. I'm racking my brain trying to figure out how the room discount is better. It's entirely possible I've missed something. Thoughts? Calculators? Graphs?

I would say that even two people at a moderate in the most expensive room category will make out better with FD unless you're getting 50% off your room. But that's not likely.

Lots of people get FD and stay Deluxe. That's where you've really got to check out the difference between what you could save on a room only discount, especially if you're a party of two.

 

[ThistleMae]

Regarding room discount or free dining...it really depends on the number in your party and eating habits. In 2015 we got a great deal at Poly for ten days for $ 4000.00 for the two of us. It was through an agency and the offer was instead of the free dining. We ate where we wanted, some meals we split and other times we ate at the Buffet's. We only spent
$ 800.00 for food for the both of us. So you just have to do the math. It will come out different for everyone.
For my daughter and her family of five, they usually have to get two rooms and really need the FD because it would crazy expensive to purchase the plan, or buy their own food.

 

[Disneylover99]

So, I've been lurking on these boards for weeks now. I have a trip booked at POR with QS dining mid-september for 2 rooms ( big group, so dining plan really makes sense). That money is already set aside and earmarked for the trip. BUT... if free dining comes along, then we could upgrade to Beach Club or maybe even Poly with the full dining plan for a similar amount of money. I never see much discussion on availability of the free dining offer at the deluxes. Is it just a crazy dream or could it happen?

You'll see lots more availability at Deluxes with FD then you'll see at the values or mods. That's because FD is not that great of a deal at the deluxe resorts. Remember, you're paying rack rate to get free dining. That could be roughly $500 per room give or take at a deluxe.

Standard rooms at a value or a moderate will give you the most bang for your buck if that's what you're interested in.

 

[Rusty2rules]

Staying deluxe, as far as I can see, is the only way you'd come out better with the room discount. And that's only maybe. A family of four or more are going to come out way ahead with free dining, even at a deluxe (assuming discount is 30%). And you get so much food with the deluxe FD!

 

[Elsaalltheway]

I've done only value hotels till next year. I plan on doing a mod with three people. I figure this year I'm doing a value with three people and thats 128 for just the free dining and the room is 160 a night. So that works out to only 32 bucks a night for the hotel. You can't beat that.

 

[Rusty2rules]

That's because FD is not that great of a deal at the deluxe resorts.

See, that's what I don't get. With rack rate at AK and a 30% discount over 3 nights I'd save $370ish total. Without FD, like I said, just for the 2 of us food was over $200 and that wasn't even doing anything special. Double that for a family of four. And then, with the deluxe dining plan, OMG, you get so much food!! I'm just not seeing the savings for a family.

 

[Disneylover99]

See, that's what I don't get. With rack rate at AK and a 30% discount over 3 nights I'd save $370ish total. Without FD, like I said, just for the 2 of us food was over $200 and that wasn't even doing anything special. Double that for a family of four. And then, with the deluxe dining plan, OMG, you get so much food!! I'm just not seeing the savings for a family.

You'll save over $120 per day on the room discount. Lots of parties of 2 can eat for way less then that per day. It really depends on how you eat and where you like to eat. Some people just prefer to order an appetizer or snack throughout the day.

 

[Rusty2rules]

Lots of parties of 2 can eat for way less then that per day.

Totally agree with that. I'm saying a family. Which, I assume, is what mostly stay at the deluxe resorts. But that's just a guess.

 

[Rusty2rules]

Some people just prefer to order an appetizer or snack throughout the day.

Must be a Canadian thing.

 

[mfly]

See, that's what I don't get. With rack rate at AK and a 30% discount over 3 nights I'd save $370ish total. Without FD, like I said, just for the 2 of us food was over $200 and that wasn't even doing anything special. Double that for a family of four. And then, with the deluxe dining plan, OMG, you get so much food!! I'm just not seeing the savings for a family.

Just to clarify: with FD, Deluxe Resorts have not received the Deluxe Dining Plan in recent years.

Value gets QSDP, and Moderate and Deluxe both get the regular DDP.

 

[Rusty2rules]

Just to clarify: with FD, Deluxe Resorts have not received the Deluxe Dining Plan in recent years.

Gotcha. I wasn't aware of that...since I've never been able to afford a deluxe. I thought they got the deluxe plan. But thanks for clarifying! With that said, the moderate dining plan is still a great value, IMO.

 

[Marianm]

We're staying at Contemporary in August. A family of four with DDP. Even with the biggest deluxe discount there is (30%) we would still come way ahead of we got FD.