Shouldn't I just pay cash for kids TS?

[lark]

I see what you're saying. It really doesn't matter what it costs WDW in terms of the value to me, however. The value of a $7 burger to me, is $7. It doesn't matter at all that it may have cost WDW only $1 for that burger. I couldn't get it for less than $7.
Our family of 4 spends normally $125 - $150 a day while at WDW. So, even though I wasn't planning on getting the DDP, I am in fact saving about that much.

Yeah, for people in your situation, the free dining is probably the single best promotion that disney has. It's an absolute boondoggle for people who are accustomed to spending in that neighborhood and who stay at value resorts. Nothing else can really touch it.

 

[happymommy]

it is

I think character breakfasts are only one TS credit also.

 

[wdwobsessed]

Yeah, for people in your situation, the free dining is probably the single best promotion that disney has. It's an absolute boondoggle for people who are accustomed to spending in that neighborhood and who stay at value resorts. Nothing else can really touch it.

Lark,

This sounds like a bit of a nasty comment? I think if you look at Daves profile you will see that he does not just stay at value resorts. Your post is like you are talking down to the "commoner" who likes the free dining.

FYI - I am going back to WDW in September after just being there in December BECAUSE of the free dining and I am staying at POR & Boardwalk. Some value resorts huh???

Because of the free dining I am taking my niece as well as my two children and husband. 5x free food adds up to more than the biggest discount I ever got back in the "code" days.

We come on property, we stay on property and we eat on property so where we get the discount really does not matter.

I think you whine because you don't like the DDP.

WDWO

 

[lark]

Lark,

This sounds like a bit of a nasty comment? I think if you look at Daves profile you will see that he does not just stay at value resorts. Your post is like you are talking down to the "commoner" who likes the free dining.

FYI - I am going back to WDW in September after just being there in December BECAUSE of the free dining and I am staying at POR & Boardwalk. Some value resorts huh???

Because of the free dining I am taking my niece as well as my two children and husband. 5x free food adds up to more than the biggest discount I ever got back in the "code" days.

We come on property, we stay on property and we eat on property so where we get the discount really does not matter.

I think you whine because you don't like the DDP.

WDWO

Wow. Talk about reading something in a post that wasn't there.

By "situation," I meant well, situation. Not class, not status, not anything.

If your situation is that you like to stay in value resorts (for any reason) and that you spend $125 to $150 on dining at disney (clearly a lot of money, which seems inconsistent with what you're accusing me of), then disney dining as absolutely fantastic.

What's wrong with that statement, and what word would you use?

 

[wdwobsessed]

My apologies if I read something into the statement that was not there.

It was the word boondoggle as the fact that you singled out people who stay at "value" resorts. If you had stated it's a good deal for people who spend 100 - 150 a day on food on property it would have had a different tone.

The fact that you singled out "value" resort people just seemed odd and accusitory to me. I don't even stay at value resorts (only once with my dance team that I coach) so it was not a reaction due to my situation.

WDW

 

[Lewisc]

Disney is offering "free" dining during a time in which they normally offer promotional pricing for resort rooms. "Free" dining works out great for people in value resorts. They pay something like $100 for a room and get dining that for 2A, 1 child over 10 and one child is worth something like $125. A free room isn't even as good as this deal.

The types of room discounts disney used to offer were 30-40%. Deluxe guests might have been better with a room discount and having to pay for dining. Even the modest AAA discount is working out better than free dining for a few posters who're staying at the GF.

My apologies if I read something into the statement that was not there.

It was the word boondoggle as the fact that you singled out people who stay at "value" resorts. If you had stated it's a good deal for people who spend 100 - 150 a day on food on property it would have had a different tone.

The fact that you singled out "value" resort people just seemed odd and accusitory to me. I don't even stay at value resorts (only once with my dance team that I coach) so it was not a reaction due to my situation.

WDW

 

[wdwobsessed]

Disney is offering "free" dining during a time in which they normally offer promotional pricing for resort rooms. "Free" dining works out great for people in value resorts. They pay something like $100 for a room and get dining that for 2A, 1 child over 10 and one child is worth something like $125. A free room isn't even as good as this deal.

The types of room discounts disney used to offer were 30-40%. Deluxe guests might have been better with a room discount and having to pay for dining. Even the modest AAA discount is working out better than free dining for a few posters who're staying at the GF.

Boardwalk @ $305 rack rate x 40% discount would = $124 off per night.

Food plan for 5 people (4 "adults" 1 child) = $162.99 per night.

Even if I only had three people going it would be close to a wash!

Sounds good to this Deluxe resort lover as well!

My only issue is that it CAN be a good deal for people who do not stay at value resorts and prefer deluxe resorts.

Is it a better deal for those who stay at value resorts? Maybe. BUT ... the trade off is they have to stay at a value resort = more crowded, less amenities, farther away from the park, decline in quality of service (just due to the mass of people they are having to serve) and many other things too numerous to list.

I understand the point that you all are making. But it is a good deal ... period. If WDW didn't offer ANY discounts people would still go, so any promotion or discount is a bonus IMHO.

WDWO

 

[dandave]

Mornin'!!

I wasn't offended. I have no problem staying at a Value, if that's the best deal going. Staying in a Value for this trip is the only way to make the free dining a deal for me. I would lose the dining savings staying anywhere else, because I always stay with an AP or FL discount.
Staying at POP in the past involved treating my parents to WDW. The savings of staying there in multiple rooms allowed me to treat them not once, but twice in '04. Staying smart means staying more often.

 

[tinkerbeth]

Moreover, the reality is that when someone on the dining plan pulls out their wallet to come out of pocket to pay for a meal -- even just a kid's meal -- it's a boondoggle for Disney. They asbolutely love it, and they'll take the $9 any single day. Even if means that you've preserved a credit that could be used later for a $40 meal. Remember, the COST to disney of a $40 meal on the menu is very modest -- far less than $40. Ten dollars cash, on the other hand, is ten dollars cash. In fact, the marginal extra cost to disney is very modest on the whole thing -- the cost of restaurants is in the overhead and stuff that they already have to pay for. .

That is something I didn't think of! Of course they would rather have the 9 bucks. Plus, since lots of people are saying that they have snacks and cs meals left over, you're probably going to forfeit one of your cs meals if you do this with all your ts meals, which means they save there too. I didn't consider the profit they make on the oop meal but that is perhaps the best point I have read so far!

Beth

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

We don't pay for kid's meals out of pocket. The reason is this.
It's a ton of food. We used up all our credits, but had to make an effort the last two days to do so. Plus, one of our meals was a signiture so we were one short on TS. Not only did the CS bridge the gap, I had to order a CS the last day and put it in the icebox for the trip home plus burn 4 extra snacks for water for the trip home (didn't mind doing that) So in effect, we had 4 snacks and 1 counter left over even doing one signiture meal without banking any for an extra.

If you want to bank for extra signiture meals, my suggestion is to share rather than pay out of pocket.

 

[Pedler]

If you want to bank for extra signiture meals, my suggestion is to share rather than pay out of pocket.

But if you have a family with kids that is staying 7 nights and wants to do 8 TS meals then paying for some of the kids meal OOP is a good way to do it. I know that it may not be for everyone to eat that many TS meals but what some people may consider a lot of food may not be a lot to other people. To each their own.

I think that people should look at how they want to eat and if on the dinning plan use it to minimize thier out of pocket expenses. For the family that does more TS meals than they have nights on the plan or Signature meals and they have the option to pay for the kids they I don't see why they shouldn't Disney allows and encourages this behavior and it makes sense financially. It isn't greed or anything else its just simply smart purchasing.

 

[lark]

The fact that you singled out "value" resort people just seemed odd and accusitory to me. I don't even stay at value resorts (only once with my dance team that I coach) so it was not a reaction due to my situation.WDW

The reason that I mentioned value resorts is that the savings experienced as a result of the dining plan by someone purchasing a MYW package goes up greatly if you stay at a value resort. Remember that in order to get "free" dining, you have to pay rack for the room. That means that most resort guests, in order to take advantage of the dining package, must lose the discount they otherwise could get on the resort (e.g., through AAA or AP or florida passholders).

These discounts tend to be much less, as a dollar value, for value. So, if you have an AAA discount at a value, maybe it's saving you $20 a night. You have to give that up to get the free dining. But if you're staying at a deluxe, your AAA savings might be closer to $60 a night, so the free dining is less of a enticement to give up your other discount. So, bottom line, you save way more with free dining the less expensive your room.

Another way to think about it is that when you're staying at a value, the dining portion of your package (if you had 2A and 2C in your party, for example) could be upwards of half the cost of MYW package, so the free dining really is a boondoggle. If you're staying at a deluxe, the portion of the package attributable to dining is much less, so the free dining savings is much lower on a percentage basis.

That's really all I meant. Honest. I've stayed myself at the Maingate motel 6 for $30, where I've been dreaming about staying in value, so I'm hardly a hotel snob.