Would you visit Disney without free DDP?

[Kev Harrison]

Originally Posted by smelli

1. it wouldn't and hasn't stopped me booking. We have done dummy bookings in the past with and without the "free dining" and it appeared it cost more for the free dining option.

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That's because free dining is "free" according to some..

[iloveholidays1]

No, will still do disney, but split with Universal their hotels are more modern. Only had free dining in 2019, our previous trips we have paid out of pocket. There is usually only two of us, so free dining is not such a deal breaker, when you haven't got free dining, you just don't eat as much. Can understand though if 3 or 4 of you in a room it does sway it the other way to be "good value".

On reflection with "free dining" you think about food a lot, always trying to get good value from it. No dining, food becomes less of a thing with more freedom, to have some off site choices.

[sandslash]

Option 2 I never got to try free dining 🥺

[gjdjud]

Originally Posted by Kev Harrison

That's hilarious, so you believe that one of the most money orientated businesses in the world are giving you dinning for absolutely nothing?

I have some magic beans if you are interested.

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No one is that silly like you seem to think we all are. Disney very rarely have their rooms at any other price other than full rack rate apart from free nights. If you want to stay at Disney that’s the price and sometimes it includes dining and a giftcard for the same price you’d pay without any dining included or a very marginal change.

[sha9]

Originally Posted by Kev Harrison

That's hilarious, so you believe that one of the most money orientated businesses in the world are giving you dinning for absolutely nothing?

I have some magic beans if you are interested.

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Actually no one in the Dibb believes Disney give it away for nothing. It’s a marketing tool like many others. Most people will choose the offer of free dining or a room discount if some kind but whether you like to believe it or not there are times when neither is on offer and rooms are at rack rate with only a small discount if you buy room and tickets together.
So yes, dining plan is free based on rack rate, or you get so many nights free based on rack rate but you can also get neither if that’s when you choose to book.

I’m not sure why you can’t get that?

[Gill H]

Yes - there are people on here who have tracked prices. Usually when free dining is announced, the price of the holiday is the same as it would have been without paying for dining and without any other offer - ie rack rate. Which is what you would pay most of the time.

Obviously if you choose to book when there is a free nights offer, then you get the room cheaper. And in past years, there have been some offers that include both. We got SSR with 30% discount and free standard DDP in 2014.

[Griff_389]

Probably Option 2.

We’ve usually stayed off-site anyway, as it was still cheaper than paying the extra cost for a Disney stay.
We were thinking about our next one being on-site to experience it, but will likely just do another off-site now.
Possibly at Universal, and just visit Disney for half the holiday.

[hornetgirl]

Option 1 - but as DVC members we aren't affected by the availability of free dining. I doubt that we would ever pay for a dining plan.
In our pre-DVC days we had free dining on several trips and preferred DDP to QSDP, so liked to book via the US site as they often gave DDP for moderates. Coupled with a good exchange rate it could be quite a bargain - if anything at Disney is a bargain.

[blainy]

For me free dining was an added incentive to stay in a deluxe hotel.

If free dining is withdrawn - and it looks like that's the way it's going - it makes the moderates look better value. I see the date restrictions that seem to be in force now blocking out most of the F&W festival, too. This was unbelievably good use of snack credits.

[CoasterQueen]

Originally Posted by gjdjud

Yes. I’ve asked this question before. We will just do less onsite. We are going to do 5 days instead of 14. We are doing 9 offsite. Onsite isn’t the deal breaker. It’s a hotel. We’ve got bigger, cheaper accommodation booked for after. We still have our Disney fix and the park tickets will be valid still. I just won’t eat at Disney which isn’t a big deal. So much choice elsewhere. I don’t see any reason to say no, Disney no holiday.

I’m just going edit my answer. If no free dining I will stay for the 5 days onsite like I said BUT if they say no fastpasses or 60 day fastpasses then that’s a big loss that may make me change to all offsite.

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My thoughts exactly we have booked 5 nights just to get a Disney fix and the extra few quid they are offering to cover a few meals whilst we are there. Would have stayed longer if there had been free dining-but hey ho-we will try and do as much as we can over those 5 days and then just pop in and out of Disney if we feel like it (not planning to though).