StaceyinLA Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 I received an offer and was able to apply it to our reservation. The offer was for 40% off our room for the entire time of our stay. We are staying at All-Star Music in a suite. The offer saved us nearly $600 for the week. IF they do a free dining offer, we will be there during that time. In order to add the free dining, we'd have to give up the 40% off. If you were staying in a suite that had a kitchen and could bring breakfast foods and sandwich stuff at the very least, would you feel compelled to still get a dining plan, or would you rather save the $600 and eat lunches out but your other meals in the room?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Alte Veste Academy Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 I received an offer and was able to apply it to our reservation. The offer was for 40% off our room for the entire time of our stay. We are staying at All-Star Music in a suite. The offer saved us nearly $600 for the week. IF they do a free dining offer, we will be there during that time. In order to add the free dining, we'd have to give up the 40% off. If you were staying in a suite that had a kitchen and could bring breakfast foods and sandwich stuff at the very least, would you feel compelled to still get a dining plan, or would you rather save the $600 and eat lunches out but your other meals in the room?? Aren't your kids older? Mine are young so the idea of returning to our room for some down time would be attractive and then cooking in the suite would seem like a cost-saving thrill. Then I would probably choose saving money on the room and no meal plan. However, if my kids were older, I would probably view returning to the room early to save money as a pain--an interruption in the fun. Then I would choose the free meal plan and pay a bit more for the room. ETA: You could probably figure it up in actual dollars saved. How many of you are going? $600 vs. what is it? $39 for the meal plan x # of people x # of days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momofkhm Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 I received an offer and was able to apply it to our reservation. The offer was for 40% off our room for the entire time of our stay. We are staying at All-Star Music in a suite. The offer saved us nearly $600 for the week. IF they do a free dining offer, we will be there during that time. In order to add the free dining, we'd have to give up the 40% off. If you were staying in a suite that had a kitchen and could bring breakfast foods and sandwich stuff at the very least, would you feel compelled to still get a dining plan, or would you rather save the $600 and eat lunches out but your other meals in the room?? You do know that the kitchen in an All Star suite isn't a kitchen, don't you? It's a small fridge and a microwave. Small "bar" sink. And paper products. We stayed at an All Star suite in Jan 2007 and it was great for us, but it is not a kitchen. See pictures here. We also just went in this past January. We think we broke even paying for the dining plan - 1 counter, 1 quick, 1 snack a day. I agree with the other poster, you need to add it up - $40/day/adult and $11/day/child. Will you save more than $600 if you get the free dining plan? (For my family and our recent vacation, we would have saved a lot more than $600 if free dining was offered.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyinLA Posted February 15, 2009 Author Share Posted February 15, 2009 But, the thing is, I wouldn't consider cooking a vacation either!! This is why just sandwiches and breakfast foods would be brought anyway, and other snacks of course. Having the small fridge just makes it easier to keep milk, juices and lunch meats/cheeses cold. And the thing about the dining plan is whether or not I want to be tied to it, and whether I feel it is a real value. Part of me feels like waiting on reservations and spending an hour or more in a restaurant is a time-waster too. Plus, I felt kind of tied to the dining plan. The sit-down meals take a while, even with a reservation. The other thing is that there are a lot of times we would've eaten appetizers (for our meal), but on the dining plan you could not do that. And you have to factor in 20% tips for your sit-down meals. With meals at upwards of $150 for 5 or 6 people, you could be paying $30+ just in gratuity at a meal. That would buy counter meals for 4 or 5 people. Do yall really feel that the dining plan is worth the cost?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmschoolmom22 Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 (edited) the free dining is sooooooooooooo worth it! we did this back in Sept of 2006, our girls were 10 and 6 at the time - it was wonderful! and as another poster said, the "kitchen" in the All Stars hotels are not kitchens and you have to pay extra for the "fridge"...I say go with the free dining for sure! you won't be sorry! meant to add we only did "sit down" type restaurants in the evenings and again, worth it! we had bills that were well over a hundred dollars and we paid nothing! wow! that kitchen blows what we had away! we stayed at the All Stars Movie Resort and we had nothing like that! Edited February 15, 2009 by hmschoolmom22 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyinLA Posted February 15, 2009 Author Share Posted February 15, 2009 That is why the kitchen is different. It's a bedroom, den with sleeping for 4, 2 bathrooms and that little "kitchen." I am SO excited about staying there, just for the 2 bathrooms! Did you really find the dining plan worth it? See, I just don't know if I was that impressed. I can't decide what I really think. I'm on the fence. First off, dessert is not something we ever order so I didn't find that getting free desserts was a savings. The only place I'd order dessert again (if we ate there) would be the Rose & Crown. I would NOT miss the Sticky Toffee Pudding - best thing I've ever eaten I think. Also, we tend to split main courses, and/or eat appetizers for our meals (which you can't get on the plan). Also, as I mentioned in my other post, the tips are a big expense. With 6 people dining, we are talking at least $30-40 a meal (sit-down of course) for tips. That could almost buy us all a counter lunch. IDK - we enjoyed our counter meals a lot. The Flame Tree had that awesome bbq pork sandwich. There's that yummy clam chowder in Magic Kingdom. We had awesome food at Wolfgang Puck too in the village. I just found a lot of the counter meals to be really good and don't know if it's worth getting the sit-downs and paying the tips since we basically get our first $600 of food free anyway if we keep our hotel discount. I'm still all ears (no pun intended) if anyone else has experiences to share... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josie Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 You will get to try so many cool types of food. it is a vacation...enjoy it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaT Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 We went in September of this year and loved the free dining. My kids would have fussed about going back to the room to eat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyinLA Posted February 15, 2009 Author Share Posted February 15, 2009 if you DIDN'T have the meal plan, would you automatically do a sit-down meal every day? For us, I don't think we would. I found the sit-downs to take a long time, thereby sucking a lot of time from the day. I would feel like I HAD to do the meals if I pay for them (which, in essence I would be doing if I lost the $600 discount). I find that when you're right smack dab in the middle of riding the rockin roller coaster 5 times in a row it's a pain if you have to stop so you can catch a bus to wherever for your meal. We did the dining plan this past September. I've been many times without it too. It's just something I am really struggling with doing again. I'm liking the input though. It gives me food for thought - literally!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenn- Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 I have done Disney with and without the dining plan. Right now I wouldn't consider going without the dining plan (and I have never had it free). I find the food at Disney part of the experience for me and the dining plan allows me to get what I want without thinking about the price. That never happens anywhere else. I know that when we went without it we spent a lot of time trying to figure out where to eat and ended up with a lot of hamburgers and french fries. When DD turns 10 and I have to pay full adult price for the meal plan for her, I might change my tune until the kids are old enough to eat that kind of food. Hence the reason my next trip is planned for the week that she turns 10, not the one after it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 We found the dining to be a part of the experience. I researched and researched and found restaurants that all of my family would enjoy. The kids got to try all sorts of things they wouldn't try at home. And, I got GREAT dinners served to me without having to pay a la carte! I LOVED that!! We went during free dining in Sept and spent over $1500 in food. That was SOOOOO worth it for us. That said, we don't eat out at home (like, EVER!!) so that we can do fun vacations like this. Part of my vacation IS eating out. I can't imagine truly being on vacation if I have to worry about food! Now, what I'd recommend is a Disney cruise where all the wonderful food is included in the price!! (We went on one in January and rebooked for next January!! Wonderful vacation!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyinLA Posted February 16, 2009 Author Share Posted February 16, 2009 as far as the food itself. We do eat out a bit so it wasn't as much of a treat, but we did try a lot of different stuff and that part was fun (Boma, for instance!!) I guess I'll have to see if they offer the dining and then weigh my options. They may not even offer the same plan as last year. I know if I had to pay for the dining plan, I wouldn't do it. I just don't find that it is a bargain based on the way we eat. I guess that is why I am questioning whether it's a bargain or not if we can get the large hotel discount. I'll have til at least April to decide I guess - then we'll see if they offer it or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momofkhm Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 The last 2 times we've gone, we've gotten the dining plan and had to pay for it. DH complained this time that there was less food but it was still plenty to eat. There were times with the sit down meals that we would not have gotten dessert b/c we were all full. BUT the nice thing to me about the dining plan is that I don't have to think about what I'm paying. I do see what you are saying about not wanting to take the time. For us it was a time to regroup. A time to sit and relax. We enjoyed the time to kick back. An hour a day isn't all that much, really. I have to say we were much more relaxed this time. Usually we are go,go,go at Disney. DH and I feel like we need a vacation from our vacation when we come home. This time we relaxed. It wasn't just the meals either. But taking the time to relax over the meals was nice. Like you, without the dining plan, we'd eat counter service most meals. With the dining plan we are more adventurous. There is no way we'd have eaten at the French place without the plan. We'd only eat at Rainforest if it was back on the plan. Price it out. If it will save you money, go for it. If it doesn't save you money, don't. Oh and I agree! Two bathrooms with 6 of you is great!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deece in MN Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 Based on what you are saying about how your family eats, I would go with the discount. Yes, the dining plan is nice, but there are so many ways to go about eating while at Disney that the it is not always the best route for everyone. I say take the discount. JMHO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmrich Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 We have never gotten the meal plan. We eat breakfast in the room or while waiting for the bus to take us to the park so we can be among the first ones in. I pack sandwiches and a little cooler for lunch - grapes, sliced apples, drinkable yogurt, granola bars, chips. My kids would have gone nuts if we had to go back to the room to eat; I think they would have gone crazy if we sat down for a long lunch. We do a counter service dinner and maybe once splurge for a sit down character meal. If you have a car, you can go out and buy all the supplies for simple meals. Last time, we flew and I prepacked three lunches for the five of us and made muffins etc. for breakfast. I know I could eat for less than 600. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karenciavo Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 If there is free dining this year I have a hunch it will feature the new, cheaper plan which does not include sit down restaurants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deece in MN Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 There is also Garden Grocer who delivers to Disney resorts. You wouldn't have to pack food to take, just place an order online and it will be delivered to your resort. Something else to check into. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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