Category — e. What to Budget for Walt Disney World

Two different sources have told me that while September Free Dining will open for Disney Visa on May 21, Free Dining offers will open to the general public on May 7, not May 5 as many–including me!–have forecast.

See this for more!

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Update: or maybe May 7?

My buddy Joe Black is now forecasting that Free Dining for September 2014 will open to the general public for booking on Monday May 5.

(For the full scoop on free dining, see this.)

This is still just a forecast, and may be wrong.  But Joe thinks that Free Dining will open then, will likely open a bit earlier for Disney Visa cardholders, will have eligible arrival dates from late August into September, and may extend well into September. As usual, certain resorts and room types will be excluded.

Joe also think that there will be additional free dining for later in 2014, to be announced mid-summer. This last bit is a reversal of predictions that he and I co-authored late last year…and no one would be happier to be wrong!

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Free Dining is the favorite deal of many Disney World fans, and I get questions about it all the time.

In an unusual attempt to actually provide good answers, I put heads together with DISboards.com legends Smitch425 (Sarah) and Black562 (Joe Black–Joe’s also on the web here and here; Sarah’s shy) and we–well, mostly they–came up with the following FAQ.

WHAT IS FREE DINING AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?

Q: What is free dining?
A: Free dining is a Disney World deal where, if you buy other stuff, you can get one of the Disney World dining plans for free. Most recently, those staying at a value resort have gotten the quick service dining plan for free, and those staying at moderate or deluxe resorts have gotten the regular dining plan for free.

Q: Is this a big deal?
A: For many families, it really is. The regular Disney Dining Plan costs $64.58 for people ten or over, and $20.48 for kids 3 to 9. So a typical family of four with one younger kid and one older who would have otherwise paid cash for the dining plan will save more than $210 per night. Savings are less but still substantial for the quick service plan that’s free for value resort stays—at $44.72/$17.07, the same family would save $150/night.

Q:  Blah blah blah on that typical family–how much will my family save?
A: See the table below:

Q: Is it the best deal?
A: Not always. The value of any deal is the difference between it and your next best option. Room rate deals are usually out for the same dates as free dining, and for some families—especially smaller families with younger kids staying at more expensive deluxe resorts—the room rate discount saves more money than free dining. The least expensive Grand Floridian rooms during the September 2014 value season at 30% off generate savings of $165-$175 a night. From the chart above, you can see many family types will do better here at 30% off than from free dining.

Q: What’s the Disney Dining Plan, anyway?
A: See below!

HOW TO GET FREE DINING

Q: OK, I’m sold. Now what?
A: First Disney has to announce the deal. Then you have to be willing to stay at an eligible resort, with an arrival date within the announced deal’s eligible dates, for (most likely) a minimum of three nights, and you have to buy (most likely) a minimum of two days of tickets for all in the room 3 and older.

Q: I already have a reservation just like that! Will Disney automatically convert it to the deal?
A: Disney don’t do nothin automatically. To get the deal, you have to either call and change your current reservation, or make a new free dining reservation online and then call when that’s set to cancel your old reservation.

Q: Tickets? But I already bought tickets!
A: That’s a whine, not a question. But yes, to be eligible for free dining, a new minimum 2 day Magic Your Way base ticket is typically required for each person on the reservation age 3 and up. However, you can save your tickets for a future trip–Magic Your Way tickets which have not been activated by first use will remain valid forever. Annual Pass holders can use the un-activated extra 2 day ticket toward renewal costs when it is time to renew. Or you can just use both tickets to get 6 FastPass+ per day.

Q: Are all resorts and rooms in the deal?
A: All recent Disney World deals have excluded some resorts and room types—mostly those for which demand is high enough that no deal is needed to get heads in beds at full prices. Recently, most commonly excluded have been the campsites at Fort Wilderness, Little Mermaid standard rooms at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, the Villas at the Grand Floridian, and one or the other of the Port Orleans resorts. Moreover, even when not excluded, it seems that a limited inventory of rooms at resorts is made available for the deal. It’s always best to have a backup resort and room type in mind should your desired location be excluded or sold out.

Q: When should I book?
A: As soon as you hear about the deal. Since there are a limited number of rooms in the free dining inventory at each included resort, the sooner you book once a deal goes live, the better your chances are of getting your preferred location. Note that because so many know this, people can be on hold for hours when these deals are first released.

Q: My arrival date is before free dining but part of my stay is during it! Boo!
A: If you check in prior to a free dining promotion, you can do what is referred to as a “split stay.” For example, if you check in the day before free dining begins, you can book a room only stay for the first night, and a free dining package to begin the following day. This would require you to check out and check back in, and it is possible that you would have to switch rooms. However, Disney can link the two reservations, and they will do everything possible to avoid a room switch.

Q: When is free dining offered?
A: The most common time for free dining is September through later in the month. For 2014, the current guess is eligible arrival dates will be late August–e.g. August 31th or so through very early October–e.g. October 3. As part of its strategy for recovery from the recession, 2009 through 2011 Disney offered free dining many other months. The last couple of years, this has been wildly scaled back. Select dates after September have been available through 2013. Rumors are that we’ll see this in 2014 again. If later 2014 is offered, it likely will exclude at least the two weeks surrounding Columbus Day and dates around Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

Q: When is it announced?
A: See this for the variety of announcement dates. It’s widely expected that free dining for September 2014 will be announced in  early May—current forecasts are for free dining for September 2014  to become available to the general public May 5 or May 7.

Q. I’m a proud DVC point owner! Can I get free dining?
A: Sorry—DVC rooms booked using points (either by the point owner, or for someone who is getting DVC rooms by renting points) aren’t eligible. However, DVC rooms paid for by cash are eligible.

Q: Can I upgrade from the quick service to the regular plan, or to the deluxe plan?
A: Yes you may. Simply pay the difference between the plans and you can upgrade all you wish.

Q: Should I book in advance for free dining?
A: Don’t book in the hope of getting free dining later. Book only if you are committed to a certain resort and set of dates, whether or not free dining emerges. First, if bookings are up, Disney has no reason to offer a discount at all. Second, if people book up certain resorts, they are more likely to be excluded. Third, if you book in advance, you must add the discount by phone, not online. Disney’s website has been known to go live before the phones even open, sometimes many hours ahead. Then callers can be on hold for hours. This means new reservations made online are grabbing the limited free dining inventory ahead of those who must call in. Having an advance reservation has no benefit in any way over a new booking on release day. It doesn’t hurt you—but it doesn’t help.

Q: Can I have a puppy?
A: Perhaps.

WHAT’S THE DISNEY DINING PLAN, ANYWAY?

The following is an excerpt from my and Josh’s The easy Guide to Your First Walt Disney World Visit from Theme Park Press:

Disney World dining is expensive. For some guests, it may even be the priciest component of the vacation, eclipsing the cost of lodging and theme park tickets. The three versions of the Disney Dining Plan (Quick Service, Regular, and Deluxe) are a way to prepay some of these dining expenses.

Years ago, when the Regular Dining Plan had a lower price and included an appetizer and tip at sit-down restaurants, you could actually save some money by buying these plans. These days it’s hard for us to recommend them–unless you get them for free!

• The Quick Service Dining Plan is priced so high that it’s only possible to break even or come out ahead if you use the credits solely for lunch and dinner. From there, you’ll need to order only the most expensive items to eke out a potential savings of a dollar or two per day.
• At a cost north of $64 per adult per day, the Regular Dining Plan is expensive and saving money with it requires planning only the most expensive meals.
• The Deluxe Dining Plan comes with three quick or table service meals per day at a cost of more than $115 per day per adult. Users either spend three or more hours per day eating table service meals or use their credits on faster quick service meals, in turn reducing the value of each credit.

With only a couple of exceptions, we suggest skipping the dining plans. Exceptions include:

• If you take comfort in pre-paying some of your dining expenses as a budgeting tool (even if this means you spend more money), the Quick Service or Regular plans may make sense for you—the cash loss may be worth the budget comfort. It’s nice knowing that food is pre-paid and users are free to order whatever entrees and desserts that they like, even if those prices are higher than they’re accustomed to paying. As an alternative, consider loading a Disney gift card with the amount of money you plan to pay for meals.
• Pricing on the Regular Plan is advantageous for groups with kids under the age of ten that plan multiple buffets and character meals. The cost of a child buffet at many character meals exceeds the child cost of the Regular Dining Plan for that day.
• Getting it for free!!

With or without a dining plan, the typical family eating their meals on property should budget $35-60+ per adult per day for dining, and somewhere between $15 and $40/day for the kids–depending on their ages and appetites.

DINING PLAN CREDITS AND WHAT THEY COVER

The Dining Plans are only available to guests staying at Disney owned and operated resorts. All guests on a single reservation (except children under three—not covered on any plan) must opt for the same Dining Plan if you elect to purchase it. There’s no such thing as having four people on a room reservation and only three people on the Deluxe Plan. And it isn’t possible for one person to purchase Deluxe, while the other chooses the Regular. Everyone over the age of nine must pay the adult rate, regardless of how much they plan to eat. And kids three to nine must order from restaurants’ Kids’ Menu if they offer one.

Those on the Dining Plan receive a number of credits based on the number of nights they’re staying. The Dining Plan and credits are not connected to theme park tickets or anything else – just the number of nights on the reservation. The credits are usable as soon as the guest checks in through midnight on the checkout day. Credits can be used in any order on any of these days. On a three night stay, a guest could conceivably use all their credits on the first day, the last day or space them out.

Quick service meals generally consist of one entrée or combo meal, one dessert, and one non-alcoholic beverage. Virtually every quick service on property participates in the Dining Plan and all quick service meals cost one credit.

Table service meals, comprised of one entrée, one dessert, and one non-alcoholic beverage, cost one or two credits. Two credit meals are signature experiences at the most expensive dinner shows, buffets, and restaurants like Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue, Cinderella’s Royal Table and California Grill. The Deluxe Dining Plan credits also include an appetizer, in addition to the entrée, dessert, and non-alcoholic beverage. Snack credits can be used on most food items under $5.49. Examples include ice cream bars, pastries, and bottles of water and soda.

The credits don’t always cover everything you might want at a meal and no credits cover alcohol (except beer and wine at the dinner shows) or tips. Most guests have some additional dining expenses, in addition to the cost of the Dining Plan.

THE QUICK SERVICE DINING PLAN

Quick Service Dining Plan includes per person, per night:

• Two quick service meals, and
• One snack

In addition, each guest receives a Refillable Mug for use at the resort quick service and, if available, pools.

So a family of four staying for five nights would receive ten quick service meals, five snacks, and a refillable mug each. At press time, after-tax pricing is:

• $44.72 per night for those ten and older
• $17.07 per night for kids ages three to nine

Adult quick service entrees are typically $8 – $11 in the theme parks. Add a $3 fountain beverage and a $4 carrot cake and your average meal comes to around $17. Eat two of those, in addition to a $4 Mickey Ice Cream Bar, and add about $2.50 for a day’s worth of the refillable mug, and you’ve come out just about even. Kids’ Picks generally come in around $7 each. Eat two and add a $3 popsicle and the use of the refillable mug and you’ve covered the day’s cost.

While technically possible to eke out a savings of a dollar or two per day, those savings evaporate whenever you eat breakfast, when prices are usually lower and dessert isn’t included, or whenever someone is forced to order something they ordinarily wouldn’t. It also makes it difficult to schedule a table service meal or character buffet since they aren’t included on the Plan. You can pay cash for such meals, but if doing so pushes you to using a credit for breakfast—or worse, ending your vacation with unused credits—the Quick Service plan will cost you money.

THE “REGULAR” DINING PLAN

The “Regular” Dining Plan—often known simply as the Disney Dining Plan—includes per person, per night:

• One quick service meal
• One table service meal
• One snack

In addition, each guest receives a refillable mug for the duration of the stay.

At press time, after-tax pricing is:

• $64.58 per night for those ten and older
• $20.48 per night for kids ages three to nine

Child pricing is advantageous with a cost just $3.50 more than the Quick Service Plan. With several character buffets priced over $20, it’s relatively easy for kids to come out ten dollars or more ahead each day they dine at such a venue. For those older than 9, the price of $20/per day more than the Quick Service is harder to justify. There are meals where you do well—Akershus for dinner, after tax, is around $50. A day for family members older than 9 with a typical counter service lunch, a snack, and Akershus for dinner will cost less under the dining plan than cash. Dinner at the Crystal Palace approaches this cost, as does Chef Mickey’s.

Outside of buffets, it’s difficult to find restaurants with average entrée and dessert prices high enough to cover the cost of the Plan. Let’s assume you’re spending the day at Hollywood Studios and select 50’s Prime Time Café for dinner. You select the second most expensive entrée, the $22 pork chop, in addition to the most expensive dessert (Traditional Warm Apple Crisp A la Mode for $7.49) and order a $5 milkshake as your beverage. With tax, the meal comes out to $36.75. That puts you $27.83 away from covering the cost of the Dining Plan with just a quick service meal and snack to go. At our recommended Studios’ quick service, Studio Catering Co., the most expensive quick service meal you could put together is $19 with tax. Add a $4 Mickey Ice Cream Bar as a snack and you’re still $5 away from covering the cost of the Dining Plan after already ordering the most expensive items.

The economics of two-credit meals are even worse. Signature restaurant prices generally are about 1.5x the cost of regular restaurants, but cost twice the number of credits, resulting in a lower per-credit value. For example, the most expensive meal you could put together on the Dining Plan at California Grill is a $49 Bone-In Veal Chop, $13 Pudding Cake, and $4 Coke. That’s $66 or just $33 per credit for the most expensive meal at one of the most expensive restaurants on property. To compare, Teppan Edo in the Japan Pavilion at Epcot offers several entrees for $28 – $32. Add dessert and a drink and your single credit has a value of about $10 more than California Grill.

THE DELUXE DINING PLAN

The Deluxe Dining Plan includes per person, per day:

• Three meals per day – either quick service or table service. Table service meals include an appetizer where applicable.
• Two snacks

In addition, each guest receives a refillable mug for the duration of the stay

At press time, after-tax pricing is:

• $116.65 per night for adults
• $31.19 per night for kids ages three to nine

On paper, there is a lot of value potential here, particularly for kids under the age of ten. To maximize that value however, you could be spending more than three hours a day dining—even more if you avoid two-credit meals– and building an itinerary largely around being at specific restaurants at specific times. And let’s not forget the actual cost. A family of two adults, a 15-year old, and a seven-year old would cost a whopping $380 per day. For that, Josh and Dave will cook and serve your family of four both lunch and dinner, while intermittently breaking out into song and dance. A word to the wise though: Josh’s specialty is Hot Pockets and Dave’s favorite ingredient is Sriracha.

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Disney World has released a multi-level deal for arrival dates June 15 – August 28 2014. This deal needs to be booked by June 6, 2014.

There’s one set of discounts for stays of 3-5 nights, and a 5% higher set of discounts for stays longer than 5 nights. The longer stays are eligible for a ticket deal as well. I’ll post more on the ticket deal later, but I think it’s a free additional ticket day—which is worth $10.65 per person.

SUMMER 2014 DISNEY WORLD DISCOUNTS FOR STAYS OF 3-5 NIGHTS

Value resorts:

• Excluded: Art of Animation Little Mermaid, All-Star Movies
• Art of Animation Family Suites – 10%
• Other value Resorts – 15%

Moderate resorts:

• Excluded: Port Orleans French Quarter
• Other Moderate Resorts – 20%

Deluxe resorts and DVC:

• Excluded: Bay Lake Tower and Villas at the Grand Floridian
• Contemporary, Beach Club, AKL Savanna View, Wilderness Lodge Villas, Beach Club Villas, Jambo Villas, Kidani Village- 20%
• Other Deluxe and DVC Resorts – 30%

SUMMER 2014 DISNEY WORLD DISCOUNTS FOR STAYS OF LONGER THAN 5 NIGHTS

Add 5 percentage points to the deals noted above.

Any deal with this kind of structure particularly pays at the break point–that is, moving from 5 to 6 nights gets you 5 points of discounts more on the first 5 nights.

So for example during the value season a sixth night at the Wilderness Lodge costs just $129 more than 5 nights.  If this also makes a free ticket day available and useful to you, then the net cost of the 6th night is less than $90 for a 4 person family.

For more details see Disney’s page on the deal.

If you are ready to book, to get a quote on your trip from my travel agent partners Destinations in Florida, you can either call the toll-free line dedicated to readers of this site, click the link or fill out the form over on the right and a little below. To speak directly to an agent, call 877-621-9826 Monday-Saturday between 9a-4p (Eastern). (Toll-free if dialed from within the USA.)

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My buddy Joe Black  is reporting on disboards  that a new Disney World room-only discount for the summer will be out for the general public on Monday and available to Disney Visa holders today.

It will cover June 15 – August 28, and discounts will be higher for longer stays, and less for shorter ones.

Some resorts and room types will be excluded, and others likely will show up at just 5% off. For the rest, Joe expects deals in the range of:

• Values – 20%
• Moderates – 25%
• Deluxe – 30%

I’ll post more as the contours of the deal become clearer.

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WALT DISNEY WORLD 2014/2015 ADMISSION TICKET PRICES

Update: Disney World ticket prices increased on February 22, 2015.  I’ll revise this page shortly, as it still reflects earlier pricing!!

(This page is sponsored by Undercover Tourist.)

Three types of Walt Disney World prices are important to think about:

• Walt Disney World theme park admission ticket prices—the tickets that grant you admission to the parks
• Walt Disney World resort hotel prices, and
• Park and hotel food prices

This page focuses on Walt Disney World theme park admission ticket prices from now until they go up again.

MORE DETAILS ON WALT DISNEY WORLD ADMISSION TICKET PRICES 2014/15: HOW THE TICKETS WORK

There are multiple types of Walt Disney World theme park tickets, but the one most relevant to most first time visitors is the Magic Your Way ticket, with or without the Park Hopper option.

You buy one theme park ticket for each person who will be three years old or older at the time of your visit (kids younger than three enter the parks for free.) The tickets have two pricing levels: one for kids who will be younger than ten at the time of your visit (but 3 or older) and the other for people ten or older.

When you buy your tickets, you also say how many “days” you want—from one to ten. Each “day” you buy permits unlimited visits to one theme park on one day. If you also add the Park Hopper option, you can make unlimited visits to any of the theme parks in one day–one theme park, two, three, or all four theme parks.

• For example, if you buy a three day ticket without the park hopper option, you could make two visits to the Magic Kingdom on day one, three visits to Epcot on day two, and two visits to the Animal Kingdom on day 3
• If you have a three day ticket with the park hopper option, you could for example make two visits to the Magic Kingdom and one to Disney’s Hollywood Studios on day one, one visit to Epcot and two to Disney’s Animal Kingdom on day two, and one to Epcot and two to the Magic Kingdom on day three
• What you can’t do without a park hopper ticket is visit more than one theme park on the same day. For example, you can’t, on November 25th, use one day of your three-day ticket to visit the Magic Kingdom, and another day of this same ticket to visit Epcot that same day. More than one theme park in a day requires a park hopper

You do not have to use your days all in a row boom boom boom—e.g. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Once you use your first day, you have 14 days to use all the days on your ticket. So on a three-day ticket you could visit the theme parks Monday, Thursday, and Sunday.

• You can also add days at the same price that you would have paid had you bought all those days at once, but have to do so no later than the day you use the last day of your original ticket (and within 14 days of the first day)
• So if you buy a three-day ticket, and realize a few days later that you need more days, you can add two days and they will cost only the difference between what you paid originally for a three day ticket, and what you would have had to have paid for a five day ticket, so long as you add these days no later than the day you use your third day
• You can also add stuff like the Park Hopper during the same day window at the same price as you would have paid when you first bought your ticket

However, you can’t “subtract” days if you overbuy.

HOW WALT DISNEY WORLD PRICES ITS THEME PARK ADMISSION TICKETS

1. While Disney typically increases ticket prices at least once a year—typically in the summer, but in late February in 2014—it does not change theme park admission prices based on the seasons of the year, the way that it increases and decreases prices at its resort hotels. You pay the same amount for admission on the busiest and the least busy days of the year.

(This material, by the way, is updated as of Disney World’s February 2014 price increase, and applies to tickets bought from then until Disney’s next price increase.)

2. Disney sells tickets by the day—one through ten days. The way it prices these days, the first three days are very expensive, while days after the third are comparatively almost free. See the image for exact Disney World prices.

For example, a three day ticket costs (including tax) an adult $292, or an average of more than $97 a day. A ten day ticket would cost the same adult $377. The added 7 days cost in total around $85—or just a tad more than $12 per day.

3. A park hopper costs (after tax) about $64 for all ticket lengths longer than three days. It’s about $43 for a one day ticket, and about $52 for two and three day tickets.

I have also uploaded an excel spreadsheet with the same data in it as the chart, so that you can multiply by the number of members of your own family.

4. In the summer of 2013, Disney changed its policy for one day tickets.  These used to cost the same regardless of which park at which you used them; now a one day adult ticket for the Magic Kingdom (including tax) is more, around $105, but for the other three theme parks a one day ticket is ~$100.  These per-park differences don’t apply to tickets with more than one day.

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD THEME PARK TICKETS

There are other ticket types than the ones discussed above—less relevant for first time visitors. For details on all of them, see this page on MouseSavers.com.

While it’s hard to find discounts on tickets, it is sometimes possible. Check sponsor Undercover Tourist, MouseSavers.com, Triple A if you are a member, and if you have military ties, this page and also MilitaryDisneyTips.com.

Since you can add on to your tickets–days, park hoppers, etc.–but can’t subtract, it doesn’t really pay to overbuy. Start with the minimum you think you need and add on later if needed.  Remember to add no later than the day you use your current last day!

All of this site’s To-Do Lists tell you exactly what ticket type you need for their associated itineraries.

FREE TICKETS ON YOUR BIRTHDAY?

Disney world no longer offers free tickets on your birthday.

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