Disney Dining Plan or 2 rooms at a Value Resort

by Angela
(Texas)

Me again!

I like your idea of adjoining rooms in a value resort instead of 1 room in a moderate. But is that still your vote during free dining since it will lower the level of dining plan? I like the idea of more space & 2 bathrooms with teenage girls but the cheapest way to go will probably win out. What do you think?

Pop Century is my favorite place for 2 rooms at a Value Resort

Photo by BestofWDW

Dad's cheapest is not always best Answer

Angela,

Welcome back. Good to hear from you again. This is a real good question and a real complicated answer so lets dive right in.

Dad's Bottom Line

Yes, I'm going to start with the Bottom Line and then explain ...

Angela, the bottom line is it depends on your situation. If Table Service meals are your priority then go to the Moderate, if space, bathrooms, sanity (had to slip that one in) are your priority, then go with the Value Resort.

OK, now the explanation.

Just a little background ... The Free Disney Dining Plan gives guests staying in the Value Resorts the Quick Service Dining Plan (2 quick service meals and two snacks). If you stay in any of the other resorts you get the "Plus" Dining Plan (1 table service meal, 1 quick service meal and one snack).

The next question to ask is what is the difference in price in a two rooms at a Value Resort vs. a Moderate Resort. Let's take the lowest price for 2012 and compare. The lowest price for 2012 happens the first part of the year. At a Value Resort the rate is $84 per night at a Moderate Resort its $159 per night so one room at a Moderate Resort is $9 less than 2 rooms at a Value Resort.

The next question is how many meals will you eat at one of Disney's table service restaurants? If you are making last minute plans (less than 120 days), you might not be able to get reservations for the table service restaurants you want to eat at.

Go ahead and to to Disney's website and check out what reservations are available to see if you can get more than one or two. Go ahead, I'll wait.

Glad you're back. OK, if you can find several table service restaurants to make reservations for you might want to consider the moderate.

If you can't find any reservations the decision is made. Go with the Value Resort. (Dad's favorite is the Pop Century.)

Next, you need to know that for just $11 per day each person, you can upgrade from the Quick Service Dining Plan to the "Plus" Dining Plan. Yes, I know that sounds like a bunch of money. For a family of 4 it's $44 per day and it may not make a lot of sense, except ...

If you are on the Quick Service Dining Plan and want to eat a couple of meals at table service restaurants, it might be cheaper to just spend the money it would cost to upgrade than to buy the meals separately. Think about it. A meal for 4 at most table service restaurants is about $30 per person. That would pay for 3 days of an upgrade. Just a thought.
It all comes down to what's more important. If you have to find the absolute cheapest way to go to Walt Disney World, you'd stay in one room at a Value Resort. (I'm assuming you have 2 girls.) The second cheapest option would be to stay at the Moderate Resort which would include the "Plus" Dining Plan. Yes, staying in two rooms at a Value Resort will cost a bit more (about $50 per day with "Plus" Dining and $9 per day with Quick Service Dining).

It all boils down to what you are comfortable spending.

Why not go to Dad's Pixie and Pirate Destinations page and let them help you find the plan that fits you best. They're pretty good at this kind of thing.

Trust me.