Calling All Military!!! I Need Help!!!

[eeyorepixie]

My father in law, who is an absoloute doll and who I adore...wants to go to Disney with us!

Background:retired Boston Cop, father of 5, and his wife had severe health issues my husbands whole childhood and he held the family all together. He goes to Church EVERYDAY and is as honest as the day is long and lives by do unto others. He is sooooo wonderful.

Back to the subject- Remember I mentioned I may be a part of a Grand Gathering my second week?? Well he is a part of it and he asked my DH to have me call him about Disney deals.

I just looked at the Disney Deal for Military (retired military) 40% off for select Moderates? Is it only Moderates? Will this deal be better than free dining??? Then it mentioned special tickets, can he get this with the DDP.

Is this really the best deal???

He could get free dining with a value...I think this may be better?

Can he get the DDP with the Military tickets?

Did I mention he has kept the first buck he made and most of the ones after...he is very errr...tight with his spending. Not that it is a bad thing...just needed you to know that, because I really need to get him the best deal.

So I really want to make sure he gets the DDP, because we love dining. I do not want his thriftness to interfere

I am trying to figure out if he should wait for the free dining code and get a value or get the Military deal and stay on site of POR with us.

I need input!!!

He will be surprising the kids the second week we are there, My brother in law (ex-military too) and his partner will be coming the second week too.

I want to get him the best deal!

I would be grateful for any help on this!!!!!

 

[Luv2Roam]

Is he retired military, besides being a retired cop?
DDP is not available with a military offer.
The DDP is available through WDTC packages. Buy a WDTC and then you can have DDP. (Unless you are a DVC member, or renting points from one.)

 

[disneyleslie]

Yes, you can get the dining plan with a military pkg. - I just booked it for a client - they got the room and dining plan and are buying the tickets when they get there because the one in the military gets a free ticket and the family members can get discounted tickets. They are staying at the beach club, so I believe any of the resorts are part of it as long as they are available.

Leslie

 

[eeyorepixie]

I did a breakdown for my Father-in Law for the Military Promotion, if I made any mistakes let me know! I thought it might help someone else too.I did a breakdown of the Military Promotion cost for my father in law. It was a lot of work. So I thought I would post it, with the hopes it may help someone else.
Here is a breakdown of what we discussed earlier. I have given you links so you can see things for yourself the information. Then I did a breakdown of costs. Hope this helps you make a better decision.

All active and retired military get a FREE 5-day Park Pass + Water Park +More= Which translates to this 5 days at parks (you could do MK in the Morn and Epcot in the evening, because you have a hopper pass + you get another 5 days of being allowed to go to the 2 Water Parks, Golfin ag and Disney Quest. So you basically have 10 Days of Free Passes.
You also can get another person a "Companion Military Pass" this same pass for $99 and upgrade to a hopper (additional $25.) and then upgrade a second time (for another 25.) for Water Parks+ for a total of 149. +tax


Resort Choices for our

Our resort is Port Orleans River Side which is a Moderate resort (this is the cheapest for a family of 5)
Here is a fact sheet for our resort:
http://allears.net/acc/faq_dxl.htm
Here are pictures of our resort:
http://allears.net/acc/g_dxl.htm

The following links are for all the Value Resorts:
All Star Movies Resort:
Fact Sheet/Pictures
http://allears.net/acc/faq_asmv.htm
http://allears.net/acc/g_asm.htm
All Star Music:
http://allears.net/acc/faq_asm.htm
http://allears.net/acc/g_asmu.htm
All Star Sports:
http://allears.net/acc/faq_as.htm
http://allears.net/acc/asspss.htm
Pop Century Resort, please note this is the most popular of the value resorts and may book full early
http://allears.net/acc/faq_pop.htm
http://allears.net/acc/g_pop.htm
Promotions:
Here is a link on the promotion:
http://www.mousesavers.com/disneyresorts.html#military
This site has a lot of good general information, and is a great travel agency.
Resort Hotel Discounts for Military and Veterans

Military Offer - Save up to 40% on Rooms
Special deal for eligible members of the US Military*: Save up to 40% on rooms at select Disney Moderate Resorts!* For stays most nights 1/4/09-12/23/09, except not available at all 2/13-2/15, 4/4-4/18, 5/22-5/24, 7/3-7/4, 11/25-11/26/09.
Offer is also available at other select Walt Disney World Resort Hotels. If you'd like to book these rates as part of a vacation package with the Dining Plan, there is a special code for doing so.
*Offer available to active duty military, activated reservists and retired military. Proof of Military eligibility is required.
The number of rooms allocated for this offer is limited. Minimum length of stay requirements may apply for Friday or Saturday arrivals. Savings based on non-discounted price for the same room. No group rates or other discounts apply. Advance reservations required. Additional per-adult charges apply if more than two adults per room.
To reserve a room with the Military discount, call the Disney Reservations Center at (407) W-DISNEY or contact a travel agent who specializes in Disney travel, and request offer code MYV.

Breakdown of Cost:
Military Promotion:
Tickets:
Military veteran: Free
Companion: $149.00 -$99.00 Military companion ticket +$25.00 upgrade+$25.00 Water Park+ Upgrade
Value Resort-Regular Rate Price Chart-
http://www.mousesavers.com/valueresorts2009.html
$82.00 with the 40% discount$32.80 =$49.20x 7days = a grand total of $344.40 for one week hotel fee
The Disney Dining Plan costs $39.99 per Adult per night. So a 7 nights /8 day stay would cost for 2 people $559.86
The code to get dining with the Military Promotion is: FNB, you need to give this to be eligible to get dining with out buying a base ticket
http://www.mousesavers.com/packages.html#military

Grand total for one week at a value resort, with the Disney Dining Plan, and Park Tickets is:
Don park tickets: Free
Judy’s tickets: $149.00
7 nights/8 days $344.40
Disney Dining Plan $559.86
$1,052.86 + Taxes*
*make sure you do not get trip insurance $200, if you do not tell them that you do not want it, they will automatically charge you for this. Once you hang up from making the reservation. If you did not request them to not charge you this (unless you want it) it is non-refundable from the moment you hang-up.
Even if you cancelled your trip, which you can before 45 days before your trip, Disney will not refund you the travel insurance money.

The cost if you decided to stay at our resort, which is not a necessity, would be
Moderate Resort- $149.00 per night-40% discount $89.40
$89.40x 7 nights/8days = $625.80 + dining $559.86+ Tickets $149.00= $1334.66


Free Dining Promotion Costs:
Value Resort 7 nights/8day stay- 7x$82.00=$574.00
Dining Cost: Free
Tickets Cost: In order to qualify for free dining you have a Disney My Way Package this means you need to buy 1 base ticket for each person in your party
2 in the party = a cost of $159.76 for base ticket, then you would be buying the Military Companion Ticket for Judy only since yours would be FREE! Cost: $149.00
Grand Total $574.00+$159.76+$149.00= $882.76

Moderate Resort with Free Dining Promotion for 2 ppl at 7 night/8days
Cost for POR 7 nights @ $149.00x 7 nights = $1043.00
Tickets: $159.76(base ticket for 2) + Military Companion ticket with Hopper and Water Parks + option $149.00
Grand Total: $1043.00+$159.76+$149.00=$1351.00 plus taxes

Hope this is easy to understand, any questions just ask me and I will get you the information.
this link has more information regaurding the Military Promotion:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2049303&page=3


Again, Please let me know if I got anything wrong and I will change this. I do not want to mislead my DFIL in any way. I want this to be as accurate as possible. I also gave him info about shades of Green, but I found these two promotion to be less expensive.

 

[eeyorepixie]

Is he retired military, besides being a retired cop?
DDP is not available with a military offer.
The DDP is available through WDTC packages. Buy a WDTC and then you can have DDP. (Unless you are a DVC member, or renting points from one.)

From reading posts on this link
http://www.disboards.com/showthread....2049303&page=3

I found out this offer is for anyone who has served in the Military with an honarable discharge

FNB is the code for the DDP with this Promotion.

 

[hoosiergirl7]

I think your calculations are right. It just makes a difference on when you go and if you get a code for free dining. As much as I would like to do free dining, I cannot stand being in FL in August & September. It's too hot and still too crowded for my liking. But I know thousands of people do it.

We are going in December - also currently a party of 5 (4 adults - DH, myself & 2 grandparents plus our DS). My DH is active duty AF and we booked our trip prior to the promotion being available. We have since switched resorts and done the 40% discount WITH the DDP. We are staying at a Deluxe resort Club Level for 8 days/7 nights. My parents have never been, we're treating them because of everything they've ever done for us in our 13 yrs of marriage, especially with the craziness of military life.

And I saw you mention something about NOT getting the insurance. Let me tell you it is worth the $200. We went to WDW last April and I got very ill 3 days into our 7 day trip and had to return home to be treated by doctors that knew me. We got a fair chuck of our money back for the unused days. More than I thought we would. You never, ever know when something could happen and you have to cut your trip short. We never travel without insurance.

Your FIL does have a retiree military ID right?? I know some people have been confused about the offer and it's only open to those who have either an active duty, retired, military dependent ID. I had read some threads where people were trying to figure out if the offer applied to them if they left the service without formal retirement. My dad is former military but he did his time and left, he did not retire so the offer would not apply to him.

 

[LadyZolt]

I found out this offer is for anyone who has served in the Military with an honarable discharge

FNB is the code for the DDP with this Promotion.

Um -- FNB is the code for DDP with the 40% off military discount. It is *not* available to veterans who served with an honorable discharge and that is their only service. It is available only to (quoting your previous posted research) "Offer available to active duty military, activated reservists and retired military. Proof of Military eligibility is required." If you book with this discount and use the FNB code, you will be asked to present a valid military ID card upon check in.

Same thing for the military ticket deal -- a valid military ID card is required to purchase those discounted tickets, and for the military person to get his/her free one. Just having DD-214 showing an honorable discharge will not suffice.

Just want to clear this up. SOG is allowing vets with honorable discharges to stay there in September this year as they don't usually qualify to stay at SOG, but usually if you just served some years and were discharged, you can't get military discounts. I know -- I served 8 years with the Navy and Navy Reserve and have an honorable discharge. My DH is retired Coast Guard and thus he qualifies for this offer. Hope this clears it up...

-Dorothy (LadyZolt)

 

[hoosiergirl7]

Hey Dorothy -

I figured if anyone would have answers it would be you. I don't think I can look at any of the military posts without seeing you on there. I didn't think the offer was available to those with honorable discharges either but I wasn't going to be the one to say anything. What would I know, I'm still an AD wife and won't have a clue about retired life for another 2 1/2 yrs. And what's scarier is that in 2 1/2 yrs I will be 36 and DH will be 43. Too young for retirement. Ha Ha Ha!

 

[LadyZolt]

I'm still an AD wife and won't have a clue about retired life for another 2 1/2 yrs. And what's scarier is that in 2 1/2 yrs I will be 36 and DH will be 43. Too young for retirement. Ha Ha Ha!

LOL! Actually, retirement is *great*! My DH was really worried about it since he spend pretty much his entire life from age 17 on up in the military, but honestly, we've never been happier. He doesn't risk his life nearly as often as he did while on active duty. And we shop at the commissary and use the base hospital, so it's very convenient. DH retired at 38 and had the old GI Bill. He used it to get his Bachelor of Science in Nursing, so he's an RN in a local ER here. There are tons of men RNs there -- most of them ex-military. I think emergency medicine has the highest percentage of male nurses than the other nursing concentrations. Guys like emergencies, I guess. LOL! Anyway, retiring so young lets them do a whole new career if they want! And the retirement pay is a mortgage or rent payment, so you have some financial security there. You are going to love being retired! So just hang in there another couple of years. You can do it!

-Dorothy (LadyZolt)

 

[Order66]

You can actually take $75 off your estimated totals for a FD package. While it's true you must buy a minimum 1 day base ticket for the FD package (but not the military discount package so people aren't confused) you can use that ticket as credit toward the military salute ticket. So it would just be $74 plus tax to upgrade one ticket to a 5 day hopper + WPM. That's what we are doing.

 

[newsliner1]

If you do the free dining and buy the 1 day ticket and dont use it how long is it good for. can you upgrade it at a later date to a 7 day ticket??? also are you sure you can apply it to the military ticket price??

 

[Luv2Roam]

ahh... yes. I do recall reading about a military offer. I was thinking of just tickets and room only as the military offer.
Thanks for the correction!

 

[eeyorepixie]

So you are saying someone who has served in the military is not eligble for this package??? I read alot of posts of people saying they got this package. I am sooo confused. Ugggh, I may have to contact someone whos specializes in Disney travel. I really just want to get the best deal for my DFIL, I just love him so and really want him to come with us.

 

[Order66]

a- Unused tickets from WDW don't expire. You can upgrade them to whatever you want, whenever you want.
b- I aked 3 CM's when I called various times. It's also in the sticky about tickets on the Theme Parks board. As long as the value of the ticket is equal to or less than the military companion tickets you can apply the full value of the ticket towards that one. If the ticket is more they can't transfer just a portion of the value. The down side to that is that only the ticket office at the gate can do that transaction. You will have to pay the taxes also. SOG cannot apply ticket credits at their desk.

So you are saying someone who has served in the military is not eligble for this package??? I read alot of posts of people saying they got this package. I am sooo confused. Ugggh, I may have to contact someone whos specializes in Disney travel. I really just want to get the best deal for my DFIL, I just love him so and really want him to come with us.

A DD214 will not get you this offer. You have to have current valid Military ID. It's for active duty, active reserves and retirees of the Armed Forces and Coast Guard only.

regards

 

[Luv2Roam]

So you are saying someone who has served in the military is not eligble for this package???

That's why I asked in my first post if he was also retired military, in addition to be being a retired cop.

 

[eddad]

"You can definately use this deal at deluxe resorts. I just booked a WL CY view for 220$ a night.

 

[eeyorepixie]

I just feel so stupid, I worked so hard to figure out the best deal for him. I already e-mailed him with my findings. uugggh, I was so proud of myself, now I just feel stupid.

 

[Luv2Roam]

No need to feel stupid. I think you just assumed anyone with a military past could do this.
Can they take advantage of another discount?

 

[LadyZolt]

I really just want to get the best deal for my DFIL, I just love him so and really want him to come with us.

You ought to check into the 4/3 deal -- you'll get a price pretty close to what you'd get with the 40% off for rooms. Call Disney reservations and talk to them about what you need and I'm sure they'll have options for you to consider.

It's great that you're so close to your DFIL -- I believe he will be delighted to know you're doing all this research so he can go and have a nice vacation with you.

-Dorothy (LadyZolt)

 

[Luv2Roam]

I agree. He is very lucky to have a DIL who cares about and respects him so much.