Free Disney Dining Package for DVC Members?

[famgel]

I recently email DVC by clicking on the "Contact", located on DVC site and expressed how dissapointed I am that DVC members are not getting a fair shake with all these promotional offers. Such as, stay 4 nights and get 5th free, and the now the popular, Free Dining Package. DVC office called me yesterday to discuss, and we did. They did admit that there are a lot of members voicing their feelings of being "left out" of these offers. I pointed out how we, as DVC members, do not have many discounts. Except for the normal 10%, most of the time, only lunch, and most of the restaurants that participate are at the resorts, which are not very easy to get to unless you're staying there. To make a long story, short, PLEASE, PLEASE, COMPLAIN to DVC by emailing them thru the site after clicking on "contact". The more of us that complain maybe we will finally get some nice offers. I'm not looking for "free" but a nice discount on resort stays or on the Dining Plan would be nice.

 

[Chuck S]

Why in the world would their be an incentive to WDW to offer DVC free dining? They use the promotion to fill unused cash hotel rooms at FULL PRICE, with a park ticket purchase requirement.

I don't want my dues to increase to cover other members dining (it probably wouldn't be legal anyway), and Disney has no reason to really care if DVC rooms go unused, other than side sales of items, as Disney doesn't have any upkeep expenses for DVC resorts, other than dues on their portion of retained points, unsold points, and ROFR points in inventory...so unused rooms aren't costing them $$ like they are at cash resorts.

And the buy 4, get 3 free certainly wouldnt work with DVC, in fact, it would mean they have illegally oversold a resort.

Remember, while Disney can offer discounts and such to DVC, it has to be justified on the balance sheet, especially in today's economy. But anything involving less points needed for rooms, etc., falls under timeshare law about overselling, so if they give a 30% point discount, it has to be made up somewhere, by other members, to keep the point system in legal balance. No thanks.

Now, I'm not opposed to DVCers getting free dining, IF Disney could financially justify it...but I don't see how that would be possible. Otherwise, it could fall under the heading of "Be Careful What You Wish For."

 

[Sandisw]

It certainly would be a nice "perk" to get a discount on the dining plan (like we do for the AP) on occasion, but IMO, we are already getting way better discounts than the general public is being offered with the buy 4, get 3 or free dining.

Just for the heck of it, I priced it out and for me to stay my 5 nights in 1 bedroom at BLT, with free dining, it would cost me about $2600.00.

As a DVC member, given my initial buy in cost and yearly MF's and paying for the dining plan, it will cost me $1800. The way I see it, I am still $800 ahead of the game being a DVC member. And, I don't have to hope that Disney comes out with a deal...I know I will be saving it every year for the next 50 years!!!

 

[disneynutz]

Disney doesn't give anything away for free. The restaurants that offer DVC members a discount do so because they are having trouble filling the restaurant. In fact the only "free" perk is the AP discount. Disney knows that most DVC members only go to WDW once per year so they won't be using the AP more than once, and it costs Disney hardly nothing to let you in the gate.

 

[TDC Nala]

Free dining isn't a perk and it isn't there to reward frequent travelers. It's there to convince guests who wouldn't otherwise come to WDW to plunk down rack rate for a room in a historically undersold resort at the height of hurricane season. Plus tickets.

I don't see the need to complain to Disney because I don't expect DVC needs to put out those kinds of offers to get members to fill the rooms. I don't use the dining plan so I am not really interested in a discount on it. I wouldn't use it even with a discount.

 

[lauch]

Well said. If they gave us free dining, then what? There has to be an end somewhere. I think the four + three is primarily pushed through the value resorts anyway. Go marketing department, keep our dues as low as you can. Hail to the mouse.

 

[Cmbar]

I will not be complaining because I don't see what I have to complain about. I bought a timeshare at Disney. When I did that, I realized that I would be giving up the Codes and such. Believe me some of these codes right now are good. But some of them just seem good. I am still working out better to stay on DVC points, pay full price for dining and buying an AP. Way better because I get at least three trips in for my AP.

I really, really don't understand why a DVC member would complain about this. Sorry OP!

I mean you don't hear about people out there saying "I want DVC's discount on the AP because I come once a year too". It simply doesn't make sense. You won;t be saying I will give up some of my DVC points for someone to come stay at the resorts when all the codes go away again. The economy is supposedly in the tank, however Disney is packed to the gills. The only complaining I want to do is that Disney is ruining my fun trips by packing the stinking resorts in low times by offering all these deals.

And by the way the 4/3 were for all the resorts. In fact the greatest value was by far at the Deluxe resorts because you got 3 days of deluxe accomodations free. If you were going to stay in a value than free dining is the way to go there.

 

[vicki_c]

As a stockholder, I'm glad they're doing whatever it takes to fill up the resorts and the parks.

And if I wanted to search out all these "great deals" all the time, I wouldn't have bought DVC. (Although I am taking advantage of the 4/3, just like anyone else, by booking a package through WDW Travel).

If you feel you're getting ripped off by not getting these deals, sell your DVC and go back to getting all the deals offered to regular visitors. Or keep your DVC and book packages through CRO like I am doing for this one trip. But keep in mind that many of the "deals" require you to pay rack rate for your room (e.g., free dining). That's not much of a deal to me.

I don't see anything to complain about.

 

[Lynne M]

Sorry, but I won't be complaining either. DVC owes me what's in the contract. Nothing more.

I think it's easy to forget that DVC and Disney Resorts are two separate business units, with different goals. Yes, they both share the same parent company, but it's not one big pot of money. It was pretty clear to me when I bought my timeshare that as a timeshare owner, I wouldn't be dealing with the Disney Resorts division, and that their cash reservation packages and promotions wouldn't be part of my DVC experience.

Run the numbers, and compare the cost of your last DVC stay, purchasing the dining plan, with a free dining package for that same villa. You'll see that we get a much better deal as members.

And that's a key reason that I bought DVC in the first place. I wanted to lock in that whopping discount, instead of wishing and hoping that Disney would come out with some deal for when I wanted to travel.

 

[DebbieB]

Over the long term, DVC is about a 75% discount on rooms. Why would members deserve a promotion on top of that? You can't have your cake and eat it too.

Keep in mind studios start at $269 per night plus tax. You could book a package paying that, add tickets and get the "free" dining.

 

[tinkerbell 766]

Disney is not 'leaving anybody out'. Anybody is entitled to pay full rack rates and get free dining if they wish!! DVC members or not.

 

[Coach81]

I love my DVC!!!

 

[cheezNE1]

How about free AP for all DVC member ?

 

[FIVEFANS]

If you want to take advantage of a deal...... do it. Plan another trip. How good my life is that my biggest concern is how to go to WDW more often? My biggest perk in life right now is that I have reservations. Love the mouse.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

Free Dining holds no appeal fro me whatsoever, and never has. DVC doesn't have to earn my business, they have it lock stock and barrel. Quite frankly, beyond the ownership issue, it's one thing to have a counter lunch or dinner out once or twice but breakfast, lunch and dinner for 6 or 7 days, strictly Disney, can't do it. I guess this is why I fell in love with a 1br or 2br villa at OKW., I use the kitchen. If I preferred the hotel type of stay where I only eat out, I wouldn't have bought into DVC.

 

[dr&momto2boys]

Price out what you'd be paying IF "free dining" was available at DVC resorts (rack rate plus at least one day ticket even if you have AP) vs. what the cost of the points are to you (initial cost/total yrs plus maint.) and you'll never complain about "free dining" again!

It's so much less expensive using points than having the "free dining" deal. And remember you could never use points AND have the "free dining" because they don't allow you to combine discounts at any of the resorts.

I used to be envious too, until I contemplated taking advantage of the "free dining" at a non-DVC resort and realized how expensive it really was UNLESS I wanted to stay at a value resort---AND I DON'T! Too small!

Hope you can find peace with this.

 

[JasonDVC]

I'm against any "perk" that will raise MF's. I prefer low MF's. In fact I would be willing to give some perks up if they would lower the MF's ("lower" the MF's? never happen).

However, I do like this idea...

How about free AP for all DVC member ?

It costs Disney nothing to give someone free entry, outside of the minimal cost of the physical ticket.

 

[crisi]

I'm against any "perk" that will raise MF's. I prefer low MF's. In fact I would be willing to give some perks up if they would lower the MF's ("lower" the MF's? never happen).

However, I do like this idea...

It costs Disney nothing to give someone free entry, outside of the minimal cost of the physical ticket.

Well, outside the lost revenue of hundreds of thousands of people not buying park tickets. During a period of time when Disney's revenues are down. For a business that has incredibly huge fixed costs that they need to cover.....

 

[JasonDVC]

Well, outside the lost revenue of hundreds of thousands of people not buying park tickets. During a period of time when Disney's revenues are down. For a business that has incredibly huge fixed costs that they need to cover.....

Oh don't be a Debbie Downer

 

[jakenjess]

I don't care about the "free" dining, as we're getting a much better deal in the long run. What I'd love, though, is the ability for DVC members to buy a TIW card without having an AP!