looks like free dinning again for uk residents again why did we bother buying dvc

[ajjollie23]

I agree it seems like you are geting a raw deal because you have DVC and can't get free dining. But honestly, for the past 3 trips (since getting DVC) we have been staying at Deluxe hotels using our points whereas before we would only stay in one of the values because we couldn't afford to pay off the rack prices for anything else.
Thanks to DVC we get wonderful rooms at a deluxe resort with Kitchen for just the price of our annual fees (our membership is paid off).
That is the greatest deal to us.
Plus, there is nothing that says you HAVE to eat TS or Counters for every meal. With the kitchen you can go to a couple of TS and then save money by cooking your own meals.

 

[iloveokw]

The 9/11 deals started because people were afraid to fly. They started the free dining during the fall to get people to come to WDW after a series of terrible hurricanes. No way would we give up our one bedroom at OKW (which we never financed...pd cash for) compared to a room at a Deluxe much less a Value or Moderate do you realize what the room rates are PLUS the taxes? Not to start another controversy but the Dining Plans have totally ruined the quality of dining options at WDW.

 

[Glamis]

What really ticks me off most about the free food deals is that it screws over the rest of the resort guests.

Reservations become nearly impossible to get.

 

[lugnut33]

What really ticks me off most about the free food deals is that it screws over the rest of the resort guests.

Reservations become nearly impossible to get.

Totally. Last year we went and Disney decided to offer free dining (the week they normally hadn't). I was so mad and didn't want to play the ressie game, so we ate every meal except 2 either at our villa or off Disney property. It was fine, no problem at all doing that.

 

[Glamis]

Totally. Last year we went and Disney decided to offer free dining (the week they normally hadn't). I was so mad and didn't want to play the ressie game, so we ate every meal except 2 either at our villa or off Disney property. It was fine, no problem at all doing that.

Way to go! I wish I had the will to stick it to them like that. They basically force everyone else to suck it up and absorb some of the negatives to their various marketing methods. That's not right at all. It is one of those things that is not very Disney-like and worries me about the future of Disney.

 

[Tara]

my point is they should give free dinning to the loyal guests ie dvc members we have all paid for our rooms the only difference is we all paid up front and once they have your money they do not need to temp you to go anymore

Right - so if Disney was reducing its profits to throw money at people who were going to come anyway, exactly what would that mean? Fewer staff? "Oops, we have to put that new attraction off just a bit." That's an exaggeration, sure, but at what point do you as a regular Disney guest want them to stop spending money trying to get you to visit (ridiculous, since you're going to) and start spending money on making your visit better once you are in the parks? Yes, yes, maybe free food will make your visit better, if you can fool yourself into believing it really is free...

I just stayed in a 2br savanna view that would have gost me $3500 through CRO. Is paying that price worth free dining? Assume I could get the 42% off at AKV. That's still $2000 for the room, but then I get free dining. Well, our dining was $1400 for 3 TS meals (1 was V&A, 1 @ CA Grill, 1 @ Beaches & Cream) and 2 QS meals. If I'd had the DDP, it would not have paid for all the TS meals (and we were supposed to eat at Flying Fish but canceled - that would have been another $300 or so, or 2 TS credits each on the dining plan that we wouldn't have been able to cover). Worth it? Nope. I'll take my DVC, get my TIW and get 20% off all those meals.

 

[Glamis]

Right - so if Disney was reducing its profits to throw money at people who were going to come anyway, exactly what would that mean? Fewer staff? "Oops, we have to put that new attraction off just a bit." That's an exaggeration, sure, but at what point do you as a regular Disney guest want them to stop spending money trying to get you to visit (ridiculous, since you're going to) and start spending money on making your visit better once you are in the parks? Yes, yes, maybe free food will make your visit better, if you can fool yourself into believing it really is free...

Exactly. Nothing is free.

I don't want or expect free dining. I just wish they'd stop giving it away to everyone else making it darn near impossible to get reservations.