100 points?

[Lynne M]

Are you entitled to free dining?

Next question are your park tickets included?

DVC is a timeshare; what you're buying is the right to stay in DVC resorts using your points, subject to availability, for the life of the contract. Anything and everything else is a perk, and can be changed or taken away at any time. Nothing is included, just the use of the room.

Once you buy, when you make reservations using your points, you're no longer doing business with Disney's travel company, so you're not eligible for free dining or any of the other promotions they offer. You're using room inventory that you and the other DVC members own, not the room inventory that Disney owns.

You can, of course, make a cash reservation anytime if you want to make use of free dining, or other promotions.

 

[Jennasis]

There is no such thing as free dining. It is simply a promotion whereby Disney charges full rack rate for cash rooms, in seasons where they otherwise couldn't fill them even with rate discounts. In exchange, they tell you that you are getting a certain value in food, by doubling to tripling the price tags on that food, and suggesting you do the math that makes you believe this is a good deal.

Not that "free" dining doesn't potentially save a couple dollars for people who would pay these prices for multiple meals and snacks every day, plus pay the extreme hotel rates daily anyway. I'm just saying that you have to follow a lot of imaginary math to get to the point where you believe "free" dining is anything resembling free.

The point is that DVC is a real discount, long term, on your lodging. There is zero business case for Disney to also offer you "free" food, when they have already sold you a true long-term discount on the lodging.

I really get tired of this particular line. Free dining is free...yes, you are paying rack rate for rooms. But since you are NOT paying for the plan, the plan is free. You do need to figure out if that is more of a savings over getting a room only discount if available, or other discount, and paying OOP for food. Sometimes it isn't and sometimes it is. You also have to know how your family typically eats at WDW and factor that in.

For DH and I, who typically eat 1 TS per day, 1 CS per day and a snack here and there, it was quite a big savings over the room only discounts or any other discounts we were entitled to.

Now that we are DVC owners, it doesn't matter to us.

 

[Msmithmd]

A few months ago, I bought a new car. The car is commonly available, and so I compared amongst dealerships their "bottom line best deals."

The exact same make and model was $600 more expensive at a dealership that offered "free lifetime oil changes" than it was at one that did not.

I guess I would say the oil changes weren't free, and Jennasis would "get really tired" of my analysis, and insist that they were indeed free. Then go on to agree with my method of reaching my conclusion.

At least we agree that DVC doesn't get, nor does it need, "free dining" promotions to fill its' rooms.

 

[Millionaire2K]

A few months ago, I bought a new car. The car is commonly available, and so I compared amongst dealerships their "bottom line best deals."

The exact same make and model was $600 more expensive at a dealership that offered "free lifetime oil changes" than it was at one that did not.

I guess I would say the oil changes weren't free, and Jennasis would "get really tired" of my analysis, and insist that they were indeed free. Then go on to agree with my method of reaching my conclusion.

At least we agree that DVC doesn't get, nor does it need, "free dining" promotions to fill its' rooms.

The oil changes are free. Just like Free dinning is free.

That's like saying someone didn't really save 20% on their room if they opt not to take the free dinning. "Well they have to pay for food now so they didn't save 20%" Then the same person will think its great they saved 20% on their room when there is no meal deal offer. "I just saved 20% on my room, I'm great"

The normal room discounts and Free dinning are special offers that are not part of the normal room. I.E. Disney does not have to offer discounts. So when Disney offers multiple discounts at once the other discounts don't become any less valid.

FREE dinning is FREE just as 20% off a room is 20% off.

An example:

Lets say Disney did away with all room discounts. So everyone is paying rack rate. Then Disney offers FREE Dinning OR FREE Tickets. These items ARE FREE. They do not loose value just because you have an option. But you will still have people saying "well you still had to buy your tickets" or "well you still had to buy your food"

All this debate boils down to is weather or not a set offer is for you or not. But just because you pick 1 offer does not mean the other offer makes your choice a lesser value.

 

[lovin'fl]

The way I kind of looked at it was: when Disney started offering 'free' dining it raised room prices so the discounted room only price was really rack rate and the rack rate with free dining was increased room rates to offset the 'free' dining. I'm with Msmithmd on this.

No matter as we stopped getting the DP when apps and tips were no longer included (so DP doesn't really fit for us anyway)...I think we did it once with that and said no more. We love the TIW card as we can eat as we like (maybe just get apps) and bar drinks are included. Plus we go more often to make use of it and the PAP...very smart of Disney to offer us DVC members those deals. They could take them away at any time but I don't think they will because it encourages more visits.

 

[Msmithmd]

Point well made, millionaire.

I guess my issue is essentially with what Disney has done with the "free dining" offer since they first introduced it. Their treatment of the offer over time is what has made me conclude that it actually isn't free any more.

Back when it started, it truly was a major discount. They were simply trying to fill empty rooms- so the whole meals and multiple snacks were included, and tips as well.

Over the years, they have sequentially jacked up food prices, decreased quality and choice, and incrementally decreased the scope of what you receive with "free" dining. So much so that now you may literally have a circumstance where you end up paying more via free dining than you would simply with room discounts and paying cash for food.

The point at which the free dining offer ends up costing a given vacationer more than they would otherwise pay if using the routinely available room discount, is the point that I would say it is a marketing gimmick instead of an actual value.

Anyway, didn't intend to so thoroughly derail the OP's thread. Wondering if they have any other basic questions about DVC?

 

[Millionaire2K]

Point well made, millionaire.

I guess my issue is essentially with what Disney has done with the "free dining" offer since they first introduced it. Their treatment of the offer over time is what has made me conclude that it actually isn't free any more.

Back when it started, it truly was a major discount. They were simply trying to fill empty rooms- so the whole meals and multiple snacks were included, and tips as well.

Over the years, they have sequentially jacked up food prices, decreased quality and choice, and incrementally decreased the scope of what you receive with "free" dining. So much so that now you may literally have a circumstance where you end up paying more via free dining than you would simply with room discounts and paying cash for food.

The point at which the free dining offer ends up costing a given vacationer more than they would otherwise pay if using the routinely available room discount, is the point that I would say it is a marketing gimmick instead of an actual value.

Anyway, didn't intend to so thoroughly derail the OP's thread. Wondering if they have any other basic questions about DVC?

I have not gotten the dinning since joining DVC in 2010. The cash add-on price is also VERY high now. I only ever bought it one time when it was about $35 a day and included the sit-down, apps and tip.

As a DVC member I don't care for free dining. Free dining just makes it harder to book an ADR.

 

[Deb & Bill]

OP, realize that 50 GFV points will be very expensive and won't go very far at all at GFV. Even 100 aren't anywhere on that chart that Millionaire made.

 

[Fantasia79]

We bought just a few months ago (Direct) and bought 80 points. They would've allowed us to buy less if we wanted. The hope is to add on at the Poly, but if Poly points are crazy expensive, we'll probably just add on more Grand Points.

If you're going to WDW anytime soon, that really helped us decide it was what we wanted to do. How much we think we'll want to go, where we want to stay, etc, etc. While you're wrapped up in the fun of Disney, it also helps you think of where you want to be staying and why/why not.

 

[BestDadEver]

Hi!!!
So I just started looking into DVC, and I see that the minimum # of points is 100. As of right now it is just my husband and I. In the next year or two we hope to expand our family by 1, and that will be it for us..,
So what will 100 points get us? Can we add more points way down the road if needed?
Thanks!

I have 100 points at SSR , it's good for about week a year in a studio , or what I intend to do a 1 br every 2 years . Keeping in mind that you can buy one time points per year from MS ,I think 24 that could make up any difference from different point charts between different resorts .

If I want to take a bigger trip I could buy another members points using a transfer and make my own reservations instead of renting .