Dining at restaurants that offer DVC discount

[JasonDVC]

Has anyone ever only eaten at restaurants that offer a discount to DVC members?

We are considering doing the dining plan for the first time but I am quickly starting to realize that it may be too much food for us. We don't plan on going back to WDW until 2012 after our 2010 trip so that rules out an AP with the TiW card(Although I haven't calculated if after paying for the cards minus the savings in dining discounts would save us money. I'm just guessing that it won't).

So the other option would be to eat only(or mostly) at restaurants that offer discounts to DVC members. Has anyone ever done this? Would you do it again?

TIA

 

[DenLo]

I think you could dine as the OP proposes, you'd be pretty limited at the parks. It appears the 10% discount is for TS only. Does the discount apply to whole bill like TIW (includes alcoholic beverages)?

Actually does anyone know if Kouzzina by Cat Cora gives a DVC discount? Spoodles did and that restaurant is still shown on the member website.

 

[chalee94]

nah.

discounts mostly seem to be offered to drive traffic...in other words, discounts are offered mostly at restaurants like morocco in epcot.

it's nice if your interests and the DVC discounts intersect, but i wouldn't make that a primary factor. (i think the number of restaurants offering the discount has declined considerably as well.)

 

[Chuck S]

I think you could dine as the OP proposes, you'd be pretty limited at the parks. It appears the 10% discount is for TS only. Does the discount apply to whole bill like TIW (includes alcoholic beverages)?

I think TiW is the only discount program that has ever included alcoholic beverages.

 

[wildernessDad]

Personally, I love House of Blues at Downtown Disney. They offer, or did at least, a nice discount to DVC members and their ribs are excellent!

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

How do you find out which restaurants offer the discount?

 

[chalee94]

there's a list on the member site.

it's better to wait for the "portable perks" booklet at check-in, though, and see if a restaurant is still on the list.

(OTOH, mcd's in DTD said that they stopped offering the discount years ago, but they are still listed in the booklet and on the member site.)

 

[BEASLYBOO]

We don't do the dining plan either, it's way too much food and frankly too much time waiting for that food. We don't eat dessert every night, not even the kids and while on vacation we like the freedom to eat/snack light some nights. I plan a couple of ADR's at restaurants we really enjoy and then we also cook /assemble meals in the villa. A little discount doesn't hurt, but it is little and we no longer buy AP's so no more TIW card. I don't like to eat out every night unless it's just for a couple of nights. For a whole week at Disney we fill in with a grocery order and we also like a few Orlando restaurants as well.

 

[Dean]

I've had trips where we paid OOP and mostly dined at places that offered DVC and/or AP discounts. Interesting that while some of the locations are the same, many of the discount limitations are not. For example, we were told at Boatwrights that the discount wasn't good on Fri night but this was incorrect and they had to go back and redo the bill to correct it because the waiter took it upon himself to close out the bill before confirming when I had questioned it. There really are quite a list of discounts. One trip we got 50% off at W. Puck's (no longer available), 30% off at Fulton's, 10% off Whispering Canyon,, 10% off one or two EPCOT lunch locations, 10% off Ragland Road, 10% off Rainforest and a discount on Hoop (? 20%) plus a 10% off counter service at Artist Palate.

 

[aDVCguy]

We ate at Fulton's Crab House using a DVC discount.
Either way, as stated in an earlier post, go to the DVC
site for more info on what restaurants offer said
discount.
Good luck!

 

[lulubelle]

I remember getting a discount at Chefs de France for lunch, the Sushi place at the Swan and Wolfgang Pucks in DTD for dinner earlier this year. I'll take something over nothing. And those were all great meals. I would look at the list and see if any of the restaurants listed are of interest to you.

Have a great trip.

 

[decarop]

We have the TIW, AP and are DVC members.
We find that we get discounts of from 10 to 20% almost every place we eat.
Most, if not all of our meals are sit down table service and I think the only place we didn't receive a discount of any kind was at Il Mulino in the Swan.
Food was fantastic and certainly worth the loss of discount.

 

[Simba's Mom]

there's a list on the member site.

it's better to wait for the "portable perks" booklet at check-in, though, and see if a restaurant is still on the list.

(OTOH, mcd's in DTD said that they stopped offering the discount years ago, but they are still listed in the booklet and on the member site.)

Even the Portable Perks may not be up-to-date. I just checked in and got a Portable Perks book that was dated for July thru December. After listing all the wonderful discounts (like free valetparking),there's a disclaimer-All offers are subject toavailability, change,and termination without notice There's a 10% discount listed at Tusker House for lunch and dinner. I thought of making ADRs there, but what if I get there and find out the disclaimer has taken place and there's no longer a discount. I didn't want to chance it.

 

[Dean]

I'd suggest to always ask because often you'll get a discount when none is listed. I'd also suggest you make a list or print one out of current discounts that apply to you and keep it with you as often the CM don't know about the discounts.

 

[photobob]

We don't do a very good job of keeping up with where discounts are or aren't, but we do a pretty good job of asking if they have AP or DVC discounts wherever we eat or make purchases.