Dining Plan

[kbender23]

I just became a DVC member and I am confused as to why we don't receive the free dining plan perk that all other guests receive. I would think as a member of the Disney Family we would receive as much as anyone in comps and values. Why do we not get that offer?

 

[karrit2000]

Simply put it is because you are not paying rack rate for your room through CRO in order to get "free" dining. If you wish to spend $300+ rack rate to book a DVC villa through CRO they will be more than happy to offer you the "free" dining offer.

 

[keaster]

Free dining is a marketing tool used to lure in new bookings at slow times when rooms may end up sitting empty.

As DVC owners, we have already pre-paid for our accommodations so there is no need to lure us in! Also (as many other will point out), you are paying full rack rate for the room when you get "free" dining.

 

[chalee94]

I just became a DVC member and I am confused as to why we don't receive the free dining plan perk that all other guests receive. I would think as a member of the Disney Family we would receive as much as anyone in comps and values. Why do we not get that offer?

we get the same deal as others: you pay rack rate, you get free dining.

if you book a cash stay at a discounted rate, you will also not be eligible for free dining. points stays are effectively a discounted rate. presumably, you bought into DVC because it represented a discount on the rack rates...and disney thinks so, too.

also, you are not a member of the "disney family." buying into DVC is a long-term real estate interest contract...you give the mouse your money and, in return, you have the right to try to book DVC accommodations based on your ownership percentage. that's all. other perks and comps will come and go.

 

[TDC Nala]

Free dining is not a perk or a comp, and not "all other guests" receive it. There are very specific booking requirements for the free dining promotion, it is not always available at every resort and the number of rooms available on the promotion is limited.

It exists for one reason and one reason only - to jack up flagging resort occupancy. It got rid of those "dead" times that used to mean empty rooms, empty restaurants and empty parks.

DVC's member inventory does not need help to realize higher booking capacity.

We've already purchased our rooms to an extent, and not at rack rate; I'm usually confused when it's suggested they should also give us up to 15 days of dining absolutely free.

 

[disneynutz]

I just became a DVC member and I am confused as to why we don't receive the free dining plan perk that all other guests receive. I would think as a member of the Disney Family we would receive as much as anyone in comps and values. Why do we not get that offer?

You may think that you are a member of the Disney Family, Disney thinks that you are someone who bought a DVC contract who is locked in to spending money at Disney.

They really don't have any reason to offer you a comp or value because it doesn't benefit them. To us Disney is a magical place, to them, they are running a business. If we meet somewhere in the middle, great.

Bill

 

[paults]

I just became a DVC member and I am confused as to why we don't receive the free dining plan perk that all other guests receive. I would think as a member of the Disney Family we would receive as much as anyone in comps and values. Why do we not get that offer?

All other guests do not receive free dining unless they pay rack rate for their room.

 

[k3chantal]

I just became a DVC member and I am confused as to why we don't receive the free dining plan perk that all other guests receive. I would think as a member of the Disney Family we would receive as much as anyone in comps and values. Why do we not get that offer?

Not all other guests 'receive' this. If you pay full price for your room; then you can have this added on to your reservation.

Quite frankly, I can't understand wanting this. I am much happier being a DVC member, getting larger and better appointed rooms/villas that are already 'paid' for, having the opportunity to purchase a TiW card which gives 20% on most of the restaurants, and being able to either bring or have delivered food if I make the choice to 'cook' in the villas.

I feel sorry for people who go freakish over 'free dining'. I mean....they just paid way too much for their hotel room. Is that really a good deal?

 

[erionm]

In addition to paying full rack rates to get 'free dining', the package also requires a theme park ticket purchase of a minimum of 2 days per registered guest.

 

[Deb & Bill]

You should be complaining about how some new members are getting 20 points for free when they buy 100. It's kind of like DirecTV offering new customers half price for the first six months of a two year contract.

DVC villas are expected to be about 95% occupied at all times. No need to fill our villas up. Even if we don't use our points, we've basically "used" our points.

 

[mousefan1972]

I'm surprised at how often this topic is brought up. It seems that many DVC owners don't understand that they bought a timeshare? Do Marriott owners think they are entitled to free meals when they book their timeshare in Aruba? I just don't get it....

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

This may have been an error..

Because if you can't get over the "I didn't get ever "deal" Disney makes up" mentality then you will probably be unhappy.

If you do the math and realize "FREE" dining is NOT FREE, but a great Disney marketing trick then you will be better off. I love Disney's marketing because they can convince us that overpaying for a sub quality room is great because we get "FREE" dining LOL! In other word the room is probably worth half of the rack rate so if we paid for the value of that room in the "real" world without a giant Buzz Lightyear distracting us.... (Outside corridors, no rewards program, LOUSY internet, double beds, no free breakfast, etc....if you came on that on the interstate what would you pay? Yet at Disney that room is worth $150 a night LOL!)

 

[com_op_2000]

I just became a DVC member and I am confused as to why we don't receive the free dining plan perk that all other guests receive. I would think as a member of the Disney Family we would receive as much as anyone in comps and values. Why do we not get that offer?

IMHO, you did not fully understand DVC and what you were getting before buying.

 

[DebbieB]

Just to compare, an OKW studio is $315 plus tax in September. That's the minimum rate for a DVC room to get free dining, plus a 2 day ticket purchase. That same room is 10 points weekdays. Why would Disney hand a group of 4 free dining plus a room for 10 points?

 

[Lynne M]

OP, I think it would help you to understand if you would carefully review the POS and other information you got when you purchased DVC. Especially if you're still within your recission period, because what you're expecting from DVC sounds like it's not in line with what you purchased.

To explain further...

DVC is a timeshare. You're now the owner of a share in one of the DVC resorts. As an owner, when you use your points to book a room, you're using room inventory that is owned by you and the other people who own at your home resort. You're not booking room inventory that's owned by Disney.

That's an important point, because the free dining and other promotions are offered by Disney to fill rooms that THEY own. You are no longer doing business with the hotel side of Disney when you book using your points. At all. Separate reservation system, separate room inventory. Since we're not booking their rooms, or contributing to their bottom line, we are not eligible for any promotions, codes, discounts, packages, or any other reservation deals offered by Disney. There's simply no reason for them to give us free food, or free anything else.

Free dining isn't a 'perk'. It's not a gift or a benefit. It's a marketing scheme to allow Disney to unload rooms that aren't selling well, and to book them at full price. Sometimes it's a good deal, sometimes it's not, but Disney is smart enough to know that if they use the word 'free', people will assume it's the deal of a lifetime.

Which brings me to the topic of discounts and perks and DVC. If you look at your contract, you'll see that no perks or discounts are part of your vacation ownership. Meaning, other divisions of Disney and other companies may offer members occasional discounts, if it benefits them to do so, but they are not part of your DVC membership.

The current discount on AP's is a good example. At the moment, Disney Parks has determined that it's to their benefit to offer DVC members a discount on the AP. It gets 'em in the parks more often, so hopefully they'll spend more money on food and souvenirs. If at any time, Disney Parks decides that that's no longer the case, that AP discount will be gone.

My point is, we don't get discounts or perks because we're "part of the Disney family". We get them because it may benefit the giver of the discount to do so. We get the occasional small discount at some restaurants if the restaurant operator thinks it'll help them to fill tables. We get the occasional shopping discount if the store owner thinks we'll buy more stuff because of it.

If you're expecting DVC membership to get you lots of perks and goodies and discounts, I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed. To be sure, you'll get a good value on your lodging at DVC resorts; that's what the membership is for.

 

[marynvince]

I'm not piling on, geez, Frankenstein had an easier time trying to get out of town then the poor OP who just asked a question.

 

[k3chantal]

I'm not piling on, geez, Frankenstein had an easier time trying to get out of town then the poor OP who just asked a question.

It was the tone of entitlement that creates answers like the OP has received.

 

[disneynutz]

I'm not piling on, geez, Frankenstein had an easier time trying to get out of town then the poor OP who just asked a question.

Could also be the fact that the same DVC/DDP issue is brought up over and over.

Bill

 

[Lynne M]

It was the tone of entitlement that creates answers like the OP has received.

I don't see the OP's question as a case of entitlement. It's just a lack of understanding of what DVC is and how it works. Combined with a hefty dose of "magical thinking".

OP, please don't think I'm criticizing you here, or singling you out. That's not my intention at all.

So many people come out of the DVC sales presentation in this same state. They've been immersed in the expert Disney marketing, with the "buy a piece of the magic", and the "welcome home" and all that. They listen to the presentation and buy right there, having done little or no research, just taking whatever the salesman says at face value, and happily initial next to the friendly little Mickey heads on the paperwork. The POS and legal documents go in a box in the basement, never having been looked at.

And then they form their own assumptions about what DVC is and what they're getting. Some of it is wishful thinking, some of it is born of a belief that Disney's not a company, it's a 'family', and Disney loves all of their customers very, very much and would never do anything to make them unhappy, and so forth.

And because it's Disney, they don't have anywhere near the level of healthy suspicion that they might have before signing a 40 year contract with any other real estate developer. It's Disney, so it'll be OK.

And then we get them here, bitterly disappointed that the number of points it takes to cruise has gone up , or shocked that they don't get free dining, or angry that their free valet parking perk went away overnight.

Never underestimate the power of Disney marketing. We sometimes get posts here along the lines of "I really, really, REALLY want to buy DVC, but I'm not sure what it is...can somebody tell me?"

 

[TDC Nala]

There's quite a lot of posters who are confused over what exactly free dining is, or what they think it should be, and why they can't get it when someone else can, with all other things appearing equal to them.

Letting them know that DVC is not the same as making a resort reservation through CRO is not the same thing as piling on. I'm not sure the OP feels entitled to free dining but genuinely wants to know why they can't get it as a DVC owner, when guests at the lowly value resorts can get it.