Dining with DVC

[hmire]

I was looking at the post below saying what most people use. (TIW) Is that the cheapest way? I LOVE eating at disney restaurants. I am not a DVC member. Still trying to decide if it is the best thing for our family (of 5).

 

[jupers]

It's truly an individual choice. I know many people hate the DDP. For us it works really well, both kids are under 9, we love character meals and always splurge on dessert when we are there. When DD is over 9 it will be different. I haven't considered TIW yet, but I'm sure I will....good luck

 

[Granny]

I was looking at the post below saying what most people use. (TIW) Is that the cheapest way? I LOVE eating at disney restaurants. I am not a DVC member. Still trying to decide if it is the best thing for our family (of 5).

As indicated there is no right or wrong. DDP is not cost effective for us since we just don't eat enough to make it worthwhile for us.

If you are not a DVC member, you will have to have an Annual Pass to qualify to purchase a TIW card. I'm assuming you are not a Florida resident from your information.

 

[photobob]

One of the reasons many DVC owners don't do the DDP is we do have kitchens available to us so we probably don't on average eat out as much as people in a standard motel room. I just do out of pocket, we generally have one big meal out a day and usually it is lunch. We have used AP and DVC discounts here and there but we don't choose restaurants just because of the discount.

You really have to study up and know your family's eating habits to see what will work best for you. I did consider the DDP a few years ago but once I did the math I realized it just wasn't a good deal for us. Others swear by it and more power to them! Check pricing on allears.net for restaurants and crunch numbers would be my suggestion.

 

[hmire]

Thanks..The past 2 times we went we did DDP. Deluxe 2 years ago and the Disney plus dining in Oct. I think the Deluxe was to much. Disney plus dining was perfect one sit down meal and one quick. It just sucks that DVC members don't get more of a discount for dining.

 

[Lynne M]

Don't expect discounts from Disney as part of your DVC purchase. It's a timeshare, not a discount program. You're buying an ownership interest to use for lodging. That's it. Some other divisions of Disney (like Disney parks, with the AP discount), or third party companies (such as shops and restaurants) will offer discounts to members from time to time, but they're not part of your membership, and will come and go all the time.

I wouldn't consider ANY perk - use of the TiW card, AP discounts, or anything else like that when making a decision to purchase DVC. You're looking at perks that are currently offered. They could go away the week after you sign the contract.

What you want to focus on is how a DVC purchase would impact your lodging costs, because that's what you're buying - resort stays. In terms of meal costs, the only way I would relate that to a DVC purchase decision is if you would make use of the kitchen facilities in the villas to cook some your own meals, and save money that way. If you would want to use TiW or the dining plan, the costs are more or less the same whether you buy DVC or not.

 

[starbox]

Depends on how you eat honestly - if you eat an entree/soda/dessert with every meal, you can't beat the convenience of DDP.

We prefer a glass of wine over soda and rarely eat dessert (unless it is shared), so we don't benefit from DDP which basically just gives you free dessert. TIW is a much better deal for our family.

 

[Fatalbie]

Do DVC members qualify for the TIW card, even without the AP?

Jim

 

[Granny]

Do DVC members qualify for the TIW card, even without the AP?

Jim

Not currently. But it was announced that DVC members would be able to buy TIW cards without the AP at some point in the future. Best guess seems to be at some point in 2012.

 

[crisi]

The cheapest way to eat is to get groceries as use the kitchen or kitchenette in your room.

From there, it really depends on how you eat - if you eat a lot of counter service, the TIW doesn't make a lot of sense. If you eat a lot of signature meals with alcohol, it probably makes a LOT of sense. If you eat to maximize the DDP, its a good deal. If you are prone to sharing dessert, it often isn't.

If you are looking for cheap - back away from DVC. Then run the numbers on how much dues and park tickets are going to cost for your family of five for the next ten years - and if that doesn't scare you, step forward again . Disney is not cheap, and DVC is not the cheapest way to do Disney. It can be a good value, but there are ways that are definately cheaper. If I were going to do it again, I'd buy Bonnet Creek (actually, I wouldn't buy anything at all and I'd get Bonnet Creek on Skyauction.)

 

[mickeysbestfriend]

card! We eat at least one dinner at HDDR or SOA and for the four of us it saves $48 on that meal alone. We do most of our big meals at lunch and have an adult beverage wtih them so the discount ads up pretty quickly. We go 2-3 times a year and have always saved well above the $75 TIW price and its usually 3-4 times savings for us.

the only thing that would make it better if DVC members got one free!