Disney Dining with DVC

[BLTSam]

We are brand new to the DVC family, just purchasing at BLT this week. I see some people talk about free dining and the DVC. How does this work? Are we elgible for free dining if it is offered?

 

[Checkers]

As a DVC member, I have never heard of free dining for members. It is sometimes offered to those paying rack rate at the Disney hotels and usually at slower times of the year. If I am wrong I am sure someone will give the correct information.

 

[BLTSam]

As a DVC member, I have never heard of free dining for members. It is usually offered to those paying rack rate at the Disney hotels. If I am wrong I am sure someone will give the correct information.

That's kind of what I thought....

 

[chalee94]

I see some people talk about free dining and the DVC. How does this work? Are we elgible for free dining if it is offered?

nope. we are never eligible for free dining on pts (nor 7-for-4 or any other deals like that for cash customers.)

a handful of DVCers have pondered whether they could save a little money by paying cash for a reservation at a value resort to get free dining while actually staying at their DVC resort on points.

it'd be too much hassle for me...i don't know how that worked out for them...

 

[Deb & Bill]

Deals through Disney are usually available if you purchase a package from them including tickets, the room at rack rate or nearly rack rate. Since you are not making a reservation through Disney but through Member Services and you aren't purchasing a package, you can't get those deals when you use DVC points for your stay. You can still (for now unless it changes) purchase the dining package for all the guests on your reservation for the entire length of your vacation.

But there is nothing stopping you from paying Disney directly and purchasing that package deal and using your points for a different stay.

 

[huskies90]

a handful of DVCers have pondered whether they could save a little money by paying cash for a reservation at a value resort to get free dining while actually staying at their DVC resort on points.

hmmm...I like this idea. Has anyone done this??? Value Resort = about $100 in the value season and the dining plan is like $160 for four adults...

 

[Chuck S]

Be aware that if the value room is obviously unused (as it gets daily housekeeping) they may assume you've left...and cancel the remaining days of your reservation. So unless you have a car, how much time would you waste using Disney transportation to transfer from your DVC resort to the value resort to mess it up a little every day?

If saving $60 is more important to your trip than a larger, more comfortable room, then I'd stay at the alue resort and save the points for another trip.

 

[huskies90]

Be aware that if the value room is obviously unused (as it gets daily housekeeping) they may assume you've left...and cancel the remaining days of your reservation. So unless you have a car, how much time would you waste using Disney transportation to transfer from your DVC resort to the value resort to mess it up a little every day?

If saving $60 is more important to your trip than a larger, more comfortable room, then I'd stay at the alue resort and save the points for another trip.

It is not $60 it is $60 per day...so yeah I think it may be worth it. And obviously, you would put the do not disturb on the door so that the maid never comes in and you don't have to go there every day.

 

[dmoore22]

Be aware that if the value room is obviously unused (as it gets daily housekeeping) they may assume you've left...and cancel the remaining days of your reservation. So unless you have a car, how much time would you waste using Disney transportation to transfer from your DVC resort to the value resort to mess it up a little every day?

If saving $60 is more important to your trip than a larger, more comfortable room, then I'd stay at the value resort and save the points for another trip.

It will also depend on your length of stay. With any stay of 10 nights or longer it is more cost effective to get an AP or PAP with the DVC discount. Then, as an AP/PAP holder you can take advantage of the AP discount for the TIW card which provides dining discounts, including libations (which DDP doesn't). Then there are the select merchandise discounts which also add up. Paying the rack rate just to get "free" DDP doesn't add up to being cost effective.

 

[Eeyorerocks!]

I used to feel badly about not getting the "free" dining (especially since this will be our second trip in late August, during which free dining is typically offered) but, as we all know, it's not "free" if you're paying rack rates!

I played around with the idea of going on a short trip and paying OOP to get free dining for our 4 night trip in August, which will be just me, DH, and DS2 (our older kids are staying with my mom since we already are going in May). We would only need 1 room. But a studio in late August, even with a pref. view, was very economical point wise, so we decided against it. Even paying for the DDP (if we choose to get it for this trip), we come out ahead.

 

[Crystal_27]

It is not $60 it is $60 per day...so yeah I think it may be worth it. And obviously, you would put the do not disturb on the door so that the maid never comes in and you don't have to go there every day.

Well, since a room at a Value costs about $85+/night, and since the Values are now only getting the free CS plan (or were with the last offer), you really aren't saving anything. For our family of three (2 adults, 1 child), we pay about $96/day for the regular DDP, but to get the comparable free dining plan, we'd have to upgrade to a Moderate and pay $120+/night. I guess if you were a family of 5 it might work out, but, if I recall, there aren't any Values (except the Family Suite) or many Moderates that allow more than 4 to stay in one room...so you'd have to then upgrade to a Deluxe. The math just doesn't add up (but I haven't had coffee yet this morning, so I might be missing a key factor - LOL). Either way, I'll take having my accommodations paid for (which, for my 2010 trip would have been $7,700) over free dining any day! I love my DVC!

 

[jcanary]

Also you have not been adding in the price of atleast a one day park ticket per person. that would be up to an additional $80 per person so you don't come out saving 60 per day. For 4 adults you would need to stay atleast 5 days to gain maybe $20, Not worth it. Buy a Dining in wonderland and save 20% on drinks and meals and order what you want.

 

[castleri]

You also pay $10-15 extra each for the third and fourth adult per day so you need to factor that into the cost of the room which could bring up the cost of a moderate room to close to what you would pay for the DDP .

 

[Chuck S]

It is not $60 it is $60 per day...so yeah I think it may be worth it. And obviously, you would put the do not disturb on the door so that the maid never comes in and you don't have to go there every day.

Even $60 per day wouldn't justify my transferring on Disney transportation to go to/from a resort where I am not staying just to make a room look "lived-in." That could easily take more than 2 hours a day from your vacation time.

Do you honestly think housekeeping would continually see a Do Not Disturb sign on a door for 24 hours a day for days at a time without becoming concerned and report it a manager? People do become injured or worse in hotel rooms.

 

[huskies90]

Values are now only getting the free CS plan (or were with the last offer

Agree. If the value resorts only get CS plan, this is a moot point.

For our family of three (2 adults, 1 child), we pay about $96/day for the regular DDP

We are a family of 4 with two children over 10 (adults) so the plan would be $160+ /day

Also you have not been adding in the price of at least a one day park ticket per person.

I can add the value of the one day park ticket to my AP purchase

You also pay $10-15 extra each for the third and fourth adult per day so you need to factor that into the cost of the room which could bring up the cost of a moderate room to close to what you would pay for the DDP .

My children are over 10 (adult) but under 17 (child) so there is no additional room charge.

Even $60 per day wouldn't justify my transferring on Disney transportation to go to/from a resort where I am not staying.

Really, if someone had $420 waiting for you an hour away, you wouldn’t go get it? I want to be you.

Do you honestly think housekeeping would continually see a Do Not Disturb sign on a door for 24 hours a day for days at a time without becoming concerned and report it a manager? People do become injured or worse in hotel rooms.

That is a great question which is why I originally asked if anyone had done it. And what if they found you weren’t actually staying there, could they really cancel your reservation? And what if they did? Would they refund your $$? They would have to, right? Is there some law or Disney policy that says you can’t rent a hotel room and not sleep there? I definitely wouldn’t go back and forth every day to mess up the room, I agree with that. But if I all I had to do was drive over, check in, get my KTTK cards…seems pretty easy to me.

So, has anyone reported doing this?? Just curious.

 

[Deb & Bill]

hmmm...I like this idea. Has anyone done this??? Value Resort = about $100 in the value season and the dining plan is like $160 for four adults...

As long as the other two adults were the 10-17 yr old ones, not 18+ ones. Because you will pay the extra adult fee for the extra two adults if they are the 18+ ones.

 

[Sandisw]

hmmm...I like this idea. Has anyone done this??? Value Resort = about $100 in the value season and the dining plan is like $160 for four adults...

I think that others have done this and have reported it went fine. However, with the new software changes for DVC and DRC that will allow them to
"communicate with each other" better, it may no longer be possible.

It is typically Disney policy to not allow someone to have duplicate reservations. So, if DRC would have access to see you have a DVC reservation already, they would most likely not let you book a cash stay with the all the same names.

 

[castleri]

I think that others have done this and have reported it went fine. However, with the new software changes for DVC and DRC that will allow them to
"communicate with each other" better, it may no longer be possible.

It is typically Disney policy to not allow someone to have duplicate reservations. So, if DRC would have access to see you have a DVC reservation already, they would most likely not let you book a cash stay with the all the same names.

If you put a different name as the lead name on each reservation and use middle initials on one and not the other you will probably be okay.

 

[ToddyLu]

We can use TIW in combination with the DDP, right?? So we could get drinks (or in my best drawl 'libations') and appetizers with the TIW and the meal and dessert with DDP....using DVC...need an answer ASAP.

Dang that sounded crazy!! These initials we use are crazy

 

[Chuck S]

Really, if someone had $420 waiting for you an hour away, you wouldn’t go get it? I want to be you.

Actually, I was talking about riding the bus back and forth daily. If you are there for 7 days, and the bus is an hour each way (which is not uncommon for resort to resort bus travel), that is 14 hours out of your vacation riding a bus to mess up a room to make it looked "lived-in."

That is a great question which is why I originally asked if anyone had done it. And what if they found you weren’t actually staying there, could they really cancel your reservation? And what if they did? Would they refund your $$? They would have to, right? Is there some law or Disney policy that says you can’t rent a hotel room and not sleep there? I definitely wouldn’t go back and forth every day to mess up the room, I agree with that. But if I all I had to do was drive over, check in, get my KTTK cards…seems pretty easy to me.

There was a report on the boards last year of the value reservation being cancelled because the room was unused an there was a matching DVC reservation. The DDP ceased to function.

Also remember that Disney has recently NOT been giving the standard DDP with a value stay, it had to be Moderate or better at rack rate, so it wouldn't be $60 per day saved. They often close "loopholes" in their system after
after the first year or so, and giving the counter service DDP to the value resorts is likely a step in that direction.