Disney dollars

[bosspringsteen]

ok so i've heard that Disney Dollars can be used anywhere in the park and i hate to sound like a dunce about this but can they be used in all the restaurants as well? like coral reef and california grill? it almost seems cheap of me to give them those but then again it is money in a sense! thanks for the help

 

[mom2jcc]

I'm not sure about the Disney Dollars in restaurants, but I am leaning towards the Disney Gift Card instead. I'm curious to know what most Dissers like better.

 

[WillCAD]

Disney Dollars, and the new Disney Gift Card (which came out in early 2006) can be used at any Disney-owned venue in the WDW and Disneyland parks and resorts, including shops, stalls, carts, restaurants, eateries, Pleasure Island clubs, bars and lounges at the reosrts, and at resort front desks for paying off your balance.

The gift cards, of course, have one small limit - they can only be used at venues that have electronic card readers, which lets out a few of the smaller drink and snack vendors.

Shops in the Swan and Dolphin and the various Downtown Disney area hotels cannot accept either DD$ or the gift card, since they are not Disney owned.

At least some of the Downtown Disney West Side shops cannot accept them, either, including the Cirque de Soliel and the AMC PI 24 Theater.

I have been using DD$ at WDW for years; in fact, for my last 4 trips I have used them as a method of saving - I pick up $20 in DD$ per payday and sock it away. I love DD$ and I love making the bi-weekly pilgrimage to my local Disney Store as part of my year-long trip preparation.

However, DD$ have one Achiles heel - if you lose them, they're gone forever. The new Disney Gift Card does not have this Achiles heel, because it can be replaced as long as you have the original purchase reciept, just like a lost park hopper or lost KTTW card. Because of this, my next year's trip savings will be entirely on the gift card instead of DD$. I will also feel more secure carrying that card with me through the airports than I do carrying hundreds of dollars in DD$, since DD$ are only available in denominations of $1, $5, and $10 at my local Disney Store (there was a $50 note issued during the Happiest Celebration on Earth but my Disney Store never got any).

Also keep in mind that whether you save up via the gift card or DD$ that you can put them down instead of a credit card to enable room charging priviledges when you stay at a WDW resort. This allows you to charge things to your room instead of carrying your DD$ or gift card around with you.

 

[Mickiethepooh]

WOuldn't socking away $20 regular dollars per pay day in a savings account paying interest be better? then when you are going to go you trade em in of the Disney kind if you so choose?

 

[WillCAD]

WOuldn't socking away $20 regular dollars per pay day in a savings account paying interest be better? then when you are going to go you trade em in of the Disney kind if you so choose?

Yes, a lot of people ask that question, and the answer is that money in a savings account can't acrue interest if I pull it out and spend it, which I definitely would because I have no self-control.

DD$ can only be spent at Disney stores and parks.

Besides, what's the interest on $20 per pay deposited over 11 months? About $5? Maybe $10? Not that big a deal.

 

[loriandmatt]

a few questions for you willCAD as you seem to be very schooled in the Disney Gift Cards.

if you purchase a DGC, can you add to it? (buy say a 20$ card now and in a few weeks, add another 20$ to it? and so on and so forth.)

can you use the DGC to put a deposite on a reservation online or over the phone or even via mail?

much like some gift cards for stores, after a certain period of time (a year, two?) do you start getting charged a fee from that card if there is a remaining balance on it? (they tick away $2.00 each month after the 12th month for the gift card that someone gave me last year for the holidays....i can't stand the tought of being punished for being frugal, so i need to get out and spend what is left on that sucker.)

- lori

 

[WillCAD]

a few questions for you willCAD as you seem to be very schooled in the Disney Gift Cards.

if you purchase a DGC, can you add to it? (buy say a 20$ card now and in a few weeks, add another 20$ to it? and so on and so forth.)

can you use the DGC to put a deposite on a reservation online or over the phone or even via mail?

much like some gift cards for stores, after a certain period of time (a year, two?) do you start getting charged a fee from that card if there is a remaining balance on it? (they tick away $2.00 each month after the 12th month for the gift card that someone gave me last year for the holidays....i can't stand the tought of being punished for being frugal, so i need to get out and spend what is left on that sucker.)

- lori

1) Yup, the card is completely reloadable. I did just what you described as part of my savings process.

2) Dunno, I haven't tried it.

3) Nope, no fees of any kind associated with the cards.