DVC and meal plan

[PaulaVonSchweetz]

Are DVC members excluded from free dining offers???
My mom wanted to do a fall trip next year and saw stuff about how DVC members could not get free dining.

 

[bc133]

If you're using points for your trip then you cannot get free dining. It's for people OOP for their room only.

 

[rlduvall]

Are DVC members excluded from free dining offers???
My mom wanted to do a fall trip next year and saw stuff about how DVC members could not get free dining.

In order to receive free dining, you have to pay rack rate for a Disney resort room each night of your stay. So yes, DVC members are excluded if using points for their vacation.

 

[TagsMissy]

Are DVC members excluded from free dining offers???
My mom wanted to do a fall trip next year and saw stuff about how DVC members could not get free dining.

Everybody is eligible for free dining as long as you purchase the required package as listed by Disney of number of nights/tickets etc as available and offered.

 

[PaulaVonSchweetz]

Everybody is eligible for free dining as long as you purchase the required package as listed by Disney of number of nights/tickets etc as available and offered.

Right. But whats the difference if I "buy" with money or points?? Im still paying for the hotel stay and buying park tickets/food either way.
Seems odd to me. But I guess thats their way. I cant believe I didn't know that.

 

[abner1776]

The issue is not applicable to DVC members but rather those staying on points.

As a DVC member, I can choose to stay at a WDW resort under a cash reservation and get the free dining offers. At the same time my niece who is not a DVC member but is renting my points and staying on points would not be eligible for the free dining offers.

The free dining offers key off the type of reservation and not the person.

 

[crisi]

Right. But whats the difference if I "buy" with money or points?? Im still paying for the hotel stay and buying park tickets/food either way.
Seems odd to me. But I guess thats their way. I cant believe I didn't know that.

A big difference to Disney - you paid for those points already - and presumably bought them because you felt it to be a good deal. Disney is buying the food now - they don't care that you bought points ten years ago - or last week. They need their revenue stream to cover their expenses for that food today.

 

[erionm]

Right. But whats the difference if I "buy" with money or points?? Im still paying for the hotel stay and buying park tickets/food either way.
Seems odd to me. But I guess thats their way. I cant believe I didn't know that.

The Resorts group is not getting any money when you book a room with points. A portion of your annual dues will go towards operating costs of the resorts, but that is nothing compared to what non-discounted rack rate room costs.

 

[AlohaAnnie]

We have found tables in wonderland to be a better deal than the dining plan free or not. Maybe you should look into that program. DVC members are eligible for that program.

 

[Moparlar]

We have found tables in wonderland to be a better deal than the dining plan free or not. Maybe you should look into that program. DVC members are eligible for that program.

This is what we use, I picked up a new card yesterday for 100.00 and already saved 42 dollars at LeCellier on our first meal.

Larry

 

[DebbieB]

Right. But whats the difference if I "buy" with money or points?? Im still paying for the hotel stay and buying park tickets/food either way.
Seems odd to me. But I guess thats their way. I cant believe I didn't know that.

The free dining package requires a full price room.

I have a BWV cash reservation for November because my dates kept changing because of a work conference (I am on waitlist). Full price is $390 per night. I could pay that and get free dining. Instead, I chose the 35% AP room discount, which brings it down to $254. That rate is not eligible for free dining. DVC is 15 points per night. They are not giving you free dining with that, it's no way a full price room. At $10 per point, it's only $150. Compare that to full price of $390 and you are way ahead.

 

[abner1776]

The other thing to keep in mind is why is Disney offering free dining ? It's to fill rooms with warm bodies that will spend money on tickets, the rooms and other misc expenses and tell their friends what a wonderful time they had at WDW.

As DVC members, Disney already has roped us into the fold...they have our money plus they know that most DVC members save money by eating in our villas and we don't buy the meal plan in most cases anyway.

Disney is a marketing machine with one purpose...get you down to WDW and separate you from your $$$. As a DVC member, they know I am going to WDW regardless, so whats the point in giving me free dining ??

 

[Lynne M]

The free dining offer is made by the division of Disney that's responsible for renting out resort room inventory that Disney owns. It's not a gift, it's 'bait' to get people to pay the highest possible price (rack rate) for a resort room, because the word 'free' is really effective bait, whether it's a good deal or not.

When you use your DVC points to book a villa, you are using room inventory that *you* own. You are giving no money whatsoever to the division of Disney that is making the free dining offer. You're not even staying in room inventory that Disney owns. There is no reason at all for them to give you free meals - there's no way for them to get any return on that from a DVC points stay.

But whats the difference if I "buy" with money or points??

Your points are just a representation of the share of room inventory that you own. They're not money, and they have no financial value outside of DVC. In fact, if you use your points to book a stay at a non-DVC resort like the Poly, DVC actually gives a villa of similar value to CRO to rent out to the general public, and they use the money they get from that to pay the Poly for your stay.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Occasionally there are some offers for free days, or kids stay and play free, or free dining. This is all marketing hype!

Disney World has three main profit and expense centers: the Parks, Food & Beverage, and Resorts (including transportation). Each of these has to make a profit. (Actually there are more, such as merchandise and sports, for example, but they don't really count for this discussion.)

The Parks, including the theme parks, water parks, Disney Quest, get their money from ticket sales. It does not matter if these tickets are sold at the gates, by phone or online, by the Resorts, or by wholesalers such as AAA, The Disney Store, or authorized resellers.

Food and Beverage is all dining locations property-wide, including from Victoria and Albert's down to the ice cream or other snack carts. All money taken in by the Dining Plan (any level) goes to F&B and then down to the individual locations depending on use by Plan Guests.

The Resorts have the most flexibility as far as prices are concerned. If they are offering free tickets, they still have to pay Park Operations for the tickets they sell. If they are offering free dining they still have to pay F&B for the dining plans. The only way they can do this is by adjusting the price of the rooms. And they do not stack discounts. So if you are getting "free dining", you are actually getting a discounted price on the room but paying for the dining.

This is why a person making a discounted reservation at an AP rate or a DVC Member cannot get free dining, the Resort still has to make money.

 

[twinsdad2007]

Moparlar
Mouseketeer




Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Chicago
Posts: 188

Quote:
Originally Posted by AlohaAnnie
We have found tables in wonderland to be a better deal than the dining plan free or not. Maybe you should look into that program. DVC members are eligible for that program.

This is what we use, I picked up a new card yesterday for 100.00 and already saved 42 dollars at LeCellier on our first meal.

Larry
__________________


Sorry I'm new to this and don't know how to work the quote and make it look right.

What card are you talking about?

 

[ParrotBill]

He means the card for "Tables in Wonderland." DVC Members and AP holders can buy this card and receive a 20% discount on food and beverage and many of the restaurants and some quick service locations too.

We love this.. pays for the cost in 2 uses.

There are several threads explaining TiW.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Moparlar
Mouseketeer




Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Chicago
Posts: 188

Quote:
Originally Posted by AlohaAnnie
We have found tables in wonderland to be a better deal than the dining plan free or not. Maybe you should look into that program. DVC members are eligible for that program.

This is what we use, I picked up a new card yesterday for 100.00 and already saved 42 dollars at LeCellier on our first meal.

Larry
__________________


Sorry I'm new to this and don't know how to work the quote and make it look right.

What card are you talking about?

If you want to quote a thread, click on the QUOTE button at the right hand corner. If you want to quote multiple threads, click the "+ button at the bottom right hand corner for all the ones you want to quote and then on the last click the QUOTE button.

 

[bumbershoot]

Sorry I'm new to this and don't know how to work the quote and make it look right.

What card are you talking about?

Check out www.tablesinwonderland.com!

 

[Dean]

Right. But whats the difference if I "buy" with money or points?? Im still paying for the hotel stay and buying park tickets/food either way.
Seems odd to me. But I guess thats their way. I cant believe I didn't know that.

The difference really is that FD is not really free. You have to pay full price for the rooms to get FD. It's the same concept as not being able to get a 10% discount with BOTH AAA and AARP.

 

[crisi]

Occasionally there are some offers for free days, or kids stay and play free, or free dining. This is all marketing hype!

Disney World has three main profit and expense centers: the Parks, Food & Beverage, and Resorts (including transportation). Each of these has to make a profit. (Actually there are more, such as merchandise and sports, for example, but they don't really count for this discussion.)

The Parks, including the theme parks, water parks, Disney Quest, get their money from ticket sales. It does not matter if these tickets are sold at the gates, by phone or online, by the Resorts, or by wholesalers such as AAA, The Disney Store, or authorized resellers.

Food and Beverage is all dining locations property-wide, including from Victoria and Albert's down to the ice cream or other snack carts. All money taken in by the Dining Plan (any level) goes to F&B and then down to the individual locations depending on use by Plan Guests.

The Resorts have the most flexibility as far as prices are concerned. If they are offering free tickets, they still have to pay Park Operations for the tickets they sell. If they are offering free dining they still have to pay F&B for the dining plans. The only way they can do this is by adjusting the price of the rooms. And they do not stack discounts. So if you are getting "free dining", you are actually getting a discounted price on the room but paying for the dining.

This is why a person making a discounted reservation at an AP rate or a DVC Member cannot get free dining, the Resort still has to make money.

This is a pretty good overview of corporate accounting. If you keep in mind that there are multiple divisions and each division is responsible for its own profit and that the divisions "pay each other" for certain things, you can answer a lot of the "why doesn't Disney" questions simply by figuring out "who are the divisions involved, who needs to pay, how are they paying for it, and who are they paying." Once you answer all those questions, it is usually pretty obvious "why Disney doesn't."