free dining offers

precious pixie

Wish I could change this name 😁
Joined
Sep 30, 2004
Messages
2,089
When WDW offers free dining for guests staying on the regular property is the same offer extended to DVC members? I am hoping to rent points for a stay and during the time frame that I am thinking free dining is being offered, so I am wondering if I would still qualify for the free dining offer if renting points.
Thanks
 
Free Dining is an incentive offered to those willing to pay rack rate for the rooms. Most DVC members are unable/unwilling to try to compete with Disney with such an offer, but that would have to be negotiated between yourself and that member.

The trade off is to decide whether the lower room rental is more valuable to you than the free dining if reserved thru Disney.

Good luck with your decision! :)
 
I just wasn't sure if disney offered dvc members the same offer (i know that you can pay for the dining plan with your stay using dvc so I wasn't sure if they qualified for promotions as well)
 

We see these questions and comments all the time here. I'm not sure why anyone would expect Disney to give DVC members "free" (it's not really free folks) dining, when we aren't meeting the criteria for it. We are NOT paying rack rate for a room, and frankly I don't WANT to pay rack rate for a 2 bedroom villa EVER just to get "free" dining.
 
It has nothing to do with 'drinking kool aid'.

The Disney Travel Company offers 'free' dining as a promotion to fill resort rooms that they have in their inventory. In return for free meals, the guest pays Disney rack rate for their rooms. Disney pays for the guest's meals in the hopes that the inflated room rate, along with required ticket purchases will make up the difference. It's not a gift to the guest, they fully expect to make that money back.

Do we pay the Disney Travel Company any money when we book a room on points? Do we do business with them at all when we use our points? Are we even booking rooms that they own? Of course not. So why would we expect a division of Disney that we don't give any money to would give us hundreds of dollars worth of free food?
 
Any incentive offered by Disney is done for a reason. Nothing is free, believe me you pay for it some how.

The "free" dining is a promotion that Disney uses to fill resorts that are usually not occupied and it increases their profit. Hot humid weather and hurricanes can keep people away unless you come up with an enticement. :goodvibes

:earsboy: Bill
 
This is off-topic a bit......

Check the archives over at touringplans.com or wdwtoday.com.

At one point they did an analysis that Free Dining actually cost you more if you stay at a Deluxe resort - since the rack rates are so high compared to the discounts you can usualy find. It wasn't a lot more (like maybe $10 more per day), but free dining isn't always free.
 
It has nothing to do with 'drinking kool aid'.

The Disney Travel Company offers 'free' dining as a promotion to fill resort rooms that they have in their inventory. In return for free meals, the guest pays Disney rack rate for their rooms. Disney pays for the guest's meals in the hopes that the inflated room rate, along with required ticket purchases will make up the difference. It's not a gift to the guest, they fully expect to make that money back.

Do we pay the Disney Travel Company any money when we book a room on points? Do we do business with them at all when we use our points? Are we even booking rooms that they own? Of course not. So why would we expect a division of Disney that we don't give any money to would give us hundreds of dollars worth of free food?

DVC didn't offer you kool aid and cookies when you toured?
 
I think the OP isn't a member, and was simply asking to find out before they rented points from a member. The responses seem to be in the vein, in which we kibitz to each other, and I didn't want the OP to have hurt feelings from our banter. :goodvibes :thumbsup2

To the OP, nope, no free dining for DVC members or those renting from a member. If you get a one-bedroom or larger villa, you'll have a full kitchen and could reduce your food bill substantially by eating in the room (we usually eat breakfast, take an afternnon break to each lunch, swim, and rest, then eat dinner before returning for an evening in the parks). It saves us money by eating most meals in the apartment.

However, you could request of the rentee to order the Dining Plan for you, but they will likely want reimbursement.

Good luck!
 
I did a comparison for my stay at BWV last December. Free dining was being offered. For my 1 bedroom, it would have been around $3,000 for 6 nights at rack rate to get "free dining". Or pay around 160 points. Guess what I did?
 
I think the OP isn't a member, and was simply asking to find out before they rented points from a member. The responses seem to be in the vein, in which we kibitz to each other, and I didn't want the OP to have hurt feelings from our banter. :goodvibes :thumbsup2

To the OP, nope, no free dining for DVC members or those renting from a member. If you get a one-bedroom or larger villa, you'll have a full kitchen and could reduce your food bill substantially by eating in the room (we usually eat breakfast, take an afternnon break to each lunch, swim, and rest, then eat dinner before returning for an evening in the parks). It saves us money by eating most meals in the apartment.

However, you could request of the rentee to order the Dining Plan for you, but they will likely want reimbursement.

Good luck!

Took the words right out of my mouth. I mean to an outsider, DVC members get alot of discounts, why wouldn't someone think we could get this.

Good luck P. Pixie!:hippie:
 
I wonder if DVC might offer a discounted dining plan to entice people to book lower-utilized DVC times...:rolleyes1

Naaah. Never gonna happen...
 
I think the OP isn't a member, and was simply asking to find out before they rented points from a member. The responses seem to be in the vein, in which we kibitz to each other, and I didn't want the OP to have hurt feelings from our banter. :goodvibes :thumbsup2

To the OP, nope, no free dining for DVC members or those renting from a member. If you get a one-bedroom or larger villa, you'll have a full kitchen and could reduce your food bill substantially by eating in the room (we usually eat breakfast, take an afternnon break to each lunch, swim, and rest, then eat dinner before returning for an evening in the parks). It saves us money by eating most meals in the apartment.

However, you could request of the rentee to order the Dining Plan for you, but they will likely want reimbursement.

Good luck!

I did a comparison for my stay at BWV last December. Free dining was being offered. For my 1 bedroom, it would have been around $3,000 for 6 nights at rack rate to get "free dining". Or pay around 160 points. Guess what I did?

Took the words right out of my mouth. I mean to an outsider, DVC members get alot of discounts, why wouldn't someone think we could get this.

Good luck P. Pixie!:hippie:


Thanks, I figured they wouldn't (too good to be true if they did) but doesn't hurt to ask. :goodvibes I have rented points before and much prefer it over paying rack rates for the deluxe. I get the DDP sometimes because I use it for signature restaurants and have found that it saves me money that way.
 















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