Free dining

[happyj]

I have already booked 23 August to 10 September staying with DVC.

I will feel a little mift if they bring in free dining we will be paying for this and it is not cheap.It will mean I will have trouble booking restaurants .It should be given after the 90 day booking .Maybe a discount to us DVC'ers.


I also feel we have spent a lot to have a DVC and we are not getting the benefits that anybody who has not commited like us has .

Do not get me wrong I love owning part of the mouse .

I would be very glad to here other peoples view on this .
Janet

 

[gonzalj1]

Janet,

Although I understand your frustration I have to remind you that the folks getting free dining are paying rack rates for their rooms. That amounts to a lot more than $40/day per adult.

I'd rather pay 0 for the lodging and pay for food than pay the ridiculous rack rates.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

Welcome home.

We've all been here at a point early in our ownership. We've all felt the same way or at least many of us have.

This point has been discussed ad-nauseum here on the boards and still comes up from time to time.

At the end of the day, DVC guarantees us significantly discounted accomodations paid for in points. Nothing more and nothing less. Anything else is just icing on the cake.

Don't ever expect to get free dining or a jump on ADRs because of it as a DVC member. Ain't gonna happen. I hate it too but that's just the way it is.

Just cutting to the chase to stop a thread that can turn into 500 posts and at the end, will still come out with the above answer.

 

[TDC Nala]

I don't feel the same way, because I wouldn't use the dining plan whether it was free or not.

DVC doesn't need to offer free dining as an incentive for members to book. You could book a DVC room and purchase the dining plan and come out about the same as if you had booked a value or moderate resort with free dining, because you have to pay rack rate for the free dining room and buy tickets through Disney. And you'd have a DVC room instead of a value or moderate room.

If you're traveling during free dining promotion period, whether you are using free dining or not, you MUST make meal reservations if you want table service meals at any restaurant that accepts the dining plan. That's true of everyone, DVC and non-DVC.

 

[5forDiz]

......Just cutting to the chase to stop a thread that can turn into 500 posts and at the end, will still come out with the above answer........

WELL SAID WilsonFlyer !

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Some people do still book both DVC rooms and a value room in order to get Free Dining. Is that really a good deal though?

We only have 7 points left for this UY and next so we can't book anything on points but we are considering paying cash for a Mod or 2 Value rooms for a weekend if they do offer Free Dining.

 

[crisi]

If I enjoyed the bargains, than DVC wouldn't be a deal for us. DVC is a deal for us because the bargains never applied to us. We don't travel during "free dining." We never had APs to take advantage of AP passholder rates. I've gotten ONE postcard in 15 years - and that was in 2002.

DVC is a deal for us because our kids sleep in a seperate room at what works out to an affordable price for us. We don't get that taking advantage of free dining....

 

[Deb & Bill]

Why do they offer free dining in late Aug and Sept? Because the kids have gone back to school and it's hurricane season. Rooms are empty and they need to have a pull to get people to come and fill those rooms.

DVC rooms are hardly ever empty. And even if they are, points are still being used or not and lost.

 

[Lisa P.]

Three thoughts on this:

It's one of the quietest times of the year and during it, "free dining" people will pay full rack rates while DVCers using points for their rooms get to use the fewest points for their vacation stay. Either way, something is gained for choosing to visit WDW during the normally slow period.

Not all cash-paying guests will get free dining, since there are only a certain number of room reservations available at each Disney hotel, offering this perk. DVCers are not excluded from being able to book cash nights for free dining like the rest of the public, and save points to use at another time of year or add a free dining weekend reservation to a weeknights reservation on points.

Disney offers the free dining so that they'll make more money on ticket and souvenir sales than they would have if they did not make the offer. They have no similar incentive to offer it to DVCers, so it won't happen. Just a straightforward business decision.

So enjoy your planned vacation. It is what you paid for when you bought DVC. A timeshare vacation is different from a hotel vacation - usually more space or inroom comforts and it's prepaid lodging so you don't carry the burden of its cost into your stay. So it's an apples to oranges comparison. Let it go... You can always manage to find someone who paid more or less than you, for the "same thing," if you look hard enough and compare apples to oranges to kiwis. Just enjoy what you've got!!!

 

[kimberh]

One year I figured the Math for my DVC Deluxe room with me paying for my Dining vs staying at a Deluxe with Free Dining, Big difference! I do not like Values or Moderates. That is why I bought DVC in the first place!

If you stay in a Value, it is a real deal. I can't stand Values, but to each his own. They are loud, the beds are small and hard, the buses are very crowded, no Table Service restaurants, the pools are not upgraded. What else have I missed?

 

[Cmbar]

One year I figured the Math for my DVC Deluxe room with me paying for my Dining vs staying at a Deluxe with Free Dining, Big difference! I do not like Values or Moderates. That is why I bought DVC in the first place!

If you stay in a Value, it is a real deal. I can't stand Values, but to each his own. They are loud, the beds are small and hard, the buses are very crowded, no Table Service restaurants, the pools are not upgraded. What else have I missed?

No Hot tubs.... Oh I would miss those hot tubs at the Deluxes!! Lets see no work out facilities, waiting outside in the heat in a line for the buses, and then standing on the buses to get to the parks...

 

[eyeheartgoofy]

Oh, I'm not upset that I don't get free dining or anything with my DVC membership. Like others have said, Disney knows that they have DVC members hook, line and sinker ... so no need to hand out promotions to get us to visit the world.

But, I'm slightly irked that Free Dining is going to be offered earlier this year. We are booked at AKV for Aug 16-23rd. I thought we would be heading OUT of WDW on the day that Free Dining was going to begin. I was counting on avoiding some of the more competitive ADR makers. Oh, well. As soon as I saw that the 4/7 deal was extended until 8-15, I just knew that Free Dining was going to be offered starting on 8-16.

 

[justcruisin]

I understand, from a business perspective that Disney wants to keep the parks, hotels and restaurants at capacity.

Nevertheless, I dislike anything that causes difficulity in obtaining ADRs or causes crowed lines at the park.

I'm sure, when I call for Chef Mickey's, at 90 + 10, at 7 am, and am put on hold for 2 hours only to be told the only availability for dinner is 9:30 pm and LeCellier is completely unavailable I can "blame" free dining.

 

[MinnieVanMom]

I believe having a DVC is the best of both worlds. I have booked at a value, gulp, for the first time for 5 nights for the free dining. We will hit the parks hard and just use the room to sleep and for the cost we are ahead with the free dining for 2 adults, 2 children.

Then we move over to BCV! It will feel like a huge reward for us staying at a value. We will get SAB, F&W, my birthday and MNSSHP. We will be tired by then and ready for the relaxing and peace of our DVC.

I can't believe I got BCV for this time as it was the 7 month window

 

[skoi]

I understand, from a business perspective that Disney wants to keep the parks, hotels and restaurants at capacity.

Nevertheless, I dislike anything that causes difficulity in obtaining ADRs or causes crowed lines at the park.

I'm sure, when I call for Chef Mickey's, at 90 + 10, at 7 am, and am put on hold for 2 hours only to be told the only availability for dinner is 9:30 pm and LeCellier is completely unavailable I can "blame" free dining.

Really stupid question. I haven't been doing much hands on planning lately, but the ADR window is at 90+10 if you're staying on site?

Again- sorry for the dumb question, but last time I booked anything it was at 180 days, and I heard it went back to 90.

Thanks-
Julie

 

[happyj]

90+10

 

[WilsonFlyer]

Really stupid question. I haven't been doing much hands on planning lately, but the ADR window is at 90+10 if you're staying on site?

Again- sorry for the dumb question, but last time I booked anything it was at 180 days, and I heard it went back to 90.

Thanks-
Julie

Yes. 90+10.

 

[Pixieflip]

Can somebody please explain the 90 + 10? Thanks!

 

[Deb & Bill]

Can somebody please explain the 90 + 10? Thanks!

When you are 90 days out from the start of your trip, you can make reservations for the start of your trip and up to ten more days.

 

[Inkmahm]

When you are 90 days out from the start of your trip, you can make reservations for the start of your trip and up to ten more days.

That's what I thought, too. I ran into a fellow DVC member in line for TSMM at HS and she insisted that it isn't advertized but DVC members can book at 90+10 or at 100 days instead of at 90 days. I didn't think that sounded right.