Help me choose ! DVC or Free Dining

[syng0]

Hi All...I'm a new DVC member and I just joined a few days ago..Before I become a member of DVC, I managed to reserve free dining package at one of the value resorts. Now I'm torn between the two and cannot decide if I should bank my points to next year or cancel my free dining reservation and use my points this year...The problem with banking my points to next year though is that we plan on having a baby next year and I'm not sure that we'll be able to take vacation next year...Which should I pick ? Cancel my free dining reservation and stay at a DVC resort without free dining or keep the free dining package ?? Any suggestions ?? poll ?? Thanks so much for your feedbacks !

 

[Disney Kim]

I'm not sure what your travel plans are, But next year if free dining comes out I plan to stay free dining on the weekend (to save weekend points) and use points Sunday throuh Friday, Get the best of both worlds...
Not sure if Free dining has a min stay though (I think its 3 nights?)

 

[syng0]

Thanks, Kim...I think minimum is 5 nights...I thought about maybe transferring my points to another member's account. Would the free dining be worth for me to transfer my points ?

 

[Fatalbie]

Just my .02. Stay at the value this year, eat your face off, commando the parks one last time for the foreseeable future and bank the points. You will have plenty of points to ejoy a nice, well deserved, vacation after the baby arrives-even if you dont do the parks it will be a chance to unwind. If the baby prevents you being able to visit next year, rent the banked points cover the dues and offset the cost of membership. You will then be able to bank next years points and be in the enviable position of using banked points for the visit in two years. Many of us wish we had that problem, lol.

 

[Chuck S]

For me, it would depend upon which value resort. If I were booked at POP. I would keep it with the free dining. If I were booked at All Stars, I'd try to book DVC then cancel the cash reservation.

 

[syng0]

Hello All, thanks for your feedbacks so far ! Chuck, just curious, why do you not like All Stars ? Is there a specific reason ? My free dining is with All Starts Sports and so i'm curious..Fatalbie, I am leaning a bit towards your idea...that sounds like it might work out although I'm a bit nervious about renting out our points...still thinking...keep the feedbacks coming guys !

 

[starbox]

Do you have to travel during September? It's such an icky time to visit Florida (heat, humidity, hurricanes, and free dining crowds).

If possible, I'd move my vacation to the much nicer weather and crowds of late October-November and do DVC. As I teacher, I can't travel from Sept-March - but if I could - I'd choose any month except September to go to Florida!

 

[Chuck S]

Hello All, thanks for your feedbacks so far ! Chuck, just curious, why do you not like All Stars ?

All Stars, compared to POP, just seems so much more crowded, and noisier. The food courts were smaller and more hectic. Overall service just wasn't there, and the resort grounds were not as well kept.

This is probably due to the fact that All-Stars is the host resort for most large groups and events, like Pop Warner, Cheerleading, school groups, bands, home schoolers, any large pre-arranged packages are at All-Stars.

 

[spiceycat]

doing the same - staying at ssr for a week then staying at Pop with free dinning - back to OKW for a few days.

Sept is hot and humdity.

so would definitely reconsider going another time. with DVC you can.

my DSIL works for a school and only gets off then - besides summer. don't go to wdw in the summer. (okay I have done it - but hopefully won't again for a long, long time)

call and ask - I think now 3 days would be enough.

 

[hakepb]

FYI, Based on my past experience, It's relatively easy and quite enjoyable to take the baby to WDW at about 6 months (Still enjoy being caried, love the sights / sleep in strollers a lot.)
Once they start crawling and until they can walk by themselves, a WDW vacation would seem to be too confining due to the amount of time being held or in a stroller. You'd probably spend most of your park time in the Toon town playground

 

[syng0]

Thanks again for feedbacks ! Unfortunately I already bought my air tickets for September and so I won't be able to move the dates around I'm still trying hard to decide what we want to do..Life is so full of tough decisions lol

 

[twinklebug]

I had a similar choice to make, but one of three...

* 5 days in a 1br (inc. weekend) @ 40% off
* same days, Mod w/free dining
* buy in, hope I could book the days I need @ SSR studio using developer pts.

I weighed my options and decided the 40% off bounce back was the best deal for us as I do disney for the resort & not the food. I still want to buy in, but no immediate decision required.

In your situation I'd say the best deal is the value w/ FD. For sheer enjoyment of the parks, value w/ FD. Enjoy! With a baby, you may never enjoy the values or a peaceful meal again. (this from a mom of 3)

 

[wdw1972]

Free dining has a 3-night minimum, and is always in late August & most of September. Basically, it's the slow time of year and the weather is hot/humid/miserable.

I'm also booked for free dining at AS Sports. When you're used to a DVC resort, the value resorts are just soooo different. It's like if you want beef - do you get a McD's hamburger or do you go to Outback? Just don't go to ASSports expecting dvc quality or ambience, and you'll be fine. We're ok with "roughing it" for 3 nights to get the free dining. It ended up costing $300 when you back out the park pass (which will apply the value of towards the renewal of our annuals), and that's for 2 people to eat & sleep. Even staying dvc my points would be worth alot more than that (since we're going over a weekend).

 

[Lisa P.]

Depends on how tight your budget is right now, with planning to start a family and all. If you're okay with buying DVC, paying maint fees and paying for the "free" dining room package, then you may want to keep that plan for this year. Rent out your extra points. Once you are spoiled by the deluxe studio or 1BR at a resort that has a nicer pool area with a hot tub, a sitdown restaurant and less crowded buses, it can be hard to go back to a value motel room, unless it's just for the weekend to save points. So you're less likely to do the "free" dining thing later on.

OTOH, if your budget is pretty strapped by your plans and the DVC purchase, then by all means, make good use of it with your upcoming trip, if possible.

 

[dsneygirl]

I'm not sure what your travel plans are, But next year if free dining comes out I plan to stay free dining on the weekend (to save weekend points) and use points Sunday throuh Friday, Get the best of both worlds...
Not sure if Free dining has a min stay though (I think its 3 nights?)

We did something like that last Sept. First couple of nights were at AS and then we moved to BWV.

 

[bonzarella]

How many are in your party? It may be worthwhile to keep FDP and then stay at DVC. I have read previous posts where it was cheaper to book with free dining then to use points & pay for dining. Poster checked in, got KTTW card & went over to OKW.

 

[syng0]

There will be two of us and a toddler who will be close to 2 when we go For those who give me feedback about baby travelling, thank you !! It will definitely be helpful since we've not really travelled to a real vacation with him yet. Sorry I wasn't clear that I already have 1 baby atm and planning on the second one next year ! Wow looks like the poll is 50/50 now...Thanks a bunch again for all the feedbacks...I will be looking into all the different suggestion options when I decide !

 

[MILLZ]

Free dining is not worth staing at value. Worst experience of my life.

 

[starbox]

There will be two of us and a toddler who will be close to 2 when we go For those who give me feedback about baby travelling, thank you !! It will definitely be helpful since we've not really travelled to a real vacation with him yet. Sorry I wasn't clear that I already have 1 baby atm and planning on the second one next year !

Well, with potentially two babies - I may say bank your points this year and do free dining and then get use them for a bigger unit next year and invite a grandmother/auntie/teenage niece along to help with the wee ones.

But for the grace of grandparents, we could not have survived travel when the kids were tiny (we have two kids, two years apart - and ages 3 and 5 was the first trip we took without grandparent assistance).

 

[wildernessDad]

I just have a hard time even thinking about shelling out cash for a reservation anymore.