No dining plan for DVC members?

[donaldsgal]

We're new to DVC, and I'm surprised to learn that DVC members are not eligible for any of the MYW dining plans. I just called MS to confirm, and she basically told me that the idea has been tossed around to make such a package available but nothing has been finalized as yet.

That being the case, how do you guys do it when you travel to WDW as members? I just assumed we could get a meal plan, so we planned to eat at nicer restaurants and now that's sort of out the door. Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

(By the way, we are staying at Contemporary on our points, so we won't have a kitchen in which to make our own meals.)

Thanks.

 

[dianeschlicht]

You have a full kitchen, so I suspect that is one reason the dining plan isn't available. We also have been geting APs, and now with the great DVC discount on APs it makes it more cost effective. With the AP, we are elegible for the DDE (Disney DIning Experience) card which gives a 20% discount on most of the nicer sit down restaurants at WDW. There are also some other DVC discounts on sit downs besides those available for the DDE card holders. In reality, very few timeshares have dining plans.

 

[Dean]

We're new to DVC, and I'm surprised to learn that DVC members are not eligible for any of the MYW dining plans. I just called MS to confirm, and she basically told me that the idea has been tossed around to make such a package available but nothing has been finalized as yet.

That being the case, how do you guys do it when you travel to WDW as members? I just assumed we could get a meal plan, so we planned to eat at nicer restaurants and now that's sort of out the door. Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

(By the way, we are staying at Contemporary on our points, so we won't have a kitchen in which to make our own meals.)

Thanks.

The meal plan is not a good choice for many anyway. If you have an AP, consider buying the Disney Dining Experience which will get you a 20% savings on a lot more choices than the MYW dining plan would do. And the dining plan is at it's worst at the signature restaurants like Artist Pointe, Narcossee's and the like. Even if you have to buy an AP just to get the DDE, it can be worth it. You don't have to activate it on this trip.

There are MANY money saving techniques depending on your family makeup and style. Mousesavers has an entire section devoted to this issue though some of the techniques are over the top like getting a double meat burger and an extra bun. There are discounts with DVC membership as well. We usually get danish or cereal for breakfast which you can do anywhere. We tend to eat our big meal at lunch or two smaller sit down meals. We rarely get an appetizer other than soup or salad and rarely get desert. And at times we'll share a meal or get an appetizer as an entree for one of us. For me, I'm just as happy with a good bowl of soup many times. Even on short trips we've tended to spend less than the dining plan would have cost us.

 

[rjthkids]

I have been surprised by the amount of complaints at a lack of a dining plan for DVC members. Most of the time, unless you consistently rent studios, you have a full sized kitchen to work with. There were 10 of us at Disney for a week in October. I spent 182 dollars on groceries before heading to Disney and it fed the 10 of us for a week.

 

[crisi]

We don't cook. We do eat out a lot. We bought DVC before the meal plan was an affordable option - so we just budget dining into our trips. Last trip that was two character meals, sitdown each night - including Jiko and Flying Fish.

DVC members do get a discount on AP, and the AP gets you access to the DDE. If you are going spend more than seven days a year in the parks, and plan on eating out a lot, the DDE is worth looking into. 20% discount on most sit down and unlike the meal plan, includes the liquor bill.

 

[kadaten]

I have been surprised by the amount of complaints at a lack of a dining plan for DVC members. Most of the time, unless you consistently rent studios, you have a full sized kitchen to work with. There were 10 of us at Disney for a week in October. I spent 182 dollars on groceries before heading to Disney and it fed the 10 of us for a week.

Well, I for one would love to see a dining plan. See, I bought into DVC for the extra living space, NOT the kitchen. I don't like to cook when I'm at home so I'm certainly not going to do it while I'm on vacation. Unh unh. The closest I'll come to cooking in my room is having a pack of PopTarts and a diet Coke for breakfast! To each his own, though.....if that works for you, that's great!

While I'd love to have the dining plan, I have never been able to purchase one, so I didn't plan on it when I bought DVC. See, we've had AP's for 10 years and we've never been able to buy the dining plan anyway.....it's always been available only to those on a package. I *do* wish they'd make it available to everyone on property....not just DVCers, but other AP holders as well!

 

[donaldsgal]

I appreciate your responses. However, as I said in my post, we are staying at the contemporary this time and so we won't have a kitchen. Even when we do stay at DVC resorts, we will be staying in a studio (just the two of us). Part of vacation for me is eating out at nice restaurants, so I do feel sort of bummed that I won't get to enjoy those meals as much. I just don't care for the idea of cooking while on vacation.

I'm not sure that an AP is our best option as we won't go every year. I don't know.... guess I just need to do research on that one.

I do appreciate your responses, and I hope this post isn't snotty. The responses seemed to indicate that the meal plan isn't necessary, and while that may be true, it's still something we like to take advantage on vacation. But no worries - I am glad others who have gone before me can help me learn the ropes!

Any other thoughts?

 

[Sammie]

I am sure some of the DVCers would like a meal plan, others won't use it. We like to have breakfast in our villa and would not use points to stay at nonDVC resorts for that reason. We bought DVC to be able to have a 2 bedroom unit.

As to the other meals we always eat out and pay cash.

 

[sarhenty]

Hi donaldsgal,

I think its important to let everyone know that if they feel strongly about something, in this instance "The Dining Plan", they should email member services about it.

They do listen and they listen more when they see many people are interested in it. I've seen many people post about their interest in the dining plan. It would be nice to have it as an option to purchase if you can. I for one am an AP holder and DDE card holder as well but I would consider getting the dining plan one year just for the fun of it and oh what fun it would be!

So don't get discouraged, maybe they just might come through. In the meantime, email them, you will be heard.

Sara

 

[jbthi]

We don't do much cooking at Disney and the meal plan sounds like it would be a great buy. BUT I don't think I would like to have it because we never eat that much. A nice sit down lunch is usually our only real meal and we never eat dessert. If I had the plan I would feel like I had to eat it all or we would be wasting too much. And then I would be miserable from too much food.

 

[crisi]

I'd love a dining plan too - if it were the same $35 a day plan being sold to CRO guests - that one is a great deal! However, I suspect that plan is subsidized in order to sell rooms at full price and any DVC plan they put in place will be different. When and if one arrives, we will be doing our math.

 

[CharmedLife]

We don't do much cooking at Disney and the meal plan sounds like it would be a great buy. BUT I don't think I would like to have it because we never eat that much. A nice sit down lunch is usually our only real meal and we never eat dessert. If I had the plan I would feel like I had to eat it all or we would be wasting too much. And then I would be miserable from too much food.

I agree - I would never eat that much food normally - appetizer, entree and dessert? That's a lot of food and I'd either gain 10 pounds on vacation or feel guilty for wasting a lot of food.

You certainly can still eat at all of those wonderful restaurants, just pay cash for them instead of a dining plan. Unless you want to eat as much food as the dining plan calls for, you may actually end up spending less than the dining plan would have cost.

Another thought - when we stay non DVC-resorts, we always have a fridge in the room. Then we'd have breakfast in our room - cereal, fruit, bagels, etc. So even though you're not going to have a kitchen, I would still suggest doing the breakfast in the room thing to save some money for the nicer restaurants at lunch and dinner.

Get your ADR's and enjoy those restaurants! We did 3 character meals on our last trip (a little too much) as well as 'Ohana and had a great time!

 

[canwegosoon]

I would love to use it. Even if I don't get an app/dessert. I figure we love to do Character Meals and places like Beirgarten/Le Cellier etc. But at least having the DDE helps.

 

[Figment2]

We just got back and the DDE card saved us big bucks. Even some non-believer FL resident friends changed their minds. I was even able to use it when I bought a Guiness for a friend of mine inside the Rose & Crown. Each place was able to do separate checks for some people plus we had some large groups (15 at Crystal Palace and 8 at Jikos).

I doubt I would do a dining plan but I do plan on renewing my DDE.

Cyn

 

[DisneyPhD]

I think it is too late for you since you have already booked it on points, but I would never waste my DVC poinst on Con. I would try to get a deal on Con and save my DVC points for another time (we never have enough points!) Then you can get the package deal and the dining plan. (since you don't have an AP.)

We have an AP already and DDE, but if DVC offeres a dining plan in the future I would like to use it.

 

[pumpkinboy]

I don't want any dining plan thanks. Just keep offering us the ability to get the DDE and we'll be happy thanks. We eat out 2 of 3 meals a day when there, sometimes all 3, and I sure as heck don't want to be constrained by the rules of any dining plan. We do enough planning already for our WDW vacations; I don't want to add another layer of complexity onto it.

No Dining Plan is a Good Thing, IMO. I am hoping Disney is not going to the trouble to put in somethig that is not going to be as good a deal as we've already got (well, maybe as a stockholder I'd like to see that, but not as a frequent visitor). I am happy with the great benefits we get as DVC Members, and don't want anyone monkeying with it, thank you very much.

 

[rjthkids]

Well, I for one would love to see a dining plan. See, I bought into DVC for the extra living space, NOT the kitchen. I don't like to cook when I'm at home so I'm certainly not going to do it while I'm on vacation. Unh unh. The closest I'll come to cooking in my room is having a pack of PopTarts and a diet Coke for breakfast![/QUOTE}

That's fair. I think sometimes we just tend to think of our own wants and project them onto other people. I know we bought into DVC 90% *because* of the full-size kitchen. Between food allergies and just a general aversion to eating out (I hate waiting on someone else to bring me food, I hate sitting there if I am thirsty trying to flag down a waiter for more water, I hate trying to corrall my children into sitting still etc.etc.) that my first tendency is to think that everyone else dislikes eating out as much as I do, and only do it on vacation because they have no other choice and no kitchen available. My first thought upon our DVC tour was "Wow! Look at this kitchen! How lucky we'll never have to eat out again! Why would anyone eat out when they see this kitchen! "

So, I enjoy hearing other people's perspectives and the reasons they bought into DVC. It sounds like enough people still like eating out that some sort of dining discount would be beneficial for DVC members.

Happy vacations!

 

[Rence]

On the DVC Member Cruise, Jim Lewis (head of DVC) gave a presentation (so this came live from the top to an audience of several hundred DVC members)

He said that the ability to get a Dining Plan is coming. They need to make changes to the computer systems to support this.

The project is currently underway, so work has begun. Jim repeated that it is not a matter of 'if' dining plans will be offered, but of 'when'. He emphasized that this is not a maybe or a proposal, but an active, in progress project.

He said that at that time they were not in a position to give a timeline as to exactly when it will be available. He hoped that an announcement could be made by the end of the year as to when it would become available. So the announcement should be forthcoming in the next couple of months, with the implementation sometime farther out.

 

[crisi]

I don't want any dining plan thanks. Just keep offering us the ability to get the DDE and we'll be happy thanks. We eat out 2 of 3 meals a day when there, sometimes all 3, and I sure as heck don't want to be constrained by the rules of any dining plan. We do enough planning already for our WDW vacations; I don't want to add another layer of complexity onto it.

No Dining Plan is a Good Thing, IMO. I am hoping Disney is not going to the trouble to put in somethig that is not going to be as good a deal as we've already got (well, maybe as a stockholder I'd like to see that, but not as a frequent visitor). I am happy with the great benefits we get as DVC Members, and don't want anyone monkeying with it, thank you very much.

I hope they continue to add options and perks - but not take them away. i.e. the DDE works great for AP holders, for those of us that go for one week a year, or don't spend a lot of time in the parks - it really becomes a math exercise in how much food you intend to eat in a week. For us, the dining plan starts to look much more attractive. I'd love to see a MYW pass discount in addition to the AP discount (but will not be upset if it isn't there, the MYW passes are cheaper than the old LOS with the discount) - or maybe "free" add ons (pluses or no expiration) for DVC members. Its nice when DVC remembers that members use their points at DVC resorts in a lot of different ways, and gives us benefits to match - if that is discounts for golf at HHI or discounts on dining at Disney. I wouldn't want to trade the AP/DDE discount for a meal plan, though.

 

[Dean]

On the DVC Member Cruise, Jim Lewis (head of DVC) gave a presentation (so this came live from the top to an audience of several hundred DVC members)

He said that the ability to get a Dining Plan is coming. They need to make changes to the computer systems to support this.

The project is currently underway, so work has begun. Jim repeated that it is not a matter of 'if' dining plans will be offered, but of 'when'. He emphasized that this is not a maybe or a proposal, but an active, in progress project.

He said that at that time they were not in a position to give a timeline as to exactly when it will be available. He hoped that an announcement could be made by the end of the year as to when it would become available. So the announcement should be forthcoming in the next couple of months, with the implementation sometime farther out.

DVC is good at patronizing, I wouldn't hold your breath.