Special Offers and DVC

[DadwhoLOVESDisney]

I've been considering purchasing a resale for a long time now...yet now that I've been reading the boards so often, I've been reading about the buy 4 nights, get 3 free as well as the free meal plans.

So, if I buy DVC, there's no way to get either of these deals, right?

Thanks so much --

 

[Grandbuddy]

I've been considering purchasing a resale for a long time now...yet now that I've been reading the boards so often, I've been reading about the buy 4 nights, get 3 free as well as the free meal plans.

So, if I buy DVC, there's no way to get either of these deals, right?

Thanks so much --

Correct. You cannot stay on points and take advantage of these type deals, which are only available for cash packages.

 

[castleri]

You do not get any of these using points to stay at DVC resorts. You can however pay rack rate for a room, buy the required tickets and get free dinng that way. Some people have reported doing this for a value resort as it was cheaper than buying the dining plan for their family of four. They check in, get their keys and then stay at a DVC resort on points.

 

[stopher1]

First off welcome to the DIS.

Considering to join DVC is a both sometimes fun yet confusing time. There are lots of things to consider. It's true, that if you buy DVC, you won't be able to utilize the various special offers for regular hotel stays like the current buy 4 get 3 deal - unless you choose to pay for it cash and stay that way. When you join DVC, you are basically pre-paying for your accomodations for the life of your contract. Disney does not therefore need to entice you to come and stay in the resorts, since you have already taken care of that through your purchase of points. They know that you will either come and use your points, you'll bank your points for the next year, or you will let them expire.

Anyone is able to get the deals, but they are over and above your membership purchase price. The deals offered however, are also for a hotel room at rack rate, and then they throw in the rest.

As far as the meal plans go, as a DVC member the same thing applies regarding the free dining promos they've offered in the past - you can get it if you purchase a cash package same as anyone else, but it won't be offered to you on a points stay.

In the long run a DVC purchase can save you money on the accomodations, you just have to get beyond the cash out of pocket now and then divide the cost over the length of the contract and the number of points you'll use to better determine how much an individual trip would actually cost you. It really depends, however, on the level of accomodations you are used to staying in. If you are a values family, then DVC probably isn't the best thing for you. If you are a deluxe or at least a mods family, it could very well be good for you. There are annual dues that come along with the membership, but once you've paid your purchase price (either by cash or you could finance it if that works best for you, though many folks on here disagree with that concept since it is a luxury purchase not a necessity like your house or car) those dues are then all you pay for the remainder of the contract - unless you choose to add-on more points!

Using your points you can then stay at any of the actual DVC resorts (currently 8 and growing - soon to be 11) at no out of cost pocket when you stay, unless you make a charge to your room while on property. Or you can trade out your points and stay at any of the other Disney resorts around the world, or in up to 500 destinations around the world, take an Adventures By Disney trip or book a Disney Cruise. Each of these other options come with a $95 transaction fee and have higher point costs to them than staying in a DVC resort. Some people like to do them, but more often than not the best value of DVC is to stay in a DVC resort. The whole point of the DVC program is the flexibility of it vs. a more traditional timeshare where you are buying a single week in a single resort. You get to choose when, where and how often you use your points.

We are a family of 5, and being able to not have squeeze into those tiny hotel rooms, or book 2 rooms is a huge plus for us. And being able to cook in room is another plus. We don't do it all the time, but it does work out well and we do enjoy it.

Take your time to read more on these boards and do your homework. It might work well for you and it might not. Hope this helps.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Just like any non-DVC guest, you can lay out the cash to purchase one of Disney's package deals that include free tickets, free dining, free lodging. But you can't use a points stay to do this.

We purchased the 4/3 several years ago to stay at the GF and had a blast. We still got to use any DVC perks that we can use as a DVC member not staying at DVC (dining discounts, shopping discounts, but not pool hopping).

 

[DadwhoLOVESDisney]

Just like any non-DVC guest, you can lay out the cash to purchase one of Disney's package deals that include free tickets, free dining, free lodging. But you can't use a points stay to do this.

We purchased the 4/3 several years ago to stay at the GF and had a blast. We still got to use any DVC perks that we can use as a DVC member not staying at DVC (dining discounts, shopping discounts, but not pool hopping).

Y'all are awesome. Appreciate all the insights and info I've received over the past few months.

Thanks --

 

[jagson]

As DVC members we still get 25% discount on cash recervations, don't we? Can this be combined with the 4/3 Promo?

 

[Deb & Bill]

As DVC members we still get 25% discount on cash recervations, don't we? Can this be combined with the 4/3 Promo?

No, member discounts only come through MS. The 4/3 comes through CRO.