the moan and groan about "free dining"

[pickles]

I get tired of this complaint

I want people to know right now if you are a DVC member you can add dining..not free, but you dont have to pay rack rate for a room and you dont have to buy tickets and if you are savvy and book split stay ressies, you dont even have to have it the full length of your stay.

you get to stay in a DVC room, deluxe type services, you get FREE internet access, you get cheaper AP's if you need them, you get some discounts at certain restaurants and stores. you get the ability to do your laundry for free

For those of us with a family of 5 you can stay in a 1 bedroom and not be forced to rent 2 rooms, so you can really save there

can all these "perks" end tomorrow sure! but they are here right now and moaning that you arent getting treated like royalty because you are a DVC owner and not a rack rate family simply isnt true. You have extra value , right now and no hoop jumping to get it(beyond those MF fees and signing contracts)

I have stayed at multiple resorts now, have my favorites, but I would say 90% of the time any room i stayed in was cared for decently, staff was decent and my money i spent to buy DVC was worth it


your mileage may vary

 

[wdwnut]

I think it's best if you look at it from a "it's a prepaid vacation accommodations" point of view. We always stayed deluxe before we bought in 10 yrs. ago. No regrets- other than not buying in sooner. If you want concierge, book concierge. I like the "home away from home" much better.

 

[iwrbnd]

Good point! I may need to read this many times whenever I see free dining offered! (I did like that free dining in my pre DVC days!)

 

[allison k]

Thank you.

A while back I saw a post where someone had done all the math re the true cost of free dining. From that point on, it was all good. I'm okay not getting free dining. As it is, it's during times where we wouldn't be travelling, so it's really a moot point for me.

 

[Sammie]

I mean this in the best way, in a friendly kinda way, what is the difference in the moan and groan from DVCers not getting free dining, and the moan and groan about those that moan and groan.

Isn't moaning and groaning, well......... the same.

 

[maryloubsw]

I get tired of this complaint

I want people to know right now if you are a DVC member you can add dining..not free, but you dont have to pay rack rate for a room and you dont have to buy tickets and if you are savvy and book split stay ressies, you dont even have to have it the full length of your stay.

you get to stay in a DVC room, deluxe type services, you get FREE internet access, you get cheaper AP's if you need them, you get some discounts at certain restaurants and stores. you get the ability to do your laundry for free

For those of us with a family of 5 you can stay in a 1 bedroom and not be forced to rent 2 rooms, so you can really save there

can all these "perks" end tomorrow sure! but they are here right now and moaning that you arent getting treated like royalty because you are a DVC owner and not a rack rate family simply isnt true. You have extra value , right now and no hoop jumping to get it(beyond those MF fees and signing contracts)

I have stayed at multiple resorts now, have my favorites, but I would say 90% of the time any room i stayed in was cared for decently, staff was decent and my money i spent to buy DVC was worth it


your mileage may vary

yeah I joined DVC for the cheaper rooms! If you look at your package price WITH free dining its still outrageous with a deluxe villa at rack rate. And people who want free dining could always book rack rate and get the free dining like general public

 

[Crystal_27]

what is the difference in the moan and groan from DVCers not getting free dining, and the moan and groan about those that moan and groan.

Isn't moaning and groaning, well......... the same.

To the OP, before we bought in to DVC, I also did the math on not only free dining but the room discounts that we were receiving for staying at the Poly. We still bought in so, needless to say, I was convinced that DVC was the better route for cost savings in the long run.

 

[lugnut33]

Is anybody paying rack rates on rooms anymore?

 

[Muushka]

I mean this is the best way, in a friendly kinda way, what is the difference in the moan and groan from DVCers not getting free dining, and the moan and groan about those that moan and groan.

Isn't moaning and groaning, well......... the same.

 

[SoCalKDG]

Is anybody paying rack rates on rooms anymore?

I try and pay rack rates but they keep giving me discounts. Oh well.

 

[dmoore22]

Free Dining!?! It's the fine print that gets ya. Free Dining, in the past anyway, has been tied to the rack rate and a vacation package (tickets). In essence its a loss leader that assures guests will remain in the parks, and/or Disney properties where they will spend their vacation funds. It becomes a ball and chain for the guest guaranteeing a $$$ return to Disney Parks for each free DDP deal purchased, albeit usually during non-peak seasons. Obviously each DVC owner's situation is unique. For us, no matter how we crunch the numbers, DVC has been more cost effective, especially for multiple trips per year. Add the benefits of the DVC AP discount which allow a purchase of a TIW card at a discount it increases the bang for the buck over pay as you go -- at least for us.

 

[staceymay00]

People who like to stay in deluxe resorts, or who book multiple rooms due to larger families, are usually going to be better off with a room only discount. But it can be a good deal in some situations. In a couple of years two of my children will be 10 and over, while one still young enough for the POR trundle bed. We could pay $150 or so a night for a room (rack rate value season) and get free DDP that would have cost about $185 a day.

We could always rent our points, or take a second trip in a year, to sweat like crazy in September and cram all five of us into a 314 sf room to get free dining. Actually, I think I'll pass! There are some restaurant experiences at WDW I do enjoy, but the food is usually just good, not great, and sometimes it's not even all that good.

But for the family of four with two teenagers on a tight budget, they don't go often so they need to buy tickets anyway, free dining might be a great thing. It's not something I worry about missing out on but I can see how some people rave about it. I'm happy to see Disney offer a variety of discount options so people can pick what works best for them. I'll take DVC accommodations and an AP discount over free dining any day, though.

 

[Disneypubgal]

I'm happy to see Disney offer a variety of discount options so people can pick what works best for them. I'll take DVC accommodations and an AP discount over free dining any day, though.

My thoughts exactly!!

 

[dumbo_buddy]

if you are savvy and book split stay ressies, you dont even have to have it the full length of your stay.

just a quick question - what does the above mean? we are waiting on ROFR info from disney so DVC really is all new to us. just curious about what that means since i want to be a savvy DVCer!

what does booking split stay ressies do for you? what won't you have for the length of your stay?

thanks!

 

[castleri]

just a quick question - what does the above mean? we are waiting on ROFR info from disney so DVC really is all new to us. just curious about what that means since i want to be a savvy DVCer!

what does booking split stay ressies do for you? what won't you have for the length of your stay?

thanks!

If you book a split stay it usually means you have booked your trip at two different resorts or in different room sizes which makes it two reservations. If you do this you can have the dining plan for one part of the trip and not the other. You do need to use the credits for the days/nights that they are tied to by the reservation. They cannot be carried through the whole trip. If you have one continuous reservation and want the DDP you must book it for all the nights (length of stay) of the trip and for all the people on the reservation.

 

[cseca]

just a quick question - what does the above mean? we are waiting on ROFR info from disney so DVC really is all new to us. just curious about what that means since i want to be a savvy DVCer!

what does booking split stay ressies do for you? what won't you have for the length of your stay?

thanks!

Good luck on your ROFR!
If you book your stay at more than 2 resorts you could have DDP on just one of those ressie. For example, you planning to stay at blt for 3 nights and bwv for the next 4 nights. You could have DDP at blt or bwv or both. So you're not stuck with having to have ddp the whole 7 nights... BUT the plan restriction still applies. If you use it on the first 3 nights, your DDP will expire at the end of your check out day (4th day). And if you use it on your last 4 nights your DDP will start on your 4th day and expire on the 8th day.

There's a rumor going on that when the new reservation program is in place we might be allowed partial DDP. Regardless of whether we're doing split stay or not. But that rumor has yet to be confirmed.

 

[bumbershoot]

I mean this is the best way, in a friendly kinda way, what is the difference in the moan and groan from DVCers not getting free dining, and the moan and groan about those that moan and groan.

Isn't moaning and groaning, well......... the same.

I disagree. I feel that those who wish DVC members got "free" dining during their stays on points are coming from a pure emotional basis.

Whereas, if you break down the numbers, nonemotionally, you see that staying on points is a better deal.

So the numbers-based info, even if it's coupled with moaning and groaning, is much different than just wishing for something that isn't even free to those who are going (unless they would just pay rack rates without any discount, which is what I would have done before I saw people breaking down the numbers and talking about the various discounts available *other* than "free" dining).

 

[corpcomp]

As DVC members, we do get free dining.


Our friends stay at the Yacht Club - conceirge level and tend to bring us food in the morning.

Just as long as they never bring us a turkey leg....

 

[Sammie]

I disagree. I feel that those who wish DVC members got "free" dining during their stays on points are coming from a pure emotional basis.

Whereas, if you break down the numbers, nonemotionally, you see that staying on points is a better deal.

So the numbers-based info, even if it's coupled with moaning and groaning, is much different than just wishing for something that isn't even free to those who are going (unless they would just pay rack rates without any discount, which is what I would have done before I saw people breaking down the numbers and talking about the various discounts available *other* than "free" dining).

You missed my point, some people moan and groan about not getting free dining and some moan and groan about those that are complaining.

Either way both are still moaning and groaning. just about different things.

 

[gailg3horses]

when you get the "free" dining plan, reality is that you are paying for it in your room/ticket rate. I had a cast member say that to me when my family was staying last November on "free dining". I'm happy with my decision to buy into DVC and they can keep the "free" dining!!! just my humble opinion though,