Why not free dining for DVC?

[fireman17]

Or at least a discount? We've only been members since 07 and I know there are more members with many years before us that may have the same question. I just read the new discount for 2013 and see it includes free dining. Now I know in the long run that it's not much in savings but sometimes it's just a little frustrating to see.
I know as members we have the luxury of booking early and having a place to stay but I would like to see some sort of perk when it comes to dining. I'm not saying it should be free to us but a small discount would help some of the families like ours we have four children and having a small discount for dining would help out our budget while in Disney. I know this subject has been brought up before but just needed to get it out.
I'll even go as far as to email Disney DVC about my concern but I hope it doesn't fall on deaf ears..

 

[akl-fan]

Unfortunately whilst you might find it frustrating, you will never see the free dinning plan for DVC members. We already get deluxe accommodations at much lower than rack rate prices. DVC do not need to encourage you to book you have already agreed to come back each year for 40+ years. If you want to take out the free dinning promotion then rent your points out and book as a regular customer. DVC has already agreed to allow DVC members to purchase the TIW card. For $100 you will get a big discount on most table service restaurants and some counter service ones. TIW card will also get you free valet parking when you are dining.
When the worlds economy picks up and people have more spare cash, the numbers visiting WDW will increase and the number of free dinning promotions will decrease. The Rack rate will go up. At this point you will have locked in the price you pay for accomodations at 1997 prices and your purchase will be looking like a very good deal.
I expect your complaint to member services to fall on deaf ears.
Sorry if this is not what you wanted to hear just my opinion.

 

[dcamdad]

Or at least a discount? We've only been members since 07 and I know there are more members with many years before us that may have the same question. I just read the new discount for 2013 and see it includes free dining. Now I know in the long run that it's not much in savings but sometimes it's just a little frustrating to see.
I know as members we have the luxury of booking early and having a place to stay but I would like to see some sort of perk when it comes to dining. I'm not saying it should be free to us but a small discount would help some of the families like ours we have four children and having a small discount for dining would help out our budget while in Disney. I know this subject has been brought up before but just needed to get it out.
I'll even go as far as to email Disney DVC about my concern but I hope it doesn't fall on deaf ears..

Here we go again. You can get the free dining if you want to pay full rack rate for your room. The dining offer is used by Disney to fill rooms during slower time periods. With DVC you purchased the abilty to reserve your villa at a fixed price for lenth of your contract, nothing more nothing less. Some DVC perks are available but can disapear at any time as they are just that "Perks". As far as emailing DVC about free dining it will fall on deaf ears. There are some DVC discounts at many locations, the TIW is available to AP holders.

 

[Chuck S]

Here we go again. You can get the free dining if you want to pay full rack rate for your room. The dining offer is used by Disney to fill rooms during slower time periods. With DVC you purchased the abilty to reserve your villa at a fixed price for lenth of your contract, nothing more nothing less. Some DVC perks are available but can disapear at any time as they are just that "Perks". As far as emailing DVC about free dining it will fall on deaf ears. There are some DVC discounts at many locations, the TIW is available to AP holders.

The TIW is now available to DVC members without an AP. I think it is $100 without AP and $75 with AP.

 

[BabsBunny]

Because there is no financial incentive for them to give us free dining. They know we are coming back anyway.

Thanks for that info, Chuck. I wish we had grabbed one before our March trip, because we are going back down in October.

 

[DanenRox]

I want to throw you a lifeline Fireman17 but it's not going to help. Youre not alone though, I too wish there were some ongoing perks to our DVC. Just a little thank you once in a while.

 

[jlapointe30]

It will fall on deaft ears as there is no such thing as free dinning.

Disney can claim they give you the dinning plan for "free" as they give you a discount on the price of a MYW package equivalent to the price of your dinning plan. That is, compared to what they call the full non-discounted rate.

Now if you compare the price of a package with free dinning with the price of a discounted package without the dinning plan, you will see you are still paying for your dinning plan. Albeit, you still get a discount.

IMHO, you get a better discount if you use the TIW cards and skip the "Free" dinning plan. (provided you are eligible, which is now the case for all DVC members)

 

[crisi]

I want to throw you a lifeline Fireman17 but it's not going to help. Youre not alone though, I too wish there were some ongoing perks to our DVC. Just a little thank you once in a while.

What are they thanking us for? Having gotten what most of us believe to have been a great deal on rooms for trips we were going to take anyway? For a ongoing perk of an ap discount? The ability to buy a tiw? They thanked us for our loyalty by letting us have on site rooms for what works out, in some cases, to be around $80 a night.

Fireman, Disney is a corporation, beholden by law to have a fiduciary responsibility to its shareholders. Not to make eating out fit easier into your family's budget. If its such a burden, maybe this isn't something you can afford.

 

[zavandor]

I have quoted a room for one week in SSR in September, a typical period when free dining is offered: it's 2,481$.

In points one week in a studio is 95 points. I calculated that factoring initial purchase depreciation, opportunity cost and yearly MF, the cost of one point at SSR for me is around 7$. So the same week would cost me 665$.

The difference between rack rates with free dining and using points is 1816$, or 260$ per day. How much food can you buy with 260$ a day? The free dining is not really "free".

 

[gray52]

"Free" Dining....

 

[BEASLYBOO]

Here we go again.

Yes, I too would love more perks, better deals, bigger discounts and free food too! But guess what, DVC/Disney already has us, They don't need to lure us in under the guise of "Free Dining" , we've already signed, bought and most us, paid for it!

 

[CdnKayDee]

The only thing I have to say about this free dining offer is this.When we took our DVC tour we were told using points is just like paying cash to stay at a resort.The only difference was housekeeping.I specifically remember this conversation, so I guess he was wrong.Now I understand the free dining thing I'm not that upset about it.
The ultimate dining plan for DVCers would be to let use buy full day credits good for entire stay.So if I'm staying for 14 days I could buy 7 days of basic dining plan but spread it out over those 14 days.

 

[chalee94]

Why not free dining for DVC?

see, the thing is that you would actually need to show a reason "why" for free dining. you can offer to vote for a politician if they give you free stuff...it doesn't cost them anything, the country just adds another trillion in debt from china. but as crisi said, corporations are typically a little more responsible to account for their spending.

it's not like you are obligated to buy the dining plan in the first place. if it's a poor deal for you, there are other options...

 

[chalee94]

When we took our DVC tour we were told using points is just like paying cash to stay at a resort.The only difference was housekeeping.I specifically remember this conversation, so I guess he was wrong.

using DVC pts is sort of like a discounted cash stay, yes.

and if you paid cash for a discounted room rate during a free dining period, you would also not be eligible for free dining.

 

[fireman17]

I knew when I posted I would take some flaming and I have thick skin but when it's explained by other members it does make sense in the long run when you calculate it out that in fact there is no free dining per say.
I'm not looking for anything "free" but maybe some discounts for members on a dining plan here and there.

 

[Chuck S]

Well, DVCers don't pay the seasonal upcharges for the DDPs, so there is already a bit of a discount seasonally. But really, the DDP was never meant to be a money saver. It was designed to 1) compete with the growing popularity of "all-inclusive" vacations, which rarely save money, but are a convenience item -and- 2)keep people from being tempted to visit other area attractions, as their meals at Disney would be pre-paid, use or lose. Personally, I've never been able to get the DDP to be of any value, unless traveling with children. For adults, with normal dining patterns, it has always been cheaper for me to pay out of pocket, even when gratuities were included.

 

[CDN Prince Charming]

Can DVC members still buy the TIW card if we are not using our points for our stay but rather paying cash?
Any help is appreciated.
CPC

 

[dianeschlicht]

Can DVC members still buy the TIW card if we are not using our points for our stay but rather paying cash?
Any help is appreciated.
CPC

If you are a DVC member, you can buy a TIW card. It's an annual card that is viable for 13 months of discounts. The DVC/non AP holder price for the card is $100, but if you are an AP holder, you pay $75 for the card.

 

[ccgirl]

I knew when I posted I would take some flaming and I have thick skin but when it's explained by other members it does make sense in the long run when you calculate it out that in fact there is no free dining per say.
I'm not looking for anything "free" but maybe some discounts for members on a dining plan here and there.

You do get discounted TiW cards as well as AP's. Those discounted AP's allow for some discounts in dining (I believe). Plus, you can purchase the dining plan without having to buy park tickets while all others (with the exception of AP holders) have to add full price park tickets to their reservation as well.

Like a PP so eloquently posted, with the room discount you are already getting a "discount" of $280 a day on a room. $280 a day could buy a lot of food. Plus, with the kitchen we do not eat all meals out and prefer some leisurely meals in the spacious accommodations. When staying at a moderate or above, I have always been able to feed my family on less than the price of the full rack rate room using a room discount and paying OOP for the meals.

Don't forget, with your family size you would need to pay for two of the full rack rate rooms to get "free" dining. Do the calculations and then I bet you will feel better about the "discounts" you are getting.

 

[mjlass11]

I'm very happy that we can now purchase TIW. We have 5 adults going next month and will be having 4 sit down meals, plus eating at a TIW restaurant at AK. I know that we'll come out ahead based on Disney food prices. When the DDP changed a few years back it became much less financially appealing.