Disney Vacation Club Question

[WDWVolFan]

So some friends of ours have a timeshare at AK which I believe this is a DVC thing right?
So any way, they told us they want us to come down to Disney with them at some point.
If you stay at a DVC facility, can you buy the meal plan?

 

[BigTxEars]

AK is indeed a normal resort as well as a DVC resort.

The owner of the DVC can buy the dinning plan, so if they are there with you they could buy it for the entire group. If they are not there they could buy it under their "ownership" and you could use it. Thats how I understand it.

 

[GoofGoof]

So some friends of ours have a timeshare at AK which I believe this is a DVC thing right?
So any way, they told us they want us to come down to Disney with them at some point.
If you stay at a DVC facility, can you buy the meal plan?

Yes you can. When your friend books the dining plan through DVC he will have to pay for it immediately. You can't wait and pay later like the packages sold for regular rooms. There is technically a small discount if you visit during peak times since DVC members get DDP for the off peak price year round. It's not a big savings, but it's there. If you buy it all of the people in your room have to be on it so if you book a 2 bedroom villa you can't have one family do DDP and one not. We just did a week at BLT with another family in a 2 bedroom villa. We had 8 people all on DDP. It was worth doing just to not have to figure out how to split the bills

 

[Tom]

Yes you can. When your friend books the dining plan through DVC he will have to pay for it immediately. You can't wait and pay later like the packages sold for regular rooms. There is technically a small discount if you visit during peak times since DVC members get DDP for the off peak price year round. It's not a big savings, but it's there. If you buy it all of the people in your room have to be on it so if you book a 2 bedroom villa you can't have one family do DDP and one not. We just did a week at BLT with another family in a 2 bedroom villa. We had 8 people all on DDP. It was worth doing just to not have to figure out how to split the bills

I second this response.

 

[BigTxEars]

Yes you can. When your friend books the dining plan through DVC he will have to pay for it immediately. You can't wait and pay later like the packages sold for regular rooms. There is technically a small discount if you visit during peak times since DVC members get DDP for the off peak price year round. It's not a big savings, but it's there. If you buy it all of the people in your room have to be on it so if you book a 2 bedroom villa you can't have one family do DDP and one not. We just did a week at BLT with another family in a 2 bedroom villa. We had 8 people all on DDP. It was worth doing just to not have to figure out how to split the bills

Oh bill splitting for a party of 8, yeah that would stink to have to do.

 

[Tom]

Oh bill splitting for a party of 8, yeah that would stink to have to do.

And everyone still gets hit with the mandatory large-party tip.

 

[harryk]

And everyone still gets hit with the mandatory large-party tip.

That is only if all of you eat at the same place at the same time. Maybe some want to try a different restaurant - and then you don't get hit with the prefigured tip.

 

[Tom]

That is only if all of you eat at the same place at the same time. Maybe some want to try a different restaurant - and then you don't get hit with the prefigured tip.

I was responding to @BigTxEars comment about splitting a bill for a party of 8, and how it would stink. I read it out of context and thought they were referring to an actual dinner party of 8. They were just commenting on how it would be difficult it is to try to split up a room-charge invoice for a group that large.

Obviously, you're not a party of 8 if 8 people don't sit at the same table, in the same restaurant, at the same time.

 

[harryk]

I was responding to @BigTxEars comment about splitting a bill for a party of 8, and how it would stink. I read it out of context and thought they were referring to an actual dinner party of 8. They were just commenting on how it would be difficult it is to try to split up a room-charge invoice for a group that large.

Obviously, you're not a party of 8 if 8 people don't sit at the same table, in the same restaurant, at the same time.

Some people may 'think' that if all are on a DDP, that they have to eat together every time. They may not get the drift that you were speaking too.

 

[Weather_Lady]

So some friends of ours have a timeshare at AK which I believe this is a DVC thing right?
So any way, they told us they want us to come down to Disney with them at some point.
If you stay at a DVC facility, can you buy the meal plan?

Just wanted to restate what @GoofGoof said, because it is very important: if you want the dining plan, the entire party for that villa has to get it, or nobody. (In other words, if the DVC member with whom you're staying isn't getting the dining plan, you can't purchase it separately.)

 

[jeffk410]

And everyone still gets hit with the mandatory large-party tip.

Isn't it only 18 %....?

 

[GoofGoof]

Isn't it only 18 %....?

Yep. You can add more for good service, but not less.

 

[Tom]

Isn't it only 18 %....?

Yes, but people sometimes think they can get around the required tip by "splitting" their large group.

 

[jeffk410]

Ah, I never knew that you can't lower the 18 % if the service is bad. That is quite unfortunate, most restauraunts around where I am from allow you too. However, I rarely leave less than 18 %, it would take a really bad server.

 

[GoofGoof]

Ah, I never knew that you can't lower the 18 % if the service is bad. That is quite unfortunate, most restauraunts around where I am from allow you too. However, I rarely leave less than 18 %, it would take a really bad server.

Yep. The 18% comes automatically with the bill. We had 8 people on DDP so they would swipe a magic band and take 8 dining credits and then when they came with the bill it would have items not on DDP (mainly alcohol) and the tip already on it. I never had bad service on this trip so we always added more tip above the 18%. Maybe if you complained to management they could take the tip off the bill, but I don't really know.