Seriously considering DVC with a few questions...

[dkosdros]

Thanks GoofGoof...

We won't be purchasing through Disney directly. Resale deals are so much better and we can live without the perk of using our points towards cruises. We plan on using most of our points at our home resort and then trying out the other resorts from time to time within WDW. We do plan on visiting Disney Land within a few years and will use them there as well, hopefully one day in Disneyland Paris too. We also plan on probably doing our honeymoon through RCI with our points. We will get some good use out of them. Most likely will be financing through the resale place or see of our banks or credit unions locally might be able to offer a better deal. Our plan is to work on paying it off as fast as possible in 10 yrs or less. Then enjoy the next 30 something years with just dues. We played out all difference scenarios for different times of the years and we can easily do a studio stays twice per year, or a 1 bedroom once per year, or a two bedroom every other year, or a grand villa every 3 years. that fits our needs perfectly. We plan on going at least once per year to WDW, and would love to try to do twice per year here and there and it would be nice to save up points by banking and borrowing to treat the entire family to a grand villa at least once or twice. We are getting married on this coming year on a Disney cruise and it would be nice in 10 years to go back down to WDW with the family and get a grand villa to celebrate 10 years.

What I keep hearing from most DVC members is they wish they would have done it sooner than later. So we are jumping in feet first as soon as we can. Most likely over the winter or early spring of 2014. Just a few bills that will be paid off this month and next and that will free up a bunch of capital for this venture and I also want to put down a nice size down payment to help get the monthly payment lower as well as increase my chances of getting approved. I have excellent credit and with the down payment should be able to score the lowest interest rate the advertise.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

One thing about the dining plan. Don't do it! Being a DVC member (or an AP holder) allows you to purchase the TiW card, which gets you a 20% discount at almost every TS restaurant on property, and includes alcohol! The dining plan does not ever include alcohol. You then have the flexibility to choose if you want an appetizer, or dessert, or neither without feeling guilty. You also don't have to order the most expensive item on every menu just to make you think that you are getting your money's worth. We have been using it since it was the Disney Dining Experience card, and we save bunches every trip. Of course, we like an adult beverage with our sit down meals, so YMMV. If you are worried about pre-paying for meals, just put the same amount on a gift card, and use it for your meals. You might be surprised how much is left at the end of your trip (don't forget to include your tips!).

 

[dkosdros]

Ahhh I forgot about the TiW card. I saw the list of restaurants with that card vs the list of restaurants you get with the DVC discount and it trumped DVC many times over. So it appears it is $150 for me and my spouse to get the card. Have to do some math to make sure we would actually break even and end up saving.

 

[dkosdros]

I see my spouse wouldn't need one since mine would cover up to 10 people so we would just be spending the $100. Still crunching the #'s.

 

[dkosdros]

Dining Plan for us costs $681.00, 2 adults and 1 child for 5 nights.

Typically costs us $90-$100 per sit down meal for the three of us.

Breakdown is $30-35 entree for me, $20-25 entree for DW, $15-20 for DD, $15-20 for drinks & dessert/appetizer. (we aren't big alcohol drinkers)

We plan on doing one TS meal and one QS meal per day. total for us 3 usually is $40-50 for the QS meal.

snacks from time to time might be $10-20 per day.

So we are spending at least $150 per day on meals.

for 5 days is $750, with dining plan we are saving at least $69. but they are giving us a lot of food we typically don't eat (in fear we might be over spending), but wont have the stress of worrying if we can afford the snack and all the meals on the same day.

with TiW. we are paying $100 upfront cost of card. eating similar meals above saves us $150 with the 20% discount. add back in the $100 to pay for it and we save $50.

Granted with TiW we might eat less or not waste as much but it would have the added stress of can we afford this, or I might hold back from ordering the steak that I really want and order something less expensive thus taking away from the enjoyable experience. Breaking it down it seems both save about the same and both have a good value, but with the dining plan I feel less stressed and even more less stressed now knowing the DDP saves us about the same as the TiW card would.

Please correct me if I might be missing something.

 

[GoofGoof]

One thing about the dining plan. Don't do it! Being a DVC member (or an AP holder) allows you to purchase the TiW card, which gets you a 20% discount at almost every TS restaurant on property, and includes alcohol! The dining plan does not ever include alcohol. You then have the flexibility to choose if you want an appetizer, or dessert, or neither without feeling guilty. You also don't have to order the most expensive item on every menu just to make you think that you are getting your money's worth. We have been using it since it was the Disney Dining Experience card, and we save bunches every trip. Of course, we like an adult beverage with our sit down meals, so YMMV. If you are worried about pre-paying for meals, just put the same amount on a gift card, and use it for your meals. You might be surprised how much is left at the end of your trip (don't forget to include your tips!).

This is sound advice. On my next trip we got the dining plan since we are traveling with another family and they really wanted to get it. We agreed since it would make things easier. I crunched the numbers and to break even or save a little money on DDP we would need to buy high priced entrees at every sit down meal. A few salads or cheeseburgers and the savings are gone.

 

[GoofGoof]

Dining Plan for us costs $681.00, 2 adults and 1 child for 5 nights.

Typically costs us $90-$100 per sit down meal for the three of us.

Breakdown is $30-35 entree for me, $20-25 entree for DW, $15-20 for DD, $15-20 for drinks & dessert/appetizer. (we aren't big alcohol drinkers)

We plan on doing one TS meal and one QS meal per day. total for us 3 usually is $40-50 for the QS meal.

snacks from time to time might be $10-20 per day.

So we are spending at least $150 per day on meals.

for 5 days is $750, with dining plan we are saving at least $69. but they are giving us a lot of food we typically don't eat (in fear we might be over spending), but wont have the stress of worrying if we can afford the snack and all the meals on the same day.

with TiW. we are paying $100 upfront cost of card. eating similar meals above saves us $150 with the 20% discount. add back in the $100 to pay for it and we save $50.

Granted with TiW we might eat less or not waste as much but it would have the added stress of can we afford this, or I might hold back from ordering the steak that I really want and order something less expensive thus taking away from the enjoyable experience. Breaking it down it seems both save about the same and both have a good value, but with the dining plan I feel less stressed and even more less stressed now knowing the DDP saves us about the same as the TiW card would.

Please correct me if I might be missing something.

Your math looks sound. I think for TIW to work better you need more people and/or a longer stay. If you stayed 10 days TIW would save you $200 after paying for the card, but DDP would save you $138. If you prefer a drink or 2 at meals and/or want to eat at signatures that are 2 credits on DDP you make out even better.

 

[WWWD]

This is sound advice. On my next trip we got the dining plan since we are traveling with another family and they really wanted to get it. We agreed since it would make things easier. I crunched the numbers and to break even or save a little money on DDP we would need to buy high priced entrees at every sit down meal. A few salads or cheeseburgers and the savings are gone.

Also, remember how young Disney considers children to be adults on the DDP. There's is a much greater chance that your "adult" children are just going to want that cheeseburger and not the most expensive item on the menu.

 

[dkosdros]

@WWWD they will eat that steak and lobster and like it!!! There is no crying in Disneyworld. LOL

 

[GoofGoof]

@WWWD they will eat that steak and lobster and like it!!! There is no crying in Disneyworld. LOL

My 6 year old would house a steak and lobster. The kid loves tacos too so if Tortuga is open while we are there he's gonna get a taco salad. I already prepared my wife for eating PB&J off the kids menu that day.

 

[PhilharMagician]

Dining Plan for us costs $681.00, 2 adults and 1 child for 5 nights.

Typically costs us $90-$100 per sit down meal for the three of us.

Breakdown is $30-35 entree for me, $20-25 entree for DW, $15-20 for DD, $15-20 for drinks & dessert/appetizer. (we aren't big alcohol drinkers)

We plan on doing one TS meal and one QS meal per day. total for us 3 usually is $40-50 for the QS meal.

snacks from time to time might be $10-20 per day.

So we are spending at least $150 per day on meals.

for 5 days is $750, with dining plan we are saving at least $69. but they are giving us a lot of food we typically don't eat (in fear we might be over spending), but wont have the stress of worrying if we can afford the snack and all the meals on the same day.

with TiW. we are paying $100 upfront cost of card. eating similar meals above saves us $150 with the 20% discount. add back in the $100 to pay for it and we save $50.

Granted with TiW we might eat less or not waste as much but it would have the added stress of can we afford this, or I might hold back from ordering the steak that I really want and order something less expensive thus taking away from the enjoyable experience. Breaking it down it seems both save about the same and both have a good value, but with the dining plan I feel less stressed and even more less stressed now knowing the DDP saves us about the same as the TiW card would.

Please correct me if I might be missing something.

TIW has limited QS options. AK is the only park that accepts TIW for QS meals so basically on most days you will not get your 20% discount for those QS meals or any snacks.

TIW makes more sense when you spend more than 7 days within the (approx) 13 months the card is good for or you like to have a few alcoholic beverages with your TS meal. When I look at our spending we get better use out of the TIW card versus the DDP because we find it hard to use all the credits. It seems to simply be too much food. Ten years ago I would have said the complete opposite when the DDP included tips and apps along with the current offerings for just $35.00 and the then Disney Dining Experience card just could not match up.

 

[Phonedave]

Please correct me if I might be missing something.

Break even on the TIW card is very simple to do. It costs $100. You need to spend $500 on qualifying food and drinks in order to "make your money back"

DDP is a lot harder to compute, because of the way it works.

Some other things to remember, that can impact the outcome.

If you are now a DVC member, you have at least a kitchenette and maybe a full kitchen in your room. When you are locked into the DDP, it kind of makes it difficult to have any savings by eating in the room.

If you are now a DVC member, you may be going more than once a year. The TIW card is good for a year (actually for more than a year - if you buy it at the right time it could be good for close to 13 months. It expires on the last day of the month, so if you buy one on say Jan 1, 2014, it expires on Jan 31, 2015). You could be using that TIW card on multiple vacations.

As an aside, because of the discount that DVC owners get on an annual pass, the break even point for APs is a lot earlier for DVC owners. Case in point, we are going for 3 park days this November (non-hopper) and 6 park days (hopper planned) in June 2014. It is over $100 cheaper to buy an Annual Pass than to buy normal park tickets for those two trips.

-dave

 

[Nero the dog]

The TIW card basically covers all of your tips. So you will end up paying the advertised menu price for everything.
When people try to work out if DDP is worth it, they tend to forget that they will still have to pay the tip. If you are getting the most expensive items on the menu you could still end up handing over $$$ in tips.

 

[Obi]

tips are still included on the ddp if you have a party of 6 or more. any parties less than 6 then tips are not included. we've been able to pretty much break even on the ddp. for us, it's more of a convenience to have it.

 

[Phonedave]

tips are still included on the ddp if you have a party of 6 or more. any parties less than 6 then tips are not included. we've been able to pretty much break even on the ddp. for us, it's more of a convenience to have it.

Tips are listed on the bill, but they are not included. If you have a party of 6, on the DDP, and you do not leave a tip (with chash, charge, room charge, gift card or, *gasp* check) then the waiter is getting shafted.

-dave

 

[Obi]

below is from the 2014 dining plan. it states that an 18% gratuity will automatically be added to the bill for parties of 6 or more. it's my understanding that would mean the tip is included, but I could be wrong and I've been wrong on many occasions.


Gratuities are not included except at Dinner Shows, Private In-Room Dining and Cinderella’s Royal Table.
• An additional form of payment is needed if you add a gratuity and have not provided a credit card at check-in to charge incidentals and other expenses to your room.
• An 18% gratuity will automatically be added to your bill for parties of 6 or more.
• An automatic gratuity charge may also be added to your bill for items you order that are not included in the Disney Deluxe Dining Plan (e.g. alchoholic beverages).

 

[Phonedave]

below is from the 2014 dining plan. it states that an 18% gratuity will automatically be added to the bill for parties of 6 or more. it's my understanding that would mean the tip is included, but I could be wrong and I've been wrong on many occasions.


Gratuities are not included except at Dinner Shows, Private In-Room Dining and Cinderella’s Royal Table.
• An additional form of payment is needed if you add a gratuity and have not provided a credit card at check-in to charge incidentals and other expenses to your room.
• An 18% gratuity will automatically be added to your bill for parties of 6 or more.
• An automatic gratuity charge may also be added to your bill for items you order that are not included in the Disney Deluxe Dining Plan (e.g. alchoholic beverages).

Ah, I see the issue. We are using the word included differently.

Back in the day - maybe 4-5 years ago, tips were included with the DDP. Included as in included with the fee you pay for the DDP. When you ate your meal, there was no need to leave a tip because the DDP would pay the tip for you. Now that is not the case. The tip is not included with the plan, you have to pay for it.

But, yes, you are correct. When you have a party of 6 or more a tip is automatically added to your bill. You still have to pay for it, but they add it in there. In other words, if you had a party of 6, and you ate $100 of food on the DDP you would get a bill for $18 that you are expected to pay out of pocket. If you ate $100 worth of food on the DDP with a party of 5, you would get a $0 bill, and a "suggested" tip of $18.

One thing that many do not know is that when they add the "mandatory" or "automatic" tip to your bill (either for 6+ people or if you are on TIW), you do NOT have to pay it. If warranted, you can have a manager remove the charge. You cannot just up and leave without paying the tip - you have to ask to have it adjusted. Of course you would only do that if the service warranted.

-dave

 

[Disneykidder]

When we were there last month, my family of 5 ate with a family of 4, making it 9. The other family had the dining plan and we didn't so the bills were seperate. They tacked on the 18% gratuity onto each of our bills.

 

[dkosdros]

Thanks for the info on the 18% automatic tip. I read about it but wasn't exactly sure how it would work.

 

[flynnibus]

The grey area is you are supposed to reduce your deduction by the amount related to personal use

Yeah... that's the 'catch' that people abuse to no end. And I'm sure they cry a plenty when they get busted too. My vacation timeshare as a business expense? I'd love to be in that audit meeting