DVC Annual Meeting

[DVC Mike]

I attended the DVC Annual Meeting yesterday. Highlights:

• Grand Floridian announced! Opening end of 2013.
• On-line booking starts gradually beginning Jan 19
• DVC members will be able to purchase Tables in Wonderland without an AP
• More TV channels including FOX News
• Point reallocations are coming again in 2013
• Vacation planner being mailed now – handed out at meeting
• Will be able to use points to book the Grand Californian hotel again

[tinktude]

Did they state when we would be able to purchaase TIW? I am asking because we are "coming home" Dec 29 to Jan 5, and want to try and do the TIW instead of the Dining plan.

Thanks!

[Jennifer_and_Chris]

Did they state when we would be able to purchaase TIW? I am asking because we are "coming home" Dec 29 to Jan 5, and want to try and do the TIW instead of the Dining plan.

Thanks!

Yes! I'd like to know when too! We are in the beginning of the planning phases for our October trip and I need to start calculating whether or not TIW is better than DDP for us.

[DVC2004]

Sounds like some good things coming. Not the points reallocation though... wondering how that is going to change.

[TheDuckRocks]

[*]DVC members will be able to purchase Tables in Wonderland without an AP
[*]Point reallocations are coming again in 2013[*]Vacation planner being mailed now – handed out at meeting
[/LIST]

I'm happy to hear about the Tables in Wonderland availability without an AP. There are some years that we just don't go into the parks enough times to warrant the AP purchase.

Just because I tend towards panic attacks over my Disney planning, did there seem to be much difference in the 2013 point distribution?

[DizneyRox]

Yes! I'd like to know when too! We are in the beginning of the planning phases for our October trip and I need to start calculating whether or not TIW is better than DDP for us.

95% chance TiW is going to be a better deal. My last calculation had DDP being the worst value of the bunch, including OOP, at least for us.

[Ian]

95% chance TiW is going to be a better deal. My last calculation had DDP being the worst value of the bunch, including OOP, at least for us.

I just don't see how that's possible. I've run spreadsheet analysis on every trip we've taken with the DDP and not once have I not come out 25%-35% ahead of the game even including what we paid out of pocket.

TIW basically pays for the tip and that's it, plus it costs you $70 to join or something.

Unless you simply avoid eating at TS, I see no way possible you're not saving money using the DDP. Just using the TS credit alone basically pays for your day's worth of food, making the CS and the snack gravy.

[Hammer]

I just don't see how that's possible. I've run spreadsheet analysis on every trip we've taken with the DDP and not once have I not come out 25%-35% ahead of the game even including what we paid out of pocket.

TIW basically pays for the tip and that's it, plus it costs you $70 to join or something.

Unless you simply avoid eating at TS, I see no way possible you're not saving money using the DDP. Just using the TS credit alone basically pays for your day's worth of food, making the CS and the snack gravy.

Ian, I do agree with you for the most part, except in the case that you eat at many signature places. In that case, I have found TiW is the best deal based on my calculations. Also, TiW gives discounts on alcohol, which is nice as we have a alcoholic beverage with our TS meals.

We are in agreement that it has ever come out as best when paying OOP without a discount, unless as you say you eat at little to no TS during your trip.

[DizneyRox]

Last trip, I did the math based on our normal eating habits. Not speculated, I took what we ordered for the week and matched up food credits, etc.

We don't eat dessert, we did TS each day, some many character meals, etc.

Once you factor in tip, cost of DDP when we go, even the cost of the TiW card, we came out ahead by $200 for two people over DDP. $100 over OOP.

I imagine that it's possible to come out ahead on the DDP if you plan your meals carefully and eat the more expensive items on the menus. I'm usually a steak person, my wife chicken/salad type person. The cost of DDP is extreme IMHO.

That's why OOP would be cheaper too. We wouldn't order a dessert (wouldn't eat it either). We did plenty of CS locations too, about once a day, so there wasn't a TiW discount on that too.

I don't think it's a fair comparison to guestimate on prices before going. Things change, etc. Our comparison was based on actual receipts during an actual trip. We weren't trrying to work the system to generate value. WIt was just an experiment I decided to perform when I stumbled across the stack of receipts from our food purchases after a trip.

[Ian]

I don't think it's a fair comparison to guestimate on prices before going. Things change, etc. Our comparison was based on actual receipts during an actual trip.

Same here. At the end of every day, I bring my food receipts back to the hotel and plug them into a spreadsheet.