It's a new year which, for many people, means time for annual vacation planning! It can be exciting to research the possibilities and look for the best deals. The thing about any Disney vacation deal is that it's always at the timing of the company. You may have seen that there's a new Disney dining card deal that's been released for select trip dates in 2023. We'll go over lots of the details below.

This particular Disney dining card deal has specific dates with specific savings amounts. None of that is up to the consumer. Of course, Disney is a business trying to put together a promotion that suits its marketing needs. If a sale or deal or discount ends up aligning with your potential trip or works for your wants, it's fantastic! If not, then you don't really get any deal. It's the same with Florida resident discounts or any other promotion. You have to make these work within your schedule and plan a trip based around the terms in order to benefit. That's why we're comparing this particular deal to what some Disney Vacation Club Members might pay.

This Disney dining card deal is based on a package and it's good to note DVC does not include food or tickets. Even though we're comparing a vacation deal that includes free dining money to a room only timeshare and tickets, it comes down to saving money overall. People really miss the Disney Dining Plan. Disney announced it was returning but over a year later, it still has not. This Disney dining card deal is probably meant to target folks missing the dining plan or intrigued by some kind of similar promotion. It can feel very convenient to have prepaid dining of any kind. It's not that people necessarily want to pay less for food in particular. Vacationers want to feel they are getting a great value for their trips no matter where they save. So how much might you save on your trips with Disney Vacation Club?

Disney Dining Card Deal Details

First, let's take a look at the details of the current Disney dining card deal. Bolded points are those you should consider to make sure this deal would even work for you, like dates and restrictions. Here are the basics from Disney's website:

Get up to a $750 Disney Dining Promo Card when you purchase a non-discounted 5-night, 4-day vacation package that includes:

• A room at a select Disney Deluxe Resort or Disney Deluxe Villa Resort
• Theme park ticket(s)

This offer is valid for arrivals most nights:

• July 1 to July 10, 2023
• August 1 to September 14, 2023

A lower-value Disney Dining Promo Card may also be available when you purchase this package during other select summer arrival dates.

Disney Dining Promo Card ValueResort CategoryUp to $150 Per Room, Per NightSelect Disney Deluxe Villa ResortsUp to $150 Per Room, Per NightSelect Disney Deluxe Resort HotelsUp to $100 Per Room, Per NightSelect Disney Moderate Resort HotelsUp to $50 Per Room, Per NightSelect Disney Value Resort Hotels

Important Details About This Offer

• The number of packages available for this offer is limited.
• Everyone in the same room must be on the same package.
• Advance reservations are required.
• Minimum 4-day theme park ticket required.
• Minimum 4-night length of stay required.
• Tickets are valid beginning on date of check-in and must be used within a limited number of days, depending on length of ticket. Visit disneyworld.com/usage for details.
• $750 Disney Dining Promo Card for stays at select Disney Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts. The value of the Disney Dining Promo Card is determined by Disney Resort hotel and length of stay.
• One Disney Dining Promo Card per room—valid for packages that include up to $1,000 on a Disney Dining Promo Card. If a package includes more than $1,000 on a Disney Dining Promo Card, the value will be distributed across more than one Disney Dining Promo Card.
• Cannot be combined with any other discount or promotion.
• Offer excludes the following room types: campsites, 3-bedroom villas, and Cabins at Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.
• Gratuities are not included.
• To visit the theme parks, theme park reservations AND the tickets included in this package are required for the same park on the same date for each person in your party ages 3 and up. Theme park reservations are limited and subject to availability. View the theme park reservation availability calendar.

Important Details About the Disney Dining Promo Card

• The digital Disney Dining Promo Card is redeemable at select participating food and beverage locations at the Walt Disney World Resort. Locations that are unable to accept the Disney Dining Promo Card include, but are not limited to:
  • Merchandise locations and candy kitchens
  • Dining locations at Walt Disney World Swan Hotel, Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel and Walt Disney World Swan Reserve Hotel
  • Dining locations at Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort
  • Dining locations at Disney Springs Resort Area Hotels
  • Dining locations at Walt Disney World Official Hotels at Bonnet Creek
  • Dining locations at Walt Disney World Gateway Hotels
• The digital Disney Dining Promo Card will be sent to you via email when you check in at your Disney Resort hotel.
• The digital Disney Dining Promo Card is not valid after September 30, 2023.
• Issued by, and represents a legal obligation solely of, Disney Gift Card Services Inc.
• Lost, damaged or stolen cards may be replaced only if original proof-of-purchase receipt and complete card number are provided.
• For card balance inquiries, call (877) 650-4327.

Thoughts on the Dining Card Promo Deal

This is a lot of information. For the full break down, read about the deal on Disney's site. Surely there's enough here to consider if it might work with your potential plans. Some important details are marked in bold to help you consider if it's a good match for your trip. Some of these might be deal breakers for you like that the dining card must be used by September 30th of this year. This means if there are just two people in your party and you don't use all $750 on your card, you'll forfeit the remainder. Can a small party eat $750 worth in less than a week? Yes, at Walt Disney World you can pay $60 or more for some single meals alone. If you're not big on eating sit down meals and such, though, it may not be worth it because it expires.

Disney Dining Promo Card Deal vs DVC Price Comparison Visual Details

Members of the DVC Resale Experts team were talking about this Disney dining card promo and casually comparing the savings to being a Disney Vacation Club Member. So we decided to make it official and lay out all the numbers here. Below this visual is an explanation of everything and details on how we get to these numbers.

5 Days/4 Nights in August (8/9-13) - 2 Adults, 2 KidsCash CostMinus Dining Promo Gift Card of $750Actual Cost to Rent# of Points Required for Same StayEffective Rental Cost as DVC Member with Resale BoardWalk Villas Purchase (Average Cost Per Point Across # of Years of Points $138.54/20 = $6.93 + Dues per Point of $8.53 = $15.46Cost to Do Same Trip as DVC Members Buying Resale including Tickets**Caribbean Beach Room Package$3,706.14$500.00$3,206.14   Yacht Club Room (Garden or Woods View) + Tickets$4,836.78$750.00$4086.78   BWV Deluxe Studio (Standard) + Tickets$4,821.02$750.00$4071.0256$865.76$3,116.18BWV 1-BR Villa (Standard) + Tickets$5,581.52$750.00$4831.52112$1731.52$3,981.94**2 Adults, 2 Kids (3-9) Tickets Alone = $2,250.42   

Let's talk about exactly what's going on here in this visual. All of these prices are for August 9th through the 13th, 2023 and for a family of two adults and two children ages three to nine. Prices will probably be different for other dates and resorts. The resale DVC Membership we're comparing is BoardWalk Villas. There are other home resorts that will end up costing more and less. All the tickets we've priced out above, in the packages and stand alone tickets added to the resale DVC costs, are five day, single park tickets for everyone in the party.

On 2023 Disney Vacation Club point charts, the entire month of September is the most cost effective travel period. June 11th through August 31st is a lower point cost period as well with rooms only slightly higher per point. So we're calculating for two week night point prices and two weekend night point prices in this date range of August 9th through the 13th. 

There's always a chance the way you Disney is different than what we've calculated here. Maybe you have another timeshare you use in Orlando sometimes. Perhaps you stay at multiple tiers of resorts on a stay. Maybe your weeklong trips include half Disney, half Universal Orlando or SeaWorld visits. For the purpose of comparison of this particular five day, four night Disney dining card deal compared to Disney Vacation Club, it makes the most sense to price out comparable trips in this way. The flexibility of booking with Disney Vacation Club points is always something positive to consider as well.

Saving with Disney Vacation Club

When it comes to the cost of Disney Vacation Club, you can calculate costs a few different ways. We just won't know the cost of annual dues in the future so we're going by this year's dues numbers to get a current comparison. Remember that Disney Vacation Club rises in price over time but when you buy, you lock in your price. Only the annual dues will go up in price and it's usually nominal each year.

What's amazing about Disney Vacation Club is that you see the price and savings up front. The value is even much greater in most cases when you buy a resale DVC contract. This just means the contract is being sold by a Member and not Disney directly. Resale DVC contracts work mostly the same when it comes to booking your stays but just don't include discounts or access to Member exclusive spaces or events.

DVC Resale Experts Makes Magic

Ready to learn more about the Disney timeshare? DVC Resale Experts is a licensed real estate broker with a team specializing in resale DVC. It’s possible to save thousands buying resale when compared to buying directly from Disney Vacation Club. And we've seen here there are excellent savings with the Disney dining card deal compared to Disney Vacation Club. Now imagine resale DVC prices compared to trips with no promotions that cost more. If you love Deluxe Disney hotel stays, it's very worth it to take the time to consider if DVC is a good fit for you.

Whether you’re becoming a Member through resale, adding on points or selling DVC, the Experts can help. Our licensed real estate agents are former Disney Vacation Club Guides with decades of experience selling DVC contracts. You can expect pixie dusted service and helpful insight from our team throughout the process. Take a look at resale DVC listings for current pricing and availability. If you don’t see the right contract for you, join the DVC Resale Experts Buyer Wish List to be contacted when it magically appears on the market.