Disney Dining Plan to return in 2024 - a podcast by Shannon Ford, Peter Scheidle and the My DVC Points Community

Peter and Vicky discuss the return of Disney Dining Plans in 2024. Disney Vacation Club also revealed incentives for new and existing Members for the summer. They also discuss the initial declaration of Villas at Disneyland Hotel, the upcoming Copper Creek Refurbishment, and the soft opening of Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. N114

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Please note this post has affiliate and personal referral links to credit cards.

Special Guests from the YouTube Credit Card Creator Community

• Anthony Venture - "Providing Value by Helping YOU Achieve Life-Changing Vacations Completely For Free With Credit Card Points & Miles!"





• Chad's Money Minutes - "My mission is to simplify investing and empower you with knowledge for smart financial decisions. Discover budget-friendly travel, credit card strategies, and other personal finance tools for optimizing your financial well-being."

How We Evaluate Reward Cards (Academic Scale: A+ to Fail)

• Earning Power





• Redemption Values





• Ease of Redemption





• Flex / Joy of Use from the Card





• Other Perks





• Lounge Access (Orlando and LA + Home Airports)





• Travel Insurance on Flights and Rental Cars

Chase Offers 3 Co-Branded Cards with Disney

1. Disney Visa Card - No Annual Fee Credit Card:

• https://disneyrewards.com/





• Flat - 1% back everywhere.  Awarded as Disney Dollars.





• 3% Foreign Transaction Fee. Normal for Chase No Annual Fee Card





• Sign Up Bonus - $150 statement credit for $500 spent.





• 0% Financing on Major Disney Purchases and DVC Downpayments

2. Disney Premier Card - $49 Annual Fee:

• https://disneyrewards.com/





• 5% back on Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ or the Disney Bundle of Streaming





• 2% back on Grocery Stores, Gas, Dining, and all things Disney





• 1% back on everything else.





• 3% Foreign Transaction Fee - this is strange for a Chase card with an Annual Fee





• 0% Financing on Major Disney Purchases and DVC Downpayments





• $14.99 a month credit for the first three months of Disney Plus Bundle





• Another redemption method is to charge airfare to the card and pay yourself back.  (However, the card's travel insurance is OK - it’s not a travel card).





• Sign Up Bonus - $300 statement credit for $1000 spent.

3. Chase Disney Visa Debit Card - Free with a Chase Checking Account:

• https://disneydebit.com/





• Available with almost every checking account.





• No additional fees for a Disney debit card





• Other than 0% financing for six months on major Disney purchases, you get all the other perks and benefits.





• This doesn’t impact your credit profile, Chase 5/24 status, or other credit cards.





• $200 sign-up bonus for a New Checking Account with direct deposit and transactions





• Chase ATMs are everywhere at WDW and Disneyland - very accessible.

Earning Rates: C-

• Premier Only
  
  
  
  • 2% back is the max you will earn.  That’s the minimum in my ideal setup.
  
  
  
  
  
  • You must spend $4,900 in 2% categories yearly to make up the annual fee.
  
  
  
  





• 1% back is better than nothing, but that’s still unacceptably low.





• 2% back should be the minimum you accept for all categories. You can get a Citi DoubleCash, Wells Fargo Active Cash or Capital One Venture series to earn 2% on everything.

Redemption Notes: C- 

• Earn Disney Dollars - a currency transferable to a gift card you can use at most Disney locations.  You can buy park tickets, APs, DVC dues, meals, etc.





• There is a $10 minimum transfer amount to the redemption card. This requires at least $1,000 of spending on a Disney Visa or $500 in 2% categories on a Premier card.





• Getting the card in the mail, replacing cards, and transferring the rewards are incredibly annoying compared to any other cash-back card program that gives a statement credit or wires the money to your checking account. However, for most Disney fans, once you have the loaded card, it's as easy to use as a Disney Gift Card on your vacations.





• Redemptions are locked in at one cent per point. We're not opposed to 1 cent per point redemptions. However, the Chase Disney program does not have any opportunities for outsized value. Flexible travel reward cards readily offer 1.5 cents per point or higher. 5-10 cents per point is possible with international business flights.

Flex Factor / Joy of Using the Card: A+

• You can choose from 10 to 12 officially licensed Disney characters on your card. The cards are not exclusive or hard to get but very unique. The Disney cards become talking points with cashiers and customers when they see your Disney character credit card.





• A small dose of Pixie Dust every time you pay—this joy is undeniably incredible for any Disney fan.





• As a Disney fan, the daily joy of using cards with Disney characters must be recognized. However, there are also a lot of emotional benefits that come with using a luxury travel card like the American Express Platinum or Chase Sapphire Reserve. Metal cards feel special. Many people love the prestige of using a high-end credit card.

Other Perks: Nice for Disney Park Fans but Easily Replaced

• In-Park Character Meets
  
  
  
  • Chase hosts a Darth Vader meet-and-greet in Disney's Hollywood Studios (inside Star Wars Launch Bay) and Disneyland near the DVC Member Lounge. Darth is one of the absolute best meet-and-greets at Disney.  He’s the ultimate villain character and offers a highly intimidating presence.  It’s awesome.
  
  
  
  
  
  • Chase offers classic character meets in Epcot near the exit of the Figment Ride and Pixar shorts theatre. You'll also find character opportunities in Disney's California Adventure near the classic Hollywood area.
  
  
  
  
  
  • Lines for the Chase meets are usually very small and move quickly - quite often, you’ll be the only person there.
  
  
  
  





• Discounts: The discounts are only helpful if you don’t have Disney Annual Pass or DVC Membership Extra discounts.  When you compare discounts at MousePerks.com, Disney Visa holders only have about 10% of the discounts available to passholders or DVC members. None of the Disney Visa discounts are exclusive.





• Disney Experience Promotions. When you hold a Disney card, you'll get special invites and mailers for Disney on ICE and theater experiences like when Disney Broadway productions are on tour.





• The first three months of Disney+ are free to new Disney Premier Card holders. However, you may get this free from Verizon. Amex Platinum offers $20 monthly streaming credit on Disney+ and other services. Amex Blue Cash Preferred has no annual fee and offers a $7 monthly credit on Disney+. (The bottom line is that this perk has diminished value since so many Disney+ promotions are readily available.)





• The Six Month Interest-free financing is noteworthy.

Chase Disney Visa and Disney Premier Visa A+ Super Power: Six Months No-Interest Financing

Pro: Both credit card versions offer six months of zero percent interest on Disney vacation purchases. Your trip to Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, or even the downpayment on a Disney Vacation Club contract can be financed for six months at zero interest on this card. Some people have the cash but keep it in an interest-bearing savings account for six months. Travel agents love selling vacations and offering this financing. Your DVC guide will promote using a Chase Disney Visa card as well. Using this card, you'll earn 1% or 2% on the vacation purchase AND get six months of no-interest financing. (In most retail transactions, you must choose between no-interest financing OR getting rewards on spend). This is the true superpower of the Disney credit card solution.

Con: For those of us in the credit card rewards space on team travel, we take issue with actually paying for travel. We argue that your other day-to-day spending rewards should ultimately pay for your vacation experiences. You may get six months without interest, but we're using higher earning cards on our day-to-day spending and getting our entire trip paid for with rewards - no financing needed. If you were to pay for your Disney Cruise on a Capital One Venture X, you would earn 2% on the cruise AND be able to redeem your rewards at 1 cent per dollar to cover the cost of the cruise AND enjoy airport lounge access AND have Visa Infinite level travel insurances and coverages. Alternatively, you could earn 1.5 to 5 points per dollar spent in the Chase Ultimate Rewards ecosystem and cash out the points at 1 cent per point to cover your Disney vacation.

Airport Lounge Access:  Fail

• The Disney cards do not offer any lounge access. The card perks are built for people who love Disney Vacations; however, they are not travel cards.





• Orlando International Airport has two priority pass lounges in Terminals A and B and a Plaza Premium lounge in Terminal C. American Express Platinum, Chase Sapphire Reserve, or Capital One Venture X will grant access to these lounges on departing flights. Any travel card offering lounge access to Priority Pass or Plaza Premium lounges will work at Orlando's MCO airport.





• Lounge access gets more complicated when visiting Disneyland due to multiple airport options. We're interested in lounges that aren't limited to a specific airline. We suggest checking the Lounge Buddy app for the most up-to-date information.
  
  
  
  • LAX - American Express has a Centurion Lounge in LAX's Tom Bradley International Terminal. Chase Sapphire holders have access to a video game lounge called Gameday.
  
  
  
  
  
  • ONT - Ontario has two Aspire Lounges available to Amex Platinum, Capital One Venture X, and Chase Sapphire Reserve card holders.
  
  
  
  
  
  • LGB - Long Beach airport does not have any lounges.
  
  
  
  
  
  • SNA - John Wayne airport only has American and United lounges.
  
  
  
  
  
  • BUR - Hollywood Burbank airport does not have any lounges.
  
  
  
  
  
  • SAN - San Diego has two Aspire Lounges available to Amex Platinum, Capital One Venture X, and Chase Sapphire Reserve card holders.
  
  
  
  

Card Insurances:  Fail

• Disney Visa card offers $500 of return protection. (Chase Sapphire cards offer $1000 to $10,000.





• $100 a day for three days of lost or delayed baggage coverage.





• Up to 1 year of extended warranty for purchases with three years or less from the manufacturer.

Bottom Line - Our Advice:

• If you travel to Disney Parks or Disney Cruise, you are a traveler. You owe it to yourself to investigate the perks and benefits of travel reward credit cards.





• Travel rewards cards have more earning power. 2% back on everything is the absolute minimum you should accept.





• Travel rewards cards have better reward redemption opportunities.





• Travel rewards cards have better travel insurance and purchase protection coverage.





• Travel reward cards have annual fees, but there are numerous ways to offset the fees.





• If you have a Disney Visa card, we don't recommend canceling the card; keep the card for the perks.





• If you have a Disney Premier card, consider downgrading it to the no annual fee card, but keep it for perks.





• If you don't have either Disney credit card, we recommend getting a Disney Debit card with a Chase checking account. They are free. You'll get 90% of the upside without impacting your credit profile. If you talk to a Chase personal banker, they can help you find a $200 bonus for opening a new Chase checking account.





• Once you get a Disney card, we recommend adding a digital version to Apple Wallet or Google Pay. The digital version works for all discounts and perks.

Affiliate and Referral Links to Card Mentioned in Today's Show (Help support the show by using our links when you apply).

• Chase Disney Visa (if you want the 6-month superpower feature)





• Chase Sapphire Reserve - Excellent Loung Access - Priority Pass with Restaurants and Visa Infinite coverages





• Capital One Venture X - Excellent Lounge Access - Travel Protections and Insurances from top-of-the-line Visa Infinite cards. $395 annual fee but easy to make it -$5 annual fee when you book through their travel portal.





• American Express Platinum - Ultimate Lounge Access Card and Coupon Book - $695 annual fee but $1400 of credits available

Disney Dining Plan returns in 2024

Disney dining plans will be coming back as an option for those staying at Disney Resort hotels starting with stays beginning Jan. 9, 2024, which will also open for bookings on May 31. Guests will be able to choose from two popular options: the Disney Quick Service Dining Plan or the Disney Dining Plan. Quick service meals include an entree and a drink, and table service meals include an entree, drink, and dessert. Adults 21 and over may order an alcoholic beverage as their drink with their meal with both dining plans.

• Standard Dining Plan Pricing
  
  
  
  • $94.28 per adult, $29.69 per child
  
  
  
  
  
  • Must book length of stay
  
  
  
  
  
  • 1 TS, 1 QS, 1 snack, 1 mug
  
  
  
  





• Quick Service Dining Plan Pricing
  
  
  
  • $57.04 per adult, $23.83 per child
  
  
  
  
  
  • Must book length of stay
  
  
  
  
  
  • 2 QS, 1 snack, 1 mug
  
  
  
  

Source: Disney Parks Blog, Disney Food Blog

Villas at Disneyland Hotel (VDH) initial declaration

Commonly, when a new Disney Vacation Club resort opens, only a percentage of the rooms are “declared” as part of the DVC availability for sales and bookings, while the remaining rooms are held for cash rentals. Most resorts historically had an initial declaration around 25%, with Grand Floridian recently declaring roughly 50% of the resort right out the gate. 

We now know the details of the Villas at Disneyland Hotel's initial declaration. A total of 61 rooms or 575,000 points have been declared at the resort, amounting to just under 20% of the rooms. The specific rooms that have been declared are as follows:

• Duo Studio: 8





• Dedicated Studio: 48





• Dedicated One Bedroom: 1





• Lockoff Two Bedroom: 1





• Dedicated Two Bedroom: 2





• Grand Villa: 1

This number isn’t broken down into total numbers in each category. The main reason we want to share this information is to show that some booking categories - especially 1 and 2-bedrooms - will have limited availability early on. As sales continue, more rooms of the various categories will be declared. 

Source: DVC News

Villas at Disneyland Hotel (VDH) new and current member add-on incentives for the summer

On May 30th, Disney Vacation Club revealed the new member incentives and updated existing member incentives for the Villas at Disneyland Hotel. Incentives combine a flat developer incentive combined with a number of “Free Points”. For example at 150 points, new buyers get  $1000 discount and 5 “Free” points, a total value of $2150 or ~$14.33 per point. Existing members get an additional $150 over that number. As predicted, these prices are less generous than the original incentives that started on May 2nd and ended on May 29th. 

Similar incentives are being offered for Aulani, Riviera, and Grand Floridian. These offers are scheduled to last through September 11th.

The Villas at Disneyland Hotel Free PointsNew Buyer DiscountCurrent MemberDiscount50 - 99 points0n/a$0100 - 124 points0$0$0125 - 149 points0$0$250150 - 174 points5$1000$1150175 - 199 points5$1000$1150200 - 249 points 10$350$2300250 - 299 points15$0$3450300 - 499 points20$0$4600500 - 999 points40$0$92001000+ points75$0$17,250

Source: DVC News

Copper Creek Refurbishment scheduled for 2024

As Copper Creek hits seven years of age, its first scheduled refresh has been scheduled. Usually considered a “soft goods” refresh, the refurbishment will begin in April 2024 and continue through August 2024. Rooms will be taken out of service in blocks during this time, so expect availability to be worse than normal during the refurbishment. 

Source: DVC News

Rock 'n' Roller Coaster soft opening

Rock 'n' Roller Coaster started running soft opening over the weekend. While the ride is not yet officially on the Disney system nor on Genie+, it has been open every day since May 27th. Word from those that have ridden it say very little has changed, with bright and improved signage being the most significant difference. 

Source: Blog Mickey; Peter Schiedle

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