Hi Kara,
Let me be one of the first to say "Welcome Home" to
Disney Vacation Club! You have many years of making wonderful Disney memories ahead of you.
The promotion that you are speaking of is a
special offer put out by Disney which includes dining in a package stay so that the dining is "free." In order to get this, you do have to purchase the package, which includes a Walt Disney World resort hotel stay. While you are of course welcome to purchase a package to take advantage of this, you cannot get "free" dining with a stay that uses Disney Vacation Club vacation points.
You are correct that as Disney Vacation Club members, we can add Disney Dining Plans onto our Disney Vacation Club reservations. You can do so using the Disney Vacation Club website that I linked above, or you can call Disney Vacation Club Member Services at 1-800-800-9800.
Also, be sure to check out all of the great
member benefits that we get as Disney Vacation Club members. Many of these discounts are for dining at Walt Disney World. I always ask at restaurants if there is a Disney Vacation Club member discount! Please do note that benefits are subject to change.
I hope that this information is helpful for you, Kara. Have a wonderful time planning your magical vacation, and please do let us know if you have any further questions.