2 rooms, can we share the dining credits?

[4our4kids]

We have 2 rooms for our trip. Rm 1 (3A, 1C) on the regular DP. My 2A children in room 2 on DxDP. We will be eating most of our meals together and I was wondering if we could use the credits from 1 room key to pay for the meal. To clarify, can we deplete all the credits from Rm "A", and then deplete credits from Rm "B" ? Essentially "pooling" all of our meal credits.

[brios86]

You can not. They will only allow you to order as many meals as noted on your card. so for rm 1 it would say 3A 1C somewhere and that would be all you can order at once. If its counter service you could always go through the line twice.

[Macsfiveplus1]

We have had two rooms and for table service I would give both room keys to remove the credits. For counter service I used one card and paid attention to which card had Counter service credits.

I think it will be difficult since both rooms are not on the same dining plan to keep track.

[TDC Nala]

You can't pool credits across two separate reservations. One key card from each room is required if people on two separate reservations want to eat together and use dining credits for payment.

You will not be able to use your children's deluxe credits. On their particular reservation, they will be allowed to use credits for meals for two adults only.

[TheRatPack]

What if it's all one reservation but you had to book it differently because adding my MIL made it a Grand Gathering? It's still just one family....are we going to have to separate our credits at every meal? That's going to be difficult if that's the case....since the CM entered that my husband, 2 teens and my MIL were sharing a room and then I'm sharing a room with my 3 youngest. My husband will of course not be sharing a room with his mother....LOL

[Tricia1972]

What if it's all one reservation but you had to book it differently because adding my MIL made it a Grand Gathering? It's still just one family....are we going to have to separate our credits at every meal? That's going to be difficult if that's the case....since the CM entered that my husband, 2 teens and my MIL were sharing a room and then I'm sharing a room with my 3 youngest. My husband will of course not be sharing a room with his mother....LOL

Do the two rooms share the same reservation number? If so, everything will be on one card.

If you have separate reservation numbers for each room, you will need to present two cards for each meal.

[TheRatPack]

Do the two rooms share the same reservation number? If so, everything will be on one card.

If you have separate reservation numbers for each room, you will need to present two cards for each meal.


It was one reservation number but the Grand Gatherings booking agent said we had to separate them in to two reservations numbers when we added my MIL last week. It's still tied together by one Grand Gathering number, but for some reason it's not two reservations and I have to pay on both of them....really kind of a hassle since it was only to add my MIL and she may not even be able to go. I even asked if we took my MIL off of the reservation if they could merge the reservation back in to one number and she said no.....that'll teach me to be nice and invite my MIL LOL

[TDC Nala]

The Grand Gathering designation makes no difference. If you have two separate reservation numbers, it's two separate reservations and two separate sets of dining credits.

[TheRatPack]

The Grand Gathering designation makes no difference. If you have two separate reservation numbers, it's two separate reservations and two separate sets of dining credits.

RIght.....what I was saying is that it was ONE reservation and then when I called to add my MIL they said they had to split them???? We're still paying for both reservations and 7 of the 8 are US....our 5 kids, my husband and myself. The only non-immediate family that doesn't live in our house is my MIL. I even asked the CM if they could merge it back in to one reservation number if it turns out my MIL can't go and she said no....that I'll still have 2 reservations! How idiotic....I mean, we're only on the QS plan, so I suppose we'll just use up one card until those credits are gone and then start on the other room #....again I don't understand this though. If/when we add to our family again, will we have to start booking under 2 reservation numbers just because there will be 8 of us? We never have before....so why the difference with Grand Gatherings?

[TDC Nala]

Any room with an adult booked in it apparently gets a separate reservation number. This appears to be the way they do it. They did not split the reservation because you have a Grand Gathering but because you added an adult to the room.

Who's paying doesn't matter. If you have two separate reservation numbers, it's two separate reservations for the purpose of assignment of dining credits.

Be cautious. If you remove your mother in law and the kids are all minors, because the reservation has been split and can't be rejoined, they may require you to move one of the remaining adults onto the second room reservation.

[Tricia1972]

RIght.....what I was saying is that it was ONE reservation and then when I called to add my MIL they said they had to split them???? We're still paying for both reservations and 7 of the 8 are US....our 5 kids, my husband and myself. The only non-immediate family that doesn't live in our house is my MIL. I even asked the CM if they could merge it back in to one reservation number if it turns out my MIL can't go and she said no....that I'll still have 2 reservations! How idiotic....I mean, we're only on the QS plan, so I suppose we'll just use up one card until those credits are gone and then start on the other room #....again I don't understand this though. If/when we add to our family again, will we have to start booking under 2 reservation numbers just because there will be 8 of us? We never have before....so why the difference with Grand Gatherings?

That probably won't work for you guys, using one card and then starting on the new card. Your card will be limited to 2 adults and 4 kids. So you couldn't order more than 2 adult and 4 child meals at one time, even at CS. Your MIL will be able to order 1 adult and 1 child meal at one time.

Too bad you can't just get her listed in her own room, if the 7 of you were in one room prior to her reservation, I see no issue with having the 7 of you on one room reservation again. :confused3

(Maybe ask that portion of the question on the resorts board - why she has to be listed with a kid, when the 7 of you were in one room before adding her to your group)

[TheRatPack]

We were actually listed in 2 rooms, at the POP. One adult and 2 kids and one adult and 3 kids.....so the thought that they had to split them due to adding an adult doesn't really matter....we already had an adult on one of the rooms, you can't book 2 rooms at the POP otherwise since all of our children are minors. She said with the addition of my MIL it did change the connecting factor of the rooms, but sadly my MIL can't watch our children, and she's be nervous as a cat if we put anyone but my teen in her room due to her medications and such ....so I just don't know how this is going to work.

If she isn't able to go (she's still working through some medical issues and work), and they have to keep our resort reservations separate, it's going to be a wild vacation with everyone separated.....well wild isn't the word for it...it'll stink.

I should have just added her as a 17 year old.....she'd be an 'adult' with her dining credits, but then we wouldn't be running in to the connecting room issue. Still the way the CM explained it, when you get past that 8 person limit they have to make it a grand gathering and do separate reservations with one linked gg number. Oh and get this.....I was also required to pay another deposit on this 'new' reservation. Ugghhh, really I'm regretting changing the original resort ressies everyday.....I'm so scared that we're going to be stuck in a room situation when we arrive :( that's going to make it hard to enjoy our vacation. I don't want to spend the week away from my husband....and as I said, out of 5 children only one would be able to stay with my MIL in her room....so what do I do with the other 4......LOL

I'm just praying it all works out and we'll have a GREAT vacation and be able to take my MIL to enjoy the Christmas lights :)

[Tricia1972]

If it's not decided that your MIL is going for sure, how about undoing it and canceling her from the reservation? If it's your December trip, you're well outside of the 45 day magic window.

You can always add her back on if it works out that she is coming in the end, but keep her off for now and save yourself the headache?

Sounds pretty tense - here's a hug :hug:

[TheRatPack]

LOL, I was told I couldn't add anyone after the FD booking window closed. So I had to add her now before the FD ends.....she won't really know if she's able to go till closer to the trip. I'm thinking she won't be though, sadly I just don't think she's up to the trip and even though she's starting on new medication I don't think it's a miracle drug.

We'll make it work....I just wish it didn't have to be so complicated for larger families to go to Disney :(

Thanks for the hug by the way...:)

[TDC Nala]

You're planning to have two people sleep in one room and six in the other room?

There definitely isn't room for six people in a Pop Century room. I take it none of your children are under 3.

Your connecting room issue has no bearing on the dining plan. As long as you have two separate reservation numbers, you won't be able to pool credits across two reservations.

[TheRatPack]

You're planning to have two people sleep in one room and six in the other room?

There definitely isn't room for six people in a Pop Century room. I take it none of your children are under 3.

Your connecting room issue has no bearing on the dining plan. As long as you have two separate reservation numbers, you won't be able to pool credits across two reservations.

None of my children are under 3, no I would never shove 6 people in a value room and that's just silly that dining credits aren't pooled since we are all ONE family, except my MIL. I'm sure it'll be more hectic for the person taking our order though, and trying to ring up our bill.

I've stressed enough about it.....we're going to Disney and that's enough. We'll work out the details of where everyone sleeps when we get there. Life is too short to stress over connecting versus non connecting. While it'll make things difficult to split our family between two rooms down the hall from each other, or even across at another building....can't do much to change it now, and if she decides she can't go then I've wasted all this time worrying about something that never was.

[TDC Nala]

If you've requested connecting rooms (and make sure you request connecting and not adjoining rooms - adjoining doesn't necessarily mean there is a door between the rooms) they won't split your family unless they have to (meaning there are no connecting rooms available.) Connecting rooms are never guaranteed in a party with more than one adult. And they don't assign dining credits per family, but per reservation. That would not work since not everyone traveling to WDW is a family. They can't establish who is related by blood and who isn't.

[Pirate1+Princess4]

Any room with an adult booked in it apparently gets a separate reservation number. This appears to be the way they do it. They did not split the reservation because you have a Grand Gathering but because you added an adult to the room.

Who's paying doesn't matter. If you have two separate reservation numbers, it's two separate reservations for the purpose of assignment of dining credits.

Be cautious. If you remove your mother in law and the kids are all minors, because the reservation has been split and can't be rejoined, they may require you to move one of the remaining adults onto the second room reservation.

We have 2 rooms under one reservation number. We are 2 adults and 5 children. We had to put 1 adult in each room, then the CM split the kids 2 and 3. I was kind of hoping not have to split up our dining credits the same way. We are all under the same plan, unlike OP.

[ElizabethB]

Just a word of warning, we were a Grand Gathering with a party of 10 (9 of whom were adults -- real adults not 10-year olds, and one child). It was confusing as all get out everytime we dined out as a group. Who's on what card? What card goes with which people, etc.

By far worse, however, was when part of our group dined out. For example, six from our group went to DTD to eat at WGPE. They were newbies and ended up at Wolfgang Puck instead. Suddenly, they were spending TS instead of CS (I the family tour guide who understood the plan wasn't with them).

They said they sat down and ordered and didn't realize the mistake until they were at a point where they felt silly leaving. It can be confusing -- especially since WGPE has waiters, too, and no one in the group had ever been to DTD before.

Now we were short 6 TS credits -- and WGP waiters weren't careful about taking them from the appropriate cards -- took them all from two room cards, even though three rooms were represented.

Upshot -- we ended up short of credits for our 2TS meal final meal at Narcoosee's the next night. We actually had enough credits, but due to the WGP confusion, some cards had only 1 credit per person left -- then there was another 1 credit left on another card.

They cannot combine 1 TS credit from one card and another 1TS credit from another card.

Final outcome -- I ended up paying about $300 extra for our meal at Narcoosee's -- plus we left the next day with unused 1TS credits on every room card.

If you have one room, the DDP works fine.

If you have a Grand Gathering with three rooms, well . . . for us, it was a disaster. As I told our concierge at GF RPC where we were staying (who tried, but couldn't resolve the problem), next time we go as a family group -- it will be a cruise, where dinner is served without all of the TS credit nonsense.

[Pakey]

We took our family, 11 of us total, this was our adult children and their spouses and children. We had 5 rooms, we ate all of our meals together. 2 of the rooms were on deluxe plan, 2 on regular plan, 1 room on no plan. We never had any hassles at any restaurant. We told the server who was on what card, gave him/her 5 room keys at every meal, and we never had one single issue. Since my husband and I were paying for this trip, we also told the server that any extras (tip, alcoholic beverages, etc) were to be placed on our room key and we used our TIW discount card. Again, never any problems. It took no longer to pay for our meals than any trip we've taken that's just been my husband and I paying OOP.

[Samsma]

We have one reservation, one room 4 people - 2 adults 2 juniors. Will I need to hand them 4 cards for every meal or will all our dining points be on one adult card?

[Tricia1972]

We have one reservation, one room 4 people - 2 adults 2 juniors. Will I need to hand them 4 cards for every meal or will all our dining points be on one adult card?

You will be able to hand them one room key, it won't matter if it's an adult room key or a junior room key.

[TDC Nala]

If everyone in your party, regardless of how many rooms you have, is on the same reservation which has one reservation number covering all the rooms, then all the dining credits will be pooled. Only one room key card is necessary to pay with dining credits for everyone on that reservation. With multiple rooms, the more likely scenario is that each room has its own reservation number. Each room under a separate reservation number has its own dining credits assigned to the persons registered in that room, and they can't be combined with other rooms which have different reservation numbers.