Importance of linking reservations?

SMsRC

Earning My Ears
Joined
Aug 21, 2013
My husband, myself, our 5 year old and my parents are going to WDW for the first time in Dec. I just went from one room of 5 at the Port Orleans - Riverside to 2 rooms at the Pop Century Resort. Now there are two reservation numbers and we can only have adjoining rooms not connecting rooms. My main issue is Dining plan credits. My parents are very light eaters, whereas my husband and myself want to try out some sig restaurants and use their points. We will all be on the Deluxe dining plan (from perusing these forums looks like the code here for that is DxDP). We want to be able to use my parents points and our points interchangeably (I know my son's is different and he is on child credits). Can this be done without merging reservations?

The CS I spoke to at Resort Reservations initially said we all needed to use our own KTTW cards for each meal, and if five of us dined then all five would need five cards to pay with credits. Then she said since my husband, son and I were on one reservation while my parents were on another, the three of us could use our KTTW to pay for just my husband, son and I, while my parents had to use their KTTW to pay for theirs and THAT WAS THE ONLY WAY to be done. Then I said in that case I want to cancel the dining plans and just pay cash and she said "no no you can use your mom's points and your dad can use your husband's points interchangeably. It's just adults have to use adult points, kids have to use kid points" and apparently having separate resort reservations doesn't affect that.

From what I have read on these forums, that's only the case when we are under one reservation. She said to merge reservations we all have to have the same home address. I said in Oct my parents actually will be moving into our house, and she said to call back then and they will merge.

She changed her answers to multiple questions multiple times. Is she just saying whatever to make me not change the DxDPs? If my parents are the only ones that can use the credits on their card it would be a total waste. They are only visiting DW for 3 days, versus our family visiting for 5 days.

Where can I get a clear answer on this? I don't want to show up to a restaurant having used the adult credits on my card and when I try to pay for myself and my husband with leftover credits on my parent's KTTW be denied/refused and have those points go to waste AND we pay OOP.

TL;DR There is a total of 48 adult table service credits [4 (adults)x 4 (night stay at the WDW resort) x 3 (table service credits per adult per day)] between 2 resort reservations. Can these adult credits be used interchangeably between people on either reservation without merging the resort reservations? Two forum posts I have read on here say no but Disney representative said yes we can. How can I be sure before arriving at WDW?
 
Doesn't matter if you link the reservations or not, the dining credits will be separated by room because you have 2 room reservations. To have all the credits combined across both rooms, you must have one room reservation with a single reservation number.

The only way you can use dining credits from their room is to use one of their key cards. And you will not be able to combine credits from their room with credits from your room (in other words, you can't go to Artist Point and use 1 credit from your room plus 1 credit from their room to pay for one 2 credit meal.)

They were incorrect in saying you would need 5 cards to pay for 5 meals. You will need one card from each room. You will not be able to order more than 2 adult meals and 1 child meal on your card, or more than 2 adult meals on theirs.
 
You all have to be in the same room to combine meal credits.

However since you are in separate rooms now and they will not be able to use all their credits why not get them the regular dining plan instead of deluxe.

We also do deluxe each trip and it's a lot of food. I'm not sure you would want to eat 3 meals per day with one being a signature.
 
Don't want to do one room reservation for 5 because parents only want a 3 day ticket, while the other three of us want 5 day tickets. Plus it is cheaper with 2 rooms.

We are doing the candlelight processional, cinderella's royal table and eating one meal at Le Cellier (I am Canadian and told my husband about poutine and this is the only place he will have access to try poutine lol plus he is a steak guy so wants to eat there). All these places take 2 table service credits and we have booked 4 nights (means only enough credits for 4 days of meals) and will be staying for 5 days. So in short, we need the extra credits even if we don't have sig meals everyday. So far we have only planned for the one sig meal and we are right on point with 48 table service credits between the four of us adults. We have planned for a character breakfast and a meal around 4pm everyday. These are the only two sit-down meals we have allotted for and plan on having and we are already requiring the extra credits from my parents' DxDP, I do not think that will be too much food, am I wrong?

If the only set back is using their card that is no problem. We can always have their card to pay for the whole meal, I just want to know if Me- Jane Doe and my husband John Doe can eat on cards for my parents who are Bob and Sally. As in is it tied to the person's actual name and we have to provide identification? If my husband and I can just walk into a restaurant and pay for the meal via credits on their card, that would be the solution!

We are the ones paying for everything for our parents (airfare, hotel, dining plan, park tickets) as well as the three in our family's whole trip as well. So I'm not trying to be sneaky and use their money or anything unlawful like that. The main attraction to the Dining plan for me is to experience it (since this is our very first trip to disney) and it also sounds so convenient. But if it means half of the points on my parents card will not be allowed to be used by husband and I, we will cancel the dining plan and pay with cash as we go. Just to be crystal clear, the way it will go is- my points and my husband's points will be used up on our card first while paying for our son with our card, then we want to be able to use points on my parents card for my husband and I in their stead (parents won't be there) while paying for our son with our card or with cash. We won't for instance have a meal at Le Cellier and use two points from card 1 for him and two points from card 2 for me. I would like for us to use all four points from Card 1 for my husband and I but also be able to use all four points from Card 2 for my husband and I. Any time we dine on my parent's card (if that's allowed) my parents won't be there as they have other plans that aren't Disney related.
 


I can't answer that because even when I did use DDP, I never tried to use someone else's key card. However, I dont' recall ever being asked for ID.
 
I would assume there is some sort of identification check in place for people wanting to use the DP. If not anyone can swipe a large family's key card and use the credits to pay for their own meals. That's thousands of dollars they would steal if that family were on a 10 day trip with DxDP for the whole family!
 
Well you can't enter the park using another persons card. When we were there last August they fingerprint each person and scan their card each time they enter the park.

When we ate all they wanted was a signature on the receipt.
 


That's no problem. Parents would enter the park using their card on their three days and we have the 5 day tickets so the three of us would enter using our cards, so fingerprinting is no problem. Once inside, if all the restaurants require is a signature, then that's dandy :)
 
1st, you could book all of you with the 3 day tickets, then upgrade the others to 5 day when you get there. In that way, you could have 1 reservation number, and all the dining credits will be interchangeable.
 
Did not know we could do that. So on one reservation we would have 3 of us with 5-day tickets and 2 with 3-day tickets?

# of days park tickets doesn't affect the # of days on the DxDP right? DxDP is based on how many nights booked at the WDW resort?
 
MY experience was pre magic band/rfid so take that into account.
1. WE had girls room and guys room but due to mega screw up on TA's part people listed in each room didn't nec. stay in that room.

2. AT TS we just used a kttw from each room to "pay" for meals, no one ever checked id and 98% of time it was my kttw card and friends kttw being used.
3. at CS each person just ordered what they wanted and swiped KTTW card.
4. remember if parents check out of their room before you do their credits expire night of their check out date.

My niece and bff arrived at wdw before I had even left OH, niece was listed in my room but used CS credit from BFF"s room to get something to eat before I arrived. ( she is 11 so adult credit).
 
Did not know we could do that. So on one reservation we would have 3 of us with 5-day tickets and 2 with 3-day tickets?

# of days park tickets doesn't affect the # of days on the DxDP right? DxDP is based on how many nights booked at the WDW resort?

correct, I could book pkg. with 3day tixs but want to stay for 7 nights. I'd have 7 nights of dining credits and 3 days of park entry.
 
We haven't gotten the offer to do the Magic Band, I think the rfid is also in the KTTW. Parents will be checking out with us so that won't be an issue (but good point that could have royally screwed us lol).
 
We haven't gotten the offer to do the Magic Band, I think the rfid is also in the KTTW. Parents will be checking out with us so that won't be an issue (but good point that could have royally screwed us lol).
Yes kttw cards have rfid in them and I believe all door locks on rooms are now rfid. another thing I thought of be sure you know parents pin number so when you redeem dining credits you can put in their pin code. I'm not sure if pin code is at TS yet but better safe than sorry.
 
Didn't know about the pin numbers. I will be sure to get that from them, thanks!
 

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