3 Rooms, Annual Pass, & (maybe) Free Dining Plan

[RoosMom2]

HELP! This will be my second trip in 8 years, first one onsite in that time, so I'm clueless and I can't find a clear answer on this.

We're ready to book a trip, 9 nts., Sept. 7-16, 2018 (All Star Sports or Movies). It's our first trip ever in the Fall, so we're hoping that the free dining plan will be offered (fingers crossed), as it's a pricey trip for us with 3 rooms (but we want the convenience/flexibility of onsite).

My question is about how to book our rooms in such a way that if the free dining plan is offered, that I'm set up correctly to take advantage of it easily (would love to just 'revise reservation' online that day). What is complicated is that I now have an Annual Pass (just for me, used in Dec. w/sister), and my son's spouse won't be there the whole time, so he'll be moving rooms to his siblings once she leaves. I can't figure out exactly how this would work. All I know, is not to buy tickets yet, but I should book the rooms. Here's my current plan:

• 5 Adults: 2 of us (A*, B), 3 adult children (C, D, E), 1 spouse (F). *=Me, the only one with Annual Pass.
• Room 1:

A*, B 9 nights, Sept. 7-16

• Room 2:

C, F 5 nights, Sept. 7-11 (F departs the 12th)

• Room 3:

D, E 5 nights, Sept. 7-11
D, E, C 4 nights, Sept. 12-15 (depart 16th), +$60/ 3rd Adult 4 nights


So, if free dining is offered, and everyone in a room needs to purchase minimum of 2 day PH ticket, what happens to the Room 1 occupants (B & C) since I (A*) now have an annual pass (no, I won't be renewing my Annual Pass next year, heard you can purchase tickets and apply cost to renewal, so not for me). Will they not be eligible for free dining if I'm in their room?

In order for all the rest of my gang to get free dining, do I have to book these as separate reservations and do the following (adds $135 to cost over above plan, but that's a deal if that's the only way hubby can have a free dining plan for 9 nights).:

• Room 1 (separate reservation for me only with my annual pass):

A* 9 nights, Sept. 7-16

• Room 2:

C, F 5 nights, Sept. 7-11 (F departs the 12th)

• Room 3:

D, E, B, 5 nights, Sept. 7-11 + $75/ 3rd Adult 4 nights.
D, E, B, C 4 nights, Sept. 12-15 + $120/ 3rd & 4th Adult, 5 nights.

Anyone have any help? I'm beginning to think I should just pray for a room only discount...

 

[Kerrijo]

Remember that all occupants have to have the same package for the entire length of reservation, regardless of whether they leave early or don't need a portion of the package.

With that said, you will want the current reservation set up now for what you anticipate will be needed in the event the dining/ticket offer is presented:

• Room 1 (separate reservation for you only with your annual pass, knowing if a ticket/room or ticket/room/dining package is offered, you won't be able to decline or transfer the ticket no matter how you set up your reservation unless you forego dining plan):

A* 9 nights, Sept. 7-16

• Room 2:

C, F 5 nights, Sept. 7-11 (F departs the 12th)

• Room 3:

D, E, B, 5 nights, Sept. 7-11 + $75/ 3rd Adult 4 nights.
D, E, B, C 4 nights, Sept. 12-15 + $120/ 3rd & 4th Adult, 5 nights.


You may also be better off with Room 2 being booked Sept. 7-16 with C, F as guests even though F is leaving. You could use F's unused dining credits at any point during your stay and pay cash for your other dining plans OR as a party decide on how many dining entitlements you need and pool them all for everyone to use. They don't have to be used per person, per day.

Just be sure to do the math to see which option works best if you're looking for maximum cost savings over convenience.

 

[danielocha30]

The only way to get free dining is buying a package with non discounted rates and the two tickets per person. In your case you will be better using a room only discount and paying for dining plan. Another option is to book the packages and save the unused tickets for the future. Third option will be book the rooms with free dining for the people that will used the tickets, book a room only for you, and once the dining credits are used ( remember you can pay for food for people not in the dining plan) go a pay OOP the rest of your meals.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Discounts/promotions are offered to fill rooms. The more rooms made unavailable due to existing reservations, the fewer rooms, it any, available with the promotion.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

HELP! This will be my second trip in 8 years, first one onsite in that time, so I'm clueless and I can't find a clear answer on this.

We're ready to book a trip, 9 nts., Sept. 7-16, 2018 (All Star Sports or Movies). It's our first trip ever in the Fall, so we're hoping that the free dining plan will be offered (fingers crossed), as it's a pricey trip for us with 3 rooms (but we want the convenience/flexibility of onsite).

My question is about how to book our rooms in such a way that if the free dining plan is offered, that I'm set up correctly to take advantage of it easily (would love to just 'revise reservation' online that day). What is complicated is that I now have an Annual Pass (just for me, used in Dec. w/sister), and my son's spouse won't be there the whole time, so he'll be moving rooms to his siblings once she leaves. I can't figure out exactly how this would work. All I know, is not to buy tickets yet, but I should book the rooms. Here's my current plan:

• 5 Adults: 2 of us (A*, B), 3 adult children (C, D, E), 1 spouse (F). *=Me, the only one with Annual Pass.
• Room 1:

A*, B 9 nights, Sept. 7-16

• Room 2:

C, F 5 nights, Sept. 7-11 (F departs the 12th)

• Room 3:

D, E 5 nights, Sept. 7-11
D, E, C 4 nights, Sept. 12-15 (depart 16th), +$60/ 3rd Adult 4 nights


So, if free dining is offered, and everyone in a room needs to purchase minimum of 2 day PH ticket, what happens to the Room 1 occupants (B & C) since I (A*) now have an annual pass (no, I won't be renewing my Annual Pass next year, heard you can purchase tickets and apply cost to renewal, so not for me). Will they not be eligible for free dining if I'm in their room?

In order for all the rest of my gang to get free dining, do I have to book these as separate reservations and do the following (adds $135 to cost over above plan, but that's a deal if that's the only way hubby can have a free dining plan for 9 nights).:

• Room 1 (separate reservation for me only with my annual pass):

A* 9 nights, Sept. 7-16

• Room 2:

C, F 5 nights, Sept. 7-11 (F departs the 12th)

• Room 3:

D, E, B, 5 nights, Sept. 7-11 + $75/ 3rd Adult 4 nights.
D, E, B, C 4 nights, Sept. 12-15 + $120/ 3rd & 4th Adult, 5 nights.

Anyone have any help? I'm beginning to think I should just pray for a room only discount...

I think you are going to give yourself a major headache trying to do this. Yes, you can book it this way, but you would end up with the following:

Room 1: A for 9 nights, hopefully with an AP discount

Room 2: C and F for 5 nights with, possibly free dining, however, what length of ticket will you be getting? It has to be the same for both people in the room, so, if C is moving to Room 3 after F leaves, I assume C needs longer length-of-stay tickets which you won't want to purchase for F? You can add, say 5-day tickets to this room to cover F's park days, but if C wants to go to the parks for more days, you can't upgrade that ticket until you are onsite and that means C can't make pre-reserved FP+ for the last 4 nights of the trip.

Room 3: 9 nights. You would need to put D, E, B on this reservation initially and then add C at the front desk the day C is moving from Room 2. That means C will not have a dining plan for the last 4 nights of the stay.

So, by splitting it up this way, you are going to run into ticket, FP+ and dining credit issues. If that doesn't bother you, you might save some money by doing this.

The easier thing to do would be to look for an AP room-only discount (that can be applied to 3 rooms), buy the length-of-stay tickets needed for each person from a 3rd-party discounter (like UT) and using your AP dining discounts where you can.