A New Question About Dining Option!!!

[pumpkinfish]

What if this happens:

DH and I book our package, but we only select one of us to get the dining option? Can this happen?
And if everyone in the package has to have the dining option, what if I get MY tickets seperately and we only have the package made for one?

Does this make sense???

 

[shirleyb]

Everyone on the room reservation must have the dining option, and if you're not on the room reservation, then you can't do EMH, etc.

 

[pumpkinfish]

Thanks
Oh well...just trying to figure out how to make this work for us. Guess we won't be adding on the dining option...

 

[Carrie Ellis]

pumpkin fish,

What I have read so far!, you could book two different ressies. On the first 1/2 book w/ dining and on the second 1/2 without. On your first ressie you will have your MYW tickets but you can buy any number of days you want on those which would last through your entire stay. I have found lots of discussions on the restaurant board. Check it out!

 

[pumpkinfish]

pumpkin fish,

What I have read so far!, you could book two different ressies. On the first 1/2 book w/ dining and on the second 1/2 without. On your first ressie you will have your MYW tickets but you can buy any number of days you want on those which would last through your entire stay. I have found lots of discussions on the restaurant board. Check it out!

Since this is my first time staying onsite, and doing the package thing, would you mind breaking it down a little further for me? It is all so confusing to this newbie!!!

 

[Twende]

We thought about the two ressies thing but from what I read the unused meals on the 1st ressie would expire at midnight on the day that ressie ended!
If they did not expire for say a week or something then the 2 ressies would work really well!

We did not get the meal plan because there is no way that we would eat $35 worth of food a day per person. Our kids are grown so character meals are not a big thing and our budget just does not allow for spending that kind of money a day for eating at fancy places.

DD and I went last year for 5 nights and we spent $210 in total for meals for both of us by using the old voucher system. We took breakfast bars for our mornings and then ate nice large dinners. We ate at some very wonderful places like Brown Derby and RainForest and took the rest of our meals at Pepper Market and Beaches and Cream. Our last night there we had one extra voucher and we got a pizza and some junk food at PC just to use up the voucher!

There is no way the new program can match this at all! I really wish they would modify it for people who do not want or simply can't spend $35 a day for food!

HEY DISNEY! Can you HEAR ME?

 

[MeredithJ]

Pumpkinfish--here is an example of what I am thinking of doing. We have 5 in our party, so if we are staying at a resort that only allows 4 to a room, we have to get two rooms.

Make one reservation for a package for 3 or 4 of us, including our tickets and dining.

Make second reservation for room only for the other 1 or 2 people not on the package. Buy their tickets separately.

Since the meals are so large, I am sure we can easily share 3 or 4 meals between the 5 of us, and this way, I also don't have to pay "adult" price for my 11 year old's dining plan if she is on the room only reservation.

I haven't made my reservations yet, so this is still in the planning stages, and subject to change, but I am thinking this is what will work best for us.

Hope this helps!

Meredith

 

[pumpkinfish]

Meredith,
How would I go about doing this when it is only DH and myself?!? I can't picture how to do this!!!
I do appreciate you breaking it down for me though!

 

[Carrie Ellis]

MeredithJ...thought sounds wise!

If you are planning on doing character meal or 2, maybe the Hoop De Doo review, certain restaurants on the dining list, etc... Then this plan and making 2 ressies my be worth it. You would just want to do these meals during the time period of one of the ressie that you booked. Some of the restaurants take two options and you can use counter and sit down for breakfast too. There is not a certain time of the day you have to use the table or counter options so you can be creative! My sister is flying in so I would split my meals w/ her. The kids would split some of their meals with eachother. We could really make this work!

That is what I am considering for us because we would like to do Liberty Inn character dinner before MNSSHP, Chef Mickey's for breakfast, etc...

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

pumpkinfish,
I'm not sure how many days you plan to vacation but for this example, I'm going to assume it is a 7-night/8day vacation.

You would break your ressie into two with 4 "nights" of dining options followed by 3 "nights" without. On arrival day, you will be given a total of 8 sitdown, 8 counterservice and 8 snacks to be consumed over a 5-day period. That last day would also be the "first day" of your 3-night ressie.

Day #1Unless you're arriving at the crack of dawn, you do not need breakfast on that first day. Have lunch at a counterservice, splitting it between the two of you. Enjoy one snack each. You can use two of your sitdown options for a nice meal to start your trip. You're now down to 6 sitdowns, 7 counterservice and 6 snacks with 4 days to go.

Day #2Use your counterservice to split a breakfast between the two of you. It might be a little light but you're going to schedule an early lunch PS at a sitdown restaurant. Use one more sitdown option and order another appetizer & beverage to round out the meal, paying for it out of your pocket. Dinner will be counterservice, splitting another meal between the two of you. You're now down to 5 sitdowns, 5 counterservice and 6 snacks with 3 days to go.

Day #3Make a PS for a character breakfast and use two sitdown options for it. Lunch can be another counterservice split between the two of you. Add a beverage and side and pay for it out of pocket if you need more food. Splurge on 2 snacks later in the day. Dinner is another counterservice meal, using one sitdown option and ordering another appetizer, entrée &/or beverage as is necessary. You're now down to 3 sitdowns, 3 counterservice and 4 snacks with 2 days to go.

Day #4Repeat the options for Day #2, but do a snack as well. You're now down to 2 sitdowns, 1 counterservice and 2 snacks with 1 day to go.

Day #5This is the day you would "check out" of your first ressie and "check in" to your second. It is also the last day that you will be able to use your meal options. Do breakfast on your own. Use your remaining counterservice option for lunch and plan a nice dinner using your final two sitdown meals. Grab two snacks at some point during the day.

This leaves you with your final 3 days without the dining option and you would have to pay out of pocket for those days. Chances are very good that the final day is a traveling day anyway and at best you would only need a breakfast and lunch at Disney.

You can also do this by splitting your stay into 5 nights with the dining and 2 without. The idea is to start your vacation with the dining option and then switch to your final nights without it. It doesn't work well going in the other direction.

 

[MeredithJ]

Pumpkinfish--since it is just you and your DH, my plan wouldn't work for you, unless you wanted to pay for two rooms, which would obviously be more expensive than paying for both of you to do the dining package.

I think mad4themouse has a great idea for you though. You can have tickets for any number of days included in your package, so you definitely would want to do your package days first, as she suggests. What I would do is figure out how many sit down restaurants you want to eat at. Let's say it is 3. Then maybe you would only want to do a 3 night package, with the remainder of your trip as room only. That would allow you to eat well the first few days, and eat lighter the remaining days of your trip.

Happy planning!

Meredith

 

[BettyCv]

mad4themouse,

You seem to have a good understanding of the plan, so can I get your opinion on this...

We are considering splitting our stay 3 nights at Poly, then 3 nights at POR. We would buy 6 day (probably hopper) tickets. I understand that day 4 we could still use up our dining plan meals. What are they attached to - your room key? That wouldn't be a problem - as long as they are still good until midnight (the meals, that is). Now, what are the tickets tied to? Your room key also? What would happen when we switch to POR? Would they transfer our remaining days of the hopper onto our POR room key?? Or are the park tickets a different item altogether? If that is the case, what we would probably do is check out of Poly in the a.m. of day 4, drive to AK, then drive to POR and check in after we finish at AK.

Does that sound right?

Betty