Adding DDP to split reservations but MS won't let me?

[Fellowship9798]

Maybe some of you can help confirm something. I have a 12 night stay in November/December at the BWV . Myself, DW, and 2 kids will be arriving the first night and staying in a studio. The next day my parents and sister will be joining us for a week and we'll be moving to a 2BR. Then they will leave and my family (DW, kids, and me) will move to a 1BR for 4 nights. All these reservations are Boardwalk View so I've made a request in all the reservations asking to try to let us stay in the same unit the whole time by taking the studio the first night, opening the door and making it a 2BR for a week, then closing the door and staying in the 1BR for the last few nights. I know this is NOT guaranteed and I've been told this by Member Services but I'm hoping for the best.

That's the background. Now on to my question...

What I would like to do is get the Dining Plan for the first night of our stay in the studio and the last 4 nights in the 1BR when it is just us. My parents may do some golfing off site a couple of days and my sister doesn't eat very large portions so the DDP doesn't make sense while they are with us in the 2BR, but for the few days on either end of our stay when it's just the 4 of us, we would like to try it. My understanding is that since it is actually 3 seperate reservations we could add the DDP just to the 2 that we wanted and not the middle portion.

I just called Member Services to do this, and the person I talked to would not let me. He called the DDP a "length of stay entitlement" that had to be reserved for the duration of the stay spanning all 3 seperate reservations or not at all.

This isn't how I understood that it works and I'm certain I've read of people splitting reservations specifically to apply the DDP to only a portion of their stay. Am I wrong or did I just talk to someone at MS who has the wrong idea?

Thanks for any advice. It's not a huge deal if I can't do what I planned. We just wanted to try the DDP on our own and not tie up my parents and Dsis in it too since they won't get the full benefit and we want to maintain more flexibility than the DDP allows while they are with us.

 

[dianeschlicht]

You got the wrong information from the person you spoke to. We did much the same thing you are proposing last December, and we had seperate DDP reservations for the different check-ins. We did NOT have the DDP when we were in the studio, did for the 2 bedroom reservation, and were not going to for the 1 bedroom portion, but we called up two days before that ressie started and requested it to be added, which it was. You still have to check in and out each of those reservations, so they are indeed seperate reservations.

 

[CarolMN]

Call back and try again.

If you get the same answer, ask if the CM would please check with a Supervisor. I agree with Diane - you should be able to do what you propose.

 

[disneynutz]

Maybe some of you can help confirm something. I have a 12 night stay in November/December at the BWV . Myself, DW, and 2 kids will be arriving the first night and staying in a studio. The next day my parents and sister will be joining us for a week and we'll be moving to a 2BR. Then they will leave and my family (DW, kids, and me) will move to a 1BR for 4 nights. All these reservations are Boardwalk View so I've made a request in all the reservations asking to try to let us stay in the same unit the whole time by taking the studio the first night, opening the door and making it a 2BR for a week, then closing the door and staying in the 1BR for the last few nights. I know this is NOT guaranteed and I've been told this by Member Services but I'm hoping for the best.

That's the background. Now on to my question...

What I would like to do is get the Dining Plan for the first night of our stay in the studio and the last 4 nights in the 1BR when it is just us. My parents may do some golfing off site a couple of days and my sister doesn't eat very large portions so the DDP doesn't make sense while they are with us in the 2BR, but for the few days on either end of our stay when it's just the 4 of us, we would like to try it. My understanding is that since it is actually 3 seperate reservations we could add the DDP just to the 2 that we wanted and not the middle portion.

I just called Member Services to do this, and the person I talked to would not let me. He called the DDP a "length of stay entitlement" that had to be reserved for the duration of the stay spanning all 3 seperate reservations or not at all.

This isn't how I understood that it works and I'm certain I've read of people splitting reservations specifically to apply the DDP to only a portion of their stay. Am I wrong or did I just talk to someone at MS who has the wrong idea?

Thanks for any advice. It's not a huge deal if I can't do what I planned. We just wanted to try the DDP on our own and not tie up my parents and Dsis in it too since they won't get the full benefit and we want to maintain more flexibility than the DDP allows while they are with us.

Are the reservations linked? If they are, that is your problem. We were told that a linked reservation is considered one stay. Even if you move to another room. Let us know what happens.

 

[n2mm]

Are the reservations linked? If they are, that is your problem. We were told that a linked reservation is considered one stay. Even if you move to another room. Let us know what happens.

This is what I believe too. If the reservations are linked it is considered one reservation and if the OP asked to be able to stay in the room/studio the entire time, I'm suspecting the reservations are linked. If so, they will need to be unlinked (if that is possible) which means that they are individual reservations and you most likely will have to change rooms several times. Keep us posted.

 

[toesmom]

This is what I believe too. If the reservations are linked it is considered one reservation and if the OP asked to be able to stay in the room/studio the entire time, I'm suspecting the reservations are linked. If so, they will need to be unlinked (if that is possible) which means that they are individual reservations and you most likely will have to change rooms several times. Keep us posted.

I think that is the case here. You would have to keep 3 separate unlinked reservations to be able to apply DDP for 1st and last part of your stay.

By doing that, however, you will likely have to change rooms. Although, I don't think you will be able to stay in the same room (and open the different sections as your reservations apply) even if you reservations are linked. You will likely have to change rooms at least 1 of the 2 times. You can ask, but it is not guaranteed, and especially if you have BW view, likely front desk won't be able to work around your request, you'll have to take what you can get.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Are the reservations linked? If they are, that is your problem. We were told that a linked reservation is considered one stay. Even if you move to another room. Let us know what happens.

Ours were linked last year, and we did that. We stayed in a studio and then opened the door for the 2 bedroom the next night and 5 nights later we locked off the studio and stayed in the 1 bedroom portion.

 

[Dean]

Things could have changed. Other programs that were similar did have a LOS requirement where any consecutive days at the same resort was counted as one stay. This has not been the case for the DDP but I wouldn't be surprised if they changed that. Still, I think you go incorrect info as it stands now, just call back and say nothing about the previous issues and simply give them the dates and reservation number for the portions you want and add the DDP. They can't formally be linked since they are different unit types.

 

[Sammie]

We were told as long as you don't link them you can split the DDP. However if you wish to be linked so you don't have to check out and check back in, then yes you will have to have the DDP for all of the stay or none of the stay.

Basically what Diane did is have seperate reservations, that were not linked, for as Dean said technically they can't link reservations of different unit size, and got lucky that she only had to check in and out but did not have to move.

You might get lucky and then again not but if you have 3 seperate reservation numbers you should be able to pick and choose which ones get DDP and which don't. Then you can request to stay in the same room but it will only be a request.

 

[zurgswife]

I had an unlinked ressie for July that I had 3 days of DDp through MS without issue...I think they must be linked.

 

[CarolMN]

But how can you link reservations for different unit types/sizes?

Even though the OP wants to "stay in the same unit" the whole time, the actual reservations are for a studio, then a 2 bedroom, then a 1 bedroom. Even if the OP doesn't to have to move very far, there will have to be new keys (thus a check out and check in process) for each change.

Unless the system has changed, those 3 reservations can't be linked and there is no guarantee that the OP will be able to do what has been requested anyway (and MS did point that out).

I still think the first CM was wrong and the OP should call back and try again.

 

[Dean]

But how can you link reservations for different unit types/sizes?

Even though the OP wants to "stay in the same unit" the whole time, the actual reservations are for a studio, then a 2 bedroom, then a 1 bedroom. Even if the OP doesn't to have to move very far, there will have to be new keys (thus a check out and check in process) for each change.

Unless the system has changed, those 3 reservations can't be linked and there is no guarantee that the OP will be able to do what has been requested anyway (and MS did point that out).

I still think the first CM was wrong and the OP should call back and try again.

Carol, I would bet the CM looked at the request not to move and incorrectly interpreted that as a linked reservation.

 

[Fellowship9798]

Well, I am the OP and I did call back and ask for the DDP to be added to the first studio night. I was told it was added and the total cost was $77.98 (2 adults only since our kids are under 3). I'll call back on Monday to add the DDP to the other reservation.

For reference, when I originally made the second of the 3 reservations I asked to link them together so we would have the best chance of not moving. All I actually meant by this was adding a request to remain in the same unit, not really understanding what "linking" meant at the time. The MS person stated that "linking" meant something different to them and they can't "link" the reservations that I had, only add a request not to move. I said this was fine and I understood it was only a request not a guarantee.

With that said, when I made the third reservation, I asked to confirm that they all had the note in the reservations about staying put and the MS agent I spoke to that time said something along the lines of "Hmmm, I see it there, but let me see if I can do something" then there was a pause, then she came back and said "OK, it's in there" and that was the end of it. Maybe things are linked? At this point I'm not sure if I really want to ask since I really don't want the DDP plan for the middle portion. If it's all or nothing for the DDP I would have to choose nothing since it won't work out well for the group with us in the middle.

For now I'm just going to call back, ask to add the DDP to the third reservation, and if I'm not shut down I'll leave it at that.

As for moving or not moving, I'll hope for the best. The check-in/check-out dates between the three reservations are both on Sundays, which I understand to be the big day for people coming and going. Hopefully the high turnover in the rooms on this day will give us the best shot at staying put.

Thanks to all for the opinions, analysis, and advice.

 

[wdwstar]

If ms lets you add the DDp to your third part of your ressies, make sure that when you check in and the ressies is linked togther and the cm tells you you can stay in the same room that they didnt charge you for the DDp for your second ressies. I would just move each part of your stay and this way you will not have to pay for the ddp the whole time. i know members that didnt realize they had the ddp and didnt use the ddp for their 2,3 different ressis
and was charged for the ddp the entire stay, not a very happy ending.
when ressies are lnked you have to pay for the ddp entire stay and everyone that is staying in the room.