Adding the DDP at check-in?

[JustineMarie]

We have just returned from an extremely last minute trip to WDW. We were supposed to fly in last fri. morning and stay at BWV for the length of our stay. I booked the room through CRO on Tuesday. When I was on the phone with the CM, she had asked if I wanted to add the dining plan, and I told her that I wasn't sure yet but once I talked to my husband about it I would call back and add it if he wanted it. She told me, don't worry about calling back, you can always add it at check in. I told her thank you and finished up with the phone call.

On Thursday afternoon, i called SOuthwest to see if our flight was going to be cancelled or delayed on Friday morning, and they told me that they didn't know yet, but that they had room on a flight at 6:40pm that night. We said we would take it, and continued to call CRO to find a room for Thursday night. The only room that was available was at POR.

When we got to POR to check-in, we were asked if we wanted to add the dining plan for that night. My DH said, no, since we were only staying there that one night, and that we would just add it once we got to BWV in the morning. The CM said fine and continued to check us in.

The following morning we headed over to BWV to check in and get our key cards so we could start using our dining credits. The front desk CM checking us in told us that we can't add the DDP. I asked Why and she said that it must be added at least 72 hours beforehand. I told her that just last night I was asked if we wanted to add it at POR and she said that she didn't know why bc they aren't allowed to do that. I continued to tell her that the woman from CRO that we had booked the BWV through had told us that we would be able to add the meal plan at check-in. She said that she couldn't do it. I asked to speak to a manager. The front desk manager came over after about 15 minutes and told us that she had just made a call over to CRO and spoke to the woman who booked us our room, who told her that she had never said that we could add the DDP at check-in and that she was sorry she couldn't help us. So, we ended up with no dining plan. Is this always practice? I know that with DVC you can only add the dining plan 72 hours beforehand but I didn't think that was the same policy for CRO? Anyone know?

 

[Luv2Roam]

Correct. DDP cannot be added in at check in or even after check in.
72 hours/3 days has always been the requirement when booking through Disney. I think some TAs even require more time, judging by what I read on the Dis.
I suspect if the front desk person had tried to add it, the system would not allow it. Don't know what would happen though. That would be the problem of the resort.
Hopefully you have the names of who told you, as they appear to need to be retrained if that is what they said.

Maybe the person at check in thought you were there on DVC points. But my understanding is even that has to be set up prior to check in. But a DVC-er can answer that.

 

[mbanks21]

You must add the DDP outside of 72 hours from check in unless youre a DVC member. That is standard practice

 

[Luv2Roam]

And that has always been the case.

However a week ago yesterday DH and I checked into the Beach Club and I about fell over when the check in CM asked if we wanted to add the DDP.
I told her I would love to, but to my knowledge we could not.
I think they get so use to distributing credits they sometimes forget.