Check-in, DDP questions...

[Crystal_27]

We booked one night at BLT before our cruise in September, 2009. Our friends (who will also be cruising with us) will be joining us in our villa. DH and I want to book the dining plan for our one night's stay but our friends do not. My understanding is that everyone staying at the villa must have the dining plan. Can anyone confirm that understanding? Also, there will be 7 people staying in our 2 bedroom villa (4 adults, 3 children) - - will everyone in the party receive a KTTW? If so, does everyone need to be there when we check in? Thank you in advance for your help!

 

[Deb & Bill]

Everyone on the reservation will need to buy the dining plan. So if you buy it your guests will have to buy it as well.

Everyone age three or older will get a KTTW. If you get the dining plan, the credits will be grouped on each card. So one of your guests could use all 7 snack credits at one time.

Everyone staying in your villa must be registered to the room. If you are staying at BLT, they will not be able to get to the Tower from the CR without a KTTW (room key). Everyone needs a room id to cross the connecting link/corridor between the tower and the CR.

Sounds like you might be a new member. Learn now to follow the DVC requirements and your life as a member will be much easier.

Your guide is merely a salesperson and not able to tell you how to break the rules.

 

[Dean]

We booked one night at BLT before our cruise in September, 2009. Our friends (who will also be cruising with us) will be joining us in our villa. DH and I want to book the dining plan for our one night's stay but our friends do not. My understanding is that everyone staying at the villa must have the dining plan. Can anyone confirm that understanding? Also, there will be 7 people staying in our 2 bedroom villa (4 adults, 3 children) - - will everyone in the party receive a KTTW? If so, does everyone need to be there when we check in? Thank you in advance for your help!

As noted, all will need to be listed and either get or not get the DDP. You could get separate rooms if available but it's not worth the extra points. You'll need to work out with your friends which way to go. Ultimately the value of the DDP in your situation depends on when you arrive, the age of the children and what places you plan to eat at (and can get reservations). For one TS and one CS meal, it should be easy to figure the value either way by looking at the menus of your choices.

 

[Crystal_27]

Everyone on the reservation will need to buy the dining plan. So if you buy it your guests will have to buy it as well.

Everyone age three or older will get a KTTW. If you get the dining plan, the credits will be grouped on each card. So one of your guests could use all 7 snack credits at one time.

Everyone staying in your villa must be registered to the room. If you are staying at BLT, they will not be able to get to the Tower from the CR without a KTTW (room key). Everyone needs a room id to cross the connecting link/corridor between the tower and the CR.

Sounds like you might be a new member. Learn now to follow the DVC requirements and your life as a member will be much easier.

Your guide is merely a salesperson and not able to tell you how to break the rules.

Deb, thank you for your response. Please note that I was specifically asking this question to make sure I was following the rules properly which is why I specifically stated that I'm not trying to buck the system. My comment about asking my guide was intended to be tongue-in-cheek because I'm very well aware that he is a saleman and would likely tell me anything he thought I wanted to hear. Despite your last unnecessarily critical statements, I do appreciate the rest of the information contained in your post. Thank you.

As noted, all will need to be listed and either get or not get the DDP. You could get separate rooms if available but it's not worth the extra points. You'll need to work out with your friends which way to go. Ultimately the value of the DDP in your situation depends on when you arrive, the age of the children and what places you plan to eat at (and can get reservations). For one TS and one CS meal, it should be easy to figure the value either way by looking at the menus of your choices.

Thank you, Dean. We are trying to convince our friends that the DDP will be a good value for this trip (we will only need dinner on the 25th and breakfast on the 26th); unfortunately, our friends have never been to Disney and do not understand how expensive eating at the parks/resorts can be and how inconvenient going outside the Disney 'complex' is. They think they can just drive to Chick Fil-A (et al.) for meals. Since we will be driving separate vehicles, they may very well end up doing that anyway, so we will probably just have to plan on paying out of pocket for our meals. I just wanted to confirm my understanding that all people in one villa had to participate in DDP. Anyway, thank you again for your reply.

 

[Dean]

Thank you, Dean. We are trying to convince our friends that the DDP will be a good value for this trip (we will only need dinner on the 25th and breakfast on the 26th); unfortunately, our friends have never been to Disney and do not understand how expensive eating at the parks/resorts can be and how inconvenient going outside the Disney 'complex' is. They think they can just drive to Chick Fil-A (et al.) for meals. Since we will be driving separate vehicles, they may very well end up doing that anyway, so we will probably just have to plan on paying out of pocket for our meals. I just wanted to confirm my understanding that all people in one villa had to participate in DDP. Anyway, thank you again for your reply.

Why do I get a bad feeling from this. If you don't know already, I'd make sure they clearly understand the other costs of the cruise including tips. Given you're headed on a cruise, you may want to tone it down for the meals here or you may want to hit your favorites for the short period you're there. I'm assuming you won't be going to the parks.

If heading to McDonald's is their idea of dinner, your screwed, likely in more ways than 1. Decide where YOU want to go and go there. If they want to go as well, even better. If they decide to go with you that allows you to show them the menu's and costs. If not, you might consider getting it just for yourself and treating them in some ways. Possibly using for a signature the night before for yourself and then treating the group to a CS breakfast. Let us know what happens.

 

[Crystal_27]

Why do I get a bad feeling from this. If you don't know already, I'd make sure they clearly understand the other costs of the cruise including tips. Given you're headed on a cruise, you may want to tone it down for the meals here or you may want to hit your favorites for the short period you're there. I'm assuming you won't be going to the parks.

If heading to McDonald's is their idea of dinner, your screwed, likely in more ways than 1. Decide where YOU want to go and go there. If they want to go as well, even better. If they decide to go with you that allows you to show them the menu's and costs. If not, you might consider getting it just for yourself and treating them in some ways. Possibly using for a signature the night before for yourself and then treating the group to a CS breakfast. Let us know what happens.

LOLOLOL - we already had to have the "tips are not included in the price of the cruise conversation.." For us, the prices that Disney charges are just a matter of course, but I'm sure a new vacationer would be shocked that a typical CS meal can run upwards of $40-50 for a family of three. We still have about 6 months before the cruise, and I'm working very diligently to create another Disney-obsessed family.

We will likely end up buying the dining plan for all of us and just telling them Disney gave it to us for free because we are new DVC members. We are going to hit MNSSHP on the night before our cruise, so my thought was that we'll have to eat at MK that night either way, and I thought that going to Chef Mickey's for breakfast the day of our cruise would set a wonderful tone for the cruise. So, anyway, that was my rationale (plus those 7 snacks would be a added bonus for the night of the party - Dole Whip, popcorn, ice cream sandwich, Dole Whip (again), etc., etc., etc.).

And, since I'll be at BLT on September 25th, you can bet that I'm going to take pictures from every vantage point of our villa and post them live for my DISboard DVC buds.

 

[Dean]

LOLOLOL - we already had to have the "tips are not included in the price of the cruise conversation.." For us, the prices that Disney charges are just a matter of course, but I'm sure a new vacationer would be shocked that a typical CS meal can run upwards of $40-50 for a family of three. We still have about 6 months before the cruise, and I'm working very diligently to create another Disney-obsessed family.

We will likely end up buying the dining plan for all of us and just telling them Disney gave it to us for free because we are new DVC members. We are going to hit MNSSHP on the night before our cruise, so my thought was that we'll have to eat at MK that night either way, and I thought that going to Chef Mickey's for breakfast the day of our cruise would set a wonderful tone for the cruise. So, anyway, that was my rationale (plus those 7 snacks would be a added bonus for the night of the party - Dole Whip, popcorn, ice cream sandwich, Dole Whip (again), etc., etc., etc.).

And, since I'll be at BLT on September 25th, you can bet that I'm going to take pictures from every vantage point of our villa and post them live for my DISboard DVC buds.

I hope you don't end up with other issues along the way but not sure I'd lie to them even if you're trying to be nice. So you're thinking CS for dinner and Chef Mickey's Character breakfast for the TS. If that's the case, I'd just pay OOP unless all of the kids are under 10, even then I'd likely only get it if you're thinking Cosmic Rays for the CS option for the chicken/rib combo meal. The other issue is that if there's any chance they'll be traveling with you again, you may end up creating expectations that are unrealistic.

 

[Crystal_27]

I hope you don't end up with other issues along the way but not sure I'd lie to them even if you're trying to be nice. So you're thinking CS for dinner and Chef Mickey's Character breakfast for the TS. If that's the case, I'd just pay OOP unless all of the kids are under 10, even then I'd likely only get it if you're thinking Cosmic Rays for the CS option for the chicken/rib combo meal. The other issue is that if there's any chance they'll be traveling with you again, you may end up creating expectations that are unrealistic.

Actually, all the children are under 10 and we were thinking Cosmic Rays for the CS - LOL. DH and I got the chicken/rib combo when we were there in March and it was, by far, the best CS meal that we ate during our trip, and certainly the best at MK. And, what's sad is that we just ordered 2 adult platters and, with the accompanying desserts and drinks, it was over $40! Either way, DH thinks that if we lie to them we'll probably get tripped up somehow (that always happens, right?). So, we will probably end up paying out of pocket for our meals and they can either cook at the villa or do the fast food thing. We'll be in two separate cars so they certainly have the option to go off-site. We'll still be eating what we want even if they choose not to opt for the same choices.

 

[Dean]

Actually, all the children are under 10 and we were thinking Cosmic Rays for the CS - LOL. DH and I got the chicken/rib combo when we were there in March and it was, by far, the best CS meal that we ate during our trip, and certainly the best at MK. And, what's sad is that we just ordered 2 adult platters and, with the accompanying desserts and drinks, it was over $40! Either way, DH thinks that if we lie to them we'll probably get tripped up somehow (that always happens, right?). So, we will probably end up paying out of pocket for our meals and they can either cook at the villa or do the fast food thing. We'll be in two separate cars so they certainly have the option to go off-site. We'll still be eating what we want even if they choose not to opt for the same choices.

Kim and I get the combo and share it, still plenty of food. If you decide to pursue the DDP y ou might also consider altering your plan to one of the TS options for MK and then something like Pepper Market for breakfast using CS. Or if you can arrive early enough, you could get it for all but do lunch, dinner and breakfast for your crowd using the credits then maybe a snack for all at MK. There are LOTs of variations including using the credits for Signature option at Cont or GF.