Dining Plan for Shorter than Stay?

[Wendie]

Another newbie question here

We plan on getting to Orlando on a Monday afternoon and going to the parks Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and then heading to another part of Florida on Saturday. This means booking our resort for a 6 day span but we only plan on Disney-ing it up four of those days. Is there a way to opt out of the Dining Plan on the day we arrive and the morning we leave or??? From the numbers I've ran, it looks like it makes a $200+ different in our costs and we will not be around to eat on Monday or Saturday, so I'd rather not pay for the dining plan those days if at all possible? Do we need to stay off property to make that happen?

 

[kaytieeldr]

Another newbie question here

We plan on getting to Orlando on a Monday afternoon and going to the parks Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and then heading to another part of Florida on Saturday. This means booking our resort for a 6 day span but we only plan on Disney-ing it up four of those days. Is there a way to opt out of the Dining Plan on the day we arrive and the morning we leave or??? From the numbers I've ran, it looks like it makes a $200+ different in our costs and we will not be around to eat on Monday or Saturday, so I'd rather not pay for the dining plan those days if at all possible? Do we need to stay off property to make that happen?

Only by making three separate reservations: one room-only for your first night, one four-night package, and another room-only for your last night. Are you not planning to eat on your arrival and departure days? Are there any dinner shows or Signature restaurants that appeal to you?

 

[Wendie]

Only by making three separate reservations: one room-only for your first night, one four-night package, and another room-only for your last night. Are you not planning to eat on your arrival and departure days? Are there any dinner shows or Signature restaurants that appeal to you?

Monday we will arrive at about 7 pm so that doesn't seem worth a days worth of meal credits and Saturday morning we will hit the road early to do other things in Florida, so no Disney dining that day either.

If I book separate reservations, are we going to be shuffled around inside the resort or will we get to keep the same room?

 

[aaarcher86]

Monday we will arrive at about 7 pm so that doesn't seem worth a days worth of meal credits and Saturday morning we will hit the road early to do other things in Florida, so no Disney dining that day either. If I book separate reservations, are we going to be shuffled around inside the resort or will we get to keep the same room?

Most likely you'll get the same room but there is no guarantee.

 

[purple figment]

Monday we will arrive at about 7 pm so that doesn't seem worth a days worth of meal credits and Saturday morning we will hit the road early to do other things in Florida, so no Disney dining that day either.

If I book separate reservations, are we going to be shuffled around inside the resort or will we get to keep the same room?

The reservations will have to be for the exact same room category and you'll need to let them know that you have a continuing reservation. As much as possible they will try to keep you in the same room, but there is no guarantee. Also, regardless of whether you'll be able to stay in the same room or not, you will have to go to the front desk to check out/check in each time.

If you are not able to stay in the same room you will have to pack up and store your luggage with bell services or in your car if the new room is not ready yet.

The dining plan is based on the number of NIGHTS you'll be staying. If you're arriving on Monday and departing on Saturday that is 5 nights. You could have dinner after you arrive or plan a 2 credit signature meal or dinner show for one of the days and use any leftover counter service credits for a meal to take with you on Saturday.

Another option is to look into a room rate discount and pay for food OOP.

 

[nanhol]

Monday we will arrive at about 7 pm so that doesn't seem worth a days worth of meal credits and Saturday morning we will hit the road early to do other things in Florida, so no Disney dining that day either.

If I book separate reservations, are we going to be shuffled around inside the resort or will we get to keep the same room?

As PP stated, you will only get 5 (not 6) days of meal credits, as it's based on the number of nights you're staying. That really means just one extra snack, QS and TS per person.

I'd recommend planning out your meals for each day and deciding what makes sense then. If you have any signature restaurants planned then you'll use 2 TS credits per person (Cinderella's Royal Table, California Grill, etc.), and that will still allow you to have a TS on all of the other days.

We were in a similar boat on our first trip and found that we liked having an extra QS to use for breakfasts--we shared some breakfasts to make those extra QS credits go farther for us.