Help me with dining plan problems

[snowwhite28]

Hi. We booked for July Walt Disney's Port Orleans Riverside for 3 nights and then are heading over to Walt Disney's Yacht and Beach Club for the remaining 4 nights. We were interested in purchasing the Disney Dining plan but the castmember told us that since we made reservations for the two Disney hotels we have to purchase our park tickets separatly and can not purchase a seven day pass. We have to buy a three day park pass and a separate 4 day park pass to get the disney dining package. It is so much cheaper to get a 7 day park pass instead of a 4 day one. Does anyone know if this is true?Help!

 

[TDC Nala]

It's true that you can't buy the dining plan for both reservations without also buying tickets for everyone in the party with each reservation. You can get the dining plan only with a room/tickets package. The only exceptions are annual passholders and DVC members on a DVC reservation.

The length of the tickets don't matter though. You can buy a 7 day pass with your first reservation, and a one-day pass with your second. The one day passes never expire and you can hold onto them and use them on another trip, or upgrade them to a multi-day pass later on. Or, if there's absolutely no way you can use them on a future trip, buy a 6 day pass and the 1 day pass. It will cost you a little more than the 7 day pass would but you will have your dining plan. Best course would probably be saving the one-day passes for another trip.

 

[Faldred]

Yes, it's true. Although not entirely.

Each reservation for the dining plan requires a room + ticket + dining plan "package" purchase. (Exceptions: annual pass holders and DVC members staying on points.)

However, there's nothing saying you couldn't make the first ticket package a 7-day MYW ticket, and leave the second package as a 1-day MYW ticket. You can then hold onto the 1-day ticket for a later visit, or even sell/give it to someone else. The "held" ticket can be upgraded to the actual length and add-ons needed within 14 days of its first use.

 

[Faldred]

Follow-up...

If you don't want to have "extra" tickets for a later visit, you could still do a 6-day plus a 1-day, which would save about $85/adult (including tax) over a 3-day and a 4-day.