Dining Plan Question

[mdoc]

We're staying at the Fort Thanksgiving week, and I was thinking of adding the dining plan. The problem I have is that we're arriving very late (after 10) our first night, and we're leaving at the crack of dawn on our departure day. Add that to the fact that there's no counter service option at FW for our campground day, and the DDP starts to make less sense. Is it possible to split my reservation so the first night and the last night are on different reservations, and just get the dining plan for the 5 nights in the middle? If so, would I have to change sites? That of course would be the end of that idea!

 

[Rhonda]

Yes, you could make separate, room-only reservations for those 2 nights (so you would have a total of 3 reservations).

But, you don't need to use your credits on certain days! You can use them any way you want, over your stay. And, there are Signature restaurants that take 2 TS service credits each too!

 

[mdoc]

Thanks! We're not interested in the signature restaurants or the dinner shows, and we eat breakfast in the camper, so we're pretty much looking at one CS lunch and one TS dinner for each of the 5 days we'll be in the parks, and maybe a Trail's End breakfast out of pocket on our campground day, since a Trail's End breakfast wouldn't be a wise use of a TS credit. I made the ADRs for the TS dinners 180 days out, so that's all set. Do you know whether, if I make separate room only reservations, if they'd make us move sites?

 

[clkelley]

I have had as many as four reservations for one stay, and I never moved sites!!

Have Disney Reservations link the three reservations.

Just send Ft. Wilderness a fax 5 days out with the three reservation numbers and they will keep you in the same site for the entire time.

 

[BradyBz12]

Do you know whether, if I make separate room only reservations, if they'd make us move sites?

We've had multiple linked reservations 4 or 5 times now. When you make them they always tell you there is a possibility you will need to move sites, but we have never had to once we checked in.

Have a great trip!

 

[landryfam]

In the process of planning a trip for Feb. 2010. We stayed last year at POP for 7 nights and did no get the dining plan. I paid out of pocket for meals, packed sandwiches and snacks every day. We did book Chef Mickeys and CRT which cost $350. For the Feb 2010 trip we plan to stay at the Fort and the option to bbq or use a crock pot could safe us $$$$$. We plan on staying 11 nights = >$1000 on dining plan.

I am curious if I break my trip up...lets say ressie #1 4nights 10 day park hopper and dining...ressie#2 room for 7 nights only - link the two ressie's together, will I have to use the dining plan within those first 4 nights? It would be nice to have a few character meals/ buffets. The cost would be $400 and include 2 or 3 character meals (4 table services), 4 quick services, and 4 snacks (not bad considering I paid $350 for 2 meals in December)

guess If we have to eat out, then cook a whole bunch...at least we get a few meal outings without going overboard on food cost

 

[LarryJ]

We've had multiple linked reservations 4 or 5 times now. When you make them they always tell you there is a possibility you will need to move sites, but we have never had to once we checked in.

Have a great trip!

We've had the same experience for the last 4 or 5 trips. We just make sure to check in on the new ressie first thing in the morning.

Larry

 

[kaguilbeau]

In the process of planning a trip for Feb. 2010. We stayed last year at POP for 7 nights and did no get the dining plan. I paid out of pocket for meals, packed sandwiches and snacks every day. We did book Chef Mickeys and CRT which cost $350. For the Feb 2010 trip we plan to stay at the Fort and the option to bbq or use a crock pot could safe us $$$$$. We plan on staying 11 nights = >$1000 on dining plan.

I am curious if I break my trip up...lets say ressie #1 4nights 10 day park hopper and dining...ressie#2 room for 7 nights only - link the two ressie's together, will I have to use the dining plan within those first 4 nights? It would be nice to have a few character meals/ buffets. The cost would be $400 and include 2 or 3 character meals (4 table services), 4 quick services, and 4 snacks (not bad considering I paid $350 for 2 meals in December)

guess If we have to eat out, then cook a whole bunch...at least we get a few meal outings without going overboard on food cost

I thought of doing something similar to this on our upcoming trip. My thought was that if I were going to do the dining plan for only part of my stay, that I would chose the latter half of the stay - - thinking I would've pretty much run out of groceries by that time!

 

[landryfam]

I see you are also from Louisiana...hello neighbor. Hope you made out okay through the storms

You are prob right...the groceries will be gone I was hoping to have the dining plan in the middle of the trip. Maybe I haven't thought this through yet but.... I was thinking in order to book the dining plan you must purchase park tickets. The whole reason for only doing part of the trip on dining is due to the cost. So if you order your tickets on the second ressie to book dining you can't use your tickets until the first day of that ressie, right? Maybe I am wrong? Hmmmm???

If that is the case and you purchase some tickets for the first part of the trip and the rest on the second ressie, you end up paying more money for 4 day ticket vs buying 10 days up front. It may not end up costing as much as 10 days of dining...but on my pocket book all pennies count

 

[kaguilbeau]

I see you are also from Louisiana...hello neighbor. Hope you made out okay through the storms Yep - we went to Houston for one and rode out Ike. Only have to replace my roof now. AND that cut into any vacation fund I might have!

You are prob right...the groceries will be gone I was hoping to have the dining plan in the middle of the trip. Maybe I haven't thought this through yet but.... I was thinking in order to book the dining plan you must purchase park tickets. The whole reason for only doing part of the trip on dining is due to the cost. So if you order your tickets on the second ressie to book dining you can't use your tickets until the first day of that ressie, right? Maybe I am wrong? Hmmmm???
I think you have a point here. I didn't think about the park tickets. We do have a few left over from a previous trip, but it wouldn't be enough to last more than one day
If that is the case and you purchase some tickets for the first part of the trip and the rest on the second ressie, you end up paying more money for 4 day ticket vs buying 10 days up front. It may not end up costing as much as 10 days of dining...but on my pocket book all pennies count

Does someone else have a comment on this ticket purchase thing?

 

[Goofy4]

We have a split stay between DVC/AKL and the Cabins and will be buying park tickets separately. 3+5 day tickets is much more than an 8 day ticket.

One nice thing with DVC (we're renting) is that the dining plan is still an option separate from park tickets.

 

[Escape Artist]

Does someone else have a comment on this ticket purchase thing?

Howdy neighbors (from near Houston)...we took one for the team with Ike, but yikes, what a price! Good luck with your roof, we have lots of folks here in blue tarp mode now, too.

Yes, you're right, in order to book the dining plan, you have to buy at least a one-day ticket on the same reservation. So if your DDP is on your 2nd reservation, your park tickets won't be available until you check in on your 2nd reservation.

We did a split reservation in 2007 that was a combo of what everyone here's been saying: 1st res, 1 night, room only. 2nd res, 5 nights on DDP with 10 day park tickets, 3rd res, rest of trip, room only, all reservations with AAA discount. Our first night, we set up our campsite and cruised FW and other resorts, so we really didn't miss the parks. But I liked having the DDP come early in our trip, since I wanted our park tickets for our 1st full day, and we were so excited to be there, we wanted to go to the restaurants right away. After a while, everyone got kind of tired of "I've got to be where, when?" for reservations and "It's sooooo much food," I was glad I only had the dining plan for 5 days. I think 4 days would have been about perfect, and then your park tickets are still good for the rest of your trip, and you can relax and enjoy the rest of your time there.

We had our minivan with us, so we just ran over to Wal-Mart whenever we needed more groceries, and that worked out fine. We never had to change sites, but we did check in for each reservation. And by the time we got to the 3rd reservation, we had our park tickets on one set of Keys to the World cards and our charging privileges on another, so that got a bit confusing, but it was worth it!

Have a great trip!

Sue in Texas
...only minor damage at my place, but now all my trees point due east!

 

[kaguilbeau]

Sue - thanks for that scenerio . It helps to see it spelled out with details!
We have 7 of us (all considered adults by Disney)- and the kids are used to eating at the camper with a few counter service meals here and there. We might "treat" to a table service only once. I'll have to crunch the numbers, but I think we might be better off paying OOP.

But I needed to know what you said above in order to figure out the differences.

Regarding Ike - it really surprises me to see photos of the Bolivar Pen area where everything is totally wiped out, but maybe one or two nicer camps standing. I thought that would make perfect advertising for the particular builder of that camp/home! When we went to Houston to ride out Gustav, my 18 & 19 yr olds went with me and my 12 yr old son stayed home with Dad to protect the house. When us girls returned home, they announced that "next time they were staying!" and my son said, "Well, next time I'm leaving!!!"