Does this sound right?

[jazzielady]

We are headed to the World over MLK weekend for a religious conference, Fri - Mon. My sister and my daughters will be participants of the conference, I'm just "going along for the ride", so to speak.

I would like to purchase the dining plan for us while we are there. Called Disney Dining yesterday, and they said we would have to go through our event organizer.

My sister had already asked them and here was her reply: "I also just talked to our convention services manager who confirmed my initial assumption about Disney dining plans, which is that we cannot reserve them. Disney dining plans are part of a total vacation package, but since we are a convention, these plans do not apply."

The convention only supplies 3 meals over the course of the sessions.

I do not understand. We are staying on Disney property, purchasing 3-day park hopper tickets (which we will upgrade to 4 days, due to length of time we will be there).

Any and all advice and help will be much appreciated!

TIA!


Does anyone have any insight into this? If I call and pester them, do you think I can change their minds? Has anyone else been in this situation?

 

[LilyWDW]

We are headed to the World over MLK weekend for a religious conference, Fri - Mon. My sister and my daughters will be participants of the conference, I'm just "going along for the ride", so to speak.

I would like to purchase the dining plan for us while we are there. Called Disney Dining yesterday, and they said we would have to go through our event organizer.

My sister had already asked them and here was her reply: "I also just talked to our convention services manager who confirmed my initial assumption about Disney dining plans, which is that we cannot reserve them. Disney dining plans are part of a total vacation package, but since we are a convention, these plans do not apply."

The convention only supplies 3 meals over the course of the sessions.

I do not understand. We are staying on Disney property, purchasing 3-day park hopper tickets (which we will upgrade to 4 days, due to length of time we will be there).

Any and all advice and help will be much appreciated!

TIA!


Does anyone have any insight into this? If I call and pester them, do you think I can change their minds? Has anyone else been in this situation?

To get the Disney Dining Plan you must purchase the Magic Your Way package through Disney. Your convention situation would not qualify because most likely it's not an actual Magic Your Way package. We have had reports on these boards about this and they were not allowed to add the dining plan... and pestering them won't do anything because it simply can not be done. It's the way the dining plan and booking works.

I would also check on the type of tickets you are receiving. Some convention tickets can not be upgraded. From CF's ticket sticky:

E. I have a special ticket I would like to upgrade. Can this be done?

The only upgrades that can be done are to regular or Florida Resident MYW tickets, or Annual Passes to a higher level of Annual Pass.

Special Tickets include Touch of Magic, YES (Youth Educational Series) Program, used or unused Special Event Tickets (MNNSHP, MVMCP, NoJ) after the date of the event, any ticket that includes the word “comp”, “complimentary”, "SPORT", or "YOUTH" on it, and any tickets that are not sold at the Park Gates cannot be upgraded or modified in any way. The last group also includes most convention tickets and the Ultimate Park Hopper tickets not sold in the US or Canada. See Post #5 for more information.

If you have a special Convention ticket which includes one WPF&M visit, you may upgrade it only to add days (to a maximum of eight days on the ticket) at the Lobby Concierge of a Convention Center Resort. You cannot add other options and you cannot make the ticket No Expire.

 

[jazzielady]

I'm sorry, still having a brain fart. None of that seems to apply to us, can you clarify further?

 

[summermac]

Your room are not booked as part of a Magic Your Way package so you are not eligible for DDP. If you want to go DDP and all that, the best thing to do is book on your own with MYW. More than likely, you're getting a special conference rate for the room. Maybe. I don't know that for sure but I do know that when I attend conferences, there is always a special conference room rate if you book by a certain date.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

I'm sorry, still having a brain fart. None of that seems to apply to us, can you clarify further?

You are likely booked at a special convention rate with convention tickets. Not a regular package through Disney.

 

[LilyWDW]

I'm sorry, still having a brain fart. None of that seems to apply to us, can you clarify further?

As a convention, you are not booking a Magic Your Way Package through Disney. The convention is receiving some sort of discount on rooms and tickets. As such, your stuff does not qualify for the Dining Plan. To get the dining plan, you would have to purchase a regular Magic Your Way Package to qualify.

Once again, I would look at the type of tickets you are receiving. Some convention tickets can NOT be upgraded so you would not be able to add a 4th day to those either.

 

[hannahdrewmom]

We've been as part of a convention many times. You can not upgrade tickets normally. So have them double check now so you won't be dissappointed and the dining plan can not be included because of the steep discount that you are getting on rooms.

Just pay oop for the meals. In the long run what you are saving on the room far out weighs the value of the dining plan.

 

[TDC Nala]

Rooms booked through convention organizers are not MYW packages and are not eligible for the dining plan at all. If you are going through a convention or conference organizer, you are likely buying from a block of rooms that was sold to the convention organizers to be provided to participants at a discount. You are not booking directly through Disney and you are not booking a MYW package.

To get a dining plan, you would have to book your own package completely outside of the convention organization, and likely forego any discount the convention may be receiving (and sometimes those discounts can be substantial), and run the risk of being unable to book in the resort where the rest of the conference group are staying.

If I call and pester them, do you think I can change their minds?

No, because it's not a matter of their being unwilling to sell you a dining plan. Under the booking circumstances you have outlined, you are not eligible for the dining plan because you are not booking the type of reservation to which a dining plan can be added.

Also the OP apparently called WDW-DINE to ask about adding on a dining plan - just to note that WDW-DINE is only a dining reservation service. They are not able to add dining plans to room reservations of any kind. CRO (Central Reservations - 407-W-DISNEY) does that - but since the OP didn't book through CRO in the first place, there won't be anything CRO can do unless her party decides to cancel the conference room and book a package.

 

[nanalisa]

Disney is pester proof!

I agree with the other poster, you will probably be better off paying for your meals out of pocket if you are getting a conference discount.