Doing Premium dining for part of trip.

[amyr1]

I have NOT thought this all the way through.

We plan for a trip the week before Memorial Day weekend. Thinking of pulling the kids out of school a few days early and arriving around the 22 or 23rd. Plan to stay a total of 11 nights. Have to be home by 6/3/12. We like staying at POP. 2 adults, 1 "disney adult" and 1 child (7yo) No free dining (so far) for our dates but I am crossing my fingers for at least some kind of room discount.

So, here's my thought...what if we did the Premium or Platinum package for one night of our trip? Check in very early and then will have 3 meal credits to use and also all the tours for that day PLUS the next day. Since we have to buy park tickets in order to get the dining plan...I'll go ahead and buy the 10 day park hopper tickets. On the second day we will move to a room only reservation. Our tickets will still be good, and we won't buy the dining plan and just pay oop for our meals.

I know I still have to work out the "how to get there bright and early on the first day in order to maximize useage perks."

Questions:
1. can you do the premium or platinum package and stay at POP or does it require a higher class of resort??? I played around on the WDW website and as soon as I added the premium dining package it popped up and said no rooms were available and to change the dates. I kept putting in different dates and even changed resorts and it kept happening. glitch?

2. Does the 3 meals/night mean we can do dinner one night and then lunch and dinner the next night or must 1 be breakfast, 1 be lunch, and 1 be a dinner??

Amy

 

[catne]

Editted to make a correction! it was a good idea and many people have done this the last couple of years, but Disney's "onto" us...as of 2012 you cannot book premium for just one night. Last thing I saw on it required a THREE night minimum to book premium or platinum. (Just looked at Disney' website: http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/vacation-packages/2012/premium/)

As for resort level, doesn't matter, you can book these plans for any resort.

Those plans are not cheap...it's like $159 per adult per night. (that was this year, next year is undoubtedly more.)

If you choose to get the premium it does work like the other plans...it starts as soon as you check in, and the credits are good until midnight of the day you check-out of that reservation. So if you booked it (for the 3 night minimum) all the credits would be available right when you checked in, and then good until midnight of day 3 (the day you checked out of the first reservation and checked into the room-only reservation.)

 

[Cafeen]

As for resort level, doesn't matter, you can book these plans for any resort.

Platinum does require Deluxe or Deluxe Villa. Other than that, everything is spot on .

 

[TDC Nala]

The three night minimum for Premium or Platinum Package Plans starts in 2012. Because the OP will be traveling in 2012 they will not be able to book the package for only one night.

The Premium and Platinum Package Plans are not Disney dining plans - they are a totally separate program, although the dining component does work in basically the same way as a dining plan. This is why DVC members are unable to book the package plans on points reservations, although they can book dining plans. It is also why a guest cannot upgrade a free Dining Plan to a Premium or Platinum package.