Isn't the dining plan just for Disney resort guests?

[ms.yt]

The nurse at the doctor's office yesterday was telling my husband that they were going to WDW over spring break and were trying to decide whether or not to get the dining plan. However, he said that she told him they were staying at some offsite timeshare thing where you have to listen to their sales presentation. I thought that you had to be a Disney resort guest to get the DDP. Am I just thinking wrong?

 

[Aliceacc]

To the best of my knowledge you were correct.

 

[Allison]

It looks like she is in for a surprise if she tries to purchase the dining plan. It's for resort guests only.

 

[gigi1313]

unless she is staying DVC as an owner or on rented points (hence the timeshare comment), then she's mistaken... DDP is only available in a package which includes room and park tickets...

 

[kaytieeldr]

Nope, doesn't sound like DVC. You can stay there on cash, or you can stay using points (owned or rented), but you NEVER have to sit through a presentation. That nurse is wrong.

 

[ssawka]

Did she specifically saying the Disney Dining plan? Is it possible that the timeshare where they are staying has a restaurant and some kind of a dining plan?

 

[ms.yt]

The way he understood it, she was talking about the dining plan. I'm sure she's just one of those people who heard someone talk about Disney stuff and didn't take the time to find out the correct info. I'm fairly certain she's not staying at a DVC rental, because she said that she was paying $379 for 5nights.

 

[EnnEss]

I wrote to Disney about this last year because even though I was on property at CBR I could not get the ddp because my room had a corporate rate applied to it of 20 percent off I think, as well as discounted park tickets. You have to be on a MYW package, not even staying there is enough. It seems goofy as the point of it is to keep you there and I doubt anyone gives up their room discounts to get the ddp if they are in that situation, but that is how it is.

 

[RACHELSMOM1]

I wrote to Disney about this last year because even though I was on property at CBR I could not get the ddp because my room had a corporate rate applied to it of 20 percent off I think, as well as discounted park tickets. You have to be on a MYW package, not even staying there is enough. It seems goofy as the point of it is to keep you there and I doubt anyone gives up their room discounts to get the ddp if they are in that situation, but that is how it is.

It would be nice if you could purchase DDP in that case. After all, Disney does offer discounts on packages at times. It would be a very good marketing tool in my opinion, as the customer would want to return and utilize Disney facilities and DDP in the future. Our first trip to WDW we were at a convention at Gaylord Palms. Our visit to the World during our stay got us hooked, and we have been 28 times in 8 years. We didn't even stay onsite that first time, and we were hooked, and if we had been onsite and had a DDP we would surely have been hooked. I guess they figure people like us would get hooked on Disney just from visiting the parks, but I still think it would be a good idea to offer DDP to any Disney resort guests.

 

[Luv2Roam]

The DDP is part of a MYW package offered by WDTC, not resorts or parks. Hence a guest needs to purchase a travel package from WDTC. The only exception I know are DVC members. And I would assume that is a perk they have.

 

[EnnEss]

That's very misleading. You don't need to purchase from WDTC, you can use any agent who then purchases the MYW package on your behalf. You are indirectly purchasing from them in this case, but really you're indirectly purchasing from Disney everytime you go no matter who you are dealing with up front.

As I said, I booked directly with Disney with corporate rates. It has nothing to do with who you book with, the sole requirement is that you purchase a MYW package.

A pp said it is unfortunate as it seems a good marketing tool, I sent them an extremely long winded and detailed account of how I felt it could still make them money and keep me on site even if I did not buy the MYW package, someone actually phoned me to say thank you and they'll forward to marketing, just because. On arrival in WDW 8 months later there was a beach bag jammed with cookies, candies, and some other things along those lines and a note saying thank you for the feedback.

It was nice of them, I made it clear in the email it was not so much a complaint as an I don't understand why and I think your company may not either (policy for policies sake is rampant in corporations today), and I didn't ask for an exception to the rules. The bag was handy for our two day trip to the east coast and beach, which probably wouldn't have been taken if we had the ddp, hahaha.