Making First DVC Reservation

[charvel67]

We are new members of DVC. April 09 was my first visit to WDW since 1973. When we visited last April we stayed at PO Riverside. Myself, wife, 16,10,3 y.o. in studio. we fit just fine. My question is when we arrived on our first day last year we only had time to take a walk in DTD and get a bite to eat. We did buy the dining plan for our entire stay but I feel this was a waste for the first night. Now being a DVC member we are planning a trip for October and want to buy the plan again. How do we avoid paying for the dining plan for the first night since we wouldn't use it? Would we make 2 seperate reservations, one for a one night stay and then another for the rest of our stay? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[CarolMN]

Assuming you want to stay in the same room, you can't avoid paying for the Dining Plan for the first night. MS would not consider two reservations for the same thing as two separate reservations for Dining Plan purposes. You would have to change resorts, or the booking category (for example, move from a Value studio to a Savanna View studio at AKV) to really have two separate reservations.

You do not have to use the credits on a daily basis or at any particular time during your stay - you just have to use them between check in and midnight of the day you check out.

If you really want the DP, why not just do one of the signature restaurants (2 credits) for one of your TS meals? There are several that are very nice.

 

[Disneydonnam]

What if one night you did a signature restaurant or a dinner show?

 

[Sandisw]

You could always book a cash room for that first night at one of the WDW hotels, like POR again for that first day.

But you really wouldn't be saving much this way. As others have said, plan one of the Signature meals that takes 2 TS credits one that. The CS meals can be used to split breakfast during your stay or for meals on check out day, depending on when you are leaving.

Good luck!!

 

[YourEveryDayAdam]

if you buy the dining plan and don't fully use it the first night, it hasn't been wasted. The entitlements (meals) that you get for the 1st night are still good until midnight of the day you check out.

So, as an example, if you get there the first night and don't use any of the meal plan, you will each have an extra snack, counter service, and table-service to use.

A good way to use an extra table-service entitlement is to make a reservation for one of the dinner shows. Hoop dee doo, Spirit of Aloha, etc. You could also use the extra table-service entitlement to make a reservation at a signature-dining experience...these tend to be more upscale dining experiences (i.e. dress nice and it's a semi-formal occasion). Since the dinner shows and signature dining each costs two table service entitlements, if you go once during your trip for dinner one night then you have used your extra table service meal.

Another way to use your extra table service meal is to go for breakfast to chef mickey's one morning, in addition to your lunch and dinner that day.

Good ways to use an extra counter-service meal would be to go get breakfast at the counter-service location at your resort and bring it back to the hotel. If you only like to eat a light breakfast, then you could go down and get as much food as you can for your one counter service, bring it back to your room and share it. Do this once for each of you, and you have breakfast for a few mornings. If you're more the midnight-snack type of family, then go and just get a counter service dinner and bring it back and share.

Extra snacks are easy to spend Have an extra ice cream bar when you want to cool off, get a soda when you're thirsty, etc. There are a thousand ways to get rid of an extra snack. If you find that you've got a lot of snacks left over when you check out, stop by the hotel gift shop and get some packages of candy, bakery items, etc. to take home with you or eat on the trip home.

Just remember, you get the entirety of your purchased meal plan available to you at the start of your trip. and if you skip a meal, it's still available to you until midnight of the day you check out. This allows a pretty good deal of flexibility in how you use your meals.