"New" options for DDP with DVC...written info?

[hakepb]

I just pulled the following from the DVC site.

2010 Disney Dining Plan
Take advantage of Disney Dining Plan options for an easy and affordable way to enjoy meals and snacks at over 100 select restaurants throughout Walt Disney World® Resort. Choose from a variety of dining experiences for the length of your stay at Walt Disney World Disney Vacation Club Resorts or Walt Disney World Disney Collection hotels. Simply add a Disney Dining Plan selection to your reservation at least 48 hours prior to your check-in date. Payment in full is due at the time of adding the Disney Dining Plan to your reservation. Please contact Member Services for assistance by calling (xxx) xxx-xxxx* or (xxx) xxx-xxxx*.

It looks like the dining plan can still be added to a reservation. Why is there the concern about losing a reservation if you add it 48 hours prior to arrival?
Just wondering what I am missing.
Thanks,
Mike

I think the concern is in the process of splitting a single reservation into multiple segments for a split/partial DDP.
I think dvcnews mentioned there may be the chance of losing a reservation in that cancel/rebook process. But I believe ms just told dw that the new system let's them hold the old reservation.
But close to arrival, there is little availability so I understand the concern.

 

[alicat07]

I think the concern is in the process of splitting a single reservation into multiple segments for a split/partial DDP.
I think dvcnews mentioned there may be the chance of losing a reservation in that cancel/rebook process. But I believe ms just told dw that the new system let's them hold the old reservation.
But close to arrival, there is little availability so I understand the concern.

If you are planning on doing the split DDP on 1 reservation, can you let us know if they really do hold the reservation to split the dining plans? That is my main concern, we are leaving in little over a month and I don't want to lose the reservation as we have 9 people in our room (GV). If it gets cancelled I know we will lose it so I don't want to take that chance. Thanks!

 

[hakepb]

Sorry. I guess I got lucky because I had to piece my reservation together through multiple calls and some waitlisting, which resulted in (3) 2 day reservations. So I'll just use one of those existing parts for my partial DDP

 

[simmons_m]

Thanks all.

 

[hakepb]

Well, I added the DDp to the first 2 nights, and It sounded like there was a rebooking, but they re-assured us that we would not loose our reservation. But it did take some 15 mins on hold.
There was some mention of difficulty re-adding the people, so I wonder if they were re-booking the room or re-adding people..

 

[n2mm]

I'm watching this too as it's something I might consider for my January trip. Hoping that MS gets the bugs out first before I call and do it.

 

[bunkkinsmom]

Could you also add the regular dining plan for some of your nights and the deluxe or premium dining plan for other nights?

Excellent question!!!

 

[alicat07]

OK I called MS again to confirm. What they do is they look up your reservation, then check to see if your room is available for your vacation, and if it is, they do a cancel and rebook to split your vacation and your meal plans. I don't think I'll have any luck with it then, because we are leaving in little over a month and in a Grand Villa in AKV (booked at 11 months out), so I know there will probably be a waitlist and my reservation would be gone. Not taking any chances

 

[alicat07]

OK NEW NEWS!!!!

I was told by the CM earlier that I would have to cancel and rebook but since the system was down they couldn't check to see if there were my dates and unit available (which I am positive it wouldn't be). So she told me to call back after noon.

Well, I just called back and the CM I got this time said that my room type and dates were not available but she would see if she could make an exception--so she had me on hold for about 5 minutes and came back saying that she could definitely hold our current reservation and just add the DxDP for the first 2 nights, then do the DDP for the last 3 night. All without losing our reservation! So she put me on hold for about another 10 minutes and came back just for payment, and we are all set!!! I can't believe that we were able to do this. Since I told her I had read about them doing this, she told me at the end to make sure I can let Disboards know that my transaction went smooth. I am thrilled to say the least!!

So it definitely depends on who you get on the phone. I got a woman named Madison, and she was great.

 

[kristenrice]

I guess I am a little confused as to why they need to cancel and rebook your reservation. If the new system combines multiple reservations under one number (i.e. automatically linking them), why would it need to generate new reservations? If I have a 5-night stay booked without a DDP, I can just call to add it on without a risk of losing the reservation. But, if I want to split it up to add a DDP onto the first two nights only, then they need to cancel and rebook it? This doesn't make sense in my mind. Why wouldn't they need to cancel and rebook the entire 5-night stay in order to add the dining plan?

 

[alicat07]

I guess I am a little confused as to why they need to cancel and rebook your reservation. If the new system combines multiple reservations under one number (i.e. automatically linking them), why would it need to generate new reservations? If I have a 5-night stay booked without a DDP, I can just call to add it on without a risk of losing the reservation. But, if I want to split it up to add a DDP onto the first two nights only, then they need to cancel and rebook it? This doesn't make sense in my mind. Why wouldn't they need to cancel and rebook the entire 5-night stay in order to add the dining plan?

Right now if you didn't have the DDP and your reservation was for 5 nights, you can call and book for the DDP and it would apply to all your nights. In the future, if you want to have different DDP on different days (or no dining plan on some portion) it would be booked from the beginning (when you initially call to book your reservation) in "segments". Meaning it would be a 2 night segment, then a 3 night segment, all within 1 reservation, so you can have separate plans on those segments. Right now, since existing reservations are already booked as 1 "segment", the new system makes you need 2 different "segments" to do it. So existing reservations would have to be rebooked into segments.

 

[hakepb]

It seems to me that DVC enhanced our system, allowing segments (without needing to checkout and in).
This change essentially 'tricked' the old dining system into allowing partial DDP's. Because the dining system is set to bill complete reservations only.
Now, instead of dvc only passing reservation numbers to dining, the dvc system can pass segments. But those segments need to get created, thus rebooking.

 

[Anthony1971]

You have to check in and out for each segement--or at least go to the front desk to get a new room key.
They will seperate it any way you want.
They would NOT change my existing reservation I decided to switch anyway... as the rooms I had were no longer avialable.
I would make sure this is done when you book not at a later date as they may or may not be able to change the reservation or segments...
I had a 4 day stay that I seperated into 3 segments which will give me the DP on all 3 full days we are there so I have 3 days to use 2 TS and 2 CS which works well for us.

 

[alicat07]

You only have to get a new room key for each segment right now, she told me that they are updating their systems next year to not have to do that. So we will be going in Dec and have to get new room keys, but in the future we will not have to do that.

 

[heynowirv]

OK NEW NEWS!!!!

I was told by the CM earlier that I would have to cancel and rebook but since the system was down they couldn't check to see if there were my dates and unit available (which I am positive it wouldn't be). So she told me to call back after noon.

Well, I just called back and the CM I got this time said that my room type and dates were not available but she would see if she could make an exception--so she had me on hold for about 5 minutes and came back saying that she could definitely hold our current reservation and just add the DxDP for the first 2 nights, then do the DDP for the last 3 night. All without losing our reservation! So she put me on hold for about another 10 minutes and came back just for payment, and we are all set!!! I can't believe that we were able to do this. Since I told her I had read about them doing this, she told me at the end to make sure I can let Disboards know that my transaction went smooth. I am thrilled to say the least!!

So it definitely depends on who you get on the phone. I got a woman named Madison, and she was great.

I talked to madison on 10/12 when the system was getting updated,and you're right she was wonderful then as well.

 

[Anthony1971]

You only have to get a new room key for each segment right now, she told me that they are updating their systems next year to not have to do that. So we will be going in Dec and have to get new room keys, but in the future we will not have to do that.

We are going in May of 2011 and this is the info we were given.
I do not see how you could have one key as the DP info would need to be on the key and if you went from the QS to DP to Deluxe or some combinataion.
Your room key would be like a sign in NYC with parking information on it

 

[bookwormde]

It sounds like if you are thinking bout this it would be best to build your reservation out of a bunch of linked reservations up front, and then when it gets close in to add the DDP

bookwormde

 

[alicat07]

We are going in May of 2011 and this is the info we were given.
I do not see how you could have one key as the DP info would need to be on the key and if you went from the QS to DP to Deluxe or some combinataion.
Your room key would be like a sign in NYC with parking information on it

LOL nice one! I was just repeating what Madison had told me. She told me that they will be making it so that future reservations would be on one room key even with different segments. Not sure of when it will be implemented. But she made me think that when we go next October it will be in place. Who knows. Only time will tell!

 

[DisneyNutzy]

Does everyone on your reservation still have to be on the dining plan? Thought I also read a rumor with the new system you could also leave some people in your room off the dining plan.

 

[saintstickets]

We have a split stay coming up after Thanksgiving.
AKV 11/28-12/01 Kidani-Studio Std View
BWV 12/01-12/04 Studio Pref View
(We also have a waitlist for BWV, same time, 1BR, Std View)

I called to see if I could get the DP for the final night at BWV (12/03) only. I told them that if it put my reservation in jeopardy that I did not want to do it. I was put on hold for less than 5 minutes and when MS returned, I was given a new reservation number for the final night. She also told me that the waitlist had been footnoted to split it up too if and when it became available. I had my DVC account pulled up while we were talking, refreshed the page and sure enough the new reservation number was there!

BTW, when I was online before I called MS, I noticed that my reservation numbers had changed. When I was speaking to MS, I asked about this and was told that the new system assigned new reservation numbers but that they could look up the reservation using the old numbers.

GLTA!!