Reservation with or without dining plan?

[Stacied68]

We are going in September 2014. We are hoping that free dining is offered but we are going to go either way. Should I make my reservation with or without the dining plan at this time?

 

[aaarcher86]

I would book what you're going with if FD does not come out. If you're doing a package you can just add FD on (pending availability) pretty easily.

If you book a room only and switch to a package to add FD they'll have to cancel/rebook you, refund your original deposit, and take a new one. It can be a pain.

 

[POOHsie]

Part of Sept is the Value season rate category. After Sept 26th you get into Food & Wine season and Columbus Day holiday, and the rates go up. Disney recently moved Food & Wine to start September 19th (from the usual end of Sept start). I think some people going for F&W will want to move into the September Value dates. That's what we did.

Based on moving Food & Wine earlier into September, coinciding with Value rates, my common sense guess would be that rooms will fill up and FD won't be offered. It's only offered to fill hotels when reservations are lagging.

As PP wrote, when you change a room-only reservation to a package, the reservation is actually cancelled and re-booked. Based on info above, there may be no rooms available if you try later to re-book your room-only to package. I'm not sure how that works if you reserve a package with dining plan and tickets, then later cancel dining plan. Is it considered a package modification only, or do you need to re-book? That's a question to ask a Disney agent. Book by phone so you can ask a Disney CM about this. If you didn't need to rebook in the second case, that would be my plan. You are only obligated to purchase minimum 1-day tickets for everyone in the room with paid dining plan. You can add on more days after you check-in. This will save some expense prior to check-in.

 

[giginator]

You can now book packages with rsort and dining plans added with no tickets. My husband works for disney reservations so this is absolutely true. We booked ours for November this year. We are getting our tickets through undercover tourist cheaper or yes program and them linking them to our reservation. Not an advertised thing but it is possible

 

[TDC Nala]

You can now book packages with rsort and dining plans added with no tickets. My husband works for disney reservations so this is absolutely true. We booked ours for November this year. We are getting our tickets through undercover tourist cheaper or yes program and them linking them to our reservation. Not an advertised thing but it is possible

I am seeing on the boards that the ability for the general public to book ticketless room plus dining packages has ended as of March 8.

Annual passholders and those eligible for the military room discount can still book them.

Will you get a package with dining plan whether it is free or not? If you're going to get the plan anyway, then go ahead and book it.

 

[aaarcher86]

I am seeing on the boards that the ability for the general public to book ticketless room plus dining packages has ended as of March 8. Annual passholders and those eligible for the military room discount can still book them. Will you get a package with dining plan whether it is free or not? If you're going to get the plan anyway, then go ahead and book it.

They're still offering it. They extended it after the test.

They've included ticketless package with the new summer room discount as well.