Sharing on the Dining Plan

[kymomof2]

We have friends going to Disney for the first time. They have 6 nights booked with 6 people going (4 adults and 2 children).

Can they buy the dining for only 4 days if you have 6 nights booked?

Would they have to buy a package deal instead of room only to get dining plan.

Can they buy 4 tickets with dining plans and 2 regular adult tickets? 2 people would share meals with someone else.

Can they make reservations for 6 and use the dining plan to pay.

Thanks for the help. They keep asking me for suggestions, but I have never used the dining plan myself.

Thanks everyone!!!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

We have friends going to Disney for the first time. They have 6 nights booked with 6 people going (4 adults and 2 children).

Can they buy the dining for only 4 days if you have 6 nights booked?

No, you are given dining credits per night of your stay. If they are staying for six nights, they get six nights worth of dining credits.

Would they have to buy a package deal instead of room only to get dining plan.

Yes, a package is required in order to have the dining plan. The package includes the room, tickets, and dining.

There are some different combination for certain groups, such as annual passholders (a room+dining package, no tickets), but all still require a package.

Can they buy 4 tickets with dining plans and 2 regular adult tickets? 2 people would share meals with someone else.

No, all people in the room have to have the same package. All six would have the same tickets and have the dining plan.

On another note, some restaurants DO allow people to share meals - some people use this in order to maximize dining credits and allow for an extra meal or a 2-credit signature meal. If two adults share one credit, then you have an extra credit to use later. There are some exceptions - buffets and dinner shows require each person to use their credits, and certain restaurants (Via Napoli being a prominent example), do not allow sharing if you're using the dining plan. For the non-buffet restaurants, people tend to have the best luck sharing at the Disney-owned restaurants.

Can they make reservations for 6 and use the dining plan to pay.

Absolutely. You'd want to make the ADR for the number of people that are going to the restaurant and then use the credits for payment. Servers always ask if you're on the dining plan once you start the meal, so it's a pretty easy process.

 

[kymomof2]

Thank you this is such a big help!

 

[sharonabe]

Disney did a "trial run" of ticketless packages last year. You could get the dining plan with a room only reservation, but you MUST call Disney and ask for it; you can't do this through the website. Then they could get tickets elsewhere.

Same rules still apply: DDP for number of nights and everyone in the room must be on the plan.

 

[indyannamom]

Are all 6 staying in the same room or are they getting 2 rooms? If they're in two rooms, then the you'll do separate room reservations and have more options.

 

[Wendie]

We got around this by making two separate reservations. We aren't getting into Florida until like 5 pm on Monday, so I didn't want to pay for the Dining Plan that day, nor park passes. So we have a reservation at for hotel only and then a second reservation for the entire package the rest of our stay. There was a $300 difference by doing it this way, so it was definitely worth it for us. We'll pick up supper out of pocket Monday night and hang out in downtown Disney.

 

[ruthgator]

Wendie, do you think you'll have to switch rooms to do this with 2 ressies??
thanks!

 

[aaarcher86]

Wendie, do you think you'll have to switch rooms to do this with 2 ressies?? thanks!

It's possible, but unlikely.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Can they buy the dining for only 4 days if you have 6 nights booked?

No, they would have to buy 6 nights' worth unless they split their reservations.

Would they have to buy a package deal instead of room only to get dining plan.

Yes, unless it is a DVC reservation. Otherwise it must be a package. It can be a ticketless package if preferred.

Can they buy 4 tickets with dining plans and 2 regular adult tickets? 2 people would share meals with someone else.

No, they must purchase the dining plan for everyone registered in their room for all six nights. And the plan is tied to the resort reservation, not to the park tickets.

Can they make reservations for 6 and use the dining plan to pay.

You can make all reservations for six if there will be six persons dining. It doesn't matter how they pay. If they have six persons in one room they must all get the dining plan. If they have two rooms, they can have one room with dining and one without, but those in the DDP room can't use their credits to buy meals for those in the non-DDP room.

 

[supersnoop]

Wendie, do you think you'll have to switch rooms to do this with 2 ressies??
thanks!

In order to do a split stay with the intention of purchasing the dining plan for one part, it is my understanding that you MUST book a different room category and actually change rooms. At least with DVC, if you have two identical room reservations, they will combine the reservation and cancel the dining plan. In order to circumvent the dining plan requirements, you must have a bonafide change in the reservation.

 

[aaarcher86]

In order to do a split stay with the intention of purchasing the dining plan for one part, it is my understanding that you MUST book a different room category and actually change rooms. At least with DVC, if you have two identical room reservations, they will combine the reservation and cancel the dining plan. In order to circumvent the dining plan requirements, you must have a bonafide change in the reservation.

You don't have to do that for a normal reservation.

I didn't know that about DVC though - that stinks!