Split stay and Dining Plan Question

[ruadisneyfan2]

We are renting points for our upcoming stay at BCV and bought the DVC dining plan for those days/nights.
Months later, we extended our stay arriving one day early. I couldn't really change our DVC rental so I booked 1 night at WL through Orbitz. As I understand it, we can't use the dining plan until we check into BCV.
If we do online check in and agree to "skip the desk" (according to their emails) do we really have to stop in at BCV on the morning that we change resorts in order to start using the dining plan?

We weren't originally going to visit any parks because it's Easter week, crowded, and just wanted some resort time before our cruise from Miami. (We arrive tomorrow.) We were planning to relax by the pool, do HDDR, and check out the resort activities that we usually skip over while cramming in a full day of parks. Maybe do a water park with old non-exp tickets.

Now I'm worried we might get bored with 3 days of sitting around. So just in case we decide to squeeze in a day at MK , we'd want to go straight to MK for AM EMH and not have to stop at BCV to check in first. Can we do that and still use the dining plan at MK? Or would be have to leave WL, physically be present at BCV, then be able to start using the dining plan?

Thanks!!

 

[sharonabe]

I have no idea, but hoping bumping this up will bring someone along who does. If not, your best bet is to just ask the concierge at WL when you check in what you will need to do the next day.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Thanks! I'll find out in a few hours.

 

[crazycatlady]

Please let us know the answer. I am in the same type of situation in November.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

So I asked at WL, how will I know when we are officially checked into our DVC rental, if we checked in online and agreed to get text/email alerts about room rediness. I was told once we got the text that says your room is ready or your room is not ready, that's the point that the new reservation is active.
We decided to head over to BCV first just to make sure since we were only going to TL that day anyway. No need to run out early. Our room wasn't ready but we were told we could use the dining plan immediately. We did pay OOP at WCC @ WL and the CM agreed that by breakfast it's unlikely to be able to use but definitely by lunch.

This was our first split stay in probably 25 visits and most likely our last. It was a pain to not be able to fully unpack on arrival and time wasted taking boat from WL to MK then bus to BCV. That was more than 1 hr.

It's rare that I'm suddenly granted additional, last minute vacation time from work so I think in the future we'll make our plans and leave them alone. It's the renting from DVC that complicates things but I still feel it's worth it.
Tomorrow we're moving on to another split stay, sailing the Disney Wonder.
Finally I can unpack!!