Using two different dining plans on the same reservation??

[kelby86]

My first time using the dining plan was last Sept when we had the free dining plan (during the promotion). This plan included 1 table service, 1 counter service, and 1 snack per night, per person (regular "Disney Dining Plan"). There was two of us traveling. We noticed on our receipts it would say how many credits were remaining, this number was a combined number (what we had left between the two of us).

We are planning our trip for after Thanksgiving this year and after experiencing a few table service restaurants on our last trip, and listening to the podcast, and reading the boards, there are many other table service restaurants I would like to try this time - which means more credits needed. We are planning to use the dining plan again, whether we have to include it in our package or if it is free (which would be the ideal situation of course ).

My question is if we want to use the dining plan and need more table service credits, but not enough to utilize three meals per person, per day (upgraded dining plan), can we purchase a regular dining plan for one person, and a 'deluxe' dining plan for the other - under the assumption that we can share the credits, for those times we need two credits for a character breakfast, etc.

I hope this makes sense and apologize if this has been asked before, I searched the boards and did not find this answer.

Also is there a thread explaining the different between the Deluxe, Premium, and Platinum Dining plans? By reading the brochures from Disney's websites they look the same (three meels and 2 snacks per day, per person)? This is confusing, is one better than the other?

Any help is greatly appreciated!! Thank you!

 

[dd50]

Every one in the room has to be on the same plan.

 

[2Tiggies]

There is no way to "tweak" the Dining Plans. Everyone in the room is on the same plan for the duration of your stay.

You said yourself that you don't eat enough (or plan to) to justify the DxDDP. Have you priced up roughly what it would cost you OOP for the extra meals? YOu could use the DDP for the more expensive ones and pay OOP for the cheapest.

 

[kelby86]

There is no way to "tweak" the Dining Plans. Everyone in the room is on the same plan for the duration of your stay.

You said yourself that you don't eat enough (or plan to) to justify the DxDDP. Have you priced up roughly what it would cost you OOP for the extra meals? YOu could use the DDP for the more expensive ones and pay OOP for the cheapest.

We calculated what we would have spent on the food we ate if we did not have the dining plan and we saved more then $300 (if we would have had to buy the dining plan).

Your idea of paying OOP for the cheaper meals and using the credits for the more expensive (table service dinners for example) may be our best bet.

Is there anywhere where the different dining plans are explained (compared side to side)?

Thanks dd50 & 2Tiggies!

 

[darthtatty]

Is there anywhere where the different dining plans are explained

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2353648
hope this helps

DDp(Regular)= per night.
1 Snack credit
1 counter service
1 Table service

DxDDP(Deluxe)= per night
1 resort refillable mug
2 snack credits
3 meal credits-can be either counter or table.

 

[kelby86]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2353648
hope this helps

DDp(Regular)= per night.
1 Snack credit
1 counter service
1 Table service

DxDDP(Deluxe)= per night
1 resort refillable mug
2 snack credits
3 meal credits-can be either counter or table.

VERY helpful! Thank you so much! Now just have to make the decision...

If we book our vacation with the dining plan, and the free dining plan is released, we can change this, correct? Also I know I have read on the boards that you can pay to upgrade the free quick service ($10/day I think?) dining plan to the regular dining plan. Can you pay to upgrade the regular to the deluxe (if the regular is in fact free)?

THANKS for all of the help!

 

[TDC Nala]

You can't book different dining plans for guests on the same reservation. All guests on the same reservation must purchase the same dining plan.

Also take note that dining plan prices and credit allocations are per night you stay at your resort - not per day spent in the parks. If you stay 7 nights you will receive credits based on 7 nights, not 8 days.

You can upgrade the regular dining plan to deluxe - $30 per adult per night, $9 per child per night in non-peak season. In peak season, $25 per adult per night, $8 per child per night.

Also is there a thread explaining the different between the Deluxe, Premium, and Platinum Dining plans? By reading the brochures from Disney's websites they look the same (three meels and 2 snacks per day, per person)? This is confusing, is one better than the other?

The Premium and Platinum Package Plans are not Disney dining plans. They are all-inclusive plans intended for those who prefer to pre-pay all recreation and dining outside of park admission. Besides the dining, they include things like in-park tours, fireworks cruises, golf, spa treatments, and most if not all resort recreational facilites. The main difference with these plans from the dining plans is that on the package plans there are no two credit restaurants. All restaurants cost only one credit regardless of the cost status of that restaurant. The package plans cost a great deal more than the dining plans - about $150 per night per adult for the premium, about $200 per night per adult for the platinum.

 

[Faldred]

The Premium and Platinum Package Plans are not Disney dining plans. They are all-inclusive plans intended for those who prefer to pre-pay all recreation and dining outside of park admission. Besides the dining, they include things like in-park tours, fireworks cruises, golf, spa treatments, and most if not all resort recreational facilites. The main difference with these plans from the dining plans is that on the package plans there are no two credit restaurants. All restaurants cost only one credit regardless of the cost status of that restaurant. The package plans cost a great deal more than the dining plans - about $150 per night per adult for the premium, about $200 per night per adult for the platinum.

As far as dining goes, there are also additional locations that take Platinum or Premium credits that do not accept DDP or DxDP credits (such as Portobello, Fulton's, Rainforest Cafe, and Victoria & Albert's [Platinum only]).

I have a dream of doing Premium for a short "adults-only" stay at some point... schedules and budget allowing.

 

[asmit4]

An option to get more credits for less $$$, is to split your reservations up. Doing this does not guarantee you won't have to move rooms but if you call in advance you probably could get to stay in the same room.

Here's how it would go. Say you arrive on Monday at 3pm and are staying for 4 nights, but are leaving on Friday morning at 8am. Technically you need dinner on day 1, maybe breakfast on day 5, and 3 meals for the 3 days in btwn for a total of 11 meals. A deluxe meal plan for 4 nights would give each person 12 credits. Those credits would be good from time of arrival on Monday til midnight on the day of departure- meaning all day Friday til midnight even though you'd be checked out by 6 to make it to the airport.

HOWEVER, if you book 3 nights deluxe, and 1 night with NO dining plan- then you would have 9 credits available to you from the time of arrival til midnight on Thursday which is technically only 6 hours before you hop your bus to go home. I stated before that with 3 meals a day per person you need 11 meals for your trip. If you eat at the airport on the day of departure that leaves only 10 meals needed which leaves you short only 1 credit. If you find a restaurant that offers a large CS like Cosmic rays chicken and ribs meal- it's easily split for lunch among 2 people so that solves the 1 credit you are short.

So now you have 9 credits for the price of 71.99x3 days = 216....if you did the regular DDP you'd probably want all the credits since it only really gives you 2 meals per day...(1CS, 1TS, snack). The cost of that would be 41.99x4= 168.
SO for the price of only 48 bucks more in total per person you get 9TS/CS credits instead of only getting 4TS/4CS PLUS with the deluxe you can get an appetizer and you get an extra snack credit! I think this is a great deal and it's probably what we are doing for our next trip!

 

[2Tiggies]

An option to get more credits for less $$$, is to split your reservations up. Doing this does not guarantee you won't have to move rooms but if you call in advance you probably could get to stay in the same room.

That could work. Remember that if you do separate reservations, you need separate park tickets for each one. This could be fine, but depending how you buy your tickets, may end up more expensive than just buying the DxDDP or DDP with OOP supplements, to begin with as park tickets get propertionately cheaper per day the longer the duration. Now you have some math to have fun with in your spare time.

 

[Faldred]

HOWEVER, if you book 3 nights deluxe, and 1 night with NO dining plan- then you would have 9 credits available to you from the time of arrival til midnight on Thursday which is technically only 6 hours before you hop your bus to go home. I stated before that with 3 meals a day per person you need 11 meals for your trip. If you eat at the airport on the day of departure that leaves only 10 meals needed which leaves you short only 1 credit. If you find a restaurant that offers a large CS like Cosmic rays chicken and ribs meal- it's easily split for lunch among 2 people so that solves the 1 credit you are short.

Going further... if you and your roommate have separate dining ideas, the credits are assigned to the room, not to individuals, so it would be 18 credits total. If you only wanted to use, say 7 credits, while your travel companion would use the other 11, you can do so (and possibly prorate the costs among yourselves accordingly).

Edit: doing a little math... let's say you split the credits as 8 for you and 10 for your companion. Spread out over 4 days, you would average a little better than basic DDP: 2 meal credits per day, 1.5 snack credits per day, and the resort mug for a prorated price of $47.99 per day (the same as per-night on "peak" DDP, I would note!). Your companion would get a little less than the standard DxDP: 2.5 meal credits per day, 1.5 snacks per day, and the resort mug, but for $59.99 per day (as compared to $71.99 per night).

Remember that if you do separate reservations, you need separate park tickets for each one.

Only if you're doing a dining plan on the second reservation, the suggestion above was to actually do a 3/1 split stay with no DP on the "1"

 

[2Tiggies]

Only if you're doing a dining plan on the second reservation, the suggestion above was to actually do a 3/1 split stay with no DP on the "1"

Oh, yes you're right.

 

[aubriee]

That could work. Remember that if you do separate reservations, you need separate park tickets for each one. This could be fine, but depending how you buy your tickets, may end up more expensive than just buying the DxDDP or DDP with OOP supplements, to begin with as park tickets get propertionately cheaper per day the longer the duration. Now you have some math to have fun with in your spare time.

Unless you are an AP holder. I am currently staying at AKL May 1st-9th with the DxDDP and then CSR May 5th-9th with the basic DDP. Because I'm an AP holder, I was still able to get the room discount, did not have to buy park tickets, and was still able to buy the dining plan that fit each part of my trip and will be able to extend those DxDDP credits over to last throughout my first day at CSR. I'll have 12 meal credits from my AKL stay that will need to be used by midnight May 5th (even though I'll be checking into CSR early on the 5th). It won't be until my second day at CSR that I'll start using the 4 TS credits and 4 CS credits from the basic DDP that officially started the day before.

 

[kelby86]

Thank you everyone - this is extremely helpful! Now I just have to sit down and do the math to decide what we will need.

I may have to save some of the restaurants for our next trip.

We will be taking an early flight on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, so we can have practically a whole day in Disney and staying until either the next Saturday or Sunday (would leave early Sunday morning). We do also plan to spend a day at Universal (possibly Monday).

I cannot thank everyone enough for the help and suggestions - I appreciate it!