Will be at WDW 7/14-7/18.

[fynook12]

We are currently AP holders, however I was thinking of going ahead and addding the dining plan to our ressies. I wanted to know if I can even do this since I have "room only" ressies right now. Obviously I do not need any park tix. Would I just have to pay an extra $37.99 per person per night to add it?
Also, are the dates i'm going to be at WDW within the time frame that they are offering the DDP?? For some reason, I keep thinking that only guests going during the Aug/Sept. time period can use it? Thanks!!!

 

[beth_cam]

You can not add just the dining. You must purchase a package including a rack rate room (no discounts other than what you could get if you book through AAA as an AAA member), tickets, and dining. All persons in the room must have the same thing. Dining is purchased by the number of nights booked. Now what a lot of people do is purchase one day tickets for everyone (upgrading as necessary)...people say that you can then hold on to this one day ticket (dont know what you need to do except dont use it for park entry and it should be fine but you may be able to ask for it to be separate from your room key). Anyway so if you hold on to it another thing I've read is that people will either 1-upgrade to a bigger ticket for the next time they come after ap expires or 2-hold it to use toward renewing your ap. I have not done either of these so I cant vouch for how it works or what you have to do to get it.

The only exception is if you are staying dvc....People in dvc properties (owning or renting) can get the dining without ticket purchase.

 

[beth_cam]

free dining is mid august to late september and officially the window for getting it is closed yet a friend of mine told me that her talk with disney said that they will continue giving it till all alloted rooms for the deal are gone. but we all know how much misinformation comes from the phone cm's

 

[fynook12]

You can not add just the dining. You must purchase a package including a rack rate room (no discounts other than what you could get if you book through AAA as an AAA member), tickets, and dining. All persons in the room must have the same thing. Dining is purchased by the number of nights booked. Now what a lot of people do is purchase one day tickets for everyone (upgrading as necessary)...people say that you can then hold on to this one day ticket (dont know what you need to do except dont use it for park entry and it should be fine but you may be able to ask for it to be separate from your room key). Anyway so if you hold on to it another thing I've read is that people will either 1-upgrade to a bigger ticket for the next time they come after ap expires or 2-hold it to use toward renewing your ap. I have not done either of these so I cant vouch for how it works or what you have to do to get it.

Well i actually booked this room only ressie through AAA.com. We do have AAA. Although, like you said i did not book a "package". So, if i do buy just a 1 day ticket for me and my DH, it will not expire?? Because if i can do that and just hold on to it until my AP's expire, then that would be good. I don't know if i should call up Disney and ask them if i can do that? I don't want them to think i'm trying to get around the rules?? Anyways, I guess i'll just stick with my DDE card and use that. We'll only be there for 4 nights/5 days.

 

[Princess4Eeyore]

Hi ... I'm an AP holder and bought the one day tickets with our package. As long as you dont swipe your card, it doesnt expire and you can definietely use it towards you next AP purchase.

 

[hellokitty86]

Thats what we are doing!!! We have an AP and our travel agent said that the 1 day ticket doesn't need the 'no expiration' option since you don't use it in the first place! So we purchased the 1 day base ticket for $126 (for the both of us). I think thats worth spending to get the free dining plan!! Plus we will use those to re-new our AP's when they expire.

Hope you have a great trip!!!

 

[pooch]

we keep getting confused w/the free dining promotion here. The OP was not looking for the FREE dining promotion, just to add the dining plan to the ressie. When you are PAYING for the dining plan, you can get other discounts such as AAA. It's only the FREE dining, in itself a promotion, that cannot be combined w/other discounts.

You do NOT have to pay rack rates when you're PAYING for the dining plan.

 

[beth_cam]

we keep getting confused w/the free dining promotion here. The OP was not looking for the FREE dining promotion, just to add the dining plan to the ressie. When you are PAYING for the dining plan, you can get other discounts such as AAA. It's only the FREE dining, in itself a promotion, that cannot be combined w/other discounts.

You do NOT have to pay rack rates when you're PAYING for the dining plan.

actually most discounts can not be used with dining since they apply to room only ressies (such as ap, florida resident, most email codes, and what in the past has been a general public room only code - it seems these are becoming more of package deals like the free dining one). Dining is considered the discount and they only allow one, UNLESS you are adding it to an discounted PACKAGE that allows it. You just cant find a bunch of discounted parts order them and call it a package....and a package must be ordered to get the dining. As always DVC has their exceptions.
I did mentioned AAA as available before.
As well in the original post free dining was mentioned but isnt available for OP's dates.

 

[fynook12]

ok, thank you for clarifying. So if i did want the dining plan, than i would just have to pay the extra $37.99 per person. Although for this upcoming trip, i cannot use it since it is not available during those dates...did i get that right???

 

[beth_cam]

Not sure if we made things confusing or are being teased for the circular talk but I'll try again....

As far as I know you can always add dining (it is always available) if you do it atleast 3 days ahead, book everyone in the room the same package, and (1) you are using DVC points for your room OR (2) have purchased a rack rate (other than AAA discount) room and atleast one day park tickets for each person, free dining requires a rack rate room no aaa discount and again atleast one day park tickets for each person.

So if you are asking can you add dining this trip:
yes you can if your room doesnt have an ap discount (if you book through AAA you can use their discount though), you add atleast a 1 day ticket for each person, and pay the dining plan prices for everybody for each night of the package..

If you are asking what to do with an ap to be able to get FREE DINING next time if it is offered:
Your room needs to be rack rate no discounts at all, and you need to get everyone a one day ticket which is something like $60 per adult(?) dont know about kids.

You can start with just a room and add on to it to create a package but to be a package all parts must be purchased through disney. That doesnt include the ap ... I know they were purchased from disney but they werent purchased with this package.

If we were confusing you I'm sorry and I hope this helps if not I'm sorry.

 

[fynook12]

ok, i got it. NO MORE CONFUSION!!
I CAN use the DP for my July trip. I would just have to purchase a 1day ticket for me and DH. And then of course also pay the extra $37.99 pp.
Now, if i choose to do that and just don't use the 1 day tix, how will that make me able to put them towards renewing our AP's next year? I read in one of the other posts that if I don't use it, it will not expire? How will that help me when renewing my AP's?? Do i just turn in the unused 1 day tix and I will get a credit towards my AP renewal??

 

[beth_cam]

Just wanted to make sure because of the way you worded it that you understand it is 37.99 per adult per day, kids are something like 11.99. tickets are always valid until 14 days from first use or until they are used up. So you just dont use them. If I did it i'd probably ask for my tickets to be separated from my room key and then put them away till next time. Remember I havent done this just telling you what others have reported as happening. There was a recent thread saying that you take your ap and your 1 day ticket to dtd (?) guest relations ... the hotel cant do it... and no big deal they take care of it. Another person said that they emailed disney to find out what to do and the response was that they could mail in the renewal info and the ticket....i'd be a little wary of if my tickets got lost this route. So the big poblem is that you will pobably need to go to DTD to take care of your renewal but that it doesnt take long. I had to go their to replace my disney rewards card and it took like 1 minute with them then a 2 minute phone call. they werent busy and were quite helpful.

 

[fynook12]

ok, thank you for the great advice!! I know it's $37.99 per adult. I think that's what I may end up doing!! Thanks again.