Adding dining plan to existing reservations

[Fievel]

Hello all - long time no see

My wife and i have booked at vaca at the Poly in May to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. We used a pin code discount to get a good rate. At the time, we did a "room only" reservation because we are annual passholders.

I called tonight because we were debating the dining plan - They told me that they would have to refund and rebook the entire reservation, and at that point, there would be no guarantee that there would be available rooms for my pin code offer - essentially losing the good discount we received.

If I push the issue, would I be able to add the dining to the plan somehow without a full cancellation and refund of the original reservation? Is there another way that this would work.

I guess worst case scenario is that we pay for meals out of pocket. Neither of us are huge eaters, and we don't necessarily need all the food the dining plan has to offer - it's just always nice to have the options it provides.

Any input would be helpful....thanks!

 

[Rob562]

The CM is correct that in order to add the dining plan (which must be booked as part of a package) your existing Room Only reservation would have to be cancelled and a new package reservation booked. (AP holders can book a package without the need for a ticket if they want to add the dining plan) You can't simply tack on a dining plan onto a room only reservation.

Perhaps you should see if you can book the replacement package first? Then if they can do it, book that one, pay the deposit and then cancel the old reservation. Any deposit or payment would credit back to you, and at that point you can pay more toward the new package.

But in the greater scheme of things, if you're not very big eaters the Dining Plan most likely isn't for you and would be a waste of money. Look into the Tables in Wonderland card and see if its 20% discount would work for you. Otherwise, just take the money you'd have spent on buying the Dining Plan and put it on a Disney gift card. Use the gift card to pay for meals (or pay down your meals that you charge back to the room) and most likely you'll have money left over.

-Rob

 

[Leigh51]

Hello all - long time no see

My wife and i have booked at vaca at the Poly in May to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. We used a pin code discount to get a good rate. At the time, we did a "room only" reservation because we are annual passholders.

I called tonight because we were debating the dining plan - They told me that they would have to refund and rebook the entire reservation, and at that point, there would be no guarantee that there would be available rooms for my pin code offer - essentially losing the good discount we received.

If I push the issue, would I be able to add the dining to the plan somehow without a full cancellation and refund of the original reservation? Is there another way that this would work.

I guess worst case scenario is that we pay for meals out of pocket. Neither of us are huge eaters, and we don't necessarily need all the food the dining plan has to offer - it's just always nice to have the options it provides.

Any input would be helpful....thanks!

 

[Leigh51]

I was told that if you don't pay your total amount due until 30 days before you arrive that you can add and change things with no issue.2 different cast members told me this.

 

[dreamfinder]

As @Rob562 said, you would be changing from a room only to a package reservation. So that would be a total rebooking. You can try to book the new one before cancelling the old one and shouldn't lose anything until you know the new booking works out in your favor.

I was told that if you don't pay your total amount due until 30 days before you arrive that you can add and change things with no issue.2 different cast members told me this.

Making changes is different than adding the DDP. DDP changes it from a room only booking to a package. So you are correct that an existing reservation can be modified, adding days, removing days, changing room types etc for no charge 30 days out, and even within 30 days there will be no change fee if the new changes result in a higher cost. But changing reservation types is different.