Question re: Adding Dining Plan

[GeorgiaHoo]

If I purchase a room using the room only discount right now can I add tickets and the dining plan prior to arrival? Trying to avoid booking the package and having to pay the full amount 45 days in advance - it works better for us because of timing to pay about 30 days in advance.

Thanks

[TDC Nala]

A room only reservation will be cancelled and rebooked as a package if you want to add a dining plan/tickets. You won't be able to just add them to your room only reservation. Yes, you can do it, if you want to cancel and then rebook 30 days out. You may lose the room discount, you'd have to check with WDW about that.

[HM]

One way to save money up front is to: add on the dining plan and 1 day tickets to have a package. Upgrade the tickets at arrival to what you actually want/need.

[GeorgiaHoo]

Thanks everyone. I contacted Disney via chat and was informed that the room only would be canceled and I would book a package but that the room price would be locked in

[aaarcher86]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaHoo

Thanks everyone. I contacted Disney via chat and was informed that the room only would be canceled and I would book a package but that the room price would be locked in

Not really. Chat isn't great for info that is specific like this.

If you are cancelling and rebooking a pkg and the discount you used on the r/o is expired they can't put it on your new booking.

[HLAuburn]

My advice on this is just to keep trying until you get someone who can do what you want. I'm not sure about the keeping the discount part, but I called yesterday to make a (rack rate) room-only reservation into a package. The first CM told me there was "no availability" for my resort, even though I already had a room booked. He explained that room-only reservations and package reservations are "pooled" differently, so he couldn't book a package since there were no "package rooms" to book.

Anyway, I hung up with him and called back. The 2nd CM told pretty much the same thing, but put me on hold while he talked with Guest Services and then came back to tell me the same thing. When I asked to speak to GS, finally they were able to book a package and then cancel my room-only. It took me 40 minutes talking to 4 people to do, but it worked.

My concern would be trying to keep a discount. If that offer has expired or is not available, you might run into some issues. So just keep trying and hopefully you'll eventually get someone who can book the package for you and keep your discount.

[GeorgiaHoo]

Originally Posted by aaarcher86

Not really. Chat isn't great for info that is specific like this.

If you are cancelling and rebooking a pkg and the discount you used on the r/o is expired they can't put it on your new booking.

Hmm. That is completely contrary to what the chat person said. Guess I'll follow up with a phone call.

[GeorgiaHoo]

Originally Posted by aaarcher86

Not really. Chat isn't great for info that is specific like this.

If you are cancelling and rebooking a pkg and the discount you used on the r/o is expired they can't put it on your new booking.

You are right! I followed up and was told this, completely different than what I was told earlier. The Disney person recommended adding one day ticket to the room then we could add dining later without impacting the room reservation. Hopefully that is correct.

[aaarcher86]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaHoo

You are right! I followed up and was told this, completely different than what I was told earlier. The Disney person recommended adding one day ticket to the room then we could add dining later without impacting the room reservation. Hopefully that is correct.

You can. Just book a pkg to begin with using 1 day tickets and you can add dining later without a problem.

Love the convenience of the chat feature, but it's not great for specific questions - more so just general information.

You can add the DP on when you go to pay at the 30 day marker. As long as your package is going up in price you won't get a fee (which it will be adding the DP).

[aaarcher86]

Originally Posted by HLAuburn

My advice on this is just to keep trying until you get someone who can do what you want. I'm not sure about the keeping the discount part, but I called yesterday to make a (rack rate) room-only reservation into a package. The first CM told me there was "no availability" for my resort, even though I already had a room booked. He explained that room-only reservations and package reservations are "pooled" differently, so he couldn't book a package since there were no "package rooms" to book.

Anyway, I hung up with him and called back. The 2nd CM told pretty much the same thing, but put me on hold while he talked with Guest Services and then came back to tell me the same thing. When I asked to speak to GS, finally they were able to book a package and then cancel my room-only. It took me 40 minutes talking to 4 people to do, but it worked.

My concern would be trying to keep a discount. If that offer has expired or is not available, you might run into some issues. So just keep trying and hopefully you'll eventually get someone who can book the package for you and keep your discount.

GS essentially had to overbook the resort to book your pkg in the same room.

Since you're booking a new reservation, the system is looking at availability based on that. Even though you have a current room reserved, the system doesn't know it's yours (wow... does that even make sense typed out? lmao).

For example, if you have 5 rooms and they are all full (1 of them being your room only), when you go to book a package nothing will show available. So GS overrode the system and booked a 6th room (overbooked) and then cancelled one to keep it 5.

Booking rack rate is probably why GS could 'overbook' and then cancel out your room reservation. Using a discount for the pkg they probably would have told you that you'd be out of luck since that can change availability. But that's why they always book the new res first, and cancel second, so you don't lose your room and then can't book it back again.

Glad it worked out though!

[Missytara]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaHoo

You are right! I followed up and was told this, completely different than what I was told earlier. The Disney person recommended adding one day ticket to the room then we could add dining later without impacting the room reservation. Hopefully that is correct.

Once you have a package, you can actually book dining plan up to 72 hours in advance and pay it off then, if that gives you a bit more wiggle room.

[GeorgiaHoo]

Thanks for everyone's help - I would have just assumed the initial chat was correct and been pretty irritated when I tried to add the dining at a later date and been unable to do so.

[Marionnette]

Originally Posted by HM

One way to save money up front is to: add on the dining plan and 1 day tickets to have a package. Upgrade the tickets at arrival to what you actually want/need.

I wouldn't even add the dining plan until later. As long as you have a room + tickets reservation, you have a package. The OP could book this and then add the dining plan as late as 72 hours prior to arrival.

But the room + tickets would have to be paid in full at the 45-day mark, regardless. Which might not fit into the OP's financials.

[Cyrano]

Moving from TPAS to Dining board where all DDP conversations are located