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I was thinking of getting the DDP for our 1 night stay at POR before we switch to another resv with our DVC points. Since this is a separate resv I assume we can buy DDP for just 1 night. I am thinking it would pay for itself because we would get our refillable mugs and will have a TS meal and QS lunch.
If we check in 12/31/17 will we also have the day of 1/1/18 to use the snacks?
There are 5 of us, but if my DD and I share a meal would they still deduct the 5 TS credits or just 4?
Thanks!
You have until midnight on your checkout day to use all dining plan credits, snack credits included. So, yes, you could use your credits until midnight on New Year's Day.
As far as I know it wouldn't be a problem at all at QS. At regular TS, it may depend on the restaurant's policy. I would be sure to ask if it's allowed when you check in.
I know you cannot share a meal at buffets or family-style meals like the 'Ohana breakfast, nor can you at any dinner show.
The catch will be that your refillable mugs won't be usable after midnight on your checkout day. You would have to pay for more time to continue to use them.
Are you SURE you'll save money on the dining plan? Please calculate carefully based on where you plan to eat and the cost of what each person might order compared with the per person DDP cost if you haven't already. This may not be anywhere near as good a value as you believe it will be.
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
Another consideration I just thought of is that getting the DDP for your 12/31/17 arrival date means (perhaps obviously) that it will be the 2017 plan which allows only a regular non-alcoholic drink per person.
You would have to check in on 1/1/18 to get the new DDP benefits of an alcoholic beverage (age 21 and older) or specialty non-alcoholic beverage (milkshake, smoothie, etc.) if preferred to the regular beverage.
Perhaps you're aware of this. If so, sorry to insult your intelligence. I thought I'd mention it just in case you were thinking that your overlapping stay might give you those extras.
__________________
“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
You have until midnight on your checkout day to use all dining plan credits, snack credits included. So, yes, you could use your credits until midnight on New Year's Day.
As far as I know it wouldn't be a problem at all at QS. At regular TS, it may depend on the restaurant's policy. I would be sure to ask if it's allowed when you check in.
I know you cannot share a meal at buffets or family-style meals like the 'Ohana breakfast, nor can you at any dinner show.
The catch will be that your refillable mugs won't be usable after midnight on your checkout day. You would have to pay for more time to continue to use them.
Are you SURE you'll save money on the dining plan? Please calculate carefully based on where you plan to eat and the cost of what each person might order compared with the per person DDP cost if you haven't already. This may not be anywhere near as good a value as you believe it will be.
I wasn't thinking that refillable mug thing through. Thanks!
Another consideration I just thought of is that getting the DDP for your 12/31/17 arrival date means (perhaps obviously) that it will be the 2017 plan which allows only a regular non-alcoholic drink per person.
You would have to check in on 1/1/18 to get the new DDP benefits of an alcoholic beverage (age 21 and older) or specialty non-alcoholic beverage (milkshake, smoothie, etc.) if preferred to the regular beverage.
Perhaps you're aware of this. If so, sorry to insult your intelligence. I thought I'd mention it just in case you were thinking that your overlapping stay might give you those extras.
Thank you for these two posts and the info! I really appreciate it. You brought up some things I had considered. I will create a spreadsheet with a few different scenarios and see if it makes sense. Thanks!!
I will create a spreadsheet with a few different scenarios and see if it makes sense. Thanks!!
Great idea, and you're welcome. That way you can easily compare figures and see which will be the best value, DDP or OOP. (Really, I think the DDP is more for convenience than value. You really must plan carefully where to use the credits if cost effectiveness is more important to you than ease and convenience.)
If your family has had the mugs before and used them lots, it may well be worth it to pay for them for the DVC stay.
Are you staying in a studio or 1br with full kitchen? If in a 1br, it might not be worth the cost to extend the time. Should you decide to do the 1 night DDP, you'd have the mugs to use for whatever drinks you keep in the fridge or make.
That's what I did when we stayed in a 1br last trip, because I like the handled mug better than the provided glasses and coffee/tea mugs. I kept the provided 2-qt. pitcher full of iced tea, and we drank that when in the villa.
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
After crunching the numbers it doesn't make sense to do the DDP even for just the one night stay.
We really do like the refillable mugs for the endless cup of ice tea/lemonade mix or hot chocolate, so I think we will get it for our length of stay.
But, I hadn't thought of making a pitcher of lemonade for the room to keep in the refrigerator. Lemonade mix doesn't take up much room in the luggage. Great tip! Thanks
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Luv2golf
After crunching the numbers it doesn't make sense to do the DDP even for just the one night stay.
We really do like the refillable mugs for the endless cup of ice tea/lemonade mix or hot chocolate, so I think we will get it for our length of stay.
But, I hadn't thought of making a pitcher of lemonade for the room to keep in the refrigerator. Lemonade mix doesn't take up much room in the luggage. Great tip! Thanks
And you don't necessarily need to buy mugs for everyone, either.
I was thinking of getting the DDP for our 1 night stay at POR before we switch to another resv with our DVC points. Since this is a separate resv I assume we can buy DDP for just 1 night. I am thinking it would pay for itself because we would get our refillable mugs and will have a TS meal and QS lunch.
If we check in 12/31/17 will we also have the day of 1/1/18 to use the snacks?
There are 5 of us, but if my DD and I share a meal would they still deduct the 5 TS credits or just 4?
Thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Her Dotness
......
The catch will be that your refillable mugs won't be usable after midnight on your checkout day. You would have to pay for more time to continue to use them.
Are you SURE you'll save money on the dining plan? Please calculate carefully based on where you plan to eat and the cost of what each person might order compared with the per person DDP cost if you haven't already. This may not be anywhere near as good a value as you believe it will be.
I've seen numerous people on various message boards/blogs report doing exactly what you were thinking about and being able to use the mugs their entire stay. I've never seen anyone report that they couldn't use their mugs for 14 days when doing this even though they had a split stay and only had the dining plan for the first night. In fact, I've seen veteran Disney visitors suggest this on many occasions as it can end up saving you a few dollars (if it makes sense for your family). All mugs are good for at least 14 days from the date of activation regardless of other details (i.e., actual length of stay, split stay, dining plan, etc.).. You still need to run the numbers and see if it makes sense for your family, but I can see where purchasing even the QS dining plan for the first night could be worth it if you're planning to buy the mugs anyway. As an example , with the QS plan, once you back the cost of the mug out of the price for 1 day, it would not take much effort at all to buy 2 meals and 2 snacks that cost more than the remaining ~$30 cost of the plan.
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Last edited by allgiggles; 11-09-2017 at 08:29 AM..
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The Rapid-Refill system and the reservation system are not connected in any way so the mugs have no idea when you check out or what resort you're currently staying at or whether or not you're on the dining plan. All they know is that they're activated for 14 days.
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I wasn't thinking that refillable mug thing through. Thanks!
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