Got ticket, resort, and DME questions for all you experts out there!

VAtink

DIS Veteran
Joined
May 5, 2013
I have a rather lengthy question, not sure if this is the right place to post it so feel free to move it where it needs to be!

First a probably too lengthy back story: I have a trip coming up in September (yay!). The original plan was to come in on Thursday and leave the following Wednesday, so we got 7 day tickets so we could play at the parks both arrival and departure day. Well, my travel partner (my mom) has decided she wants to take a flight out early on our last day because many years ago when we used to fly out later in the day the flight ended up being cancelled more often than not and she needs to get back Wednesday so she can teach the next day. Kind of a bummer, but oh well.

Well, in an odd/lucky twist of events, my mom just found out that she may get her old job back, which coincidentally means she gets Wednesdays off. That, plus an unexpected bonus I received at work has us thinking of heading down now on Wednesday and doing Wednesday through Wednesday. One last piece of information, we booked this trip prior to the change in tickets. So finally time for questions:

1. Since we bought our package prior to the recent changes in tickets, can we use the park tickets before our original trip actually starts? Since we're leaving early the last day now the 7 day ticket would still work for us.

2. Our initial thought was to book at Swan/Dolphin that first night since it’s a bit cheaper and next door to the YC where we will spend the rest of the trip so it would be easy to transfer. Is it possible to still take the DME to the YC when we arrive to drop off some of our bags even if it’s the day before our reservation at the YC starts?

3. This is a two-parter. After I found out about my bonus, we discovered we had some wiggle room now in our budget, so are thinking of checking out a different deluxe resort that first night now. First, any recommendations for a deluxe to check out? We’ve stayed at YC/BC, GF, Poly and AKL so far. Second, last year we tried to add a night at the YC to our existing BC reservation and were told we’d have to rebook the whole trip. Did we just have an uninformed CM or do you really have to rebook the whole package even if you’re adding a night at a different resort?

Thank you all so much for reading all of this and hopefully coming up with some answers!
 
I have a rather lengthy question, not sure if this is the right place to post it so feel free to move it where it needs to be!

First a probably too lengthy back story: I have a trip coming up in September (yay!). The original plan was to come in on Thursday and leave the following Wednesday, so we got 7 day tickets so we could play at the parks both arrival and departure day. Well, my travel partner (my mom) has decided she wants to take a flight out early on our last day because many years ago when we used to fly out later in the day the flight ended up being cancelled more often than not and she needs to get back Wednesday so she can teach the next day. Kind of a bummer, but oh well.

Well, in an odd/lucky twist of events, my mom just found out that she may get her old job back, which coincidentally means she gets Wednesdays off. That, plus an unexpected bonus I received at work has us thinking of heading down now on Wednesday and doing Wednesday through Wednesday. One last piece of information, we booked this trip prior to the change in tickets. So finally time for questions:

1. Since we bought our package prior to the recent changes in tickets, can we use the park tickets before our original trip actually starts? Since we're leaving early the last day now the 7 day ticket would still work for us.

2. Our initial thought was to book at Swan/Dolphin that first night since it’s a bit cheaper and next door to the YC where we will spend the rest of the trip so it would be easy to transfer. Is it possible to still take the DME to the YC when we arrive to drop off some of our bags even if it’s the day before our reservation at the YC starts?

3. This is a two-parter. After I found out about my bonus, we discovered we had some wiggle room now in our budget, so are thinking of checking out a different deluxe resort that first night now. First, any recommendations for a deluxe to check out? We’ve stayed at YC/BC, GF, Poly and AKL so far. Second, last year we tried to add a night at the YC to our existing BC reservation and were told we’d have to rebook the whole trip. Did we just have an uninformed CM or do you really have to rebook the whole package even if you’re adding a night at a different resort?

Thank you all so much for reading all of this and hopefully coming up with some answers!

1. Yes.
2. I don't know.
3. You can certainly book one night (or more) at any resort you choose without it affecting your
other established reservation.
 
1 - not sure with the changes but I think so :)

2 - no you can't take DME the day prior to your WDW resort reservation; only during.

3- no the CM was confused, you could just leave your YC reservation as is and book a completely separate room only reservation for one night prior to the YC check in. It will be a separate reservation and not affect your YC stay and if its a wdw resort then you are eligible for DME and Disney will transfer your bags to the YC the next day. We book room only and always book at least two separate resorts if not more.

You can also check to see if the YC is available the night prior to your stay; if so you should be able to add a day to your existing reservation.

Not sure where I would stay that first night- maybe try the WL since I didn't see it on your list? Otherwise maybe book something with easy access to the park your visiting that first day.
 
1. I think so, but i'm not certain about the new rules.
2. no
3.(a) A different resort could be BWI (conveniently near the YC), WL (similar to AKL, but near MK) or the CR. If the budget allows, I would vote for CR tower, TPV. It is a very different experience than the other WDW deluxe resorts. Some people love it, some are 'meh', not for me. However, for one night you would see what the CR is like from the inside without committing to a long term stay. Then you would know if it might be a good fit for you for a later, longer visit. Plus, you get to take advantage of the priceless view from the CR tower balcony rooms!
(b) You can make a separate booking for the one night as a room only. No need to book it as part of your original package. So no need to mess with the original package booking at all.
 


DME is only available to those who have a current Disney resort reservation. You wouldn't be able to board a DME bus until day 1 of your reservation at a Disney resort.

Regarding the reservation...it's not possible to combine stays at multiple Disney resorts into a single reservation. If you're staying at two resorts during your vacation, you would need a separate reservation for each resort. No changes would need to be made to your original YC reservation, so there's no need to rebook anything. You'd just make a new reservation for that one night at whichever resort you choose.

If you do decide to replace the Swan/Dolphin reservation with a night at a Disney resort, you would be able to use DME for that first stay. You'd just let the CM know when you book DME that you'll be going from the airport to your first resort on your arrival day, and will be picked up at the YC for your return to the airport.
 
If you decide to stay at the same resort for entire trip, they may be able to combine the reservations, which would guarantee you wouldn't have to switch rooms.

If you are at the same resort but they can't combine the reservations, you probably would not have to change rooms
 
1. Since we bought our package prior to the recent changes in tickets, can we use the park tickets before our original trip actually starts? Since we're leaving early the last day now the 7 day ticket would still work for us.

I read yesterday that if you have a package booked before the changes then you can start using them early as before.

Our initial thought was to book at Swan/Dolphin that first night since it’s a bit cheaper and next door to the YC where we will spend the rest of the trip so it would be easy to transfer. Is it possible to still take the DME to the YC when we arrive to drop off some of our bags even if it’s the day before our reservation at the YC starts?

No you cannot. DME can be used once each way inside your onsite reservation dates. Not before checkin day or after checkout day.

Second, last year we tried to add a night at the YC to our existing BC reservation and were told we’d have to rebook the whole trip. Did we just have an uninformed CM or do you really have to rebook the whole package even if you’re adding a night at a different resort?

That CM was very confused. They have no multi-resort packages or bookings, so what they indicated was way off. Any other-resort booking is totally separate, whether it’s a package or room-only, so that’s not a requirement, nor is it even possible for two resorts to be booked together like that.
 



GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Latest posts

Top