WOULD YOU RATHER get a throwaway room at CBR/CSR or add waterparks to your tickets?

[CMNJ]

In the example I shared, we would use the 12 credits to pay for the 4 adults' meals, still paying for the children's meals out of pocket.

I don't know the answer to this but does Disney allow a table reservation to split the payment like that? By that I mean use dining credits for the adults and pay cash for kids? It seems like they would know that kids 3 and older "should" also have credits if the adults they are with do (since you have to put the whole room on the dining plan).

 

[Nancyg56]

I don't know the answer to this but does Disney allow a table reservation to split the payment like that? By that I mean use dining credits for the adults and pay cash for kids? It seems like they would know that kids 3 and older "should" also have credits if the adults they are with do (since you have to put the whole room on the dining plan).

If you purchase the DxDDP credits are credits. There are no child credits, just credits. So far, with the exception of very few restaurants, Disney does not care how they are used. My girls were allowed to order off of the adult menus, and when they did not want the adult appetizer they were given larger dishes of grapes and cheese.

If the OP wanted to use credits to feed all of the adults in the party, even if they were not listed on the reservation, it can be done.

 

[hodad]

I enjoy doing the math, and checking in online is as difficult as pressing a button on the website. I understand that some people don't like to vacation the way I do. Thanks to everyone who is weighing in on the question I posed!

 

[CMNJ]

If you purchase the DxDDP credits are credits. There are no child credits, just credits. So far, with the exception of very few restaurants, Disney does not care how they are used. My girls were allowed to order off of the adult menus, and when they did not want the adult appetizer they were given larger dishes of grapes and cheese.

If the OP wanted to use credits to feed all of the adults in the party, even if they were not listed on the reservation, it can be done.

I know you can use the credits for people not on the reservation I just wasn't sure if they let you split the check to use the dining plan credits only for adults and pay cash for the children. I know at Be Our Guest for lunch if you preorder it has to be one or the other. I wasn't sure if that was the case for table service meals as I have never tried to do so.

 

[isabellea]

I would use this opportunity to try different pools: CSR (I love this one), CBR (looks fun) and AoA (another great pool and cool water park for toddlers and pre-schoolers) for example. As for multiple sets of MB, you can now decline them if you think you won't use that many...

 

[hodad]

I would use this opportunity to try different pools: CSR (I love this one), CBR (looks fun) and AoA (another great pool and cool water park for toddlers and pre-schoolers) for example. As for multiple sets of MB, you can now decline them if you think you won't use that many...

We have done this in the past, and the ability to tour different pools is one of the big benefits. Thanks for reminding me of AoA; we've never stayed there. We are even thinking of adding Yacht or Beach clubs next trip, just to get access to Stormalong Bay for two days, even though it would end up being a net loss for that stretch of the trip.

Keeping our stuff off site at a friend's timeshare and renting a car eliminates the hassle of moving everything every day. We always decline our extra magic bands.

 

[Nancyg56]

I know you can use the credits for people not on the reservation I just wasn't sure if they let you split the check to use the dining plan credits only for adults and pay cash for the children. I know at Be Our Guest for lunch if you preorder it has to be one or the other. I wasn't sure if that was the case for table service meals as I have never tried to do so.

You can split the checj=k any way you want. At BOG you just dont preorder.

 

[bumbershoot]

I enjoy doing the math, and checking in online is as difficult as pressing a button on the website. I understand that some people don't like to vacation the way I do. Thanks to everyone who is weighing in on the question I posed!

I have never gotten a direct to room text, so I always have to check in personally.

Checking out different pools aside, would the money work out better if you just stayed at one resort, didn't have the offsite place, and paid for the normal dining plan?

 

[hodad]

Checking out different pools aside, would the money work out better if you just stayed at one resort, didn't have the offsite place, and paid for the normal dining plan?

Here's an example to answer your question: We went last December for five nights and six days, with another family: 4 adults and 3 kids. We got two 2-bedroom villas off-site for $300/week each through Interval International, and one night each at CSR, POR, and CBR for 1-2 adults and 3 kids. The total for food and lodging came to about $1800. If we had stayed on-site and gotten the dining plan for only one room, it would have cost us $3200 with the dxdp and $3000 with the standard dining plan. If we had stayed off-site and paid for food out-of-pocket, bypassing the resorts, we would have spent about $2000, but then the kids couldn't have swum in the resort pools or rested in the rooms. Also, we would have saved more had we had planned the trip more than a month in advance when standard rooms were available, but instead we could only get water-view and preferred rooms.

 

[Disneylover99]

Here's an example to answer your question: We went last December for five nights and six days, with another family: 4 adults and 3 kids. We got two 2-bedroom villas off-site for $300/week each through Interval International, and one night each at CSR, POR, and CBR for 1-2 adults and 3 kids. The total for food and lodging came to about $1800. If we had stayed on-site and gotten the dining plan for only one room, it would have cost us $3200 with the dxdp and $3000 with the standard dining plan. If we had stayed off-site and paid for food out-of-pocket, bypassing the resorts, we would have spent about $2000, but then the kids couldn't have swum in the resort pools or rested in the rooms. Also, we would have saved more had we had planned the trip more than a month in advance when standard rooms were available, but instead we could only get water-view and preferred rooms.

I get the throw away room concept. It makes sense if you want the dining plan but don't want to stay on property. Obviously you're making the most of your credits.

But the check in/out every other day/swimming and resting in the room part doesn't make much sense to me. How often are you actually swimming/resting in the room? I'm assuming you get a text when your room is ready? Do you just go swimming in the afternoon on the day you check in so you can access your room and change? Sure you can swim til midnight at that resort the following day, but you have no room to rest/change in. It just doesn't sound relaxing to me.

Maybe you should get a throwaway value resort instead of a moderate. With the money you save you can invest in waterpark tickets. Or just book a room at AllStar Music for the entire week. It's in between Sports and Movies so you'll have fairly easy access to all the AllStar pools and you'll have room access every day.

 

[hodad]

Maybe you should get a throwaway value resort instead of a moderate. With the money you save you can invest in waterpark tickets.

In this thread, I proposed getting waterpark tickets and a throwaway campsite instead of a moderate. Is that the sort of thing you would suggest?

 

[Disneylover99]

In this thread, I proposed getting waterpark tickets and a throwaway campsite instead of a moderate. Is that the sort of thing you would suggest?

I guess. I don't know a thing about the campsites though. I assume they're cheaper then values? Booking the campsite and getting waterpark tickets sounds like a good option.

Or as I mentioned, get a value resort for the week. Maybe you could get one for half the price of a moderate. Then you don't have to worry about checking in/out every other day and you'd have more flexibility with your dining credits cause they wouldn't expire every two days. The kids could still swim and there would be a full time room to relax in. I like the waterparks, but I don't consider them to be relaxing.

 

[eeyoresmom]

We have done this in the past, and the ability to tour different pools is one of the big benefits. Thanks for reminding me of AoA; we've never stayed there. We are even thinking of adding Yacht or Beach clubs next trip, just to get access to Stormalong Bay for two days, even though it would end up being a net loss for that stretch of the trip.

Keeping our stuff off site at a friend's timeshare and renting a car eliminates the hassle of moving everything every day. We always decline our extra magic bands.

Keep in mind that only registered guests of the resort are able to access Stormalong Bay. They give out wristbands there and they check everyone entering the pool area. So if you are not paying for a room and ddp for everyone , they won't be able to use the pool facilities here.

 

[Nancyg56]

In this thread, I proposed getting waterpark tickets and a throwaway campsite instead of a moderate. Is that the sort of thing you would suggest?

I also know nothing about the campsites, so I wont try to answer that one, but for what you are proposing, if I understand correctly, you want access to a dining plan and pools, along with a place for the kids to rest. You want to check in and out every other day, and using the DxDDP will stretch the food.

Again, the math and the in and out makes my head hurt, so I would scrap that plan. I would book the least expensive value for the duration, check in one time and use the room for showers after swimming and naps. I also have never seen the value to using different pools, but again, for me, that is too much work on vacation, but you guys seem so like it. If you stayed at an All Stars you can use any of those pools, so you will have the variety you want.

The only reason I can see for renting a moderate and doing all that checking in and checking out is that you could put three kids on the reservation at POR or CBR, and with the DxDDP you would be getting more mileage out of the plan. For my family, it would not be worth the trouble, so I would try to find a way to keep my reservation for the entire time, or I would compromise how we dined. If you can keep it straight and don't mind the bouncing back and forth, I see no reason not to do it. The one thing to be aware of is that the resorts are cracking down on who uses the pool. If you book a room and it does not allow for 5, and you put one adult and the 3 kids on the reservation you are taking a chance that only one adult can be at teh pool with the kids. If having 2 adults matters, make sure you choose CBR or POR, and those rooms are more money than CSR in general.

 

[hodad]

Thanks for the feedback. Any opinion on whether you would rather spend the afternoon at a water park or at a resort pool?

Maybe I should rephrase this: if you were traveling with someone who was willing to do all the work so you didn't have to think about it, would you rather spend the afternoon relaxing at the water park or at a moderate resort pool?

 

[Csaks]

Seems like way too much work for a vacation but to each their own.

 

[Nancyg56]

Thanks for the feedback. Any opinion on whether you would rather spend the afternoon at a water park or at a resort pool?

I am not a fan of water parks, so the resort pool would be my choice. What do the kids want this time? We plan trips with different goals each time. Some trips are all about the decorations and holiday events, others focus on Epcot and F&W. Still others we splurge and book a Deluxe and use the resort as part of the vacation.

I admit that while I understand what you are doing, I would avoid that plan like the plague. I am afraid that colors how I answer because it seems like too much work.

What I would do if the kids want the water parks is buy that option on the tickets, scrap the whole dining plan thing, compromise on meals to keep within the food budget. I would not bounce all over the place to take the kids swimming in a pool. I would keep my base at the villa offsite, plan actual days or half days at the water parks.

 

[SaintsManiac]

I'm all about saving money, which I work really hard to do, so I can splurge at Disney. OP, it's your vacation, so ultimately you will do what you want. To me, it sounds incredibly draining to worry about all that on vacation. Especially when sticking to a plan is difficult just about every day at WDW.

Good luck and enjoy yourselves!

 

[MoonFaerie]

Thanks for the feedback. Any opinion on whether you would rather spend the afternoon at a water park or at a resort pool?

Maybe I should rephrase this: if you were traveling with someone who was willing to do all the work so you didn't have to think about it, would you rather spend the afternoon relaxing at the water park or at a moderate resort pool?

A resort pool, so I could go to the room. The afternoon break doesn't work for me if I can't get out of the sun and heat for a while. If I'm leaving the park for a break, I want it to be an actual restful break.

 

[ArielSRL]

A resort pool, so I could go to the room. The afternoon break doesn't work for me if I can't get out of the sun and heat for a while. If I'm leaving the park for a break, I want it to be an actual restful break.

That's what I said, as well. If you truly want a "break" I'd do the resort.