Dining Plan refund?

moreisgood

Falling in love
Joined
Jan 7, 2013
What happens if you purchase one of the dining plans, and a member of your party doesn't go on the trip at the last minute? Can you get a refund of their dining plan at the resort?
 
Pretty sure that's a no.

But the credits belong to the reservation, not the person. So have fun using up the extra credits.
 
If it's a package, I think you have to cancel/make changes to reservation far enough in advance (30-45 days) so I agree with PP as to the answer being a "NO"
 
Read the terms when you but down your deposit. I believe there’s a $50 change fee when you get close to arrival. I’m not sure when “non-refundable” kicks in. Probably around 72 hours out. Since packages tend to include tickets, you’d be paying for an extra ticket if you don’t remove the person from the reservation.
 


Read the terms when you but down your deposit. I believe there’s a $50 change fee when you get close to arrival. I’m not sure when “non-refundable” kicks in. Probably around 72 hours out. Since packages tend to include tickets, you’d be paying for an extra ticket if you don’t remove the person from the reservation.
We're DVC, so there is no package to worry about. She is taking care of her own ticket.
 
We are DVC also and have cancelled someone on the reservation. It was probably a couple weeks before the trip and they did give me a refund of the dining plan.
 
This is from the 2017 Dining Plan brochure for DVC members:
Disney Dining Plan Cancellation Policy: Members must contact Member Services at least 24 hours prior to check-in to change or remove the selected Disney Dining Plan option from your reservation. Cancellations and modifications to the Disney Dining Plan are not available upon check-in.
 


This is from the 2017 Dining Plan brochure for DVC members:
Disney Dining Plan Cancellation Policy: Members must contact Member Services at least 24 hours prior to check-in to change or remove the selected Disney Dining Plan option from your reservation. Cancellations and modifications to the Disney Dining Plan are not available upon check-in.
So it seems from this that a refund of the Dining Plan for DVC is possible if more than 24 hrs before check in? I know if vacation is cancelled for a "covered reason" and you have trip insurance through DVC Travelex insurance, the Dining Plan would be reimbursed, but never heard of a refund if you have purchased the Dining Plan and you cannot make the vacation for some reason.
 
DVC is a different animal. Like I said, I just copied that from the DVC-2017 Dining Plan PDF file I found online.

Remember that if you have the dining plan on a reservation that you also have a waitlist set up for, and that waitlist comes through, the dining plan will be cancelled (refunded) when your reservation changes to the new resort.

So a few things to keep in mind when adding DDP to a DVC reservation...If paying with a gift card, make sure you hold onto it, in case the above situation happens. But most importantly, the Dining Plan just has to be added at least 48 hours in advance. So why do it any sooner? If you want to set aside the money in advance, go ahead and get a gift card with the exact amount and just tuck it away until 3 days or so before the trip. I just got back from a 3-way split stay, for which I added DlxDP to the first and 3rd reservations. But I had 7-day expiration waitlists set up for the final 2 night stay, so I just took the gift card down with me that I planned on using to pay, and once the waitlist expired and I knew I was going to be at Jambo, I called Member Services and added the plan. I try to minimize my stress with Disney vacas!
 
I always try to wait as long as possible to add the dining plan, just in case. I didn't know I could ask for a refund up to 24 hours before check-in. That's good to know! My situation is an...undependable relative who is always very sure she is coming, but something often comes up at the last minute. And I mean the very last minute.
 
I have a feeling if you showed up with an extra person on a DVC reservation in a unit that sleeped that extra person and you had the dining plan, I bet they would make you pay for that extra person to be on the dining plan in order to add them onto the DVC unit reservation, then and there at check in.
 
I have a feeling if you showed up with an extra person on a DVC reservation in a unit that sleeped that extra person and you had the dining plan, I bet they would make you pay for that extra person to be on the dining plan in order to add them onto the DVC unit reservation, then and there at check in.

I have never heard of this, I have heard of people being told that they cannot add anyone to a reservation that had the DP attached (these reports are few and far between and not usually DVC reservations) but I have never heard of anyone, DVC or otherwise, being charged the DP at the front desk when adding people to the reservation at check in. I have overheard the front desk CMs tell people that they have no way of adding the dining plan at check in and that it has to be done in advance, but I don't know if that's true or just a rogue CM.
 
I have never heard of this, I have heard of people being told that they cannot add anyone to a reservation that had the DP attached (these reports are few and far between and not usually DVC reservations) but I have never heard of anyone, DVC or otherwise, being charged the DP at the front desk when adding people to the reservation at check in. I have overheard the front desk CMs tell people that they have no way of adding the dining plan at check in and that it has to be done in advance, but I don't know if that's true or just a rogue CM.
Me either, it just makes me wonder. What if your child's friend tagged along last minute? I wished if someone had this happen with them, if they could chime in.
 
Me either, it just makes me wonder. What if your child's friend tagged along last minute? I wished if someone had this happen with them, if they could chime in.

Over the years I have seen multiple people, DVC and not, say that they have been able add people at check in when they have the dining plan booked and they have had no issues, and have not had to purchase the dining plan for that person. Somewhat recently there have been reports of people with the dining plan that have been told that they cannot add people at check in, but those seem to be isolated events and possibly rogue CMs.
 
So it seems from this that a refund of the Dining Plan for DVC is possible if more than 24 hrs before check in?
It was true in 2017. It's reasonable to expect it to continue to be true, but it's probably best asked of Member Services.
 
DVC is a different animal. Like I said, I just copied that from the DVC-2017 Dining Plan PDF file I found online.

Remember that if you have the dining plan on a reservation that you also have a waitlist set up for, and that waitlist comes through, the dining plan will be cancelled (refunded) when your reservation changes to the new resort.

So a few things to keep in mind when adding DDP to a DVC reservation...If paying with a gift card, make sure you hold onto it, in case the above situation happens. But most importantly, the Dining Plan just has to be added at least 48 hours in advance. So why do it any sooner? If you want to set aside the money in advance, go ahead and get a gift card with the exact amount and just tuck it away until 3 days or so before the trip. I just got back from a 3-way split stay, for which I added DlxDP to the first and 3rd reservations. But I had 7-day expiration waitlists set up for the final 2 night stay, so I just took the gift card down with me that I planned on using to pay, and once the waitlist expired and I knew I was going to be at Jambo, I called Member Services and added the plan. I try to minimize my stress with Disney vacas!
Agreed, I usually wait till about 4 days before to purchase the DDP.:thumbsup2
 
I always try to wait as long as possible to add the dining plan, just in case. I didn't know I could ask for a refund up to 24 hours before check-in. That's good to know! My situation is an...undependable relative who is always very sure she is coming, but something often comes up at the last minute. And I mean the very last minute.
Don't think I would be too happy with the "undependable relative" when "something often comes up at the last minute". Of course I would understand if someone on the reservation has a last minute medical emergency or something deemed to be an emergency, but a relative who cancels at the last minute just "because something came up", would really irritate me. :eek::mad:
 
Don't think I would be too happy with the "undependable relative" when "something often comes up at the last minute". Of course I would understand if someone on the reservation has a last minute medical emergency or something deemed to be an emergency, but a relative who cancels at the last minute just "because something came up", would really irritate me. :eek::mad:
And if you mention that they do this, they get really offended!
 

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