Hi Jennifer,
Welcome to planDisney. It's always a pleasure to chat with a fellow Annual Passholder! I’m so excited to learn you’re planning a magical visit to the Walt Disney World Resort with your momma! I hope this visit ends up being one of those core memory trips filled with so much magic and pixie dust you won't soon forget!
Ok, Jennifer, let’s chat about the
Disney Dining Plan and packages for Annual Passholders. Here’s the key thing to note: the Disney Dining Plan can only be added to a
Walt Disney World Resort hotel vacation package that includes both a Disney Resort hotel room and theme park tickets for everyone on the reservation. Because you’re an Annual Passholder, you most likely booked your stay as a room-only reservation, which is why the dining plan option doesn’t show up automatically.
To add the Disney Dining Plan, you would have to modify the reservation and convert it into a vacation package that includes theme park tickets. Packages generally require tickets for everyone on the reservation, so Disney typically won’t add tickets for just one Guest while leaving the other as an Annual Passholder without tickets.
That being said, all is not lost! Here are a couple of good options to explore that might work in your favor!
Some Annual Passholders will go ahead and add theme park ticket to their package to be able to add the Disney Dining Plan. If the tickets remain unused, the value could be added to the renewal of your annual pass in the future. Others keep their room-only reservation, purchase theme park tickets separately for the non-Passholder in their party, and simply enjoy dining around the parks without the dining plan.
Something else to look into is any available
special offers for Annual Passholders. You might need to do a little Disney math, but combining an AP room discount with the
dining discounts you already receive as a Passholder can actually work out better than adding the dining plan.
To play around with all those numbers and check and see what your best option is, I’d recommend
reaching out to the reservations help line and speaking directly to a cast member. They will be able to take a look at what you already have booked, give you an estimate of the package with added tickets and the Dining Plan, and let you know about your AP options if you do purchase extra tickets.
Jennifer, I hope you and your mom have the most magical visit together. Those park days filled with snacks, rides, and maybe a fireworks moment at the end of the night are the kind of memories that stick with you forever.
If any other planning questions pop up while you’re getting ready for your trip, come back and see us again.
Wishing you a magical day,
Emille