Welcome to planDisney, Jennifer! A split stay at the Walt Disney World Resort gives you a unique opportunity to experience different Disney Resort Hotels and their amenities; it's one of my favorite ways to see what each unique resort hotel has to offer its guests! From the looks of it, you've got plans to stay, play, and dine in the magic of Disney - so let's get to your question about using the recently returned Disney
dining plans!
Jennifer, you are correct that the reason you are unable to add a dining plan option to the second part of your split stay is because you are booking a room-only reservation instead of a Disney vacation package. At this time,
dining plan options are only available as add-ons to select vacation packages which include both a Disney Resort Hotel stay and theme park tickets.
I do want to remind you that all of your meals and snacks will be valid until midnight on the day you check out from your first reservation; so this means you will have some flexibility to use meals and snacks on the first night of your second reservation until midnight, if you have credits remaining. Also, your Resort-Refillable Mug, which is included with both the
Disney Dining Plan and the
Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan, will be valid for 14 days, so you will still be able to enjoy refills at your new Disney Resort hotel (or any other Disney Resort hotel) during the entire length of your split stay! Bottom's up!
Another tip to remember is that
Disney Bell Services will gladly collect and transfer your luggage for you from one resort to another so you can spend that time continuing to enjoy the theme parks, water parks, or other Walt Disney World activities on the day you will be relocating! You can even call to schedule a luggage pick-up the night before, making the transition quick and easy!
Jennifer, if you haven't already, also be sure to make any
Advance Dining Reservations for your vacation to fully enjoy all of the
table service dining that is included as part of the Disney Dining Plan; as a Disney Resort Hotel guest, you can make reservations for the entire length of your first stay 60 days in advance!
I hope this helps you as you count down the days until your magical vacation; if you have any other questions that we can help with, please come on back and ask again! You're always welcome at the
planDisney table!
Bon Appetit,
Alison