DDP and HDDR with a reservation change

[williamson_ja]

I'm waiting to see if free dining will come out like many others out there. One of the main reasons we like to get free dining is to go to the HDDR. Last year, we had a really hard time getting reservations here. We have a party of 7 this year. I don't want to wait until free dining comes out to get my reservations, because they might not have anything. BUT if I make a reservation with dining so that I can get my dining reservations and change the reservation later to add free dining to it, what happens to my HDDR reservation?

Do they just automatically connect it to the new reservation with the free dining?

Do they cancel it if your reservation has to be cancelled and rebooked?

This is a really big deal to my kids so I want to make sure that I do everything I can to get this for them. It's one of their only requests.

 

[williamson_ja]

bump

 

[TDC Nala]

You won't be able to change the HDD reservation or get a refund unless you cancel it and rebook it. And if you do that, it's subject to availability.

If you already have a resort reservation with dining added at the time you book, it doesn't make any difference whether the dining plan you pay with is free or not, you can make that reservation online or by phone. It won't be relevant to any of your restaurant reservations whether you keep paid dining or change to free dining. Because you already have a package reservation with dining plan at the time you book you will need to put down only a credit card hold for HDDR.

When you switch a package reservation to free dining it is not cancelled and rebooked, but adjusted to add the free dining promotion code. If you had a room only reservation (not a package) it would have to be cancelled and rebooked as a package to get free dining. That would still not affect any of your dining reservations as canceling a room reservation does not cancel or alter dining reservations. However, if you book a room-only reservation to wait for free dining, you can't add a dining plan to it and you wont' be able to book HDD as a dining plan guest, so if you book ahead of time it should probably be a package reservation with dining.

If you want to have a resort package reservation with NO dining plan added and just wait for the free dining, I would suggest making this reservation by phone. Explain to the phone agent that you intend to add the dining plan and see if they will make the reservation based on a credit card hold and not full payment. If that doesn't work, make the reservation anyway, pay for it, and then get reimbursed when you arrive and state you want to pay with dining credits.