Have we not learned by now that Phone & E-mail CM's dont' have a clue?????

[wdwobsessed]

I have to :lmao: at myself for getting all wrapped up in these conversations about calling and e-mailing and getting this response and that response.

It's enough to make anyone :sad2:!!!

In all the years I have been on the DIS it has been posted over and over again about bad information or wrongly interpreted information being given to people via phone or e-mail.

I DO think change is in the air with the DDP ... but I also think it's discombobulated (is that a word? LOL) right now!!!! Maybe WDW is in a scramble and is trying to figure out how to change things.

I dunno...But please take with a grain of salt ANY answer you get from INFO or DINE. If they tell you that you CAN share ... be weary ... if they tell you that you CAN'T share ... be skeptical!

A little story:

Back in the days of the Vacation Kingdom Lunch Vouchers through connections I called 10 times and NO ONE knew what these were. I almost didn't order them until I decided to call a TS place directly (I called WCC) to find someone who KNEW what a Vacation Kingdom Lunch Voucher was.

Low and behold Virginia ... they DID exist and every one of the CM's I talked to at INFO and DINE were W R O N G.

Has anyone thought about calling a few of the TS directly to see what they have to say?

Luckily ... for those of us on the DIS ... if all of this is true about the not sharing we will have 1st hand accounts of it very soon!

Until then ... I for one am going to try my best to refrain from all the worry and speculation.

We are driving ourselves crazy and for me it's not a short drive!!

LOL

WDWO

[punkin]

Agreed. As I have posted earlier on other threads (many of which were closed :confused3 ) we should be getting trip reports from the dining plan VERY soon. I figure the people who went down for 4th of July week should be posting their trip reports and dining reviews any minute now.

[Mom of Sleepy, Bashful and BabyDoc]

We are driving ourselves crazy and for me it's not a short drive!!
LOL
WDWO

:rotfl: :rotfl: oh, heehee heee.........yes,.......... :rotfl: I agree with you.........I don't think my family will have any problems.

and punkin.............man, I miss everything! There were threads about this that got closed?! I've got some entertainment, I mean, reading to do....... :teeth: I'm always the last to know.

Well, I refuse to get worked up over this..........MY FOOD IS FREE....... I mean, COME ON! :banana: :banana:

[Aimeedyan]

Believe me - the CMs WISH that someone would tell them what is going on. They hate being clueless just as much as we hate for them to be clueless. It's frustrating for them to not be told what they should be told... the whole thing is a mess!

[Cinderumbrella]

What she said! :thumbsup2

I know it is hard for all of us crazy compulsive planners (myself included) not to know what is going on, but we just have to be patient and see what happens and be flexible if something changes.

Remember, we are going to Disney World!! :love:

[punkin]

I am a Disney Commando Control Freak. I once planned an entire morning in MK down to 5 minute intervals. :rotfl2: This uncertainty is killing me. I already have at least 2 contingency plans in place in case there is no sharing.

[Cinderumbrella]

:rotfl2: I know, me too, but since I love to plan this gives me something to do. It's pretty horrible that we are still 4.5 months away and I know what we want to do everyday we are there...

[JimMIA]

Has anyone thought about calling a few of the TS directly to see what they have to say?That's a radical idea, and just about the only sensible advice I've seen on this subject. The only downsides are 1) it would confuse the various "discussions" with facts, and 2) you probably wouldn't get consistent answers from the restaurants either! But at least we'd be getting our misinformation from an authoritative source.

[wdwobsessed]

But at least we'd be getting our misinformation from an authoritative source.

That is by far the best one liner I have heard in a while! LOL!

Love it!!!!

WDWO

[calypso*a*go-go]

I wish everyone would just stop all the emails and phone calls because it's just drawing more attention to sharing meals, paying OOP, etc. Give it a rest already and just see what happens when you get there. Aren't we all going to be making ourselves sick overeating as it is? :teeth:

[seven dwarfs]

Would you believe the last time I called the CM said she did not know about free dinning. I very kindly told her I had to go. I called right back and got someone who knew her stuff. It is funny when you call Disney and know more then the person on the other end of the phone line. LOL :confused3

[bicker]

The telephone and email CMs are different though. The telephone CMs have to give you an answer right then, so are likely to give you an off-the-cuff answer for anything that isn't specific part of their jobs (which is to make reservations, NOT explain the deep details of the programs they're making reservations for, something which generally customers don't ask about). The CMs at WDW Guest Communications (the folks who answer the email) do research and return the official answer, which you can rely on. You can print it off and generally Disney will honor it (especially since it has the name of the CM who provided the information, so retraining can be applied if necessary).

[wdwobsessed]

The telephone and email CMs are different though. The telephone CMs have to give you an answer right then, so are likely to give you an off-the-cuff answer for anything that isn't specific part of their jobs (which is to make reservations, NOT explain the deep details of the programs they're making reservations for, something which generally customers don't ask about). The CMs at WDW Guest Communications (the folks who answer the email) do research and return the official answer, which you can rely on. You can print it off and generally Disney will honor it (especially since it has the name of the CM who provided the information, so retraining can be applied if necessary).


Well then the answers you can "rely" on vary very differently. I (and others) got e-mails back saying sharing was fine. But yet again others got e-mails back saying no way.

So I'm standing by my original statement. Niether CM team seems to know what the official policy is.

WDWO

[Cinderumbrella]

Some of the problem may be what the CM's are defining as "sharing" One may think sharing means treating off the plan guests to a meal. Some may mean 2 people on the plan sharing. While I agree with the former, the latter is just plain silly. There are plenty of meals where my 3 year old will eat like a horse and some where he will touch almost nothing. As the parent, it should be my choice to decide when he is better off sharing from my plate at a sit down non buffet/family style restaurant or when he is ready and able to eat a 3 course meal.

Again, I guess only time will tell. I do look forward to hearing reports back from other guests in the months to come on their experiences on property. Thanks to all for sharing their thoughts!

[disneydaveb]

I wish everyone would just stop all the emails and phone calls because it's just drawing more attention to sharing meals, paying OOP, etc. Give it a rest already and just see what happens when you get there. Aren't we all going to be making ourselves sick overeating as it is? :teeth:


Every time I read one of these threads I think the same thing. Why would you want to draw attention to it? Just let it be. If you wish to do it, then do it. If not, don't.
Last year we paid OOP twice for our 2 DDs TS kids meals and used those 4 credits to add an addition TS to our itinerary. Last year this was obviously not an issue because the CMs were actually encouraging the use of the plan in this way. This year, we will try the same thing. If we can, fine. If we can't, that's fine also. :thumbsup2

[Brian Noble]

The reason people want to know is that one might make decisions earlier in their trip based on outcomes of later events. You can only do that if you know the outcomes of those later events in advance, and that's why people ask.

For example, if I know that I *can't* pay for part of my party of four OOP and part DDP, then I'll pick the cheapest meal overall to pay OOP. But, if I know I *can*, then I'll pay for the four individually least-expensive meals OOP.

Of course, because the only constant at WDW is change, no one can ever know for sure the outcomes of the later events. ;)

[cmm]

I called yesterday to make my final payment for my trip. The CM reviewed all of my arrangements. Then he told me that my dining credits expire at midnight on the last NIGHT I am staying at CR. The brochure clearly says that they expire at midnight on the day you check out. I intend to use my daughter's last TS credit at the character breakfast at Grand Floridian on the day I check out. I agree that it does make planning difficult. At least in this instance, the policy is in writing, but I can't believe he messed up something that basic.

[Calgary DISHeads]

Brutal - I made our last night Room Only for that exact reason then off to HRH the next day. I asked about 500 times (truly, at the very least) to have that confirmed. Maybe they're having the same staffing issues as the hot market here in Alberta ie: restaurants, stores closing because they can't staff them. We almost bow down when someone serves us here. :smooth:

[bicker]

Well then the answers you can "rely" on vary very differently. As Cinderumbrella mentioned, the problem you noted in this regard could have to do with how vague the question posed by the two different guests was. Sharing what's on your plate is almost surely permitted everywhere. Sharing credits, especially sharing a child meal entitlement to obtain an adult meal, that's what the policy prohibits. So you can rely on the answers you get via email, as long as you are explicit in the question you ask.

The reason people want to know is that one might make decisions earlier in their trip based on outcomes of later events. You can only do that if you know the outcomes of those later events in advance, and that's why people ask.I think folks need to come to terms with the fact that if you are asking about anything that isn't explicitly the intention of the plan, then you either need to accept an unacceptable answer, or accept that you won't be getting a reliable answer in advance, and then folks should plan accordingly based on that.

[Nancyg56]

I think folks need to come to terms with the fact that if you are asking about anything that isn't explicitly the intention of the plan, then you either need to accept an unacceptable answer, or accept that you won't be getting a reliable answer in advance, and then folks should plan accordingly based on that.

ITA. Last year we were planning meals, and a food allowance over that of the plan, and I heard that milk was a problem in some places. "Yes you can, no yu can't." Okay, I'll pay if the CM says "no". It may not be clear how the plan can be stretched, but if people try to use it in a manner that is sketchy because others have been able to do so in the past it would be a good idea to have the money to pay "just in case".

It is clear the Disney is fine tuning the "bugs" in the plan, so there may not be the leeway from the CM's as there was in the past.

[patsal]

I posted this on another thread, but thought it might be relevant here as well. When I wrote to Disney I asked that they get the answer to my question form Food and Beverage, and let them know that I wa salright withthe answer taking a bit longer so long as it was accuarate information. The response I rec'd was this:
Thank you for contacting the Walt Disney World Resort.
We appreciate your interest.

Members of your party do not have to be together to order meals.

We are very pleased that you and your family will be vacationing with us and we appreciate your
desire to make your visit as comfortable and enjoyable as possible.

Our Food & Beverage department advises that guests may share an entree at most of our dining
locations. The exceptions to this would be buffets, plated meals and Dinner Shows. Please
understand that the cost of entertainment is included in the price of Character Meals and Dinner
Shows.

Teens may order from the children's menu, however, the credit will still be deducted from your plan.


If you have questions or need further assistance, feel free to contact us.

Please include your full name, E-Mail address, and reservation number if applicable on all
correspondence.

Thank you!

Basically these are the answers to the questions that I sent them and they were the answers I expected. I'm going on vacation and want to have the most flexibility I can have for the enjoyment of my family. I have no one, not listed in my room that I want to feed and I only have "adults" in my party.

[wdwobsessed]

:rotfl: :rotfl:

Weeeelllll .... BEFORE I posted the above "shame shame" on myself I had sent out the exact same e-mail ... TWICE ... just to see if I would get two different responses. I kinda did...

Now this was a very specific e-mail.

Here goes MY e-mail:

Message:
Disney Dining Plan:

We are repeat customers of the dining plan and were planning on using the plan on our upcomng trip.

However ...

We have been told that you can no longer share meals if you are on the dining plan. For example:

If my party of 5 (2A 2J 1C) were to go to an ala carte table service such as Le Cellier or Concourse Steak House ... would we not be allowed to only order 3 meals and share them amongst ourselves AND only be charged 3TS credits?

If this is true I would like to know. Also, if this is true I would like to know why.

The dining plan information states that you may use your credits in any amount until they are all used up.

Which is correct?

Thank you

HERE IS RESPONSE # 1:

Dear XXX,

Thank you for contacting the Walt Disney World Resort.

Please know table service meal credits for non buffets and non character meals are based upon meals ordered.

We look forward to your next visit.

If you have questions or need further assistance, feel free to contact us.

Please include your full name, E-Mail address, and reservation number if applicable on all
correspondence.

Thank you!


Here is response 2:

Thank you for contacting the Walt Disney World Resort.

The Magic Your Way Dining Plan is designed to provide each person 1 Table Service Meal, 1 Quick Service Meal and snack per day.

If a party of 5 is dining, 5 Table Service Meals should be used. You may, of course, inquire at each restaurant as to if they allow sharing.

If you have questions or need further assistance, feel free to contact us.

Please include your full name, E-Mail address, and reservation number if applicable on all
correspondence.

Thank you!

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Sincerely,

Debbie Grant
WDW Online Communications

I LOVE the SHOULD part ... could you tip toe around the issue more than that!? ROTFLMAO

Of course ALL the e-mails say this:

PLEASE NOTE: All information is subject to change without notice.

Which is Disney Speak is: We can change the rules on you at any time and you can't beotch about it!

LOL!

I'm cool :smokin: no matter what (minus the cig. yeck!!) so a big fat "whatever" over here! We will ask if we can share and if we can kewl ... if not ... oh well. I have resigned myself to this.

WDWO

[calypso*a*go-go]

I'm certainly not going to get my hopes up regarding sharing. All four of us are adults on the plan (which will be free) and we were wanting to let our kids use the appetizer as their entree at a couple of restaurants. If it flies, great. If it doesn't...we'll cancel the extra ADR's we made to use up leftover credits. No biggie as deep-down I feel like we will still have more than enough food and will probably be sick of planning our entire stay around what restaurants we have to be at for a certain time vs. just going with the flow and being more spontaneous (which is our normal vacation style and hasn't failed us yet!).

[bicker]

That first reply was really off-target wasn't it? It discussed how the credits would be deducted, but didn't address what would or wouldn't be allowed in terms of what can be ordered for whom.

Is there any reason you didn't include the name of the CM who wrote that? It might be useful for following-up on it.