Has Anyone heard of this with DDP?!?

[Wendybird55]

Hi!

I'm not as big a Disney expert as many on these boards, but I do consider myself Disney saavy ahving been there at least 20 times staying at many different hotels and on different dining plans.

Anyway my SIL and her family are going to DW in April (I'm going in Sept with husbadn & son). She made her reservations with her friend who is a travel agent and her specialty is Disney.

Anyway when I mentioned I was still debating about the DDP because of recent changes and this time I'm going with my 2 yr ood son - she was like "you're crazy". She began to tell me EVERYTHING is paid for with DDP. I said tips aren't included and neither are appetizers as of this year. She said "no" - her travel agent said everything is included. (I though maybe she's on deluxe but she told me it's 2 meals a day and the cost was about $38 - that sounds like the basic DDP). Anyway, not to cause trouble I said maybe becasue she made her ressies in '07 and I did mine in '08 it was different (though I know it isn't).

She then told us her daugher (2 1/2) is free. And I said you can't buy a DDP for her and if she eats from your plate, yes she is free, but if you want order something specific for her you will have to pay. My SIL says "NO". She can order for her and it's free - and she also thinks her daughter will get a sanck a day as well. I said no - you and your husband do and can give one to your duaghter -but if you want an extra snack for DD you have to buy it. "NO".

I told her I'll call WDW and doulbe check and they told me everything I already know. She said she went online to the Disney website and it told her kids are free and that it must be out-dated - I looked and it's not.

Anyway today she told my DH that her travel agent is 99% sure that he daughter will be fine and get free food. If she orders something small like a hamburger they won't charge, but f they order a full meal for they woul dhave to pay. The travel agent said she never had complaints from any of her families about the plan.
Now I know sometimes peopl don't use their snacks every day and one day you get more than the daily allowance. But I think my SIL will find out otherwise at Disney.

I'm not saying anymore because she's persistant and I don't think it's worth an arguement. This is her first time to Disney )I think she went before official opening) and this is my 21st and I would like to offer advice, but I can't because she knows it all..

Anyway - just needed to vent...Also regarding the DDP - I'm thinking of doing character meals with my son and looking at prices I don't think the DDP will be right for us this year. Plus I would rather order an appetizer than dessert. I'm still figuring out my dining itinery (My 180 day reservation day is March 4) and after I do I'll check prices and see if it's worth it. If I use most of my sit downs for character meals which run from 18.99 - 28.99 a person I don't htink it will be worth it - what do you think?

Thanks,
Wendybird

[gigi1313]

as you know, you are correct and your sil is incorrect... i feel badly for her 'cause she is going to have lots of unexpected oop expenses, unless they eat family style or buffets, then the 2.5yo *is* able to eat free!

you might want to consider calling disney and asking for a dining brochure to be sent to your sil... anonymously of course ;)

[patsal]

Your SIL is in for some serious disappointment.
If you are planning primarily character dining the no worries about the DDP it might actually save you money. If you are mianly TS and you want the aapy it;ll be OOP and that is where you will need to do a bit of math to fugure which is best.

[Tricia1972]

I thought I was either experiencing Deja Vu or perhaps losing my mind.

I answered your other post, I'll report to a mod so they can be merged.

[bumbershoot]

Here's a nice page (http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/tickets/magicYourWay/index?id=PackageDetails2008PlusDiningPage) about the plan, and there's a link to the PDF all about the plan.

On the last page of the PDF check out the answer to the question Can Guests ages 3-9 order anything off the menu? Nice little bit about The Disney Dining Plan is unavailable for Guests under the age of 3...

Or you could call her travel agent anonymously. :)

[kaytieeldr]

At least try to get through to her that 'a little bit of food' is STILL food. If it's ordered from the menu, somebody has to pay for it. Period.

[mikey13v]

I've had similar situations before. Your SIL may not want to conceed that you may know more about things like this than her "Disney Specialist" TA friend.
Our local AAA Disney TA has no clue about Disney. She has brochures, and other AAA resources that she can refer to, but her knowledge of things Disney is very limited. Yet, she still calls herself a Disney Specialist.
Our family has been to Disneyland 15 times, and Walt Disney World 20 times. I have done sooooo much research on nearly all aspects of Disney. I like to learn, I like Disney, I like planning, like many others on these boards, I just enjoy filling my head with this stuff. That said, many of my friends and family that have planned trips to Disney have tended to try and claim ownership of their Disney planning. I'm pretty good at being hands-off on helping them plan their trip. They will often ask questions about something, get an answer, then choose to believe something other than what you tell them. I understand that they have their own opinions, even if they have no basis for their opinion, they can make their own decisions and hope for the best. What's confusing to me is when you give them specific factual details, policies, and rules, and they dismiss your knowledge. They don't believe what you tell them, or think that "that can't be right", but they will trust the "Disney Specialist", that gives them totally incorrect infrormation.
Another thing along these lines that bothers me alot is when I call Disney for information that I need, and they give me incorrect info. I can usually figure out when they are unknowledgable early in the call when they try to give you information that you didn't ask for and you know they're wrong. It's hard to believe the answer they give to the actual question you asked. The CM's give incorrect information alot, not so much on the simple stuff, but on the NEW stuff and more in-depth things.
Disney should solicit DIS board members as planning specialist CM's. There are many companies that do this. They forward calls to your home, and you serve customers while on a company webpage at home. I bet there are some here that would provide this service for free!!

The point is, OP, I feel your pain.

[Halbleib1]

Last April my husband and I went to Disney World for the first time with our than 2 year old son. As you all know because he was not 3 he was not on the dining plan. Buffets that we chose were 1900 Park Faire, Crystal Palace, Chef Mickey's, Boma, and Liberty Tree Tavern (a set family style menu for dinner) and at all of these my son ate for free even though at some of these the chef made my son a special meal because he is on a dairy free diet. Other sit down meals we chose were Coral Reef, Concourse Steakhouse and SciFi Dine In Theater. At the Coral Reef my son shared off from my plate which was not a problem I just ordered something that I knew he could eat and therefore there was no additional charge. At the Concourse Steakhouse I did the same as at the Coral Reef however the Chef noticed that my son did not seem interested in the food and offered him a plate of French Fries instead. (Of which they did not charge us for probably because we were on the dining plan and they were already getting an automatic 18 percent tip at that time.) At the SciFi we ordered my son a safe dish of Macaroni and Beef without cheese, a drink and he even got a Toffutti Sundae which is made from Soy Milk and they only charged us 4.95 for his meal even though it is listed on the menu for 7.95.(Again probably because of the 18 percent tip at that time being included.) This is the only meal that we paid OOP for however there was an 18 percent charge added to the bill because of being on the dining plan. However, you should never assume that you are going to get something extra or cheaper than listed. We ordered his meal expecting to have to pay full price so it was a nice surprise to save a couple of dollars. As for Quickservice meals I shared with my son as well therefore we did not have to pay OOP for any of these either. As for snacks for my son we just used a couple of our snack credits because we had plenty of food with the rest of the dining plan that there were nights that we could not have eaten it ourselves anyhow esp. with the desserts that you can get on the dining plan. Even if your SIL chooses to share with her child she will find that they all have plenty to eat without paying OOP for meals esp. if she does more buffets or family style meals than off the menu restaurants. To supplement for my son being on a special diet we checked a seperate suitcase with safe snack foods as well as peanut butter and bread and we ended up bringing much of this food home with us. (However, this is another option for your SIL as well so that she is sure to have enough for her child to eat esp. if her child is a picky eater without having to pay Disney prices for food.) I can relate with your SIL as well because I thought the same thing until I read the DDP printout that our travel agent at AAA gave us and realized that just because my son was not 3 and we did not and in fact could not buy the dining plan for him did not mean that he automatically got the same amount of credits as us for free. When I realized this I just did a little bit of research here on the DIS and figured out the best places to eat at without having to pay OOP for too many of his meals. Good luck.

[aubriee]

I would say you have done your part giving her the 'true facts'. If she chooses to believe her TA friend, then let it go. I have a friend who is going to WDW for the first time in July with her twins (who will turn three the week before they leave) and a baby who will be 23 months. She has been talking to her sister who has been to WDW a grand total of 'one' time back in 2004. I tried to explain how rough July would be for three small kids, but she said that's when her sister went and they had a great time and crowds really weren't that bad:rolleyes: . I explained the DDP to her and she then discussed it with her sister who totally turned the facts around. Her sister insisted that appetizers and gratuity were still included and that her twins will not have to pay and will get free food "because they didn't turn three a full month before the trip, so will still count at two year olds":confused3. She then said that because the twins were going to be three when they arrived that they would still get dining credits, just wouldn't have to pay for them since their birthdays were only a week prior:confused3 . She also insisted that the 23 month old could order anything off the menu she wanted as long as long as it was on the child's menu and they wouldn't have to pay because all kids under three eat for free. She also insisted that those three year old twins who 'did not have to pay for their credits' could also each order an appetizer to go with their entrees and if an appetizer was not on the kids menu they could get free appetizers from the adult menu. She said the way her sister explained it to her the DDP sounded too good to pass up. She thinks she's getting free food everywhere she goes for all three kids and that they can all order whatever they want. I've spoken to her several times trying to set her straight, but she's just too excited about all three kids eating for free to listen. She also says that since they booked the trip while the twins were still two that that alone would ensure that they didn't have to pay. They are going to be on a tight budget and I'm afraid are going to be in for a very unpleasant surprise having to come up with money to pay for all three kids. She's also not paid for park tickets for the twins. She told the CM when she booked that they were two (which they were at the time of booking). However, these are big boys with an excellent vocabulary. I'm also afraid that the CMs at the turnstyle may question their ages or at least ask the twins how old they are. Again her sister told her that since they were two when the trip was booked that they got into the park for free (despite the twins turning three a week before the trip starts). Basically she thinks all they have to pay for are her and her husband and that everything for all three kids is free.:confused3

[n2mm]

to the OP, your SIL is going to be shocked. Hopefully she's not sitting near me at the restraurant (we'll be there in late April). The first time she gets hit with the gratuity bill that will be an eye openner. Maybe you should call her TA and straighten them out.

[gigi1313]

Disney should solicit DIS board members as planning specialist CM's. There are many companies that do this. They forward calls to your home, and you serve customers while on a company webpage at home. I bet there are some here that would provide this service for free!!

The point is, OP, I feel your pain.

although they don't solicit CMs from the Disboards (that i know of), Disney does use these type of reps for their dining line... i believe they work thru a work-at-home company called Arise...

[Wendybird55]

Thanks everyone - I guess I'm not the only one who has "insistant" people when they try to help.
As Halebelib mentioned - sometimes Disney staff will be nice and look the other way at little tings, but not all the time. And she brought up the point about the gratuity. I've been on the dining plans many times in it's many different forms and I know the added gratuity gets you "extras" from the wait staff because of the tip they know they're getting. But now tip is not included and from some of the posts I read, it's not a good deal for the wait staff - especially when they can get stiffed from a tip if the customer doesn't realize or care that their when they give their room card to pay tip is not included. It leaves the wait staff in a very awkward position to hope they leave a cash tip or ask how they want to leave their tip. Mainly I was tell my SIL about the plan so she woulnd't be embarrassed about not leaving a tip.

I would like to tell her about the rides and stuff for my 2 1/2 niece (she will also have my other niece with her who will be 6 months) She didn't know about the ride sharing. She's going with her cousins wo live in CA and have been to DL MANY times - yes they will know a bit about the MK rides, but DL is different from DW. Plus her cousins have 2 girls who are old enough for the plan and they will be ordering their own meals when my niece will not.
I'm so thankful that I've been to DW so many times that I know what rides/attractions may scare my son. Some rides you think are benign can actually be scary for little kids. But again, it's hard to offer her advice and I don't think she wants it even though she knows how many times I've been there.

I am so happy I found these boards! They are so helpful especially everytime I went to DW it was with adults and I know being with a toddler is totally different. Everyone's information and experience helps.

And as far as her travel agent..all I know is the travel agent I work with is great and has booked many trips for me EXCEPT Disney. When I first mentioned Disney to her she told me honestly she won't be able to do more for me than if I called Disney directly. As we all know, Disney offers very few "deals" and usually they're through sponsership companies or themselves. She would help me with airfare, but usually I book my Disney trip directly with Disney. (I'm not a member of AAA - I have my Geico road service).

Thanks for your input. I'm sure they will have a good time and learn as they go....For me I'm waiting until March 1 for the Sept. schedule to come out and then make my dinner ressies on 3/4!

[sorul82?]

Has your SIL returned yet?

[HM]

I'm wondering if you heard from her as well. Let us know what she said when she returned.

[hammie59]

When you get your "keys to the world", your dining plan credits are loaded onto the card when you check in. They aren't going to load anything for a child that hasn't paid for a plan, so the 2 yr old will not be getting any extra snack credits (but she's allowed to eat off an adult's plate for free so if you go to a buffet they won't give you a problem). They'll also probably offer her a free beverage as they did my 1 yr old. But that's about it. They won't be throwing free food at her.

As for the adults, appetizers are NOT included in the 2008 basic dining plans. Trust me, we were told more than once by the servers even though we already knew that. After looking over my receipts for TS dinners, I did notice we weren't charged any tax, which I found odd since I swear it wasn't suppose to be included. So that was a plus. Anyhow, good luck with the SIL.

[Katiebell]

After looking over my receipts for TS dinners, I did notice we weren't charged any tax, which I found odd since I swear it wasn't suppose to be included. So that was a plus. Anyhow, good luck with the SIL.

Tax is still included in the cost of the basic DDP. Appetizers and tips are not included.

[hammie59]

Tax is still included in the cost of the basic DDP. Appetizers and tips are not included.

I'm looking at my receipts and we were not charged tax on any of our meals. Tip was added @ 18% because we were a party of 8. That's all. We didn't order appetizers nor did I think they were included. I realize the new plan states tax is not included, but for whatever reason, ours was.

[bumbershoot]

"I realize the new plan states tax is not included, but for whatever reason, ours was."

No, tax is in the charge you paid for the dining plan. You're not charged extra for it.

It's one of the aspects of deciding if the dining plan is for you. You have to compare what you would order plus tax to the dining plan, which has tax already bundled in. Add tax to OOP, don't add tax to DDP. :)


The "included" thing gets confusing; I've read people using it both ways, that "included" means you're charged extra, and "included" means it's in the cost already no extra needed. Confusing!

Tax is bundled into the 37.99/9.99 adult/child cost. Not charged for OOP-paying. :)

[hammie59]

I see. That makes sense. Very confusing.

[luckytobeme88]

Is your DSIL still talking to you? lol
To save face, she would rather not share her DDP experience with you too.