Adults sharing TS meals?

[CampbellScot]

I'm sorry, but out of concern for the health of our guests, the instant mashed potatoes have been replaced by low-carb mashed cauliflower. Please also note that the jello (which is sugar free--see above) replaces all other desserts on the dessert menu.

Also, we have determined that the segway tour encourages a sedentary lifestyle so, effective immediately, we're replacing it with a circuit training tour of the World Showcase! That's right folks, push ups in Japan! Leg lifts in Norway! Sit ups in Germany!

Have a magical vacation!

I would hope that Disney would know mashed cauliflower, while low carb and diet friendly, would lead a very unpleasant dining experience for many...

I am all about those leg lifts in Norway...while I'm munching on School Bread!!!

 

[Nennie]

Nennie...we're you on the Dining Plan? I think CampbellScot was referring to being able to share while on the Dining Plan. I didn't think they would allow you to share on that...but if they do. YEAH!!!

Yes, we were on the dining plan when we shared! We simply explained that although we were both on the DDP, we wanted to share our lunch (at Tonys) and share dinner (at Le Cellier), and our servers at both restaurants thought it was a good idea. We expected to pay for our extra drink, but weren't even charged for it, which was nice. We left a nice tip at both restaurants.

 

[Katiebell]

I'm very glad to read that no one had a problem sharing adult TS meals with other adults on their plan (well, except for the occasional rude server who is afraid they might be shorted on the tip). That is exactly what DH and I had planned to do for a couple of our TS meals because it's the way we normally eat in restaurants (sharing appetizer and/or dessert, and even the entree if it's large), we wouldn't be too full to enjoy the parks, food wouldn't be wasted, etc. It just seemed practical. Two CM's when I called to make ADR's, and my TA all said it would be fine. The DDP brochure does not say anywhere that family members on the same plan can't share their food with each other.

But when I saw all the heated debate about sharing TS meals on several Disney message boards, someone -- might have been bicker, I'm not sure -- wrote that if we had questions, they were best posed directly to Disney. So I wrote to Guest Services. The email reply from Disney said, "If one Guest wishes to use a dining credit and the other Guest in the party wishes to order food and beverage and pay for it instead of using their dining credit, that is permitted. However, ordering one meal and sharing is not permitted with the dining plan." Since I am the only one who seems to have gotten this reply, I will be happy to forward this email to a board administrator or to someone in Disney Dining or Guest Services if they want to see it.

Now other than that one email, it seems like everyone else is saying sharing is fine, no one has had a problem with it, as long as kid's credits aren't used to purchase adult meals, and the adults sharing have both paid for the plan (no "treating" people not on the plan). So I'm going to just chalk that email up to an overzealous CM, maybe misinterpreting the rules, or quoting a rule verbatim that no one enforces or observes.

But after doing the math -- and I actually dusted off Excel and did a spreadsheet -- financially, it makes more sense for us not to share any TS meals. It might be because a couple of our planned ADR's are for less expensive character breakfasts, but after adding up the numbers it's more cost effective for us to just order full TS meals (even if we can't eat everything) and pay OOP for one character breakfast, rather than share a couple of TS meals and pay OOP for an extra beverage and a couple of extra items. So as much as I hate to waste food...I think it makes more sense.

 

[jjohnson]

Actually I just received the same reply from Disney about an hour ago. They stated 1 TS credit will be deducted per person per meal. I was thinking of using 5 TS for the 6 of us since I have 4 "adults".

I would love to hear more feedback from others who have visited since 1/1/07

 

[Lewisc]

Actually I just received the same reply from Disney about an hour ago. They stated 1 TS credit will be deducted per person per meal. I was thinking of using 5 TS for the 6 of us since I have 4 "adults".

I would love to hear more feedback from others who have visited since 1/1/07

The language in the brochure clearly allows Disney to deduct 2 credits for every DDP guest at the table in Signature restaurants. Disney doesn't seem to be doing this, yet, but they may be considering charging credits for every dining guest at the table. Just like some restaurants require every guest at a table order the special tasting menu if any guest wants to order it.

The cost for a meal, cash or credits, includes far more than the actual cost of the food consumed. One dining credit may be intended to feed one person regardless of food consumed, just like buffet pricing. Assume 100% of the dining guests share. Restaurant capacity has been cut in half. The cost for everything except food stays the same but revenue is cut in half.

 

[jjohnson]

It's not the end of the world for me should Disney decide to do this. I was going to take my 2 youngest to CM with the extra 3 credits but we can just pay OOP if the need should arise. It would, however, help others if Disney didn't leave this up to the CM to make the decision whether to allowing sharing or not.

 

[Katiebell]

Actually I just received the same reply from Disney about an hour ago. They stated 1 TS credit will be deducted per person per meal. I was thinking of using 5 TS for the 6 of us since I have 4 "adults".

I would love to hear more feedback from others who have visited since 1/1/07

OK, so I'm not the only one who received this email. I'm wondering if yours was worded exactly the same as mine, and it's a new cut-and-paste response.

What I specifically asked Disney Guest Services was: "If two adults on the DDP sit down at a TS restaurant, can they order only one TS meal and pay out of pocket for any additional items they want -- or NO additional items if they don't want anything else -- or will they be charged 2 TS credits just for both sitting at that table?"

The response I got was:
"Guests may use their Meals and Snacks in any order and any amount throughout their stay until the total is depleted.

Guests on the dining plan and sitting at a table in a table service restaurant are not required to use their dining credits for the meal. Guests may pay for the meal at the time of dining.

If one Guest wishes to use a dining credit and the other Guest in the party wishes to order food and beverage and pay for it instead of using their dining credit, that is permitted. However, ordering one meal and sharing is not permitted with the dining plan."

So, another option for folks who just don't want so much food would be for one to order the full appetizer-entree-dessert-beverage on the plan, and the other to order just entree or appetizer and beverage and pay OOP. And that saves a TS credit for use later.

But like I said, after crunching the numbers, it really didn't save us any money, and then you have to plan ANOTHER TS meal, anyway unless you were planning on a 2 TS credit meal one day. Just too much hassle. We still hate to waste food (and I know there are others who feel this way, too), but economically and sticking to the rules, it seems inevitable.

 

[MHTeacher]

Sorry it this is a crazy question..but....Is this prohibited sharing you're talking about ONLY on the DDP ? We're not on the plan and I have planned on sharing entrees with my DD. Can I do this?

 

[bicker]

That letter indicates that sharing would be prohibited only on the Dining Plan. I'm going to dig into this deeper if I can next week, otherwise, I'll make some calls the week after. It doesn't sound like a policy Disney would put forth, but if it is we'll adjust.

 

[Lewisc]

That letter indicates that sharing would be prohibited only on the Dining Plan. I'm going to dig into this deeper if I can next week, otherwise, I'll make some calls the week after. It doesn't sound like a policy Disney would put forth, but if it is we'll adjust.

I agree. I would have expected a "solution" more like the change at CRT. I can certainly work with the policy but CMs may have a problem explaining it to customers.

Bicker--You previously posted restaurant statistics. We know Disney is allocating around $25-$30, including TIP, for a TS meal. For an average TS meal, Tony's or Prime Time for example, what do you think the food ingredients cost Disney? I suspect most of the cost of a Disney restaurant is fixed costs including overhead and profit (technically profit isn't a fixed cost). DDP guests are already getting a discounted meal, basically the appetizer and dessert are free. Logically the cost of two guests sharing should be the value of two credits less actual cost of the food ingredients for the skipped meal. $26 per person may be enough money for Disney to operate the dining plan but $26 per table of two probably isn't enough.

I suspect the real problem is sharing guests reduce restaurant capacity. Sharing guests get double the number of TS meals but Disney gets the same revenue. It becomes a problem when potential guests can't get ADRs at prime meal times while Disney is getting half the revenue from sharers.

 

[Katiebell]

Logically the cost of two guests sharing should be the value of two credits less actual cost of the food ingredients for the skipped meal. $26 per person may be enough money for Disney to operate the dining plan but $26 per table of two probably isn't enough.

When my husband and I share a meal, we often buy an additional menu item: an appetizer, a dessert, or sometimes a second entree. We always buy a second beverage (and beverages have an extremely high mark-up), and might have drinks or coffee after dinner, so there would be additional revenue from our TS meal. I don't know if this is what a typical guest would do, however.

I suspect the real problem is sharing guests reduce restaurant capacity. Sharing guests get double the number of TS meals but Disney gets the same revenue. It becomes a problem when potential guests can't get ADRs at prime meal times while Disney is getting half the revenue from sharers.

Based on the posts here, it sounds like a large number of guests, both on the DDP and not on the plan, share meals. If meal sharing makes a serious dent in the profit margin for Disney's TS restaurants, would they just forbid sharing of any TS meals? Or institute a plate-sharing fee?

And I was wondering if either you or bicker knows what percentage of WDW guests use the DDP? DL has nothing like it at all.

 

[bicker]

So putting Lewis' comment together with Katie's, perhaps they should just require a minimum per guest; an entree for one guest and an appetizer for the other may be satisfactory for cash-paying guests. However, as Lewis pointed out, with the Dining Plan, the credit covers the entree and you get the appetizer and dessert free. (Here's proof.) So for Dining Plan guests, they would need to require one credit per diner.

 

[honeymo78]

I agree with what I think Lewis was saying. I don't think sharing is how disney envisioned DDP use. If you get 3 TS per person, I think disney expected that party of 2 to use DDP at 3 TS meals, not share a couple credits and end up eating more than 3 TS meals on the DDP. I'm sure they would like to see that same couple who plans on 5 TS meals to use the DDP for 3 of them and pay OOP for the other 2 - not share a few times so that all the meals are covered.

We like at least 2TS meals a day so when on DDP we usually pay OOP for our buffet breakfast, eat a CS lunch, and have another TS for dinner. I'm sure many people in this situation would share at dinner or breakfast (if its not a buffet) in order to be able to eat 2 TS a day. Whether people think it's right or wrong to do so on the DDP, I just don't think that is how disney intended for the plan to play out. And as we have seen in other areas where DDP usage differed from expectations (child credits), disney will make adjustments to align usage to expectations. This new e-mail may be the first step toward change.