Can I do this?

[beachgrl001]

Dining plan question.
There are 3 TS resturants that we will be going to that I would like to pay OOP for my 12y/o (he would be ordering a kids meal item) Can I do this?

If I can do this, we would then have 3 extra TS credits left. Do the TS credits follow the individual or the Room/res?
Could I use the 3extra TS credits for a charactor breakfast for all three of us?
sorry first time on the DDP, as you can probably tell

 

[Motherofboys]

I don't see why that would not work if he's an adult (over 10) then you should have 3 adult TS credits left.

I'm not sure about ordering for him off the kids menu though and paying OOP. I have had servers ask for our oldest son's age before when he's ordered off the kids menus. He was only 9 last time, but big for his age (and eats like a machine ).

BTW, I am not commenting on whether you "should" do this, just whether you "can". I will leave it to other posters to comment on the ethics of ordering off the children's menu for a 12 year old to save adult TS credits.

 

[lyzziesmom]

I have ordered off the kid's menu for myself before, and at 32 there's no way I could pass for 9. I wasn't on the dining plan though, just paying OOP. The reason I ordered a kid's meal was because I just really wasn't hungry enough to eat a full adult-sized meal, and at Le Cellier I didn't want to pay a minimum of $26 for a meal I would only eat 1/3 of.

It *should* be no problem, but your best bet would just be to ask when you get there. My experience has been that Disney tries to be as accomodating as possible.

 

[beachgrl001]

I called disney dining and the CM had to ask her supervisor, the supervisor said yes that he would be able to order off the kids menu, but when I asked if I could pay OOP for it she said I probably could, but they would probably charge me an adult price for it since he is 12 She also said that they would most likely bring him a larger than child size portion if he is on the dining plan as an adult,this seems very fair to me.

 

[beachgrl001]

I don't see why that would not work if he's an adult (over 10) then you should have 3 adult TS credits left.

I'm not sure about ordering for him off the kids menu though and paying OOP. I have had servers ask for our oldest son's age before when he's ordered off the kids menus. He was only 9 last time, but big for his age (and eats like a machine ).

BTW, I am not commenting on whether you "should" do this, just whether you "can". I will leave it to other posters to comment on the ethics of ordering off the children's menu for a 12 year old to save adult TS credits.

I wasn't trying to, cheat or anything. I was just trying to understand the whole DDP and how it can be used in the best way. The CM that I spoke to understood what I was talking about. She was very Helpful.

 

[patsal]

Note that this is last year's information so things may have changed, but when I wrote last year and asked about my child ordering off the child's menu though he was considered and "adult" I was told it would be fine for him to order from the children's menu or mix and match if there was not appetizer he would like on the adult menu, the same for the desserts. It did say that we would be charged a dining credit, but that the portion would be double and the price doubled as well. I was also told I would be expected to use the dining credit. My DS did the mix and match usually choosing a child's dessert, occasionally a child's app, and a few times the child's entree. DD did the mix and match as well but mostly for the apps--she loved the cold veggies and dip. I never filt like it was a "rip off" and the portions were commiserate with the prices.

 

[Motherofboys]

Please don't misunderstand my comments I was just preparing for the usual flame storm that comes along when someone asks a question like that.

 

[beachgrl001]

good to know. Im sure he would like the adult desert!

 

[beachgrl001]

Please don't misunderstand my comments I was just preparing for the usual flame storm that comes along when someone asks a question like that.

Thats fine. I dont think I deserve any flames though, there are other threads like -tell us your best DDP tips and stratgies- I think alot of people are just trying to learn how to use the DDP. But just in case I will get my fire extinguisher out

 

[gigi1313]

we are planning to do the same thing... not to get "extra" anything, but if ds won't/can't (he's got food allergies) enjoy anything on the adult menu, i am going to ask if we could pay OOP for a kids' meal (and all kids' components) instead... and use our disney rewards to pay the tab (which will likely include adult beverages!)... if not, we'll use his credit, but imo it's a bit of a waste to use an adult credit on a kids' meal... oh, and we'll be happy w/the kids' portion size, it doesn't need to be super-sized...

 

[illiniowl]

I called disney dining and the CM had to ask her supervisor, the supervisor said yes that he would be able to order off the kids menu, but when I asked if I could pay OOP for it she said I probably could, but they would probably charge me an adult price for it since he is 12 She also said that they would most likely bring him a larger than child size portion if he is on the dining plan as an adult,this seems very fair to me.

Hold the phone. You were told that yes, your 12-year old can order off the kids menu at a TS restaurant, and yes, you can pay OOP for that meal while the rest of you use your TS DDP credits, but you will probably be charged at ADULT prices? I don't think you should be OK with that. I'm not even sure how that would work. If your 12 y/o orders something off the kids menu that is not even on the adult menu (mac & cheese, for example), what is the "adult" price going to be? At the very least, if your whole purpose is just to save 3 TS credits for use at a character breakfast, where the most common per-adult cost is $18.99 (before t&t), you certainly wouldn't want to end up paying more than $18.99 each (before t&t) for these three OOP meals you're talking about, and if the bill is going to be more, then use the TS credit and pay for the character breakfast OOP.

Despite the fact that you were told on the phone by Disney Dining that they will handle your request in manner X, just know that the CM at your restaurant may tell you that they will handle it in manner Y, because AFAIK there is no official DDP policy for an "adult" (in Disney terms) wanting to order off the kids menu and pay OOP instead of using an adult TS credit (assuming there are still adult TS credits left in the pool for that reservation). I mean, I don't think Disney can force you to use a DDP credit (or in other words, subtract it from your account without your consent) if you say in advance you want to pay OOP for something. What Disney can do is say (and this is what patsal was told, apparently) that an adult can either use an adult TS credit and order from either or both menus (this is essentially the same as using a TS credit but not ordering everything you're entitled to: adult app, adult entree, adult dessert & NA bev.), or pay OOP but cannot order off the kids menu. If I were you, I would be prepared for this to be the case, and then you'll be able to make an on-the-spot decision as to whether to use the TS credit or pay OOP for what your 12 y/o plans to order. For example, if you are at SciFi for lunch, a hamburger fries and Coke off the adult menu is a little over $14 so you could pay OOP for that and save the TS credit; if you are at Coral Reef for dinner, on the other hand, and your 12 y/o wants any entree other than the vegetable strudel, the tab is going to be over $18.99 so you might as well use the TS credit.

The very best advice of course, which was mentioned already, would be to be very nice to your CM at the restaurant and ask oh so kindly if you could pay OOP for a kids meal for your 12 y/o, and then let the magic happen.

Hope you have a wonderful time!

 

[beachgrl001]

Hold the phone. You were told that yes, your 12-year old can order off the kids menu at a TS restaurant, and yes, you can pay OOP for that meal while the rest of you use your TS DDP credits, but you will probably be charged at ADULT prices? I don't think you should be OK with that. I'm not even sure how that would work. If your 12 y/o orders something off the kids menu that is not even on the adult menu (mac & cheese, for example), what is the "adult" price going to be? At the very least, if your whole purpose is just to save 3 TS credits for use at a character breakfast, where the most common per-adult cost is $18.99 (before t&t), you certainly wouldn't want to end up paying more than $18.99 each (before t&t) for these three OOP meals you're talking about, and if the bill is going to be more, then use the TS credit and pay for the character breakfast OOP.
Despite the fact that you were told on the phone by Disney Dining that they will handle your request in manner X, just know that the CM at your restaurant may tell you that they will handle it in manner Y, because AFAIK there is no official DDP policy for an "adult" (in Disney terms) wanting to order off the kids menu and pay OOP instead of using an adult TS credit (assuming there are still adult TS credits left in the pool for that reservation). I mean, I don't think Disney can force you to use a DDP credit (or in other words, subtract it from your account without your consent) if you say in advance you want to pay OOP for something. What Disney can do is say (and this is what patsal was told, apparently) that an adult can either use an adult TS credit and order from either or both menus (this is essentially the same as using a TS credit but not ordering everything you're entitled to: adult app, adult entree, adult dessert & NA bev.), or pay OOP but cannot order off the kids menu. If I were you, I would be prepared for this to be the case, and then you'll be able to make an on-the-spot decision as to whether to use the TS credit or pay OOP for what your 12 y/o plans to order. For example, if you are at SciFi for lunch, a hamburger fries and Coke off the adult menu is a little over $14 so you could pay OOP for that and save the TS credit; if you are at Coral Reef for dinner, on the other hand, and your 12 y/o wants any entree other than the vegetable strudel, the tab is going to be over $18.99 so you might as well use the TS credit.

The very best advice of course, which was mentioned already, would be to be very nice to your CM at the restaurant and ask oh so kindly if you could pay OOP for a kids meal for your 12 y/o, and then let the magic happen.

Hope you have a wonderful time!

I was so excited to get the free dining I was jumping up and down
Thanks we will have a great time
The CM had to make small talk with me while she was waiting for the answer from her supervisor. The supervisor said that my 12y/o could order off the kids menu but would be charged 1adult TS credit then I asked the CM, not the supervisor, if I would be able to pay OOP for the kids meal and she didn't really say yes or no she just said that she wasn't sure if I could or not but that I probably couldn't and that If I could they would probably charge me more than the kids price because he is considered an adult so I may as well use the TS credit(It was pretty much just her giving me her opinion) I think one day we will just do CS lunch and CS dinner then we will do the charactor breakfast(TS) and a TS dinner another day so it will equal out. like I said before Im just trying to figure the best way for my family to use the DDP Thanks to everyone for all the good advice

 

[Katiebell]

When I wrote to Disney Guest Services, their answer was:

"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."

Another thought would be to order a less expensive entree from the adult menu, or even an appetizer as his meal, and pay OOP. Then at least you would know that the correct "adult" price would be because it would already be printed on the menu.

 

[MPHARJ]

My daughter is very pickey, and she is considered an adult for the DDP, however several times last year they allowed her to order off the childrens menu because she just couldn't find anything to eat. There was never any problems, we weren't cheating the system, if anything they gained from her eating less when charging as an adult. Even some of the adult meals they altered a bit for her, I love to try new things, but heavens forbid if my children do.

 

[beachgrl001]

Yep sounds just like my DS. I just made ADR's for Coral Reef today and I asked again and she said that he could order off the kids menu. I told him he will have to get the pizza (he doesn't really even want that ) Well he will have to find something to eat or if he gives me a hard time Im going to have to just buy him a CS before we go and get him a drink and desert at the resturantOOP<sigh>gotta luv em!

 

[n2mm]

My grandson, at age 10, ate with us at Kona's and did not like the menu. He asked if he could order the kids' pasta and sauce and was told yes, but that they would bring him a larger portion and there would be an extra charge. We had no problem with that, since it's wasn't about the money. He got a huge pasta bowl of pasta and sauce and was charged $9.99 for it. He could barely finish it and it made him happy. At the 50s prime time they use to offer a smaller version of their entrees for kids/juniors (I ordered one last year). Of course, you never know when the policy changes, but I often like to do this at the 50s Prime Time, just to save room for desert. But we were not using the DDP during those times, so not sure how that all relates to the current situation.