Can I get a judges ruling on this please

[scubamouse]

I think I know the answer for this but please bear with me

We've scored free DDP for our trip in August. My parents did too

We want to go to Jiko with them. We need 2 credit a piece.

Can we - use 2 TS credit for DH and 2 TS my Dad and pay OOP for my mom and me? We'd probably just order main courses and maybe snack on some flatbread or dip a spoon in pistachio creme brulee that would be ordered on DDP.

Is this ok or will the DDP police come and lock us up?

 

[girli565]

Paying OOP is fine, that won't be a problem but be careful about the sharing DDP stuff. That's scary territory here (I don't care but some people do).

Just enjoy your vacation!!

 

[Lewisc]

I don't really care what you do. The "judge and the DDP police" is the same. The CM that serves you.

Posters on DIS have been allowed to do exactly what you asked. I'd be surprised if you have any problems

BUT

The brochure does say 2 credits will be deducted for every guest dining....

Posters have received emails from Disney that said "no sharing".


Again I don't think you'll have a problem but Disney might decide to enforce rules differently during free dining.

 

[mickey2000]

Just say that you read that it was OK on the " DIS BOARDS "

 

[keeping quiet]

As a server, I am expected to take ddp credits for those dining if there are 2 or 4 or whatever indicated on your card. It will also be noted when you book that you are DDP, when you are seated that you are DDP and when I receive your seating card that you are DDP (notice some overkill here). Personally, I have no problem when guests want to split up the group, pay oop for some and not for others. I fully expect and encourage them to share the apps and desserts that are presented to the ddp guests (this is also true for guests who are out of all but a few ddp coupons or guests who are bringing non-ddpers). To require you not to share would make you a rude diner. I have had guests who are in a party of 3 but mom and adult daughter just don't feel up to eating much (heat can do that to you) and want to share, no problem.

The issue here is as follows, should I get audited (happens relatively regularly), I can be terminated immediately for not following company policy. I know of a handful of servers in my area who have been terminated for things relating to the DDP. At the same time, I am charged with the task of exceeding the guests expectations and doing nearly anything it takes to make them happy - big conflict here. Do I still bend the ddp rules - absolutely. Come in with a smile, good attitude and be friendly and I will do what I can to make your stay enjoyable. I can always play dumb as long as I limit how often I bend the rules. Once or twice I can get by with, regularly, I am fired. Biggest problem is your dining location of choice. Best bet would be to have a hubby and wife use plan and the other couple be "out" of the plan. Then have the other couple pay for dinner one night in a 1 TS location.

The whole point of the DDP was to fill the rooms and parks, keeping people on property and not losing revenue in those places. It was expected to be a loss in food and beverage, but they are doing what they can to minimize this loss. It is absolutely not a plan that is expected to boost the bottom line of the restaurants on property.

 

[Lewisc]

It sounds like the OP is two couples, on two seperate reservations. They wanted to use two credits (signature restaurant) from each account.

It sounds like the server is less likely to get into trouble if they use 4 credits from one account and don't even show the server a card for the other couple. Take four credits from one account and pay the OOP as a room charge from the same card, cash or credit card.

As a server, I am expected to take ddp credits for those dining if there are 2 or 4 or whatever indicated on your card. It will also be noted when you book that you are DDP, when you are seated that you are DDP and when I receive your seating card that you are DDP (notice some overkill here). Personally, I have no problem when guests want to split up the group, pay oop for some and not for others. I fully expect and encourage them to share the apps and desserts that are presented to the ddp guests (this is also true for guests who are out of all but a few ddp coupons or guests who are bringing non-ddpers). To require you not to share would make you a rude diner. I have had guests who are in a party of 3 but mom and adult daughter just don't feel up to eating much (heat can do that to you) and want to share, no problem.

The issue here is as follows, should I get audited (happens relatively regularly), I can be terminated immediately for not following company policy. I know of a handful of servers in my area who have been terminated for things relating to the DDP. At the same time, I am charged with the task of exceeding the guests expectations and doing nearly anything it takes to make them happy - big conflict here. Do I still bend the ddp rules - absolutely. Come in with a smile, good attitude and be friendly and I will do what I can to make your stay enjoyable. I can always play dumb as long as I limit how often I bend the rules. Once or twice I can get by with, regularly, I am fired. Biggest problem is your dining location of choice. Best bet would be to have a hubby and wife use plan and the other couple be "out" of the plan. Then have the other couple pay for dinner one night in a 1 TS location.

The whole point of the DDP was to fill the rooms and parks, keeping people on property and not losing revenue in those places. It was expected to be a loss in food and beverage, but they are doing what they can to minimize this loss. It is absolutely not a plan that is expected to boost the bottom line of the restaurants on property.

 

[jcemom]

But then wouldn't one account have two extra TS meals on it? And that one account wouldn't be able to pay for four meals at a one credit place another night because there are only two people on the account?

 

[scubamouse]

It sounds like the OP is two couples, on two seperate reservations. They wanted to use two credits (signature restaurant) from each account.

That was my original question

It sounds like the server is less likely to get into trouble if they use 4 credits from one account and don't even show the server a card for the other couple. Take four credits from one account and pay the OOP as a room charge from the same card, cash or credit card.

We've gone w/my parents before when they weren't on DDP and they paid OOP and we used credits and it was all very easy. If it's easier for the server to have 4 credits from one card, we can easily do it and - keeping quiet - THANK YOU for explaining things from your perspective. That's super helpful and it's easy enough to have my parents use their credits for the 4 of us at Ohanas the following night.

 

[mom2alix]

As a server, I am expected to take ddp credits for those dining if there are 2 or 4 or whatever indicated on your card. It will also be noted when you book that you are DDP, when you are seated that you are DDP and when I receive your seating card that you are DDP (notice some overkill here). Personally, I have no problem when guests want to split up the group, pay oop for some and not for others. I fully expect and encourage them to share the apps and desserts that are presented to the ddp guests (this is also true for guests who are out of all but a few ddp coupons or guests who are bringing non-ddpers). To require you not to share would make you a rude diner. I have had guests who are in a party of 3 but mom and adult daughter just don't feel up to eating much (heat can do that to you) and want to share, no problem.

The issue here is as follows, should I get audited (happens relatively regularly), I can be terminated immediately for not following company policy. I know of a handful of servers in my area who have been terminated for things relating to the DDP. At the same time, I am charged with the task of exceeding the guests expectations and doing nearly anything it takes to make them happy - big conflict here. Do I still bend the ddp rules - absolutely. Come in with a smile, good attitude and be friendly and I will do what I can to make your stay enjoyable. I can always play dumb as long as I limit how often I bend the rules. Once or twice I can get by with, regularly, I am fired. Biggest problem is your dining location of choice. Best bet would be to have a hubby and wife use plan and the other couple be "out" of the plan. Then have the other couple pay for dinner one night in a 1 TS location.

The whole point of the DDP was to fill the rooms and parks, keeping people on property and not losing revenue in those places. It was expected to be a loss in food and beverage, but they are doing what they can to minimize this loss. It is absolutely not a plan that is expected to boost the bottom line of the restaurants on property.

I'm a little confused as to why this would be a problem. If we have dinner on our last night at California Grill and DH and I only have 2 credits left, obviously one of us will use credits and the other will order and pay OOP. Really what is the difference if we dine there on a earlier night in our trip? Do they give the servers a hard time about that?

 

[mom2alix]

That's super helpful and it's easy enough to have my parents use their credits for the 4 of us at Ohanas the following night.

I don't think they'll let you do this at all. If their card says 2A, then they'll only let them use 2 credits at Ohanas.

 

[jcemom]

I don't think they'll let you do this at all. If their card says 2A, then they'll only let them use 2 credits at Ohanas.

That's what I was thinking.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Or they could request to dine together as three separate parties. OP's husband uses their KttW for his Jiko meal; Dad uses his own card for his meal; OP and mom pay cash/credit together for whatever they order.

 

[Katiebell]

As a server, I am expected to take ddp credits for those dining if there are 2 or 4 or whatever indicated on your card.

I find this really interesting, because I asked about this in an email to Guest Services -- could my DH use one TS credit for appetizer, entree, and dessert, and if I didn't want all that and didn't want to waste a TS credit, could I pay OOP for just an entree...or just an appetizer and dessert. Their reply 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.

This email was in February of this year. There have been no written policy changes in the DDP since then. The email didn't appear to have been personally written for just me -- it appeared to have been a standard cut-and-paste response (albeit more detailed than the first one they sent me). At least one other person confirmed that they received a virtually identical response.

Requiring a TS credit from each and every diner at the table is not written anywhere in the plan brochure. And it doesn't address: what if not every person at the table is on the plan? What if there aren't enough credits left? What if one party member is full or feels ill and doesn't want to eat much? It is perfectly understandable that they don't want you to use MORE than the credits for the party members listed on your card, because that indicates you might be using credits for people not on the plan. But it is unreasonable for them to force you to use credits you don't want to, except of course at a buffet or character meal where everyone pays the same regardless of how much or how little they eat.

And then Disney Guest Services is telling customers that they are NOT required to use a TS credit for every diner, and they are welcome to pay for a portion of the check OOP if they choose to do so.

It seems that not all departments at Disney are on the same page regarding this, if the servers are being held accountable to deduct a credit for every single diner sitting at the table, and Guest Services is telling customers they are not required to do that. Maybe before they start holding servers accountable for enforcing a "policy" that isn't even in writing, Disney should figure out exactly what that "policy" is, and make sure that they aren't giving guests mixed messages.

 

[jcemom]

That makes sense katiebell. I was thinking about this last night. I'm going to Disney in December with two friends and we're getting the DDP. We're not eating every meal together. What if I meet up with a couple of other friends or relatives while I'm there. They can't possibly expect me to pay for all three of us off my DDP when those credits aren't theirs to spend.

So even if all three of us on the DDP do dine together, one of us wants to pay OOP rather than use a credit for that meal, how can they say no? Maybe that one isn't even on that room's DDP, they'd have no way of knowing. The card lists how many adults and children, not each person's name.

Thank you for posting your response. I think keeping quiet needs to print that out and take it to his/her manager.

 

[kcrew]

I don't think they'll let you do this at all. If their card says 2A, then they'll only let them use 2 credits at Ohanas.

That was not my experience last year. There were 6 of us. 3 on one card and 3 on the other. At 4 of our TS the server used only one card(for their own convience I'll assume) and took 6 TS off a card for 3 people, and just told us to switch cards the next night. The 1st night I was nervous about it wondering if I would get "stuck" at the end, but it was not a problem. But of course rules seem to change day to day, restuarant to restaurant, server to server. The lack of consistency creates a lot of confusion, stress, and complaints. Why can't they just make clear cut rules and stick to them?

 

[2x_dis_dad]

We have done a similar thing. We always have friends that are local in Orlando come to dinner with us. We pay for us with the DDP and I use my DDE card for them to pay OOP. We have not had a server give us any trouble.

 

[gina2000]

The whole point of the DDP was to fill the rooms and parks, keeping people on property and not losing revenue in those places. It was expected to be a loss in food and beverage, but they are doing what they can to minimize this loss. It is absolutely not a plan that is expected to boost the bottom line of the restaurants on property.

Well, this answers a question I'm interested in. As I suspected, the DDP IS a loss leader designed to fill hotel space. There's been a lot of speculation on that point with some speculating that it generates a small profit in food and beverage because WDW knows exactly how to price something. And now the cutbacks occur to stem the loss.

TY.

 

[keeping quiet]

It seems that not all departments at Disney are on the same page regarding this, if the servers are being held accountable to deduct a credit for every single diner sitting at the table, and Guest Services is telling customers they are not required to do that. Maybe before they start holding servers accountable for enforcing a "policy" that isn't even in writing, Disney should figure out exactly what that "policy" is, and make sure that they aren't giving guests mixed messages.

This is very good to hear as I push the limits whenever possible on the DDP. I feel like a complete jerk telling people that I have to charge them for coffee with dessert and other silly things. They are pretty specific in the locations as to our directives, but then some issues get different responses from different managers. I tend to use those different responses for flexibility in making sure I can accomodate the guests. Should I ever get pulled into an office, I will be emailing you for your guest relations email I have learned so much from this board!!!

 

[Katiebell]

This is very good to hear as I push the limits whenever possible on the DDP. I feel like a complete jerk telling people that I have to charge them for coffee with dessert and other silly things. They are pretty specific in the locations as to our directives, but then some issues get different responses from different managers. I tend to use those different responses for flexibility in making sure I can accomodate the guests. Should I ever get pulled into an office, I will be emailing you for your guest relations email I have learned so much from this board!!!

If you want it, just PM me and I'll gladly send you a copy. Feel free to share it with other servers as well -- it's an email from Guest Relations, and like I said, it looks like a cut-and-paste standard response. If you ever come under discipline for accommodating a guest's reasonable request to pay for part of their party's dinner with DDP credits and pay OOP for another part of their party's dinner, it would be good for your management to know what Guest Services is telling the customers.