Can you convert a meal?

[prudence64]

We are going with friends who will be on the dining plan. One night our friends are going out to eat while we take the kids. I don't want to go to a sit down just so the kids can use their table service credit. Can we convert one of their table service meals to a quick service?

 

[rtilner]

If you plan offers a sit down meal you can use it either way.

You can't convert the plan that only has counter service into a sit down meal.

example: I take the Deluxe food plan which offers 3 sit down meals and 2 snacks.

I can take the sit down meal convert it a counter service.

 

[prudence64]

Thank you. Does it do that automatically or do we have to arrange for that somehow?

 

[Tilnar]

Counter Service places will take a table service credit automatically if you don't have any CS credits left. (So, no there's no work on your part -- Disney's happy to take the more valuable credit for the "cheaper" meal...)

 

[4under4]

I would check with your friends. They may prefer to simply pay out of pocket rather than use aTS credit for a QS meal.

 

[prudence64]

I would check with your friends. They may prefer to simply pay out of pocket rather than use aTS credit for a QS meal.

Then they would have to take the kids to a ts meal and pay out of pocket for their own, so this works out cheaper.

 

[starousse]

Counter Service places will take a table service credit automatically if you don't have any CS credits left. (So, no there's no work on your part -- Disney's happy to take the more valuable credit for the "cheaper" meal...)

This past May, we ate at Bongos QS in DTD. They have the regular restaurant and then it's outdoor QS right next door. It was listed that they both took Disney dining credits. That evening, I only had TS credits left and they would NOT let me use them to cover my CS meal.

The girls working behind the register really didn't speak very good English, so I'm not sure if they didn't fully understand what I was asking them to do, but in the end, they told me that they couldn't swap the credits.

 

[Tilnar]

Wow, they must have changed the system -- it used to be an automatic, 1-for-1 "downgrade" (which is to say, you could use a TS to buy a QS) and the computer would just handle it.

If that's changed (and I'm a little surprised that it has), I apologize for giving bad advice.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Non-Disney-owned restaurants generally don't allow any exceptions or alterations of dining plan credit usage.

 

[TDC Nala]

This past May, we ate at Bongos QS in DTD. They have the regular restaurant and then it's outdoor QS right next door. It was listed that they both took Disney dining credits. That evening, I only had TS credits left and they would NOT let me use them to cover my CS meal.

If they cannot redeem a TS credit then they cannot allow you to switch it for a QS meal. They cannot actually convert one type of credit to another type of credit. But if the restaurant wants to (and it's not a written rule that they must) they can accept one type of credit and allow you to use it to purchase a different type of meal. Most Disney-operated places will do this if you want to trade a credit down (they will not accept a QS credit or a combination of QS credits for a TS meal; apparently TS restaurants do not have the ability to redeem QS credits at all)

Also, it's true that third party restaurants must generally be very strict with the terms of the DDP. Due to the terms of their reimbursement they cannot ring up a QS meal and accept a TS credit for it.

 

[TDC Nala]

Deluxe credits can always be used for quick service meals. That's why some of the QS (usually not third party ones because of the reimbursement issue) will take TS credits.