Circumventing rules to "afford" a WDW vacation..

[ehallison]

Originally posted by Kermit
We share entrees at the restaurants (but tip as if we had both gotten our own).

Kermit,

I'm wondering what you mean by that. Tips are based on the cost of the meal, not the number of people. If you spend $33, the customary tip is $5, whether the meal is for 7 adults & kids at an IHOP breakfast, or 1 person at a Disney restaurant dinner. So how do you calculate the tip "as if we had both gotten our own" if not based on the cost of the meal?

Curious,
ehallison

 

[beansmom]

I assume that she means she doubles the ticket then calculates the tips on that total.

 

[tonilea]

I think it has to do with how I feel about myself, my personal integrity, and my honor. Maybe no one else would ever know, but I would. Could I then say I was really an honest person? I plan carefully to save money, but if I "cheated the system" no matter how much money I saved, I would pay with my integrity. It could never be worth that.

 

[cchamp]

As far as bringing coolers in to the parks and putting them in the lockers is perfectly legal and alright. I just got off the phone with a Disney person and they said that it was just fine as long as we kept it in the lockers and not take it with us throughout the park. They said they actually have tables nearby so that you can sit and have your lunch or whatever. No problem for them.
Leaving tomorrow. Yeah!!!

 

[Magic2000]

We're a family of five, so going to Disney is expensive for us.

I don't think there is anything wrong with bringing water or little juices for the kids into the parks, or snacks. I also don't see a problem with people bringing a sandwich or whatever into the park, as long as they don't sit at the tables meant for those dining at the restaurant, without ordering anything.

We do bring snacks and soft drinks to our room for snacking. I don't personally bring sandwich items, grills, hotpots, etc for cooking meals, but only because I'm lazy and I like eating out while I'm on vacation. But if others need to cut costs, I can understand. I do think Disney is aware of it.

But I also don't think that its very nice of Disney to charge the prices that they do for water or some of the foods. For most people, and especially my family, we eat all our meals at Disney (we do occasionally skip breakfast or have a granola bar) - they could give you a little break on WATER!!

But I CHOOSE to go to Disney, and I know upfront what the costs are, so if that's what I'm choosing to do, I pay the cost.

 

[threeboysmom]

I haven't figured out how to "quote" on those boards, so I copied and pasted something cchamp wrote in an earlier post:


"Q. May I bring my own food and beverages in to the Water Parks?

A. Coolers of a size that may be safely carried are permitted. No glass containers or alcoholic beverages allowed. There is no storage areas for coolers.

I will be leaving tomorrow and I will definately be bringing a small cooler with drinks and snacks in and I won't feel bad at all."

Cchamp used this question/answer to justify bringing coolers into the parks, but if you read the question carefully, it states water parks, not theme parks.

I believe that coolers are only allowed in the WATER PARKS as the above quote states. Unless things have changed recently, food is not allowed in the THEME parks.

 

[patsal]

I'll work hard to find a legitamate deal. I won't lie about kids ages, if my kids see or hear me do something dishonest and I am their role model what can I expect from them in return? If I can't afford something because it will cost too much then I make a decision to wait for it or forgo it. We used to go on vacations with friends who made much more money than we do. They also had twice as many kids. I was always blown away by the amount of time she would put into cheating the system, when she really didn't have to. We did a local amusment park and she would put one kid on her knees in a carraige with a blanket over her and her youngest in the front and say they were under three. It always blew my mind, the kicker for me was when we were planning to do a WDW vacation and she was only going to pay for 2 of her 4 kids. I just said I couldn't follow through with the plans as she had laid them out and we have not spoken since. I think I may be better off not feeling guilty for her stunts. She always said I was crazy for paying for my kids, for following occupancy rules, etc. I figure everyone has to be accountable at sometime for the things they do. I don't need to lie and cheat to save a buck. However, I purchase water off-site, carry a Brita bottle, let the kids keep a small snack in their packs and we mostly enjoy lunches at the full service restaurants to save money over dinner.

 

[C.Ann]

tink2dw - Whoa! Let's back up a minute here.. I posted a thread asking for peoples opinions.. Nothing more, nothing less.. I did NOT criticize anyone for their choices, so I really don't think there's any need for you to be so defensive on this subject.. If you assumed that my posting these questions was a direct indication of where I personally stand on these issues, I am really sorry if I offended you - or anyone else..

Not sure where the thrift store question comes into play, but I LOVE them - garage sales too! Why do you ask?

 

[maxie]

Someone on another board gave me 2 tips for my next Disney trip:

THIS IS NOT SOMETHING I WOULD EVER CONSIDER DOING!! I'M JUST REPEATING THEM!!!

1.) Watch the gate light. If you time it right you can follow the person in front without using a day of your own pass??!!

2.) Sneak down into the underground and eat at the staff cafeterias.

Her advice was if you ever get caught just to act the dumb tourist and plead ignorace.

Needless to say I didn't request anymore tips!

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Q. May I bring my own food and beverages in to the Water Parks?

Did you miss the WATER in that quote? It is for water parks only, not the major parks.

Also, it will depend entirely on the CM you speak with. Like always. ;( The head "honchos" write the same thing over and over and over, it is not allowed. There are also NO tables to eat near any of the lockers only ones for the restaurants. I am speaking about the theme parks here, not the water parks.

 

[CarolA]

By the way that 12% tax that you are paying in Florida on hotels, before you scream call your local hotels and ask them what their rates are. You would probably be amazed. I was in a Charleston SC suburb a few weeks ago. Hotel taxes were almost 15% and I find that very common especially in larger cities. A great number of cities tax travelers at a very high rate since they can't vote! Travelers are building football stadiums in my home town and all over America!

 

[mjenni27]

I definitely do not think that lying is worth it. We bring drinks such as water for us or juice for our baby in. This we do because of two reasons: 1) we don't like their water (picky yes but we don't) 2) I would sooner get heat stroke than pay for water (I work all day in the sun and do not buy water so I sure ain't doing it on vacation). We bring a snack for her in too. But we would not lie about her age. What is interesting is that we want to go the week she turns 3 and have actually had WDW employees tell us to not mention her age change. But I don't want to do that. The whole point will be for her to have her birthday there. But some people have told us that if she is 2 when we check in she is considered that age for the whole vacation by WDW. If it is inside the rules we will definitely take advantage of the budget cutters but I don't see any reason to compromise my convictions to save a buck.

 

[AKASnowWhite]

We were at WDW last November at the same time as a family we know from home. I was APPALLED to find out that they had instructed their 11 yr old DD to claim that she and her 9 yr old brother were twins!!! (yes, she is small for her age, and they are the same size....no one would ever have questioned it, I'm sure). Of course that meant that everything they paid for was at a child's rate, not an adult. What a great lesson to teach your kids, huh? How to cheat and get away with it! (Who says WDW isn't educational )

I am 100% for getting a bargain....we work hard for our money and want to get the most *bang for our buck* - however, we don't tolerate lying, cheating or stealing by our children and in return they can expect that we will never lie, cheat or steal.

Someone on these boards has a signature tag that reads "Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is looking". So very true.

 

[tonilea]

I have spent quite a bit of time today thinking about this post, for most of us, it is a moral question. But, there are also legal issues to consider. Many who "circumvent the rules" would never consider committing a criminal act, however, that is exactly what they are doing when they fail to pay for a child who is over the age limit, exceed occupancy rules, etc. It is called "theft of services" here in Arkansas (laws, of course, vary from state to state) and could even be a felony, depending of the amount of money denied the business for their services. Commiting "theft of services" is stealing, just the same as if you broke into someone's home and stole from them or shoplifted at Wal-Mart.

And THAT is MY OPINION!

 

[DeeP]

What about people that join Connections to buy the food vouchers for Disney knowing full well that they have no intention of keeping or paying for the membership and then once they get the vouchers they cancel the membership? To me this is also being dishonest, it is lying and cheating. Connections should wise up and not allow cancelations until after the first month. I would not be surprised at all if Connections does not eventually do this.

 

[ehallison]

DeeP,
LYING and CHEATING to accept a TRIAL membership and use the TRIAL membership during the TRIAL period? You've got to be kidding - it's neither immoral nor illegal - it's called marketing. Connections is gambling that you'll keep the membership. I've seen offers like this for at least 10 years from Connections and similar companies - so apparently it's working for them or they wouldn't continue to offer these TRIAL periods.

 

[mjenni27]

As far as connections goes, I see nothing at all wrong with using them and getting rid of them before the month is up. I cannot tell you how often I get Ancestry.com trials in my mailbox. I have signed up twice and it was like pulling teeth to cancel. They know what they are in for when they offer the trial. They count on two types of people: those who are too lazy to drop them and those who think they are a good deal and keep them. If it takes 100 people to get one, they have still made a profit. In fact, they make a profit off the vouchers to begin with.

 

[ZPT1022]

2.) Sneak down into the underground and eat at the staff cafeterias

OH MY GOD!!!! I know the poster wasn't advocating this, but I have to chime in. When I worked in WDW on the college program a few years back, a friend and I (both cast members) got dropped off by the College program shuttle bus at MK. Now, the only place this bus dropped off was at the back cast member entrance, so we had no choice of entering from the front like anyone else. Well, we were going through the tunnels and going to get up into the park, when someone from security came by and chastised us and escorted us up into the park with a firm warning not to use the tunnels anymore, since we weren't MK cast members. If they are that strict with cast members in a cast area, I'd hate to see what they'd say to regular park visitors. WOW!

 

[DeeP]

LYING and CHEATING to accept a TRIAL membership and use the TRIAL membership during the TRIAL period? You've got to be kidding - it's neither immoral nor illegal - it's called marketing. Connections is gambling that you'll keep the

If you know without a doubt that you have absolutely no intention of paying for or keeping the membership and are only using the trial membership to get the food vouchers, I am sorry, but in my mind this is being dishonest. I feel the same way regarding going to a timeshare presentation with absolutely no intention nor any interest of buying a timeshare just to get free park tickets. True companies use this as marketing and they know people will do this but it is still going in under false pretenses just to get something for free or at a discounted rate. To me, that is being dishonest. If the savings on the Connections vouchers are that great then just pay the $80.00 membership fee and you should still come out ahead. If you can't afford park tickets without sitting through a 90 minute or longer timeshare presentation then maybe a trip to WDW is not really in your budget at this time.

 

[tonilea]

I would have to disagree on the time-share presentations. We went to one, first and LAST (but that is another thread in and of itself) and told them before we ever agreed to go that we were NOT interested in buying a time-share. I think they know most don't intend to buy, but they will get a few to change their minds.