Complicated question regarding free DDP. Four travelling, only three eating..

[kevin harrison]

I am seriously thinking about the DDP next year, but need to get my head around something..

My son, due to his disability does not eat or drink, if we book we will be given free dinning for four people - two adults and two children.

What can we do with my son's credits? There is no point turning down the credits, so need to understand what we can do..

Any ideas?

 

[luke]

Spend them I guess. At least you can for counter service stuff - use them between meals for extra snacks etc.
Same with any snack credits.
I guess table service ones would be more complicated so hopefully someone will come up with a bright idea

 

[kevin harrison]

Spend them I guess. At least you can for counter service stuff - use them between meals for extra snacks etc.
Same with any snack credits.
I guess table service ones would be more complicated so hopefully someone will come up with a bright idea

I figure another problem would be that the credits would have to come off kids menus..

 

[luke]

Indeed they would, which is ok for snacks and to a certain extent CS meals, but probably pointless for TS ones.
Maybe they could convert them for you?

 

[kevin harrison]

I may give Complete Orlando a call and see what they advise..

To be honest I would do anything to get Daniel eating....

 

[2Tiggies]

Surely they must have some measures in place for this. I know it's not your every day issue, but it certainly can't be the only case. I would also give them a call. Perhaps it may not be a bad idea to ring Disney and find out if they have any policy in place to accommodate special situations like this. Will Daniel be over three when you travel? Just wondering if he actually needs to get the DDP (forgive me if this is a silly question - I don't really know any of your background ).

If you have to get him the Dining Plan, you could perhaps use his meals as appetizers at TS and for snacks for yourselves at the CS as a way to use them up.

 

[kevin harrison]

Surely they must have some measures in place for this. I know it's not your every day issue, but it certainly can't be the only case. I would also give them a call. Perhaps it may not be a bad idea to ring Disney and find out if they have any policy in place to accommodate special situations like this. Will Daniel be over three when you travel? Just wondering if he actually needs to get the DDP (forgive me if this is a silly question - I don't really know any of your background ).

The DDP is free, so whilst we don't need take it, it would be silly not to make use of the credits.

He will be five at the time of travel.

 

[goofieslonglostsis]

Check out the disABILITIES-board, there are a few threads on there about folks not eating and going to a TS. For his CS and snackcredits, you should be fine. Snacks are snacks, so you could also use those as an adult. CS would be kid-credits but there are multiple options out there that do not have a kids menu, thus leaving you the option of using it as an adult-credit. Think about WPE, EOS etc.

TS; depends, from what I've learned on said part of the DIS. You'll need to make reservations based on the number of folks actually attending, rather than eating. (has to do with availability, firecodes etc.) At restaurants that charge ahead of time (for instance CRT), folks would have to pay for all attending, including the person not eating. Reports from folks getting back were that it's basically a bit upto the restaurant and it's manager. Most of the time they would get the money credited back after seeing the person did indeed not eat.

Now at caracter dinings, it's a bit different. While not eating, you still get the caracter experience. There have been multiple reports of folks having been charged an entertainment fee for said person. Obviously it's less than the full price, but still a charge non the less. Don't know how that would go with the DDP. But as said; check out that board, if you're going to find any experience with this it's going to be there.

 

[Disneymad]

There are even some CS places without a childrens menu in which case you can order off adult menu for a child's credit which might be a handy way to not waste those. Casey's is an example off the top of my head. That would free you up an adult credit to use elsewhere on more room-friendly food.

Not really sure how to get around the TS 'problem' though. Perhaps order something simple that you snack on later in your room and get a to-go box? Might be possible with some of the desserts at the very least.

 

[eeyorefanuk]

could you maybe pay the small difference to upgrade from child to adult. Then for example if you were staying for 2 weeks, that would be 14 TS divided by 3 is around another 4TS to be able to use per person, maybe for character breakfasts etc, even if your son cannot eat, he would be close to the characters????

 

[2Tiggies]

could you maybe pay the small difference to upgrade from child to adult. Then for example if you were staying for 2 weeks, that would be 14 TS divided by 3 is around another 4TS to be able to use per person, maybe for character breakfasts etc, even if your son cannot eat, he would be close to the characters????

That's a brilliant idea - it had never occurred to me. All they would need to do is buy Daniel an adult park ticket (nominally more than the child's one) and register him as 10 years old. A lot of folk do this, especially during free dining. Just check with CO that they can and will do this for you, but as you didn't book flights with your package it shouldn't be a problem.

 

[iluvtot]

Check out the disABILITIES-board, there are a few threads on there about folks not eating and going to a TS. For his CS and snackcredits, you should be fine. Snacks are snacks, so you could also use those as an adult. CS would be kid-credits but there are multiple options out there that do not have a kids menu, thus leaving you the option of using it as an adult-credit. Think about WPE, EOS etc.

TS; depends, from what I've learned on said part of the DIS. You'll need to make reservations based on the number of folks actually attending, rather than eating. (has to do with availability, firecodes etc.) At restaurants that charge ahead of time (for instance CRT), folks would have to pay for all attending, including the person not eating. Reports from folks getting back were that it's basically a bit upto the restaurant and it's manager. Most of the time they would get the money credited back after seeing the person did indeed not eat.

Now at caracter dinings, it's a bit different. While not eating, you still get the caracter experience. There have been multiple reports of folks having been charged an entertainment fee for said person. Obviously it's less than the full price, but still a charge non the less. Don't know how that would go with the DDP. But as said; check out that board, if you're going to find any experience with this it's going to be there.

Last year, DD felt ill the day we went to 1900 Park Fayre for dinner, so she didn't eat. The server didn't take a TS credit for her, because she knew she hadn't eaten anything. She also didn't charge us for the drink she had, even though we mentioned it to her

If WGP doesn't have a child menu, couldn't you book a couple of 2TS credit meals, and then use Daniels credits there for meals. I took the girls there when DH and DS went to the dessert party last year, and the food was good

Jules x

 

[scoobydooby]

We had free dining in August 2008 and my then 9 year old ate adult CS meals every single day. I don't believe the CS places differentiate between adult and children's meals. I did not ever take him to the counter with me though so he wasn't ever seen by a cashier. A CS member overheard my son moaning about the children's CS choices our first night and he told me I could do this, but advised me to keep my spn out of the way when I was ordering.

Just out of interest, presumably your son will have to eat something and you will need to manage his food intake some how. I noticied if you book ADR's online that there is a place where you can request special issues to do with mels, allergies etc. Perhapss this will be a useful service for you? Also using buffet locations - they have a great deal of choice. Good luck.

 

[kevin harrison]

Just out of interest, presumably your son will have to eat something and you will need to manage his food intake some how. I noticied if you book ADR's online that there is a place where you can request special issues to do with mels, allergies etc. Perhapss this will be a useful service for you? Also using buffet locations - they have a great deal of choice. Good luck.

Read the OP, my son does not eat or drink,

Lol - thanks, I realise I have to manage his food intake, it's called a Gastrostomy..

 

[dixonsontour]

How old is your other child? Maybe they could use your son's CS credits for breakfast or to supplement their own CS meals . I know parents of older children complain re portion size.

Hope you can get some detailed advice over on the Disabilities board - they do seem very knowledgeable over there, I pop over from time to time.

 

[mossyflossy]

So sorry to hear of your son's predicament. If your son will enjoy the character interaction, then go to the buffets and at least he will get something from the dining experience.

For CS, it's not a problem, as the CS credits aren't separated between adult and child. So use his credits for another meal for the rest of you.

For TS, I would upgrade him to an adult. The extra £20 ticket cost will mean that all of his TS credits become adult TS credits. That means extra meals for you as a family (at any TS meal you can order up to 3 A and 1C TS...if you ordered only 2 A and 1C, then you'll be saving an adult TS to use for another meal.

 

[kevin harrison]

So sorry to hear of your son's predicament. If your son will enjoy the character interaction, then go to the buffets and at least he will get something from the dining experience.

For CS, it's not a problem, as the CS credits aren't separated between adult and child. So use his credits for another meal for the rest of you.
For TS, I would upgrade him to an adult. The extra £20 ticket cost will mean that all of his TS credits become adult TS credits.

Thanks for your thoughts regarding Daniel, that's good advice, I think. Don't understand the paragraph below though..

at any TS meal you can order up to 3 A and 1C TS...if you ordered only 2 A and 1C, then you'll be saving an adult TS to use for another meal.

You know what though? What happened to just going to a restaurant and eating? You know what I mean? - 180 day ADR's, working out what credits you have seems a real faff..

 

[mossyflossy]

I do know what you mean...will try and explain it again

What I was trying to say is that you can order meals as per your Key to the World card. So at any one sitting, if you don't upgrade your son to an adult, you could order 2 adult meals and 2 child's meals. You will only be ordering 2 adults and one chiold's meal, so will have a child TS meal left over each meal (other than at buffets).

If you do upgrade him, you could order up to 3 adult and 1 child meal per sitting. As you'll order 2 adults and one child's meal, you'll have an adult TS credit left over per meal (other than at buffets). You and your partner can use these spare adult TS meals on another meal.

 

[Disneynutinlondon]

To be honest I would do anything to get Daniel eating....

Although this is totally off topic but kind of related our youngest also had a peg as he also didn't eat or drink. His problem was psychological rather than physical as he was born severely premature. After many years of heartache and anguish we eventually got things "sorted out" by managing to get him on an eating program at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

As I said kind of off topic but I know you will get much better advice about your original qustion but all the wonderful people here than I could possibly give

If you want to know any more just PM me

 

[kevin harrison]

Although this is totally off topic but kind of related our youngest also had a peg as he also didn't eat or drink. His problem was psychological rather than physical as he was born severely premature. After many years of heartache and anguish we eventually got things "sorted out" by managing to get him on an eating program at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

As I said kind of off topic but I know you will get much better advice about your original qustion but all the wonderful people here than I could possibly give

If you want to know any more just PM me

Thanks, my son already goes to Great Ormond Street, the team there are excellent, but they have told us there is a chance that he may never eat or drink. Daniel is also autistic, but the non eating is down to psychological problems - his paeditrician in Nottingham didn't diagnose or investigate Daniel's severe acid reflux, it got so bad Daniel just refused to eat or drink. We are suing the asses off Nottingham Health Authority for wrecking my son's childhood.