Conversations with two CM's about the Dining Plan

[lucincia]

Sorry, but that is pretty crappy.

Why can't people follow the rules and use it like it is intended.

What rules? Did Disney state you can't use child credit for adult meals anywhere? They combined everything together because of lazy planning.

Get off your high horse. Guess you never sped in your life before and comes to full stop at every stop sign too. Good for you. But, don't push your crap off your high ground to those of us down here.

 

[ladyariadne]

We will be at WDW in a few weeks. I had planned to skip a meal so that we can pay for some friends of ours on our dining plan. Any idea if you can still do this? Do you think this would be considered exploitation? I wouldn't think so if you are giving up two adult meals for same.

Elizabeth

 

[Lewisc]

Sorry, but that is pretty crappy.

Why can't people follow the rules and use it like it is intended.

The "rules" clearly aggregate all the TS credits. The "loophole" also existed on prior package plans so I'm not so sure you can even make the case that Disney didn't intend it to be used that way.

Disney is certainly entitled to change the rules if more guests than anticipated took advantage of this "loophole" but that doesn't mean guests are violating any rules or even not using the plan as intended.

 

[biz410]

Sorry, but that is pretty crappy.

Why can't people follow the rules and use it like it is intended.

A band once said- "Judge not, let thee be judged yourself"

Must be nice to be perfect. I wish I felt I was perfect enough to criticize others.

 

[Goofyta]

Yes, it is quite nice to be perfect

KIDDING people KIDDING!! Where's your sense of humor? It is only Tuesday, we still have 3 1/2 days til the weekend.

 

[lucincia]

Yes, it is quite nice to be perfect

KIDDING people KIDDING!! Where's your sense of humor? It is only Tuesday, we still have 3 1/2 days til the weekend.

We have no sense of humor until we get to WDW in Nov/Dec

Truce

 

[Goofyta]

We have no sense of humor until we get to WDW in Nov/Dec

Truce

Too true!

Truce!

 

[ladyariadne]

I just called Disney dining reservations. Changed my meals around a bit.

I also asked some questions.

1. Can I pay for my friends meals with my credits? yes, you may use them how you want.

2. Are all credits on the room keys and how does that work. Yes, meal credits are on room keys. You only have to have one room key with you to use the credits. Credits will be taken off according to how you order. If you order 2 adult meals and 2 kids meals, those are the credits that will be taken off. If you order 3 adult meals and 1 kids, you will have 3 adult credits and 1 kid taken off. She said the credits are separated according to child and adult.

3. Can you use TS credits for counter service. Yes, you can always downgrade.

4. I told her my son would prefer the adult menu rather than the kids menu, can I not buy him a meal and share mine with him. She said I could, but to check with the restaurant, they may be able to serve him something from the adult menu. That would be up to the individual restaurant.

5. Is the menu different for the fantasmic package than the regular restaurant menu. No, you have the same choices.

6. Are any of the menu's different when you are on the dining plan. No.

I hope this info helps clear things up a bit. Then again, if I called back and got a different person, would I get different answers?

Hey, ya'll quit flaming each other. I'm here to have fun!

Elizabeth

 

[biz410]

Sorry Goofy. My whole dining plan for December revolves around that loophole. If it closes, I am toast.

 

[DisneyGirl4188]

I just called Disney dining reservations. Changed my meals around a bit.

3. Can you use TS credits for counter service. Yes, you can always downgrade.

Elizabeth

I've never heard that you can downgrade; does anyone know this for sure? I doubt if we will do that though.

 

[Good Ol Gal]

1. Can I pay for my friends meals with my credits? no you have to pay cash or cc for theirs

2. Are all credits on the room keys and how does that work. if I'm not mistaken, when they issue your tickets, if it's done right, each one that is done right, each person will have their own. Ask "is each meal on each individual ticket?" I don't really know how they do it at the hotel. If they're are 4 people for 5 days, you should get 20. If they encode it into one, on that one there are 20 of them. If they do it that way, then there's not a problem. I don't even know if the people who put this on the plan knows how it works.

3. Can you use TS credits for counter service. no, TS is TS, CS is CS

4. I told her my son would prefer the adult menu rather than the kids menu, can I not buy him a meal and share mine with him. they have to order from the children's menu, but you can pay for their adult meal OOP.

5. Is the menu different for the fantasmic package than the regular restaurant menu. it is included. but not sure exactly how that works. Let me look it up. Mama melrose: you get bread, salad, dessert and you get to pick your entree. the beverage is NOT included in the adult price, but is included in the children's package. You shouldn't have to pay for the beverage, but it says you do. H&V: everything is taken care of with one TS credit.

6. Are any of the menu's different when you are on the dining plan. No

I just called Disney dining reservations. Changed my meals around a bit.

I also asked some questions.

1. Can I pay for my friends meals with my credits? yes, you may use them how you want.

2. Are all credits on the room keys and how does that work. Yes, meal credits are on room keys. You only have to have one room key with you to use the credits. Credits will be taken off according to how you order. If you order 2 adult meals and 2 kids meals, those are the credits that will be taken off. If you order 3 adult meals and 1 kids, you will have 3 adult credits and 1 kid taken off. She said the credits are separated according to child and adult.

3. Can you use TS credits for counter service. Yes, you can always downgrade.

4. I told her my son would prefer the adult menu rather than the kids menu, can I not buy him a meal and share mine with him. She said I could, but to check with the restaurant, they may be able to serve him something from the adult menu. That would be up to the individual restaurant.

5. Is the menu different for the fantasmic package than the regular restaurant menu. No, you have the same choices.

6. Are any of the menu's different when you are on the dining plan. No.

 

[Good Ol Gal]

1. Can I pay for my friends meals with my credits? I would have to check on that one...(put on hold)....no you wouldn't be able to use it for their part.

2. Are all credits on the room keys and how does that work. let me find out for you...(put on hold)...it would be on all the room keys and anyone can use it. then you don't have to worry about who has the card

3. Can you use TS credits for counter service. let see here... from what it looks like.. oh noo.. uh-uh.. you can't negotiate one for the other.

4. I told her my son would prefer the adult menu rather than the kids menu, can I not buy him a meal and share mine with him. yeah I don't see why not.

5. Is the menu different for the fantasmic package than the regular restaurant menu. no it's the same menu, but basically you don't have to wait for fantasmic

6. Are any of the menu's different when you are on the dining plan. no, the only difference is you're saving money if you're eating on property

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

We just got home Sunday. We checked in 10/14 for 9 nights. All credits were pooled - sometimes DH paid with his card, sometimes I paid with mine. We did pay for 2 TS for DS out of pocket because one was a signature meal and he doesn't eat enough to justify 2 credits, and the other was the last meal of the trip and we didn't have enough credits left.

The one change we did hear about was at Pop Century. The CM's told us that effective 10/15/05 they will no longer allow a "dessert" with breakfast. I knew it was a 2006 change, but apparently they are implementing it NOW. Since we checked in on 10/14 we were "grandfathered" into being allowed to get fruit with breakfast every day.

We did get an adult CS meal for DS twice - once for lunch at Cosmic Ray's and once for breakfast at Pop. They didn't seem concerned about it.

I think we probably saved about $250 over the 9 days we were there. If I had it to do over I would NOT eat at a signature restaurant and I would make SURE we didn't leave with unused credits. We still had 2 CS we weren't able to use because we ran out of time. That was basically Pop Century's fault for not communicating the process for checking our luggage and so forth into Magical Express. If we would have had another 15 minutes we would have gotten 2 CS meals worth of stuff to take on the plane. Oh, well. Now we know!!

Airline check-in starts at 5 AM at Pop, BUT luggage assistance doesn't start until 7 AM. So if you need to check your bags prior to 7 AM you are on your own! And if you are in the 80's building that is practically MILES away from the airline check in desk it will take a VERY long time to drag all your checked bags down and then go BACK to the room for your carry-ons. And don't make the mistake of thinking that airline check-in is at the front desk - it is OUTSIDE and it is a whole separate line. The CM at the front desk gave me the wrong info the night before which wasted even more of our time the morning we were leaving. It was not a good morning for us, and we ended up with 2 CS credits left over.

 

[mjkaferle5]

deleted

 

[lucincia]

When reading the definition of loophole, I don't feel bad about using child's credits for adult meals.

LOOPHOLE - An unintentional characteristic of a law which allows one to circumvent the law's intention without actually breaking that law.
But when I read the definition of ethical motive I would rather not use the loophole.

ETHICAL MOTIVE - motivation based on ideas of right and wrong

I think the right question to ask is "What would Jesus do?". And I think he would avoid the loophole. JMHO

Uh .... Jesus broke the Roman laws of the time.

WWJD? In the face of the Disney capitalistic pigs? He would have abused the loophole, used the food to feed the masses while he preached on the Splash Mountains.

I am with JC on this one. Use it or lose it.

And what is right or wrong? During Inquisition the Church thought they're in the right. So did the Crusaders. Ok, now we digress ....

 

[keishashadow]

WWMD - What Would Mickey Do?

Grab the cheese & run like heck.

Take deep, cleansing breaths; enjoy the magic!

MYW dining loopholes, scruples thrown to the wind, even phantom children; you'll still have a great time @ the happiest place on earth.

Might cost you a few extra bucks, buy less souveniers; it all washes out in the end.

If you're going to WDW...MGM (the Mouse Got your Money) already; regardless of how you allocate it.

 

[disneymom3]

Uh .... Jesus broke the Roman laws of the time.

WWJD? In the face of the Disney capitalistic pigs? He would have abused the loophole, used the food to feed the masses while he preached on the Splash Mountains.

I am with JC on this one. Use it or lose it.

And what is right or wrong? During Inquisition the Church thought they're in the right. So did the Crusaders. Ok, now we digress ....

Priceless answer--truly!

As far as people being all worried about having to have the kids cards with whomever has the kids, you should do it that way anyway. If you need a Fastpass, you have to have that card, if your group is separating and some are leaving for the parks earlier to meet up later or whatever, again, if that card is also your tickets, each person has to have their card. So, if you need it for FP, park entrance etc, not that big of a deal to also need it for food to my way of thinking.

 

[Wendaeh]

After reading so many posts on DIS boards about what Dsinet CM's on the phone know, or do not know.....I would take anything you heard with a grain of salt. Just look at the different answers three people in this thread got.

I think you get a better idea of changes/no changes to dining plan by reading trip reports.....

Wendy

 

[lisaviolet]

That's a shame about breakfast at POP. Thanks for the head's up JackSkellingtonsgirl. I ate breakfast there all the time. We shared it. I know some think breakfast is a waste of a voucher but we shared so many times at dinner/and or lunch that we had excess CS and TS to use. Anyway, we had a fruit cup (as the dessert) every breakfast at POP in September.

One day we did breakfast at Kona Cafe and we were not allowed to order fruit as a "dessert" or as an "appetizer" (a TS restaurant)for breakfast. Entree only for a TS voucher at breakfast. I thought it was bizarre that if I chose to eat dinner or lunch TS at Kona then I could choose a dessert and an appetizer. It just doesn't make sense to me. I guess it makes it easier for CMs to stay out of arguments/discussions about what is a "dessert" or "appetizer" at breakfast? I don't know. Boy I'd hate to be serving food/cashing out at Disney with the MYW plan. Difficult job for some places.

As for POP....once again a shame. I just don't get it. If we all stopped using any of our vouchers at breakfast they would be out a heck of a lot more money with higher $$$$ at lunch/dinner and the addition of a "dessert". What am I missing? Oh could it be if they make breakfast a totally unattractive choice that more and more people would spend $$$ out of pocket above the MYW plan? I guess not there is still the breakfast buffet option.

I hope Disney changes their brochures to show that breakfast is entree only whether TS or CS....except at a buffet of course. And I prefer to avoid buffets. If they don't change their own explanations in print I don't think it is a fair practice. I guess they will.

 

[idoteech]

Just spoke with my Disney travel agent. He said that he has NEVER heard of them putting credits on separate cards. He did say that he heard that they are working on separating Child Credits from Adult Credits but nothing concrete yet. Just FYI.