DDP and tube-fed guest?

[mygr8kdz]

If a family has a child that requires tube-feeding and wants to book the DDP, can they do so without having to purchase it for the child who obviously cannot partake in it? I know that everyone on the reservation must be on the DDP, but I wondered if there were exceptions in these cases.

If not, are there charges for a non-dining guest at TS locations? I have seen on some menus an entertainment fee, but not at all character locations.

Thanks!

 

[dclfun]

The child would have to be left off the reservation in order not to be charged for the DDP. They don't make exceptions for guests who aren't medically able to dine. If the child needs park admission, a MYW ticket can then be purchased separately upon arrival at the resort. In the case of adults, I've kept myself on the ressie, then let family/friends use my "credits" since they can be shared. This enabled my party to go to a dinner show, for instance by having enough TS credits to go to the places requiring 2. As to the other issue, they do charge an entertainment fee at the dinner shows but I'd contact Disney Dining directly to ask which other venues charge an entertainment fee, for instance if you're going to a character buffet.---Kathy

 

[mygr8kdz]

Thank you Kathy! The child is 4 yrs old and has a sister who is 9, so maybe the cost of the DDP for her wouldn't be bad. She does eat mashed potatoes, tapioca pudding, that sort of consistency - so maybe a call ahead to request these items would work?

 

[karliebug]

I can't believe that they would charge you for a child who is medically unable to eat solid food. I would definitely call and see what can be done.

 

[4littlemonkeys]

I have a 3½ year old that is tube fed. She can eat pretty well now actually however she still needs tube feeding. We didn't do the DDP and now I'm glad we didn't do it because I would have been pretty mad if I had to pay for her.

We already called and asked them about buffet pricing. She does NOT eat what a 3-4 year old eats. She eats about what a 1 year old might eat. I don't really want to go broke paying for her to sit in a seat and take a few bites. We were told to take it up with each dining place as we arrive.

I know age is the easiest way to do the buffet for pricing but hopefully they will have enough common sense to realize that a 3 year old with a tube isn't a regular 3 year old. Then again maybe they don't have the sense because of the DDP rules.

 

[Mason7AK]

Hi, I traveled in Feb 07 to Disney with a good friend and our two children, who are both 100% tube-fed. When we booked our package through Disney, we were told that we could book the package with dining plan for the two adults and then add the children to the room once we arrived (and purchase seperate MYW park tickets for them). That way the adults could have the dining plan.
However, the cast member told us that we could use their snack and counter service credits if we bought the dining plan for them, and also that their table service credits could be used for dinner shows and character meals that would normally charge an entertainment fee.
For the price of the child's dining plan (something like $12 a day, if I remember correctly), we elected to go ahead and purchase the dining plan. We figured it would pay for itself if we only used the table service credits for the dinner shows etc. as we wouldn't have to pay the entertainment fee.

We went to several character meals and only once were their table service credits used, and we did use 4 of their table service credits for the Aloha Dinner Show. We were able to use their snack credits to purchase orange juice and milk and donuts for breakfasts in our room, and had enough left to buy a few treats for the children back at home that didn't make this trip. We used the extra counter service credits a few times to purchase snacks at Epcot. We did leave with unused table service credits and counter service credits, but still felt the money was not wasted.

It was nice that Disney gave us the option and explained well to us how our credits and the children's (both age 6) credits could be used if the plan was purchased for them.

Hope this helps.
Angela

 

[disneyobessed]

I can't believe that they would charge you for a child who is medically unable to eat solid food. I would definitely call and see what can be done.

I agree... my 7 year son has cerebral palsy and has a very difficult time eating.. we did the dining plan last year and it was fine.. but once he is 10 I wont do it any longer b/c im not paying for him as an adult. he wont eat that much..

 

[4littlemonkeys]

I agree... my 7 year son has cerebral palsy and has a very difficult time eating.. we did the dining plan last year and it was fine.. but once he is 10 I wont do it any longer b/c im not paying for him as an adult. he wont eat that much..

My 3½ year old with the feeding tube has CP. She doesn't eat much for her age either. We don't even want to pay her age price at a buffet because she may eat 1 nugget and $15.00 for ONE nugget just is more then I can stomach.

It really stinks that DW doesn't realize that a person with a feeding tube and an inability to consume food really shouldn't be paying full price for meals that aren't ordered specific from a menu. At a sit down you can share but at a buffet you can't and with DDP you are all an all or none kind of thing too. There's no in between. Maybe in time they will figure something out to fix this.

 

[disneyobessed]

My 3½ year old with the feeding tube has CP. She doesn't eat much for her age either. We don't even want to pay her age price at a buffet because she may eat 1 nugget and $15.00 for ONE nugget just is more then I can stomach.

It really stinks that DW doesn't realize that a person with a feeding tube and an inability to consume food really shouldn't be paying full price for meals that aren't ordered specific from a menu. At a sit down you can share but at a buffet you can't and with DDP you are all an all or none kind of thing too. There's no in between. Maybe in time they will figure something out to fix this.

I love this disability forum.. it's the one place i feel i can vent without being judged... or appear to be complaining..

 

[Cheshire Figment]

They have changed the Dining Plan rules so the adult and children meals are no longer pooled together. If, for example, you have 14 adult credits and 14 child credits you cannot use any of the child credits for adult meals. This applies to both table service and counter service. It is only for snacks where there is no differentiation between them.

And there is no hard and fast rule concerning peopler who do not eat when at a buffet or other AYKE location. The important thing is when being seated first talk to the server, and then possibly, if needed to a manager. And make sure that the non-eater really does not eat. Some locations may have an "entertainment fee" (which is around $5.00) and will not charge for a meal (or dining plan credit).

 

[Mono~rail]

This is an interesting topic, and one that I hadn't considered. One of my dd twins (age 2) is totally tube dependent. She has sensory integration disorder in her mouth and throat. We've never done the DDP, but we might in the future.

I've been thinking alot lately about what we will do in 6 months when they turn 3 and buffets begin to charge for them. Even though dd doesn't eat orally, we still put some food on her plate. I would hate to have to pay a full price for a few morsels of food that she won't even eat but we give her so that 1) she is being included in the meal like the rest of the family and 2) people don't look at us like lunatics for NOT giving her food.

 

[Mason7AK]

That was correct for us as well. We were not able to use the children's table service credits for adult meals. As for the counter service credits, we were not able and didn't try to purchase adult meals with those either. We were able to use them for "snack" items - like a desert at Norway, or pastries in France. The cast member had suggested this when we booked the dining plan and she knew of our circumstances. We left at the end of our week stay with 8 or the kid's 14 TS credits unused (4 were used at Aloha Dinner SHow and at one character meal, the CM said we needed to use 2 in lieu of the entertainment fee). At every other meal, the CM's said it was not necessary to use the TS credits, so they went unused for the trip. Of the 14 child's counter service credits we had, we left the trip with 8 unused. The other's were used for snack items and no cast member had a problem or questioned us about them. Our kids are both 100% tube-fed - only able to have a tiny tiny "taste" of something occassionally, because of inability to chew or manage secretions. I have to say though, that my dd did enjoy her little "taste" of Rice Dream from Norway! LOL
We knew going in that we would not use all the kids credits and that was fine with us. Just the price of the Aloha Dinner show at the Poly just about paid for their dining plan.
I think you just have to weigh the pros and cons for your situation and whether you will spend enough out of pocket anyway to make it worth purchasing the dining plan for a child that is tube-fed.
Angela

 

[mygr8kdz]

Thank you all for the helpful replies! It is not my own family, actually. I am a TA and this is a client that is looking for quotes. The first answer I got when I called Disney was that the child would have to be on the DDP if the rest of the family was, but I thought I'd check here for some real-life experiences. I have a lot to discuss with this family regarding their options. If they are looking for some higher end priced sit down meals, it may be worth it to get the DDP for all of them anyway - they may still come out ahead. It is for a trip in October, so it won't be affected by any of the rumored changes for 2008. That would be a headache to try and figure out now!
I'm really trying to set things up for them. They don't anticipate repeating this trip any time in the next several years, so I am trying to get the best advice as to their resort and dining options, set up an itinerary that will suit all of them, etc., - so brace yourself for many more questions!