Dining credits sharing?

[Firedad]

My Wife and I are taking our two boys (12 and 7) this late May during free dining. We have never done the DDP. Three of us are on the DDP, but the 7yo already had park tickets and is not. We are staying 5 nights, but are only really at WDW and have reservations for 4 days. Can we pool meals or share credits to cover the little guy since we will each have an extra day?

Thanks

 

[Reddy]

this is hard - I wonder if he got the free dining since he is in the room since the dining goes with the room & not the tickets

 

[Vowelmommy]

I just asked a very similar question to a CM and was told yes, but I have never done the DDP either.

 

[figment_jii]

Everyone in a room has to be on the same package. So if all four of you are in the same room, then you all have to have the same ticket/DDP package. You might want to check to make sure that the 7 year old is registered as part of the package - he will need to be on the reservation to stay in the room, get a room key to take advantage of EMH, use Magical Express, etc.

As for sharing credits, if you are on the same reservation and in the same room, then yes, you can pool credits. However, child credits cannot be used for adult meals. If for some reason, the 7 year old is not on the reservation, then no, you cannot use your credits to purchase meals for someone who is not on your plan.

 

[catne]

According to Disney' dining plan brochures, you're not allowed to buy meals for people who are not on the dining plan with you. In practice, the room card shows how many people are on the plan (so it will show 2 A 1 C, meaning 2 adults, 1 child) and the servers will look at that and won't ring up more than 2 adult, 1 child meals at a time. You will occasionally read of someone being allowed to circumvent this, but it's not supposed to happen...and I would not count on being able to do that. Please note that many of the Disney reservation CMs are not really familiar with the ins & outs of the dining plan...many of them have never even been to Disney World (call centers are not located in the Orlando area...many of them are actually over in Tampa, 90 minutes away.) The CMs are notorious for giving totally incorrect information. The actual Disney Dining brochure pdf is available online, you can read the details of the plan yourself. It plainly states you cannot purchase meals for others using your credits.

I am curious about this situation, though...i understand that you could have leftover tickets from a prior trip, but to get a package deal with dining, you have to have everyone in the room on the same package. So if you registered him to the room, then you had to buy him park tickets on the same package as the rest of the family & he's listed on the free dining so you'll have credits for him too.

If you did not register him to the room (so he doesn't exist as far as Disney knows) he will not be able to use the Magic Express from the airport (Disney shuttle bus...not registered to the room=not not registered for the ME-he will not be allowed on if he's not on the list), and then also he will not get a Key to the World card (referred to as KTTW card on this forum) And without that card he will not be able to take advantage of any rides/attractions during the evening Extra Magic Hours with the rest of the family...well, he can stay in the park if already in it when the extra hours start, but he will not be able to get on rides since each person in the party has to show a current hotel room key card to get on any rides/attractions during Extra Magic evening hours. For the early morning extra magic hours, they won't even let him in the park without a hotel key card.

 

[TDC Nala]

Three of us are on the DDP, but the 7yo already had park tickets and is not.

This isn't possible unless he is not staying with the rest of the family - or you have not registered him in the room. If he is not listed on your reservation and you have not purchased a dining plan for him (or had dining credits alotted for him via the free dining promotion), you may not use your dining credits to purchase meals for him, according to WDW's dining plan brochures. You will also not be allowed to purchase more meals than you have guests listed on the key card for your reservation (if you have 2 adults and 1 kid you will not be permitted to purchase DDP meals beyond that - for example, with one child listed on DDP you can't order 2 kids meals and pay for both with DDP). If he is not registered in the room, you have a different problem as he will not have a room key and is not eligible for EMH or DME if you plan on taking that from the airport.

If you are avoiding registering him on your reservation because he already has tickets, register him and purchase 2 day park tickets for the entire family (required for free dining), then upgrade the tickets for those who do not already have them and save the child's 2 day ticket. Then you will have him on the dining plan and you have the options of EMH and DME for the whole family.

 

[GoofyGirl1717]

Please correct me if I am wrong...if he is not on the room res. and you do not purchase park tickets then he has no dinning plan

BUT...if that is the case and you and your family eat all CS and order 3 adult meal can he share with you? Yes. However if you are going to eat at a TS then you would have to pay OOP for the 7 yr old.

If he is on the room res my guess is that you are getting him park tickets in the package unknowingly. In that case he can eat his own meal at every restraunt on the dining plan.

 

[gigi1313]

going a step further with this...

if he is not on the reservation at all, he will also not be eligible for EMH as he would need to show a room key... that would be a problem for my family!

i ditto the advice to put him on the reservation, purchase 2 day tix for the whole group, upgrade the three who need add'l days and stow 7yo's away for another trip... knowing that if you use it when he's 10+ you will be able to get him in on a child's ticket (and if you know you'll be back when he's older than 10, it's almost like an insurance policy against inflation by buying him a child ticket now for later... as long as it is not used, it is valid...)

also, the money you would spend on food for him would likely cover a good portion of a ticket for him... since you mentioned free dining...

 

[Firedad]

I seem to have opened a can of worms here. No, he is not registered to the room yet. Yes, he has a four day no-ex park hopper ticket from a previous trip and why he is not on the current package. I guess I was misinformed, when we bought the package w/free dining for the rest of us I asked if I could bring him along and was told yes. They said he didnt make a difference in the room charge and was no big deal. The CM said to call ME a week before to get his name on the bus. I assumed the EMH would be ok too. Damn I thought this was all worked out even if I paid oop.

 

[Sammie]

I seem to have opened a can of worms here. No, he is not registered to the room yet. Yes, he has a four day no-ex park hopper ticket from a previous trip and why he is not on the current package. I guess I was misinformed, when we bought the package w/free dining for the rest of us I asked if I could bring him along and was told yes. They said he didnt make a difference in the room charge and was no big deal. The CM said to call ME a week before to get his name on the bus. I assumed the EMH would be ok too. Damn I thought this was all worked out even if I paid oop.

I am so sorry you were given wrong information. To use MK and EMH he is going to need to be registered to your room and when you do that he is going to have to be on the dining plan also.

Nala gave you the best solution.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

I believe you can add him to the room reservation when you arrive (still no dining plan for him then) but I don't think you can use DME for him getting from the airport to the resort. Resort to airport would be okay though.

 

[gigi1313]

adding to the room, even on arrival (we've done this w/a niece who was a last minute decision) automatically bumps him onto whatever plan the other occupants have...

firedad, i'm sorry you were misinformed... again, as stated above, your best bet would be to reduce everyone's tickets to the lowest minimum, add him, save his tix for a future trip, and increase the rest of the family's tix at check in...

 

[hannahdrewmom]

adding to the room, even on arrival (we've done this w/a niece who was a last minute decision) automatically bumps him onto whatever plan the other occupants have...

This is not true. My mom came with us unannounced two years ago during free dining and we wanted to add her and they wouldn't let us. They did add her to the room (and since she was an adult we had the extra charge for that.) But we could not add the dining plan. We didn't fly though so I'm not sure about ME. She was able to get EMH though.

 

[gigi1313]

This is not true. My mom came with us unannounced two years ago during free dining and we wanted to add her and they wouldn't let us. They did add her to the room (and since she was an adult we had the extra charge for that.) But we could not add the dining plan. We didn't fly though so I'm not sure about ME. She was able to get EMH though.

this may not have been true for you, but it was true for us... so let's say that "it depends" on whether or not you can add a last-minute guest to a package stay including dining... what it depends on? well, one can only guess... resort cm? the weather? way the wind is blowing? walt disney only knows for sure

 

[hannahdrewmom]

this may not have been true for you, but it was true for us... so let's say that "it depends" on whether or not you can add a last-minute guest to a package stay including dining... what it depends on? well, one can only guess... resort cm? the weather? way the wind is blowing? walt disney only knows for sure

Let's be honest.... even Walt doesn't know!

 

[catne]

I seem to have opened a can of worms here. No, he is not registered to the room yet. Yes, he has a four day no-ex park hopper ticket from a previous trip and why he is not on the current package. I guess I was misinformed, when we bought the package w/free dining for the rest of us I asked if I could bring him along and was told yes. They said he didnt make a difference in the room charge and was no big deal. The CM said to call ME a week before to get his name on the bus. I assumed the EMH would be ok too. Damn I thought this was all worked out even if I paid oop.

Better to have this can of worms opened now, and find out it won't really work that way...and have time to get it straight before you get there. It would be a nightmare to find all this out when you got there! I've seen people turned down for rides on EMH in a similar situation (a nephew not staying at Disney had stayed with his aunt/uncle/cousins for the EMH night...the cousins had KTTW cards to get on the rides, but the nephew was turned down because of no KTTW card. No amount of tears was getting him on the ride with them...the uncle had to sit out with the nephew while the aunt took the cousins on the ride. There was a lot of "I told you it wouldn't work" sniping going on...did not look like a fun EMH night at all.

 

[Firedad]

I talked with a CM this afternoon. He said it is not a big deal for ME, they are not going to leave a 7yo at the airport. I have to call a week ahead to let them know. As far as the EMH is concerned, the resort will transfer his 4 day ticket without dining to the KTTW card. We will have to pay out of pocket for his meals.

 

[gigi1313]

I talked with a CM this afternoon. He said it is not a big deal for ME, they are not going to leave a 7yo at the airport. I have to call a week ahead to let them know. As far as the EMH is concerned, the resort will transfer his 4 day ticket without dining to the KTTW card. We will have to pay out of pocket for his meals.

how long will your vacation be? it may be less expensive (and walk away w/more) if you reduce the whole family to the least required ticket and pay for the ticket ($150 +/-) versus the cost of food for your 7yo for a week ($15/meal)... so 10 meals (actually fewer when you add in the value of snacks) would pay for the ticket (and you'd still have the ticket)... then simply upgrade the rest of the family's tickets at check in...

 

[kaytieeldr]

I talked with a CM this afternoon. He said it is not a big deal for ME, they are not going to leave a 7yo at the airport. I have to call a week ahead to let them know. As far as the EMH is concerned, the resort will transfer his 4 day ticket without dining to the KTTW card. We will have to pay out of pocket for his meals.

Please do not believe any CM except the ones who work directly for Magical Express about any DME information! The toll-free phone number is available in at least two s'sticky threads on the Transportation Board. They cannot transport any passenger of any age who doesn't have a reservation, and you can't make a DME reservation for anyone not on your room reservation!

They may not leave your seven year old at the airport alone, but their agreement with the airport prohibits them from transpoting walk-ups. One of you will have to stay with him and find another way to get to your resort.

 

[TDC Nala]

I have removed references to sharing the meals. It's already been posted that it's against Disney's written rule, no matter what individual cast members say or allow.

I know the OP really wants the dining plan and also wants to save money because his kid already has tickets, but at least he is now aware of what could go wrong with his plan to have an unregistered person in the room on a package, and apprised that Disney's own phone reservation agents are not always the best place to get any accurate information.

Personally at this point I would advise him to book with a room only reservation, buy his family the tickets they need individually and forget about the dining plan, but since it's free dining that is probably not something he wants to do.