Dining Plan Rules

[sailor5155]

Can I find any information on the rule that says that you can't use your dining plan which you already paid for to feed some of your children or grand children who happen to be in town with you or even at other Vacation Club Hotels. I usually like to keep all that on my card and my expense. I know it also simplifies the bill at the restaurant. No restaurant has ever made a fuss about it. I know I paid for it and no one gets anything free and with the drinks and tips it comes to a good amount of money with the DeLUxe Dining Plan especially at the two entitlement restaurants. I'm sure I can throw or give the extra meals away. So why can't I feed my children.

 

[partypa]

Are they going to be staying with you ? Are they on your reservation ?

 

[Allison]

What kind of information are you looking for? It is stated in the brochure.

Here you go. http://media.disneywebcontent.com/StaticFiles/DTA-Domestic/pdf/2012Product/2012Dining.pdf

 

[chocovrdmicears]

Per the Dining brochure linked above -

Specifically from the Q&A portion on the brochure:

Q. Can I use my Disney Dining Plan to redeem meals for friends or family members who
are not included in my reservation or have not purchased a Disney dining plan?
A. Sorry, you may not use your Disney Dining Plan to redeem meals for friends or family
members who are not included in your reservation or have not purchased a Disney
dining plan.

 

[mousefan1972]

Can I find any information on the rule that says that you can't use your dining plan which you already paid for to feed some of your children or grand children who happen to be in town with you or even at other Vacation Club Hotels. I usually like to keep all that on my card and my expense. I know it also simplifies the bill at the restaurant. No restaurant has ever made a fuss about it. I know I paid for it and no one gets anything free and with the drinks and tips it comes to a good amount of money with the DeLUxe Dining Plan especially at the two entitlement restaurants. I'm sure I can throw or give the extra meals away. So why can't I feed my children.

Why can't you feed your children? That is kind of an odd question, no? Of course you can. You just can't use your Dining Plan credits to pay for them, unless they are listed on your resort reservation.

 

[2Tiggies]

A question like that as a first post?

IMHO

 

[mousefan1972]

A question like that as a first post?

IMHO

Huh, good call. I didn't even notice that!

 

[chocovrdmicears]

A question like that as a first post?

IMHO

Duh! Missed that...And I spent a good 10 minutes of my life looking for the answer. I hate when that happens.

 

[macjonny]

On the plus dining plan your full sercvice meal comes with entree and desert right? will they let you swap out desert for an appetizer if comparable price?
As a preliminary matter before we even arrive at the Dining Plan itself, it’s important to realize there is no such thing as a Free Dining Plan.

 

[Allison]

On the plus dining plan your full sercvice meal comes with entree and desert right? will they let you swap out desert for an appetizer if comparable price?
As a preliminary matter before we even arrive at the Dining Plan itself, it’s important to realize there is no such thing as a Free Dining Plan.

no swapping

 

[TDC Nala]

On the plus dining plan your full sercvice meal comes with entree and desert right? will they let you swap out desert for an appetizer if comparable price?

No, swapping desserts for appetizers at TS meals is not permitted under any circumstances, including medical conditions. A substitute dessert can be requested, but not an appetizer. At CS you may be able to swap the dessert for a bottle of water or fruit, no guarantees.

As far as the request for confirmation that there is a rule stating you cannot use your dining plan credits to purchase meals for your guests who aren't on your dining plan, it's stated quite clearly in the DDP brochures and has been quoted. If you have 2 adults and 1 child on your key card, you'll be allowed to order 2 adult meals and 1 child meal at a time, no more. I think it's obvious from the first post that the poster wants to use their DDP credits to feed his or her children/grandchildren who are not staying with him or her. The answer was in a previous post - you can feed them, but not with YOUR dining credits, if they are not on your room reservation or your dining plan.

Please remember that discussion of the possibility or actual attempts to get around this rule will be deleted according to the policy of the DIS Restaurant Boards (or the thread closed if the discussion turns out to be about actually breaking the rule).

 

[DisGirl1971]

As a preliminary matter before we even arrive at the Dining Plan itself, it’s important to realize there is no such thing as a Free Dining Plan.

I have no idea why you would post that statement on this thread, that has absolutely nothing to do with free dining, but . . .

Yes, there is. Many people book with no discount whatsoever, at full rack rate, and when a Free Dining discount is released they add the Dining plan for FREE. Also, this can be a hot button issue, especially here on the Dining Board, but I'm guessing that you probably already know that. At the very least Free Dining is a huge discount, actually the the biggest discount Disney offers, other than a 40% off discount at a deluxe resort.

 

[vicki_c]

At the very least Free Dining is a huge discount, actually the the biggest discount Disney offers, other than a 40% off discount at a deluxe resort.

This is totally untrue for ALL guests. It entirely depends on how many people are in your party and their ages and the discount you could get on the room, when making comparisons.

For a party of 2 adults, free dining saves about $100/night. Depending on what resort you are talking about, even a discount of 25% at a deluxe might be more than $100/night. Some rooms at some deluxes can be $500/night without a discount, a 40% discount is $200 - that would cover a family of 4 adults on the DDP.

So like you said - off topic to the original thread but free dining is definitely not the biggest discount out there for everyone. Everyone has to do the math for themselves as to what Disney offers save them the most money.

 

[maxiesmom]

On the plus dining plan your full sercvice meal comes with entree and desert right? will they let you swap out desert for an appetizer if comparable price?
As a preliminary matter before we even arrive at the Dining Plan itself, it’s important to realize there is no such thing as a Free Dining Plan.

It is also important to know what you are buying, or in the case of Free Dining, getting for free. It states quite clearly that you use dining credits for people not on the plan. If that doesn't work for you, then don't get the plan.

OP--If part of your dining strategy was based on using credits for people not on the plan, you need to rethink your strategy. The Cast Members will know how many people are on the plan and will not let you order more than that number of meals.

 

[Rayvn]

I have 4 people in my family, husband is 36yo, Ryan is 4yo, Liam is 17 months old, and I am 39yo. We are planning a WDW trip in late August 2012, right before Liam's 2nd birthday. I will be getting a dining plan for everyone over the age of 3yo. Ryan is a picky eater, has Autism, and is allergic to milk. Can I use his meal credits and feed his brother, Liam, and just bring food for Ryan to eat if necessary?

Leslie

 

[TDC Nala]

A child under 3 in your party is expected to be eating off the others' plates, so yes you can use the food to feed your 2 year old. This is a different thing from using the dining plan to buy food for guests who are not on your reservation.

 

[TDC Nala]

I have had to delete a post.

Please remember that the Restaurant Board's policy is ANY discussion of getting around the stated rule (and the rule is clear in Disney's official publications) will be deleted, even if an individual cast member said it would be OK. From what we have been able to determine, some cast members are taking it on themselves to go around Disney's rule, which it appears could get them in trouble at some point.

 

[Rayvn]

A child under 3 in your party is expected to be eating off the others' plates, so yes you can use the food to feed your 2 year old. This is a different thing from using the dining plan to buy food for guests who are not on your reservation.

Thank You!

Leslie

 

[PixieTrio]

We are thinking about staying at an Official Downtown Disney Resort Area Hotel (Hotel Plaza Blvd). Can someone tell me if I can still purchase a dining plan?

 

[TDC Nala]

We are thinking about staying at an Official Downtown Disney Resort Area Hotel (Hotel Plaza Blvd). Can someone tell me if I can still purchase a dining plan?

Sorry, no. Only guests of Disney-operated resorts are eligible for the dining plan.