Does everyone at the table have to use it?

[Merriwind]

I hope this hasn't been asked 20 times before, sorry if it has.

I've heard that everyone at the table has to use the dining plan and a credit with be charged no matter what, even if they order and eat nothing. I know child and adult credits are no longer pooled so I'm not trying to save child credits. I just hate to think that if my son is tired and not hungry we'll be charged even if he doesn't eat.

What if I'm not really hungry and just want a smallish meal but my DH is hungry and wants a big meal. Can he use a TS credit and then we pay out of pocket for what I order?

Is it true everyone at the table will be charged a credit even if they don't eat or want to pay out of pocket for part of the meal?

Of course not. We went with friends in January who were on the DDP. We were not. We told the server ahead of time who would be on the DDP and who wasn't. To not allow this would required us not to eat with our friends who came from NY to see us. Ridicuous! Or, horror of horrors, our friends would have to use DDP credits to pay for all of us if we ate together.

So, they would order their appetizers, entrees and desserts. My family ordered much smaller portions--usually just an entree for DH and a kids meal or appetizer for DD9. I often order only an appetizer as a meal, well and sometime dessert too!

Believe me, no one ever batted an eye. The bills were split appropriately without a problem. Enjoy!

 

[DisneyTeacher]

Of course not. We went with friends in January who were on the DDP. We were not. We told the server ahead of time who would be on the DDP and who wasn't. To not allow this would required us not to eat with our friends who came from NY to see us. Ridicuous! Or, horror of horrors, our friends would have to use DDP credits to pay for all of us if we ate together.

So, they would order their appetizers, entrees and desserts. My family ordered much smaller portions--usually just an entree for DH and a kids meal or appetizer for DD9. I often order only an appetizer as a meal, well and sometime dessert too!

Believe me, no one ever batted an eye. The bills were split appropriately without a problem. Enjoy!

Thank you. We used the dining plan last May and didn't have any trouble paying out of pocket for certain things but I read/heard that the rules had changed.

 

[TDC Nala]

So will everyone have their own DDP photo ID card? How do they know which of the 6 people at the table have the DDP when there are only 4 listed on the room key? If I have friends coming over from Tampa and we decide to eat at a resort restaurant I don't see how they can say we have to sit at different tables if they choose to eat only drinks, apps and dessert (paying OOP) using their Florida DDE card and we all use the DDP plan as it is set up. Seems like it would be a PR nightmare. Last year we had 7 adults, 1 child on the DDP in two DVC units. At several places they just asked to see the room keys and then took all the credits off one room or the other so they didn't even charge 3 adults to one room and the other 4 and the child to the second room. I guess the answer is you just never know what they will allow or not.

No, what this speculation seems to envision is that everyone at every table where there are customers on the Dining Plan will be required to order an entree, apparently in order to ensure that nobody at the table sits out the meal without ordering.

I like the choice (not using DDP) to get a couple of appetizers and no entree, so I hope that idea continues to be just speculation in case I go out to eat with folks who happen to be on the dining plan.

 

[MaeDaisy]

I don't think the OP was asking about what happens when some people at the table have DDP and some don't. I think they were asking for their particular family, where everyone is on the DDP, if they all sit down at a meal together, will they all have to use a credit?

And I think the current answer is No. If your son isn't hungry, he does not have to order a meal and/or burn a credit.

 

[digman6]

I hate to tell you this if you don't know it yetbut Jan.1st things changed ALOT!
Who ever is at the table has to use there credits. If your kid is not real hungry and wants just maybe a appetizer for his meal and you figure you did not have to use his credit WRONG. they will not let you pay outof pocket its all or nothing now. I was on Mousebuzz and a woman and her family had a heck of a time becasuse of this exact thing. she got a dinner bill for 200$ because all her credits were messed up all due to the NEW CHANGE .

If you are going out of pocket for 1 all are that way. the issue came into play because her kid did not want the same meal over and over.
Things may of changed again since then alot of people were really upset about it and complaining! i would call and check for were ever your eatting at , it maybe only like that at certain restaurants.

 

[DisneyTeacher]

I don't think the OP was asking about what happens when some people at the table have DDP and some don't. I think they were asking for their particular family, where everyone is on the DDP, if they all sit down at a meal together, will they all have to use a credit?

And I think the current answer is No. If your son isn't hungry, he does not have to order a meal and/or burn a credit.

This is exactly what I was asking about. My son is picky and doesn't always want to eat when and where we are eating. Sometimes he doesn't want anything at all and I would hate to think we would be charged a credit for him to sit at the table. I'm sure we will not use all his credits but I guess I just don't like this new rule if it's true.

 

[digman6]

If youahve 5 pp on the dining plan and all 5 are there to eat if 1 person orders and uses the plan the other 4 must use there's as well. they don't care if your hungry, picky what have you . its a all or nothing deal. If I were you and had concerns I would call and check with each INDIVIDUAL restuarant. Some places maybe not doing this but most of them I think are.

 

[MaeDaisy]

Digman, have you actually experienced this? Because I haven't heard this before. There's been some discussion about emails Disney has said saying that two DDP people can't order one meal to share between them, but I've seen nothing about everyone having to order. ... I actually think it might be a good idea, but I just haven't seen anything saying that they are doing this.

 

[DisneyTeacher]

If youahve 5 pp on the dining plan and all 5 are there to eat if 1 person orders and uses the plan the other 4 must use there's as well. they don't care if your hungry, picky what have you . its a all or nothing deal. If I were you and had concerns I would call and check with each INDIVIDUAL restuarant. Some places maybe not doing this but most of them I think are.

Which restaurants made your family all use DP credits or all pay out of pocket?

 

[Merriwind]

I'm still going to say this won't be a problem and here's why. When we were with our friends in January, they were passing a stomach virus around their family. One night, our family of three joined the dad and two kids from the other family. (Mom was sick in the room.) Their card read 2A2C. The bill was split for 3 DDP (1A2C) and 3 cash with DDE. No one batted an eye. We weren't asked to prove that DH or myself was not the missing A credit on their cards. The next day, the dad was sick and we did the same thing at The Plaza. The extra A credit was left on their account each time, while DH, DD9 and myself got a seperate bill for cash/DDE payment--while ordering far less than the DDP participants. It was no problem--and this was mid-January 2007.

Might they make this change someday? Sure. I kind of doubt it's worth the hassle, but WDW will do what they do. In the interim, nothing in the plan brochure says that everyone dining must use a credit. In fact it says to tell the server the number of adult and child meals to charge to your DDP. Plus, no one has reported personally having difficulty in this regard.

Relax and enjoy--have a great trip!

 

[DisneyTeacher]

Plus, no one has reported personally having difficulty in this regard.

Relax and enjoy--have a great trip!

Thanks!

I agree, there are no first hand reports so we'll plan on doing what we did last year and paying different things out of pocket if we need to.

 

[digman6]

Do what you want I have not it happen to me I am going in December If you think it won't happen go ahead and tell that to the woman who went there that goes to Mousebuzz site and see what she had posted about it. She said it happened and others on there have spoke on the issue.

If you can pull of not having to use them with all your guest go for it . I do know they were at a TS restuarant in Epcot not sure what one it was i forgot .

This change took place when she was there Jan. 1st . NOW it may of changed since then . it may of been a test to see how it works etc etc. They may of had enough people complain to change it back. So do not put me in " " .

If they do that I think its BS because what do they care really? they have your money on the package and then you want to pay for a meal out of pocket they are out NOTHING.

PLEASE also not NOTE I never said it was at every TS restaurant. I said it maybe only at a FEW places they are doing it.

I would just go and have fun and if you end up paying out of pocket well you know next time thats all.

Good luck planning

 

[digman6]

mousebuzz.com and go under resturant and find out for yourself.

some of them are able to do it with ADVANCE notice to the server,s o there have been some adjustments it sounds. just make sure the server knows when you sit down what your going to do seperate checks what have you.

 

[bicker]

I think the key thing to keep in mind that this is something that (1) can change at any time, (2) can vary from restaurant to restaurant, and (3) perhaps can vary from day to day. Purchase the Dining Plan expecting to use it as it was intended (i.e., everyone orders a meal every time they sit down to eat), and then ask permission to... (as opposed to "expect to...") vary from that at each meal you'd like to.