Exchange on Dining

[oldtink]

Okay, IF we get FD, it will be the regular plan (snack,CS,TS) because are currently booked at POFQ (could change if resort discount happens).
The question is

Can you use a TS as a CS if you want? We are trying to determine what is the best way to use a FD plan as we will be there during F&W. If there is no FD, we will probably just get the CS dining plan and pay the rest OOP, but.....

We even considered, IF we land FD, to upgrade two of us to get the extra meals for the festival. Decisions, Decisions.....but first need to know so we can decide. We like to be pre-organized so we can chill out and enjoy the time there and not count pennies.

Thanks

 

[MissNurse]

I believe you can use a TS for QS. They are saving money, so why not? They allowed my daughter to order from the children's menu @ a TS restaurant when she was a Disney "adult" on the free dining plan in 2012. You never know, though :/

 

[o0quirkygirl0o]

You can exchange TS for CS, I believe. But, the booths at F&W are not CS. They are considered snacks. They are also fantastic uses of snack credits because of their high price points.

My DH and I had FD during F&W last year but we didn't exchange any meals. Instead, we ate at a couple signature restaurants which used 2 TS each and then stockpiled our snacks to use for F&W. Any non-F&W snacks we wanted we just paid for out of pocket to get the best savings.

I also HIGHLY recommend hitting up F&W during the daytime on weekdays. It gets crazy crowded in the evenings and on weekends. The crowd also gets a little more grown up in the evenings. It wasn't a problem for us, but it might be a bit more of a concern with little ones.

Lastly, if there isn't any FD I recommend just going out of pocket. It is really hard to get any value at all out of the CS plan. Plus, we found that it almost always gave us too much food. My husband kept trying to clean his plate because he hates throwing out food. He was frequently quite uncomfortably full and would refuse to ride anything thrilling for a good while after meals.

Hope your trip goes well!

 

[uccats97]

Everyone in your room has to be on the same dining plan. You can't elect to upgrade 2 people for more credits. The official ruling on using TS credits at CS venues is that it isn't allowed. However, it is said that the decision is ultimately up to the manager at the CS location. I personally think it would be a total waste of money. Those TS credits are worth so much more than a $10-$12 CS meal!

 

[liball3]

We tried to use TS credits for CS meals- tried 3 different places that would not accept- until we gave up, was very frustrating. Went home with unused meals left

 

[oldtink]

We tried to use TS credits for CS meals- tried 3 different places that would not accept- until we gave up, was very frustrating. Went home with unused meals left

This is what my TA said the other day too. She said it would seem odd that they wouldn't because as someone said, it would be a savings to them (steak dinner over Cosmic Rays...) but, as such we will go with the regular S,CS, and TS, and what we can't use our CS or S for, we will just scan the bracelet. We have to swipe the band anyway at F&W (and Beer my DH reminds me) for the drinks. It's easier than carrying a bunch of cash around. I found that I just keep a running tab on my phone so there is no surprise at the end.

Now, if the fall promo is free dining.......

 

[oldtink]

You can exchange TS for CS, I believe. But, the booths at F&W are not CS. They are considered snacks. They are also fantastic uses of snack credits because of their high price points.

My DH and I had FD during F&W last year but we didn't exchange any meals. Instead, we ate at a couple signature restaurants which used 2 TS each and then stockpiled our snacks to use for F&W. Any non-F&W snacks we wanted we just paid for out of pocket to get the best savings.

I also HIGHLY recommend hitting up F&W during the daytime on weekdays. It gets crazy crowded in the evenings and on weekends. The crowd also gets a little more grown up in the evenings. It wasn't a problem for us, but it might be a bit more of a concern with little ones.

Lastly, if there isn't any FD I recommend just going out of pocket. It is really hard to get any value at all out of the CS plan. Plus, we found that it almost always gave us too much food. My husband kept trying to clean his plate because he hates throwing out food. He was frequently quite uncomfortably full and would refuse to ride anything thrilling for a good while after meals.

Hope your trip goes well!

Yeup! The only difference for us is that we will be there when it opens, so unless we shift and hope there is a soft Thursday opening, we will be there opening weekend.
For counter service overflow, I carry a ziplock baggie to carry 1/2 sandwich, etc in and it seems amazing how just a wee bit latter, my DH or others seem a bit peckish and that leftover never makes it to the frig at the resort!
Our friends going with are amazed at how much pre-planning goes into a Sept trip, especially when I told them I needed to get ADRs to my TA this week since next week she needs to book those! LOL my family used to think it was magical there, my husband says it's magical too, but the real magic happens months before a trip! I am sure most of you who do the planning can agree!

 

[mm1971]

We are going in August on FD. I confirmed that you cannot use TS meals for CS. The woman I spoke with said that sometimes a CM will just ring it through, but most times it is unlikely.

We booked a few 2 credit TS meals to make sure we use them all while we are there. CS and snacks are usually used up pretty easily for us.

If FD is not available, I suggest going OOP. It's hard to get full value from the CS meal plan. We went OOP the last time we were there for F&W. After we returned, we did the math and it was about $200 less expensive OOP than it would have been on the DP.

 

[Tropical Wilds]

Yeah, we tried ringing some CS's as snacks (ok, I didn't, but family did... The idea of trading down credits scares me), and we were told that's not something they're allowed to do. I guess it has to do with the POS system and how it processes it... At Main Street, they said they don't do CS there, so there'd be no way they could ring up a CS for a SN because they don't accept CS there in the first place. And then they got the same speech at a CS place that said that they don't have the option to ring up anything as TS, so they can't ring a TS credit for a CS meal.

I wonder if it's because they had problems doing it before... I know they used to be able to, because we had TS taken for a CS meal, so when we went for a TS and had no credits left... We weren't happy. They ended up fixing everything, but we had to pay OOP until it was resolved. I know a lot of people had mistakes like that happen back in the day.

 

[oldtink]

Yeah, we tried ringing some CS's as snacks (ok, I didn't, but family did... The idea of trading down credits scares me), and we were told that's not something they're allowed to do. I guess it has to do with the POS system and how it processes it... At Main Street, they said they don't do CS there, so there'd be no way they could ring up a CS for a SN because they don't accept CS there in the first place. And then they got the same speech at a CS place that said that they don't have the option to ring up anything as TS, so they can't ring a TS credit for a CS meal.

I wonder if it's because they had problems doing it before... I know they used to be able to, because we had TS taken for a CS meal, so when we went for a TS and had no credits left... We weren't happy. They ended up fixing everything, but we had to pay OOP until it was resolved. I know a lot of people had mistakes like that happen back in the day.

Here's the weird part though, if you are on the Deluxe plan, all three meals can be either CS or TS, so I wonder how they do that?

 

[monique5]

Here's the weird part though, if you are on the Deluxe plan, all three meals can be either CS or TS, so I wonder how they do that?

Yes! When we traveled last year, I'm thinking the DP brochure also stated you could use TS for CS, which we did @ AK.

Edit: Checked Deluxe Dining Plan 2014 brochure. States 3 meals per day & gives CS & TS participating restaurants, so use 3 meals any way you like, CS or TS.

 

[ValiantHeart]

It's the way they're encoded. On the plans where the credits can be used as either TS or QS, the credits are left 'open' so they can be rung up as CS/TS, but on the QS plan and the TS/QS dining plan, they're 'locked' so they can only be rung up as what they're coded for.

 

[allimom]

I love dining plus plan