Heads up for plan fudgers in 2007

[yeartolate]

Disney saves 100K a year by getting their information on the discussion boards for free.

Nope, contact a DISer befor the plan is released and advertised. It took how long for them to wise up?

 

[Luv'sTink]

Using Your Meals
Use your meals and snacks in any order and in any amount throughout your package stay until your total is depleted.

You can save your credits...the above is the first line on the NEW brochure.

For example, on the day of arrival, a party with 2 Guests ages 10+ and 2 Guests ages 3-9 could use a total of 4 Quick Service meals (2 for Guests ages 10+ and 2 for Guests ages 3-9).

They are using an example of only using the CS for this day. You wont lose what you don't use on this day.

On Day 2, the party could use a total of 4 Table Service meals (2 for Guests ages 10+and 2 for Guests ages 3-9), 4 Quick Service meals (2 for Guests ages 10+ and 2 for Guests ages 3-9) and 2 Snacks (2 for Guests ages 3-9).

Example is 4 TS, 4 CS and ONLY 2 snacks, your not going to lose the snacks.

You can continue using meals/snacks any way you like for the rest of your package stay until each person has depleted his/her allotted meals/snacks.

For example, if your party with 2 Guests ages 10+ and 2 Guests ages 3-9 started with a total of 20 Quick Service meals (10 for Guests ages 10+ and 10 for Guests ages 3-9) and everyone in your party used 1 Quick Service meal, your paid receipt from the cashier would indicate a balance of 16 Quick Service meals (8 for Guests ages 10+ and 8 for Guests ages 3-9) for the remainder of your package stay.

Even this paragraph contradicts what is being said about it being split up in the computer. I think it is going to have to be a wait and see situation.


They are trying to stop the Child credit from being used for Adults.

 

[Lewisc]

OK I have read all the FAQ and it still does not say that I can not pay cash for my DD 10 for a kids meal, and save her adult credits?

It says something like every dining guest at a signature restaurant will be charged two credits. Although not currently enforced that could be used to prevent paying out of pocket for some meals at signature restaurants.

 

[jiminyfan]

Okay, here is my problem with the whole thing. I was considering getting adult CS for my DS 7 because of the horrible kids meals. I hate the idea of going to a place like Pizzafari and everyone getting a pizza and my DS has to get a PB and J sandwich ??? What? How does that even make sense? Or last year at Columbia House (we were on DDP and always ordered DS kids meals) everyone got fish or chicken strips. DS got the nasty, cold, bland, boiled chicken with grapes - enjoy honey, we will toss you a french fry! That is the part I hate. I would have no problem using the kids meal credits if you could just get the food that kids like - fries, chicken strips, corn dogs, or at least mini versions of what the adults get. And don't bother flaming me on this topic. I know that my DS should be thrilled to eat the healthy boiled chicken, but this is not a fight I want to engage in all week. Can't we have both options? Healthy and regular?

This is my main concern. We are doing a 14 day trip and my son is expected to eat the same 3-5 items at every sit down meal At home he eats NO fried chicken strips as he loves rotisserie chicken, pork cops and steak. Why does Disney think that kids only eat hot dogs, pb&Js, Chicken strips, mac and cheese and pizza. None of which, except the pizza will my son eat. So, he is now restricted to eat only Pita (ick!!) pizza every meal of our upcoming trip.

I do not see where this is a better menu for children. We have 19 trips to WDW with my son (he is 7) and 40 or so total and we always loved the culinary diversity of WDW, now he has NO real choice of what he can eat if we are on the plan as he will only eat one of the choices on the menu at most places. I see even at the food courts personal pan pizzas are not considered child meals. I gather whoever at Disney made up these rules do not have children or are just worried about the bottom line rather than what really is best for the child.

The new menus across the board for both adults and children are really killing our desire to return to WDW on a yearly or more visits as we donein the past.

I guess it is alright for one timers or those who do not go often, but for those of us who love WDW and like to go there for extended periods of times a a few time sa year, it really is not a benefit.

Oh well, thanks for letting me vent!!!

 

[DisneyJo]

We're going for 14 days too and I don't want my DD looking like a hot dog by the end of it!

Lots of buffets for us I think!

 

[Gabby&Liv's Mommy]

This is my main concern. We are doing a 14 day trip and my son is expected to eat the same 3-5 items at every sit down meal At home he eats NO fried chicken strips as he loves rotisserie chicken, pork cops and steak. Why does Disney think that kids only eat hot dogs, pb&Js, Chicken strips, mac and cheese and pizza. None of which, except the pizza will my son eat. So, he is now restricted to eat only Pita (ick!!) pizza every meal of our upcoming trip.

I do not see where this is a better menu for children. We have 19 trips to WDW with my son (he is 7) and 40 or so total and we always loved the culinary diversity of WDW, now he has NO real choice of what he can eat if we are on the plan as he will only eat one of the choices on the menu at most places. I see even at the food courts personal pan pizzas are not considered child meals. I gather whoever at Disney made up these rules do not have children or are just worried about the bottom line rather than what really is best for the child.

The new menus across the board for both adults and children are really killing our desire to return to WDW on a yearly or more visits as we donein the past.

I guess it is alright for one timers or those who do not go often, but for those of us who love WDW and like to go there for extended periods of times a a few time sa year, it really is not a benefit.

Oh well, thanks for letting me vent!!!

I think your opinion is valid. I do agree that the children’s menus are limited. It seems that maybe the DDP is no longer the right solution for your family, but that does not mean that you have to reduce your trips or your enjoyment at WDW. We have determined that the DDP is generally not for us. It’s just so much food and we just can’t fit that much in. I think we are going to purchase it on an upcoming trip with a larger group to avoid the calculating of who owes what. But generally we don’t get the DDP and find we spend much less than the DDP, but that does not mean that we don’t enjoy WDW. We travel often and love it. We just charge all meals to the room and pay for it at the end. Aside from having to calculate the tip ourselves, it is just a convenient as the DDP and for us, less expensive and saves a few calories.

 

[jiminyfan]

I think your opinion is valid. I do agree that the children’s menus are limited. It seems that maybe the DDP is no longer the right solution for your family, but that does not mean that you have to reduce your trips or your enjoyment at WDW. We have determined that the DDP is generally not for us. It’s just so much food and we just can’t fit that much in. I think we are going to purchase it on an upcoming trip with a larger group to avoid the calculating of who owes what. But generally we don’t get the DDP and find we spend much less than the DDP, but that does not mean that we don’t enjoy WDW. We travel often and love it. We just charge all meals to the room and pay for it at the end. Aside from having to calculate the tip ourselves, it is just a convenient as the DDP and for us, less expensive and saves a few calories.

We usually do not get the DDP and just pay as we go as we usually have DDE and APs. Due to the nature of this upcoming trip (big family trip) and other vacation plans we are not having the DDE (a much better option for us!!!) we went with the DDP.

I will probably get blasted for this but the DDP has really made a change in the way Disney does dining.

Overall, I have seen the overall selection of food go down quite a bit across the retaruants. Children meals used to be fantastic - child's portions of steaks, real chicken, pork chops - name it. If it was on the Adult menu the kid's almost always had an opportunity to but it. Even if we do not use the DDP, we are now forced to pay for adult entrees for my son. This is why is is less of an appeal for us to continue going to WDW. In the long run having to pay for another adult meal for a 7 year old runs up the price and makes me a lot heavier (yes, I hate to throw away any food espeically since the old lessons from growing up "children are starving all over the world and would love to have eat that" and I paid for it). It really bother me to have to pay $24 for my son to have a steak, when they used to have a smaller version on the kid's menu for $10 or so. My gripe is not with the DDP, but the child menus overall as they are so limited. Disney may be losing (doubt it) some dollars with the DDP on how much people really pay, but they are making up for it for all the families who now have to buy adult entrees for their kids.

Just one persons take. I am sure that after this trip we will not be using DDP again.

 

[alldiz]

I am surprised it took them so long....

WDW should hire a DISer for $100,000 a year to tell them how they plan on abusing the system - DIsney could save millions cutting out the loopholes in the plans.

Maybe they did
Kerri

 

[NMW]

I just know that you were all waiting for me to get off work tonight, right?
So, here's the deal for TS at least. Can't speak to counter service, though I'd expect it to be similar.

As of this point, child and adult credits are separate. We have an adult TSR button and a child TSR button for the plan. Right now, we have to separate the adults and the children onto separate bills and charge them using the appropriate button. In 3 weeks, the system update will be complete and we will not have to split the bills, just select the proper buttons, etc. We still only need one card per room. You will NOT be allowed to purchase more than what your card states your allotments are. No fudging. The system won't allow it. That means no treating Aunt Mabel from the Days Inn in Kissimmee. Period. This is all completely set. CMs who try to help you get around the system (if it's possible) will be in big trouble.
Nothing said about time frames or lock outs within a meal period. Grazing around World showcase one credit at a time should be fine.

Thanks for the update Buffalogirl!

 

[bicker]

Does ANYONE know if i can have a table service for lunch... and Dinner.....and then skip the next day for a t.s.......

Yes, definitely.

 

[bicker]

Out of curiosity what legitimate uses of the plan have been curtailed by the new enforcement mechanisms?

I'd rather not comment much on that. That'll just start up a contentious bit of "that's not legimitate" "yes it is" back-and-forth. One of the less controversial examples, though, would be a case where a couple wants to have three meals at one sitting, just because they're extra hungry or just want to try three different entrees.

 

[ellenbenny]

This may be controversial, but I am just asking as a possible scenario, not planning to do it.

If we have 2 guests on our room reservation, could we split up and each take a guest to dine at 2 different restaurants at the same time? In other words, we would each still be buying meals for the correct # of guests on our card.

I'm not planning to try this, but just couldn't help but wonder if this would work?

 

[Sammie]

Nope, contact a DISer befor the plan is released and advertised. It took how long for them to wise up?

It took them about a month to wise up. They expected some abuse of the program but not the widespread abuse it recieved. They truly had no idea people would go to such lengths to make the plan something it was never intended to be. They truly thought guests would understand you pay for a child's meal, you get a child's meal. Seemed simple to me actually.

They could not, regardless of all the nonexpert IT comments on this forum, change it over night. They also had to wait to the beginning of the year because of contracts with foreign markets. They had to have the software in place to divide the credits before they could enforce what the materials stated. Also as BuffaloGal has stated, they had to make sure that abuse overlook or supported by CMs would be a serious offense. The thing at Disney is there are over 55,000 employees. It is very hard to get everyone on the same page and even when some CMs understand policy they don't support it. That is why you would get reports here that CMs were not concerned about the abuse and therefore obviously "Disney" did not care. Well "Disney" did care regardless of what that particular CM was doing. I know that this makes it very hard for the guest to understand and truly there was some innocent abuse of the plan. But more than that there was blantant preplanned, clearly thought out prior to arrival, abuse of the plan. Either that had to stop, or the plan was going to have to be cancelled.

I don't think the restrictions will affect most of us. I will try to find out about the CS situation where there is no child's menu. My guess is a child's menu will soon be implemented at all dining locations.

 

[Sammie]

This may be controversial, but I am just asking as a possible scenario, not planning to do it.

If we have 2 guests on our room reservation, could we split up and each take a guest to dine at 2 different restaurants at the same time? In other words, we would each still be buying meals for the correct # of guests on our card.

I'm not planning to try this, but just couldn't help but wonder if this would work?

I would imagine the computer system would catch the fact that a plan with only 2 adults on it, is being used at the same time by 4 adults at 2 different locations which would physically be impossible to do unless the plan was being shared.

 

[jodifla]

It took them about a month to wise up. They expected some abuse of the program but not the widespread abuse it recieved. They truly had no idea people would go to such lengths to make the plan something it was never intended to be. They truly thought guests would understand you pay for a child's meal, you get a child's meal. Seemed simple to me actually.

They could not, regardless of all the nonexpert IT comments on this forum, change it over night. They also had to wait to the beginning of the year because of contracts with foreign markets. They had to have the software in place to divide the credits before they could enforce what the materials stated. Also as BuffaloGal has stated, they had to make sure that abuse overlook or supported by CMs would be a serious offense. The thing at Disney is there are over 55,000 employees. It is very hard to get everyone on the same page and even when some CMs understand policy they don't support it. That is why you would get reports here that CMs were not concerned about the abuse and therefore obviously "Disney" did not care. Well "Disney" did care regardless of what that particular CM was doing. I know that this makes it very hard for the guest to understand and truly there was some innocent abuse of the plan. But more than that there was blantant preplanned, clearly thought out prior to arrival, abuse of the plan. Either that had to stop, or the plan was going to have to be cancelled.

I don't think the restrictions will affect most of us. I will try to find out about the CS situation where there is no child's menu. My guess is a child's menu will soon be implemented at all dining locations.

When WDW turned the child's meal to crap, they made it all a lot worse for themselves. ANd now they are turning the screws on people who are just trying to get their kids a decent meal.

I think all the restrictions are going to make for A LOT of unhappy children across WDW.

 

[Pedler]

.. One of the less controversial examples, though, would be a case where a couple wants to have three meals at one sitting, just because they're extra hungry or just want to try three different entrees.

That was the one case I was thinking of and I have to admit that I have done that in the past though not at Disney World.

 

[Pedler]

When WDW turned the child's meal to crap, they made it all a lot worse for themselves. ANd now they are turning the screws on people who are just trying to get their kids a decent meal.

I think all the restrictions are going to make for A LOT of unhappy children across WDW.

No need to be unhappy. If the dinning plan doesn't work out for people then they shouldn't get it. The DDP definitely isn't a one size fits all plan. People can still continue to pay out of pocket for meals just as they have in the past.

I do think that for a majority of families the "crap" that is on the children's menus is fine. I don't see much of a difference in the type or quality of food on the children's menus than I see at most other sit down or counter service places outside of Disney world. We can discuss the appropriateness of what passes for kids menus at most places all day long but it doesn't change that fact that there must be some type of demand out there if that many places offer the same type of fare. There is a reason that chicken nuggets are on many places kids menus. It because kids want them.

 

[bicker]

This may be controversial, but I am just asking as a possible scenario, not planning to do it. If we have 2 guests on our room reservation, could we split up and each take a guest to dine at 2 different restaurants at the same time?

That would, surely, be against the rules.

I would imagine the computer system would catch the fact that a plan with only 2 adults on it, is being used at the same time by 4 adults at 2 different locations

Yes that's true. However, as you pointed out, Disney is very trusting, and it is not clear that this system update is intended to address that abuse of the system. They may still be relying on each guest's personal integrity to voluntarily comply with that rule.

The enforcement changes both dining CMs have told us about would only preclude getting more adult meals than you're supposed to for the entire reservation, or getting more adult meals than you're supposed to at any one restaurant during any one sitting.

 

[patsal]

When WDW turned the child's meal to crap, they made it all a lot worse for themselves. ANd now they are turning the screws on people who are just trying to get their kids a decent meal.

I think all the restrictions are going to make for A LOT of unhappy children across WDW.

While I understand that there may have been abuses at places like Pizzafari with ordering a child's pizza so thusd hte removal of the child's pizza from the menu it makes no sense to eliminate foods kids like and will eat and some strange forms of isolation (no pizza you get peanut butter, no burger have some cold chicken) just to conform to the DDP. This issue does not affect me, but I would have difficulty with it if it did. I still remember when pizzafari had the kids pizza meal. Both of my children were under 10 though at that time kids were considered under 12. I had 2 child meal deals and 2 adult meal deals when I picked up the meals my DS was standing with me and the person filling the order was "way to go getting a kids meal for an adult" I said "No, he is 10 would you like to see his birth certificate, his pass, my room confirmation!" Another CM, maybe a manager came over to see what the problem was and when I explained she apologized. I'm sure there are many others who fudged this, but I was not one of them. This may be one of the reasons that this was eliminated. I would rather them create a kids meal out of half a pizza and carrot sticks no essential meal changes for restaurant, just cut the pizza in half! I'm not sure what the answer is, but I do agree that the changes on the menu at CS have caused some of the cheating where adult CS is used for children. If my kids were 9 and 5 I know the CS would be used for breakfast and I'd pay OOP for the lunch entree.

 

[bicker]

I do think that for a majority of families the "crap" that is on the children's menus is fine. I don't see much of a difference in the type or quality of food on the children's menus than I see at most other sit down or counter service places outside of Disney world. We can discuss the appropriateness of what passes for kids menus at most places all day long but it doesn't change that fact that there must be some type of demand out there if that many places offer the same type of fare.

Yes definitely. And the great thing is that Disney can make incremental changes (as they have since the new menus were initially introduced) to perfectly match how customers REALLY feel, based on the great hard-data they have.