I don't know what to believe?!

[LadyOmega]

I personally have only seen one poster here who I thought was really looking for ways to cheat the system. And I wouldn't name them even if it were permissible under DIS policies...which it's not

Oh I totally agree!! The vast majority of people who have questions I think are just trying to figure everything out. As far as I have seen (and Im a pretty new poster), everyone is just trying to figure out a way to use the plan that works best for their family.

 

[JimMIA]

I really don't understand why people aren't understanding this :
The DDP is "non-transferable".

I'll cop out! When I read the plan details, I figured they just meant I couldn't give my room key to Uncle Charlie so his family could eat while we were at Universal. In fact, I thought, "They couldn't possibly mean I can't take my golf buddy to lunch."

I was wrong. That is precisely what they always meant -- it's a package, and non-participants can't use the dining part of the package any more than they could use my room or park pass. But I didn't get it at first.

I can easily understand how that could -- with great honor and integrity -- be misunderstood.

 

[frayedend]

I don't get why it matters to anyone. If the waiter says I can't treat my friend then I use cash. Then I have a TS credit left for tomorrow. If the waiter says that I can do it, then I use the TS and tomorrow I have to pay cash. And really, it would be free advertising for Disney. I take my buddy to a free meal and he says, "Wow, what a great deal and a good meal. I think next time we will stay onsite and get the dining plan" It just a big mess and there are no real answers and even if there were real clear cut answers, well, waiters would probably still be confused. So no one will really know until they try to do something.

 

[skater]

I agree with JimMIA - it can be misunderstood with honor and integrity. I treated 2 family members to Whispering Canyon last Sept. It never occurred to me that I was cheating the system. Maybe it was written somewhere in the brochure but there's no way I'm remembering everything I read. Of course Disney made out fine since we ended up buying extra food in the long run. (We're all big eaters) This year when our Florida relatives meet us for dinner, I'll pay for their meals and probably still end up buying a little extra food at some point. It really makes no difference for us in the long run.

 

[LadyOmega]

I don't get why it matters to anyone. If the waiter says I can't treat my friend then I use cash. Then I have a TS credit left for tomorrow. If the waiter says that I can do it, then I use the TS and tomorrow I have to pay cash. And really, it would be free advertising for Disney. I take my buddy to a free meal and he says, "Wow, what a great deal and a good meal. I think next time we will stay onsite and get the dining plan" It just a big mess and there are no real answers and even if there were real clear cut answers, well, waiters would probably still be confused. So no one will really know until they try to do something.

True, very true. I understand what you're saying, and I agree that as of right now, some may be able to do this and some may not. But there have been many people who have went this summer that reported trying this, and have been turned down. I haven't heard from anyone that has tried it and been able to do it. So I think people need to realize that they cannot depend on this package to feed people other than their paying party. Yes, it probably is possible right now depending on what restaurant you're in, or what waiter you get. But I know I read some posts from one person who was going to try to share meals between people, when half of them had not purchased the DDP. I don't think that poster was trying to do anything he shouldn't have been, he was just trying to help out the rest of his party that wasn't able to get the plan, but I really don't think they will allow him to do that when he gets there. It may be possible, but I think the important thing is that people should not be depending on being able to do that, cause when free dining starts......I seriously doubt Disney is going to allow most if any of these possible uses for the DDP.


And yes, JimMIA, I could definitely see how that phrase could easily be misconstrued. And I believe that most people are thinking exactly the same thing when they first read about the plan. I'm just naturally suspicious of people though, I suppose, cause when I first read the brochure, the first thing I thought was "WOW, they really didn't explain this well, and there are going to be a few people out there that take advantage of Disney not making every scenario absolutely spelled out as allowed or not allowed".
(And before anyone flames me, no, I don't think the majority of people are trying to "take advantage" of the system. I think Disney didn't do a good enough job of explaining the plan in the first place, and that most people just don't understand it yet because of that. But there are those few out there who will always look for a way around things. )

 

[torinsmom]

It's a work in progress. Right now they are supposedly not allowing the purchase of more adult meals than adult participants shown on the card. That helps curtail both the improper use of child credits and treating folks not on the plan. They are also making the necessary changes to the computer system to segregate child and adult credits. Once they get that resolved, a lot of these issues will go away...probably to be replaced with new issues.

I personally have only seen one poster here who I thought was really looking for ways to cheat the system. And I wouldn't name them even if it were permissible under DIS policies...which it's not

Well, I wish they had done this in March! I paid for the DDP for me and my son(who Disney counts as an adult) and at Le Cellier, they charged me for 3 TS credits instead of 2. I didn't notice and it ended up taking an hour to fix at guest services, even with my receipt showing 2 app, 2 entrees, 2 desserts.

 

[JimMIA]

I don't get why it matters to anyone. If the waiter says I can't treat my friend then I use cash. Then I have a TS credit left for tomorrow. If the waiter says that I can do it, then I use the TS and tomorrow I have to pay cash. And really, it would be free advertising for Disney. I take my buddy to a free meal and he says, "Wow, what a great deal and a good meal. I think next time we will stay onsite and get the dining plan" It just a big mess and there are no real answers and even if there were real clear cut answers, well, waiters would probably still be confused. So no one will really know until they try to do something.

That is almost verbatim my first take on treating...but I was wrong. Not morally wrong, just mistaken.

 

[KimberlyC]

I now states in the brochure that you cannot use kids credits for adults. Read the brochure for the exact wording.

Actually Disney (from the website) says that "children ages 3-9 must choose from the children's menu if available." The recently added FAQ page on the "brochure" allegedly makes it more clear (I haven't seen it). Disney's website still says..."Use your meals and snacks in any order and in any amount throughout your stay until your total is completed." See, http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/common/helpFAQ?id=HelpFAQTicketsPage#q21

BUT I'm so sure that all of the people who go to WDW and ask where the Spiderman ride is have read the FAQ page Or today we are going to Disney World but tomorrow we are going to Epcot, can I use the dining plan there?

I booked the free DDP, and I've yet to see a brochure. Fortunately because my DNiece is a Disney adult and my DS is under 3 we have no child credits to worry about.

I'm sorry but this is really funny. I know that using the child credit for adults is stealing, and I won't be doing it. But Disney messed up. They surely didn't sit and their board room and say, "No, don't worry about it, we don't have to separate the credits. We can rely on the integrity of our guests"

Is it because the guests at Disney are so unlike the general public? They don't pool hop or use old mugs or anything like that. Right?

I love the great DDP debates. Sure we all know what the spirit of the DDP is, but that doesn't negate the fact that Disney left a very large loophole in the plan. That's Disney's problem. If people choose to take advantage of Disney's error, they are entitled to do so. I think "stealing" is harsh. If a company advertises "Buy 2, Get 1 free", and intends to run the offer for 2 days, but messes us and runs it for 2 months - OOPs. But that doesn't mean that people who take advantage of the offer have stolen anything. I just can't feel sorry for Disney. Disney does a lot of things right, but gets some things wrong. Its not a question of honor or integrity. Its a matter of offer and acceptance.

 

[KimberlyC]

I really don't understand why people aren't understanding this :
The DDP is "non-transferable". The only people allowed to use the dining plan are those who have purchased the dining plan.

I beg to differ with your definition of non-transferable. Non-transferable means you cannot convey/assign/transfer ownership of it. So you are not allowed to check out with extra credits and say to the guy you met at the pool, "Here, you may have the 10 credits we have left, they are yours" In that case your would be assigning them or converying your ownership of them to another. That is prohibited. When You invite a guest to dinner and You treat that guest by paying with your credits (yours to use any way you like, as advertised) You are not conveying ownership or assigning your DDP to anyone. To take it to the extreme, under your definition, you would be prevented from taking a doggy bag of leftovers to FIDO. That is just an absurd proposition. At best, the provision is vague and if so, well Disney drafted it so it should be construed against Disney and in favor of the customer.

 

[Lewisc]

That's basically the same language Disney uses for park admission. Extra days of park tickets are only a few dollars. Disney uses biometrics to make sure you don't transfer unused days to friends who are still staying. Meals included as part of a vacation package generally can't be shared. Does anyone think Embassy Suites will let you treat a friend to breakfast if one of your kids decides to sleep in and skip breakfast?

I can certainly understand some people not realizing that treating people not on the plan is prohibited. I can even understand CMs allowing guests to do it. BUT I can also understand Disney cracking down as guests were paying out of pocket for cheaper meals and treating extended famlies to expensive meals.

I beg to differ with your definition of non-transferable. Non-transferable means you cannot convey/assign/transfer ownership of it. So you are not allowed to check out with extra credits and say to the guy you met at the pool, "Here, you may have the 10 credits we have left, they are yours" In that case your would be assigning them or converying your ownership of them to another. That is prohibited. When You invite a guest to dinner and You treat that guest by paying with your credits (yours to use any way you like, as advertised) You are not conveying ownership or assigning your DDP to anyone. To take it to the extreme, under your definition, you would be prevented from taking a doggy bag of leftovers to FIDO. That is just an absurd proposition. At best, the provision is vague and if so, well Disney drafted it so it should be construed against Disney and in favor of the customer.

 

[LadyOmega]

I beg to differ with your definition of non-transferable. Non-transferable means you cannot convey/assign/transfer ownership of it. So you are not allowed to check out with extra credits and say to the guy you met at the pool, "Here, you may have the 10 credits we have left, they are yours" In that case your would be assigning them or converying your ownership of them to another. That is prohibited. When You invite a guest to dinner and You treat that guest by paying with your credits (yours to use any way you like, as advertised) You are not conveying ownership or assigning your DDP to anyone. To take it to the extreme, under your definition, you would be prevented from taking a doggy bag of leftovers to FIDO. That is just an absurd proposition. At best, the provision is vague and if so, well Disney drafted it so it should be construed against Disney and in favor of the customer.

Oh I can definitely understand looking at it from that way too!! I'm just going by what people have reported as to what seems to be Disney's new stand on the issue, and what apparently they (supposedly) really meant when they said "non-transferable". Many are being turned down when they try to treat people and such. And yes, as it stands NOW, you might be able to get away with using your credits in ways Disney didn't intend, but those days are numbered. Check out the new post about sharing that was put up a few minutes ago-it pretty much indicates that Disney is moving in the direction to do away with people using the DDP in ways they didn't anticipate. My main concern is that by the time people start rolling into the World for free dining, they won't be able to do these things. Some people it seems are depending on these "loopholes" in order to feed those in their party that didn't get the DDP - what happens if they get there and Disney won't allow any of that anymore?
That is my main concern in all this. And the Fido comment? You got me rolling about that!!