JUST BACK - NEW DDP changes in action (Photo added)

["Cinder" Ella's Mom]

My DD 3 shared with me. I had pizza and salad at Pinnochio's in MK and she ate 2 of the 4 pieces of pizza and my dessert. My DS 5 shared with my daughter at Tomorrowland Noodle Station. They split mac and cheese, carrots and grapes. They also ate ice cream bars (dessers that came with mine and DH's meals). Neither are huge eaters, though.

 

[skuttle]

We just returned last night (Dec 7)

We were given two receipts at all TS meals, but only one for CS.

I stopped at a cart in Frontierland to get DS a hotdog, chips, and drink meal because he didn't want anything on the pecos bill kid's menu and was planning on paying for it. When I handed the CM my card, she said I could use a CS credit. I told her it was for a child and she said it didn't matter because a CS credit is a CS credit...all lumped together.

Later that week, we at at Columbia Harbor House. Again, DS wanted nothing on the kid's menu, so I ordered him an adult chicken tender meal. It wasn't a problem at all.

 

[sphillips]

We just got back 1/1 -1/6 and there is much confusion about the new changes to the plan. We were told by the manager of the living seas that the credits for TS are given out each day and that if you dont use that days credit (ie. share a meal to save one for the next day) the credit will be gone. The manager at the POP said that this was not the case and if you want to use all of your credits in one day you can. But that manager at the TS in China said that if you are ex. 2 adults and 2 kids you cant use 4 adult meals on the same day???

On our last day somehow we ended up with 4 adult meals left and no kid meals left (we are 2 adults and 2 kids) and chef Mickey said that even though they restarunt chrges more for adults then kids we couldnt use our adult credits for kids meals and they would have to charge the kids meals to the room ???

All of the counter service are still pooled.

 

[DisneyKidds]

Wow......I'm glad we aren't going until August so they can sort the new procedures out.

The idea that a days credits would expire at the end of a day is counter to everything the "use the plan the way YOU want to" advertising brochures state. It also is contrary to the whole Signature restaurant concept. How are you going to use 4 adult TS credits for dinner for 2 adults if you can't save credits or use them at will?

The idea that you can't order more than 2 adult TS meals in a day if you have 2 adults is also troubling. What if we want to have a character breakfast in the am, and then a TS dinner that night? Again, telling guests they can't do they seems contrary to everything the dining plan was supposed to be.

I can see them taking steps to prevent abuses, but if those steps change the whole complexion of the plan I think they will have a problem.

 

[bicker]

We were told by the manager of the living seas that the credits for TS are given out each day and that if you dont use that days credit (ie. share a meal to save one for the next day) the credit will be gone. The manager at the POP said that this was not the case and if you want to use all of your credits in one day you can.

My guesss is that the manager at the Coral Reef was oversimplifying things, and the manager at POP was more technically accurate.

But that manager at the TS in China said that if you are ex. 2 adults and 2 kids you cant use 4 adult meals on the same day???

Again, I'd find that hard to believe. Perhaps within the same meal period, but I don't believe they could restrict it by day, without issuing an updated brochure. Does the brochure you received at check-in now indicate this kind of restriction?

 

[jensen]

We just returned last night (Dec 7)

We were given two receipts at all TS meals, but only one for CS.

I stopped at a cart in Frontierland to get DS a hotdog, chips, and drink meal because he didn't want anything on the pecos bill kid's menu and was planning on paying for it. When I handed the CM my card, she said I could use a CS credit. I told her it was for a child and she said it didn't matter because a CS credit is a CS credit...all lumped together.

Later that week, we at at Columbia Harbor House. Again, DS wanted nothing on the kid's menu, so I ordered him an adult chicken tender meal. It wasn't a problem at all.

Skuttle, Did you mean you returned Jan. 7?

 

[castleri]

Ok, so how about this scenario. I posted this question on the Mcdonald's thread and it became a ridiculous debate on whether McDonald's is good for you. Whatever. Not my question! Anyway, one day dh wants to eat at China CS. I want to eat at Mexico CS. My ds is 4 and would like the McNugget meal at the kiosk in the WS. We have 2A1C on the plan. How can we make sure his meal is charged as a Child cs, especially since the adults won't be eating there. Just say my ds is having blah blah blah? I don't want to cheat the plan, I just want to make sure he gets billed for what he eats so to speak, and not bill the adult cs credits.

I can't find the McDonalds listed on the DDP restaurant guide for 2007- Does it fall into some generic category like ice cream carts do or is my eyesight just bad?

 

[skuttle]

Skuttle, Did you mean you returned Jan. 7?

LOL! Yes, I meant January.

 

[starbox]

All of the counter service are still pooled.

Hmmmm - our CS was not pooled, it was differentiated between child/adult. We found out about the problems changing over to the new system on 1/1/7 when I tried to order a child's CS meal without the child's card on me and the system would not recognize that we had any child credits - only adult ones. Maybe when they "fixed" the system to allow all cards to access all credits something changed?

 

[bicker]

Could be, but more likely, some CS eateries were not yet enforcing the rules, when sphillips patronized them.

 

[DCDisney]

We just returned last night and NONE of the CS credits were separated but the adult TS all were. You can still use more than 1 days TS credits in 1 day. You can still order adult CS meals and then go back in line and order more adult CS meals at the same time. My dad travelled with us and had 2 leftover adult meals that we used to buy the kids pizzas at Pizzafari. They are currently updating the CS software as I saw someone training one of the cashiers at the Mara on what would and would not be allowed on the new system. It sounded like it was as much for inventory purposes as anything else.

Yvonne

 

[bicker]

They are currently updating the CS software as I saw someone training one of the cashiers at the Mara on what would and would not be allowed on the new system.

It'll probably take a week or so before we know for sure how these changes will affect the enforcement of the rules as it pertains to CS.

 

[jensen]

Yvonne, Did you check in after 1/1/07 or before? I'm wondering if the credits are only being separated for those folks who checked in after the new system was in place?

 

[DCDisney]

Yvonne, Did you check in after 1/1/07 or before? I'm wondering if the credits are only being separated for those folks who checked in after the new system was in place?

We checked in on January 4th. It was clearly still a work in progress though....

Yvonne

 

[Brian Noble]

They are currently updating the CS software as I saw someone training one of the cashiers at the Mara on what would and would not be allowed on the new system.

This makes sense. Disney has a lot less at risk allowing cross-generational pooling at CS restaurants, so may as well fix the TS register software and train those CMs first.

 

[wdwdreamin2]

Those were the words of our server at Coral Reef.

We (myself & DD6,) checked in at Pop 1/3-1/7. A friend who lives in Orlando came to stay two days as well, in a separate room. A CM had previously told her she could save dining credits and use them three days after check out for her anniversary dinner at CR. I knew this was incorrect, as they expire at midnight on the day you check out.

She was asking our CM at Pop about it as we were checking in and he confirmed what I knew. So he comes up with this idea for her to use her credits on me, and that would leave me with extra to use at CR for her anniversary dinner.

We agreed that he was brilliant, and that is what we did. All was well until we explain at CR that we were on DDP and I would be using 2A & 1C TS credits. She asks to see my card, which says 1 Adult, 1 child. She says she now cannot charge more than what is printed on the card. What?? But I have the extra credit, and were had planned this at the suggestion of a CM at Pop!

We had to get a manager over and he said we would have to charge to the room and then go back and tell them to take it off. We already had a prior issue with Pop, (even longer story...) and the last thing I wanted to do was go waste more time at the front desk.

So it ended up that we just ordered what we would have anyway and hoped it would work out. She was able to run two separate tickets and use the credits.

So...Everyone is confused and information is not being clearly communicated from the top down. Hopefully Disney is working on a more clear communication channel.

 

[Tink Wanna Be]

Am I understanding this correctly re: CS places like Pizza Planet that don't have a kids menu. If we eat there with the kids, we have to use adult credits if they want pizza? It sounds like they could share with us, but if they want more than that, they'd use adult credits? Seems silly for a place geared toward kids.

 

[DCDisney]

Am I understanding this correctly re: CS places like Pizza Planet that don't have a kids menu. If we eat there with the kids, we have to use adult credits if they want pizza?

For CS right now all the credits are the same. The kids were able to order the same as adults at Pizza Planet. At other CS you could just order however many adult meals as you had listed on the card, unless you went through multiple times.

Yvonne W

 

[Sammie]

I know it should not be this way, but at this time, I would advise everyone do not ask a CM at Disney any questions about dining, unless they work in dining.

 

[alldiz]

I know it should not be this way, but as this time, I would advise everyone do not ask a CM at Disney any questions about dining, unless they work in dining.

Great idea
Kerri