Kids Dining plan question-called Guest Services

[janets]

We were there for Jersey week and my son had steak at LeCellier, the mahi mahi was still at Coral Reef, the skillet was at WCC. He enjoyed the family style at 'Ohana. I have heard that there might be further changes after thanksgiving. I have a friend who is with his family at WDW, leaves to head down today. They will all be together until next Tuesday, then he and his wife will be there an additional week. I'll ask him to check out the kids menus and let me know if there are changes after next weekend.

 

[a37027]

Janets - we did Ohana too and my kids loved it. As an aside, though, I asked the waitress (who was great BTW), how many kids actually ate the food. Her answer "yours" - I thought that was really funny, as my kids all found something they liked, even though they each found things they didn't like too. How fun, though, to let our kids experience these new things that they wouldn't otherwise try - like peanut sauce. Now I know there are at least two families whose kids liked the food!

 

[a37027]

Didn't mean to take the thread off course...to the OP, we were there last week and the new menus are definitely in place. We ate at LTT, 1900 GF, Ohana's, Le Chef's, and CRT. At CRT the kid's main course wasn't great, but my kids loved the appetizers, bread and desserts - and, of course, the castle! Le Chef's was a major disappoinment - my kids hardly ate any of their meals - cold and bland. My suggestion is go for the buffets or places like LTT and Ohana's if you can - that avoids the menu issue.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

One of which was the issue of the menu being the same for DDP and OOP guests. In reality, should that be? If one is paying substantially less for a meal plan, should one really expect to get access to every one of the appetizers or entrees on a menu, regardless of price? And really is that fair to cash paying guests who pay OOP (perhaps as much as $35 for an entree) and sit next to a patron whose entire food cost for the day was only $37.99?

I totally understand that Disney set the plan up this way, but looking at it now perhaps 18 months out, maybe the idea of a different menu for DDP guests or even a menu designed as a prix fix menu would level the playing field, allowing those who feel that the DDP is causing the "dumbing down" of menus, lowering standards of service, etc. some improvement.

This is like saying that people who book discounted rooms should not expect the same quality and service as someone who is paying rack rate because after all if I am paying $350 a night for my Beach Club room and someone else has an AP discounted room where they are only paying $275, is it fair for them to get the same quality and service that I do?

Or what about the person who is using the DDE discount? After all, their meal is discounted 20%, should they get the same quality of food and service as someone who is paying full price OOP?

My answer is YES. Disney offers discounts and packages as an incentive (whether to get you to stay on site, visit more often or commit to spending your entire trip at WDW - which is what a MYW package with dining entices people to do). They are not intended to divide people into the "haves" and "have nots".

 

[jodifla]

This is like saying that people who book discounted rooms should not expect the same quality and service as someone who is paying rack rate because after all if I am paying $350 a night for my Beach Club room and someone else has an AP discounted room where they are only paying $275, is it fair for them to get the same quality and service that I do?

Or what about the person who is using the DDE discount? After all, their meal is discounted 20%, should they get the same quality of food and service as someone who is paying full price OOP?

My answer is YES. Disney offers discounts and packages as an incentive (whether to get you to stay on site, visit more often or commit to spending your entire trip at WDW - which is what a MYW package with dining entices people to do). They are not intended to divide people into the "haves" and "have nots".

The DDP is just a shell game, though. You are paying more for your rooms, and less for your meals. But the overall effect is to lower the dining experience for everyone, which is the real problem.

 

[Lewisc]

Many hotels, but not WDW hotels, assign the less desirable rooms to guests who book internet discounted rates. Giving the minor upgrades or better views to guests who pay rack rate makes at least as much sense as the current policy of giving the minor upgrades to guests who tell the best story to CM at the desk.

Other hotels only give the frequent stay perks to guests who book a qualifying rate.

Having a special menu for dining guests isn't wrong, if disclosed. Many restaurants have a special price fixed menu. Disney has decided that limiting the dining options of dining plan guests would make the plan a lot less popular.

This is like saying that people who book discounted rooms should not expect the same quality and service as someone who is paying rack rate because after all if I am paying $350 a night for my Beach Club room and someone else has an AP discounted room where they are only paying $275, is it fair for them to get the same quality and service that I do?

 

[bicker]

My answer is YES. Disney offers discounts and packages as an incentive (whether to get you to stay on site, visit more often or commit to spending your entire trip at WDW - which is what a MYW package with dining entices people to do). They are not intended to divide people into the "haves" and "have nots".

While I agree that the Disney Dining Plan is not an example of this, to be fair, sometimes discounts and packages are intended to "divide people into the 'haves' and 'have nots'" as you worded it. Sometimes a supplier will offer a lesser product/service at a lesser price (and indeed may not even expend much space in the advertising emphasizing the distinction). Some of us refer to this as "386sx syndrome" named after the infamous offering from Intel.

I was having a conversation with our sales VP this morning, and he specifically asked me to make arrangements in our code to offer version of our product with some of the features disabled, solely for cases where customers insist on bringing us down below our standard price-points -- so rather than offering them the full product at a lower price, he has the ability to offer a lesser product at a lower price. This is a product we'll never offer generally -- just one that will be offered to folks we're giving a special discount to.

Closer to the WDW arena, airlines do this a lot. They treat non-rev passengers substantially differently than revenue passenger. They'll bump a non-rev (who is not entitled to bumping compensation) before they consider bumping a revenue passengers. They'll sometimes even pull non-revs off a full flight if a revenue passenger arrives at the gate late. You may say that these folks aren't paying for their flights, but if I fly enough to earn 100,000 frequent flyer miles, I will maintain that I did pay for my flights, yet I get a lesser quality product from the airline than the folks who paid for their flights in cash instead of miles.

Within WDW, itself, I do believe that, in some ways, some hotel discounts fall into this category. The deepest discounts are typically ROH rooms, which in some of the hotels could include some smaller and odd-shaped rooms. (I remember the Yacht and Beach Club have some rooms like this.) Conceptually, that's surely not the same quality of room as someone booking a standard room.

An idea for Disney to consider along these lines: I think I might be happy to pay $40 per day for admission to the park subject to the condition that I cannot ride any attractions that have a queue.

 

[PoohFan97]

Within WDW, itself, I do believe that, in some ways, some hotel discounts fall into this category. The deepest discounts are typically ROH rooms, which in some of the hotels could include some smaller and odd-shaped rooms. (I remember the Yacht and Beach Club have some rooms like this.) Conceptually, that's surely not the same quality of room as someone booking a standard room.

I thought I was getting pretty good at learning all the acronyms, but you got me. What's ROH?

 

[bicker]

Run-of-House.

 

[kaytieeldr]

and CRT. At CRT the kid's main course wasn't great, but my kids loved the appetizers, bread and desserts - and, of course, the castle!

Oh. Has the CRT childrens' menu changed since it was revamped in February 2006?

The DDP is just a shell game, though. You are paying more for your rooms, and less for your meals. But the overall effect is to lower the dining experience for everyone, which is the real problem.

But you didn't answer her questions. Someone with an AP discount is paying less for their room and more (aka menu price) for their meals. Should that person get a worse room or lesser service at the hotel just because they're able to get a discount on the room? Someone using the DDE is paying less for their meal (and possibly nothing for a room, since many DDE holders are local residents or DVC owners). Should DDE users have restrictions on what they can order because they're paying less than menu price? Then why should DDP Guests be restricted?

 

[gssmks]

We'll be coming down for ds's birthday in February and if the kids menu still stinks, I'll age him up to 10 (he'll be turning 9) and pay the adult price. The $27 difference over 3 days won't be more than I would pay if I went OOP for everyone anyway.

I called and asked about doing this, and was told that it's not possible unless I upgraded her on all aspects for the reservation. She turned 9 last week. I was told to get her on the adult plan, I would have to get her adult park passes. Since we are staying 13 days, it amount to a large amount of money for us. If you are staying fewer days, it may work for you. They did tell me that if I ordered her a meal from the adult menu, I would only be charged the difference between a child's meal and that actual meal price. But, after reading this thread, I'm sure if I should believe anything the CM told me.

 

[PoohFan97]

Run-of-House.

Thanks for the definition and the link.

 

[bicker]

I called and asked about doing this, and was told that it's not possible unless I upgraded her on all aspects for the reservation. She turned 9 last week. I was told to get her on the adult plan, I would have to get her adult park passes. Since we are staying 13 days, it amount to a large amount of money for us. If you are staying fewer days, it may work for you. They did tell me that if I ordered her a meal from the adult menu, I would only be charged the difference between a child's meal and that actual meal price. But, after reading this thread, I'm sure if I should believe anything the CM told me.

The only think you believe with assurance is what you get in writing on Walt Disney World letterhead. Part of the problem, though, is that you are asking for things that the plan isn't intended for, and, as you can well imagine, you shouldn't be getting answers to such requests that you'll be happy with, and so that causes a conflict between you asking the question and the CM's desire to get through the conversation without the conflict becoming an issue. Some CMs, just trying to keep you happy while you're talking to them, will tell you whatever comes to mind when they're asked a question they don't have an answer for/have a beneficial answer for, and let the CMs at the resort deal with the ramifications of such misinformation later. (Generally, many guests are good-natured enough to trust the CMs they see in person, and accept that they received erroneous information over the telephone.)

You sound like you got a very creative CM on the telephone. (Are you even sure that you called Disney, and not some travel agency instead?) The bit about being able to pay the difference between the cost of a child meal and the cost of an adult meal -- that's a story I've never heard anyone told before. A very creative CM indeed. However, pixie dust happens, and sometimes you can find someone at the resort who will be willing to allocate some guest recovery budget towards giving you something extra special that other folks don't get.

 

[Uncleromulus]

gardenergirl:
With your December trip almost here, we'll be anxious to learn what you are really able to do (or not) when you get to WDW.

 

[Bonnie151]

I called and asked about doing this, and was told that it's not possible unless I upgraded her on all aspects for the reservation. She turned 9 last week. I was told to get her on the adult plan, I would have to get her adult park passes. Since we are staying 13 days, it amount to a large amount of money for us. If you are staying fewer days, it may work for you.

:nod: I *briefly* considered upgrading DS to an adult on the DDP but since you also have to upgrade the child's park passes to adult ones, for the 14 days that we're staying, it was pretty clear that for us, we'd be cheaper paying OOP for additional food for Connor where the child menu wasn't suitable.

 

[janets]

I called and asked about doing this, and was told that it's not possible unless I upgraded her on all aspects for the reservation. She turned 9 last week. I was told to get her on the adult plan, I would have to get her adult park passes. Since we are staying 13 days, it amount to a large amount of money for us. If you are staying fewer days, it may work for you. They did tell me that if I ordered her a meal from the adult menu, I would only be charged the difference between a child's meal and that actual meal price. But, after reading this thread, I'm sure if I should believe anything the CM told me.

However, we're staying DVC on the February trip and therefore have no ticket purchase requirement. DS has an AP (as we all do) so his dining plan is completely separate from his park entrance.

I guess I'll wait and see what happens in the next month or so. I can make adjustments to my dining plan up until shortly before I arrive, as I pay for it upon checkin (since it's separate from my DVC ressie).

 

[kaytieeldr]

Since we are staying 13 days, it amount to a large amount of money for us.

Are you sure? The price difference between a ten day adult ticket and a ten day child ticket is $41.43; there's no difference in price in the add-ons. Is there anywhere else you can cut your budget to cover this increase?

 

[starbox]

Are you sure? The price difference between a ten day adult ticket and a ten day child ticket is $41.43; there's no difference in price in the add-ons. Is there anywhere else you can cut your budget to cover this increase?

One possibility is to get an annual pass as your main ticket and then to just get a one-day ticket with your MYW room and dining package. The DDP is tied to the number of nights, not park ticket days. You can actually save your park day that came with your ticket and use it on a future trip, and only use your AP tickets for park admission.

If you visit annually, you can easily arrange your trips to take avdantage of your AP. I could, for example, travel at the end of July 07, then again in June of 08 - all on the same pass.

 

[gssmks]

The only think you believe with assurance is what you get in writing on Walt Disney World letterhead.

I don't even believe this much from Disney any more. The WRITTEN letter on DISNEY WORLD LETTERHEAD that I received from Disney with my MVMCP tickets clearly state that I will get a FREE phote at the party. It has now been confirmed that I will not.

However, I am one of those people who just doesn't let much of anything ruin my trip. I say "Oh, well!" and go on. I just don't see letting the fact that I have to pay OOP for a few of DD's meals which surely won't cost me more than an additional $100.00 or so ruin a trip that has already cost me thousands of dollars. Whether I'm at WDW or any other destination, I always assume that I will spend more than I planned and that I run into hidden costs or price increase, etc.

However, on this one Disney is missing an opportunity to make some money. I completely understand not letting someone who has paid for child's plan to order from the adult menu. But, if I am willing to pay adult price for my child on the DDP, why shouldn't they let me. It is $28.00 per day diffence that I would be paying them.

 

[bicker]

Personally, I think Disney would be best off doing away with the Child Dining Plan. It doesn't save anyone that much money, if used as intended... a MAX of about $7 per day... and doing away with it and giving the option to purchase the (now only "adult" Dining Plan) provides a good amount of flexibility while doing away with a lot of the confusion and conflict folks have with regard to the Dining Plan today. Just require all adults on a reservation have the Dining Plan, and then allow guests to purchase the (adult) Dining Plan for as many of the children as they'd like at $38.99 each.