New rules for dining plan? No more kids meals OOP?

[wtpntigger2]

I can't believe I just sat and read this whole thread

I just got back Monday night, used the plan "as intended", and we still saved well over $200 for 2A and 1C. Basically we got all of our CS and snacks for free because of the TS we went to-CRT lunch, Coral reef dinner, CP dinner, Teppanayki lunch. Even ordering off of the kid's menu at these TS we came out ahead as they cost more than the $10 we paid for the day.

I agree that until the credits are divided in the system, according to Disney's wording, the credits may be used however you choose. It is up to the user of the credits, not us, to decide what is right. If Disney has a problem with it, they will fix the "loophole" that really doesn't exist according to their own words.

ETA: I just remembered at Roaring Forks CS, my dd didn't want anything off the kid's menu after seeing the pizza so that is what I got for her meal. No problems at all doing that although I guess it is easier to be lenient at the CS meals than TS.

 

[Nancyg56]

I do not have a problem with people paying OOP pocket for their kids and using the meals that they purchased for the kids at other times for the kids...I have a problem when adults pay OOP for kids so they can use the credits to go to extra meal for themselves or to upgrade to a signature. Again I know there is not specifically "adult" and "child" credits...however there are adult and childs prices....adults to order from adult menu...children to order from child's menu. Disney should not have to do the math for people.

I think it is a matter for Disney to resolve if they choose to. I really think that Disney HAS done the math, and has decided to let this one go for now. We wanted the DDP, so we chose a Disney resort rather that the Grosvenor. We paid the rate that was imposed in order to get the DDP, although there were some discounts allowed after we booked, and all bought tickets. We were onsite, and used ME, so we did not rent a car....just ate onsite. We invited family members to join us in the parks, and paid for all of their meals. We were way over out TS, but still enjoyed meals onsite...not a penny to Mickey D's....not a penny anywhere else. Because we chose restaurants that were in some of the parks...you got it...additional days and park hoppers for all. To the park for breakfast, and then back for dinner equals more money for Disney. Resort restaurants are right near gift shops, and that also equals more money for some families.

If we were off site, we would still have eaten nice meals with our family, and the Orlando area has nice places that would have seen our money, not Disney. We would have stayed in a nice hotel, and that money would not have been in the Disney pocket. We would have rented a car, and would not have spent the entire time spending at Disney, we would have spread it around.

I think that Disney has run the numbers and had determined that people using the plan in whatever manner that has been allowed still makes them a bucket of money that is now NOT shared with another park or restaurant. I also think that most people do not max the plan, but want to use it as best suits their family, and that Disney has encouraged that they do so. Waitstaff would not continue to advise how to best use credits if they were sanctioned for the practice. If and when the Disney corporation determines that this is not cost effective, they have the means to change the way the plan works.

 

[BAST]

I think it is a matter for Disney to resolve if they choose to. I really think that Disney HAS done the math, and has decided to let this one go for now. We wanted the DDP, so we chose a Disney resort rather that the Grosvenor. We paid the rate that was imposed in order to get the DDP, although there were some discounts allowed after we booked, and all bought tickets. We were onsite, and used ME, so we did not rent a car....just ate onsite. We invited family members to join us in the parks, and paid for all of their meals. We were way over out TS, but still enjoyed meals onsite...not a penny to Mickey D's....not a penny anywhere else. Because we chose restaurants that were in some of the parks...you got it...additional days and park hoppers for all. To the park for breakfast, and then back for dinner equals more money for Disney. Resort restaurants are right near gift shops, and that also equals more money for some families.

If we were off site, we would still have eaten nice meals with our family, and the Orlando area has nice places that would have seen our money, not Disney. We would have stayed in a nice hotel, and that money would not have been in the Disney pocket. We would have rented a car, and would not have spent the entire time spending at Disney, we would have spread it around.

I think that Disney has run the numbers and had determined that people using the plan in whatever manner that has been allowed still makes them a bucket of money that is now NOT shared with another park or restaurant. I also think that most people do not max the plan, but want to use it as best suits their family, and that Disney has encouraged that they do so. Waitstaff would not continue to advise how to best use credits if they were sanctioned for the practice. If and when the Disney corporation determines that this is not cost effective, they have the means to change the way the plan works.

I agree completely. I will likely use the dining plan for our trip in August since DVC renters are now eligible. Usually, my wife and I will leave the kids in a hotels' childcare for two night so that we can go out to dinner by ourselves. Last year, we went to Emerils and to Shula's (and used the childcare at our hotel at Universal and at the Dolphin (which was free to those eating at Shula's)). This year, I am looking at Yachtsman and CG for our two 'night out' meals almost solely because of the dining plan. If I can pool points at these two restaurants, I will and I will leave my kids at the childcare at WDW resorts (paying Disney about $60 each night for doing that). This is the only way Disney will see that money (plus the OOP money for wine, drinks). My guess is that WDW is happy for that and really does not care that I am pooling points. IF WDW is concerned with this - they can change the rules so that points are not pooled and I will go back to Shula's and try Blue Zoo, and use their free childcare deal (IMHO Emeril's was not worth the money).

 

[DCDisney]

I would guess that Disney is selling many more alcoholic beverages to DDP patrons as well since the meals are prepaid people feel more free to splurge on nicer wines and specialty drinks.

Yvonne

 

[Nancyg56]

That is what we did. We purchased cocktails and spent the amount that we budgeted for our trip. What we saved on food in Disney was spent in Disney. Markup on alcohol is way more than markup on food.

 

[JennyMominRI]

We are going in Nov. There are 7 of us going. The youngest is 11 so we are all adults on the DDP We are getting 2 rooms at the AKL. I plan to get one room for 4 of us with the DDP.. The other room we will get using BRP for the other 3 people. I'm not sure who will be in what room. Is it improper for the people from the DDP rooms to share meals(not buffets) with the other people in our party? I would feel gulty about all of the food that would not get eaten if all 7 of us use the DDP..Plus I know that my 2 boys will eat off of the kids menu every time,so it seems silly to get the DP for them.. .SO if say my oldest DD 14 buys a steak using the DDP TS credit,would it be improper for her to share it with our niece from the second room who is not on the DDP etc.? I can't eat a whole steak from my TS meal. Is it cheating for me to share it with DS in the room that is not on theDDP?

 

[thelionqueen]

As I posted before if you look at the Disney website it states that chidren ages 3-9 must order from child's menu....BOTH under counter service and table service.
Boy oh boy I hope Disney does make "child" and "adult" credits...apparently alot of people choose not to read the fine print.

First of all, why do you care?? Honestly, why is it such a big deal to you that Disney change the program? Does it affect you in any way?

For the most part, no one is debating the fact that children must order from the children's menu if they're using the plan. The issued being debated is that just because you are all going out, doesn't mean that everyone (adult or child) HAS to order a meal and use the Dining plan. If my kid decides not to eat anything, he isn't going to be ordering from any menu for any price or if it's included, simple as that. I will not waste food if at all possible.

If he is full from eating snacks all day, I am not going to use the DP to get him a child's entree (which BTW are huge) when all he wants is a bite of my dinner roll.

By the same token, if both my boys want a cheeseburger and fries, why in the world would I purchase 2 meals when one can feed 3 people?? I guess I see wasting food as more of a problem than trying to get more.

I have bought my boys many things out of pocket just because I know what they will eat. Most of the time, it's not on the childrens menu. Sometimes it is, and when it is, they order from the children's menu and I use the DP. However, when we have a TON of TS credits left over and we use them for dinner shows and signature dining, what is the big deal? We've also left WDW with several credits leftover even after treating strangers to a complete meal!

Disney is a huge corporation and they know exactly what they are doing, trust me. They obviously do not care that people use the flexibility with the plan, in fact that's the reason they offer it. Now don't twist what I just said, I didn't say "dupe" the system, I said for INDIVIDUALS to use the plan and FLEXIBILITY as they see fit. Why do you care what anyone else does if Disney obviously doesn't? Just don't understand I guess.

Undoubtedly, even if Disney changed the system completely, there are going to be people who try to abuse the system. But I think that the Vast majority of people use it the way it is intended to be used.

I use it and it's flexibility to the best use for MY family. I could care less what anyone else does. I'd also like to add, that Disney encourages families to purchase the dining plan BECAUSE of it's flexibility and value. Putting undue restrictions on the dining plan would undoubtedly lower it's popularity.

Just My .02,

 

[kmkja1]

Well said!

 

[diznyfanatic]

I'm not a line jumper, pool hopper, mug re-user or a Dining Plan "cheat" either and I feel exactly the same way as thelionqueen too.

Why should I force my 3 year old granddaughter to eat an entire meal, even if it is a child's meal, when she doesn't want all that food and would be happy eating off my plate? Why shouldn't I be allowed to save this meal for later? THIS is also the issue I am debating, not using a child's credit to pay for an adult meal.

Heck, why should anyone be required to order their own full meal at every meal just because they're using the DP, if they aren't that hungry? Sharing meals shouldn't be viewed with such contempt.

This is exactly why I think there is a definite need for a scaled down Value version of the Dining Plan, but until then, I'm not going to judge how anyone else uses it because I don't have any clue what their individual circumstances or needs are.

 

[Lewisc]

There is no such thing as a child credit so there isn't any way to use a child credit to pay for an adult meal.

Your point isn't really limited to the meal plan. A number of Disney restaurants are buffet, all you care to eat or dinner shows. The cost is based on age and not how much food you consume. People who don't eat much get a bad deal even if they're not on the meal plan.

I agree if you skip those kind of restaurants and more than one member of your group doesn't eat the plan won't work very well.

The plan allows from 1 TS and 1 CS meal per day. How much more would you scale it down? I guess you could drop dessert from the CS meal but I doubt that would save enough $ to reduce the price by much. I guess they could also do something like limit your choices to a salad or soup for your appetizer and having some type of dessert sampler for the table. I doubt the price would be lowered by enough to make it worth it.

I'm not a line jumper, pool hopper, mug re-user or a Dining Plan "cheat" either and I feel exactly the same way as thelionqueen too.

Why should I force my 3 year old granddaughter to eat an entire meal, even if it is a child's meal, when she doesn't want all that food and would be happy eating off my plate? Why shouldn't I be allowed to save this meal for later? THIS is also the issue I am debating, not using a child's credit to pay for an adult meal.

Heck, why should anyone be required to order their own full meal at every meal just because they're using the DP, if they aren't that hungry? Sharing meals shouldn't be viewed with such contempt.

This is exactly why I think there is a definite need for a scaled down Value version of the Dining Plan, but until then, I'm not going to judge how anyone else uses it because I don't have any clue what their individual circumstances or needs are.

 

[jen0610]

Well I jumped in a very similar thread on another board. I'll just post the same here, so if you think that you have seen this before, you just might have.

I throw this one out there....NO WHERE in DISNEYS own litature does it state that IF you are using the dining plan, that you have to use it for all members of your party at the time of your meal, no paying out of pocket for any of the party members meals. Yes, you have to buy it for all members of your party, as part of your package, but you can you use them in any way you would like. And I have the origianal 2005 PDF file information sheets printed out at home. 10 pgs for the 1st draft, 11 pgs for the 2nd draft that WDW posted on their website. So I can state that the info stated at the begining of this paragraph is correct

The kids must order off of the menu, means that if your 9 and under is on the plan and they are getting a meal and you are going to pay with the one of the plans credits, they MUST order off of the kids menu, if there is a kids menu avaiable. Nothing more, nothing less.

Also, Disney does make money off of the dining plan. It does it off of families like mine. DS10, had to pay the adult price for him, 32.99. This kid DOES NOT eat....only once did he order off of the adult menu, the rest of the time, it was the kids meal.

Breakfast - Mickey pancake, milk - 6.38
dinner - Grilled chicken, milk, apple pie - 7.78
Snack - rice crispie treat - 2.69

Grand total of 16.85, gain to Disney 16.14 minus the taxes. So for an average, for our 8 nights....Disney made to their benefit $129.12, because we had to pay adult price, but the kid only would eat kid meals.

Just my cents.

 

[diznyfanatic]

There is no such thing as a child credit so there isn't any way to use a child credit to pay for an adult meal.

Your point isn't really limited to the meal plan. A number of Disney restaurants are buffet, all you care to eat or dinner shows. The cost is based on age and not how much food you consume. People who don't eat much get a bad deal even if they're not on the meal plan.

I agree if you skip those kind of restaurants and more than one member of your group doesn't eat the plan won't work very well.

The plan allows from 1 TS and 1 CS meal per day. How much more would you scale it down? I guess you could drop dessert from the CS meal but I doubt that would save enough $ to reduce the price by much. I guess they could also do something like limit your choices to a salad or soup for your appetizer and having some type of dessert sampler for the table. I doubt the price would be lowered by enough to make it worth it.

Earlier in the thread I tossed out a couple of ways off the top of my head such as eliminating the CS credit completely for a Value option or having TS restaurants come up with a couple of set menu offerings for a Value Option instead of being able to order any item off the menu.

Or offer a Value Option that doesn't require you to have the plan for every day of your stay. For instance, it might offer 3 or 4 TS & CS credits during a 7 day stay instead of the required 7 now on the plan.

I'm just thinking out loud anyway but it does seem to me that there is definitely some wiggle room for changes to accomodate those guests who would like to experience the Dining Plan but currently don't due to cost or the amount of food.

As I mentioned earlier too, as good a deal as many think it is, (and I'm not disputing that) it still is a considerable sum of money to add to an already pricey vacation. In our case (5 Adults, 1 Child) it would have added nearly an additional $2.000.00 to a 10 day trip.

 

[Big J]

People are not taking into account that the DP is more than a prepaid meal plan. It is a way for Disney to keep guests on property, have them visit new places, purchase items that they may not have purchesed w/o the DP, and perhaps convience guests to come to Disney in the first place.

Guest on the dinning plan, who may have normally gone to Pizza Hut for dinner now go to DTD, and end up doing their shopping their.

Guest on the dinning plan who are staying at the AS may eat dinner at Jiko and discover what a great resort AL is, and stay there their next trip. I know that it is hard to believe, since the people on these boards know all about everything that is Disney, but most people have not or would visit all of the disney resorts or attractions.

Even though guests are paying for the DP, we all know that physiologically, it feels like the meals are free and people order specialty drinks or purchase additional souveniers due to this preceived savings on the meals.

Some one on the fence to come to Disney and pay rack rates for a room may decide to visit based on the fact this "deal" they will get on dinning. People may have such a good experience they may become return guests because of their dinning experience with the DP.

Even if Disney takes a hit on the DP, which they are not, they make it up in all of the additional value it supplies. Disney lets their quests use the number of credits that they have availble exactley how they want. It is not an accident that they forgot to write in to the software that child and adult credits are not seperate. Disney knows exactley what they are doing.

 

[thelionqueen]

People are not taking into account that the DP is more than a prepaid meal plan. It is a way for Disney to keep guests on property, have them visit new places, purchase items that they may not have purchesed w/o the DP, and perhaps convience guests to come to Disney in the first place.

Guest on the dinning plan, who may have normally gone to Pizza Hut for dinner now go to DTD, and end up doing their shopping their.

Guest on the dinning plan who are staying at the AS may eat dinner at Jiko and discover what a great resort AL is, and stay there their next trip. I know that it is hard to believe, since the people on these boards know all about everything that is Disney, but most people have not or would visit all of the disney resorts or attractions.

Even though guests are paying for the DP, we all know that physiologically, it feels like the meals are free and people order specialty drinks or purchase additional souveniers due to this preceived savings on the meals.

Some one on the fence to come to Disney and pay rack rates for a room may decide to visit based on the fact this "deal" they will get on dinning. People may have such a good experience they may become return guests because of their dinning experience with the DP.

Even if Disney takes a hit on the DP, which they are not, they make it up in all of the additional value it supplies. Disney lets their quests use the number of credits that they have availble exactley how they want. It is not an accident that they forgot to write in to the software that child and adult credits are not seperate. Disney knows exactley what they are doing.

EXCELLENT point! Had not even thought of that, and I'm certain you are right on.