Phantom Child for Free Dining?

[ajk912]

I'd probably do something crazy like take my 15 year old vacation with me since I was paying for him/her anyway. I know 15 year olds can be a PITA...but we're a family let's be miserable together. Now, making up a kid JUST for extra dining credits, not cool in my book.

 

[cdrn1]

How can so many of you people not see how unethical this is?
It's absolutely possible to do it but that doesn't make it right.
It's crap like this that spoils things for those of us who do the right thing.

 

[Green Tea]

and I would just go and buy what I wanted, be it pizza, California Grill or a box of popcorn. BUT, I don't get the rebellion against what the OP is suggesting.

 

[fakereadhed]

Thank you!

I'm wondering why nobody has addressed that this isn't my idea, it is the idea of a CM over the phone! This thread reminds me of the camping ground site.

We're going to keep the fourth child on the reservation, the worst that happens is they remove the child and refund us the price of the ticket.

???Camping ground site???

If the CM told you it was OK and you are fine with it, why did you ask our opinion in the first place?

I'm done feeding the troll.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

???Camping ground site???

If the CM told you it was OK and you are fine with it, why did you ask our opinion in the first place?

I'm done feeding the troll.

Well said.

 

[fall08CP]

Would you add the phantom child if it were not free dining and you were paying for the credits?

If you're just trying to cheat the system, it's an awful thing to do. If this type of behavior is seen continually, it may lead to the demise of free dining. Is it worth ruining it for everybody to get a few extra meals? I don't think so... but then again, I believe in karma.

Just because one cast member in reservations said it was okay doesn't mean it is. If you ask CMs at resorts, all of them will tell you it's deceptive. But you're going to believe what you want to believe.

 

[Green Tea]

Would you add the phantom child if it were not free dining and you were paying for the credits?

That is a GREAT question. Do you all think that is unethical?

 

[maddiesmom0116]

Thank you!

I'm wondering why nobody has addressed that this isn't my idea, it is the idea of a CM over the phone! This thread reminds me of the camping ground site.

We're going to keep the fourth child on the reservation, the worst that happens is they remove the child and refund us the price of the ticket.

You do realize how many CMs are on these boards right? You can easily tell where you are staying and your check in date, so I would not be suprised if when you arrive that the resort will be checking everyone that day. Most likely we have a AK desk CM or two on these boards.

You know what you are doing is wrong, so why do it. Is the price tag to lower ones morality really only cost the amount of a few signature meals?

 

[sk!mom]

never mind

 

[Marionnette]

If there is some question as to whether that person will or will not come. Have them on the ressie and cancel when you know for sure. That is the proper thing to do.

I agree that the proper thing to do would be to have only the people who WILL be there on the reservation. But I would drop that extra person before the final payment is due. You can always add another person to the ressie up to a week before you arrive. But if you drop a person from the ressie after the final payment is made disney will charge a penalty fee for the ressie change because you would then be paying them less money.

 

[Scurvy]

So it's going to be me, DW and DD going in December. If I add another 15 year old child, I would have to pay for their ticket, but we would get their free dining credits as well right? We could save the ticket for another trip, but the dining credits the 3 of us could use?

Improper? This was suggested by a CM when I called to change our reservation and said that we may be one child less because my little sister may not be able to come with us and wondered how we would change our reservation as we may take another child or it may just be the three of us.

So I'm late to the thread, but I'm confused. Is it a phantom child you are adding to the reservation, as you say in your original post, or is it an actual child who is already on the reservation and may have to cancel, as you say in a later post? I can sort of see the CM advising someone to keep a child on the reservation if there's a possibility they might come, but that certainly isn't what the OP makes it sound like. Why would even ask about it on here at all, if a CM was the one to suggest it? It sounds to me like there is no extra child at all - otherwise why would you call it a "phantom child" rather than explaining the real situation? If that's the case, then adding the phantom child to your reservation is lying and it is against Disney's rules, no matter how you want to spin it.

My family often checks in for the rest of our group because we usually arrive first. I always hate seeing threads like this, because I don't want to have to wait until everyone gets there so we can check in. The more people who manipulate the system like this, the more likely it becomes that they will require everyone to present themselves at the desk to check in. I hate it when people who behave unethically ruin things for the rest of us.

That is a GREAT question. Do you all think that is unethical?

If you have to lie to accomplish whatever if it, then yes it's unethical. If you could call to make your reservations and tell them you wanted to pay for a nonexistant extra person so you could use their credits and Disney was fine with that then of course it wouldn't be unethical. Somehow I suspect Disney wouldn't be fine with that, though.

 

[Lintasare]

You say a phone CM told you it was ok? The problem with this...they often have incorrect information. CMs over the phone do not work on property and don't always have the latest information. I would take anything they say with a grain of salt.

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

The CM shouldn't have suggested it, but just like IRL, there are some not as honest/uninformed CM. You have to decide, based on your gut and info provided here what you are going to do and sounds like you did.

 

[Leajess99]

Gee... you are so nice to call me a bank robber and a lier and a theft. I am sure personal attacks are off limits on this board. If you think what I'm doing is wrong, please tell me - but calling people names shouldn't be tolerated on these boards.

It is against rules to attempt to circumvent Disney's system which you are attempting to do.

 

[Leajess99]

So if my spouse and I go and take our 15 year old, it is unethical to make him stay at the hotel and eat a pizza while we use his credit to go to a nicer restaurant?

I have never looked into the free dining promotion; it sounds like a nightmare time to go to me; too many crowds, too many gluttons. BUT, if I was going, I wouldn't think twice about using my kid's credit to eat at a nicer place. If one credit is a $50 meal, and 2 credits is a $100 meal, why does it matter?

I'm not involved in this scenario, I just don't understand what the big bruha is.

And for the record I would more easily be able to explain a paid for child for dining credits than I would be able to explain the closet of diabetic meters and Polydent.

But it is 2 credits per person so you would make your kid eat more than one meal elsewhere?? Also, what happens should your child have an allergic reaction to the food he is eating while in the room alone or he chokes on the food and has no help?? I know it may not seem likely but it can and has happened.

I just don't get people trying to circumvent and lie.

 

[MrsPete]

I am not really seeing the lying cheating and stealing part. He pays for a ticket, he gets a ticket. With that ticket comes a set of meals. 4 tickets, 4 sets of meals. When he uses the ticket later, he won't get the meals. So still he paid for 4 tickets and 4 sets of meals.

CVS probably never expected folks to buy loads of stuff they had no use for just to get a lot of coupon dollars. That doesn't make it illegal. (though reselling all the diabetic meters could be)

I'm leaning this direction too:

Disney is offering a promotion.
The OP is talking about buying an "extra item" during the promotion and using it later.
Is this really different from the person who buys 50 boxes of Kraft mac-and-cheese, knowing that they will not use it ALL right now but will use that stash over the next year (or three)?

However, I'm not clear why the OP would need an extra set of meals during the vacation.
And I'm not sure that the ticket and the meals wouldn't be set up on the same card, which would activate the ticket's first use.

 

[Soben]

Doesn't anyone here watch the Disney Channel sit-coms? If they all have to be present at the check-in, then a few costume changes, wigs, accents, and hilarity ensues. Of course, by the end of the show the truth would come out and the OP and Disney would be reconciled.

 

[MrsPete]

He is lying about the child and stealing a product without fulfilling the requirements for the promotion.

What are the requirements? I thought it was simply "pay money during this time frame".

You could argue that people who buy 10-day passes and stretch them out over 2-3 vacatations are stretching the intention of the 10-day ticket. Same thing for the people who buy an annual pass for their end-of-June trip this year, and use it again for an early-June trip next year -- they're squeezing every bit of good out of Disney's offerings.

I'm missing out on why the OP shouldn't be able to BUY a ticket and use it later.

 

[maxiesmom]

What are the requirements? I thought it was simply "pay money during this time frame".

You could argue that people who buy 10-day passes and stretch them out over 2-3 vacatations are stretching the intention of the 10-day ticket. Same thing for the people who buy an annual pass for their end-of-June trip this year, and use it again for an early-June trip next year -- they're squeezing every bit of good out of Disney's offerings.

I'm missing out on why the OP shouldn't be able to BUY a ticket and use it later.

Because he is getting a package, not just a ticket. If he wants to go buy a ticket, he is free to do so. But that is not what he wants to do. He want to buy a ticket that is part of a package, and use the package components that he is not entitled to.

You all know it is wrong and are just splitting hairs to try and make it seem ok. It is not ethical at all, and is in essence, stealing from Disney. When you have to lie in order to get what you want, that should be a clue that it is not something ok to do.

 

[gigi1313]

And I'm not sure that the ticket and the meals wouldn't be set up on the same card, which would activate the ticket's first use.

even if the tickets and the meals are on the same card, they are two separate components and it's the park entrance component of the card which expires 14 days from first use as a park entrance... so, if the park entrance (aka ticket) component is not used until march 1, 2012, then it will not expire 'til march 14, 2012...

the dining plan is a separate component on the same card, and that, whether used or not, will expire at midnight on the day of checkout... the third component on the card, the room key, will expire upon checkout or at 11am on day of checkout, whichever comes first...