Question about what constitutes a snack?

[JandD Mom]

Hi everyone,

Last August at MGM, we were in line for ice cream at the stand that looks like a dinosaur. People in front of us were trying to use their DDP snack credit for ice cream. THey were told all they could have were Mickey Ear bars which they were out of. We waited what seemed like forever as the guest and CM went back and forth over why the people couldn't get some other ice cream instead. The wind up was that many of us who were waiting finally told the CM to call a manager and give them something else. FInally, the CM did, and the people went on their way. We did not have DDP at the time.

Is the snack still so restrictive that if I stop at an ice cream kiosk I can only get 1 kind of ice cream bar out of the 4 that they offer? If I recall at the time, all of the parks were out of the mickey ear bars.

I am curious because I am still trying to figure out if the DDP is worth it for us.

Thanks!

 

[HaleyB]

That was then, this is now.
Good news on the snacks, there are now dozens of items to pick from. Most things priced under $4 are included now.
There is a thread with a list that is updated regularly. I will try to find it and give you a link.

 

[HaleyB]

here it is: Snacks avaliable on the DDP thread

 

[pamrob]

The ice cream carts I saw this week had all items included on DP

 

[GoofyGolferGirl]

We were there this summer and I got other things beside mickey ears but they are still my favorite!

 

[JandD Mom]

Thanks all. That's really great to hear. With this "incident" I was talking about, there was something like a $.50 difference between the mickey ears bars and whatever else they had on the menu. The people even offered to pay the difference but the CM said it wasn't allowed. Finally, with so many people in line getting angry, the CM just gave the family ice cream cones and did not even ring them up.

 

[bicker]

Generally, Disney doesn't allow you to "pay the difference" between an item included in the Dining Plan and one not included in the Dining Plan. Often, that's because most people would purchase the non-included item in cash, without the "pay the difference" accommodation. Beyond that, it is simply to administer and account for purchases without having to account for myriad upcharge possibilities.

It's a shame that some guests feel entitled to bully CMs as you've described. Unfortunately, that kind of conduct is not uncommon in our society, nationwide. I'm sure that helps contribute to the general degradation of service quality levels in all aspects of the service sector.

 

[ReneeA]

Last year it WAS very restrictive...only the ice cream treats that they sell in the carts, soda, water, popcorn, a piece of fruit, and small bag of chips.

This year, it was pretty universal that you could get any snack type menu item under $4 using a snack credit. Every place we went had the little icon notating what is covered as a snack item.

I had lots of snack credits left last year because what they offered wasn't what I would normally get as a snack...so I paid OOP for what we wanted. This year we saved some $$ since what we wanted WAS covered.

 

[JandD Mom]

It's a shame that some guests feel entitled to bully CMs as you've described. Unfortunately, that kind of conduct is not uncommon in our society, nationwide. I'm sure that helps contribute to the general degradation of service quality levels in all aspects of the service sector.

Agreed, but I will say, without opening this whole discussion up into another topic, that the people in question were not Americans. I will also say that the CM involved was not one of the more competent CMs I have ever seen.

I will also say that all of WDW was completely out of the Mickey ears at this time due to some supplier issue. I believe at the time it was the only ice cream on the plan. People were annoyed and felt Disney should have substituted something else. I did not have DDP at the time, but I can't blame people for feeling that way.

 

[bicker]

A book I recently read called this the "Brazilification" of America.

 

[JandD Mom]

Actually they were from France.

 

[bicker]

I think the book did mention that there's a little Brazilification of France going on too.

 

[JandD Mom]

I think the book did mention that there's a little Brazilification of France going on too.