sharing meals on plan

[BonSchwe]

DD 15 and I will be down at POP in Feb. 07. I've purchased the dining plan but wanted to know if anyone has ever gone into a table service rest. and used one meal credit and split the meal. I know the meals can be huge and between appetizer, entree, and dessert we'd be stuffed. Thanks!!

 

[disneymom06]

We used 4TS for 6 people and had no problem. And we still couldn't finish all of the food. I don't think that you will have any problems, just tell the server before ordering.

 

[smiller]

We shared 4TS between 5 adults almost every meal that wasn't buffet/family style and had no problem at all. I say just tell the server up front. We always had plenty of food--and then you two will get to try more restaurants! Have fun!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Some observations:
. . . Even if Guests have the Disney Dining Plan, nobody is forcing anyone to order all three courses available at a table service restaurant (servers wishing to increase their tips notwithstanding - there's no 'rule' that says each person must order an appetizer and an entree and a dessert).
. . . The portions may not be as large as you think/expect.
. . . The DDP isn't for everyone. If you're going to be sharing meals, or if you're not each going to be ordering all available courses at all meals, it's EXTREMELY possible that just paying as you go makes a lot more sense.

 

[Hound 109]

I respectfully disagree. If a small family or couple enjoy sharing, it makes ALOT MORE SENSE to GET the DDP.

As opposed to paying as you go.

 

[BonSchwe]

Thanks for all the advice. I guess one of the things I love best is that the meals are paid for in advance so I know no matter how much I spend on souveniers that we'll still eat. I've never been very good at budgeting money - except of course when I'm planning a trip to the World. Priorities you know.

 

[AllNamesTaken]

As long as you would normally sit down at a table sevice meal once a day anyway, you will come out way ahead with the dining plan. Only people who eat just counter service should skip the plan.
I just got back and our TS meals alone totalled more than our entire cost of the dining plan. That means we saved on our TS meals and got our CS and snacks for free!!

 

[LBelle]

When we were there in Sept., DH, DS10 and myself shared meals (2 for 3 of us) on at least 2 occasions!!! Sci-Fi and ESPN are the 2 I can think of! Anyhoo.....even after those meals we still had to heave ourselves out of those places!!!! Such a TON of food!!! Enjoyed every last bit of it though!!! PS - Our son may be only 10 but he is 5'4" and 115lbs....so suffice it to say he is NO small eater!!!! We even payed for the adult plan for him the previous year when he was still 9!!! So even with 3 full-sized people, sharing the 2 meals was more than adequate!!!

 

[JimMIA]

We used 4TS for 6 people and had no problem

We were at Disney last week and saw that tactic not allowed at Le Cellier. Some people with 2 adults on the dining plan wanted to get 4 adult meals. The guests made a big fuss and ended up being embarrassed in the end. One of the managers told them those were the rules at his restaurant and they may be happier somewhere else. They huffed and puffed, but they stayed and paid cash.

Like everything Disney, enforcement is spotty at best, and you could well go to Le Cellier on the same night and be successful.

If you have 2 Adults on the plan and want to share 1 TS, you should have no problem at all doing that.

 

[LBelle]

We were at Disney last week and saw that tactic not allowed at Le Cellier. Some people with 2 adults on the dining plan wanted to get 4 adult meals. The guests made a big fuss and ended up being embarrassed in the end. One of the managers told them those were the rules at his restaurant and they may be happier somewhere else. They huffed and puffed, but they stayed and paid cash.

Like everything Disney, enforcement is spotty at best, and you could well go to Le Cellier on the same night and be successful.

If you have 2 Adults on the plan and want to share 1 TS, you should have no problem at all doing that.

I do believe that sharing any TS food with people NOT also on the DP is a BIG no-no anywhere!!!! I can't believe those people thought they could actually do that!!! It's also not okay with CS but that, of course, is practically impossible to enforce.

 

[Tamara]

I'm planning on doing quite a bit of sharing with my DS who is 11 years old, either that or I'll pay OOP for something small (like a childs meal) for him on occassion. He and I aren't big eaters but my DH and DD are. What I have planned should allow us to have enough credits to have room service & dinner at the Yachtsman (2TS each). As I'm sure you all know, plans always sound good on paper, I just hope I can carry out my plan without a problem.

 

[jjohnson]

We were at Disney last week and saw that tactic not allowed at Le Cellier. Some people with 2 adults on the dining plan wanted to get 4 adult meals. The guests made a big fuss and ended up being embarrassed in the end. One of the managers told them those were the rules at his restaurant and they may be happier somewhere else. They huffed and puffed, but they stayed and paid cash.

Like everything Disney, enforcement is spotty at best, and you could well go to Le Cellier on the same night and be successful.

If you have 2 Adults on the plan and want to share 1 TS, you should have no problem at all doing that.

Jim I think you misunderstood the post. 6 guests shared 4 TS credits. That is allowed. As you observed at LeCellier, you can not order 4 TS for a card that states 2A.

 

[JimMIA]

Jim I think you misunderstood the post. 6 guests shared 4 TS credits. That is allowed. As you observed at LeCellier, you can not order 4 TS for a card that states 2A.

Nope, I got that. I just didn't want someone ELSE to misunderstand. I was afraid a casual reader might get embarrassed like the the folks in my example if we didn't try to clarify the difference between sharing and treating.

The key, as I understand it and as I have seen it enforced, is that you have to be ordering the same number of adult meals (or fewer) as your card indicates. If you try to order more adult meals than shown on your card, you may get challenged.

Or not, of course. This is Disney we're talking about, and the words "Disney" and "consistency" should never be used in the same sentence!

I think it also helps to understand DDP restrictions if we remember that the real reason for DDP is not food sales in the restaurants. The REAL reason for DDP is to put butts in beds in the onsite resorts -- not seats in seats in the restaurants. Once you understand that, a lot of the restrictions make more sense.