Using Child Deluxe Dining Plan Credits for Adults???

[herrmannpt]

With the new changes to the dining plans I'm wondering if we can use a child's deluxe dining credit for an adult at a table service meal. Here is our situation. We are traveling in late August. My family of 4 (2 adults, one 5 year old and one 2 year old) are staying for 1 night at the Polynesian Villas and are on the deluxe dining plan. The next day, we are moving over to Bay Lake Tower for 4 nights and meeting up with my in-laws. We will be on the traditional dining plan for those 4 nights. Because we have a 2 year old who won't get credits, we will have 9 TS credits to use by midnight the day we check out of the Polynesian. Here are our dining plans:
Day of Check in:
1) Dinner at Be Our Guest
Day of Check Out:
1) Breakfast at Ohana
2) Dinner at Chef Mickeys (with my in-laws making it 4 adults, 1 child, 1 infant)

If we pay out of pocket for a kids meal at BOG and for our 5 year old at the Ohana breakfast can we then use those 2 credits to cover my in-laws at Chef Mickey's? That would give us a couple of extra credits to use later in the week while we are staying at BLT and avoid the confusion of trying to use credits from 2 separate meal plans at our Chef Mickey Meal. I hope all that makes sense! Anyone have any experience or knowledge about this???

 

[Nancyg56]

I'm not sure if I understand completely, but I will give it a go. You have to use your credits from the Poly stay by midnight that you check out. The jury is out in regards to using credits for people not on your plan. There have been reports that some folks have been successful and others have not been. I think you can gamble on it, pay OOP for the kids and see what happens the next day. Until Disney confirms they are officially allowing the practice, it is up to individual restaurants I guess. Honestly, I would probably give it a try

 

[jenjersnap]

There are two separate issues here:

1) DXDDP credits are pooled. There are no "kids" credits, so, theoretically, yes, you can use them as you wish. We are the only people on earth it seems who ran out of DXDDP credits on our last trip, so I did just this - paid cash for my DS's meals and used credits that, if you added them up, clearly should have belonged to a child. But, I was on the room's plan which leads to...

2) Disney allowing you to pay for non-reservation guests. This is iffier. When the rule changes were announced by he blogs, it clearly stated you could do this butother changes have turned out not to be true and this particular one isn't stated in the 2016 brochure. So, it is going to be a YMMV thing, based on the restaurant or server. I think it is worth a shot though, especially because it sounds like you will be using a credit for your child at CM, correct? So, you can just say you have two extra credits that are about to expire. It would be a little bit sketchier if you pay OOP for the child and then use credits for the extra adults at the same meal, KWIM? Good luck!

 

[12disneybee]

Actually
you have 2 adults wearing magic bands.. pay oop for kids you and your mother on one check scan your band and father and DH on another check scan his band..Servers cannot ask for ID...
no explanations to servers necessary. .. only that your paying oop for kids

 

[supersnoop]

Actually
you have 2 adults wearing magic bands.. pay oop for kids you and your mother on one check scan your band and father and DH on another check scan his band..Servers cannot ask for ID...
no explanations to servers necessary. .. only that your paying oop for kids

Yes, that's how you scam a server into redeeming more credits than you're supposed to.

 

[herrmannpt]

Thanks for the information all. I think we will give it a try. Not trying to "scam" anyone. I've read the blogs stating the new changes that you can use credits for anyone now, not just people on your room reservation. Didn't realize it wasn't yet written in the dining plan brochure, so I guess it's open to interpretation. Just trying to simplify things as we are switching to the traditional meal plan with our second reservation and of course getting the most bang for our buck out of our one night on deluxe dining.

 

[jenjersnap]

Thanks for the information all. I think we will give it a try. Not trying to "scam" anyone. I've read the blogs stating the new changes that you can use credits for anyone now, not just people on your room reservation. Didn't realize it wasn't yet written in the dining plan brochure, so I guess it's open to interpretation. Just trying to simplify things as we are switching to the traditional meal plan with our second reservation and of course getting the most bang for our buck out of our one night on deluxe dining.

Your question is totally legitimate, based on the changes that have been reported. It has just turned out not to be quite as straightforward as originally reported, unfortunately. Have a great trip!

 

[Nancyg56]

Thanks for the information all. I think we will give it a try. Not trying to "scam" anyone. I've read the blogs stating the new changes that you can use credits for anyone now, not just people on your room reservation. Didn't realize it wasn't yet written in the dining plan brochure, so I guess it's open to interpretation. Just trying to simplify things as we are switching to the traditional meal plan with our second reservation and of course getting the most bang for our buck out of our one night on deluxe dining.

Please do not apologize! We are all tryign to figure out how this is going to work. I can say that my family does not make a habit of trying to "scam" Disney, but we have no problem making choices that benefit us if Disney is aloowing them.

 

[lwc]

I have chatted with multiple CMs who have confirmed that there have been "enhancements" and that credits may be used for people outside your party who are not on the dining plan.

I have also been told that SOME restaurants will allow kids to order off the adult menus...

I have also been told that adult and child DX credits are NOT pooled...

So, well, who the heck knows.

I am happy to play by the rules, but I'd also like to take advantage of any "enhancements" available to me.

And not really knowing anything for sure makes planning ahead FAR more difficult.

 

[supersnoop]

And not really knowing anything for sure makes planning ahead FAR more difficult.

You do know some things for sure. The plan brochure still says kids must order from the kids menu, even for 2016. So, plan based on that. Anything allowed beyond what's documented should be considered a bonus, not to be expected.

 

[jenjersnap]

You do know some things for sure. The plan brochure still says kids must order from the kids menu, even for 2016. So, plan based on that. Anything allowed beyond what's documented should be considered a bonus, not to be expected.

Yep, that is the only sensible way to think about this. Though I hope anyone with outlier experiences at a particular restaurant posts them in the stickied DDP changes thread so we can slowly start to gather more info about which restaurant is allowing what, exactly.

(Not directed at you, supersnoop, my iPad doesn't like multi quoting) I have been doing the DxDDP since 2008, the latest was in November 2014. Credits are pooled and always have been. It makes no sense otherwise because you can use your credits for either QS or TS and QS have always been pooled too. So, until they separate QS across ALL plans, DxDDP will be pooled. It could happen, but it hasn't yet. This just proves that CMs don't always know what they are talking about, unfortunately, and I wouldn't believe anything they say until you, at least, hear it anecdotally by more than one guest.

 

[lwc]

You do know some things for sure. The plan brochure still says kids must order from the kids menu, even for 2016. So, plan based on that. Anything allowed beyond what's documented should be considered a bonus, not to be expected.

Yes, sure, I suppose.

I think I'd be less frustrated by the situation if I didn't have to decide where I want to eat, what parks to go to, what rides to ride on and when, all months in advance, all while being told I can't believe what DISNEY CUSTOMER SERVICE says are the rules.

I'm happy to play by the rules, I just want to know what they are. And I believe that, published or not, some of those rules have changed.

I HAVE to make plans months in advance because that is how Disney's systems are set up. I accept that that. But I do think I should be able to have all the information going into the planning.

 

[jenjersnap]

I totally understand and agree, lwc, it is extremely frustrating. This one-sided position and withholding information is SOP for the new Disney, unfortunately. I am just trying not to let it make me so crazy I don't enjoy my vacation. My DH is pretty much done with WDW because of the way they have conducted business since MM+ came on the scene because he says it just isn't fun anymore. I almost agree with him, at this point.