Why do they make things so difficult

[beach club fan]

Question:My son and some friends are staying at BLT. One member of the party is leaving a day early. DVC says every member of the party has to buy the meal plan with the checkout date on the room.
One guest has to buy food he will not be eating because he won’t be there???
This makes zero sense to me.
My only option was split the reservation and have the kids change rooms the last night. The agent told me there was no guarantee it would be available. They’d have to cancel the reservation and rebook. This can’t be the first time this has happened.
Has anyone had this happen to them?

 

[starry_solo]

Why not pay for this person's meal plan for that date he isn't going to be there and then use the credits?

It's not DVC's issue. It's a Disney issue. Everyone in the room has to be on the same meal plan.

 

[ILoveMyDVC]

Question:My son and some friends are staying at BLT. One member of the party is leaving a day early. DVC says every member of the party has to buy the meal plan with the checkout date on the room.
One guest has to buy food he will not be eating because he won’t be there???
This makes zero sense to me.
My only option was split the reservation and have the kids change rooms the last night. The agent told me there was no guarantee it would be available. They’d have to cancel the reservation and rebook. This can’t be the first time this has happened.
Has anyone had this happen to them?

Makes me crazy! We will stay for 10 -12 days with guests at the beginning and and at the end. Sometimes guests are just for 4 nights. It is absurd. We couldn't possibly use the credits. They should and could tie it to guest registration. I always list the exact days and names of guests - in fact, if some didn't leave before others got here, it would be a #s violation. Room sleeps 8 - how can I have 10 guests? The answer is - I don't at once and Disney knows it.

 

[disneynutz]

The DDP is there to make Disney money, the rule is in force to make Disney money.

Bill

 

[ILoveMyDVC]

The DDP is there to make Disney money, the rule is in force to make Disney money.

Bill

They can also triple to price of the APs and close the parks early - we have a voice. I suspect it is partially due to poor technology (like credits in DDxP)

 

[supersnoop]

They can also triple to price of the APs and close the parks early - we have a voice. I suspect it is partially due to poor technology (like credits in DDxP)

I wouldn’t blame technology. If you could choose how many days (or credit) you buy, then you’d only buy enough to cover the expensive meals and not the cheap ones. Disney plays the odds that you’ll spend more by purchasing the plan than you would if you just paid for your food as you go. And the mouse always wins.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Question:My son and some friends are staying at BLT. One member of the party is leaving a day early. DVC says every member of the party has to buy the meal plan with the checkout date on the room.
One guest has to buy food he will not be eating because he won’t be there???
This makes zero sense to me.
My only option was split the reservation and have the kids change rooms the last night. The agent told me there was no guarantee it would be available. They’d have to cancel the reservation and rebook. This can’t be the first time this has happened.
Has anyone had this happen to them?

That is Disney's requirement to get the dining plan. If it doesn't work to have that then you can skip the dining plan. Put the same amount on gift cards or something like that if the preference is to pre-pay for meals.

 

[William Ades]

It's always been that way and it is very frustrating. Not looking at it in term of days can help relieve some of the stress. We are required to purchase the DDP based on meals per person per day for everyone on the reservation, but we can use all the credits in one day if we wanted to. If and when I purchase the DDP I map it out by meal and not days, and mostly looking at the Table Service credits. It's not uncommon for us to do a Signature Meal or Dinner Show at least once during a trip, which mean 2 TS credits are gone right off the bat. Looking at that from a daily perspective, we are now down a day. So my suggestion would be to do just that if it fits into your schedule or plans. Don't look at it is a meals wasted, but an opportunity to book a Signature or Show all together, and then the rest of you just use the QS credits that last day. I do agree with you though, its frustrating. My issue is that they consider a 10yr old an adult...

 

[CarolMN]

Since the DP isn't going to work for this trip, I'd buy Disney gift cards in lieu of the dining plan. Each person gets the amount he/she would pay for the dining plan. Then they eat when ever and where ever they want - and any leftover $$ can be spend on souvenirs. If they drink or eat too much or too expensively, they pay out of pocket. College kids should be able to understand and handle that, I would think.

 

[Deb & Bill]

It's always been that way and it is very frustrating. Not looking at it in term of days can help relieve some of the stress. We are required to purchase the DDP based on meals per person per day for everyone on the reservation, but we can use all the credits in one day if we wanted to. If and when I purchase the DDP I map it out by meal and not days, and mostly looking at the Table Service credits. It's not uncommon for us to do a Signature Meal or Dinner Show at least once during a trip, which mean 2 TS credits are gone right off the bat. Looking at that from a daily perspective, we are now down a day. So my suggestion would be to do just that if it fits into your schedule or plans. Don't look at it is a meals wasted, but an opportunity to book a Signature or Show all together, and then the rest of you just use the QS credits that last day. I do agree with you though, its frustrating. My issue is that they consider a 10yr old an adult...

They don't consider a 10 yr old an adult. They consider a 10 yr old a guest 10+. A 10 yr old isn't an adult at Disney until they turn 18 yrs old.

 

[supersnoop]

They don't consider a 10 yr old an adult. They consider a 10 yr old a guest 10+. A 10 yr old isn't an adult at Disney until they turn 18 yrs old.

A 10 year old is an adult for dining and admission purposes, but not for room occupancy. I thought the room occupancy age was 17 years old, but you might be right about 18.

 

[Deb & Bill]

A 10 year old is an adult for dining and admission purposes, but not for room occupancy. I thought the room occupancy age was 17 years old, but you might be right about 18.

Nope, just a Guest 10+ for park admission and dining. Kiddos 3-9 are considered Guests 3-9.

 

[BillPA]

We have found that the DPs don't save us any money, actually it costs more.
OP, I assume your KIDS are over 18.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We have found that the DPs don't save us any money, actually it costs more.
OP, I assume your KIDS are over 18.

Or at least 18. They could be the main guest in a room at 18 yrs old.

 

[beach club fan]

Why not pay for this person's meal plan for that date he isn't going to be there and then use the credits?

It's not DVC's issue. It's a Disney issue. Everyone in the room has to be on the same meal plan.

We have found that the DPs don't save us any money, actually it costs more.
OP, I assume your KIDS are over 18.

Yes, 18 and 19 years old. We decided to divide the cost of the last night of the DDP by the rest of the group. This way it’s only an extra $10 pp instead of $107 for the one.
Live and learn I guess.

 

[supersnoop]

Nope, just a Guest 10+ for park admission and dining. Kiddos 3-9 are considered Guests 3-9.

If I understand your position, you’re saying that Disney has changed from using the term “adult” to simply “guest.” They may be making that change, but it’s not universal.

 

[bbn1122]

That stinks. We have never used the MP, my sons are not huge eaters. Plus, we joined DVC for the convenience of breakfast and lunch at our Villa.

It always seemed like a lot of food and money. I should mention we do a lot of stays without the parks, so eating in works for us. We do most dinners out.

Hopefully, one day they will hear the pleas and complaints of their loyal guests.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Select the Number of Tickets
Please note that children younger than age 3 don't need a ticket.

Ages 10+
Ages 3-9

 

[DenLo]

Yes, 18 and 19 years old. We decided to divide the cost of the last night of the DDP by the rest of the group. This way it’s only an extra $10 pp instead of $107 for the one.
Live and learn I guess.

So who gets the meal credits and who gets the snacks? Not exactly the same value IMO for everyone to pay the same. Unless the OP just gets the extras and everyone is just saying thanks.

 

[tjkraz]

One guest has to buy food he will not be eating because he won’t be there???
This makes zero sense to me.

The meal plans were always conceived as a "length of stay" option. In theory, you're getting a discount on your overall food purchase for committing to buy the plan for the entire duration of the trip. Although the price has risen considerably over the years, it can still be a money saving option. Particularly if you cherry pick only the most expensive restaurants and most expensive entrees. Disney is betting that most guests will not choose that high-priced destination/meal on every day of an extended stay.

If Disney allowed people to purchase the DDP for less than their full length of stay, that's exactly what they would do. Many would spreadsheet the meal costs and figure that they can pay less by using the DDP only for dinners at at Chef Mickey's, Akerhaus and 1900 Park Fare (or whatever the actual cheapest options are), and just buy the DDP for 3 days. If necessary they'd lie about guest arrival/departure dates to suit their needs.