Dining Plan OOP clarification Please!!

[KristineN]

Hi...

Just looking for some clarification please...My husband, 3 kids & I are going in Dec. We are on the dining plan...I have quite a few TS ADR's booked. A number of them required 2 TS credits. I was told to try to maximize the plan by paying OOP for the kids meals and using the credits towards other meals. Is this commonplace? Do the restaurants care? Are there any disadvantages doing this?

Thank you!!!!

 

[gigi1313]

ooh this is a hot topic...

my question is, how old are the kids? i've heard first-hand reports of servers denying people this opportunity unless the child is over 10... i've also heard reports that it is commonplace and no one cares...

good luck!

 

[kcashner]

Is it commonplace? From the talk on the boards, it is. Disadvantages? Not currently? Do the restaurants care--I don't think so. Does WDW care? Probably--that's why there is talk that they plan to separate adult and child credits.

There is a serious debate as to whether it is ethical to pay for a child's dining ($11) and use it to pay for an adult who would have to pay $38 for the day. Currently, you can do it. Things may change before December. You can also think about sharing meals at some restaurants to save credits for your 2 TS meals.

 

[KristineN]

I had a feeling like this was a hot topic..and certainly don't want to start another thread that gets out of hand.

Like kcashner said, many people on the dis, make it seem like it is a common place practice.

Personally, I am not interested in an ethical debate...I would just assume leave it to each individual as to what they feel is the right or wrong thing thing to do. I was just trying to get some information so I could make an educated decision.

 

[gigi1313]

i have no moral or ethical barometer for my fellow posters... i am just telling you that experiences run the gamut... some have had no problem, others have been denied and made to use all credits or all oop, not mix and match... a co-worker was told in two places that she could pay oop for her ds12 to get a kids' meal, but could not pay oop for her dd 9 to get one but must use a credit... so, you want information, and here it is: THE ANSWER TO THIS QUERY IS TOTALLY SUBJECT TO DATE/TIME/RESTAURANT/SERVER as there is no "policy" in place...

 

[KristineN]

I think that's why I never tried to do it during our trip last September...I didn't want to confuse myself!!

 

[The Sweetness]

Hmmm~ It seems to me that the DDP is set up for you to use your allotment or credits as you choose. If I was told that I cant pay OOP for a kids meal I might just leave. If the DDP is changed, clarifying how many cr are for kids and how many are left for adults, that shouldnt stop me from paying OOP for a kids meal (if thats my choice) However, it would prevent me from later ordering an adults meal w that childs credit

 

[Nancyg56]

I can only tell you that last January the CM at CG suggested that we pay OOP for my DGD and use her 2 TS for the adults in our party. I was happy that he offered because she was not at all interested in food, but we were prepared to pay for what we wanted. We used her credits toward her meals the rest of the time. I don't know what the policy is, according to the reports on thee board it seems to vary.

 

[gigi1313]

Hmmm~ It seems to me that the DDP is set up for you to use your allotment or credits as you choose. If I was told that I cant pay OOP for a kids meal I might just leave. If the DDP is changed, clarifying how many cr are for kids and how many are left for adults, that shouldnt stop me from paying OOP for a kids meal (if thats my choice) However, it would prevent me from later ordering an adults meal w that childs credit

yes, one would make the assumption that it is set up to use as you wish... but there are cms who impose rules of their own... my particular situation w/this was at a CS restaurant (in epcot/mexico) and dd10 and i wanted three meals to split (nachos was one "meal") and our card read 2A and the cm at the counter said "NO!" and raised a big ruckus when i tried to explain that my card had 10 CS credits on it and if i wanted to use them *all* right then and there to feed the birds or feed strangers or whatever, i was entitled... she insisted i could get NO MORE THAN TWO MEALS at a time 'cause that's what my card read... i asked if i were to get two meals and get on the back of the line i could get two more, she said yep! needless to say, we ended up calling in a manager and he over-rode her and said "if the computer allows it, do it" and it did so she did... but not w/out some major aggravation! ergo, quite often it is subject to CMs interpretation of the plan...

 

[HayGan]

I still don't get how they can "make" you use a credit for any meal! What about a table of guests in which some are on the dining plan and some aren't If I was told I would "have" to use a credit for a meal (adult or child) I would definatley be speaking to the manager or leaving that restaurant!

In December, we had no trouble in paying OOP for some of the kids meals and using those credits for other meals.

 

[KristineN]

that would make me crazy...one place saying fine, and then another restaurant giving me a hard time...I can't decide if I should try it...I hate to gt all annoyed on vacation!

 

[The Sweetness]

According to the plan, if I want to have a guest, or treat a stranger to dinner, I can. I would stick with that, and be prepared to walk out, or pay for something cash or debit if the situation came up. There shouldnt be any probs with sharing or paying for kids OOP. Until they change the rules officially.

 

[gigi1313]

According to the plan, if I want to have a guest, or treat a stranger to dinner, I can. I would stick with that, and be prepared to walk out, or pay for something cash or debit if the situation came up. There shouldnt be any probs with sharing or paying for kids OOP. Until they change the rules officially.

there shouldn't be, but there has been... and i think the OP needs to know that there's a possibility that she could run into a hassle... not an "unsolvable" hassle, but a hassle nonetheless... imagine my surprise when the cm told me i could not have three meals 'cause my card only read 2A!

 

[lovesdumbo]

I am planning an Aug trip and am interested in this subject too. Not to use kids credits for adult meals but we have a few "extra" meals planned-breakfast and dinner on the same day. I was hoping I could pay OOP for some of the kids less expensive meals to save for more expensive kids character meals. I was also planning on having 4 adults share 3 TS credits on non buffet meals.

But I just made all my ADR's and couldn't book the Fantasmic package I was hoping to so now I've got those credits. I was going to book another TS meal instead but when I looked over all our meals I think we've got too much food. Now I'm thinking I'll just use the credits I would have used for Fantasmic for the meals we already have planned. I had planned to pay OOP for Sci Fi lunch and even though it would cheaper to use some of the kids credits there I think I still pay OOP for that one with DDE discount to keep things a bit easier to keep track of.

I've never used the DDP but am anxious to give it a try.

 

[ReallyFunMom]

It sort of doesn't make sense not to allow OOP paying because what if you are on your last meal, have 2 TS credits left, need to pay OOP for the kids or adults if have party of 4. However, if they start this rule of all in or all out (like they have with HoopdeDoo and Royal Table, etc) with all restaurants before they make the changes to adult/child credit distinction, I guess the only place I'd have a problem with that is CG. We are sort of doing that for the experience, I'm not even sure the kids will like the kids meals (pizza with prevolone cheese instead of mozzerella). I wouldn't want to waste 2 credits on that. I guess if I couldn't pay OOP, I'd just have them share with us. Somehow sharing and paying $0 for the kid to be there and eat some of our DDP abundant food is OK but paying OOP is bad. Maybe taking away sharing option would close that loophole...........

 

[Wendi2000]

We did it last year with absolutely no problems whatsoever. In fact, when I booked that trip my travel agent sent me a whole page of tips on getting the most out of the dining plan - including using children's credits for adult meals and paying out of pocket for them or sharing meals with them.

I am hoping to be able to do it again this year with the same results. We are more likely to share meals anyway, so we can save up from a few shared meals and use our saved credits for the Brown Derby.

I am also sending him on the Pirate Adventure Cruise one day, which includes lunch (yes, I'll be paying for it anyway...), plus I would like to have him go to Simba's Clubhouse at least once, so he won't be using dining credits on those occasions.

 

[KJMAX1]

Ack! I hope we dont run into this problem. We will be at another theme park for two days in a row, then to the beach on one. Plus the day we leave we have all these meal credits because we wont be in the park!! I planned on using some of them for taking food on the plane, and also for dinner packages. If I was running short on a TS meal credit for the show I was goin gto just pay for one of the kids meals. I too was told by CRO I could use them all at once, spread them out, or leave some on the plan when we left.

 

[Bribrittmom]

Hmmm~ It seems to me that the DDP is set up for you to use your allotment or credits as you choose. If I was told that I cant pay OOP for a kids meal I might just leave. If the DDP is changed, clarifying how many cr are for kids and how many are left for adults, that shouldnt stop me from paying OOP for a kids meal (if thats my choice) However, it would prevent me from later ordering an adults meal w that childs credit

What does OOP mean? Thanks!

 

[KristineN]

out of pocket

What does OOP mean? Thanks!

 

[Sammie]

that would make me crazy...one place saying fine, and then another restaurant giving me a hard time...I can't decide if I should try it...I hate to gt all annoyed on vacation!

This is the problem and it is maddening for the guest and for those that work there. The abuses of some always ruin it for everyone else.

I don't think you will know for sure until you try. As to what happened in the past affecting now, I do know from friends that work for Disney, new directives concerning the Dining Plan, have gone out to managers within the last month.