Heads up for plan fudgers in 2007

[kfrey68]

This is going to very interseting to see how it plays out. We just returned from WDW with 8 days/7 nights and the DDP for 2A/1C.

Yes, there is way too much food and we ended up using leftover credits to bring home some snacks.

I believe for the most part we used child credits for child meals but I'm not 100% sure because there were many times that we shared meals spread throughout the day as we were hungary. My main concern with this system is lack of variety on the new children's menus at CS locations and some TS locations. Disney really needs to re-evaluate these new children's menus for some variety considering that many visitors stay for a week or more and if you get the DDP you must get it for your entire party for your entire stay. The other option it would be nice to see them consider is to allow you to purchase the dining plan for the adults and pay for the child's meals.

There were a number of times that we got a child's CS at one location and the adults went to another location to get food and then we all ate at one of the locations. It sounds like this may be more difficult to accomplish in the future

 

[lucincia]

You can't do less at buffets, restaurants that serve all you care to eat, dinner packages (Fantasmic), dinner shows (HDD) or price fixed meals (CRT). The plan brochure indicates everyone dining at a signature restaurant is charged two credits but that provision doesn't seem to be enforced.

Other than that you can order less and share, although you'll have to pay for extra drinks.

Yeah I know about the buffets and such. I am more interested in sitdown normal restaurants and counter service places.

 

[BuffaloGal]

my understanding is that you will still be able to order less than on your card and save credits (of appropriate classification) for signature dining.

 

[Sammie]

Not surprised at all, said all along they would change it. I guess they did care after all.

As to why they did not change it prior to 2007, you have to realize Disney is a global company. These decisions were made months ago due to abuse of the plan. Changing it is not something that can be done quickly when you have overseas markets to consider.

I am sure you will be able to save credits for signature meals, as BuffaloGal stated the problems they are trying to avoid is purchasing adult meals with a children's portion or entitlement and sharing the plan with those not on the plan.

If you have 2 adults and 2 children on the plan and get 2 adult meals and 2 kids meals, they could care less who eats what.

 

[JimMIA]

In previous discussions, folks in a position to know have said that Disney didn't really care much about the CS credits because they are obviously much less valuable and also because enforcement is much more difficult. The emphasis, it's been said, would be on TS credits.

Based on what's been said here, there is really no change in the policies. Disney has always said you can't use child credits for adult meals for obvious reasons.

They've also always said DDP credits are non-transferrable, and therefore can't be use to treat people who are not plan participants. Why? Because the DDP is not a stand-alone dining plan -- it's one part of a package which also includes an onsite room at a certain price (usually rack rate) and a minimal park pass purchase. The rest of the package is that the package must be purchased for each person in your room, for every night of their stay.

Unfortunately, we often want to just pull out the pieces we want to discuss, but DDP will make a lot more sense to you if you remember that it's a package, not a menu of options to choose from.

What is changing here is that Disney is creating an enforcement mechanism because of their experience since the inception of the DDP. The system has had a lot of holes, and they are plugging some of them.

 

[OurDogCisco]

We leave in 6 days. I wonder if it will be effective January 1st or what. Since our trip overlaps both of the years. I'm gonna keep careful track of my receipts and make sure nothing weird happens.

 

[jodifla]

This is going to very interseting to see how it plays out. We just returned from WDW with 8 days/7 nights and the DDP for 2A/1C.

Yes, there is way too much food and we ended up using leftover credits to bring home some snacks.

I believe for the most part we used child credits for child meals but I'm not 100% sure because there were many times that we shared meals spread throughout the day as we were hungary. My main concern with this system is lack of variety on the new children's menus at CS locations and some TS locations. Disney really needs to re-evaluate these new children's menus for some variety considering that many visitors stay for a week or more and if you get the DDP you must get it for your entire party for your entire stay. The other option it would be nice to see them consider is to allow you to purchase the dining plan for the adults and pay for the child's meals.

There were a number of times that we got a child's CS at one location and the adults went to another location to get food and then we all ate at one of the locations. It sounds like this may be more difficult to accomplish in the future

I these changes will make the DDP a lot less desirable for some families. It really limits the kids choices, so unless they really tweak the CS kids menus like they have the TS menus, I can see a lot of hungry kids and unhappy parents paying OOP.

 

[JimMIA]

I these changes will make the DDP a lot less desirable for some families. It really limits the kids choices, so unless they really tweak the CS kids menus like they have the TS menus, I can see a lot of hungry kids and unhappy parents paying OOP.

I don't understand how this would affect the desirability of the DDP. The DDP has not changed. Adults still get adult meals for $38.99 per day and kids still get kids meals for $10.99 per day. The only thing that has changed is Disney's accounting software.

I agree the kids menus could be improved, but that's a kids menu issue, not a DDP issue. The DDP is the same as it's always been.

 

[karibritt01]

I would like to see Diney offer the same food in child-sized portion at the C locations. It's not fair to the kid when we have chicken breast sandwiche or pizza to chooe from, and they get corn dog nugget or PB&J. I certainly ate more than my fair hare of kid meals my week there. If the menu was imilar to the adults, no one would feel the need to try to beat the system. A fair solution would be to charge the guest the difference between the kid meal and the adult meal - which I wouldn't complain about in the least!

 

[mtrak17]

Just wondering, because I didn't see this mentioned...If someone had 8-9 SNACK credits left on the final day of a package (didn't use any during the trip) and wanted to get 8-9 "snack" things to bring home, are they going to limit the number of snacks you can get at one time to the number of people in the package party now? Or snacks aren't really on their radar as a problem?

Thanks...not important, but just wondering...

 

[angelmav]

This seems like one step forward one step back. On the one hand, Disney says your credits are yours to use as you see fit, 2TS, using a TS on a CS etc etc, but then they want to take it a step further with the only those specifically on your package. I understand the lawyering in the statment, but in all practicality, why not just seperate the darn credits! Whats so hard about that? You stay 8 nights with 2 adults thats 16A credits, use them to your liking until midnight of the day you check out, who cares in what fashion there used?

 

[jodifla]

I don't understand how this would affect the desirability of the DDP. The DDP has not changed. Adults still get adult meals for $38.99 per day and kids still get kids meals for $10.99 per day. The only thing that has changed is Disney's accounting software.

I agree the kids menus could be improved, but that's a kids menu issue, not a DDP issue. The DDP is the same as it's always been.

Because a lot of people were getting adult meals for their kids, since the credits weren't differentiated.

Now, parents won't be able to do that. They'll either need to eat the kids meal, or pay out of pocket, if their child won't eat what's on the kids menu.

 

[JimMIA]

This seems like one step forward one step back. On the one hand, Disney says your credits are yours to use as you see fit, 2TS, using a TS on a CS etc etc, but then they want to take it a step further with the only those specifically on your package. ... You stay 8 nights with 2 adults thats 16A credits, use them to your liking until midnight of the day you check out, who cares in what fashion there used?

Disney cares...for the reasons explained in this post above http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=16043593&postcount=25

Disney has ALWAYS -- from Day One -- said the DDP was non-transferable, and could not be used to treat people who were not plan participants.

And the operative concept is the Golden Rule -- "He who has the gold makes the rules!" This is a Disney package, and it is what they say it is.

DDP was never intended to meet the needs of every visitor who sets foot on the property, and if it doesn't meet someone's needs, they shouldn't buy it.

 

[JimMIA]

Because a lot of people were getting adult meals for their kids, since the credits weren't differentiated.

Now, parents won't be able to do that.

Right. And a LOT of people were also getting adult meals for Aunt Sally (who's staying offsite) with kid's credits "...since the credits weren't differentiated."

The problem is, of course, Disney has always said you can't get a adult meal with a kid's credit. That is why the adult price is $38.99 per day and the kid's price is only $10.99 per day -- pay less, get less.

As I keep saying, DDP has not changed a bit. What has changed is Disney's determination to protect themselves from folks who enjoyed getting $40 worth of food for $10. There's no change in the plan -- the change is, Disney will presumably be enforcing some of their own rules now...which may be a first for the Mouse, BTW.

 

[Luv'sTink]

I will believe it when I see it.

I can see being able to enforce the 2A1C at any given table service, which is how it should be now. The counter service is going to be the hard one even with a computer change.

We had a CM tell us at POFQ he didn't care what we got, I had asked him if I had the right stuff for a snack.

 

[BuffaloGal]

I will believe it when I see it.

I can see being able to enforce the 2A1C at any given table service, which is how it should be now. The counter service is going to be the hard one even with a computer change.

We had a CM tell us at POFQ he didn't care what we got, I had asked him if I had the right stuff for a snack.

Don't see how this will be uneforcable. When your 14 adult counter service credits are gone, they are gone. You'll only have child credits left and only be able to purchase child meals. An adult CS meal with all the add ons (beverage & dessert) is worth about what people pay for a child plan per day. How long did you guys expect Disney to take that bite?

 

[JimMIA]

Don't see how this will be uneforcable. When your 14 adult counter service credits are gone, they are gone. You'll only have child credits left and only be able to purchase child meals. An adult CS meal with all the add ons (beverage & dessert) is worth about what people pay for a child plan per day.

I think she meant it will be more difficult to enforce the A/c thing at a particular CS venue. For one thing, usually it's a parent who gets the whole meal for the family. And also, many families split up and one may be getting meals in MK while the other half of the family is eating at AK. Bottom line, you're right -- but for individual meals, I can forsee some enforcement difficulties. In particular, trying to split the day up into "meal periods" is fraught with SO many problems I don't even know where to start.

How long did you guys expect Disney to take that bite?

That's a valid question, but an equally valid question is, "You created a program which had one component valued at $38 per day and another component valued at $10 per day...with no differentiation between the two...and zero enforcement. How long did YOU GUYS expect people not to bite?"

I'm personally glad to see these changes -- if, in fact, the Mouse can pull them off.

But I think it's a little inaccurate to portray people who followed CM's suggestions, or just weren't clear that it made any difference to anyone (because Disney's actions indicated it didn't), in a negative manner.

Disney's problems with the DDP are almost entirely self-inflicted. DDP is actually a great "Don't let this happen to you" management study. But despite the problems, DDP has been a huge success. It's a great marketing program (for rooms, not meals), but it's got some glitches. So let's fix the glitches, and we can all enjoy it for a while.

 

[bicker]

Yes, you pay for your credits, but it's based on a 60% discount of what Disney estimates your actual meals would be at menu price (including gratuity, which Disney still pays the servers)

This is a great point that folks often overlook -- the fact that the plan factors in a certain amount of non-use.

 

[keishashadow]

Too easy to forge.

even with a hologram or watermark ala a check/US $?

 

[lucincia]

From the sound of this - this is not an accounting change - it's just a workplace rule change for the CMs to enforce the people count rule at TS meals. Seems like they are using this stop gap solution to fix their shortfall in the computer accounting system.