[BuzzLightyear]

What do you think about this folllowing "quirk" in the dining plan?
I don't know if I'd go through these lenghts, but my first reaction would be how could it even work if the child is suppose to be ordering off of a childrens menu.


"Using your Children as a License to Print Money As mentioned above, the entire family's meals are grouped into a single pool that can be used at any time by any family member. If you've got at least one child ages 3-9, it's possible to exploit this feature to make dining at a "Disney signature" restaurant a very good deal. A mother of two boys from Shippensburg, Pennsylvania explains:

Since all meals are pooled, you can pay for the kid's meal separately, and use their points for an adult meal at a two-point signature restaurant instead. This makes it a much better plan. We did this with the previous Disney dining plan, and we loved it.

Here's how it works, assuming a family of three adult diners and one child ages 3-9. On day 1, the entire family eats at a regular sit-down restaurant. The adults follow the plan, and order an appetizer, entree and dessert. The child orders from the kids' menu, where dinner prices typically range from $5 to $7. When it comes time to pay the bill, the family uses three meals from the plan to cover the adults, and pays for the child's meal out of pocket. This saves one sit-down meal in the family's plan account, at a cost of around $5-7.

The family repeats this process two more times, until it has three extra sit-down meals in the plan. At this point, the family can dine at a Disney signature restaurant and use the three extra meals to cover the cost of each adult dinner.
Instead of each adult dinner costing $50 plus tax under the plan (assuming each adult sit-down dinner is worth $25), the dinners now cost around $29 plus tax - $25 for the one adult sit-down dinner used, and around $4 for the one child sit-down dinner used by each adult. At the Disney signature California Grill, the savings would be $14.74, $24.46 and $42.39 each, for diners ordering the least-expensive, median, and most-expensive menu items.

If you're able to use this quirk in the plan, the savings make affordable several of Disney's better restaurants."

[missy H]

This is interesting but are Disney going to let this happen? We are thinking of using the D/plan in December but are waiting for a few reviews first. The only problem we have is our DD (8) doesn't really like much from the children's menus!

[kizzmitt]

I think that the "quirk" might work if you have older an older child (10+) because they are charged the adult price. Something I was thinking of since the childrens menu's are pretty good at some restarunts! Maybe using a combination of plan and paying seperatly for child's meal, especially at signiture restarunts!

[DisneyTeacher]

I have read about this quirk on another board. I hope Disney finds a way to close the loophole soon.

[kizzmitt]

Just to clarify-I don't want to cheat Disney, I just want to make the plan work for my family! Being charged as an adult at age 10+ when a child meal for 4.99-11.99 is available just doesn't make financial sense! But since my DD is 11, she may sometimes want to order from the adult meals. So if I use her sit down(which I already paid for at the adult price) once or twice for the sig restarunts it might make more sense. Using a child's meal for an adult meal would not be right!

[mickaholic4077]

I say go for it,if you can!!!

[Cincy]

I would not want to cheat Disney either, but with a 3 year old DD, $4.99 for a kids meal of a kids menu sounds like a lot of money. She eats very little and we try not to order her a meal. At most restaurants we order her a side of vegetables and share our meal with her. Most places the portions on an adult meal are huge.

[DougiesMommy]

kizzmitt ~ what you are thinking of doing wouldn't be cheating the system. You have paid for 3 adult dining plans and should use those as you choose. If your child wants a kids meal then pay for it out of pocket and bank that adult sit-down.

The "loophole" is using a childs dining plan which is only $10 and spending it as an adult sit-down. To stop this all Disney has to do is not pool all meals together and have the kids coded differently so they can't be used as adult meals. But until they do this then why not use them as adult meals and get more bang for your buck.

[wdwspider]

At this point, there are propably far less who maximize their meal plan than those who do. I imagine Disney is making enough profit that it is not a problem now. If it becomes more widespread then they may start coding seperately.

I saw several people underusing their plans on my last trip and they didn't care. Comments like "Just not having to worry about cost and money is worth the plan amount anyway". This is the audience Disney is concerned with... those who efficiently use the system are just all the better for it.

Now, I am not saying to abuse the system... I would simply not buy the child option and let them either eat off of ours or pay for theirs rather than try to cheat through a not so certain loophole.

Fastpass and Extra Magic Evening Hours have their loopholes as well, but until it is a problem (money-wise) then Disney seems to overlook what the majority does not know.

[gingles]

How is following the rules set by by WDW cheating? I think it's a great idea...after all Disney execs stay up nights thinking of ways to separate you from you money faster...

And the parks are the single most profitable part of the Disney empire.

[Baloo85]

this is kinda out there...but PJ, if you see this...the title of this thread has the word quirk in it!!!!! hahaha...good times, good times!

[inluvwithdisney]

It is hard to know what is right but when we had the silver plan our kids at some restaurants were told they HAD to order off the kids menu and at others they told them they could order off of the regular menu?!? I do not know if disney even knows what is the right way!!

Now, at disneyland, they have always had paper vouchers they give with their meal plans and they are clearly marked with an "up to" value and usually says Child or Adult on it! That is how they keep in check there anyway!

Our 10yo DD, will be 11 by our trip, has to pay for the adult meals, and if she eats off the kids menu, I will pay for those out of pocket because I do not feel I will be ripping Disney off at all!! Sometimes she will eat regular meals, but sometimes she eats off of the kids menu, and I do not think we should have to use an adult meal when she is buying a $4.99 meal, that is ripping us off! However, I probably would not do that with the two younger ones!!

[llama]

Originally Posted by gingles

How is following the rules set by by WDW cheating? I think it's a great idea...after all Disney execs stay up nights thinking of ways to separate you from you money faster...

And the parks are the single most profitable part of the Disney empire.

I agree. I would never purposely try to cheat Disney - or anyone else for that matter, but if you're playing within their rules, using your brain and initiative, that is not cheating.

[Cavey]

Originally Posted by wdwspider2005

Now, I am not saying to abuse the system... I would simply not buy the child option and let them either eat off of ours or pay for theirs rather than try to cheat through a not so certain loophole.

The current plan requires all members of your party to buy the meal plan. So if mom & dad get the plan, all children over age 3 must buy it as well.

[Soundgod]

I'm still not happy with the "new" dinning plan as compared to the old "Gold Magic" vacation plan. Some of us like to sit down for all three meals, and at that, at the signature restaurants.