Although it may state what maxiesmom says, they are pooled and can be shared. Child credits do not need to be redeemed for child meals and can be used for adults. I had the deluxe plan last month and on a couple occasions, my waiter/waitress tried to talk me into getting adult meals for my daughter who was 8 and turned 9 during the trip.
What you can do though is not always what you are supposed to do. Disney clearly states they are not to be shared. If someone wants to do otherwise, or a CM offers, that is their choice. But you may run into CMs that go by the rules.
I called Disney and the rep called the hotel front desk for clarification, only on the deluxe dining plan are the credits pooled and can be used how ever . We have friends coming down to meet us and we can share credits - and the deluxe plan includes an appetizer with our meal as well!! If we were on the Reg dining plan they said the credits are not pooled but still can be shared and it says that on their site. Also the Reg dining plan does not come with an appetizer!
Thank you
We are there in 10 days I will report back and take a pic of the receipt with the printed credits on it
Children ages 3-9 must order from a Children's Menu where available. Plan must be purchased for entire length of stay and for the entire party (ages 3+). Meals are non-transferable between party members and expire at midnight on day of check-out.
I understand this is what is on their own website, but they have NO WAY of controlling which members of the party are using which credits, especially when they are lumped into one big total.
For instance, we have 9 people in our room for next month, all on the deluxe dining plan. On the Monday of our trip, my husband, the kids and I are having breakfast at CP; my parents and in-laws are having breakfast at Kona. That same day, my husband the kids and I have dinner at Skipper Canteen, and the parents have dinner at Narcoossee's. Are our kids ordering kids' meals? Yes. But our kids also aren't eating 3 TS meals a day. So some of the credits our parents are using for their 2-credit Narcoossee's meal are coming from the ones for our 3 kids. The kids aren't with them at dinner - the servers have no way of knowing where those credits are coming from.
So I stand by what I said: Expect to have to order from the kids' menu for your kids when they are with you. But the credits are NOT divided by adult/child on the deluxe plan, so if the adults want to use more of the credits than the kids, they can. You can also choose to use the credits for the adults in your party and pay OOP for the child meal.
To me it is a case of Disney telling you what the rules are. If someone chooses to take advantage of a loop hole when it is clear that is not what is intended, that is their decision.
With the deluxe plan, you likely aren't saving any money. Which is probably why Disney has chosen not to divide the credits by adults versus child. They divide them on all of the other plans, but the deluxe plan really isn't designed to save money. My kids (ages 4, 4, and 5) on the deluxe plan eat 1 TS breakfast and 1 TS dinner each day. So that 3rd credit, which we paid for, gets used by one of the other adults staying in our room. I see no harm in that. We just paid $3000 for 4 nights on a deluxe dining plan. Disney isn't losing money. If they were, they would divide the meals just like on all the other plans.
Again, I'm just going by what is quoted on Disney's own web site. If you are not following their instructions, you are not using the plan in the way it is intended to be used.
No, Disney doesn't separate the credits because they can be redeemed for quick service meals, and some quick service restaurants don't have children's menus. It's the same reason quick service credits aren't separated.Which is probably why Disney has chosen not to divide the credits by adults versus child.
The deluxe plan is actually the one plan with the most potential to save money. Disney has advertised the QS, DDP, and DxDP as saving "up to" 10%, 15%, and 25%, respectively. You're paying $106 per night per adult, and $38 per night per child. So, if you're using child credits for adult meals, you're basically stealing $68 per child per night.With the deluxe plan, you likely aren't saving any money.
No, Disney doesn't separate the credits because they can be redeemed for quick service meals, and some quick service restaurants don't have children's menus. It's the same reason quick service credits aren't separated.
The deluxe plan is actually the one plan with the most potential to save money. Disney has advertised the QS, DDP, and DxDP as saving "up to" 10%, 15%, and 25%, respectively. You're paying $106 per night per adult, and $38 per night per child. So, if you're using child credits for adult meals, you're basically stealing $68 per child per night.
I understand this is what is on their own website, but they have NO WAY of controlling which members of the party are using which credits, especially when they are lumped into one big total (unless they start dividing meal credits by each party member individually).
So I stand by what I said: Expect to have to order from the kids' menu for your kids when they are with you. But the credits are NOT divided by adult/child on the deluxe plan, so if the adults want to use more of the credits than the kids, they can. You can also choose to use the credits for the adults in your party and pay OOP for the child meal.
QS credits aren't separated because there is no such thing as a QS credit on the deluxe plan.