2008 DDP discussion, questions, rants and vents

Maybe I have been missing this all along but I don't know of any "guest" that would want the tip removed, as you say $8 to $10 per person, along with the removal of the appy for a grand reduction of $1 in the cost of the DDP. I don't see how this benefited ANY GUEST.

While I believe the price of the plan was probably too good for the guest I believe that Disney swung to the other side and now it isn't as cost effective for the guest. I know that I will still use the DDP and anticipate that the cost will still benefit me but that is because I planned out our TS dinners in advance. Anyone that didn't plan this and doesn't get a TS meal WILL LOSE MONEY...it is as simple as that.

As bicker referenced previously, some do like the new system because of less than stellar service due to a guaranteed tip. I am one who gladly embraces the ability to determine tip as I deem appropriate.

As for the appetizer, I say for those who miss it, there is an option in place for them, the DDDP.

I'll say it gain, many want the old plan because it was it was like getting a huge discount on your food, and now many do not want to face the reality that food cost have spiked over the last 18 months like never before; they expect Disney to continue to subsidize their vacation food budget even if it means Disney has to take a loss. Funny how people can justify cutting back or reworking a budget at home due to rising costs, but for a company or restaurant to do it is a cardinal sin. People get crazy when a restaurant alters menu pricing to reflect cost increases, but they get down right bonkers when you mess with their DDP.

Actually, we all benefit from this change in the long run because WDW will make a profit which allows them to reinvest in new attractions, new parks, new resorts and more magic. If helping to keep my beloved WDW fiscally sound means I pay tips and spend a little more for food then I say count me in so my children and every generation after can share in the magic of one man's dream......awesome how the vision of a single man can become the dreams for generations!!



:thumbsup2
 
I like the way you debate........lol. It is all about the green and I want Disney to keep making money because if they don't then I can't spend my vacation with the Mouse and we wouldn't have anything to talk about on here :sad1: :scared: :scared1: :eek:. That would be a horrilbe thing indeed.
I agree with MOST of what you are saying but, there is a, sad but true, difference made between the DDP folks, the DDDP folks and the oop folks.

And of course, in the true spirit of debate, there is a point and counter point ;)


All in good fun my new friend!!! ;)



:thumbsup2
 
As bicker referenced previously, some do like the new system because of less than stellar service due to a guaranteed tip. I am one who gladly embraces the ability to determine tip as I deem appropriate.

Sadly for me I will not have the opportunity to decided the tip as I will be eating with parties of greater than six every night.

As for the appetizer, I say for those who miss it, there is an option in place for them, the DDDP.

There is absolutely no way I could imagine eating that much food in one day (well maybe one or two days) never mind a vacation of ten days. I would imagine that most people are going to gain in the double digits if they eat all the food they are alloted under the DDDP...not to mention you are sitting more so you do less walking.

I'll say it gain, many want the old plan because it was it was like getting a huge discount on your food, and now many do not want to face the reality that food cost have spiked over the last 18 months like never before; they expect Disney to continue to subsidize their vacation food budget even if it means Disney has to take a loss. Funny how people can justify cutting back or reworking a budget at home due to rising costs, but for a company or restaurant to do it is a cardinal sin. People get crazy when a restaurant alters menu pricing to reflect cost increases, but they get down right bonkers when you mess with their DDP.

Don't get me wrong...I expect WDW to make money. If they didn't they wouldn't be in business. My point was that WDW made it seem great that the reduced the price by $1 when the took away a lot. I would have preferred if they just increased the price of the plan instead.

Like I said, I purchased the plan this year and will probably in the future for the ease of use. I also like the idea of having the vacation paid in advance.

Tim
 


There is absolutely no way I could imagine eating that much food in one day (well maybe one or two days) never mind a vacation of ten days. I would imagine that most people are going to gain in the double digits if they eat all the food they are alloted under the DDDP...not to mention you are sitting more so you do less walking.

My point was that WDW made it seem great that the reduced the price by $1 when the took away a lot. I would have preferred if they just increased the price of the plan instead.

My family will use the DxDDp this year. We have been using the DDP in the "old" way and have added meals onto it. I do not think we will gain any weight, we have not in the past. We must have found some time for walking ;)

For my family dining is part of the vacation. We enjoy the time spent around a dinner table and never resent the time away from the parks. We also go to signature restaurants which take more than one credit. We all love to enjoy a meal watching my DGD interact with characters, so there are plenty of these in our dining plan.

Disney was able to change the last meal plan because there was a lot of complaints about the quantity of food allowed adn becasue enough folks wanted to control the tip. I doubt that this savvy company would have increased the cost and then had that complaint added onto the original laundry list.
Nope, they just did what folks asked and let us save a buck.

Those of us who want a more comprehensive DDP have that option now, we just have to pay more for it. So I guess they did what we asked....kind of :rolleyes1
 
Sadly for me I will not have the opportunity to decided the tip as I will be eating with parties of greater than six every night.

Yeah, this fall we too will be a family of six........so, if the service is lacking we will have to speak with management to get it adjusted. We were looking forward to the freedom to tip appropriately for service received, but since we now have a new bouncing baby boy we will loose that option.

There is absolutely no way I could imagine eating that much food in one day (well maybe one or two days) never mind a vacation of ten days. I would imagine that most people are going to gain in the double digits if they eat all the food they are alloted under the DDDP...not to mention you are sitting more so you do less walking.

Funny how people think it is some huge deal to eat three meals a day when you are at WDW........most people I know eat three to four times a day plus snacks and don't get nearly as much exercise as one gets during a day at WDW. We will only be eating twice a day since we are doing signature restaurants every day........we like quality dining over quantity feeding.The dining experience is a big part of our trip.



:thumbsup2
 
I would imagine that most people are going to gain in the double digits if they eat all the food they are alloted under the DDDP...not to mention you are sitting more so you do less walking.

Funny how people think it is some huge deal to eat three meals a day when you are at WDW........most people I know eat three to four times a day plus snacks and don't get nearly as much exercise as one gets during a day at WDW. We will only be eating twice a day since we are doing signature restaurants every day........we like quality dining over quantity feeding.The dining experience is a big part of our trip.

Yeah, with the regular DDP I spent a lot of the day hungry and found myself eating things like pop, ice cream, CS desserts, etc. that I wouldn't normally eat just because it was the only option other than paying OOP for more food.
With the DxDP, we're doing a signature everyday so it's still two meals, but, better food. I'm aware that I may need to be prepared to bring leftovers with me to eat at another time, but, I assume that I will eat a lot less junk food since I'll have better options. This may be amplified for me since as a vegetarian there aren't as many choices at the CS places--at least not as many choices that have enough protein to keep me from being hungry when I walk 10-20 miles in a day while pushing my DW in a wheelchair and dealing with my own fibromyalgia.

Overall, I never gained weight with the DDP despite eating lots of junk food, so, I can't see myself gaining weight with the DxDP unless I continue to eat the junk alongside the good food. Personally, I've never had a problem choosing good food over sugar--we were having a discussion about Boma desserts the other day and I just kept saying, "I eat falafel, coconut rice, and coconut tofu for dessert there," I don't even know what they serve for dessert for others.
 


We upgraded to the deluxe dining plan from the free plan this year. I have 2 young children who cannot "skip lunch." I'd love to skip lunch, but realistically, I just can't do it. I used this site to do a comparison for out of pocket by looking at the prices and menu items for all of the restaurants. TO upgrade to the deluxe from the free plan it cost us $518 for 7 days, plus now, I can get a table meal and the appetizer for every meal! I still think it is a great value. I don't mind paying a tip. Hopefully, it will translate into better service.

The question I had - are there a certain number of reservations for dining plan participants? Has anyone tried saying no to "dining plan" to see if they could get a reservation? It seems like they ask prior to checking for a reservation. Today, they even asked me the TYPE of dining plan I had... It just sounds fishy to me.
 
The reason they ask is so that they can properly advise the guest on how many credits the meal will "cost" and if the location actually accepts DDP or DxDDP and possibly to keep track of how many/when guests on DDP or DxDDP make ADRs.

There is no known disadvantage to booking ADRs with a dining plan.
 
Do that many people really have problems with the service? I have had hundreds of meals at WDW in my life and I don't remember ever thinking the service was bad. I do remember the fast food lines being outrageously slow years ago, but the sit down service has always been very good.
 
Do that many people really have problems with the service? I have had hundreds of meals at WDW in my life and I don't remember ever thinking the service was bad. I do remember the fast food lines being outrageously slow years ago, but the sit down service has always been very good.

I have never had bad service at WDW restaurants either, but we have experienced slow, less then on par service a few times while dining at WDW. I felt when service was lacking the tip should not have been the automatic 18% that the plan awarded the server. Was it nice to have the tip included in the plan price, yes...... the ability to tip in response to the level of service received is even better in my opinion.




:thumbsup2
 
I have never had bad service at WDW restaurants either, but we have experienced slow, less then on par service a few times while dining at WDW. I felt when service was lacking the tip should not have been the automatic 18% that the plan awarded the server. Was it nice to have the tip included in the plan price, yes...... the ability to tip in response to the level of service received is even better in my opinion.


Personally, I'd rather have 20 bucks (free tip) and slower service sometimes (I can always complain to manager).
 
Personally, I'd rather have 20 bucks (free tip) and slower service sometimes (I can always complain to manager).


Actually, I tried it, and it took nearly 45 minutes to get the issue resolved. My time is worth more than the $20........in the 45 minutes it took for manager interaction I find the $20 a bargain!!!! Money I can earn more of, but time can never be redeemed!!!



:thumbsup2
 
I'm sure it wasn't 45 mins every time. I've eaten plenty of places and got bad service even though I was tipping. Hardly ever at Disney.
 
I have a question, and I apologize in advance if it has been asked before, but I cannot seem to find answer for it.

We are on the basic dining package. It will be the four of us - two adults and two children. My husband and I will be dining out at Narcossee's one night; that is two TS credits, I understand. The problem is that since our kids are not dining with us at Narcossee's, they are left with two extra TS credits. Does this mean that we would have two TS meals where our kids use their credits, but my husband and I would have to pay OOP for our meals? Is this how most families would handle such a situation?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks!
Linda
 
Yes you are correct. You'd have two children's left over and you woud pay OOP.

Thanks for the quick reply! Do you happen to know if we can use our children's TS credits for in-room dining at the Grand Floridian? I understand that two TS credits would be good for in-room dining, but not sure if children's TS credits would work.

Linda
 
I'm sure it wasn't 45 mins every time. I've eaten plenty of places and got bad service even though I was tipping. Hardly ever at Disney.


If you would actually read my post, I only said this happened one time......no claims that this was a normal occurrence. We have had wonderful service from almost all WDW restaurants, on occasion we have received less than great service, and once we received bad service. I am glad you have received nothing but good service, but that does not mean someone else's account of not so great service is false. Then again, I could be a pathological liar with an internet connection too. ;)



:thumbsup2
 
My husband and I will be dining out at Narcossee's one night; that is two TS credits, I understand. The problem is that since our kids are not dining with us at Narcossee's, they are left with two extra TS credits.

Do you happen to know if we can use our children's TS credits for in-room dining at the Grand Floridian? I understand that two TS credits would be good for in-room dining, but not sure if children's TS credits would work.

Yes. I have heard that people have used kids TS credits to order kids menu in-room dining meals.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top