2008 DDP discussion, questions, rants and vents

[pilferk]

Question regarding the snacks. In 2007 it was anything under $4.00, has that changed now?? I read it only included frito bag of chips, pop, etc. I know things will change in the next couple of months and when it does start in 2008 things will change likely every week like they did last year. I'm very confused with the new 2008 plan. I love disney like everyone here and I know disney has to make profits but putting it down $1.00 is utterly insulting!!!!! Disney was laying off people before the DDP came out because they couldn't fill there restaurants and hotels. Now they are complaining that they don't have enough staff and people are complaining about the restaurants being too packed and the service sucks! I don't get it?? You can't get your cake and eat it too!!! Unless your disney CEO's. I will have to check out the numbers and do some math but looks like to me that DDP is out and possibly WDW too. Las Vegas and other vacation places are sounding better everyday...

Here's the language in the '08 brochure:

http://adisneyworld.disney.go.com/m...agespecific/eng/nontheme/tickets/08Dining.pdf

Some examples of eligible Snack options include:
Frozen Ice-Cream Novelty, Popsicle or Fruit Bar
Popcorn Scoop
(single serving box)
Single Piece of
Whole Fruit
Single serving Bag
of Snacks
20 oz. Bottle of Coke®, Diet Coke®, Sprite® or 20 oz. Dasani® Water
Medium Fountain
Soft Drink
12 oz Coffee, Hot Chocolate, or Hot Tea
Single serving Prepackaged Milk or Juice

You may redeem your snacks at most Quick Service restaurants, outdoor food carts and merchandise locations selling frozen ice-cream novelties, popcorn or Coca-Cola® products throughout the Walt Disney World® Resort. Look for this symbol to identify Quick Service restaurants, outdoor food carts and select merchandise locations that accept your Disney Dining Plan and to identify eligible snack options.

And the language in the '07 brochure:
http://adisneyworld.disney.go.com/m...agespecific/eng/nontheme/tickets/07Dining.pdf

Some examples of eligible Snack options include:
Frozen Ice-Cream Novelty, Popsicle or Fruit Bar
Popcorn Scoop
(single serving box)
Single Piece of
Whole Fruit
Single serving Bag
of Snacks
20 oz. Bottle of Coke®, Diet Coke®, Sprite® or 20 oz. Dasani® Water
Medium Fountain
Soft Drink
12 oz Coffee, Hot Chocolate, or Hot Tea
Single serving Prepackaged Milk or Juice

Look for this symbol at Quick Service, cart, and select merchandise locations for eligible snack options on the Disney Dining Plan. You can find selected Snack locations throughout the Walt Disney World® Resort. Most Quick Service, cart and merchandise locations selling frozen ice-cream novelties, popcorn or Coca-Cola® products accept your Disney Dining Plan.

The wording is slightly different, but say pretty much the same thing. I'd assume there were no changes made, but we'll have to wait and see, at this point.

 

[KYCruiseCrazy]

Another unhappy former DDP lover...

It was too much food.....BUT....
Taking away the TIP AND APPETIZER...seems very aggressive...

With Disney raising their ticket prices and changing the DDP....

They must be making money hand over fist.....and probably
want to reduce crowds while taking the same money in.

I guess I will try only DDE card next time.
Kerri

the profit of disney last quarter was 1.2 billion. now that is the whole comany not just the parks. they were saying the parks are making some 20% profit from the parks in FL. i believe i say this in the wallstreet journal (ok i was looking to see if the oil companys were still raping in the billions in profits) one thing i have yet to see at the disney parks is the trouble makers you see at the others parks (six flags,cedar point) where the locals use these places during the summer as day care for there kids. you really don't see that at disney (at least i haven't noticed yet)

 

[onelugnut]

sorry if i repeat anything
(am at work and already 15 mins past end of my lunch)
really just chiming my vote in on this.

as usual there are people defending Disney's right to profit,
duh thats the obvious

all we are saying is that we think they are making a mistake.
they are probably right (they are in that business) , but maybe not.

they might be underestimating, the loss of my revenue
when i revert back to my conserve mode and
carry my snacks with me for my family of five,
and my drinks, and for that matter i might even stay off site
for the first time since the DDP was one of my favorite reasons
for us to stay on site.
probably eat breakfast and dinner off site and for that matter too now.
whole disney experience is not as good as it use to be.

maybe its time to try a day at universal and seaworld.
and that might lead to my kids changing over from mickey mouse
to bart simpson.
i hope not but....

also, you really think the CM's arent going to suffer with the tip not included thing?
i also always tip well, but there are a lot out there that are going to stick it to the poor servers. I was a server once and would have been glad
to get a guaranteed 18% on the DDP customers. the bills are huge.
now i will go in and order just the basics and leave 20% on a much smaller meal bill.

new DDP is a bad move

 

[trivial]

Boo Disney, boo! I welcome dropping the gratuity (because gratuity should be an enforcer for good service), but to drop the price of the DDP by only $1? And to have the appetizer removed on top of that?? That's obscene. Totally spoiled the DDP for me.

1. I personally believe people took advantage. They just had to cash in every single snack credit (even during free dining) instead of just eating what they needed to be full on the trip and letting it go. Think of what would happen with your average buffet place in hometown USA if they let people pack bags of food to take with. They'd be out of business soon.

You say "took advantage" as if doing so was something to feel guilty about. You're shaming people for getting what they paid for? Unbelievable. Perhaps Disney ought to have food police to ensure people don't eat beyond what is necessary to fill them comfortably. And comparing the DDP to a buffet is apples and oranges.

4. all these people sharing meals, ordering free extra buns with their burgers, etc. to save fifty cents are finally adding up and hurting Disney. They have to step in and draw a line somewhere. So many people have been trying to share meals on the plan, etc, they have to set some rules.

That's like saying people are costing Disney money by choosing to eat a meal off-site. Sharing meals is perfectly fine; they're not getting any more food for the price. Again, if people are doing such things under Disney's own allowances, policies, and guidelines, they have no right to complain. And if Disney's "hurting" from people saving $0.50 on a hamburger bun, they've got bigger problems.

 

[bobbiwoz]

My little complaint is that even with the 2 TS credit signature dinners, the appetizers aren't included. I am much more likely to eat an appetizer, soup than have a desert.

However, I can see the sense of the more expensive plan if you want to do the special dinners. We only do the plan in December when the CP package is offered (got LeCellier for dinner this year with the package) and since it also covers Fantasmic package and DDE doesn't, we do that also when we have the Dining Plan. So, we'll probably continue to do the plan in December '08. Not sure which plan it will be.

Bobbi

 

[pilferk]

My little complaint is that even with the 2 TS credit signature dinners, the appetizers aren't included. I am much more likely to eat an appetizer, soup than have a desert.

However, I can see the sense of the more expensive plan if you want to do the special dinners. We only do the plan in December when the CP package is offered (got LeCellier for dinner this year with the package) and since it also covers Fantasmic package and DDE doesn't, we do that also when we have the Dining Plan. So, we'll probably continue to do the plan in December '08. Not sure which plan it will be.

Bobbi

We're thinking of using it for our (in the preliminary consideration stage) 2008 Xmas trip for precisely that reason. LeCellier for CP package, a hoop de doo show, Jiko's one night, etc....because we're figuring that trip will involve a LOT slower pace, and a desire to tour a LOT of the resorts and check out the decorations.

 

[boyohboyx3]

Not sure if this has been covered or not. When I booked my package with the DDP this morning. The CM told me that at the table service meal you could pick one or the other dessert or appetizer. I thought that was good, because now dh and I can share! Just thought I'd add that tidbit in case it hadn't been brought up yet.

 

[janets]

Has anyone noticed that the standard DP, in addition to dropping the appetizer and tip from the TS restaurants, appears to have dropped the beverage from the CS locations? Am I reading that wrong or is that what has also happened? Looked at the description through the link here and while the deluxe plan shows a single serve non alcoholic beverage with your CS meal, the standard makes no mention of a drink.

Did that get eliminated too and no one has really noticed? That would mean that either I pay for drinks with lunch or I need to use my snack credit for it (and a large bottle of water is $2.00) instead of purchasing something else later on in the day (like the snacks from Goofy's Candy Company for $4.00).

Can anyone comment?

We're doing free dining later this month (booked on bounceback last November) and our older son becomes an "adult" next February. While I was planning on that anyway, now the extra cost for him gets him less than he was getting before (even though it was a kids appetizer). So we will really have to run the numbers and decide if it makes sense for us or if we'll just eat more meals offsite (we get a rental anyway). While I could save considerably staying offsite as well, I do like the convenience of being in the parks for EMH in the morning, and would then book using an AP rate instead.

 

[rogerram]

I won't use it now. It is not a good value anymore. I will use my car to go offsite and save more or eat in our room. I hope more people don't buy it and send an email to Disney's customer service and voice your displeasure, like I already did. We go every year, being DVC members and we can just eat in our room or go out elsewhere. It might be a bit annoying to do so, but I am going to make my point and hopefully many other will too. I find it hard to believe Disney was losing money by people buying the ddp. I am not as annoyed about the appetizer as i am about the gratuity. That is adding $25 + dollars to our meals daily. Too much! I would wondering if Disney gets hit with many upset guests email complaints, that they may try and change this. We'll see.

 

[yellowfish78]

Has anyone noticed that the standard DP, in addition to dropping the appetizer and tip from the TS restaurants, appears to have dropped the beverage from the CS locations? Am I reading that wrong or is that what has also happened? Looked at the description through the link here and while the deluxe plan shows a single serve non alcoholic beverage with your CS meal, the standard makes no mention of a drink.

Did that get eliminated too and no one has really noticed? That would mean that either I pay for drinks with lunch or I need to use my snack credit for it (and a large bottle of water is $2.00) instead of purchasing something else later on in the day (like the snacks from Goofy's Candy Company for $4.00).

Can anyone comment?

We're doing free dining later this month (booked on bounceback last November) and our older son becomes an "adult" next February. While I was planning on that anyway, now the extra cost for him gets him less than he was getting before (even though it was a kids appetizer). So we will really have to run the numbers and decide if it makes sense for us or if we'll just eat more meals offsite (we get a rental anyway). While I could save considerably staying offsite as well, I do like the convenience of being in the parks for EMH in the morning, and would then book using an AP rate instead.

On page 2, Quick service meals section, it shows "juice" for breakfast and "non alcoholic beverage" for lunch/dinner. So it looks like they are still there. It's the same under TS meals.

 

[bicker]

as usual there are people defending Disney's right to profit, duh thats the obvious all we are saying is that we think they are making a mistake.

And others are disagreeing. There is nothing wrong with everyone having their say.

 

[pilferk]

Has anyone noticed that the standard DP, in addition to dropping the appetizer and tip from the TS restaurants, appears to have dropped the beverage from the CS locations? Am I reading that wrong or is that what has also happened? Looked at the description through the link here and while the deluxe plan shows a single serve non alcoholic beverage with your CS meal, the standard makes no mention of a drink.

Did that get eliminated too and no one has really noticed? That would mean that either I pay for drinks with lunch or I need to use my snack credit for it (and a large bottle of water is $2.00) instead of purchasing something else later on in the day (like the snacks from Goofy's Candy Company for $4.00).

Can anyone comment?

We're doing free dining later this month (booked on bounceback last November) and our older son becomes an "adult" next February. While I was planning on that anyway, now the extra cost for him gets him less than he was getting before (even though it was a kids appetizer). So we will really have to run the numbers and decide if it makes sense for us or if we'll just eat more meals offsite (we get a rental anyway). While I could save considerably staying offsite as well, I do like the convenience of being in the parks for EMH in the morning, and would then book using an AP rate instead.

From the basic plan flyer:

Quick Service Meal:
Your Quick Service Meal includes one (1) single serving:
FOR BREAKFAST
e Juice
e Entrée
e Non-alcoholic beverage
FOR LUNCH/DINNER
e Entrée e Dessert
e Non-alcoholic beverage
OR
e Combo meal plus one (1) single-serving non-alcoholic beverage or juice
The Disney Dining Plan is unavailable for Guests under the age of 3, but they may share from an adult plate at no charge or purchase a meal from the menu. Guests ages 3-9 must order from a children’s menu where available.
e Combo meal plus one (1) dessert and one (1) single-serving non-alcoholic beverage

Maybe you missed it?

 

[MomofCKJ]

Not sure if this has been covered or not. When I booked my package with the DDP this morning. The CM told me that at the table service meal you could pick one or the other dessert or appetizer. I thought that was good, because now dh and I can share! Just thought I'd add that tidbit in case it hadn't been brought up yet.

Really? That flies against what the brochure shows? It is certainly something that a lot of people wished they would do, offer the choice. If this CM was correct that would be awesome, I just question that it is the opposite of what is stated in the brochure. I do hope it is true though!

Allyson

 

[asramears]

Can you still use 2 CS credits for 1 TS Credit? (On the new plan)

 

[janets]

I wasn't able to get the .pdf brochure open so I went to the link on the main discussion page here to the 2008 packages and when I went to the discussion of the dining plan for 2008, it said this:

Includes the Disney Dining Plan:
Choose from participating Disney restaurants.

For each night of your package stay you will enjoy:

1 Table-Service meal including entrée, dessert or full buffet and non-alcoholic beverage
1 Quick Serve meal of either a complete Combo Meal or one entree with one dessert (Lunch or Dinner) or one juice (Breakfast)
1 Snack choice of a frozen novelty ice cream, popsicle or fruit bar, single serving grab bag of Frito Lay's chips, one 20 oz. bottle of Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite or Dansani Water, single piece of whole fruit, medium fountain soft drink or apple juice

So you see, someone left off the non-alcoholic beverage from the Quick Serve description...this way, it looks like you get juice with breakfast and nothing else. Have since been able to see the brochure .pdf and saw that a beverage is included.

Thanks for the update.

 

[bicker]

Can you still use 2 CS credits for 1 TS Credit? (On the new plan)

You've never been able to do so, and you will still not be able to do so in 2008.

 

[rogerram]

I sent my compaint to wdw.guest.communications@disneyworld.com . This is what I was given when I spoke to a cm there today. If enough people complain maybe they will do something. It's worth trying. If you like it the way it is, then that is fine. I just will not use it and if enough people let them know they won't , then maybe there will be change for the better.

 

[bicker]

The best way to let them know you don't like the plan is to not purchase it. That will hold a lot more weight than email.

 

[pilferk]

Can you still use 2 CS credits for 1 TS Credit? (On the new plan)

Um, I don't think you could EVER do that.

You can use 2TS for a signature dining experience, and there have been promos during "free dining" where you could use a TS for a CS + merchandise + something else (snack...I can't remember). But I've never heard of anyone able to use 2CS for 1 TS.

 

[rogerram]

The best way to let them know you don't like the plan is to not purchase it. That will hold a lot more weight than email.

It will, but if you also tell them you will not use it and then tell them why will hold even more weight. If you don't use and don't tell them, then they won't know you are not happy with it.