OK, it's time to start a thread for people who have used the new 2008 DDP!

[bless7ings]

O.K. I want the real deal. Post here your experiences with the 2008 DDP. (Make sure you say when you went in 2008.)

First, the reports come in saying the wait staff don't dare to ask for their tip, now I have heard quite a few say the wait staff is too pushy about getting their tip and of course I have heard good reports.

For all of us still trying to figure out if it is worth having the DDP this year, could you please fill is all in on the juicy information.

I think I will add a poll too. You can vote multiple times on this poll.(unlike my old one-please don't use that one)

[MomofCKJ]

We loved it in Dec 2006 and are using it in 26 (!!!) more days so I will come back to your poll then and share my thoughts!

Allyson

[bless7ings]

We loved it in Dec 2006 and are using it in 26 (!!!) more days so I will come back to your poll then and share my thoughts!

Allyson

We loved it in 2005! Thank you, I am glad you are going to share when you get back!

I thought it would be nice to have a thread that people could just see the poll results and see what peoples thoughts are about the new 2008 DDP. It seems that people who have shared their thoughts, they are scattered here and there all over. I believe there are quite a few people who would like to hear from you experienced ones of 2008, so that's why I started this thread.

[Melissa_E]

I just got back yesterday, the staff was terrific, explained things well and were very quick with the checks and explaining what to sign.

[Tricia1972]

I am interested in this thread too. Of the three who voted so far it looks like the one who has actually used it likes it and service was exceptional!

[Pumbaa_]

Moving to the DDP board

[My2Angels]

I am very interested in hearing from the DISers on this! On All Ears Net, the reviews of the DDP 2008 are terrible! Almost every person who reviewed said they would not recommend it again!:sad2:

[gohogs34]

We used the DDP for 4 nights/five days and had no issues with it. We ate TS at: BOMA, Le Cellier, Coral reef and Hollywood & Vine. I paid the tip in cash and had no issues at all. I just told the waiter that I would pay in cash and no issues at all. The service at HWV was slllloooowwww and food just as plain as Ryan's. BOMA's food and service was great as well as Le Cellier. Coral Reef was packed and a little slow on service but OK. Food was great but the place is VERY LOUD inside. We had other places reserved at resorts but changed some as we go due to not wanting to leave the parks due to travel time. I will do something the next time we use DDP (if we do) at MGM. NO more HWV.

[Nicole721]

We did the DxDP last May, and we're doing the DxDDP in August.

I'm so excited to be able to try all the restaurants I couldn't try on our last trip! We did our ADR's yesterday and it just made the trip seem more "real."

And I'm so geeky that I'm excited to do a TR and a dining report with pics.

[minniekissedme]

My family just returned from the Riverside 2/2-2/9. May have been the best week ever...weather was perfect and the dining plan worked well. We have been to Disney the last four years using the dining plan for the first time last year. Tremendous deal, no doubt, and too much food. In researching chats about the plan I had reservations about the changes for '08 and the impacts they would have for us (3 adults, 2 children).

First...we saved $508 compared to menu pricing.

We utilized our table service meals for dinner which provides the most value. We had six dinners (one was a double at Narcoossee's w/fireworks!) and enjoyed every meal. Either I was extremely fortunate or just dumb luck but we had zero problems w/servers regarding tips, service, anything that they are supposed to do. In fact, I personally think that now that they have to work for their tips the service is better.

We share three or four counter service meals among the five of us which allows us to bank some of those meals and not waste food ordering five meals everytime we eat. It's too much food for everyone. Some counters were breakfast, some were lunch. Knowing that we always had dinner later in the day we were careful to not stuff ourselves and not have room for the outstanding meals.

This plan can work if you want it to work. From various chats about this I get the feeling that many want something for nothing. I also would like to have a choice of appetizer or dessert. I personally perfer apps but ice cream in the park versus the key lime pie, almond crusted cheesecake, and the other delicious offerings, come on.

Using the dining plan requires some effort in planning and acquiring reservations. You must want to eat dinner at these fabulous restaurants. If you can survive on quick service meals than by all means don't get the dining plan. But you'll find me again at Narcoossee's for fireworks and surf and turn, Kona Cafe for the unbelievable Tuna Oscar, Coral Reef with it's incredible aquarium wall and the blackened catfish using the dining plan on my next visit...

I'm not much of smiley or abbreviation kinda guy so apologies if it gets too lengthy.

[ssaa]

We've been debating whether to get the DDP for our upcoming visit, and its good to hear everyone's opinions. Also good to hear positive feedback.

I've done the spreadsheet - OOP with what we would buy since it would be OOP vs. DDP with what we'll get + tips...end result: for a 6 night stay our difference for OOP vs. DDP is $20. ( Note: we love desserts, so losing the appy is not a big deal for us.) So for an extra $20 we get to eat 6 TS meals instead of 2 OOP. That is a good deal for us. Plus we enjoy our sit down meals at WDW, and food is big part of our vacation experience.

I have ADR's for 1900 Park Fare dinner/Chef Mickey's late b'fast/Tuskers Dinner/Le Cellier dinner/Chefs de France dinner/ Tokyo dining lunch.

My biggest concern is confusion/delays regarding bills and bad service. This was a problem with the previous versions of the DDP as well, so one shouldn't demonize the 2008 incarnation. Service is never a guarantee, OOP or DDP, unfortunately!

Looking forward to hearing from from folks that have used the 08 DDP!

Great thread/poll!

[lazydoxy66]

Subscibing!! Excellent thread!! I want to hear it all!!! :grouphug: I've never had the pleasure of using the DDP before. I'll be using it in Sept. This thread will be a great help.

[irene_dsc]

Well, this was our 1st trip, and not sure if/when we'll go back. I will say we had good service in general, with some excellent service, and I didn't have any issues with the whole tipping thing other than a little bit of general confusion, since everyone was learning the new process. (We were there Jan. 2-8) I keep thinking that if we go back, we might rent a condo and stay off-site, so then we wouldn't do DDP, but who knows. We saved some money, had some bits of confusion, and might have cancelled my last day ADR if we hadn't been on the plan.

[klynn]

We just got back from 15 days on the DDP. It was wonderful as always! No complaints whatsoever!

[jenjersnap]

We had no complaints with our experience a couple weeks ago. I am not sure why anyone wouldn't prefer the old plan; as a consumer, it was simply a better deal but we still saved some money according to my spreadsheet.

I would not pay rack rate for a hotel room to get this version of the dining plan, but would happily do it if the room was discounted (which it was for this trip and will be for the bounceback we booked for the fall)

We're doing the deluxe plan next trip.

[Tricia1972]

O.K. I want the real deal. Post here your experiences with the 2008 DDP. (Make sure you say when you went in 2008.)

First, the reports come in saying the wait staff don't dare to ask for their tip, now I have heard quite a few say the wait staff is too pushy about getting their tip and of course I have heard good reports.

For all of us still trying to figure out if it is worth having the DDP this year, could you please fill is all in on the juicy information.

I think I will add a poll too. You can vote multiple times on this poll.(unlike my old one-please don't use that one)

I love the idea of this poll, but it looks like lots of people voting haven't even been there yet in 2008. I think I'll stick to the commentaries in this thread for accuracy.

[acourtwdw]

We used the DDP for two days this week. It was a quick trip to WDW. At Crystal Palace the service was horrible and the tip reflected that. At the new place in Italy ( I still don't know the name of it) the service was excellent and again the tip reflected it. We used the room charge for the tip and the only time it was confusing was in Italy. I had trouble understanding what the waiter was saying about what to sign. I would recommend the DDP to anyone. Our bill for Italy was $115 for three adults, so the plan paid for itself.

[jenjersnap]

First, the reports come in saying the wait staff don't dare to ask for their tip, now I have heard quite a few say the wait staff is too pushy about getting their tip and of course I have heard good reports.

Those initial bumps were completely worked out by the time we arrived at the end of January. The tip never became a situation, no server ever mentioned the tip directly to me. I paid them in cash. I did post that the method changed about halfway through the trip - I was given one less piece of paper to sign - but no one answered or seemed to know if that was further streamlining of the process or what. It was very simple!

I have now traveled to WDW using the old Silver plan (sigh, my favorite), DDE, no meal plan or card, DDP tip included and tip not included ... service has averaged "very good" no matter which card or plan we have used with certain servers stellar and others not so much, of course. Just like anywhere else.

[TDC Nala]

There's also no mention on the poll about the deluxe plan. Some folks who are no longer interested in the standard might decide to do the deluxe plan.

[duffy]

We were there from Feb 1st through the 8th. We never used any dining plan before, and we loved the dining plan. No pushy wait staff, we did not miss appetizers.

We switched from the Wilderness Lodge to the Dolphin on the 6th and that was the end of our dining plan. We ended up going to Norway and France and loading up on counter service meals of various sandwiches and staggering to the Dolphin with our arms loaded down with bags of food! The next day we ate them and it was great.

[NJBILL]

The service at HWV was slllloooowwww and food just as plain as Ryan's. NO more HWV.

Agree 100%. HV is the worst place at WDW and it does seem to get better despite its reviews...
:sad2:

[libinatorsmom]

I see so many posts about the DDP --- and I feel often time the Dulx plan is left off the discussion and forgotten about... we are going to WDW in May and using the Dulx plan.... I just posted our break down and its saving us about $400 (AT LEAST)

[wezee]

We had no complaints with our experience a couple weeks ago. I am not sure why anyone wouldn't prefer the old plan; as a consumer, it was simply a better deal but we still saved some money according to my spreadsheet.

I would not pay rack rate for a hotel room to get this version of the dining plan, but would happily do it if the room was discounted (which it was for this trip and will be for the bounceback we booked for the fall)

We're doing the deluxe plan next trip.

I see you mentioned your "spreadsheet".....any tips on how to find a good spreadsheet, or how to create one myself, for our trip in Sept (on the deluxe plan)?

[ruthma]

Can you tell me how much the dining plan cost per day for an adult.

Thanks

[Tricia1972]

I see you mentioned your "spreadsheet".....any tips on how to find a good spreadsheet, or how to create one myself, for our trip in Sept (on the deluxe plan)?


I created a spreadsheet with the restaurants listed in the A column Row 3 on the left side, and then starting with B-2 listed Appetizer, Entree, Dessert, Beverage across the top (starting in column B). I repeated this (Appetizer, Entree, Dessert, Beverage) for each person in our group. Starting in B-1 I listed the first person's name (over Appetizer).

I then went through the menus and didn't look at what we could order, I viewed the menu with fresh eyes, and said if I could order whatever I wanted without limitation - what would we get.

We found that we would only order an appetizer or two for our whole group, we wouldn't always get the steak, we'd almost never get dessert.

At the end I ran an auto sum for each restaurant. I then took that subtotal, added tax and then auto summed the subtotal and the tax.

We ended up saving without any plan, but of course each family eats differently and will come up with their own result.

I can forward what I have to you if you'd like.

[wezee]

Tricia...I would love a copy, but I don't know how to send you a private message with my email:confused3

[TDC Nala]

Can you tell me how much the dining plan cost per day for an adult.

Thanks

Basic dining plan - 36.99 per adult (age 10 and over). Includes per night of stay 1 CS credit, 1 TS credit, 1 snack credit per person. Appetizers not included for adult TS meals. Gratuities not included unless the price of the event normally incudes gratuities (CRT, dinner shows)

Deluxe dining plan - 69.99 per adult (age 10 and over). Includes per night of stay 3 meal credits that can be used for either TS or CS, 2 snack credits, 1 refillable resort mug per person. Appetizers are included for adult TS meals. Gratuities not included unless the price of the event normally incudes gratuities (CRT, dinner shows)

[KristineN]

My husband & I used the DDP Feb 10-16 (this is our last night)

We much preferred the old plan...just for simplicity purposes...maybe we were just unlucky, but we ran into lots of waitstaff that seemed to have difficulty with the new plan...on several occasions we used the DDP & the DDE and frankly it brought Chefs de France to a near halt....30 minutes after getting the check, we were finally able to leave! Tutto Italia also had trouble with both cards...

We will be back in June, and I think we will use only the DDE to see how it goes.

[acourtwdw]

My husband & I used the DDP Feb 10-16 (this is our last night)

We much preferred the old plan...just for simplicity purposes...maybe we were just unlucky, but we ran into lots of waitstaff that seemed to have difficulty with the new plan...on several occasions we used the DDP & the DDE and frankly it brought Chefs de France to a near halt....30 minutes after getting the check, we were finally able to leave! Tutto Italia also had trouble with both cards...

We will be back in June, and I think we will use only the DDE to see how it goes.

Happy Belated Birthday

[Tricia1972]

Tricia...I would love a copy, but I don't know how to send you a private message with my email:confused3


I just sent you a PM with my email address. Also, let me know how many people are going on your trip, I'll try to customize it a little for you.

[Luvmyfam3]

:disrocks:

[MBELSANTI]

Of course I prefer the old plan, but I just did the new plan last week and plan to do it again later this year. I did not find the servers pushy for the tip. Most just said are you familiar with the plan? Gratituities are not included this year.. It also helped that I was prepared from reading the DIS boards. ;)

[bevypoo63]

We just returned from our trip 2/1 - 2/10. We had the deluxe dining planfor the first 3 nights. It worked really well. We paid all tips with cash ,no problem. We ate at Cali Grill, Le Cellier, Tutto Italia, garden grill, Liberty Tree tavern, Yak & Yeti, Kona Cafe , Wolfgang Puck Cafe, service was excellent at all except surprisingly Cali Grill was not very attentive.
I will not do the deluxe plan again because even though we were able to spread the meals over 4 whole days it was still too much food. We didn't eat evrything and still found that it is just way more than we require. When we return in Dec we do plan on using the basic plan for the convenience.

[wdwfamilyinIL]

Has anyone had any experience with the tip and groups of six or more? I am worried that since we are going in a bigger group, and the wait staff will know 18% is automatic, that we will receive lesser service. Please let me know your thoughts.

[LauraVV]

I see so many posts about the DDP --- and I feel often time the Dulx plan is left off the discussion and forgotten about...

We were there 1/29 thru 2/5. We used the deluxe plan. Loved it! I'm so glad we got the deluxe plan. We made only a few reservations. We went to Cinderella's for lunch, the steak house in Canada, Ohana's, Chef Mickey's. While there, we made reservations for the Garden Grill.

I don't like to make a bunch of advance reservations because don't want a vacation to revolve around eating. But, we had fun. We ate tons and tons. The next time we go, I think we'll try to go the steak house and Ohana's more. We did have left over meals (mostly because my son has trouble eating at times). We spent all the snacks by splurging the last night. I guess, to me, it makes more sense to have extra than to run out. It cost about the same for us to purchase the deluxe plan vs the regular one (because of the way our package worked).

We really, really enjoyed the deluxe plan and would certainly do it again. I do wish that the tip was still covered.

[bless7ings]

Has anyone had any experience with the tip and groups of six or more? I am worried that since we are going in a bigger group, and the wait staff will know 18% is automatic, that we will receive lesser service. Please let me know your thoughts.

I would be interested in someone responding on this too!

[bedell32]

We were a party of eight. Three different checks since we were in three different rooms. They just took the automatic tip and divided among all of us. No problem. Service was always good. We had TS at Chef Mickey, LeCellier, Ohanas, Mama Melrose, Biergarten and Tusker House. We all loved the regular DDP. It was plenty of food. :yay:

[HannaBelle]

We were on the DxDP from 1/1/08 to 1/6/08. (We arrived at WDW on 12/30 and did a split stay. 12/30 to 1/1 on the premium plan and 1/1 to 1/6 on DxDP.)

Overall, I was not happy with the DxDP plan. The servers were not prepared/trained for the changes. Some of them complained to us about the prospect of losing tips and several of them did not know how to ring up the plan.

After the first couple of meals, I made a point of just letting them know from the get go that we would be paying our tip with cash to avoid the whole awkward confusion at the end.

We were traveling with a group of 14 people total, my parents (62/65), my older brother and wife & kids (38/34/5/3), my family (36/36/14/10) and my younger brother and his wife & kids (30/28/1/1).

We all paid for our tips separately. DH and I paid cash. Older brother paid via CC. Younger brother charged it to his hotel bill. I honestly cannot remember what my parents did, I would bet they charged it though.

Before we left, I made sure we had a couple of hundred dollars in $10’s and $5’s for tips. We just rounded up to the nearest dollar from the 18% “suggestion” on the bill.

We ate together for some meals and sometimes not. I will “review” both. We had ADR’s everywhere we went and I always had my confirmation number just in case!

O’hana for breakfast – party of 14 – LOVED IT! Great breakfast, great staff and we all paid for our tip separately. Service was awesome and we all got to sit together which was a bonus.

Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Review – party of 14 – LOVED IT! Mediocre BBQ and a great show! Tip was included. We had to sit at 2 separate tables.

Cinderella’s Royal Table – party of 10 – Very disappointed! We had to wait over 45 minutes for a table in a crowded reception area. The main “hostess” reminded me of a prison matron and was very bossy! She was in a horrible mood. It happened to be freezing this day and she blamed the wait on the cold weather. Our table was really meant for 8 and their plan was for 2 people to share the end of the table meant for one…it was ludicrous! We asked for another table and the manager argued with me about it and said they did this all of the time. It was shocked. Ultimately we sat at 2 different tables and had a nice meal with bad attitudes.

Whispering Canyon Café – party of 4 – Again, disappointed…again a huge wait…we were on the “porch” area and our server was just not a fun guy. Of course, the gal next to us was hysterical! Food was not so good.

Tusker House/Donald’s Breakfast Safari – party of 14 – It was good, but not GREAT! We had another long wait, 30mins+…our reservations were for 10:30. By the time we got seated, got the kids settled, got pics with a few characters…the manager came by and told us to hurry to the buffet…they were shutting it down. DOH! The food was good, AWESOME buffet, we just felt rushed. Everybody paid tip separately and it took awhile to figure out.

Yak & Yeti – Party of 4 - While walking around AK, we walked by Yak & Yeti and it smelled wonderful!!! So, I called Disney Dining and asked if they had a late lunch/early dinner reservation available for 4 and we got it. (I did cancel our O’hana ressies!) It was AWESOME! We loved everything we ordered. Since my kids are “Disney adults” we had 4 app’s, 4 entrée’s and 4 desserts. We always order something different and then share everything. There was not anything here that was bad! The appetizers were large enough to be a meal. Paid tip via cash…our server was AWESOME! We had 4 ressies and told him we wanted to make the 6:00 Nemo show and had plenty of time! He was fast!!!

Teppan Edo – party of 8 – AWESOME! Service was great, food was great and our chef was mediocre. He did not do a lot of “showmanship”, but the food was good and we were seated in less than 5 minutes.

Illuminations Dinner & Dessert Reception – party of 14 – This is a “Grand Gathering” event. It is lame, I have finally convinced my family of that fact and we will not be doing it again. The program is lame, the food is mediocre and the fireworks viewing area is average. The dessert reception is lame. Tip is included.

Prime Time Café – Party of 6 – Disappointed…Another huge wait! Our waiter was actually rude (I think he was having a bad day) and did not make our visit fun at all. He did not even try to add any of the “themeing” fun, but the food was good. Parents paid tip via CC and we paid via cash.

Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show – party of 14 – Good overall. They have a good show and a good meal. It was cold and rainy, but we enjoyed it! I cannot remember about the tip…I think it was included. We all ate at the same table.

Chef Mickey’s – party of 14 – Okay. We did this last trip and loved it…it was a little less magical this time. We had another huge wait. We were seated directly in the sun….it was horrible…and our server was MIA most of the time. The food was good, but the service was slow.

Just as a side note…I know waiting is part of the game. I know we went during a busy time, but we played by the “rules” (made ADR’s, arrive a few mins early for ADR’s and made them at “off” times) and still had HUGE waits. I think a 15 minute wait is reasonable…45 minutes is not.

Whenever we ate with another family(ies), we made sure the server knew who was with who and gave them our cards and asked them to start processing our check ASAP. This really saved us a lot of time at the end of the meal. We did not do it in a rude way and always let the server know we knew that tips were not included. We also asked them to make sure they chose “DxDP” when processing our checks b/c on more than one occasion the server came back and said that we did not have and meal credits to use.

Also, we were denied service at the candy shop on Main Street in the MK b/c they could not work the new DxDP. We were charged wrong at our resorts quick service counter and had to get that straightened out and got free snacks on more than one occasion b/c they could not work the new plan.

I do think we were at a disadvantage b/c we were there on Day 1 of the new plan.

In the future, we will try the DDE b/c we have never tried that before. I do feel that we order differently when on the dining plan. Normally, if we order and appetizer we just share one and MAYBE share one dessert. At WDW we just eat and eat and eat b/c we can.

In the past, we liked the dining plan b/c it is SO convenient. I loved not having to worry about “paying” for meals, but this time the tip complicate things.

Sorry this is SO long, but I came to the boards today to see what others who had actually “been there and done that” actually liked the plan.

I would love to read more from others who have already taken their trips!!!

[HannaBelle]

Has anyone had any experience with the tip and groups of six or more? I am worried that since we are going in a bigger group, and the wait staff will know 18% is automatic, that we will receive lesser service. Please let me know your thoughts.

I am not sure if I could tell a difference. We had good and bad experiences everywhere we went.

I think it has more to do with the server and their attitude. We (my family of 4) are the kind of people who are easy going and try to be understanding when the server is over worked. (And you can tell when they are running all over verses just being MIA). Of course, there are times when smiles and thank-you's don't help and the servers are just bad.

I don't think our service was affected by the number of people we had. I think it was affected by how many tables our servers had, the disposition of the server that day and if the kitchen was moving fast or slow.

[melomouse]

I did the poll awhile ago but never posted...

January 17-February 3rd was our third trip with the DDP, obviously first time under the "new" one.

The server at Le Cellier got himself a 23 cent tip because he was confused with the new system. I tried to correct it to no avail.

The service overall was great.

Tutto Italia has the best service and the classiest setting.(JMHO!!) Spoodles had the worst service and we did not enjoy.

We still saved $, but not as much! STILL a lot of food.Could'nt do w/o Kona crabcakes, so I ordered them OOP. Had a steak dinner AND a prime rib dinner in the fridge during the week!

My kids, 16 and 11 - love the DDP!

Buffets have gone down over the past few years as to actually gross me out! Yes, moi, the foodie!

Don't knock it til you've tried it! Of course it's not the great deal it was - everything goes up in price! Still works for our family and touring style at the moment!

Our TS: Ohana breakfast, Kona, Le Cellier, H&V, Crystal Palace, Raglan Road, Tutto Italia, WCC, Spoodles.

[Pirate's Princess]

I did the basic dining plan jan 7-15. It worked fine. Of course I prefer the older plan but it was alright. Service was good to exceptional, with one exception of Yak and Yeti. Food was decent to delicious. Tipping was fine, I did cash the whole time. I did pay for some things OOP- character breakfast at CP and corn dog nuggets from Caseys.

There was a lot of food, but I think next time I'd indulge on the Deluxe plan. I'd pick signature dinners and do CS or TS lunches. I don't even need breakfast but if I did, I'd just use a snack. I think this is more for my urge to go to the signatures.

If I ever get an annual pass I'd get a DDE because I figure I'm saving about 20% anyway, and plus it works on alcohol. But not everyone can get an AP just get the DDE (plus it's $70 itself).

It's still convinient. But I'd rather get an extra snack and remove the dessert from CS. And get like a salad option for dinner.

[*NikkiBell*]

My parents just used it last month. They said it was confusing both resort guests and wait staff alike and this caused a lot of unnecessary tension for many people. We are hoping that it returns to normal in 2009.

[Telcogirl]

We just got back from the Beach Club and we used the DDP. We had used the DDP on our trip last year and I must say, that with the changes, it is no longer as good of a value as it once was.

What we found was that we tend to be happier with an appetizer and an entree. In fact, when we ate at Spoodles (which was EXCELLANT!!!:goodvibes ) we just ordered appetizers and payed out of pocket for those.

We did tend to order desserts because they are included. However, if we were paying out of pocket, we probably would not order a dessert for each of us, rather we may split one or two. Also, ordering the desserts actually ups the amount of gratuity you pay.

We also found the bills to be very confusing to read and there are alot of copies of them when you do recive your bill.

One of the biggest changes (that we do not like at all) has to do with the tip. Your server will see exactly how much you are leaving for a tip when they go to run your card and deduct your TS credits. Basically, they present you your bill as if you are paying cash for your meal. At the bottom of the bill prints out what an 18% tip would be and what a 20% tip would be based on the total bill. Of course, you can tip whatever you like, but Disney does the math for you for these two percentages. We did like that new feature of the bill.

If you are charging the tip to your card, you then enter in the amount of the gratuity and your server takes your card and the bill to deduct the TS credits.

We had two issues with this new method of tipping. We had TERRIBLE service at Whispering Canyon Cafe. (Our server really turned us off on any return trips to that restaurant.) As a result, we tipped her 10%. She saw that tip when took our card and she then proceeded to send another server out to return our receipts to us. We are not ashamed of what we left her for a gratuity, but she was obviously all set with us when she saw it.

Our second issue was at Jiko. We were a party of 7 and although the menu does state that the gratuity will be included for parties of 6 or more, your server will NOT remind you of that at the end of your meal. After a wonderful dinner and several bottles of fabulous wine, we happily paid AND tipped! The next day, we were reviewing our receipts asn we noticed what had happened. We thought it was in very poor taste that the waiter did not even say one word about the ENORMOUS tip he received.

We ended up stocking up on a lot of snacks the last day of our trip. We just didn;t seem to eat as much food this time as last time. Plus, with all of the changes, we paid alot more out of pocket at meals in addtion to the price of the plan.

We will not be doing DDP on our next trip.

[jaurban]

Can someone tell me what the tax rate is for Disney restaurants? I want to include that in my planning spreadsheet.

Thanks!

[Disneykidz]

I heard that if enough people complained (as they did when the extra magic hour was temporarily eliminated) that WDW might bring the tip benefit back. Are people still complaining LOUDLY???? Or did WDW win this one?

[*NikkiBell*]

I think any and all complaints should be filed. Let's start with emails, everyone!

[Telcogirl]

I heard that if enough people complained (as they did when the extra magic hour was temporarily eliminated) that WDW might bring the tip benefit back. Are people still complaining LOUDLY???? Or did WDW win this one?


Would you happen to know where we can send our comments (ahem, I mean complaints) to? Is there a website or an email address?

[Tricia1972]

Can someone tell me what the tax rate is for Disney restaurants? I want to include that in my planning spreadsheet.

Thanks!

Almost all of the places in WDW are 6.5%. There are a few restaurants (like at Pop(?)) that are 7.5%.

[Disneykidz]

Would you happen to know where we can send our comments (ahem, I mean complaints) to? Is there a website or an email address?

There has to be, but I don't know them. Let's hope someone will post them.:goodvibes

[bless7ings]

I heard that if enough people complained (as they did when the extra magic hour was temporarily eliminated) that WDW might bring the tip benefit back. Are people still complaining LOUDLY???? Or did WDW win this one?

I will complain!:mic:

We have not been this year, was planning too, but decided to wait till next year.:sad1: It is obvious that it is more convenient with the tip added! After reading the last few posts I hope they change it for 2009! It sounds crazy for parties over 6, especially with others in your party!!!:crazy2:

[bless7ings]

HannaBelle,

I enjoyed your post! Thank you for writing it, I didn't think it was too long. It's only too long if your not interested in reading it.:rotfl2: