Dining Plan will NOT include tips in 2008 and dining plan may end in 2008

[Disney8704]

A friend of mine just called me and told me she had talked to a couple of waitresses while she was eating breakfast yesterday and according to them, they said that the dining plan in 2008 will NOT include tips and that 2008 maybe the last year for the dining plan. They said that they are testing to see if people would still buy the plan or not if it didnt include tips. If success 1 or 2 thing may happen. They continue with the DDP without tips OR they will discontinue the plan altogether. They also said that Disney does realize that people are getting out of hand when they are turned away if they have no ADR and they are trying to find ways to end that. Also mentioned that more people are now trying to do walkups now even without being on the DDP then they had before the DDP even existed. She asked how the waitresses knew all this and one of the waitresses knows someone in the DDP marketing and planning and got this info from them. Normally I dont think the waitresses would open up so much about inside info like this, but since my friend is a reporter for a paper I guess she gets the goods.

 

[rabx5]

read this http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1458550

 

[Disney8704]

I've read that before. But you have to remember that sometimes Disney likes to sugar coat things and tell guests what they wanna hear if they arent 100% sure whats gonna happen. Same thing that my friend told me. It's still up in the air. Its more then likely gonna be a last min decision made. I'll take both stories and leave it alone until we know what the 2008 packages will be. Only then once they are released in July/August will we know 100% sure. Another thing you have to remember, that person who wrote on that other thread heard from guest realtions. My friend heard from the waitresses who heard from marketing. I think marketing has a lil more info then guest realtions would know. A lot of times people ask guest realtions questions and they arent even sure of the correct answer or info.

read this http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1458550

 

[Allensfan]

I would still use the dining plan if the tips were removed. I almost felt odd getting up from the table with out leaving a tip the last time we went.

I hope they keep the plan because I want to return...but it may not be until 2009 and I was going to use the ddp again.

 

[Mickeefan]

I have had the dining plan free twice now. I have also paid for the dining plan. I would definately use the dining plan either with or without tips included. In fact, I often left an additional tip for superior service.

 

[GC&S]

A friend of mine just called me and told me she had talked to a couple of waitresses while she was eating breakfast yesterday and according to them,

I heard from a friend, who heard from a friend, who heard from a friend.....

Honestly, how many threads were started last year that there would absolutely be no free dining in 2007? That people heard from reliable sources from Disney (whether it be waitresses, housekeeping, Mickey Mouse himself). We can speculate all year what will happen with the DP. Im sure the marketing people at WDW would not make a last minute decision about doing away with a very popular program. I also believe that they spend most of their day analyzing data about every aspect of WDW in order to make decisions. That things just aren't done by flip of a coin.

 

[Texa]

I heard from a friend, who heard from a friend, who heard from a friend.....

Honestly, how many threads were started last year that there would absolutely be no free dining in 2007? That people heard from reliable sources from Disney (whether it be waitresses, housekeeping, Mickey Mouse himself). We can speculate all year what will happen with the DP. Im sure the marketing people at WDW would not make a last minute decision about doing away with a very popular program. I also believe that they spend most of their day analyzing data about every aspect of WDW in order to make decisions. That things just aren't done by flip of a coin.

Yep, what they said. I had to laugh because it was right next to the "Disney called today..." thread. We won't know the truth of the matter until it's officially announced by Disney. Until then it's ALL speculation.

 

[Allison]

Yep, what they said. I had to laugh because it was right next to the "Disney called today..." thread. We won't know the truth of the matter until it's officially announced by Disney. Until then it's ALL speculation.

Exactly.

 

[Tam1067]

I just cannot imagine Disney entirely doing away with the DDP. It's been very popular and has succeeded in getting more people into the TS restaurants than in the past. They might change terms (eliminating tips sounds like a real possibility), but they'll keep doing what makes them money. If it doesn't make money in its current form, they'll just adjust the price or what's included until it does make them more of a profit.

And frankly, I would bet they're making money even with the current prices. The TS places are all charging more than comparable restaurants outside the World would charge, and the profit is going right into Disney's pockets.

 

[pepperw23]

Yep, what they said. I had to laugh because it was right next to the "Disney called today..." thread. We won't know the truth of the matter until it's officially announced by Disney. Until then it's ALL speculation.

Yea, this subject rears its ugly head every couple of months. Hopefully it will remain an "dis-urban" Legend.

 

[septbaby]

I will be using the dining plan for the first time this year during the free dining and cannot wait! I don't know the law in FL, but in many states wait staff make a very small hourly rate, plus tips. I think the 18% tip (which is probably split between wait and other staff) goes a long way to solidifying a good wage for this staff.

The nice thing about the dining plan is not having to carry cash. With out the tip being included it is likely that many deserving staff members would not get those tips, if for no other reason than a guest is cash poor at that moment or just cheap. If we charge the tip to the room we'll find that the complainers will dispute these charges at check out causing a scene there!

The first fix is for guests to take a least a moment when you don't get your way (ie. turned away for a seating) and not act like a spoiled brat (even though we are at Disney). Disrespect by the CUSTOMER turns a lot of would be good workers away from these kind of jobs, so we get stuck with what's left them come to these forums and complain. See the circular issue here?

Disney has the simplest of ecomonic problems, supply and demand. Instead of discontinuing the plan make more tables available for TS dining. I think that's why the Tusker House is being switched over and I suspect more TS space will be created. If the demand is so great we will likely see either price hikes OR fewer items/features included. Back to our ecomonics class (and gas pricing), demand up, price up until demand settles back down to the desired level. This can be circular too!

I am glad to have the 2007 Free Dining experience ahead of me! We have all our ADRs. We couldn't get Coral Reef, but took Boma instead. I expect to be delighted just the same.

 

[aubriee]

I have been there for free dining the last two Septs and will be back this Sept 29th-Oct 7th (thanks to the Bounce Back program). I've also paid for the DDP May '06 and May '07, even though I'm an AP holder and also have the DDE card. I love the convenience of not having to carry any money around with me. If they do away with the tip, then I'll just use my DDE card.

 

[Amyrlin]

Don't forget that Disney are negotating staff wages. If the DDP has been good for staff, with the 18% tip, it will not be doing Disney any harm for rumors to be circualting about something that will harm the staff wages, it gives them more cards to play with,

We do not know, so lets just wait and see.

 

[Disney8704]

Somehow I dont think its been good for the CMs. I keep hearing that the CM would be rude or just not very nice but the moment they find out your paying OOP, their whole attitude changes for the better. Also been hearing they have been working twice as hard and sometimes have to work 7 days in a row. I guess I will find out 1st hand in Aug 2008, since we arent on the dinning plan.

Don't forget that Disney are negotating staff wages. If the DDP has been good for staff, with the 18% tip, it will not be doing Disney any harm for rumors to be circualting about something that will harm the staff wages, it gives them more cards to play with,

We do not know, so lets just wait and see.

 

[bsmcneil]

Somehow I dont think its been good for the CMs. I keep hearing that the CM would be rude or just not very nice but the moment they find out your paying OOP, their whole attitude changes for the better. Also been hearing they have been working twice as hard and sometimes have to work 7 days in a row. I guess I will find out 1st hand in Aug 2008, since we arent on the dinning plan.

I have to disagree. Remember, it's all subjective. If some people want to believe they're treated better OOP, they'll think that. I didn't notice a difference OOP or DDP in quickness of greeting, refills, tone, etc. Also, nothing's in a vacuum. People could've had a horrible DDP guest before (or just horrible guest in general), late ADRs, breakups, sickness, etc. I think people too often try to find causation from seemingly correlate events.

 

[beattyfamily]

Nothing wrong with sharing what we've heard. We all do it. Let's just discuss it as a 'what if' and see then see what happens.

I don't get why people have to shoot each other's 'rumors' or possible inside 'info' down. It's fun to discuss these things and debate them.

Thanks OP.

 

[JimMIA]

I keep hearing that the CM would be rude or just not very nice but the moment they find out your paying OOP, their whole attitude changes for the better.

Talk about recurring themes!

What I keep hearing is questions along the lines of, "Am I going to get bad service as a result of being on the DDP?" And the resounding answer I hear is NO! I can't remember the last time I read someone saying they had actually dined at WDW, on DDP, and thought they received a lesser level of service than they would have gotten paying cash. I remember one or two comments about Spoodles very early in DDP, but nothing recently.

(I've seen a few parties who deserved poor service, and they happened to be on DDP, but it wasn't because of the way they paying -- it was because of the way they were acting!)

We've probably eaten 100 meals in WDW restaurants over the last three years or so -- some on DDP and some OOP. I've never seen bad service that I would attribute to DDP. If anything, I've seen servers going out of their way to be sure I understand DDP. But from the cheapest snack place to CG, we have never felt like we were treated poorly because of being on the DDP.

 

[WDWfor5]

Somehow I dont think its been good for the CMs. I keep hearing that the CM would be rude or just not very nice but the moment they find out your paying OOP, their whole attitude changes for the better. Also been hearing they have been working twice as hard and sometimes have to work 7 days in a row. I guess I will find out 1st hand in Aug 2008, since we arent on the dinning plan.

Even if this is true (which I doubt but anyway) it doesn't mean that DDP isn't good for the servers financially. it just means that the servers know their 18% is guarenteed with DDP and they don't have to "earn it" vs. a non-DDP customer where they need to be extra nice to earn the same 18% tip.

I'm in the let's wait until Disney announces something crowd - until then it's all guesses.

 

[marivaid]

We've probably eaten 100 meals in WDW restaurants over the last three years or so -- some on DDP and some OOP. I've never seen bad service that I would attribute to DDP. If anything, I've seen servers going out of their way to be sure I understand DDP. But from the cheapest snack place to CG, we have never felt like we were treated poorly because of being on the DDP.

That was our experience too.
I think a lot depends on the specific circumstances that day. The best server we got, was one night we weren't on the plan. But it was also at 5.30pm in a very empty restaurant. Our "worst" experience was also OOP but it was at 10.30am at a character breafast that closes at 11.

 

[disneyfan2]

If they don't include tips anymore, does that mean the DDP rate will go down!