2008 DDP Changes-CHANGING EATING HABITS!

[twinmom108]

We're going to WDW in October 07 and have the DDP. We have enjoyed DDP in the past and will most certainly enjoy it this year too.

The changes in the DDP for 2008 have made the plan no longer viable for our family so we have considered our options for next year and this is what our family eating plan will be:

Eating two meals per day in our room. DVC studio or 1 bedroom

Eating a maximum of 1X out per day at counter service

NO table service restaurants. (None, Nada, Zippo)

Who else has had to consider changing their eating habits at WDW due to the 2008 DDP changes? What options are you considering?

 

[clkelley]

As Passholders, the only time we would consider the DDP is during the free period, and now that we have the camper, hubby will now go to Ft. Wilderness with me, so our 2008 trip will be to Ft. Wilderness, no DDP, eating quick breakfasts at the camper, and our usual 1 TS per day using Disney Dining Experience. We've never actually used the DDP before, first time at Pop Century and first time with DDP in 14 days!!!

 

[n2mm]

We love the DDP too, but after our upcoming Oct trip that will be the end of it for us too. Also DVC members, so will opt for a meal or 2 in our rooms and still visit a few of our favorite places to eat using our DDE discount. I guess all good things must end, so we will be enjoying the DDP in October for one last time.

 

[hygienejean]

We are doing the DDP this fall but for our next trip in April we will not do it. We will eat more meals in our room. Sad to see it go b/c it was so convenient but for 2008 it has been stripped down too much to make it worth buying.

 

[JimMIA]

We won't be using DDP going forward.

In the past, we have saved $75-100 on each 4-5 day trip with DDP, and we've enjoyed eating in restaurants we probably would not have tried without DDP. We also enjoyed the convenience of DDP. But for us at least, eliminating the included gratuity killed DDP.

One of the positives about rethinking our eating habits is that we have discovered many fine restaurants offsite. We knew there were some good ones, but we were surprised at the variety and quality available. We always have a car, so on our next trip we look forward to eating dinner offsite every night. We'll probably only do one character meal onsite each trip.

We'll still be eating at least as well as we did on DDP -- just offsite.

We're eligible for DDE, but we won't be eating onsite enough to make it worthwhile.

CS? Naw. We enjoyed the CS meals, but before DDP we never ate lunch in the parks anyway. We either skipped lunch or went back to the resort for lunch/pool/nap time.

Of course, we're still a captive audience as DVC owners. I think the larger question for many will not be DDP/no DDP -- but Onsite with DDP/offsite lodging. That's the bigger question, IMHO.

If I didn't own DVC, I'd be looking at that as well. We don't use Disney transportation anyway; we just find it so quick, easy, and convenient to drive to the parks. If I flew in, I'd rent a car, just for the flexibility and ease of getting around -- and that negates the big "advantage" a lot of visitors see in staying onsite.

 

[anabelle]

My DH insists on a Table Service every day. He doesn't care what we eat for breakfast or lunch, but at the end of long day with his commando wife, he wants a nice meal. I loved the fact that it was a budgeted amount of money and I didn't have to worry about what my royal-want-to-be sons ordered. I am considering buying one annual pass so I can do the DDE.

 

[clkelley]

I am considering buying one annual pass so I can do the DDE.

ABSOLUTELY do that. Last DDE we had cost $65, we then went on 3 trips with that DDE, and I calculated it, we saved well over $600. Our one 8 night trip in May with 2 adults and 4 adult teenagers, we saved over $300 (and because the young uns weren't always with me at the All-Stars food court, we even missed on about $100 worth of savings.)

Then there is also the potential for savings on the resort.

 

[formernyer]

Actually, this will just be our last trip to Disney. We've been there 3 times in the past 18 months (counting the trip next week), but the DDP has spoiled us. The kids and I will no longer enjoy WDW the same if we have to do it without the DDP, and even free DDP will cost too much for us going forward (due to "tips not included"). I'm not too disappointed. We love WDW, but there are plenty of beaches out there with our names written all over them

 

[patsal]

I will not be changing my eating habits but I will not be purchasing the DDP either in 2008. The pricepoint was good for @$40 per person per day, but more than that, that will include less--and since I have to pay for appetizers and the tip it costs more than $40 per person per day. Honestly, we do not spend $160 per day to eat a TS and CS each day for the four of us. We will go back to eating off site and enjoy the vacation more with day trips to other Florida venues as well. Snacks are not something we usually eat every day, dessert with CS unheard of for us at every CS meal. The only thing we will change is purchasing the DDP--we will pay OOP for the things we purchase and really save money.

 

[refillable mug]

If you rent a car the options are many. There are many, many, very good venues for dinner not far off Disney property. We do am-lunch at Disney, but dinner is a much better value off-site.

 

[Alicnwondrln]

We're going to WDW in October 07 and have the DDP. We have enjoyed DDP in the past and will most certainly enjoy it this year too.

The changes in the DDP for 2008 have made the plan no longer viable for our family so we have considered our options for next year and this is what our family eating plan will be:

Eating two meals per day in our room. DVC studio or 1 bedroom

Eating a maximum of 1X out per day at counter service

NO table service restaurants. (None, Nada, Zippo)

Who else has had to consider changing their eating habits at WDW due to the 2008 DDP changes? What options are you considering?

I have the DDE card as well and plan on using that.

 

[lynninpa]

Actually, this will just be our last trip to Disney. We've been there 3 times in the past 18 months (counting the trip next week), but the DDP has spoiled us. The kids and I will no longer enjoy WDW the same if we have to do it without the DDP, and even free DDP will cost too much for us going forward (due to "tips not included"). I'm not too disappointed. We love WDW, but there are plenty of beaches out there with our names written all over them

"...and even free DDP will cost too much for us going forward (due to "tips not included.")

 

[Muushka]

We are also DVC members. We have only bought the DDP for 4 days last year. And we are getting it free again this year.
We will go back to our old eating habits, which are much better for us anyway! We will eat breakfast in the villa. Will probably eat a dinner or a lunch out, and eat the opposite in the villa. More than likely we will be eating off site.

Not the end of the world, for sure!

 

[formernyer]

"...and even free DDP will cost too much for us going forward (due to "tips not included.")

What's not to understand? We visit WDW during the free dining promotions...the meals are truly free now, because 18% gratuity is included. Next year they will likely offer the free dining package again; however, this time I'd be expected to pay for the tip OOP. These restaurants are VERY expensive and not places I would normally choose to eat. The gratuity alone would cost more than what I'd normally spend on a meal.

 

[bicker]

I haven't considered changing our eating habit. We'll just be changing our paying habits. If we want what we got on the Dining Plan, we'll simply have to pay more.

 

[SnowWitch]

Our trip in Oct will be our 5th on the DDP and we are DVC members however our upcoming trip we are at the Poly with PH and DDP. We have discussed the new dining plans for 2008 and what we have decided is this: During summer trips we will no longer purchase any form of the DDP. It is to hot for that much food and we struggled with that this past June. We will however purchase the Premium dining plan in the cooler months. We decided to do this for 2 reasons. We have grown fond of the 2 TS choices and could utilize one TS for a character meal for breakfast for the little ones and then A (2) TS meal for dinner. I still am a bit disheartened over not having tips included but I also like the freedom to control the amount of tip whereas great service gets a great tip and lousy service will reflect a lousy tip. No more locked in tip.

We will no longer purchase the basic DDP because they have removed the appe and tip and it no longer represents a real value to us. The premium plan will be used on fall/winter trips. Any warm month trips ...we will book a few favorite places for TS and wing it the rest of those trips.

 

[Priorityonecb]

We probably won't do the DDP again unless we just happen to go during a free dining period, although we loved it last year. Now we are within driving distance of WDW so it will probably be long weekends instead of 10 day trips. For a long weekend, we will probably just eat one nice TS meal during the weekend...snacking and doing CS the other meals. This won't take away from our enjoyment of WDW, I am just glad we got to experience all those TS we woudn't have without the DDP.

 

[laura001]

We will not really change our eating habits, even with the DDP we didn't use all our credits. I can say that I don't foresee us using the DDP after this year, I would think that we would just pay for our meals. We have almost always enjoyed a TS meal everyday, probably half of them as a late lunch, we will continue that.

Our disappointment with the new DDP is that we almost never have dessert but would rather an appetizer, and, it was so nice not having to worry about the tip and taxes and NOT carry any extra money with us. It was all taken care of like an all inclusive. That was worth its weight in gold for us.

 

[ntsammy5]

I will not be changing my eating habits but I will not be purchasing the DDP either in 2008.

DDE will be a better deal. I've had DDP twice, once free and once not and I'm still trying to decide on my December trip. DDP has in the past forced me to change my eating habits. In the past I've eaten at a few TS Disney restaurants and have hit most of them over the past several years, but last September, we ate at 9 during an 11 day stay. That's too much for me. It's my preference not to eat that many large meals, but that's just me. Everyone is different.

As a lot of OP have noted, losing the gratuity is big, as is the loss of the appetizer. They could drop the desert and it wouldn't make a difference to me. I still think that the DDP will be used by a lot of people, but the use will probably decline.

I think the DDP has caused restaurants to become crowded and over-booked. 5 months before my trip in December it was impossible to get an ADR at LeCellier over a 10 day period. That, IMO, is a direct result of DDP. Not necessarily a bad thing, but an inconvenience.

 

[Priorityonecb]

I agree...for us the major appeal was the pre-paid, all inclusive part of the dining plan. The cost savings wasn't anywhere near as important to us as the stressfree, no need to carry around cash perk. It felt like when we entered the park, we could use it as we wished without pulling out more cash every 5 minutes...a real perk for my dh especially.