Liked DDP but probably won't do again

[carmie3377]

We just got back from 7 days on the DDP. Although we really liked it, we probably won't use it again. It was so much food and my DH and I both came back 5 pounds heavier. Yes, we saved money if you add up all the tickets, but there is no way we would have ever ordered all that food if not on the DDP. Therefore, I think it costs us more. Also, it seemed to bother the servers that we were on the DDP. Our service was okay, but not great at all. Our glasses set empty half the time and we had to ask for things several times. I guess they knew they were getting 18% regardless.

 

[Mouse511]

I agree - DH and I just got back as well and had the DDP - He gained 3 pounds and I didnt gain any - but we both commented that the food was too much. DH even felt obligated to eat - because we already paid for it.

We felt the same way at a few of the resturants as well - not all but a couple of them. When we checked in for our Res. they asked if we had DDP - when we said yes....you noticed a different attitude.

Just our observation.

 

[Luv2Roam]

I have not used the DDP, so can't comment on server's attitudes.
We use DDE. If the server asks us we are on a plan, I tell them we have the DDE and present the card.
It is not unusual for server's to reply that is the best deal.
But, I don't know why they say that. I suppose because many people order adult beverages.

 

[Morley Dotes]

It was worth it for us when the kids were under 3 and could eat from our plates, but now I don't think we will be doing it any more. My son turned 3 in October and I don't think it was worth it, HOWEVER, if you have someone else coming and not a part of your party and that person/persons are not able to get on the DP, it MAY be worthwhile. Some places made no distinction as to what was removed for dinner. A point is a point, e.g. at the character breakfast at the Beach Club. My father and his wife came for the weekend, and my mother-in-law was with us the entire time (she stayed at the dolphin). None of them got a meal plan, and some places did not make an issue wrt to the adult/child breakfast/dinner (they got extra at the end). The coral reef did not allow it, nor did the Oktoberfest buffet in Germany at Epcot.

In any case, if we are going with no add-ons next time, we will not be getting the meal plan. I too found that service was off when we mentioned we were on the meal plan. Not that it was bad, but we noticed that we did not get the same attention. No weight gain here, but no loss either, and we walked more than I expected, and my son enjoyed the view from sitting on my shoulders most of the time.

 

[Mickiethepooh]

I am curious when you say you did not get the same attention when you mentioned being on the plan. Did you eat there while NOT on the plan and have the same server to compare the service?
I have not yet gone on the plan will be in May, but I have never gotten what I would consider Good service and seldom had glasses refilled without asking while paying full price and leaving good tips. Once in a while I would get a really great server and once in a while a really poor one. But the average was mediocre service. Had nothing to do with how I was paying.

 

[JenGray]

We've been to DW on the DDP three times now.

The first two times the wait staff would tell you to purchase the most expensive thing on the menu, because it was already paid for. We knew they just wanted a bigger tip, but it was okay with us.

Just this past visit we could tell a difference in service. They did treat us differently and I was pretty peeved after each TS. No, the standard tip isn't that great, but if they treated us well... we would always give more. Very few places even gave us that chance.

Although, I do have to say... none of that will stop me from buying the DDP in the future. It saves so much money... and you don't have to eat all the food. It's just nice to know it's paid for before you get to the property.

Glad I'm not the only one who thought the service lacked due to DDP.

 

[Mouse511]

You know the funny thing about the DDP and the service is that most people only leave 10% to 15% tip anyways - so the DDP with the automatic 18% is better then what they would normally get - So you would think that they would serve you better - but unfortunately they dont !!

DH and I would normally tip 20+% for great service - but we didnt find much of that at Disney this year.

 

[MEK]

I have used the DDP three times. I can't compare it to not using it. I did not see any lack in customer service. You guys must all go to 4 star restaurants at home where the service is impeccable, because I think the service was great at Disney. Either that or I am not picky!

 

[JenGray]

I work in customer service. It doesn't take much to make someone feel appricated. A simple smile, hello and a couple visits to our table to see if we needed anything is all we expected.

Maybe we just got reservations at the wrong time of day. All I know is they did not deserve the 18% tip they recieved.

Not all places were like this. Our hotel bar was always great. Before buying into DVC we stayed at Port Orleans - Riverside. This will be our first visit away from that resort. We will miss the bar staff and piano man!!

 

[JenGray]

We always do the DDP.
The first time we went as a couple seven years ago the service was to die for. CM's treated you like family. It was deffinitly a place to learn good customer service.
The past couple of years the quality has slipped. We know they can do better!!

 

[Luv Bunnies]

We just got back yesterday from 10 days on the DDP. Most of our servers were very pleasant. We even left extra tip money for 2 of them. One was a college student at Le Cellier who said his time was almost up and he was returning to school in Canada. He took a lot of time to talk to us and explain the menu and was very flexible with our picky son. We left him an extra $10. We also had a very nice waitress at the Cape May Buffet. She was friendly and very attentive and joked with the characters to show our hesitant son that they were nice. We also left her an extra $10. On the other hand, we had a cranky lady at the Plaza. I was almost afraid to ask her for anything for fear of setting her off. She lightened up in the end and was friendlier, but we weren't inclined to leave her anything extra. I think it's to the servers' advantage to be nice to everyone they serve. There's always a chance of getting an extra tip, at least from us, if they're nice enough!

 

[thatduffgirl]

Thanks for sharing this opinion. My DH thinks I am crazy to not want to do the DDP again, but I cannot NOT order all the food. I just can't. And then I have to try it to. I ended up feeling so bloated and piggish and miserable and I gained 5 pounds despite walking 10+ miles every day. I don't want to do that again!

 

[DisOrBust]

I came back with same thoughts. No way we would order that much normally so your really not saving anything. The CS desserts a joke at the parks. I wouldn't waste the calories. The best way money wise is to use an AP on the room rate and then DDE,IMHO.

 

[Corwin12]

I wouldn't do the Dining Plan again either. I did not however, notice a difference in service at all. Some restaurants asked before they seated you, others did not and I got the same service regardless: RUSHED! I know it is not the servers fault, however. Because of the way Disney does their reservations, I figure it is the goal to get customers out of there asap. Before Disney, DW and I have never been asked what we wanted for desert when we were ordering our entrees.

 

[goofy4tink]

I used the DDP when we went in Oct and again in Dec. I also have the DDE card since I have an AP. So....will I use the DDP again? I doubt it. Yes, it's a pretty good deal. I compared, meal for meal, the costs using the DDP vs. DDE card for my Oct trip. It was about $60 more to use the DDP but since we were traveling with another mom and her dd, I figured it was worth $60 for the sake of convenience...none of that 'we'll get it this time since you got it last night' back and forth.
But, I found that there was a huge amount of waste using the DDP. I left several snack and counter service credits behind when I used it in Dec. Yes, I tried getting my snack credits worth by buying snacks for the trip home, but still left some on the 'table'.
For us...it's more worthwhile to go with the DDE card. No, you can't use it for most counter service meals but we can eat as we want rather than feel that we have to eat a big meal plus a counter lunch each day. I tried many different configurations but still came out eating too much or leaving too many credits behind. Disney is not stupid!!! THis is how they make money on the DDP.

 

[Cinders Mum]

we have used our DDE card for the last 2 years, and we actually noticed at times the standard of service we received was lacking compared to the attention DDP guests were getting.

I put it down to the fact that we were not ordering 3 courses, so the value and subsequent tip value was less than a DDP guest. We just cannot eat 3 courses it is just too much food.

Another pet peeve, was that in each location the server's favourite recommended item just happened to be the most expensive item... go figure !! I'd have been more inclined to try their recommendation if it had not been the most expensive, I'd have believed them.

Just a flip side viewpoint.

 

[NMW]

We used ONLY the DDE card in Dec 2005 and used BOTH the DDE card and DDP in Oct 2006. I honestly did not notice any difference in service for those 2 trips. What I did notice was portion size, especially with appetizers. They really seemed sized for one person in Oct. Prior to that, they were much larger.

Some of our TS meals in Oct we didn't use the DDP, just DDE and I really didn't feel any difference. If anything, our meal at Mama Melrose which we paid oop with the DDE card was the worst service. She asked if we were on the DDP and when we said that we would not be using it, she vanished. Different people brought out our food, even took drink orders for us. We saw her again when it was time to order dessert. On the other hand, we were asked at check-in if we were on the DDP at Flying Fish, Le Celliar, 'Ohana, and Kona. We said "yes" at all four places and got excellent, excellent service at those meals. My observation is that our service was not effected by the DDP. I think the server at Mama would have been the same whether we were on the plan or not.

 

[Katy Belle]

We used DDP last month for the first time. We won't do it again. I did like some aspects. It was great fun to get to try appetizers and desserts that we would have never tried. Plus we ate more steaks and other expensive dishes than normal. The kids really liked the "snack credits." The things I didn't like....it takes too much time. We had a few unfortunate events, but spending 2 1/2 hours at Prime Time Cafe is riduculous. I didn't pay for a park ticket to just sit in a restaurant and be ignored. I didn't like the lack of flexibility. I felt like we had to eat at all our TS places because we'd already paid for it. I, like many others, felt it was way too much food. I'm not sure if DDP affected our service, but it may have at Prime Time. We were seated before the party next to us, they were not on DDP. They had their food before she took our order. We had to ask for drinks four times before getting them, she brought theirs promptly. I surely wouldn't have tipped her 18% and left wishing I could take the tip off the bill. At Le Cellier our meal and service was excellent. He did recommend the most expensive items on the menu. Maybe they really were the best, we sure liked them.

I guess all in all I did enjoy using it. But I really do not want to spend that much time eating and when you are doing TS it just takes a lot of time. I think there is a lot of variety in the CS. There sure are a lot more places I'd be willing to try.

Katy

 

[Cindy's Mom]

Gosh, I just don't understand why people feel that you get less than stellar service on the DDP. Unless it drastically changed from June 2006. WE LOVED IT. Not a complaint for anything, in fact our service at each TS was so great we tipped extra each time. Perhaps the word got out to the CM's that we were big tippers and that's why we got such great service.

 

[Nancyg56]

I have used the DDP twice and plan to use it again in January. I did not have any negative experiences with the service and the servers all knew in advance that we were using the plan. One time was in August with free dining and the service was wonderful. I have found that if a server has an off night in any establishment the food or the service will be impacted, just as my own mood will color my perception of my own experience.