No more segmented vacations for ddp

[bobbiwoz]

This change was expected, we just had no idea how far down the road it would be made.

I was planning on segmenting for just Christmas Eve so I could take the kids and I to one of the nicer restaurants and have it prepaid. I'd rather not have that bill to worry about on the holiday and the snack credits would be fun to try for a day.

Seems like the TIW card is the way to go.

Christmas eve may be a blackout day for the TIW.

I think the segmented reservations possibility was a loophole that is now plugged.
I have one night of Deluxe dining because the CP required 2 credits and I thought it was the way to go for that night.

 

[robinb]

Well ... crap. I was going to segment my upcoming NYE reservation so we could eat at a couple nice places right around the 31st and not stress about Holiday Screw-You Pricing and how much it would cost for my 12-year old DD to eat at a buffet. Oh well. I was thinking about using Starwood points (5th night free) for the Swan over NYE anyway and renting out my points or reservation.

 

[twinklebug]

Christmas eve may be a blackout day for the TIW.

I think the segmented reservations possibility was a loophole that is now plugged.
I have one night of Deluxe dining because the CP required 2 credits and I thought it was the way to go for that night.

All the bad reviews about key and credit problems held me off from segmenting too early. I knew I stood a very good chance of being left out by waiting. Glad you got in!

Looking at AllEars, I think you're right about the blackout dates:

The Tables In Wonderland Membership card is not accepted on holidays, including New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, Mother's Day, Easter, July 4, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Good to know in advance and not be shocked. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[edk35]

I haven't read this entire thread yet but OH HOW I WISH....they would just let us add how many nights we want.... for dining on a DVC stay. I would take advantage of that in a heartbeat. They can even call it "Dining Your Way". It would be nice to say I would like to have 2 quick service meal days and 3 regular dining days and 1 deluxe day for say a 7 night stay. Then you just get these at the beginning of your trip and you can use them whevever you want.

 

[Studios94]

To clarify, is it no longer possible to segment a new reservation if the entire reservation is for the same room size/resort? For example, if I did not want to have the ddp the first and last nights of a 10 night trip, could I book the reservation as a 1 night/8 night/1 night segmented trip? Or, will they say that I have to have the ddp for the entire trip since I will be staying in the same room category/resort the whole time?

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Muushka]

We were thinking about doing the DDxP for just one night. We hemmed and hawed about whether or not we wanted to eat 3 TS at WDW.

We finally decided that no, we really don't want to eat 3 TS at WDW. Good thing we decided not to bother!

We are not big fans of WDW food. But I am sorry for those who were going to use it in that manner.

 

[edk35]

I was also able to add different dining plans today to my reservation that was previously segmented.



Do you have that address? Maybe it would help if she heard directly from DVCers?

Also, just for the record, I think Disney would do well making one of their plans 2 sit down meals a day. From reading lots on these boards about the dining plan, it seems many people did the segmenting to do just that - eat 2 sit downs a day, or eat at one signature restaurant a day.

Either that or come up with a DVC perk that you could buy as many days on the deluxe that you wanted, as long as it equaled half your stay, and then you could use the credits all week at your convenience. It would eliminate confusion at the front desk, eliminate multiple mugs and keys per one reservation, and still allow the members to do similar dining. For instance, if you stayed 6 nights, members could add 3 or more nights of deluxe dining plan. If they added 3 nights, they would have 9 sit down meals to use the whole week, listed on one card, with only one check in and one check out.

YES I have always wanted this. "DINING YOUR WAY"

 

[JimMIA]

I can't say I'm surprised, but it's very disappointing that -- ONCE AGAIN -- DVC is taking a nice perk away from their best customers with no notice whatsoever.

I thought Disney was a better company than that. Apparently not.

 

[paulh]

geine gave me 3 wishis

Wish one get rid of JL

Granted as he lost disney money

Wish Two Build DVC all over the place

Granted as it makes disney money

Wish three get rid off DDP

Fat chance makes disney too much money paid or free

Paul

 

[edk35]

So was Disney allowing segmenting for people who are staying at the resorts with ressies booked through CRO? Just curious...or was the segmenting a DVC thing?

 

[tjkraz]

...OH HOW I WISH....they would just let us add how many nights we want.... for dining on a DVC stay. I would take advantage of that in a heartbeat. They can even call it "Dining Your Way". It would be nice to say I would like to have 2 quick service meal days and 3 regular dining days and 1 deluxe day for say a 7 night stay. Then you just get these at the beginning of your trip and you can use them whevever you want.

Problem is that goes contrary to the purpose of the dining plan(s). Disney created it as a length-of-stay product knowing that at least 2 things would happen:

1. Most guests would not bend over backward to maximize the value of their DDP credits over an extended period. Sure you may choose to use a TS credit for expensive meals like dinner at Chef Mickey's or Crystal Palace, but those meals would be offset by other TS credits going toward cheaper meals and locations.

2. Some credits even go unused. Given the amount of food involved, over a trip of 7 nights or more you better believe there are meal and snack credits that are never utilized.

When Disney allows "segmenting" or partial stay purchases, neither of the above occurs to any meaningful degree.

Every single person who considers segmenting chooses their restaurants carefully and KNOWS they will "save" by purchasing dining credits rather than simply paying menu prices. And very few credits go unused because the duration of the purchase is so short.

If Disney does someday allow for greater flexibility in its dining plans, expect to pay more.

I was surprised when DVC members got this "perk" in the first place but am not surprised to see it go. I agree with the poster who referred to it as a loophole. IMO it was something that was functionally possible with the new computer system but I have my doubts as to whether food & beverage execs really ever intended to offer DVC members such flexibility.

 

[Sammie]

Wow, I am surprised at how quick some of you are to judge DVC for this.

I am sure DVC does not control this situation and if you want to place blame, place it on Disney in general for not communicating well between departments.

This is the industry norm for very large companies, might not be the best policy but it is what it is.

 

[Sammie]

So was Disney allowing segmenting for people who are staying at the resorts with ressies booked through CRO? Just curious...or was the segmenting a DVC thing?

It was only offered to DVC and I am sure that caused complaints.

 

[bumbershoot]

Isn't it still possible to use the dining plan for part of a stay by making completely separate reservations?

The problem is that it's seriously difficult to MAKE something completely separate. I have a 2 bed at OKW, a studio at BW, then a 1 bedroom at OKW booked starting next Tuesday, and they were all booked at different times, but are under the same reservation number. Even though I didn't want that.

I don't actually understand why they would link those all under one reservation # to begin with though. But I know they do or have in the recent past.

Oh they're doing it. I think that some people wanted it, so they implemented it. I found it to be quite easy to have different numbers last December, as we went from 2 bedOKW to 1bedOKW (then offsite) then 1 bedAKJambo. Not difficult at all. Whereas this one reservation number no matter what is bugging me because I want to check in online and it won't let me! And because I *liked* having different numbers, because they are different reservations.

I haven't read this entire thread yet but OH HOW I WISH....they would just let us add how many nights we want.... for dining on a DVC stay. I would take advantage of that in a heartbeat. They can even call it "Dining Your Way". It would be nice to say I would like to have 2 quick service meal days and 3 regular dining days and 1 deluxe day for say a 7 night stay. Then you just get these at the beginning of your trip and you can use them whevever you want.

That's what Disneyland does, basically. And the only people who like it like it because it makes food feel pre-paid, not because it saves any money.

 

[jakenjess]

I just wish they'd let us buy a TIW card without an AP!! That's usually a better deal for us anyway, but at this stage of the game we're not traveling twice within a year period, so haven't been buying APs.

 

[ftballfan7]

Wow, I am surprised at how quick some of you are to judge DVC for this.

I am sure DVC does not control this situation and if you want to place blame, place it on Disney in general for not communicating well between departments.

This is the industry norm for very large companies, might not be the best policy but it is what it is.

I do not blame DVC for making the change. I do hold them responsible for the abruptness of the change and the lack of the communication in regards to it. There was no communication or warning whatsoever. There is a DVC website which should allow for better communication with the owners, and this is not the first case of less than stellar performance in this area.

In our case, we have been planning this vacation for 9 months and are currently 2 months out. As we all know DVC requires advance planning and our vacation was completely planned out. It has been our intention all along to segment the last 2 nights to include the DDP (and I believe I discussed it with the cm at the time I booked). Due to another change in their policy prior to our making our reservation that requires payment in full when you book DDP we held off segmenting and booking DDP until closer to our vacation. When I call today to segment the vacation and add DDP, I am told that as of this morning, reservations can no longer be segmented and that it is all or nothing for DDP. I already have ADRs for the days we planned on having DDP, but none for the rest of the trip. Even if I now wanted to get DDP for the entire trip I would be hard pressed getting decent ADRs for restaurants we would want to dine at. So yes I think it is bad custumer service to make changes such as this with no attempt at communication (isn't that what the DVC member website is for) or ability to phase in allowing for exceptions for those who have already booked their vacations.

I understand your assertion that this change could have originated from Disney and not so much from DVC. That being said, I am a customer of DVC directly and it is from DVC that I should expect a certain level of customer service. Again, I know that they have no contractual obligation to provide perks or allow DDP for their members, but the issue at hand is basic customer service and reasonable communication. I will not give DVC a free pass for their shortcomings when it comes to these issues. They are the ones I am doing business with.

 

[DebbieB]

I can't say I'm surprised, but it's very disappointing that -- ONCE AGAIN -- DVC is taking a nice perk away from their best customers with no notice whatsoever.

I thought Disney was a better company than that. Apparently not.

Do you recall any formal announcement from DVC that it existed in the first place? I searched old posts from last fall and it seems like it got started by word of mouth but DVC never formally put it in writing as an option. Perhaps because they did not have approval to do it.

So was Disney allowing segmenting for people who are staying at the resorts with ressies booked through CRO? Just curious...or was the segmenting a DVC thing?

You can book a room only without dining and then do a separate package reservation with dining & tickets. They would be separate reservations, not linked like DVC was doing.

 

[Chuck S]

I do not blame DVC for making the change. I do hold them responsible for the abruptness of the change and the lack of the communication in regards to it. There was no communication or warning whatsoever. There is a DVC website which should allow for better communication with the owners, and this is not the first case of less than stellar performance in this area.

In our case, we have been planning this vacation for 9 months and are currently 2 months out. As we all know DVC requires advance planning and our vacation was completely planned out. It has been our intention all along to segment the last 2 nights to include the DDP (and I believe I discussed it with the cm at the time I booked). Due to another change in their policy prior to our making our reservation that requires payment in full when you book DDP we held off segmenting and booking DDP until closer to our vacation. When I call today to segment the vacation and add DDP, I am told that as of this morning, reservations can no longer be segmented and that it is all or nothing for DDP. I already have ADRs for the days we planned on having DDP, but none for the rest of the trip. Even if I now wanted to get DDP for the entire trip I would be hard pressed getting decent ADRs for restaurants we would want to dine at. So yes I think it is bad custumer service to make changes such as this with no attempt at communication (isn't that what the DVC member website is for) or ability to phase in allowing for exceptions for those who have already booked their vacations.

I understand your assertion that this change could have originated from Disney and not so much from DVC. That being said, I am a customer of DVC directly and it is from DVC that I should expect a certain level of customer service. Again, I know that they have no contractual obligation to provide perks or allow DDP for their members, but the issue at hand is basic customer service and reasonable communication. I will not give DVC a free pass for their shortcomings when it comes to these issues. They are the ones I am doing business with.

Not exactly. You are doing business, as far as the DDP, with Disney parks and Resorts. DVC is simply the middle man, and again, it is by an agreement with Disney Parks and resorts that the DDPs are even available. Disney runs the DDP, not DVC. If Disney suddenly decided to pull the DDP from DVC completely, or not renew the contract, or enforce additional restrictions, DVC would have no choice, and no way of pre-informing members. The DDP with segmenting was not being booked/used in the way it was designed to be sold. As others said, it was a loophole, and Disney likely closed it. Maximizing the DDP, which segmenting allowed, cost Disney $$ in a way that was not intended.

Again, most "all-inclusive" type plans do NOT save $$, they make big bucks for the resorts that offer them.

If you buy an Olive Garden gift card at Walgreen's, would you expect the drug store to be resposible for policy changes Olive Garden may make? After all, you purchased the card from Walgreen's, not Olive Garden.

 

[kristenrice]

Two questions...

First, I arrive on October 13 and we're staying at BLT in a studio for 2 nights with the DxDDP already paid for. Then, on the same reservation number, we are moving to std 1BR at BWV for three nights without a dining plan. Am I to assume that this will not change?

Second, we have a segmented reservation booked for June 2012. Each night is in a 2BR but we have night 1: cash; night 2: points; nights 3-6: points; night 7: cash. Since we have not yet added a DP to any portion of this reservation, I am assuming that it will no longer be possible to do so, correct.

We will have 1 TIW card for the 15 of us so perhaps we will need to look into buying a 2nd one. We can recoup the savings on a meal at CRT alone!

 

[zalansky]

What a shame! But I am not the least bit shocked. We just got back from 4 nights at BCV. I had called two weeks ago and added the basic dining plan for nights 2 & 3 - once I read about it here. Everything went off without a hitch, as a matter of fact, they were kind enough at Beach Club to slide our new keys under our door the two times it changed over....so we never even had to stop at the front desk and have any hassle! I knew it was too good to be true and would not last long, when we received housekeeping on day 2 and day 4. Due to the fact it looked to the computer as if we were checking out and checking back in - we got full housekeeping twice in 4 days!
For that mere fact I knew it would not be long....then add the reports of people getting tons o' mugs and forget about it! We enjoyed it while it lasted.

That being said, I can't be too bitter. I think I am fairly sure that as much as I enjoy the Disney Dining Experience as part of my trips...I also think that the level of service and quality of food has diminished GREATLY over the past few years. The value coming into 2012 ($51+ per adult, per day) is no longer a value. I don't like feeling as if I have to order the most expensive things on the menu in order to get the most bang for my buck. I want to eat what I want to eat, and I really don't want OR need desserts! So, alas I fear the dining plan days are over for me and my family. We'll have one every now and again and pay out of pocket - and then go eat off-site. Its a shame, really...but Disney just isn't cutting it anymore. They cater to their "free dining" guests and that's that!