2008 DDP discussion, questions, rants and vents

[Jrabbit910]

I only read the first 14 pages so I apologize if these questions were asked already....
Someone brought up not getting a drink on the counter service meal w/ the regular plan.... is this true????

Imo: I thought the deluxe dining was way too much food but then I started thinking.... Certain days: I go out of pocket for breakfast (unless its buffet style, then I would use one of my ts credits); eat some kind of lunch and then have a counter service for dinner... other days: I would go out of pocket for breakfast, eat cs for lunch, ts for dinner... I thought the food was plentiful & we were always full....
NOW with the regular dining plan they are taking away (ts) appitizers which is fine w/ me as my dh & I usually get one app for the both of us when we eat out, also fine w/ us about the tipping cause we always tipped more (depending on service).

The thing that makes me wonder which is a better deal is how much money would we really spend on food when we are there if we didnt have the Deluxe???
Also, this is the first time that we will be traveling w/ a child... by the time we go he will still not be two yet, I dont know how much he is going to eat or what he is going to be able to eat...(anybody w/ children traveling to WDW at this age, please clue me in) but I want to make sure we all eat breakfast/lunch/dinner wherever w/o worrying about out of pocket money... besides tip and so on...

lastly: How does everyone figure out what they spend on food while on vacation?? Is there somewhere that shows pricing for character breakfasts and other menu pricing?

 

[emmababy]

Can someone tell me the cost per day now. I can't find that anywhere. Also, does the combo meals on the QS include drink and dessert? Have the snack choices been changed?

 

[asramears]

Can someone tell me the cost per day now. I can't find that anywhere. Also, does the combo meals on the QS include drink and dessert? Have the snack choices been changed?

The basic plan is $37.99 for age 10+, 9.99 for age 3-9. At least that is what a CM told me on 8/5. I didn't ask about the Deluxe Plan because I didn't think it would be worth it. Now I wish I had because I can't find the price anywhere....$70ish keeps going thru my head but I'm not sure where that comes from. Does anyone know the cost by day for the deluxe dining plan?

I think the CS does include drink/dessert.

From reading this WHOLE thread...what I'm getting about the snack (and I might be mistaken) is that nobody really knows if it has changed or not. The 2007 brochure reads the same as the 08 but there were many more choices. We will have to wait and see.

 

[kaytieeldr]

And yes, I'm sure it's people like us who have driven the DDP to change, but hey - I'm a yankee! And it was perfectly within the rules. I assume it's still the same, and that all credits are banked for the group in a nonspecific account.

Well, no, actually, it wasn’t ‘within the rules’ last year – it was a glitch in Disney’s system, them thinking that each Guest would use the credits as defined in the Plan/brochure; and, due to people thinking it was acceptable to abuse the DDP this way, Disney has now programmed its registers so this CANNOT be done – i.e. never ‘assume’ anything.

I find the tips the problem. Automatic tips are not good for consistent service, but to only reduce the cost $1 and make you pay for it is wrong. Figuring out making a minimal amount of profit over the current plan, you need to drop the cost more like $5 per person to help cover the tip and still make more money.

I respectfully disagree. By dropping – i.e. not being responsible for paying to the Cast Members – the tip, Disney IS making more money.

 

[mom2fivecs]

Just wondering if anyone would know if you could use your disney reward dollars from your disney visa card to pay for the tip in the upcoming year Looking for ways to stretch my money

 

[medalla74]

The basic plan is $37.99 for age 10+, 9.99 for age 3-9. At least that is what a CM told me on 8/5. I didn't ask about the Deluxe Plan because I didn't think it would be worth it. Now I wish I had because I can't find the price anywhere....$70ish keeps going thru my head but I'm not sure where that comes from. Does anyone know the cost by day for the deluxe dining plan?

I think the CS does include drink/dessert.

From reading this WHOLE thread...what I'm getting about the snack (and I might be mistaken) is that nobody really knows if it has changed or not. The 2007 brochure reads the same as the 08 but there were many more choices. We will have to wait and see.

I believe the Deluxe DDP wil be $69.99 for age 10+, and $19.99 for age 3-9. That's way too much for this family of 5.

 

[racefanof88]

Not sure if this has been covered or not. When I booked my package with the DDP this morning. The CM told me that at the table service meal you could pick one or the other dessert or appetizer. I thought that was good, because now dh and I can share! Just thought I'd add that tidbit in case it hadn't been brought up yet.

Well there went my balloon . I just called and spoke with Conrad (CM) to see if this is possible. He put me on hold and came back and said that they are NOT, at this time, allowing substitions. I for one would much rather have a nice salad instead of a sweet.

 

[pilferk]

The original source of a lot of the rumors was Len Testa's (unofficial guide) comments in Lou's podcast.

The rumors he listed included no tips, the deluxe plan, the wine plan and reduced snacks.

I can't see Disney going back to just the half dozen snacks listed in the brochure.

I relistened to the broadcast on my way today, and here's my impression:

Someone "leaked" the entire 2008 DDP and DXDDP brochures to Len. I think this because he quotes, almost verbatim, some of the langauge from the brochures.

That's particularly true when he's talking about snacks. He practically reads the language in the '08 brochure. So what I wonder is...did he make the same mistake many people here did when reading that language? And not realize it was the exact same in the '07 brochure. Because, to me, that's what it sounds like. I suspect that rumor might crop from a misunderstanding.... I don't have an email addy for Len, and I know they are famously slow on responding to questions on the podcast (it's a running joke), so I can't really ask him.

If anyone wants to listen for themselves, it's at about the 9:30 mark of the July 23rd podcast.

 

[Colleen27]

I put together a web version of the worksheet I used to judge the cost effectiveness of the deluxe dining plan for those who were wondering how it might work out. You can find the original spreadsheet and a chart on my web page with a quick overview here - Deluxe Dining Plan Analysis

 

[CarolA]

Well, no, actually, it wasn’t ‘within the rules’ last year – it was a glitch in Disney’s system, them thinking that each Guest would use the credits as defined in the Plan/brochure; and, due to people thinking it was acceptable to abuse the DDP this way, Disney has now programmed its registers so this CANNOT be done – i.e. never ‘assume’ anything.

.

I wondered if anyone else noticed this....

The "rules" are not "What we can get away with" LOL!

 

[pilferk]

Figured someone would counter with that. Yes I do, some years, but that is the company rewarding me for my work, not my company's clients (whom I compare with restaurant patrons). As a matter of fact, it is illegal for clients to give me anything directly. I don't want the responsibility of judging my server's performance, that should be the employer's responsibility. Subsequently, it is the employer (the restaurant) that I hold responsible for my service.

Different industry, different rules. But that's what it is...a "bonus" over your hourly pay. A reward for doing a good job.

You might not want the responsibility...and you can certainly choose not to undertake it...but now you're not arguing a Disney thing...you're arguing a cultural thing. It's the way things work here. The premise is that the patron is more aware, and more in a position, to judge the servers performance, on a case by case basis, than the employer is. The employer is not sitting there....and so has no direct experience. And if YOU don't want to judge your servers performance....then you also don't want to give the employer feedback...so ultimately you'd be holding them responsible for something they don't know anything about. It's a catch-22. One way or the other (tip or feedback), the patron has to "judge" the server.

Didn't think it was snide at all. That is what I usually do. But then where does the server get their incentive to provide good service? Some will say its my own fault for tipping a constant amount and not based on my service level, but that's my point. I don't want to be the one policing the servers using tips. I want the restaurant (or hotel, or transportation service company, etc.) to do that. And if I don't like the service I get from a particular restaurant, hotel, company, etc., then I'd take my business elsewhere.

You know, I get it's what you want...it's just not the way things work in the states. It IS the way things work in many other countries...but not here. We can argue which way is better (remember, as I pointed out, in other countries they just raise prices, really) but I'm not sure it's in the scope of this thread.

I do have to say, again, simply taking your business elsewhere, due to bad service the employer knows nothing about....I'm not sure that's the right approach either.

I can't believe you are calling me on a big blanket statement based on nothing but anecdotal or personal experience! I'm sure a DIS board poll would generate some irrefutable data just like it did for SSR owner's reservation habits....

But seriously, no, I don't have any hard facts for this claim. I agree that most people probably leave a "baseline" tip most of the time as you surmise, but I just go further and guess that most people don't alter that baseline much or at all unless the service is extraordinary either way, and even then they may not for reasons of being cheap or afraid of looking cheap. I just don't think that enough people use tips to truly reflect their satisfaction with service, therefore making them useless to regulate service quality.

Again, I think this will have to come down to us agreeing to disagree. My anecdotal experience is they do....poor service will get a poor tip, "normal" service will get the baseline, and superior service will get a superior tip. Yours may be different.....but neither of us is really going to prove our case, so....better to have a beer together and move on.

 

[racefanof88]

I relistened to the broadcast on my way today, and here's my impression:

Someone "leaked" the entire 2008 DDP and DXDDP brochures to Len. I think this because he quotes, almost verbatim, some of the langauge from the brochures.

That's particularly true when he's talking about snacks. He practically reads the language in the '08 brochure. So what I wonder is...did he make the same mistake many people here did when reading that language? And not realize it was the exact same in the '07 brochure. Because, to me, that's what it sounds like. I suspect that rumor might crop from a misunderstanding.... I don't have an email addy for Len, and I know they are famously slow on responding to questions on the podcast (it's a running joke), so I can't really ask him.

If anyone wants to listen for themselves, it's at about the 9:30 mark of the July 23rd podcast.

Once again, just to pass on what the CM told me, "the snacks are still anything under $4.00". I sure hope this holds true because I usually carry bottled water in the parks with me.(I don't like Orlando water) and I don't need to buy a drink so that would really limit what my family would have to chose from.

 

[racefanof88]

I must be insane and am I the only one who doesn't like the idea of the deluxe plan? When I go to Disney one sit down a day is just perfect but I don't want to spend my whole day eating. I want to spend my day playing at the parks. Three sit down meals a day is a waste of my Disney time. If I was on that plan I would feel like I had to eat all those meal to get the $70 per person per day worth plus you still have to pay gratuity on top of that.

I agree with you. I go to Disney to play in the parks not eat. For my family of 5 that would come out to be $300.00 per day(before tip). There is NO WAY we can eat $300.00 worth of food a day. On top of at least $300.00 a day for park tickets. So, I am going with the basic plan.

 

[SplashMountainMama]

I put together a web version of the worksheet I used to judge the cost effectiveness of the deluxe dining plan for those who were wondering how it might work out. You can find the original spreadsheet and a chart on my web page with a quick overview here - Deluxe Dining Plan Analysis

Wow! That's a pretty good savings already and you haven't even taken into account the snacks/mugs. So, even without using all the credits you can find good value in the plan. That is definitely interesting.Thanks for sharing.

 

[Colleen27]

Wow! That's a pretty good savings already and you haven't even taken into account the snacks/mugs. So, even without using all the credits you can find good value in the plan. That is definitely interesting.Thanks for sharing.

From my calculations, we'll get about a 18-20% savings out of the plan, even though we most likely won't use all the credits and we aren't making any effort to maximize anything.

 

[mello]

(I swear if you order a hamburger at the Rainforest I think they go butcher the cow while you wait.....!!! QUOTE]

I know... one of the forgotten meals was mac n cheese (most likely some form of "EasyMac"), and even after reminding them about it, we were thinking, "What are they doing, making the pasta from scratch back there and waiting for it to dry???)

Interesting to know it isn't just the one RFC.

 

[Blueyed Girl]

The restaurants listed in the 2008 DDP list. Are these the only restaurants that are going to honor the DP in '08??? There aren't very many, especially at Epcot & DTD.

 

[marivaid]

I put together a web version of the worksheet I used to judge the cost effectiveness of the deluxe dining plan for those who were wondering how it might work out. You can find the original spreadsheet and a chart on my web page with a quick overview here - Deluxe Dining Plan Analysis

NICE !!
The Deluxe plan is really looking good especially compared to the basic.

I'm starting to wonder, maybe it was Disney's plan all along. Get people "hooked" on Disney dining with a cheap package (even if it meant losing money for a while), then make up a new plan with more options and a bigger price - guests who enjoyed Disney dining and still want appetizers and more TS will buy this plan. Wouldn't be surprised if it became more popular than the basic, even at that price.
I know for sure we won't even consider paying for the basic plan.

If we go back in February we'll be bringing my sister & her friend who have never been to WDW. I need to work on a chart myself & see if it'd be worth it to book their ressie separately as package and add the Deluxe plan for them, or if it'd be more or less the same savings by using our DDE for everyone.

 

[UConnJack]

You might not want the responsibility...and you can certainly choose not to undertake it...but now you're not arguing a Disney thing...you're arguing a cultural thing. It's the way things work here. The premise is that the patron is more aware, and more in a position, to judge the servers performance, on a case by case basis, than the employer is. The employer is not sitting there....and so has no direct experience. And if YOU don't want to judge your servers performance....then you also don't want to give the employer feedback...so ultimately you'd be holding them responsible for something they don't know anything about. It's a catch-22. One way or the other (tip or feedback), the patron has to "judge" the server.

Point taken, but then again I don't have an issue making a compliant or compliment to a server or manger. I guess that goes against my arguement that I don't want to be responsible for evaluating service, but I guess its more acurate for me to say I don't like deciding what monetary value to put that evaluation in the form of a tip, then assume or hope that the server will get the message. I would rather make a a clear complaint (or compliment) to the server or manager rather than use an often cryptic message in the form of a tip. I even often fill out the survey cards on the table when available.

You know, I get it's what you want...it's just not the way things work in the states. It IS the way things work in many other countries...but not here. We can argue which way is better (remember, as I pointed out, in other countries they just raise prices, really) but I'm not sure it's in the scope of this thread..

Oh, I know. I'm just venting against all the posters who are praising the elimiatation of the tip from the DDP since I just personally liked having the "tip" built in for the various reasons I've given, and have never been convinced tips affect service all that much. I don't expect the tipping culture we have to change, I'm just personally not a fan of it.

Yours may be different.....but neither of us is really going to prove our case, so....better to have a beer together and move on.

So long as I don't have to tip the bartender......

 

[UConnJack]

I'm starting to wonder, maybe it was Disney's plan all along. Get people "hooked" on Disney dining with a cheap package (even if it meant losing money for a while), then make up a new plan with more options and a bigger price - guests who enjoyed Disney dining and still want appetizers and more TS will buy this plan.

Disney = crack dealers