2008 DDP discussion, questions, rants and vents

[poeticdiabetic]

See, given the logic on my previous post, I have made the following decision:

I am going to go with the Deluxe plan when we go next April. Why? Because whatever savings we get from moving offsite would be offset by the inconvenience of leaving the parks to go and eat and/or sleep. I personally like staying in the parks for everything.

Oh, and I still love the Extra Magic Hours, so I would not even think of staying at a hotel. Oh, and I also like the fact that my room key replaces my cash and my credit cards. And I am the kind of person that would pay a premium price for quality and ease of use.

But for those who would work with a little more inconvenience to save some extra money, staying and/or eating offsite will do the trick. It's just a matter of personal preference. Me? I penny pinch all year. I splurge on vacation.

 

[bicker]

Has anyone asked what happens if we have part of our trip in 2007 and the second part in 2008? We're going for NYE and I have the DDP added to our ressie...

All indications are that folks who check in before January 1 will be subject to the terms of the 2007 Dining Plan for the entire length of their reservation (up to 10 nights).

 

[ilovediznee]

With the new Deluxe Plan, it says you get three meals - are they all TS, or do you get 2 TS and 1 CS?

thanks - Di

 

[honeymo78]

On deluxe you can use your credits for TS or CS - you choose, there is no distinction b/w the two types like on basic dining.

 

[NMW]

Well, I think I posted on about 7 different threads about how much I love the new deluxe dining plan.

Every time I ever completed a survey for Disney in the past 3 years, I begged for a plan like this. My family WANTS to do a character breakfast and a signature dinner one day, a character breakfast, TS lunch and 1 credit TS dinner the next night. We did this with the regular dining plan and paid A LOT of money OOP. The Deluxe plan is sooo perfect for us and so resonably priced at 69.99, I could almost jump up and down with excitement.

This morning I changed my May 08 Beach Club ressie to a package. The Cm asked me if I heard about the new deluxe plan yet...I said "Yes, I love it." She told me that she had added the deluxe plan to people's ressies all morning. She said the response is really positive because a lot of people didn't like the CS option in the regular DDP, but didn't want to jump up to the premium plan because it included all the activities (tours, water craft) that a lot of people just didn't want.

Also she said not all restaurants have signed contracts with Disney for the dining plan yet, and more will be added. She said Yak and Yeti is supposed to be added as well as some Epcot ones and DTD places.

The wine package is 39.99 a night and gives you the wine in your room at night if you want it. You can add it to any dining plan. I didn't add it.

Tax is inlcuded with the Deluxe plan, but not tip. She sounded like she was reading a printout on that. She also said an automatic gratuity of 18% is added to parties on 6 or more on the dining plan or NOT on the dining plan. So the person who asked about the 18% at buffets with 6 or more, yes the tip is included no matter what.

 

[heatherlynn444]

ok, so who wants the old plan back with the "wishes" you got. we were on like a gold package or something or other in 2003 and we got two TS meals a day, it was PERFECT IMO. not to much food, but we like to eat two TS a day. why just one OR 3? where is teh middle ground hhm... anyway, i will probably do the deluxe plan for our NEXT trip unless we stay concierge. this way we can eat at more 2 TS credit places, and still have a TS breakfast or lunch. i dont mind paying b.c we LOVE to eat and thats a big part of disney for us, all teh different food expereinces, so maybe places will be less crowded! also, I like that Tip is not included. i have had soem TREEIBLE servers who did NOT deserve 18% tip. maybe they will step up the service some now sicne they have to really work for their tip!

 

[pilferk]

Finally made up my mind! Di$ney has made it for me

What's the place between Applebees and Bennigans? Any good?

One of the things I wish WDW had was a BBQ place.....though with how tough it is to do good BBQ...maybe not.

Is there a good one somewhere around the "world"? Relatively close by?

 

[waughzoo]

What is the price of child (age 3 - 9) on the Deluxe Dining Package?

I assume the adult is $69.99 for Deluxe and the Basic dining plan is $37.99 per adult and $10.99 per child. Please correct if I a mistaken.

 

[poeticdiabetic]

Child (3-9) price on the deluxe plan is $20 a day.

 

[MomWith2Cinderellas]

What is the price of child (age 3 - 9) on the Deluxe Dining Package?

I assume the adult is $69.99 for Deluxe and the Basic dining plan is $37.99 per adult and $10.99 per child. Please correct if I a mistaken.

Adult on Deluxe plan is $69.99 and the child is $19.99

Adult on the Basic Dining Plan $37.99 and the child is $9.99

I am for now doing the basic plan, but really want to sit and figure everything out to see if the Deluxe would be better for us.

 

[bigmoonmullen]

Hi all:

A lot of interesting comments...

Personally I think the Signature Restaurants are going to be impacted greatly if the Deluxe Dining Plan takes off... Most days I would be happy to eat a bagel or muffin for breakfast and eat dinner at one of the Signature restaurants... Will it be tougher to get a ADR for one of these restaurants? I bet it will... Will the quality suffer? Unknown.

I do like the wine option...

Have a Great Day & Trip everyone...

Mark

 

[william4192]

I don't like the cheaper dining plan, the basic I guess. Not a good value to me. The deluxe is interesting, but I wonder if we could just save more going OOP. I'd like to see someone do a "study" on it. If I was taking a big vacation, and didn't have a huge family, I might splurge on it. I think next year we are going to go OOP on our big trip to the world. We have been on the DDP the last two years (DVC and paid to have it added). I'd personally like one app and one dessert, but we like to have the excess food and to sample. We figure we are on vacation and like to splurge, the DDP was splurging for us.


I think Disney can create any package they like and charge what ever they like, and we can choose to buy or not.

Honestly, we always end up needing more TS credits on vacation than the DDP gave us. We really like to sit down and eat meals and we don't worry about the parks or riding all the rides too much. Of course, we are two adults. We enjoy hopping parks (even if it does "waste" time ). we are on vacation. There are many times we leave a park to travel to a resort to eat and then go back to the same park. We enjoy that.

I'm thinking the Deluxe might be worth the money. Personally, I'd be happy just breaking even and not worrying about the cash. I really hate the tip is not included. I'd rather just pay more upfront as I hate worrying about that (honestly, I'm a cheap tipper b/c I hate the concept). Please don't flame me for that. It is off topic and not my point.

 

[Becky2005]

Well, I think I posted on about 7 different threads about how much I love the new deluxe dining plan.

Every time I ever completed a survey for Disney in the past 3 years, I begged for a plan like this. My family WANTS to do a character breakfast and a signature dinner one day, a character breakfast, TS lunch and 1 credit TS dinner the next night. We did this with the regular dining plan and paid A LOT of money OOP. The Deluxe plan is sooo perfect for us and so resonably priced at 69.99, I could almost jump up and down with excitement.

I'm with you! I know I'm one of the minorities too for being *so* excited when I read about the Deluxe plan. I'm all for it.

We went on the Premium plan last time & it was right when MYW came out & the dining plan was new, etc... My DH didn't want to deal with worrying about CS vs. TS vs. whatever. So..Mr. Frugal -- said "go with the Premium" as food is a big part of our vacations & yes, we DID do 3 sit-downs on a couple of days. We never tried to maximize or value or anything like that.

I could have lived without all the activities but we did those anyway because if you just did it for the food it would have been *really* expensive plan.

I had so wanted a 3 meal/day plan & so when I saw this I was . Then the 2 added snacks & refillable mugs! Which were NOT part of the Premium last time (no snacks).

My only catch is I don't think we are going in 2008, so I'm *hoping* they keep it for at least another year. My thinking is if it's like the previous plans, they will definitely keep it 2 years even with some tweaking if need be.

 

[Sparklin]

subbing here to keep up.

I would like to say a couple things. Some people have sounded a bit negative to those who aren't happy with the changes. It's not that most of can't see why Disney changed the plan, it is that we don't like it. It costs us more so of course we aren't happy. How many people compain about the prices of milk when it goes up, stamps, etc. No one likes to pay more.

And also, while some changes had to be placed and there is always increases of prices over time, one other thing to consider is that Disney will lose some money everytime someone now eats off site. Even if it is a $6 meal at McDonalds. That is $6 they might have had at their CS place. Sure Disney doesn't make as much money for someone who is using the DDP verses someone paying out of pocket, the more they can keep you totally on site the more money for them and not some other company. I don't think it will make or break Disney. But there are people who will now stay off site or eat off site instead of sticking with Disney places. There are a lot of places that offer one thing cheaper just to keep you at their places longer. (Vegas for one) Hense the dining plan. It makes most of us want to stay on Disney property to take advantage of the plan. And that means more hotel stays, food, alcohol, and gifts bought at Disney owned places rather than some other place. The longer you stay at a park the more money you'll spend there. Extra cokes, alcohol drinks is a big money maker at all TS restaurants, snacks above the ones given and the more you'll spend at disney shops at the parks. (there is only so many times you can pass a Disney booth/store before your kids talk you into buying them something:lol


I really liked the idea of not having to worry about paying tip, etc. I like to eat so I definatly liked to be able to try new things including apps and desserts. We might still keep with it. I'm not sure, I have to do the math to see if it is worth the money for us. As a family on a budget I need to see what works best for us a whole.

I do agree that the taking advantage of things contributed to these changes. However, I disagree that using your allowed credits is a bad thing. You paid for X amount of snacks. And you deserve those snacks even if you eat them on the plane and not at the park. Now having adults ordering kids meals, yeah that's a different story.

I too wish there was a middle package but they aren't going to please us all. The basic isn't enough for us but the deluxe is a bit too much. (again on a budget) So I think I'm best at just going thru the menus to see what we'd order and about what the costs would be. If we didn't do the dining plan I know we probably wouldn't go to the nicer places to eat. And that bums me out some. Disney parks are for my kids, the nice restaurants I'd normally never eat at is for me.:lol: That is the part I look forward to almost as much as seeing my kids have fun. I know this is silly but with my husband, seeing the bill and paying say $100 for dinner, doesn't make him super happy. But if we have meals prepaid even if it is the same cost just up front he is better about it. Silly I know, but that is how he is.:lol:

 

[Disneyof3]

Question regarding the snacks. In 2007 it was anything under $4.00, has that changed now?? I read it only included frito bag of chips, pop, etc. I know things will change in the next couple of months and when it does start in 2008 things will change likely every week like they did last year. I'm very confused with the new 2008 plan. I love disney like everyone here and I know disney has to make profits but putting it down $1.00 is utterly insulting!!!!! Disney was laying off people before the DDP came out because they couldn't fill there restaurants and hotels. Now they are complaining that they don't have enough staff and people are complaining about the restaurants being too packed and the service sucks! I don't get it?? You can't get your cake and eat it too!!! Unless your disney CEO's. I will have to check out the numbers and do some math but looks like to me that DDP is out and possibly WDW too. Las Vegas and other vacation places are sounding better everyday...

 

[MommySiobhan]

It also says that for parties of 6 or more, an 18% gratuity is automatically added, so make sure you plan on taking enough cash for tips with you accordingly.

 

[Lewisc]

The 2006 and 2007 brochure listed a half dozen or so snack items that are included and then added that any other item with a DDP logo on the menu board is also included. Disney never officially posted a $4.00 rule.

Disney really doesn't have to announce anything, they can always reduce the number of items with the DDP logo.

I wouldn't be surprised if Disney excluded large snacks, that aren't intended to be consusmed by a single individual at one time. Many of us were surprised that "snacks" included things like a box of donuts and a large bottle of milk

Question regarding the snacks. In 2007 it was anything under $4.00, has that changed now?? I read it only included frito bag of chips, pop, etc. I know things will change in the next couple of months and when it does start in 2008

 

[Sparklin]

WOW that is big for a snack!

I usually tip 20% so that isn't a concern for us at all. I just really liked not having to think about it. But like some say, maybe it will improve the service others were talking about. And make a more enjoyable experience for everyone. This vacation is going to cost a lot of money for us so I want it to be as nice as I can for the money we have to work with. I know some go every year or more. But for us this will be the first time and it will be a very long time before we could afford this again. So I want it to be special for all of us. And as sad as it sounds, the fat girl in me is really looking forward to nice dining at places I've never been to. For many years I've seen on food shows disney dining and special desserts. I can't wait to give them a try!

 

[thunderbird1]

Wow--the rumor mill was almost dead on, again. I think the thing that surprises me the most is the cutting back on snack options. The limited snacks alone makes the DDP less attractive for longer stays. Really--how many bags of fritos do you really want to eat on vacation?

I think I like the changes to the 2008 plan. I think an appetizer, entree AND dessert for the TS meal was way too much food.

I get what you're saying about the amount of food, but I don't see what's to like about a big price increase coupled with a serious reduction in benefits. I suppose might still look good to people who knew nothing about the "old" DDP.

It's not the appetizer versus dessert dilemma for us. It is the gratuity. I loved looking at the menu and ordering what I wanted without looking at the price.

Plus, We always fly down, use Magical Express (not renting a car has limited us to only WDW), stay onsite, and get the DDP. We enjoy the all-inclusive aspect of it.

It's that all-inclusive part that I'm going to miss as well. It was so nice to have everything taken care of ahead of time for the whole trip. Having to do tips every night, plus pay OOP for snacks and breakfasts increases the "cost" of the plan even more.

Because whatever savings we get from moving offsite would be offset by the inconvenience of leaving the parks to go and eat and/or sleep. I personally like staying in the parks for everything.

Oh, and I still love the Extra Magic Hours, so I would not even think of staying at a hotel. Oh, and I also like the fact that my room key replaces my cash and my credit cards. And I am the kind of person that would pay a premium price for quality and ease of use.

I'm with you. How many hours in WDW do you actually have on an average vacation? I'd much rather spend half an hour stopping at a CS restaurant in between Splash Mountain and Peter Pan than spend 3 hours leaving the park, driving to a restaurant, eating, and returning to the park.

All indications are that folks who check in before January 1 will be subject to the terms of the 2007 Dining Plan for the entire length of their reservation (up to 10 nights).

I think maximum package length is now 14 nights. Of course, you'd most likely be paying holiday rates for the entire stay, the added cost of which may surpass any savings you'd get from staying on the old DDP.

Bottom line for us? It was fun while it lasted, but the 2008 plan is not worth purchasing. Even if they offer it for free next August/September, I'm not sure we wouldn't be better off with a discounted or AP room rate and DDE card. At least then we wouldn't have to do as much planning and could order exactly what we want everywhere.

 

[RACHELSMOM1]

I have a different take on the DDP changes and the DDP in general. I got it free twice, and that makes up for me having to pay for any of it, including tips. I am also very excited about the deluxe plan. I always have to choose which place we will not dine at because we only have so many TS credits for each trip. I would love to be able to do all the signature places we would like to do in one trip. Sounds quite nice to me. We would do HDDR, CRT, CG, Narcoosee's, Hollywood Brown Derby, Spirit of Aloha Show, and whatever else we planned in one trip. What is not to like about that? It may not make sense to some, but for my family it is just right!