Anybody else want DDP to end!!

[sean-1966]

I remember when you could get ADR's the night before. I hate having to plan which park and whigh restaurant we're going to visit 3 months before we even arrive. Now I've heard that the food has started to become standardized in each restaurant. You know, each restaurant serves the same 5 dishes. Service is suffering because the employees are having their tips taxed. I'll be glad when they ditch this dining plan and get back to some high end food with some high end service. Experiencing top quality food was one of the drawing cards for us. We loved visiting all the top end restaurants and trying all the speciality dishes. I'd rather pay more money and have it the way it was 10 years ago. Anybody agree??

 

[mumeof3]

can't say I do because if it were not for this DDP(the free one of course!!!!) my family would not be able to afford to eat at any of these restaraunts god only knows it's so expensive to go to the parks in the first place.

But do agree that maybe some restaraunts should maybe not except the plan ,like the high end that make you use 2 credits and this may cut out on people,besides I am not into fancy food because if I were I could get that in any city and wouldn't need to eat it at Disney.
I also thing that they should only take so many ADR"S per day and lave the rest for just walk ins...

 

[budbeerlady]

I also am a big fan of the ddp, Otherwise we would be more conservative with our eating. We would still book a ts every night but it wouldnt be appetizers and dessert for all of us.

I think with so many people traveling year round, and thanks to helpful boards like the dis there are just more ressies made regardless if there were a plan or not. (If not for the dis I wouldnt have known how important ADRs are!) I think the world is a fun and different place to eat and I hope nothing changes.

 

[BillSears]

I think I'd be happy to see it end. I also used to like being able to walk up to most TS places and get a table. I even remember that when were we in the MK back in the early 90s we'd walk right up to the castle and be able to get lunch or dinner with no reservations. Le Cellier used to be easy to walk in also.

Now adays I've got to plan what park I want to be in 180 days out if I want to guarentee a sit down donner.

 

[ukwildcat]

I'm with the OP. I too remember when you could get ADRs the day before, or even the same day. Walk-ups were ususally not problem either. It's dissappointing to make a spur of the moment trip and not be able to eat at the restaurants you want.

Likewise, I think the food/service has suffered.

 

[CPer'sMom]

Sorry to those who like the plan, but I totally agree with you. Planning the ADRs and dining at our favorites during vacation is just part of the magic of a Disney trip for us.

IMO the DDP has hurt the quality of both the food and the service at many of the TS restaurants. Let me explain just why I feel that way ....
Many people who are on the plan seem to think that they just *have* to order everything for each & every person in their group on the plan - no matter that they may only eat a bite or two of that appetizer or dessert, but Hey, they're entitled to it, so why not?! That adds up to a lot of "wasted" food. It's the same type of mentality that you see at a buffet ~ people pile their plates with everything, eat a few bites & leave the rest and then go back to get another plate and start over.

Whether or not it's "right", I think that the chefs at the various restaurants see that and truly are not delivering the quality of dishes that we're used to.

Tips are a whole 'nother subject ~ I would almost bet that servers are not bringing in the tips they "should" based upon the value of the meals served.
When you can order whatever without regard to the actual price, many diners probably don't actually realize just how high the cost of that meal *would have* been.

I too would rather pay for my meals at the "higher" end Disney restaurants and get the quality of meals we used to get there. Guess I'll just have to start planning our trips only during the time periods when there is no free dining and hope that the quality returns during those times.

I know many of you won't agree with this, but it's just my personal opinion on the whole dining plan thing. I don't mean to offend anyone ~

 

[reeeoga]

NNNOOOOOOO!!!!!

OK I understand your problems, but I want the DDP. I also have a solution.

Set asside a certain percentage of the available seats for Walk-ups only. That way you could do a spur of the moment trip.

I would also like to see certain places go to 2 TS. This would allow for "Better" service and give you (and me) the option of going to a "high Falooten" eaten place

 

[familydisney]

I love DDP because it llows me to eat at many places I would never get to eat were it not included. I bought the DDP last January and it cost me $580 for 6 days for four. I would be hard pressed to eat counter service and spend less. But we get to eat at lecellier Chef Du France, Three character meals and Ohana! Total of tickets was $1180!!!

Also, I asked a server if they did get tipped the entire 18 percent as it showed on the ticket and she said yes-- they love the DDP because they make more because the average ticket size is larger and they are busier!

Sorry if it's hard to "walk-in" and get a table, but what's wrong with a little advance planning?

 

[DVC Grammy]

I remember when you could get ADR's the night before. I hate having to plan which park and whigh restaurant we're going to visit 3 months before we even arrive. Now I've heard that the food has started to become standardized in each restaurant. You know, each restaurant serves the same 5 dishes. Service is suffering because the employees are having their tips taxed. I'll be glad when they ditch this dining plan and get back to some high end food with some high end service. Experiencing top quality food was one of the drawing cards for us. We loved visiting all the top end restaurants and trying all the speciality dishes. I'd rather pay more money and have it the way it was 10 years ago. Anybody agree??

Maybe if they eliminated the "free" DDP, and required folks to pay for it (still a good value for some), the TS restaurants wouldn't be so overburdened, and the quality of the food and the service would improve.
Another option could be to make the DDE available to any on-site guest, and spread the usage to CS places, too.
Just some thoughts...............don't want to start a war!

 

[Step]

Lol, most of what you guys are saying is totally unfounded. How could one month of free dining ruin the quality of food for the whole year? I think it's more likely that the downturn in quality is related to the economy and other larger factors. In fact the free dining brings in more people during the fall in order to bring in revenue, which in turn could be applied to improving the dining experience.

Besides, they can only continue to turn people away for so long before they start building more restaurants to accomodate the extra reservations.

 

[CarolA]

Ate in France at Epcot last Saturday night with no reservations. Did not see the "same five things" on the menu as everyplace else. Had great service.


So do I have an issue with DDP? Nope!

 

[NeverlandClub23]

There has almost always been some type of dining plan around at WDW. Just over the years they have cut the price and options back quite a bit. When we went in '93 it was pretty expensive but you got 3 TS meals a day (with no restrictions on any TS places except of course V&A's) and each person got an appetizer, entree, and dessert. I think it's a good option for people who normally would do all CS meals and want to try out TS places. I think the biggest change with needing ADR's is two things. Since 9/11 (when tourism drastically dropped) tourism and people vacationing has gone steadily up every year making what was true a few years ago no longer true. Another thing (as I stated on another thread) after having a friendly conversation with the manager at Tony's at MK, I found out that Disney restaurants used to accept PS's (now ADR's) for only 50% of their restaurants and kept the other 50% open for walk ups, making ADR's not a necessity and not as popular (especially with non-planners or people who liked the spontaneity). Over the years it became apparent that more people were wanting to make ADR's and the restaurants weren't filling up with the walk ins so they all switched to open up the restaurant 100% to ADR's (with any time slots not taken by guests they would except walk ups), which made more money for Disney (as they were filling up every table) and kept more people who wanted to make ADR's from being blocked out of getting ADR's and having to wait a long time as a walk up. I also do believe DDP has had an impact on this as well. Not only first DDP'ers but people who did it on a previous year (or did during the free DDP) and really liked the TS places and decided to do the DDP again the next trip or pay OOP. We've never done the new, cheaper DDP because we enjoy doing more TS places than the plan allows. I'm glad more people get to enjoy the TS places as that is one of the main reasons we love Disney! I think Disney will eventually make the plan more expensive (inevitably, don't they make everything more expensive? ) and maybe that would keep people from purchasing it but it is really such a good deal for people who do all CS meals or already do 1 TS meal a day.

 

[kimntrent]

I have never had to plan where we eat before until now. I feel like second class citizens when I call to do an ADR and am asked right off if I am on the dining plan. NO I am not. I save and save to go to these places for dinner and I like that you can walk into MGM in the am and walk up to 50's Primetime and get a priority seating or call the night before. I don't like having to call 3 months before. I don't know where I am going day to day. Dining plan is fine, free dining plan is ruining it for everyone. Even those who have paid for the dining plan. I have also heard that the meals are smaller now and sharing if frowned upon. We always use to share because if we didn't they wouldn't sell a dessert.

So bottom like for me No I don't like the Free, if you wanna pay for it Okay.

 

[princess jasmine27]

i think that everyone should lighten up and just enjoy the fact that they are even able to afford to go to disney in the first place. i know a few people who would love the opportunity to even set foot in disney but will probably never be able to afford to. you can't always please everybody and people should be grateful for what they have instead of "finding" things to complain about. i'm happy just going free dining or not.

 

[Aimeedyan]

I have family in Orlando - they are ALWAYS able to get a TS reservation or walk up at the last minute. This board often seems to blow things out of proportion =) We have done last minute and walk up dining while there even after the dining plan began and never had a problem!

There were ALWAYS places that were booked in advance, those restaurants just change with time. LeCellier is now one of them, but Alfredo's and CRT are easier to get into. I don't see anything really new.

Also, this isn't the first dining plan Disney has had.

Though we don't usually qualify for the DDP, I think it's unfair to blame everything on it as I don't think things have changed as much as many would like to think. We've almost always made reservations, slow time or not, because it's the smart thing to do if you want a TS meal. DDP has not changed anything in that respect.

 

[disney09]

Yes, there is a down to the DDP.. in my two prior visiting, and not being a DISer, I just walked to the restaurants that I wanted, with the exception of Epcot, we would go to the reservations area (you know, with the monitors at the entrance, is it there still?), and choose from there what was available.
I remember walking through LTT for lunch one rainy day of May back in '97, we waited a bit but not much, and we loved it! it was the most wonderful dining experience at the World and still treasured it. We didn't even know the name of the restaurant, we just referred it as the "President's" restaurant.
BUT, having said this, I also love to plan, and the free DDP was a plus to us! we were even thinking of going to Disneyland now in our 3rd trip, but then I came across with the free dining and.. voilá!! Disneyworld it is.
I enjoy great food, so I hope I will not be dissapointed with my choices, even though I'm still changing my ADR's!
So, it's good not to have the DDP when you just want to go with the tide. But it's also good to enjoy so many TS! Just MHO.

 

[CarolA]

I have family in Orlando - they are ALWAYS able to get a TS reservation or walk up at the last minute. This board often seems to blow things out of proportion =) We have done last minute and walk up dining while there even after the dining plan began and never had a problem!

There were ALWAYS places that were booked in advance, those restaurants just change with time. LeCellier is now one of them, but Alfredo's and CRT are easier to get into. I don't see anything really new.

Also, this isn't the first dining plan Disney has had.

Though we don't usually qualify for the DDP, I think it's unfair to blame everything on it as I don't think things have changed as much as many would like to think. We've almost always made reservations, slow time or not, because it's the smart thing to do if you want a TS meal. DDP has not changed anything in that respect.

I think that you have some very valid points. I don't make ADRs unless I want LeCellier. As I said above last weekend I walked up to Chefs de France. In June I walked into Rose and Crown and Nine Dragons (I won't walk into Nine Dragons again!) I also called at 5 pm and made a reservation for Flying Fish.....


This past week my best friend called and made several reservations for the last week in August for a party of EIGHT! (Walking in anyplace in America with a party of 8 is difficult LOL)

I also don't expect to eat right at 6 PM or noon. That was never really doable even BEFORE DDP became so popular. I am always amazed that right at noon 10,000 people suddenly race for lunch. (Look at the lines at the CS resturants 11:30 short, 1 PM short, NOON LONG! And by the way, look left.. I walked into Tusker House this weekend. Lines were all the way across the room... pushed thru, line on the far end had ONE person in it... Good for me, bad for the folks paying NO attention!)

I think the BIGGER issue is that travel is WAY up from a few years ago. Look at the room rates. Disney has been giving far fewer room discounts this summer. For the first time I can remember AP rates were limited to "select" hotels etc. Look at your flights, every seat is full.

There are more people at Disney then there were even a year ago. More of them are "trapped" at Disney due to ME so they are looking for places to eat.

Disney hasn't really added any resturants so that's MORE people wanting the same seats.

(And as for asking if your are DDP making you feel like a second class citizen, WHY? They are trying to provide service so that when you book Jiko or something they can remind you that it's 2 credits. That "2nd class" is in your head not Disney's...)

 

[Quinn222]

I'll be glad when they ditch this dining plan and get back to some high end food with some high end service.

I'm with you. The menus have become boring and uninventive. Can we please get $4 a pound salmon off of every menu (which they charge $25 for) and get something interesting on there?

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Sorry if it's hard to "walk-in" and get a table, but what's wrong with a little advance planning?

It's a lot of advance planning, not a little, and it can be stifling sometimes. Last year, I had the whole trip planned - including ADR's...then Disney changed the EMH schedule. What a waste! I had to change everything. Sometimes, you plan a QS, but decide that you wnat to try somethign new instead....under the current system, you can't get a last minute ADR. It's less fun. I also feel sorry for the first timers. Sometimes we've been able to find SOMETHING when we call day of, and other times we found everything booked up

(We tried for a dinner ADR, 5 people, in MK, or any of the monorail resorts, 5 people, day of calling around noon ...I think they had one ADR left at like ten pm at the campground buffet or 9:30 pm over at CBR. I count that as everything booked up.)

I'm not sure that DDP is responsible for homogenizing the menus though...I think that will happen to some extent anyhow. Disney will do what's easiest for Disney.
But in some ways, I think the Disney menus are offering more diversity than they used to. In the past, you could never get hummous or Asian nooodles at a QS, it was burgers and fries and chicken strips at most QS places. Though I understand they dropped regional dishes at Olivias and POFQ recently.

 

[Boardwalk Tigger]

When we will be there it isn't free dining but you pay the $37 or $38 a person for it. Do you think the quality of the food is down then too? Are the restaurants jammed with people on the DDP? I generally prefer not to support anything that jams up the restaurants and lowers the quality of the food. I presumed that free dining was really offered at slower months to entice people to come. Am I wrong about that? I am not sure the DDP is for me anyways as we like to have to have two sitdown meals a day. We really don't like counter service at all.