Anyone ever had problems on the DDP?

[Symphony]

We've just come back from 2 weeks on the DDP and I have to say I found it brilliant, a lot of food but brilliant! In every restaurant the staff were so helpful and explained everything to us.

The exception was Italy. In both restaurants on 3 seperate occassions we had lovely, bright and cheerful staff greet us, take us to our table, chat away and then the 'are you on any of the dining plans?' came up and once they got the answer 'yes' there was a total attitude change. My boyfriend and I had rude service in Tutto Italia, my parents had the same another night. Via Napoli was just awful. Our waiter chatted away with us and when he found out we were on the plan that was it. We watched other tables get offered water/jars of chili seeds and what i think was parmesan cheese to sprinkle on their pizza. There was a table two down from ours that had the same waiter and they got much better service than us. We don't like a lot of fuss but we were more or less ignored. The boy who walked around offering water came up to us as we finished desert, asked if we wanted water then looked at us 'oh, you don't get water' and walked away. In Via Napoli everything had to be done through my boyfriend even though everything was my name, it was like they didn't want to speak to me, he asked my boyfriend what we both wanted for our main course and pudding. When bringing the bill over he put it down on the table, turned his back to me and explained it all to him emphasising that tips were not included.

The first time we just put it down to a bad night, but 3 seperate occassions has put us off. We never experienced this anywhere else. Notably both Japanese restaurants, Kona Cafe, Cape May Cafe and Planet Hollywood had brilliant service. Has anyone else had a problem in Italy? Or any restaurant where servers didn't seem to like the dining plan? Or was this just a case of bad luck?

 

[tinka-belle]

Maybe just bad luck? Have been to Tutto in the past (not recently) and not had bad service on the DDP, just found that beverage choices were rather limited, and sometimes dessert choices too but that seems to depend on the CM and maybe what's available in the kitchen and not just for the DDP.

Did Via Napoli a few weeks ago and had no problem with enthusiam and attentiveness, though again the waitstaff seems confused about included DDP beverages. Got charged for a cup of coffee, had to have the manager take it off for the DDP since that diner had no other beverage and water with the pizza. Was told that the only included beverages at Via Napoli were soda.........not! We all got water and refills on it, no problem there. We did have to ask our waitress for water though when we ordered drinks, seems not to be automatic.

 

[sndral]

When I was younger, it was considered correct for the gentleman to order for the lady and to pay. If your waiter was from Italy, I wonder if that aspect was due to cultural differences, rather than intentional.

 

[Krmrr]

I guess I'm too old. My wife, usually, tells me what she wants and I place the order. It's the way I was brought up. I also open the door, including her car door when she is entering it; walk on the street side of the sidewalk and do a dozen other Old World things. Your waiter may have been relatively new from Italy. He'll catch on as time goes by.

We were at Tutto on the DDP this spring an had great service at lunch. My glass never made it pass 1/2 empty!

 

[Disneyadore]

Wrong topic sorry.

 

[The_Aviator]

Hmm, I must say this is the first time I have heard of getting worse service from waiters and waitresses on the DDP. I would have thought that since you still pay a percentage of the regular bill price and that unlike some diners the DDP diners would order more expensive dishes (i would imagine) as well as dessert, so the tip could theoretically be better!

But in the end I suppose it doesn't bother me, poor service = poor tip.

 

[aubriee]

I go to WDW several times and year and am nearly always on the DDP. I've never noticed difference in service. I haven't eaten at Via Napoli yet (will in Dec), but have eaten several times at Tutto Italia, both solo and also with my family. I've only received poor service one time there. It was at lunch and everyone around me was getting bad service from this particular guy. I didn't see him from the time he took my order until he brought me the bill and told me gratutuity was not included with the DDP. I left him maybe 10% (and had to think long and hard on that much), but as I walked out I noticed him talking to the guy who actually brought me my meal and also refilled my water glass. I made a point of stopping and handing him what would have been 25% of my bill and thanked him for the great service. The guy who was actually my waiter said something like, "Hey I was your waiter, not him". I said, "Oh really, he was the one who served me, not you, so he gets the tip in my book". Yeah, that meal round up costing me a 35% tip, but I thought it was worth it, to make a point to that bad waiter.

 

[Symphony]

I thought it was just bad luck with the attitude over the dining plan. maybe we did just hit three bad nights.

Thanks for confirming what I thought was a culture thing though it didn't bother me as much that everything was done through my boyfriend (was nice to not be the one to have to do all the talking for a change I guess ), it was more the way he completely turned his back to me, if that makes sense.