Changes to the DDP - will this make you reconsider?

[automaticsoap]

I think the changes are good, but I still think it's easier and cheaper for me to pay out of pocket.

 

[JWG]

I think it's likliehood of use will be based on price. We typically do one CS and TS meal per day (breakfast in the room). So, hard to get our value out of the plan vs. just using TiW. Though, with no trips planned until Christmas of 2016 (so sad), we'll see what's still going on by then.

 

[DenLo]

Guests can now share DDP credits with friends/family dining with them who are not on the dining plan. In the past, guests could only use the number of entitlements at each meal that they had on their plan (2 adults and 2 children could only use 4 credits at the meal - 2 adult and 2 child credits). Now, they are able to use extra credits for others dining with them if they choose to do so.

For the upgraded dining plans (Deluxe, Premium and Platinum) - not the regular dining plan - guests can use the adult and child credits interchangeably. If you have a child who would happily eat off the adult menu but would not enjoy the kids choices, this is a great option. These could also be used to share with family and friends, or if parents are able to have a date night to use extra credits at a Signature restaurant!

The above changes are interesting and might make the DDP more useful for some guests. Many people still want the all inclusive feel of the DDP. Personally we won't be using the DDP. But we do take advantage of the TIW, despite it's restricted dates for some restaurants.

 

[Crystal824]

We just got back from a trip with DP. We hadn't done the DP in about 5 years. I guess we needed a reminder as to why we generally don't use it. Some of the food was terrible. We felt like we had to eat at times when we didn't even want to eat. I'll stick to TiW from now on, I think.

 

[csmommy]

I like the step that this is taking, now if only I could purchase the DDP for 2 out of the 4 of us in 1 room. That would really work for me!

 

[supersnoop]

I started to think this would be a great change. I mean, if I could use a QS credit for three snacks during Food & Wine, that'd be great. But then I realized that, even in that case, the QS plan would still be more expensive than just paying out of pocket.

 

[deedisneydream97]

We just got back from a trip with DP. We hadn't done the DP in about 5 years. I guess we needed a reminder as to why we generally don't use it. Some of the food was terrible. We felt like we had to eat at times when we didn't even want to eat. I'll stick to TiW from now on, I think.

What places had terrible food? I want to avoid them....I have three trips coming up. Still not too sure about where we are eating and if we will do the dining plan for a split stay. One trip is off site and I'm bringing two relatives that have never been (can't do the dining plan, but want to avoid terrible food). I generally find that all QS hamburgers are not tasty (but the toppings at Pecos Bills are great). Columbia Harbor House has a great fried basket. I avoid the character buffets now....not that the food is bad...there is just too much of it and I really don't enjoy the craziness. Flame Tree BBQ is good. Can't think of any place that I thought the food was terrible....except Askherhouse (sp)...not into some of the stuff at the buffet. Don't care for Morocco or China either. Was not impressed with my last visit to Rose & Crown. And have not been to Monsieur Paul's since they dropped the TIW card.

 

[Chuck S]

Having the ability to get soup or salad instead of a dessert may indeed make me take a second look at the standard DDP. I will closely monitor my meal spending on my trip next week to see if such a change would make the DDP more appealing to me, over the TIW.

 

[patsal]

Until they can accommodate my lapband, I'm still out..way less money to eat what I want when I want it and use TIW.

 

[Crystal824]

What places had terrible food? I want to avoid them....I have three trips coming up. Still not too sure about where we are eating and if we will do the dining plan for a split stay. One trip is off site and I'm bringing two relatives that have never been (can't do the dining plan, but want to avoid terrible food). I generally find that all QS hamburgers are not tasty (but the toppings at Pecos Bills are great). Columbia Harbor House has a great fried basket. I avoid the character buffets now....not that the food is bad...there is just too much of it and I really don't enjoy the craziness. Flame Tree BBQ is good. Can't think of any place that I thought the food was terrible....except Askherhouse (sp)...not into some of the stuff at the buffet. Don't care for Morocco or China either. Was not impressed with my last visit to Rose & Crown. And have not been to Monsieur Paul's since they dropped the TIW card.

I'm not a foodie by any means, but the food at Garden Grille and Chef Mickey's was terrible this past trip. Other meals were just ok, but those were bad. I've had decent meals at both in the past. I wasn't expecting gourmet food by any means. However, the food at CM that should have been hot was cold. I went up to the buffet several times attempting to find something hot. A few things seemed like they might have been good if they had just been warm but instead everything was a cold congealed mess. Perhaps they were having issues with their warmers that night or something. At Garden Grille the food was hot but not very good. The salad and bread were ok. The main course lacked flavor. It was if they cooked all the meat and veggies without any seasoning whatsoever. Don't get me wrong, I don't want over the top seasoning, but this was like they heated up some turkey, beef, fish and veggies and brought them. The turkey especially seemed like of rubbery. The fish didn't taste good. The beef had little flavor. They could have at least added a little olive oil or salt. The mashed potatoes were definitely instant, which is sad because the mashed potatoes there used to be awesome. Overall, I feel as if the food quality is and has been declining at WDW, but those were the only places that were really bad.

We ate at a few places that were ok, not bad, but not great: Hollywood and Vine (breakfast), Rain Forest Cafe (lunch). Some highlights of the trip were Tusker House, Be Our Guest, and Yak & Yeti. As for quick service meals, I agree with you on Columbia Harbor House. It has great food, and usually it is easy to find seating. there. I also really enjoyed Be Our Guest quick service. We ate at BoG for lunch and dinner on different days, and both those meals were great. I also enjoy Flametree, but we didn't eat there this trip as it was closed. We did eat at Sunshine Seasons, and it was really good. We also ate at Casey's and while the food was good; there was a (not kidding) 45 min. line to get food, which I'm not sure what Disney does to fix that, but both my kids fell asleep while I was getting dinner. The line didn't seem that long when I got in it, but it took forever. By the time I got the food, I was a bit disenchanted and wished we had gone somewhere else.

 

[deedisneydream97]

I'm not a foodie by any means, but the food at Garden Grille and Chef Mickey's was terrible this past trip. Other meals were just ok, but those were bad. I've had decent meals at both in the past. I wasn't expecting gourmet food by any means. However, the food at CM that should have been hot was cold. I went up to the buffet several times attempting to find something hot. A few things seemed like they might have been good if they had just been warm but instead everything was a cold congealed mess. Perhaps they were having issues with their warmers that night or something. At Garden Grille the food was hot but not very good. The salad and bread were ok. The main course lacked flavor. It was if they cooked all the meat and veggies without any seasoning whatsoever. Don't get me wrong, I don't want over the top seasoning, but this was like they heated up some turkey, beef, fish and veggies and brought them. The turkey especially seemed like of rubbery. The fish didn't taste good. The beef had little flavor. They could have at least added a little olive oil or salt. The mashed potatoes were definitely instant, which is sad because the mashed potatoes there used to be awesome. Overall, I feel as if the food quality is and has been declining at WDW, but those were the only places that were really bad.

We ate at a few places that were ok, not bad, but not great: Hollywood and Vine (breakfast), Rain Forest Cafe (lunch). Some highlights of the trip were Tusker House, Be Our Guest, and Yak & Yeti. As for quick service meals, I agree with you on Columbia Harbor House. It has great food, and usually it is easy to find seating. there. I also really enjoyed Be Our Guest quick service. We ate at BoG for lunch and dinner on different days, and both those meals were great. I also enjoy Flametree, but we didn't eat there this trip as it was closed. We did eat at Sunshine Seasons, and it was really good. We also ate at Casey's and while the food was good; there was a (not kidding) 45 min. line to get food, which I'm not sure what Disney does to fix that, but both my kids fell asleep while I was getting dinner. The line didn't seem that long when I got in it, but it took forever. By the time I got the food, I was a bit disenchanted and wished we had gone somewhere else.

Thank you for all the information! I had been toying with going to Chef Mickey's with my two relatives...but last week I checked the price and changed my mind. Your review sealed the deal. I had heard that from a couple of other people. We are going to try Trails End Buffet on an upcoming trip. Have never been there, but it will only cost about $20 with TIW. Haven't been to the Garden Grill in a while, but Garden Grove at the Swan (or Dolphin) has (or had) an awesome Friday night seafood buffet and they also have character visits. The used to take TIW, but not sure if they still do. We never eat breakfast out (we usually stay in a one bedroom and make our own) and our lunch counter services are few also (we do the parks early, come back to resort at lunch and make our own lunch).

Sorry to veer off-topic.

 

[disneyfantotheend]

I like the changes. We are going OOP this trip for our first time since the DDP started. BUT I think we will probably go back to the plan after this trip. We are actually doing it to compare to what we spent with DDP vs OOP. BTW, pretty sure DDP prices went up twice one year. Maybe I am mistaken though?

 

[DisneyMaleficent50]

I am hoping someone might clarify this for me. I usually do the deluxe dining plan so I simply get 3 credits a day to use as i wish. Then I don't have to track the table vs quick service. I travel with 2 adults and 1 child.
With the new changes are they still going to separate the adult or child credits or are they just going to be credits??? I ask because meals are so large, we often order either 2 adult meals or one adult & one child meal. We almost never use 3 credits unless it is a buffet and it is such a pain to remember what i have left adult vs child.
I know i can now order an adult meal with a child credit but would be so much simpler if we stayed for 3 nights to just have 27 credits vs 18 adult and 9 child.

 

[senadler]

Your understanding is correct. While it has not been official confirmed by Disney, the reports are that for the deluxe plan all credits are combined. So there is no difference between a child and adult credit and credits can be redeemed for either type of meal.

 

[DisneyMaleficent50]

Your understanding is correct. While it has not been official confirmed by Disney, the reports are that for the deluxe plan all credits are combined. So there is no difference between a child and adult credit and credits can be redeemed for either type of meal.

Thank you so much for the clarification. This will really make the deluxe plan perfect for us!!!
We are also really excited about them changing the snack credits to include sides.....and we always get cheese with our mickey pretzel but now it is included!
I cannot see us benefitting from the 1 credit for 3 snacks as that is just not a good use of a deluxe credit.
But overall I am really excited about our upcoming trip. These changes will make my life so much easier!!!!

 

[Kidanifan08]

I have thought about it and was particularly intrigued by Supersnoop's thoughts on using the QS plan for F&W. But, as stated, it would not be worth it; at $42/adult each F&W plate would have to average $7, which is just not happening (yet -- ). We have been using TIW for a few years, and we eat, and spend, less with that option. We often share appetizers and desserts, order adult drinks, and sometimes even share entrees. I think the new options would just add to the confusion of using and monitoring the use of the plan. We're sticking with TIW. Oh, and if we did not do TIW, I would still probably just pay OOP, as we simply do not eat as much food as the DDP offers.

 

[mom2cgj]

Your understanding is correct. While it has not been official confirmed by Disney, the reports are that for the deluxe plan all credits are combined. So there is no difference between a child and adult credit and credits can be redeemed for either type of meal.

I was wondering about this as well. So will this change allow my DS11 to order a kids meal if he doesn't like anything on the adult menu? There are only a few places this concerns me (BOG being one). Usually he eats more than I do, and rarely orders off the kids menu at home.

 

[gdrj]

The changes will not entice us to use the plan. If they would allow appetizer instead of dessert it might be more enticing, even if it was one appetizer and you had 2 give up 2 desserts (yours and your spouses).
Everytime I try to cost justify it doesn't work for us. I get the convenience factor that some see, we did it once when our kids brought friends. It made it easier and they could do their own thing and eat some meals and snacks on their own. We prefer TIW for the way we eat. We don't do desserts at every meal. I don't want to feel like I have to order the most expensive item to breakeven, I also have an issue with 2 credits for many of the restaurants (maybe a 1 TS and a QS instead of 2 TS-not ever going to happen). Sometimes we just want a QS meal or Lounge Hop for Dinner. Speaking of Lounges that's another plus for TIW. Of course the way menu prices keep going up (probably to offset TIW, DVC, and other discounts) might be doing just quick service meals in the future.

 

[Disney_Mama]

I have never used it and don't have any plans on that changing. We always eat breakfast in our room. If we are having a pool day then lunch and snacks are also from our room. Dinner is always out because I'm on vacation too.
I have crunched the numbers and it is never a savings for us.

 

[Fantasia79]

I haven't done DDP in years, desert substitution makes it much more interesting!

I typically do shorter trips, so TiW doesn't add up to savings (wish it did), usually just short of breaking even.

My next trip is in 2018, looking forward to having some options!