Choice of Courses on Dining Plan

[Davros]

I am due to make a trip to WDW soon and will be using a Disney Dining Package. I have noticed that on my package on a Table Service I can choose, 1 Entree and 1 Dessert. I have enquired with Disney, and they are adamant that I could not change that to 1 Appetiser and 1 Entree. I do not have a very sweet tooth and my wife has a milk allergy so we tend not to go for a Dessert so have an Appetiser along with a main course when eating.
Does anybody out there agree with me when I think it would be better if Disney offered on the packages on the Table Service, 2 courses giving the customer the choice? With all the publicity at present about sugar being eaten in excess I would have thought Disney would go down the healthy road as opposed to, the not so healthy road! I can't think it is a cost issue as I have looked at the various menus and Appetisers do not as a general rule cost more than desserts.

 

[nervous1sttimer]

If they go that route, be prepared to see prices for the dining plan skyrocket. Food cost on apps is much, much higher than desserts.

They sometimes have fruit or sorbet, if you're not into typical dessert fare.

 

[Davros]

I tend to disagree with you. I have looked at a range of restaurants in WDW and done a price comparison between Appetisers and Desserts and found the prices of items on the whole comparable. So I would not think your concern of the price of Dining Plans would 'skyrocket'.
The cast member I spoke to at Disney's customer satisfaction department agrees that the price differential between the appetiser courses and dessert courses is not substantial if indeed there is any.
As for the health benefits for example. Not eating sugary items when having a dessert and eating an appetiser which will not have the unhealthy items is substantial.
Just a thought.

 

[DTicker]

I tend to disagree with you. I have looked at a range of restaurants in WDW and done a price comparison between Appetisers and Desserts and found the prices of items on the whole comparable. So I would not think your concern of the price of Dining Plans would 'skyrocket'.
The cast member I spoke to at Disney's customer satisfaction department agrees that the price differential between the appetiser courses and dessert courses is not substantial if indeed there is any.

The prices may not be much different but the cost of ingredients and kitchen time is probably higher for the appetizer

 

[jcieutat]

The prices may not be much different but the cost of ingredients and kitchen time is probably higher for the appetizer

I agree, the markup on desserts is much higher than the mark up on appetizers.

 

[Davros]

Not sure I follow your logic. If the mark up on deserts is higher than appetisers then purely from a financial point of view Disney would prefer you to have an appetiser when using the Dining Plan.
I am intrigued so far nobody has picked up on the health/nutritional part of the discussion.
As I mentioned in my original post. If Disney really wanted to promote healthy eating I would have thought they would encourage diners to have less 'sugary' items. Looks like I am wrong, both in my understanding of Disney's attitude to the eating habits of it's guests and the eating habits of the general public.
Some restaurants (outside of WDW) that have fixed price menus usually have two prices. One low price for two courses and a higher price for three courses. If you elect to go for the lower price at two courses you can choose anycourse. Much more sensible in my opinion.

 

[sjw211]

I agree - offering a choice of either an appetiser or a dessert would be much better.
Calling the main course an entrée is confusing enough..

 

[smiths02]

The other problem with choosing is that 1 person chooses an app, then another chooses dessert. Now, 3 courses have been served with no extra revenue made. They can't turn tables over as quickly.

 

[khaleesi]

Just because an item isn't loaded with sugar doesn't necessarily make it healthier... I would guess that the majority of appetizers aren't any healthier than the desserts. (I'm speaking in general, not based on specifics foods at Disney.)

 

[swcolleen]

**Update** Sorry

I found info to explain.


thanks

 

[nervous1sttimer]

Food cost does not mean the cost to the diner, it means cost to the restaurant. And I disagree about cost to the diner being equal anyway. Regardless, it's like the FP+ puke party. People can talk forever about how great it would be to have 4 or 5 or 10 FP+ selections, or apps instead of desserts on the DDP, but if it doesn't make sense for Disney, it's not going to happen.

 

[ses1230]

This is a hard rule of the DDP. You can never switch out dessert for an appetizer.

Years ago the DDP DID include an appetizer (tip, too, but that's another topic) and they changed it to dessert. Especially at CS places, the dessert items are massed produced and I'm sure cost less.

It doesn't matter what the price they charge is, it is the price to the restaurant.

If you feel that strongly about it then I suggest that maybe the dining plan is not the best choice for you. We don't do the DDP for that reason - we don't eat that much dessert at home and I don't want to on vacation either. Also sometimes I would rather have an app as my main course, so paying OOP is better for us.

To be sure you can sit down with the menus and price out what you would order, then compare the prices to the cost of the dining plan.

 

[purple figment]

Not sure I follow your logic. If the mark up on deserts is higher than appetisers then purely from a financial point of view Disney would prefer you to have an appetiser when using the Dining Plan.
I am intrigued so far nobody has picked up on the health/nutritional part of the discussion.

1. As I mentioned in my original post. If Disney really wanted to promote healthy eating I would have thought they would encourage diners to have less 'sugary' items. Looks like I am wrong, both in my understanding of Disney's attitude to the eating habits of it's guests and the eating habits of the general public.

2. Some restaurants (outside of WDW) that have fixed price menus usually have two prices. One low price for two courses and a higher price for three courses.

3. If you elect to go for the lower price at two courses you can choose anycourse. Much more sensible in my opinion.

1. Appetizers aren't necessarily healthier than desserts - they can be loaded with calories, fat and/or sodium among other things.

2. DW has the 2 course DDP and the more expensive 3 course DxDDP which includes an appetizer, entree and dessert at lunch and dinner.

3. At the inception of the dining plan it did include the choice of an app or dessert, but as a PP said, half the group would order the appetizer course and the other half would order the dessert course and everyone at the table would share. Three courses take longer to serve and consume so it meant tables were not turning over as quickly as a party that just ordered 2 courses. Perhaps one of the reasons the dessert was chosen instead of appetizers is because apps tend to be more labor intensive. While desserts can be prepared in advance and mainly need to be plated just before serving, many appetizers need to be prepared (i.e. cooked) when ordered.

The suggestion to give a choice between app and dessert comes up regularly. Disney already tried and abandoned it and is not likely to offer it again. Since having the dining plan isn't a requirement for eating in DW, you'll have to determine whether it is practical for your style of dining. If you don't plan to order desserts, but will order appetizers, you might want to skip the dining plan and pay OOP. Disney will not allow you to substitute an appetizer for a dessert - they are firm on this.

Calling the main course an entrée is confusing enough..

It's a difference in UK and US terminology. In the US starters are called appetizers and mains are called entrees.

 

[Rebekkap]

It's a difference in UK and US terminology. In the US starters are called appetizers and mains are called entrees.

Yes, which is totally confusing to everyone else in the world! The word "entree" is French for "entrance", meaning the small course that enters the dining room first!

I don't know how or why Americans started using it to mean the main course, but it doesn't actually relate to the meaning of the word!

 

[Davros]

I quite agree with the last comment about the terminology. I have been confused for some time now about using the term Entree for the main course but I am now used to it so just put up with it. Perhaps we could all understand it better if the World in general used the following:- First Course. Second Course. Third Course and so on, much simpler and a darn sight more straightforward?

 

[clanmcculloch]

I am due to make a trip to WDW soon and will be using a Disney Dining Package. I have noticed that on my package on a Table Service I can choose, 1 Entree and 1 Dessert. I have enquired with Disney, and they are adamant that I could not change that to 1 Appetiser and 1 Entree. I do not have a very sweet tooth and my wife has a milk allergy so we tend not to go for a Dessert so have an Appetiser along with a main course when eating.
Does anybody out there agree with me when I think it would be better if Disney offered on the packages on the Table Service, 2 courses giving the customer the choice? With all the publicity at present about sugar being eaten in excess I would have thought Disney would go down the healthy road as opposed to, the not so healthy road! I can't think it is a cost issue as I have looked at the various menus and Appetisers do not as a general rule cost more than desserts.

Your wife will have dessert options at TS restaurants. We've gotten some amazing desserts that are milk and a whole lot of other stuff free. This might just be the trip where she WANTS dessert because it's pretty special having that opportunity when you have food allergies.

 

[TDC Nala]

No choice on the courses. Must be entree and dessert, and you cannot request to replace the dessert with an appetizer (starter). This applies even regarding medical conditions and restricted diets. Guests can get an alternate dessert (maybe fruit, fruit sorbet, dairy-free ice cream, or a no sugar/no sugar added dessert - just ask for what you need) but they cannot get an appetizer.

I know why they don't do it...because they want to turn tables. If they allowed a choice, one party member would order the appetizer, the other dessert, and they'd share it. Besides, it IS true that desserts are less costly to produce than appetizers (I'm talking the cost of production, not the menu price...the menu price on desserts often does not reflect the cost to produce them)

I for one am glad there is not such a choice, because it means the appetizers have not gone the way of the desserts, which have become smaller and less unique at many restaurants due to the fact that everybody on the dining plan is going to order one.

 

[serene56]

I am due to make a trip to WDW soon and will be using a Disney Dining Package. I have noticed that on my package on a Table Service I can choose, 1 Entree and 1 Dessert. I have enquired with Disney, and they are adamant that I could not change that to 1 Appetiser and 1 Entree. I do not have a very sweet tooth and my wife has a milk allergy so we tend not to go for a Dessert so have an Appetiser along with a main course when eating.
Does anybody out there agree with me when I think it would be better if Disney offered on the packages on the Table Service, 2 courses giving the customer the choice? With all the publicity at present about sugar being eaten in excess I would have thought Disney would go down the healthy road as opposed to, the not so healthy road! I can't think it is a cost issue as I have looked at the various menus and Appetisers do not as a general rule cost more than desserts.

have you considering paying out of pocket instead of doing the dining plan.
paying for an appetizer instead of a main entree> no dessert. you are losing money big time there