Dde?

[purvislets]

I was looking into getting DDE (we are getting seasonal passes, so it would only cost $60 for the card) but then I saw this:

NOTE: Effective January 1, 2008 a charge of 18% gratuity will be added to all Disney Dining Experience transactions, regardless of party size.

DISNEY DINING EXPERIENCE is a dining discount program for eligible Florida Residents and Annual Passholders 21 and older good for 20 percent off food and beverage at a number of Walt Disney World Resort hotel and theme park restaurants and lounges. The discount is good for up to 10 persons in your party. (Prior to 2005, the DDE, as it is commonly called, was only open to Florida residents.)

Does this mean that they take 20% off, then add 18% for gratuity, leaving only a 2% savings?

 

[pumba]

We used our DDE card a few weeks ago and that is how they do it......but we always left a good tip so that was not an issue......we still saved our 20 percent off our meal because we TIP anyways.......

 

[disneyfan55]

We used the card last week and the sales tax was on the lesser amount but the tip on the true total. I guess you end up saving the tip with the card but we usually tip 20% anyway so we did save somewhat. If you use it at a CS that are included no 18% tip, just the 20% off. It worked out well since we stayed at a Value Resort and the food courts are included in the DDE.

 

[Eeyore's Pal]

Does this mean that they take 20% off, then add 18% for gratuity, leaving only a 2% savings?

We always leave at least a 20% tip. The automatic 18% is less, so we add a little to make up the difference to our usual tip.

The 20% savings on the food and beverage total has not changed.

 

[NejTheLion]

The only way you can figure DDE as only a 2% savings is if you don't plan to tip your servers. It is a 20% discount, and adding the 18% gratuity really just simplifies things for people who want to tip 18%.

I would imagine that many people using DDE were tipping based on the discounted price rather than the original total, so wait staff were being short-changed on their tips.

The only way it's really a problem is if you had horrible service and didn't want to tip 18%, and we've never experienced that at WDW. If the service is that bad, you should be talking to the manager anyways.

 

[aribelle]

I was looking into getting DDE (we are getting seasonal passes, so it would only cost $60 for the card) but then I saw this:

NOTE: Effective January 1, 2008 a charge of 18% gratuity will be added to all Disney Dining Experience transactions, regardless of party size.

DISNEY DINING EXPERIENCE is a dining discount program for eligible Florida Residents and Annual Passholders 21 and older good for 20 percent off food and beverage at a number of Walt Disney World Resort hotel and theme park restaurants and lounges. The discount is good for up to 10 persons in your party. (Prior to 2005, the DDE, as it is commonly called, was only open to Florida residents.)

Does this mean that they take 20% off, then add 18% for gratuity, leaving only a 2% savings?

Now see, I have a little bit of a different take on it's discount value.

I view it as I paid $60 and that will now cover all of my tipping for any TS meals that DDE accepts (which is most of them). The leftover 2% is pretty neglible, but hey, it's there, I just don't see it as a discount worthy of my calculator, lol.

So...no matter how many meals we eat over the next year, no matter how many times I use the DDE card, my tip is covered and it was a total of $60.

If you spend at least $335 at eligible restaruants over the course of the year the DDE is valid, you'll break even. THe minute you spend more than $335 you have now kicked into "free" tips. Since there are 3 of us and we were at WDW for a month in Jan/Feb...we've already long since started getting "free" tips.

So....if you can wrap your head around the concept of it not being a discount card per se, but instead as a "prepaid tip" card, lol...or whatever you want to call it, then you'll see that it does have a good value.


If you decide you don't want the DDE card, then remember that your AP will get you some discounts at some restaurants....not many, and mostly Epcot lunches, but it's better than nothing.

 

[PatriciaH]

Whew- our Victoria and Alberts bill last November for 4 people was $1,000+ so we are way ahead! When my friends come to visit they spend a lot on food and alcohol so we love the card. They are here tomorrow and this week we are eating at Flying Fish, 50's Prime Time, Yachtsman's SH, Mickeys Backyard BBQ, California Grill, Artist Point, Teppan Edo and Jiko. I see it as a 22% savings since we used to tip 20%. We still leave a bit extra if the service was great.

 

[TDC Nala]

If you do not tip at table service locations or bars at all, then yes, your basic discount is 2%. If you do tip, your discount is in proportion to how much you would prefer to tip if the tip was not automatic.

It's been stated that many who last year tipped at least 20% are sticking with the automatic 18% so they may see it as an extra discount.

One could, at the very least, see the card as providing a "free tip."

 

[jsheridan]

If the 18% tip is added in at buffet restaurants, I would see that as less of a savings. I usually tip 20% at table service restaurants, but only 10% at a buffet if all the server is getting us are our drinks...

 

[TDC Nala]

but, if you have 6 or more people, you are paying 18% automatically at buffets anyway, so that's worth considering.

I don't eat at a lot of buffets. I don't like them. But when I do (and it's only at WDW) I tip them the same as regular table service.

 

[Addicted to Dopey]

Does this mean that they take 20% off, then add 18% for gratuity, leaving only a 2% savings?

Nope....hopefully you would always leave a tip anyways, between 15%-20% so you are still getting the full savings.....Also you get free valet parking at all the disney hotels.....this in itself is a huge savings since valet has now increased to $10 a day!! You just need to show your dining experiance card, they mark it on your valet paper and you're good to go!

 

[davinakb]

Also you get free valet parking at all the disney hotels.....this in itself is a huge savings since valet has now increased to $10 a day!! You just need to show your dining experiance card, they mark it on your valet paper and you're good to go!

We do a lot of resort dining, so one of my FAVORITE things about the DDE card is the valet. Our last trip, we saved $40 just in parking.

 

[OKW Lover]

For us the savings is greater than 20% because we used to tip 20-25% for good service. Now all they get is the 18% so we've saved an extra 2 - 7%.