DDP leaves no room for spontaneity - kids menu BAD

[dallas2disney07]

My family is extremely organized so when we go on vacation, we like to wing it. Should have never invested in the dining plan. The information we had was that reservations were encouraged, not REQUIRED. None of the table service restuarants took walk ins regardless of when you tried to get in. I was under the impression that once our day got started and we figured out where we were going to be, we could put our names on a waiting list. Not true.

We only stayed 4 days and used the Park Hopper option. Since we'd never been before we didn't know where we were going to be and I certainly didn't want to cut off the fun in order to eat. We're not picky, just wanted food with veggies. I guess we were asking too much.

This put a HUGE damper on the trip. IF we ever go back again, will plan to dine away from WDW for dinner.

Our kids are 7 & 8. At Pop Century, their options were chicken noodle soup (made with chicken lo mein - YUK), sloppy joes, nuggets and PBJ. Where were the hot dogs, spagetti, nachos, hamburgers, pizzas? Throughout all of the parks, these items were hard to find. My kids asked if they could spend their own money to buy something they really wanted to each. Now that's a shame.

 

[Dreamfinder2]

A trip to WDW involves just about the same amount of planning as, say, assaulting Omaha Beach on D-Day. Especially with meals. I routinely try to warn folks what they're getting into because, by golly, folks DO plan all their meals six months out in order to get exactly what they want. And, yeah, I do indeed call way out... I try to be aware of what the peak days are in each park, whether they offer Extra Magic Hours, and avoid those places like the plague, and determine in advance which attractions I want to experience and in what order. Especially if we have guests with us who want to see "everythng." Walk-ins are available at many of the resorts, especially if you can eat early or at off-peak times. Intensive research can pay off in spades, but I do understand why you'd want a lack of structure if that's the way your day to day lives run. But Disney is so vast and potentially overwhelming that it doesn't lend itself to spontaneous decisions. I can still remember our first visit in '72, when there was nothing but the Magic Kingdom, and standing in the middle of Main Street, looking slack-jawed at a park map. Those were NOT the good old days.

Sorry you had such a difficult time.

 

[ballarinamom]

This doesn't sound so much a DDP problem as much as a dining problem at WDW. With all of the promotions, the park is crowded even in so called "down" times. I had read all over this board about people's experiences from two or three years ago. However, over the past 6 months or so I repeatedly saw more and more about the requirements for ARDs. And we saw so many people getting turned away just like you were who were very upset. I understand about being spontaniuos (sp?) but WDW is becoming more of planned vacation destination as you have to be aware of Fastpass rides, EMH, ARDs. The DDP was a great experience for my family and a huge savings. But we had planned out our meals, parks, hours AND even rides in advance. Because of this planning we were able to bounce around based on FP lines etc. Not that we went commando but we wanted to be prepared and preparation allowed us a stress free vacation. Don't be down on DDP. Disney marketing is just doing a really good job filling the hotels and parks

 

[DiszyDean]

Hey....its the weekly, "I hate the DDP" thread by a person with one post to their name...

Everyone rejoice!

I am sorry to sound so cynical but it has really happened every week for about the last three and I think every time it has been started by someone with absolutely no posting history...almost like someone keeps creating new user names just to continue to bash the DDP....

 

[ballarinamom]

I agree to the extent that if people really paid attention to the DIS and asked the right questions (which generate more posts) before they leave home some of these problems would be eliminated. And the DDP would not get bashed so much. I know I found this site to be a tremendous resource and created a trouble free, dare I say relaxed, disney vacation!

 

[DiszyDean]

My family is extremely organized so when we go on vacation, we like to wing it. Should have never invested in the dining plan. The information we had was that reservations were encouraged, not REQUIRED. None of the table service restuarants took walk ins regardless of when you tried to get in. I was under the impression that once our day got started and we figured out where we were going to be, we could put our names on a waiting list. Not true.

We only stayed 4 days and used the Park Hopper option. Since we'd never been before we didn't know where we were going to be and I certainly didn't want to cut off the fun in order to eat. We're not picky, just wanted food with veggies. I guess we were asking too much.

This put a HUGE damper on the trip. IF we ever go back again, will plan to dine away from WDW for dinner.

Our kids are 7 & 8. At Pop Century, their options were chicken noodle soup (made with chicken lo mein - YUK), sloppy joes, nuggets and PBJ. Where were the hot dogs, spagetti, nachos, hamburgers, pizzas? Throughout all of the parks, these items were hard to find. My kids asked if they could spend their own money to buy something they really wanted to each. Now that's a shame.

To address the actual points of the post though....

The CM gave you the correct information...ADRs are not required...There are places you can walk-in to even during the peak periods....Now, you may not get to eat at these places during the prime dining hours and you may not be able to get the exact restaurant you desire, but there are places to eat.

Also, the Disney Dining Plan is just that.....a plan.....Whenever you pay for a plan, you should understand exactly what that plan entails. Including finding out which kids meals are covered under the plan. If you look at the menus (which are readily available with very little research), you will be able to tell if your particular kids would be interested in the food being offered.

When I booked my package with the dining, the CM asked me a couple of different times (including at the end of the call) if I wanted/needed to book my ADRs and emphasized the importance. They even offered to transfer me over to Disney Dining if necessary.

I do agree with the last statement. If you refuse to plan where you are going to eat in the World (TS meals), the best option for you would be to eat offsite or settle for what is remaining.

The DDP is not for everyone....but I think enough people understand it or at least are willing to research something they just paid good money for to make it work for them. Thus, the popularity of the plan.

 

[Allison]

The brochure says this (in at leat two different places) :

Many of our restaurants are quite popular and book quickly. We strongly suggest you make advance dining reservations.

I would take that kind of information seriously and make some plans.

 

[archcrb]

Hey....its the weekly, "I hate the DDP" thread by a person with one post to their name...

Everyone rejoice!

I am sorry to sound so cynical but it has really happened every week for about the last three and I think every time it has been started by someone with absolutely no posting history...almost like someone keeps creating new user names just to continue to bash the DDP....

you really need to step back and realize that just because some people don't post 10 threads a day, they may have a good point. it seems that you're almost insulted that someone might have a different inquiry than you'd like or doesn't agree with your stance. if we're going to dis on vacation, chances are we like disney. we may not be 4 times a year die hards , but we like it all the same. we also may not know the ins and outs like many of you regulars, but you know what, we probably have some fresh insight into stuff too, so try and give a little love to the newbies.

 

[Cmbar]

My family is extremely organized so when we go on vacation, we like to wing it. Should have never invested in the dining plan. The information we had was that reservations were encouraged, not REQUIRED. None of the table service restuarants took walk ins regardless of when you tried to get in. I was under the impression that once our day got started and we figured out where we were going to be, we could put our names on a waiting list. Not true.

We only stayed 4 days and used the Park Hopper option. Since we'd never been before we didn't know where we were going to be and I certainly didn't want to cut off the fun in order to eat. We're not picky, just wanted food with veggies. I guess we were asking too much.

This put a HUGE damper on the trip. IF we ever go back again, will plan to dine away from WDW for dinner.

Our kids are 7 & 8. At Pop Century, their options were chicken noodle soup (made with chicken lo mein - YUK), sloppy joes, nuggets and PBJ. Where were the hot dogs, spagetti, nachos, hamburgers, pizzas? Throughout all of the parks, these items were hard to find. My kids asked if they could spend their own money to buy something they really wanted to each. Now that's a shame.

So sorry you trip wasn't what you expected.

I help people plan their Disney trips. Kind of a hobby (or obsession to some ). Anyways, I have had families come to me and say the same thing you said. "We just want to wing it and stop when we are hungry." And I always tell them the same thing: Don't get the DDP if you aren't willing to take the time to book reservations. You will be wasting your money. The plan is just that , a plan. You have to think about using your credits and not losing them otherwise you have wasted your money. Of the many families I have helped plan trips the ones that said we wanted to "wing" it have ALL come home and said they didnt' really enjoy their time at Disney. I get so upset to hear that because it really didn't take TOO much work to plan it out a little. This only increases your "wing it" fun. I actually had one family that insisted they didn't want any planning, come home from an 8 day trip at Disney and said they never saw ANY fireworks and ate Room service three nights while they were there. And then they complained that they didn't enjoy Disney! UGH!


So while I am really sorry you didn't enjoy your trip, obviously you only have one post to your name, so you must not have planned too much for your trip and you simply can't do Disney anymore without planning it out some. Just my opinion

 

[megnsamsgracie]

The last time we were there (03) I made no ADRs... also, I didnt plan to eat onsite anyway (thought it would be cheaper!) but the one I did get to was Crystal Palace. Thankfully I just took what they had available. Now, we have 11 or 12 days (not sure yet, might add a day depending on SW fares) and I have each day already planned. I looked at the park times, EMH and built my ADRs from there. I even have an ADR for one extra just in case we do have 12 days. I wont chance not getting one come a few weeks before when we find a SW special. I knew this going into the free dining, that things were going to fill up and if I wanted certain restaurants, I needed to book them now.

Sorry the OP had a miserable time but everytime I have called CRO or disdining, I heard the message about the dining plan being so popular and the availability of table service dining might be limited.

 

[PlutoLuvr]

OP, it's a shame the dining situation at WDW put a damper on your vacay. I don't care how many posts you've got. You went, you experienced and you're relaying your experience.

Yes, every week there's a new dining bash thread. Hmmm. Wonder why? Couldn't possibly be because it's warranted.

Anyway, we enjoy a lot of "winging it" on vacation, and even when we do plan, we often go with other people who do not like to have to plan months in advance something like a dinner reservation. We never do the DDP, and we've run into the same trouble as you. Our answer has been staying offsite. Not only does this take stress off eating WDW dining exclusively, but we end up saving an awful lot of money; we've enjoyed some really exotic and delicious new restaurants; we've had our eyes opened to all the other things there are to enjoy in Orlando; and we still enjoy the magic of WDW parks. Win-win situation, if you ask me

Just something to think about if you do decide to return to WDW and you either don't want to or simply can't plan six months out what parks you'll be at, what you'll feel like eating and at what time. If you have anything onsite or offsite you simply "must do," go ahead and make a ressie. Most restaurants offsite, I've found, book ressies two to four weeks in advance. It's much easier for us to book, say, two or three ressies over the course of a week than it is to have to book ressies every day, sometimes multiple times.

There is a way for us spontaneous folk (whether by choice or not) to enjoy vacations which include WDW. We've just needed to change our focus a bit. Instead of WDW being our destination, it's now a part of our destination

 

[DisOrBust]

Unfortunately I am sure this poster is not the only one who has gone to WDW without realizing the amount of planning needed. I do think it should be spelled out better. They could send info with your reservation papers. I also help plan trips and had several people tell me they thought the DDP was like an "all inclusive" resort and that they didn't need reservations. In reality friends I was helping decided it was just to much work to go and cancelled their trip.

 

[Dreamfinder2]

Another one here who gets called on frequently to help others plan trips.

I've boiled it down to Dreamfinder's Maxim (maybe not as hallowed as Murphy's Law, but it'll serve its intended purpose):

Self-imposed hassles in early planning before leaving for Walt Disney World result in correspondingly fewer hassles during your Disney vacation.

The days (if there ever were any) of just dropping by WDW, entering a park around 11 a.m. for a look-see, getting in several attractions and having a fine meal ... well, it just ain't gonna happen.

Advance planning can make things "feel" spontaneous. I can't tell you the times we've taken guests with us who were soured because of a bad experience (usually dealing with long lines and crowds) who couldn't believe how much we saw/did/ate with some grunt work in advance.

 

[Amy&Dan]

Hey....its the weekly, "I hate the DDP" thread by a person with one post to their name...

Everyone rejoice!

I am sorry to sound so cynical but it has really happened every week for about the last three and I think every time it has been started by someone with absolutely no posting history...almost like someone keeps creating new user names just to continue to bash the DDP....

I was thinking the same thing. I guess I just always think its odd when someone posts on the dis after a trip for their first post, but apparently didn't post before the trip. And picks a hotbed topic in the process. Not saying it can't happen, but due to recent threads, my radar is up. I don't think anyone here is doubting that a newbie might have a good point, but rather that when a hot topic will suddenly see posts from brand new members who seem to know quite a bit about a touchy issue and know just what points to bring up to push the buttons. It happens on the DVC Board (SSR bashers who were banned, then came back from the dead by other names)and the Resort boards (parking at a monorail resort to eat, then heading to a park, and of course the mug debates) to name a couple.

OP: To switch gears and give you the benefit of the doubt, which everyone always deserves, I am sorry this happened. I know reservations are encouraged not required. Sort of like the airlines encourage you to wear your seatbelt, even when the light isn't on to do so. To me those are more common sense points to be followed to increase the odds against disaster! Sounds like your vacation could have been better, thats always a shame.

 

[JimMIA]

Sorry your experience did not go better, and I have a couple of comments.

One is that you'll have to excuse some of the comments about your low post count, because it is a frequent occurance here for someone to create a new screen name just to stir the pot on a particular issue. Your post, frankly, did not strike me as one of those, but the comments reflect a legitimate concern.

I agree with some of the earlier posters...sorta. The problems you faced were not really DDP problems, but dining at WDW problems. The place has always been crowded, and there probably are more people eating in the restaurants now than there were 4-5 years ago because of DDP.

The kids meal problems are problems with or without DDP -- and they are problems at every restaurant on the planet. If they serve food kids like, we parents scream, "Where's the healthy food???" If they serve healthy food, we scream, "Where's the stuff my kids like." There is no win either way.

What DDP DOES do, however, is lock you into eating at WDW eateries -- which brings with it all of the above issues. Being locked in like that is probably not for people who want to be "spontaneous." It's also not a good idea for families whose kids will have difficulty finding food they like. Locked in is also not a good idea for a family with three kids over ten who eat like birds -- or three kids under 10 who eat like horses. DDP is not a good choice for people who have folks joining them in their room for only part of the stay.

There are a hundred reasons why DDP might not be the best idea for a particular family. They shouldn't buy DDP. Disney has other discount plans that might well fit better, but none of them will resolve the popularity of the venues nor the kids meal problems.

That's where we come in as consumers. It's up to us to research... and plan...and worry...and argue... and justify...and all of the other fun things we do planning a Disney vacation.

If we don't do those things, or don't do them well, we don't usually have to look far to figure out whose "bad" it is.

 

[ballarinamom]

you really need to step back and realize that just because some people don't post 10 threads a day, they may have a good point. it seems that you're almost insulted that someone might have a different inquiry than you'd like or doesn't agree with your stance. if we're going to dis on vacation, chances are we like disney. we may not be 4 times a year die hards , but we like it all the same. we also may not know the ins and outs like many of you regulars, but you know what, we probably have some fresh insight into stuff too, so try and give a little love to the newbies.

I agree with you to an extent. We just got back from our 1st trip to WDW after 2 trips to DL in the last two years. I am not a disney junky just a mom of a 5 year old girl who thinks she's a princess. We figure we better do Disney while she's in this stage as we probably wont be back when she grows out of princesses and into say, THE CARRIBBEAN!!!
Anyway, I feel that I have learned things from my planning both good and bad. I have tried to share my views as successes and mistakes made. With that said, I think Dizzydean is also correct in wondering why the OP didn't ask ahead or read ahead about ARDs. So many posters ask if ARDs are needed and not taking the word of a CM or travel agent. Instead OP seems to be venting because their vacay was not as smooth as they wanted do to their lack of planning. But planning is now manditory. My FIL who has never been to WDW has a fantasy of skipping down Main street with DD5 and walking right onto Dumbo and riding alone. He has no clue about the crowds, lines or planning that is the new WDW vacations. Spontinaity is out the window. You don't need to be commando but you have to have a plan. Cancel ARDs once you get there if you want to change plans at the last minute. But make ARDs! Make a plan! Plans are made to be changed.
Remember-
"If you fail to plan, you plan to fail"

 

[illiniowl]

I believe newbies are very welcome here. The DIS is a very helping community IMO. People here love to help. And who needs help the most? Newbies, of course. Unfortunately the OP didn't stop by here until after they got back from a subpar vacation, so a lot of the "help" is necessarily going to be phrased as "next time, do a little research" (/Geico caveman) and "your problems could've been avoided," etc. But it is still a valuable post and thread because the newbies/lurkers whose trips are still upcoming can still learn from the OP's experience and the DIS vets' postmortem.

 

[Nancyg56]

Sorry your experience did not go better, and I have a couple of comments.

One is that you'll have to excuse some of the comments about your low post count, because it is a frequent occurance here for someone to create a new screen name just to stir the pot on a particular issue. Your post, frankly, did not strike me as one of those, but the comments reflect a legitimate concern.

I agree with some of the earlier posters...sorta. The problems you faced were not really DDP problems, but dining at WDW problems. The place has always been crowded, and there probably are more people eating in the restaurants now than there were 4-5 years ago because of DDP.

The kids meal problems are problems with or without DDP -- and they are problems at every restaurant on the planet. If they serve food kids like, we parents scream, "Where's the healthy food???" If they serve healthy food, we scream, "Where's the stuff my kids like." There is no win either way.

What DDP DOES do, however, is lock you into eating at WDW eateries -- which brings with it all of the above issues. Being locked in like that is probably not for people who want to be "spontaneous." It's also not a good idea for families whose kids will have difficulty finding food they like. Locked in is also not a good idea for a family with three kids over ten who eat like birds -- or three kids under 10 who eat like horses. DDP is not a good choice for people who have folks joining them in their room for only part of the stay.

There are a hundred reasons why DDP might not be the best idea for a particular family. They shouldn't buy DDP. Disney has other discount plans that might well fit better, but none of them will resolve the popularity of the venues nor the kids meal problems.

That's where we come in as consumers. It's up to us to research... and plan...and worry...and argue... and justify...and all of the other fun things we do planning a Disney vacation.

If we don't do those things, or don't do them well, we don't usually have to look far to figure out whose "bad" it is.

Well stated. Kids meals are kids meals everywhere.Disney has some good selections in the TS restaurants, but I thought that the CS options were similar to those offered in most places. Disney is not going to win on this one.

As to the DDP , well it is what it is. Once you make that purchase it is a good idea to research because if you spend the money to use it and then don't follow up with ADR's you may be eating in places that you don't like at times that are not at all convenient. Perhaps more information in the brochure would be helpful, but there are suggestions to make ADR's early.

I think that the DDP should be regarded like any other option that is available. If it works for your family, fine. If not don't buy it. It will not be a value to you. Its' a shame that some folks have had terrible experiences though.

 

[bicker]

Yes, every week there's a new dining bash thread. Hmmm. Wonder why? Couldn't possibly be because it's warranted.

Not necessarily -- as likely as not it is just a reflection of unfounded expectations.

 

[dallas2disney07]

I actually didn't know about this site or message board before I went on the trip.

I certaintly didn't intend to offend any of you. I thought this was a place one could share their experiences. I guess I was wrong about that.

WDW was nice, but we'll likely never go back again. Not enough BIG rides for the kids and I'm just not interested in spending a lot of time planning a vacation. I certainly respect those of you who don't mind that sort of thing, but its just not my cup of tea. I didn't have a travel agent or anyone I could really talk to to find this information out. I'm only sorry that I hadn't found this site before the trip - it could have helped me to decide to stay off campus and eat at the hotel or out in the community.

To the person with the nasty reply - I wasn't just trying to say bad things against WDW. It doesn't matter to me that much. I just wanted anyone else that might stumble upon this site to know how over-crowded WDW is as it relates to dining and the issue dining plan in particular.

Anyway, the newbie is signing off. This will be the last post. I'm sure this will make some of you very happy.