Dining Plan = Bad Service?

[daisyduck123]

I have not read this entire thread...

Just got back Monday nite from 8 days at POP, & on the Dining Plan.

We ate at:
Chef Mickey's twice....fantastic service!
Crystal Palace............good service
Whispering Canyon......fantastic service!
Hollywood & Vine.........good service
1900 Park Fare............fantastic service!
Cinderella's Royal Table..fantastic service!!

The servers knew we were on the Plan & never once did we feel slighted by it.

All of our credits were always deducted properly...no problems here.

 

[Hanover]

We've done two WDW trips in the last 5 months on the dining plan and had great service for every meal, tipping extra each time.

 

[Alicnwondrln]

we had the dining plan in dec and had excellent service eberywhere but alfredos which was awful
every other place was great expecially judy and kona cafe and calude at lecellier

 

[MouseWorshipin]

I never told the servers we had the dining plan until the end of the meal, unless I had a question about it. Servers were great everywhere we ate except for one restaurant.

They didn't ever take too many credits. Every time, they removed one credit. They never accidentally charged us, either.

The only weird thing was that sometimes our receipt came out with a bunch of zeros and sometimes the price was totalled up just like normal.

 

[wdwfan1]

LeCellier was absolutely wonderful, O'Hanas was terrible.

 

[jenrose66]

I don't think you get poor service on the Dining Plan. I used it last July, when I guess it was relatively new. The servers were knowledgable enough about it. We always made it a point to tell them at the beginning we were on the dining plan, our servers would explain what we were allowed to order and we went through our meal. My credits were not messed up once.

I think as long as you are friendly, you tend to get good service. I think a "difficult" customer is more likely to get bad service than someone on the dining plan.

 

[kufan98]

We were on the Dining Plan in December, and we didn't have a problem anywhere--CRT, Boma, Spoodles, Kona Cafe, LeCellier, Artist Point, Sci Fi. I think the servers were happy when they found out we were on it, and they often helped/encourage us to maximize the plan.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

I was a little worried when we went in October because others were reporting that they had less-than-stellar service. I think many of those reports were during "free" dining. I also think some of it is just bad servers, or servers having bad days!

We didn't have bad service at all, and we ate a LOT of TS meals.

H&V, CP dinner, Yachtsman, Boma, CP breakfast, Concourse, 1900 Park Fare, 50's PT, CRT lunch, Donald's, and Kona Cafe. It was all fine. Made our August ADRs this morning! Can't wait!!

 

[aubeone]

Fran99999,

You mentioned that you used the DDE with the Dining Plan. Please tell us a little more about how you used it. I was thinking of doing the same thing.

 

[luvmy2sams]

We used the dining plan for our trip last month, and there were a couple of waiters whose demeanor immediately changed when they discovered we were on the dining plan. Our waiters/waitresses at Whispering Canyon, The Plaza and CRT for dinner virtually ignored us after DH mentioned the plan. Thank goodness he finally smartened up and quit saying anything until time for the check. Our experience at Chef Mickey's, Crystal Palace, 'OHanas (breakfast and dinner), and Teppanyaki were outstanding, though.

We never had a problem with too many credits being taken off for a meal. However, we did have a snack purchase that wasn't removed. The CM couldn't figure out what happened...system glitch or something.

 

[GrimGhost]

Yes, true & true.

IMO, not only has the service gone south but, many long-time favorite more expensive items have disappeared from the menus.

We tipped extra when we felt the server deserved it.

When we didn't use the plan in Dec., miraculously - most of the waitstaff in the same sites were more attentive. Either a strange co-incidence or due to not be guaranteed a tip, perhaps?

Would you mine elaborating on this, I haven't heard any mention thus far of the menu's changing anywhere.

 

[Alexander]

I can't imagine that the dining plan would breed poor service. If the service is going to be poor, it's going to be poor no matter how the meal is paid for. I have to wonder with more people using the DP, are more people eating at TS restaurants, which leads to more people being able to complain.

And, why on earth would you put up with a bad server? I would either ask them to cheer up or speak to a manager and request a more "magical" server. I can't believe that little incident at Alfredo's did not immediately bring out a supervisor and possibly a sending home of the employees involved.

I know I sound a little harsh, cranky, whatever, but I wouldn't accept this kind of behavior from the students in my classroom, so why on earth should we accept this kind of behavior from adults in the service industry.

 

[NMW]

we recieved poor service at Alfredo's in 2003. We thought maybe it was a fluke, but after discovering these boards, it seems like more of a pattern. We were on the old gold plan and it was our the only really bad service the entire trip.

 

[LAWalz23]

Princess Tess,
DDE is the Disney Dining experience card and Florida residents and AP holders can purchase it then they get 20% off ts meals and most of the lounges.
DVC memebers can get the DP starting in April. I am planning to use it for the 1st time in Dec.

 

[cobbler]

We haven't used the dining plan but we ate with my folks who took advantage of the free dining and we all had great service.

We weren't sluffed off at all because of the free dining. I wouldn't worry.

 

[Bronte]

Just wondering does anyone know for sure that disney is actually giving the servers at least 15% for a tip from each dinning plan party ... I waited tables for 15 years so I was just curious ...
We are going in May on the plan and I just want to make sure that our servers are truely being "coverd."

 

[MyGoofy26]

The only place that I noticed a decline in service was at Le Cellier. Every other waiter or waitress was wonderful. If you've ever eaten there, you know the tables are practically on top of each other so the people RIGHT next to us weren't on the plan but we were. Our waiter was constantly checking on them, bringing them drinks, bringing their food. We had one refill after being empty for awhile and someone else brought all our food out. He kept checking on the other people but not us. Keep in mind that these people are literally inches away from us - so we weren't exactly out of his way.

We had been leaving extra for tips, but not that night.