Dining Plan reflections

[Colleen27]

I started our trip with the intention of keeping close tabs on our DDP spending to do a cost/value comparison, but with 7 people going in 3 different directions at times that quickly fell apart. I do have some general observations to share, however.

T-Rex is a good value on the DDP. The chocolate extinction dessert counts as dessert for 4 but aside from that there weren't any restrictions, and we very much enjoyed our meal there. It isn't high cuisine but it is good BBQ/grill type food, considerably better than Rainforest Cafe (which I'm not a big fan of) and the atmosphere was very entertaining. I am glad we picked it for our free evening, and getting a last minute (about 2 hrs in advance) ADR was easy even for our large group.

Tangerine Cafe is another great value. Two meals fed 5 of us and everything was delicious, including the baklava which I am generally not a fan of, but bring gum - too much onion and garlic had me thinking about a trip back to the resort to brush my teeth!

We had some very good meals even with the restriction of traveling with a very picky eater. Le Cellier was enjoyable, though I still think it is somewhat overrated, and 50s Prime Time was a lot of fun. The character meals not so much, but the interaction at Chef Mickey's made it worthwhile. I missed the signature restaurants that I've gotten used to on our DxDDP trips but still enjoyed most of our meals.

I won't book another credit card guarantee character/park dinner again. We checked in at 8:30 for our 8:40 ADR at Crystal Palace, and at 9:30 when we still hadn't been seated I asked about leaving and was told in no uncertain terms by both the hostess and the manager I asked her to double check with that we'd be charged the no-show fee if we decided not to wait. So we waited, for a meal that completely sucked due to other diners and completely apathetic staff that didn't seem to notice the two girls sleeping in the walkway next to our table or the two boys who shoved their way in every time a character came to our table. I will be writing to Disney about the experience, of course, as my complaint at the restaurant fell on deaf ears.

The DDP definitely isn't a good fit for us, and unless we're getting it free we won't use it again. It was free this time so we used it, but also gave ourselves permission to add on non-plan items as desired. We ended up paying OOP for a couple of appetizers, a couple specialty drinks where they weren't included (T-Rex), and for one TS meal. We also left behind 4 counter service meals because we just don't eat that much take-out type food, and took 5 meals to-go for the flight home. My 3yo getting her own meals was really a tipping point - at home she shares an adult meal with her 10yo sister when dining out, and each of them getting a full DDP allotment of their own was just way too much.

Next trip we are going to try paying OOP and see how it goes. We found quite a bit of open availability at the last minute even for our large group, including the disastrous CP dinner that I booked on 24hrs notice and T-Rex 2hrs in advance, so I think we're going to "wing it" more and plan less. I'm not comfortable with booking enough CC hold restaurants to justify the DxDDP, and with my 3yo now getting her own credits it would be serious overkill anyway. So OOP or maybe TiW if I upgrade to an AP looks like the way to go from now on, and I'm looking forward to a "let's see what we get" trip with just one or two special/pre-planned ADRs.

 

[havoc315]

I won't book another credit card guarantee character/park dinner again. We checked in at 8:30 for our 8:40 ADR at Crystal Palace, and at 9:30 when we still hadn't been seated I asked about leaving and was told in no uncertain terms by both the hostess and the manager I asked her to double check with that we'd be charged the no-show fee if we decided not to wait.

That is absurd. If you showed up an hour late, they would have charged you a no-show fee. But they can be an hour late, and not give you the option of canceling?

You should write a very strongly worded letter to Disney. Not an angry and hateful letter, but a strongly worded rational letter.
It's absolutely insane for them to say, "We are running over an hour late on reservations.... but if you don't stick around, we are charging you $40"

If a restaurant cannot seat you within a reasonable amount of time for your reservation, they should not penalize you for walking out.

If you write a proper letter or email to the right individual, I think you will get a positive response.

I'm sure its partially just quirks of figuring out the new credit card hold system. They have to figure out their own system of when and how to override the no-show payment. Certainly, if the restaurant isn't honoring your reservation, you shouldn't be charged a no-show.

 

[catne]

thanks for the report, Colleen. Sounds like you've out-grown the dining plan, too.

Hubby and I have decided probably no more dining-plan trips after the next couple of weekends trips when we're going with others (already paid-for)

We went for weekend by ourselves in January and bought the TiW...no dining plan (first trip in years with no dining plan.)

LOVED it. Ended up only eating a couple of times a day...what we wanted/when we wanted. And granted, was a slow time of year, but it was a weekend: yet I was getting ADRs just 2 hours out...only a handful of the most popular places were booked, even on Saturday night. I added up what our OOP expense for food & beverages actually was..turns out we spent about $10 less per night than what the regular dining plan would have cost.

 

[Colleen27]

That is absurd. If you showed up an hour late, they would have charged you a no-show fee. But they can be an hour late, and not give you the option of canceling?

You should write a very strongly worded letter to Disney. Not an angry and hateful letter, but a strongly worded rational letter.
It's absolutely insane for them to say, "We are running over an hour late on reservations.... but if you don't stick around, we are charging you $40"

If a restaurant cannot seat you within a reasonable amount of time for your reservation, they should not penalize you for walking out.

If you write a proper letter or email to the right individual, I think you will get a positive response.

I'm sure its partially just quirks of figuring out the new credit card hold system. They have to figure out their own system of when and how to override the no-show payment. Certainly, if the restaurant isn't honoring your reservation, you shouldn't be charged a no-show.

I think that is part of it - they're still figuring out how/when to waive the fee and I'm not sure it is clear yet who has the authority to do so. I've written a polite but pointed letter about the experience and we'll see what kind of response I get. I'm hopeful that Disney just hasn't worked out how to deal with all the possible issues of the new policy and that it will become more guest-friendly over time as they get feedback on specific problems.

And part of it was the restaurant and timing. Several families that checked in around us had much earlier ADRs that would have conflicted with Wishes but chose not to check in until after the fireworks, which I'm sure backed everything up, and I noticed at least one family (the one with the girls playing/laying/dancing in the aisle right next to me) that just seemed to be hanging out long past the end of their meal. They were getting desserts when we were seated but still at the table when we were leaving, and I know restaurants can't control that sort of thing.

I will say this much for the staff there - within 5 min or so of posing the question about leaving to a manager we were seated. Maybe that was coincidence because we'd been there an hour at that point, but I think maybe the manager was trying to salvage our experience.

thanks for the report, Colleen. Sounds like you've out-grown the dining plan, too.

Hubby and I have decided probably no more dining-plan trips after the next couple of weekends trips when we're going with others (already paid-for)

We went for weekend by ourselves in January and bought the TiW...no dining plan (first trip in years with no dining plan.)

LOVED it. Ended up only eating a couple of times a day...what we wanted/when we wanted. And granted, was a slow time of year, but it was a weekend: yet I was getting ADRs just 2 hours out...only a handful of the most popular places were booked, even on Saturday night. I added up what our OOP expense for food & beverages actually was..turns out we spent about $10 less per night than what the regular dining plan would have cost.

We have two "maybe" trips in the works right now - Memorial Day weekend with just me & DD10 for a Girl Scout event if I can get the money together, and sometime in the fall with no kids for our 10th anniversary - and we're going to try winging it for both. No dining plan, no ADRs (except V&A for the anniversary trip), and we'll see how it goes. DD10 absolutely fell in love with the YES class experience so I don't think we'll be booking packages in the future anyway - the ticket discount through YES individual enrollment is a far better deal than dining for our family at this point.

 

[DJFan88]

Do you now have to give a credit card guarantee for all ADR's this year? When we went to CP 2 years ago we didn't have to there, it was just signature ones. But now, I'm wondering if that policy has changed. That would make a huge difference to me in what I decide to do as far as dining, or QS or just OOP. Not that I've cancelled any, but if that policy is now, I wouldn't want to be tied down to that.

 

[Colleen27]

Do you now have to give a credit card guarantee for all ADR's this year? When we went to CP 2 years ago we didn't have to there, it was just signature ones. But now, I'm wondering if that policy has changed. That would make a huge difference to me in what I decide to do as far as dining, or QS or just OOP. Not that I've cancelled any, but if that policy is now, I wouldn't want to be tied down to that.

There's a FAQ about it on the reservations board, but basically it is for any restaurant that hosts character or signature meals (even for the non-character or non-signature meals at those restaurants, ie Le Cellier lunch or Ohana dinner). The policy just went into effect on 10/26/11 and they still seem to be working out the kinks.

 

[Reddy]

I really enjoy the quick service meal plan - because of the no ARDs - I usually make 2 for character breakfast (try for before the park opens) otherwise we eat when we are hungry

but seemed to enjoy the fancier meals so I'm not sure if the "fast" food will be a good choice for you either