Feelings as DVC Member on DDP?

[Simba's Mom]

I love the DDP and haven't seen any negative effects from it. I'll admit that when they had free dining last September, it seemed that the resturaunts were booked pretty far ahead. Lots of resturaunts I've been to on the DDP were ones I hadn't frequented before, so I don't know about things being taken off the menu (except that they used to have swordfish at Coral Reef and now they don't, but I have no idea if that's because of the DDP). However, I think that lots of peoples' reactions have to do with how it's used. The first time I used it, I made sure I "maximized" the plan-I ate all my sit-down meals at dinner time, ordered more expensive items, and ate as much as possible. Although I saved so much ($200 for roughly $400 worth of food), I really wasn't thrilled. The second time, I just went back to my pre-DDP ways-ate when I wanted (which often meant my big meal at lunch), where I wanted, and just ordered whatever I wanted, whether it was the cheapest or most expensive item. Although I didn't save as much, I did save and I loved the DDP-the freedom to order whatever I wanted on the menu, regardless of price (I tend to be someone who'd say "Well I'd kind of rather have -, but -is cheaper so that's what I'll order"). I LOVE the DDP, and hope it stays around for a long time. I really haven't noticed any negative menu changes.

 

[patsal]

We love the DDP with 2 kids both considered adults I would not be able to feed my family of four for under $160 per day if I were eating within the parks and planning on not wasting time going back to the villa. Even with DDE I would spend more $$ between the breakeven point--You don't save anything until you spend $300 and then it is only 20% which is what I tip anyway plus I would not save on most CS (only AK at a park) and when I'm at OKW I'm not exactly running to the AS resorts to use their food court. I love the flexibility--where I want when I want and with DVC and DDP I get a lot of flexibility. I can have fast food at whatever park I'm at and everyone in my party can have whatever they want. I dont' need to have $$ in my pocket to pay for snacks anymore and the kids get to try more than they could have in the past--I only sprang for snacks 2x per week on vacation when I had to pay OOP for them. No more letting the kids order what they want and cutting corners on my wants to keep within budget. Honestly, one character meal at dinner would nearly be $144 for the four of us after tax and tip. Honestly the $160 is a bargain fi you eat the way the plan is set up, which we do.
Many of the issues that are being blamed on the DDP may not really be the fault of the DDP so much as the trends that we are now seeing. All dining establishments are being requested to make "healthier menus" most especially fast food and children's meals. Many are moving away from trans fats as the "banning" becomes more prevalent. Perhaps wild game isn't a big seller--I know AP removed most of it before the DDP. Why purchase and prepare something that appeals to very few, not good for profits. ADR's are needed much the same way they were in the mid 80's to early 90's since the crowds are much larger than they were post 9/11. With seasonal promo's to keep the parks and resorts as full as possible throughout the year the lack of "slow times" brings the lack of walk in to a restaurant whenever you'd like. Sure when people purchase the DDP they are encouraged to make ADR's but if they were not there would be more disappointed people to have to deal with, so by telling people to make them WDW can't be blamed for the "no one told me I should do that". BTW I dont' see how the DDP can be considered a pyramid scheme, a loss leader for those that do not use all they are entitiled to, but not a pyramid scheme.

 

[TDC Nala]

It's nice to have. I have used it. But it IS one of the several variables affecting the quality and variety of the restaurant fare offered.

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

DDP needs to be bashed and bashed and bashed until it's gone, and quality and variety return to Disney dining.

Kind of hate to say it but that isn't going to happen. WDW likes full restaurants, full resorts and full parks.

 

[scootert]

While we are DVC members, we only go to WDW every other year and since we don't buy annual passes, we have not been able to buy/use the Disney Dining Experience card. We are looking forward to having the DDP for our trip this year. As I've looked at the menus for different restaurants there are some changes, but our home town restaurants change their menus from time to time. Change happens.

 

[n2mm]

Another unreasonable person here! We love the DDP and are thrilled that DVC owners have the perk of adding it to our reservations without all of the restrictions that package holders have. We go to WDW 4-5 trips a year and have used the DDP every trip since it's been available to us. We have also stayed at the resorts and booked a package in 2005 and 2006 to take advantage of the free DDP. We are also AP holders and have a DDE card. We love the DDP. We find it a wonderful value and find the only effect it has had is the limited availability of getting into the best restraurants on short notice. We have been to WDW for more than 60 trips and have found the menus change constantly. We have found the serving sizes have continued to shrink (which is really a good thing). We have seen these things at all restraurants whether we are at home in the Wash. DC area or in WDW. Things change all of the time, and don't think you can ever blame one particular thing that contributed to ther overall reason. While we have many favorite places to eat in WDW, there are places that we USE to love that have changed and we moved away from them, and there are places we ate at in the past that we swore never again (Coral Reef and 9 dragons) which have become new favorites. Menus change and chefs change and find these things contribute to the good and bad of some of the places we eat at, use to eat at, or might eat at in the future.

 

[jodifla]

Another unreasonable person here! We love the DDP and are thrilled that DVC owners have the perk of adding it to our reservations without all of the restrictions that package holders have. We go to WDW 4-5 trips a year and have used the DDP every trip since it's been available to us. We have also stayed at the resorts and booked a package in 2005 and 2006 to take advantage of the free DDP. We are also AP holders and have a DDE card. We love the DDP. We find it a wonderful value and find the only effect it has had is the limited availability of getting into the best restraurants on short notice. We have been to WDW for more than 60 trips and have found the menus change constantly. We have found the serving sizes have continued to shrink (which is really a good thing). We have seen these things at all restraurants whether we are at home in the Wash. DC area or in WDW. Things change all of the time, and don't think you can ever blame one particular thing that contributed to ther overall reason. While we have many favorite places to eat in WDW, there are places that we USE to love that have changed and we moved away from them, and there are places we ate at in the past that we swore never again (Coral Reef and 9 dragons) which have become new favorites. Menus change and chefs change and find these things contribute to the good and bad of some of the places we eat at, use to eat at, or might eat at in the future.

I've been going to WDW since it opened, and the food was pretty abysmal. It got GREAT in the early 90s.

So sad that so many people like mediocrity, if they can fool themselves into thinking they are saving money.

 

[jodifla]

It's nice to have. I have used it. But it IS one of the several variables affecting the quality and variety of the restaurant fare offered.

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.



Kind of hate to say it but that isn't going to happen. WDW likes full restaurants, full resorts and full parks.

I think eventually the DDP will implode. They are going to keep jacking the rates up and up and up, and the quality down and down and down, until even the most deluded DDP folks will decide it's no longer worth it for them.

 

[BCV23]

I think eventually the DDP will implode. They are going to keep jacking the rates up and up and up, and the quality down and down and down, until even the most deluded DDP folks will decide it's no longer worth it for them.

The rate has gone up by a dollar in two years I think....not too bad.

It is too bad that some who don't like the DDP feel it necessary to insult those who either like it or appreciate its availability for DVCers with the use of words like deluded, enjoy mediocrity, etc..

I agree with almost everyone else. Menus change. We don't have as many long trips as n2mm but having been enjoying TS restaurants at WDW since 1980. I notice healthier food and portions but the same wide variety and quality that have been there for many years now.

Interesting about key lime pie using raw eggs, starbox. That alone explains the change. And perhaps not many people actually ordered conch fritters.

So does anyone wish that the more inclusive meal plans were also offered to DVCers?

 

[Sammie]

So sad that so many people like mediocrity, if they can fool themselves into thinking they are saving money.

I guess one man's treasures is another's junk.

We did not save a huge amount of money on the plan as we did a Signature meal and a buffet. But even if we broke even, we like the DDP and could care less about the minor changes to the menu.

We too have been going to WDW for over 30 years and as BCV23 said, things come and things go on all menus even before the current DDP.

We like the convenience and there are plenty of offerings that we like to be very happy with the current situation.

Key Lime is still offered at Olivia's and many other locations property wide, so I truly do not understand the complaint about lack of Key Lime desserts.

 

[jodifla]

I guess one man's treasures is another's junk.

We did not save a huge amount of money on the plan as we did a Signature meal and a buffet. But even if we broke even, we like the DDP and could care less about the minor changes to the menu.

We too have been going to WDW for over 30 years and as BCV23 said, things come and things go on all menus even before the current DDP.

We like the convenience and there are plenty of offerings that we like to be very happy with the current situation.

Key Lime is still offered at Olivia's and many other locations property wide, so I truly do not understand the complaint about lack of Key Lime desserts.

It's a prefab Key Lime tart, not a true Key Lime pie!

 

[jodifla]

The rate has gone up by a dollar in two years I think....not too bad.

It is too bad that some who don't like the DDP feel it necessary to insult those who either like it or appreciate its availability for DVCers with the use of words like deluded, enjoy mediocrity, etc..

I agree with almost everyone else. Menus change. We don't have as many long trips as n2mm but having been enjoying TS restaurants at WDW since 1980. I notice healthier food and portions but the same wide variety and quality that have been there for many years now.

Interesting about key lime pie using raw eggs, starbox. That alone explains the change. And perhaps not many people actually ordered conch fritters.

So does anyone wish that the more inclusive meal plans were also offered to DVCers?

Key lime pies with raw eggs are cooked...just like cakes. So no, that doesn't explain the change.

And if folks could have the DDP and it NOT ravage the menu quality and pack the restaurants, then that would be cool. But it's harming MY experience, and that's why I hate it.

And if you have a kitchen, why spend all that money on a dining plan?

 

[scootert]

Key lime pies with raw eggs are cooked...just like cakes. So no, that doesn't explain the change.

And if folks could have the DDP and it NOT ravage the menu quality and pack the restaurants, then that would be cool. But it's harming MY experience, and that's why I hate it.

And if you have a kitchen, why spend all that money on a dining plan?

Speaking for myself ... it's a vacation. I like to eat out and not spend my time cooking while I'm on vacation. To each his own.

 

[BCV23]

Key lime pies with raw eggs are cooked...just like cakes. So no, that doesn't explain the change.

And if folks could have the DDP and it NOT ravage the menu quality and pack the restaurants, then that would be cool. But it's harming MY experience, and that's why I hate it.

And if you have a kitchen, why spend all that money on a dining plan?

In your view it is harming your experience. Most of us disagree with you. You still have not given us other examples beyond Olivia's.

Other than an occasional batch of scrambled eggs, I never cook at DVC. Far too many good restaurants with a wide variety of food and great service to enjoy at WDW. The table service restaurants are one of the reason we enjoy WDW so much. As to saving money, we spend more money on Disney dining when we are not on the DDP.

I still contend it is OK to dislike a plan without denigrating those who do. It is like saying one doesn't care for Tonga Toast or Conch fritters because they are deepfat fried and not healthy....or saying anyone who orders those items has no taste at all.

 

[Nancyg56]

DDP needs to be bashed and bashed and bashed until it's gone, and quality and variety return to Disney dining.

I just wrote a 2-page letter to Food and Beverage detailing my complaints, and I'm rallying folks on the Dining reviews board to do the same.

Why are you so sure that the items that you want will be returned if the DDP was gone? There are many reasons that restaurants streamline menus or remove items. While you may enjoy certain items and are willing to pay for them, there may not be enough people who will, and rather than stock a kitchen only to find that expensive items sit, the choice may be to removes slow moving items.

I was fortunate enough to be a part of a trip to the CIA with the CT chef's association, and was treated to a lecture with those chefs. One of the points that the chef was making was that while it is nice to be able to include specialty items it may not be cost effective for a restaurant to do so. In order to generate a profit it is important to move all of the items offered on a menu. It it doesn't sell it won't stay.


I am not saying that the DDP does not contribute to changes that you see, but I am not as sure as some that it is the major factor.

 

[jodifla]

In your view it is harming your experience. Most of us disagree with you. You still have not given us other examples beyond Olivia's.

Other than an occasional batch of scrambled eggs, I never cook at DVC. Far too many good restaurants with a wide variety of food and great service to enjoy at WDW. The table service restaurants are one of the reason we enjoy WDW so much. As to saving money, we spend more money on Disney dining when we are not on the DDP.

I still contend it is OK to dislike a plan without denigrating those who do. It is like saying one doesn't care for Tonga Toast or Conch fritters because they are deepfat fried and not healthy....or saying anyone who orders those items has no taste at all.

I've given plenty of examples beyond Olivia's. There's the Yachtsman, which has been completely decimated by the dumb, horrible DDP -- just see my review and the many many people who agree with me over on the dining review board. There wasn't one person who actually enjoyed their meal at the Yachtsman, and it decline EXACTLY when the DDP came on board.

There's Jiko, which is missing it's best appetizer because it's too expensive with the DDP. There's lobster, which has been stripped off almost every menu.....you HONESTLY want to tell me that's not because of the DDP?

I had to order two appetizers at Citrico's, because honestly the entree menu was SO LIMITED I didn't find anything intersting to eat on it. There WAS NOTHING ON THE YACHSTMAN MENU worth returning for...and we've been fans of it since it opened..

 

[patsal]

And if you have a kitchen, why spend all that money on a dining plan?

Because I'm on vacation
Because I vacation when everyone else does (school breaks) and I am not going to lose time in the parks to go back to the room to cook a meal.
By the same token of thinking, because I have a kitchen at home I'd have no plans to ever dine out.
BTW not all recipes for Key Lime Pie are cooked the eggs are tempered, but not at a high enough temp to kill off the bacteria, and not all key lime pies are baked.

 

[DaisyD]

I guess that makes me unreasonable then. I will admit that the DDP has caused changes but any reasonable person can see that the changes as to whether they have ruined anything is subjective and strickly one's opinion.

We just got finished with the SSR bashing, can we please not start a DDP bashing thread. There are enough of those on the Dining forums to make one's head spin.

Jodi, what items have been removed since the DDP?

The Dad's Smores at 50s Prime Time. Removed specifically because of the DDP. It was originally a dessert for 2 and apparantly too many DPers were each getting their own and wasting it. So they halved the thing and charge the same price. The folks at Kona's don't care for the DDP either. I know a couple of servers there and they despise the DDP. I won't tell you what they call folks on that plan. The childrens menus are bad. The regular menus have all been dumbed down because of the DDP. Wonder why all the better cuts of meat are gone along with all the lobster? DDP.

 

[jodifla]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1343228&highlight=menu+changes+DDP

this thread details the decline of the FF.

There's another, multi-page thread I'm looking for that lists item after item they discontinued after the DDP.

 

[jodifla]

The Dad's Smores at 50s Prime Time. Removed specifically because of the DDP. It was originally a dessert for 2 and apparantly too many DPers were each getting their own and wasting it. So they halved the thing and charge the same price. The folks at Kona's don't care for the DDP either. I know a couple of servers there and they despise the DDP. I won't tell you what they call folks on that plan. The childrens menus are bad. The regular menus have all been dumbed down because of the DDP. Wonder why all the better cuts of meat are gone along with all the lobster? DDP.

Oh, yeah, the Ohana's menu was really changed too. Took away the expensive shrimp....gee, wonder why?

 

[BCV23]

I've given plenty of examples beyond Olivia's. There's the Yachtsman, which has been completely decimated by the dumb, horrible DDP -- just see my review and the many many people who agree with me over on the dining review board. There wasn't one person who actually enjoyed their meal at the Yachtsman, and it decline EXACTLY when the DDP came on board.

There's Jiko, which is missing it's best appetizer because it's too expensive with the DDP. There's lobster, which has been stripped off almost every menu.....you HONESTLY want to tell me that's not because of the DDP?

I had to order two appetizers at Citrico's, because honestly the entree menu was SO LIMITED I didn't find anything intersting to eat on it. There WAS NOTHING ON THE YACHSTMAN MENU worth returning for...and we've been fans of it since it opened..

We used to be big fans of YSH but that was years ago. We ate there every trip for a number of years after it opened as I recall even though we rarely stayed in that area back then. For many years now, we have found it to be inconsistent. This change was many years before DDP. It is usually good and occasionally great but not what it was years ago. DDP has nothing to do with it.

Best appetizer at Jiko is of course completely subjective. But since folk who use the DDP there are using two credits to do so, I doubt the DDP had anything to do with the loss of your personal favorite whatever that might have been. Changes may have occured in Aug/Sept due to free DDP but that was what...a month and a half. Don't go during that time. I know I plan to avoid it.

I don't know how long you've been dining at Citricos but it has always had a very limited menu IMO. We are a family of six and often have had the problem of not finding things for everyone on that menu. But again, that was true long before the DDP.