Get Rid Of Dining Plan!

[kaytieeldr]

yes i like great food in a magical place and i dont mind a busy rest...on the contrary i love it like that!!...the food/service and menu options dwindle on every trip...

If the food and/or service have historically dwindled on every trip, it might be time to find other dining locations (non-DDP restaurants, off-site, Swan/Dolphin/SOG, etc.) But how have the menu options dwindled with every trip? It appears the OP is an AP holder, and the cost-effective use of an AP would be to visit multiple times in a given year. I don't see how or where the number of items has dropped in the last year.

The average meal price at a TS restaurant is about $29 before tax/tip. The 'value' of a TS meal on the DDP is $25 (before anyone asks, that's the figure I've seen in other threads - I didn't make it up).
A Guest paying for their meal with the DDE is paying $23.20 for the average meal. A Guest who prepaid for their meal several weeks or months earlier, by choice, has an estimated $25 in value of what they paid going toward any specific TS meal. So, I don't understand why the nay-sayers are blaming the DDP and not the DDE for any changes/drops/reductions, actual or perceived.
Because the latter's been around longer? Well, with marketing, message boards, a better economy (gas prices notwithstanding), and um what was that other thing... oh, right - more people traveling, why do DDE holders not consider that program as having an undesirable effect on food/service/portions?

 

[Uncleromulus]

This past trip (May) we went to 3 '"Signature" restaurants--didn't notice any decline in menu, food, or service. Things pretty much the same as in all of our other recent trips.
And we've been going to WDW since 1975.
And we don't use DDP.

 

[Dreamfinder2]

This past trip (May) we went to 3 '"Signature" restaurants--didn't notice any decline in menu, food, or service. Things pretty much the same as in all of our other recent trips.
And we've been going to WDW since 1975.
And we don't use DDP.

Lordy. How I love it when a steady hand takes hold of the wheel.
Unc, I affirm your observations. And I was a local, for many years.

 

[Duckfan-in-Chicago]

I've gone to WDW more times than I could count. I go almost yearly, and sometimes 2 or 3 times.

I think the food quality at the restaurants goes up and down at times. I think 15 years ago it was pretty bad, but they started to make it better and we were on an up swing for a long time. I think it's starting to trend down now. My opinion this has less to do with the DDP and more to do with a standardization that seems to be going on across the board at WDW.

Every bar now serves the same drinks. Every shop now sells the same shirts. Now the restaurants are getting the same treatment. None of this can be blamed on the DDP.

Full disclosure...I'm in no way affiliated with WDW inc, and I've never used the DP. I prefer the DDE card.

These are my opinions:
The food isn't the best, but it's far from the worst. Some of it is pretty good. There are some things that I actually can't wait to eat when I get there, and I come from a city known for good food.

I read comments all the time about the service, and I always wait for the bottom to fall off, but I still think that the bad/angry/rude CM is the exception and not the norm. Maybe I'm just having such a good time I don't notice, or maybe there's something to the theory of you get back what you give?

I consider talking to the people working at WDW as part of the overall trip experience.

I usually travel at off times. Even this year I never had a problem making ADRs for places like Le Cellier a few days prior. I have some reservations made 180 days out, but I've changed my mind, and never really run into a problem. I've also booked a trip during spring break a few weeks before and made plenty of decent ADRs while the DDP existed. Walking up to a restaurant the night of, not so lucky. But this idea that you HAVE to know what you're doing 180 days out, I don't believe. Maybe for Christmas.

 

[mommyaof2]

I don't think that anyone can honestly blame the ddp for everything. Do you have statistics to back all of this up? We were recently at WDW in April and I had not been in 15 years and all of our food and service were delish! We were on the ddp and loved it and will not go back without it. I loved planning my adrs 6 months out. I am already working on a plan for next year! I agree with a previous poster in saying that several factors could be contributing to what you think is a problem. All food related businesses seem to be cutting cost right now and have been for the last few years due to gas prices. I would say that this is more to blame than the ddp. When gas goes up so does everything that is delivered by truck. So maybe the decline everyone is talking about is related to gas prices and not the ddp? Like I said, there is not any hard core facts to back up that the ddp is causing problems. There is however hard core facts that gas prices are.

 

[septbaby]

I will experience TS and DDP for the first time at the end of August and am so excited. The DDP is an especially good deal. If you want portion sizes, go to buffets and graze, that is perfectly allowable. If portion sizes are indeed shrinking its a combination of waste or consumer demand (have you seen TGIF, Ruby Tuesday's new adds pushing smaller sizes?). There is no need to provide so much food if most of us are throwing 20% away, cut portion by 10% and guests will still be happy. Restaurant costs drive pricing and ultimately profitability. Small or no profits, you close giving us even less choice for ADRs.

 

[marivaid]

A Guest paying for their meal with the DDE is paying $23.20 for the average meal. A Guest who prepaid for their meal several weeks or months earlier, by choice, has an estimated $25 in value of what they paid going toward any specific TS meal. So, I don't understand why the nay-sayers are blaming the DDP and not the DDE for any changes/drops/reductions, actual or perceived.

I hate to be the one to say it but it's rather obvious why : the same persons who blame the DDP for everything have the DDE.

IMO the real problem they have with the DDP is that now the restaurants are full of people who are not local, don't come 10 times a year, and are getting as good a deal as they are. Being a local/AP holder/DDE member doesn't set you apart from the crowd anymore at the Disney restaurants.

(We'll be buying AP and DDE in about 6 weeks )

 

[pumba]

we also do not do the DDP ....but we are AP holders and have had the DDE for the last three years....we love it and we still go to the restaurants we want to.....we plan ahead just like the ddp people do.......even without the dde we planned out what we wanted and where our family would enjoy going to......
We did lose out on Le Cellier reservations because we wanted to add two people to our reservation.....they were unable to accomodate us then so we did another place.......
main thing is go and have fun.....yes you have to plan ahead but the fun of going to these places and enjoying the food is it....

 

[Luv2Roam]

It's getting to be that DDP bashing needs it's own board. And it seems to be generally from people who don't want to plan ahead.
I think menus have become more standardized with less selection. And items that once were considered beverages (such as a milkshake) I have even seen as appetizers.
I think the DDE has had some effect. This allows for a larger turnover in guests, and makes specific options for DDP diners.
I also think it is the economy has had a large impact on this too, in addition to marketing and demand.
Even off site -- and in any populated area -- try to walk up at a even half decent restaurant during prime time and try to get seated right away. Probably won't happen.
The parks are popular and tourism is up. (Thank goodness! )
We use the DDE, enjoy it, and dining on-site has not been an issue for us due to DDP.

 

[sassyredhead]

We just returned from 8 days in the World on the DDP and here are my overwhelmingly positive observations:

1. Compared to our last trip, many more healthy options on the DDP. A delicious seasonal fruit bowl as a snack? Melon salad for dessert at Coral Reef? I was VERY happy that my snack/dessert options were NOT your typical theme park fare of ice cream and sweets.

2. At TS restaurants, the service was better than our restaurants here. We always tipped above and beyond the standard 18% on the plan when we were treated well. At Tony's Town Sqaure, the waiter noticed my DD and I were cold and brought us table clothes to wrap up in. The waiter brought my DH coffee with his dessert even though it was not on the plan--at no charge.

3. Every restuarant we visted was over the top busy. Yet, even though we ate at the prime dining time of 6pm, we were seated within 15 minutes of our reservation time. I would NEVER be able to walk into a local restaurant at 6pm and expect to be seated within 15 minutes. I will glady call 6 months in advance and be "stuck" to a schedule for a 15 minute wait. Less wait = more park time in my opinion!

4. I did not have a problem with homogenized menus at TS. At Le Cellier, they had delcious steak, pretzel bread, cheddar cheese soup. At Coral Reef, delcious blackened catfish. At Tony's, to die for Tiramisu. Folks have mentioned the standard drink menus, but as alcoholic beverages are NOT included on the DDP (unfortunately!!), I don't have this can be attributed to the plan?

5. I loved not worrying about cost.

 

[Colleen27]

They always ask me when I call if I'm on the Dining Plan and I'm wondering...if I was, would it make some difference?

It does make a difference to the CM scheduling your ADRs, who needs to know whether or not your using the plan in order to provide the best possible service. Neither answer gets better treatment or any advantage in scheduling, but if you're on the DDP the CM will point out any signature (2TS) meals you're booking and even keep a running count of credits during the conversation. When we booked our 2005 trip, the CM made a point to remind me that I had made 1 more ADR than I had TS credits for so that I knew one would have to come OOP (I did know, but I was impressed that the CM noticed and pointed it out), and when we were making ADRs for our (now-rescheduled) Oct trip, the CM was careful to remind me that California Grill and Narcoosees use 2 TS credits and even made some suggestions about which TS meals to pay for out of pocket because we once again had more planned than we had credits.

 

[mickeyfan2]

Any passholders or florida residents sick of the dining plan!!...it has ruined so many good times we all have had in the past esp at epcot..do you agree?..vent here

I have been an AP holder for more years than I can count and I couldn't disagree with you more. No group is more important than another. If you don't like the DDP then don't get it. If you don't like the restaurant then don't eat there. The "good times" you had were for a select few. Now you are not so special so you are unhappy.

 

[marivaid]

It does make a difference to the CM scheduling your ADRs, who needs to know whether or not your using the plan in order to provide the best possible service.

I think they're also trying to keep track of how many guests are using the plan. I dropped the DDP a few weeks ago and called to ask if I should rebook our ADRs. The CM told me that she'd just need to "move" me, and asked for the confirmation numbers. I have no idea what she did on her computer but I could hear her typing so she definitely did something.

 

[Colleen27]

Interesting. It seems that the consensus is that Disney dining is not what it used to be. If the DDP is not the culprit (and I am not saying it is--like I said, I have not been in 14 years) what other theories are out there?

In the end, whatever the cause, I would like to see Disney's food quality improve. Do they have any incentive to do so with the guaranteed customers the DDP ensures?

It is a chicken or the egg question - Did the DDP *cause* the changes, or is the DDP one of the changes Disney made to achieve their goals for their dining operations? I tend to think it is the latter. The DDP is just one of many changes that have placed volume and profit over uniqueness in the restaurants. I think the DDP allows them to be more blatant in the simplifying of menus and standardization of ingredients because the restaurants are increasingly patronized by first-timers and because DDPers are an even more captive audience than the already somewhat captive theme park guests, but the changes in the bar menus shows that it is not a result of the DDP but rather a cluster of changes towards a single goal.

 

[mickeyfan2]

myladyisatramp..do you understand my complaint is w/the food and service delcine since the ddp has started??

I have not seen this and I was an AP holder before the DDP. Food was changing before the DDP and will change after the DDP. I look at the local restaurants and they are doing the same thing. WDW caters to people from all over the world, so they try to make food that the vast majority like.

DH loved the food in Norway; me not so much. I would eat there for him but would not for me. It is nice to get authentic food, but if most people don't want to try it then what is the point of keeping a restaurant open and not full. If a change in the food makes if constantly full, that is what needs to be done. I like the change to all princesses all the time.

 

[Colleen27]

Making reservations 6 months out is absurd. We didn't even decide to go until April!

That's my one complaint about the current system too. We plan a lot of our travel at the last minute, but dining is a big part of the total vacation experience for us and I hate knowing that if we plan a last-minute Disney trip, it will likely be without that part of the experience.

In '05, I planned about 3 months in advance and got everything I wanted, though I did have to settle for lunch instead of dinner at Le Cellier. We're tenatively planning a short trip for DD's birthday and the Pirate & Princess party for late August, and 2 weeks ago I couldn't get any dinner ADR at any restaurant in MK or a monorail resort for the range of time that will work for us (and I'm pretty flexible, I said anything from 3 to 6 PM would be fine).

I'm a planner and I don't generally mind working out our days and ADRs in advance. I've had everything ready to book our Dec ADRs for a couple weeks now, and I can't even call until Friday. But I don't like feeling like I have to have 6 months notice to plan an enjoyable trip to Disney these days. That really takes away from our desire to go there for special events and short trips. It is fine planning our big trip 6 months out, but weekend trips are more spontaneous.

 

[mickeyfan2]

There are so many problems reported with the DDP and the ADR system from quality of food to availability of restaurants

I just returned from a 10 day trip to WDW and I saw none of the problems that you did.

I did not make my reservations 180 days out. We only planned the trip a little over 3 months out. We got the ADRS that we wanted at that time. DH and I walked into the Brown Derby for lunch. We waited about 5 minutes to be seated. The food was outstanding, as usual. We called in the evening and we got an ADR for the Garden Grill for the next day for lunch (11:20 am seating).

We had great food at every restaurant. We also used the DDE card too.

 

[wilde_oscar]

I agree with you. And who cares if feathers get ruffled? It's a discussion board. There are so many problems reported with the DDP and the ADR system from quality of food to availability of restaurants I think I'll simply avoid dining at WDW as much as possible during our upcoming visit unless I can just get walk up seating.

Making reservations 6 months out is absurd. We didn't even decide to go until April! What's worse is that so many make ADR's they don't even plan on honestly keeping. They're "just in case ressies". And people will make them for every available restaurant at every time they can. Some will cancel them that day if they aren't going to keep them, but the result is that it clogs up the ADR system with "just in case ADR's" at prime meal times months in advance. Some have posted here that they bought the DDp and then could barely use it due to the ADR system and no availability. How the Sam Hill can WDW sell guests a dining plan when the only dinner times available are at 4:00pm? Some will say that these people simply failed to plan, but the majority of guests are not the experts that inhabit these boards.

I agree with the OP - can the plan and the current ADR system. Penalties should be charged for those not keeping ressies - much like guaranteed for late arrival at a hotel. Even a $5 penalty will make most people think twice about making a bunch of unnecessary ADR's. I guarantee that would free up a LOT of ADR dining availability.

I agree, a lot... heck I am one of those that made just in case resies. Not sure what park we will be in some nights, and the only way you get into a TS is to have a resie. I am not proud of it, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do. A resie penalty would fix a lot of this? Any cast members know what the fail to show rate is for resies? The airlines do it, resturants everywhere overbook based on a percentage of no shows

As for the deterioration of WDW dinning, well... that could more be a function of being so busy that hiring practices have slipped. But that would also be a part of being DDP as DDP is what now has the restaurants so busy. Does anyone here ever travel to New York, or Chicago, or San Francisco for vacation? The nice eating establishments there have to be booked in advance as well.

Disney hit a combo of DDP that is working really well, and keeping restaurants full. What makes anything think that there is something that needs fixing? If the tables are full even with the un kept resies, does it matter?

 

[50 years Too!]

I live in Oregon, so of course, if I am planning to eat in Epcot I plan in advance.
I can sympathize with those who live in the Orlando area and can't call that week for a reservation. I don't think those of us who dine in our area would plan 180 days out for a meal.

 

[wilde_oscar]

look you all...i understand and can get the ddp for familys to be able to afford going to wdw...but we i think have to come up with something to stop the madness that this has become..and i has become a beast on its own...i am not out to deprive any family of having a great trip to wdw...on the contrary i hope and wish everyone that wants to can go...but the current ddp is a mess in my op and has caused the quality and service of some very fine places to go down the tubes...i would like everyone to see that point and give feedback to make both doable

WE? WE? What we are you talking about? Are you on the Board at Disney? I think WDW has gotten their feedback, the restaurants are full!