Here's An Idea!!

[JimmyV]

For me personally, and again it may be just me, I would do better with a discount card. I get what I want when I want and don't think another thing about it.

For our next trip we plan on figuring out what the DxDDP would cost our family and we're going to load that $$ onto a gift card. We'll have APs, so we plan on buying the TiW card. We'll use the TiW card for the discount and the gift card to pay the bill. If we run out, so be it, failed experiment.

However, I have a hunch that we'll have a few dollars left over and will be able to buy some trinkets on the last day.

Brilliant!! But, alas. Only an option for APs or FL residents. And I think this highlights the true result. For those of you who think you would choose a DDP over a discount card, imagine that your next door neighbor came up to you and said: "I have a $500 Disney gift card that I'm not going to use. I'll sell it to you for $400 under one condition. You can only use it for food." Would you take him up on the offer, or say: "No thanks. I'm going to buy the DDP"? If you would turn down this offer, then you have an irrational attachment to the DDP or have so much money that a 20% savings is really not that important to you.

 

[kdawg8762]

But what if i came do you and said, or you can spend the 400 bucks and get anything you want, you're not limited to 500, you can spend 1,000 if you want. Her point was that with a gift card, you are still setting a limit (havoc, most people do look at prices) whereas with DDP you aren't setting a limit. I understand if people do X, Y or Z, but the same line of people being attached to the DP could be said of your disdain for it.

 

[havoc315]

But what if i came do you and said, or you can spend the 400 bucks and get anything you want, you're not limited to 500, you can spend 1,000 if you want. Her point was that with a gift card, you are still setting a limit (havoc, most people do look at prices) whereas with DDP you aren't setting a limit. I understand if people do X, Y or Z, but the same line of people being attached to the DP could be said of your disdain for it.

Under the DDP, you are quite limited... the limit just doesn't have a set $$ total. Instead, it has some wacky limits..... I'm allowed to order the $30 steak for dinner, but I can't get the $6 salad instead of the steak?!?!?!

With the $500 dining card... you can get ANYTHING you want. Absolutely no limits whatsoever. You can spend $1,000 if you want. But if you spend $1,000... you only get savings on the first $500. Thus, your total savings in 10%, instead of 20%. Or, if I eat more moderately.... A couple can have 30 meals in 5 nights, and keep it all within the $500. But on the DDP, I couldn't have all those meals.
With the DDP, you are very limited. You are limited to a set number of meals. You are limited to what you are allowed to order.

Yes, most people do look at the prices. Whether they are on the plan or off the plan. Somehow, it seems most of the people who claim that the DDP allows them to not look at the prices -- It seems they actually do look at the prices, and then talk about how they were able to get the more expensive item. They must have looked at the price to know they got the more expensive item! (It's not always totally obvious).
People seem to have very different rationales for why they look at the prices..
There are people OOP, who look at the prices, to try to save money.
There are people on the DDP, who look at the prices, so they can see the value they are achieving.
As subsets... There are people on the DDP who look at the prices quite happily... "woohooo... I'm getting the $32 entree, what a great value under the DDP!"
And as a subset, there are people on the DDP who look at the prices with the dread of losing money, "I spent $53 on the DDP.... I really am just in the mood for the $10 sandwich... but I guess I should order something more expensive so I don't waste all that money on the DDP."

I do think that there is a set of somewhat irrational behavior behind some of the support for the DDP.
I do think there are some people who are perfectly happy to lose money in advance to get a false sense of freedom on the vacation.

As an example... I can picture some married couples (not me and DW), where... if paying OOP.... they give each other a hard time about getting the more expensive meals and items on the menu. ("There is no way we are paying $37 for a buffet!) So if 1 spouse talks the other spouse into adding the DDP, it becomes a non-issue on the vacation. The real cost just gets hidden in the package price.
So yes, if you are trying to hide the real costs from your spouse... or even trying to hide the real costs from yourself (The whole... I'll close my eyes, click the add DDP button, and then forget the cost), the DDP works great.

But trying to hide costs, is not a rational consumer behavior.

What rational consumer would pay $50 in advance... for something that actually costs $25 when you buy it? (Hypothetical numbers.... the real numbers for the DDP, work differently for different people. With some achieving savings, and many achieving losses).

 

[JimmyV]

But what if i came do you and said, or you can spend the 400 bucks and get anything you want, you're not limited to 500, you can spend 1,000 if you want.

I don't understand why this is such a difficult concept to grasp. The amount that you put on the card IS NOT A CEILING. You can order anything you want. $500. $700. $1,000. And the first $500 spent comes with a built-in savings. With the meal plan, if you go to a CS restaurant and load up your tray like Bluto in "Animal House", you will have to fork over cash for the overage. And there will be no discount on anything that didn't come with the plan. If you had a discounted card, you would get a discount on 100% of everything that you bought.

If you want the amount of the card to serve as a cap, or budget, then fine. You can play it that way. Yes, you will have to look at your receipt toward the end of your trip to see what you have left over and buy carefully from that point forward. But that is a function of all budgets, dining plan or not. If I am on the dining plan and also have a set budget for food, and my budget is running out, then I can no longer order apps, salads, espresso, or extra snacks. It works exactly the same way.

 

[Cafeen]

For those of you who think you would choose a DDP over a discount card, imagine that your next door neighbor came up to you and said: "I have a $500 Disney gift card that I'm not going to use. I'll sell it to you for $400 under one condition. You can only use it for food." Would you take him up on the offer, or say: "No thanks. I'm going to buy the DDP"? If you would turn down this offer, then you have an irrational attachment to the DDP or have so much money that a 20% savings is really not that important to you.

If I was only spending $350 on the DDP and the $500 card expired right after my trip, then yes. This is mostly assuming that what I'm looking for in the dining experiences matches how the DDP works (this is always my first question to myself, and to others when they're considering DDP, so it's a perfectly valid assumption if I was already planning on DDP).

 

[mommyrosa2]

With all the diverse dining options at Disney, including signature dining, dinner shows, dinner packages... Plus, being in different locations each day... If not squeezing into a dining plan, you think most families would eat the exact same way each day?

I can only speak for my family. But some days, we may want a hot breakfast. Some days, some cold cereal. Some days, just a snack on the run for breakfast. Some days and locations, we may want a sit down lunch. Some days and locations, perhaps a counter service lunch. Some days, just grab a turkey leg and eat while on line. For dinner, some days we may want a signature meal, or a princess meal, or a dinner show. Some days, maybe a quick bite at the resort CS location. Some days, maybe we are so tired and stuffed, that we want to cancel an ADR and skip dinner.
Some days, we may want a table service restaurant, but just want a salad or appetizer as our meal. Some days, we may want to sit down in a regular restaurant, but just have coffee and dessert. Heck, some days we want to go to 1 restaurant for our main course, and a different restaurant for dessert.

I know plenty of Disney guests plan the exact 1 TS/1CS per day.... but how many people would eat exactly that way, if they weren't trying to conform to a plan?

Our family of 4 pretty much eats this way all the time (maybe with a slight variation from time to time). For us, we pretty much are small breakfast eaters, ie: bagels, english muffins, toast. For lunch: it's always a quick and easy meal (whether I cook it, or get take out if we're on the go) Dinner: is our main meal (bigger meal) & we sit down as a family (again, whether I'm cooking it or we're going out). So when we vacation, it's pretty much the same way we eat: breakfast=we use snack credits/Lunch: QS and Dinner: TS (this is why the regular DP works for us - the DDP - not so much -we'd never get our $$ worth on that plan). I also do agree that a lot of folks don't necessarily do their "homework" when it comes to any of the plans- some just want it for the convenience of having everything ppd and don't care to put much thought into it. We do and have never paid full price for the DP and based on where we are eating, have always come ahead. For our upcoming trip, based on the savings we rec'd from a pin code, we're only paying $400 for the DP & based on the restaurants we've chosen, that's a savings. However, I do realize that the menu prices in Disney are all way over priced but then again, you'll find that at most vacation destinations. As for Jimmy's reco: I think the concept is interesting & if nothing else, should be an additional option to what they currently have.

 

[kdawg8762]

Jimmy, what is so hard to understand that people want a ceiling, they want to know, wow, i can eat a lot and i don't have to reach in my pocket one single time and I don't have to worry about what i eat, i can get whatever i want. The DP isn't a savings plan, you and havoc somehow think it is. There are savings there but it functions mainly as convenience. One of the things people seem to love most about a Disney vacation, is you can literally go out with your room key and its all you'll ever need. You don't have to worry about the price of anything because you paid it already long ago, you don't have to look at a menu and say,"its vacation, i'd love the surf and turf...but...i don't want to spend 50 bucks on an entree.

 

[havoc315]

Jimmy, what is so hard to understand that people want a ceiling, they want to know, wow, i can eat a lot and i don't have to reach in my pocket one single time and I don't have to worry about what i eat, i can get whatever i want. The DP isn't a savings plan, you and havoc somehow think it is. There are savings there but it functions mainly as convenience. One of the things people seem to love most about a Disney vacation, is you can literally go out with your room key and its all you'll ever need. You don't have to worry about the price of anything because you paid it already long ago, you don't have to look at a menu and say,"its vacation, i'd love the surf and turf...but...i don't want to spend 50 bucks on an entree.

The problem is, you have made several misstatements..
First off, different people want different things. So we can't make a generalized statement about what people want. You are talking about your personal preferences.
Next, you say that "I don't have to reach in my pocket one single time" --- This isn't the least bit true, since you have to pay tips OOP. So you have to reach into your pocket for every TS meal. Under the "gift card" plan, you would never have to reach into your pocket.
Next, you say, "I can get whatever I want" -- Not true at all. For example, you can't even get a $6 appetizer in place of a $30 entree!
Next, you say, "The DP isn't a savings plan" -- While I agree with that statement, Disney promotes the DP as a savings plan. They don't promote it as a pre-payment plan, all their website advertising promotes the supposed savings.

Next, you say that you don't have to worry about the price of anything. That's not exactly true. It may simply be irrational purchasing -- spending $50 for a $25 meal, before the vacation, so that you don't have to "worry" about the price while you are on your trip. But even on the trip, I have to worry about potentially wasting credits, worry about whether the restaurant will let me order an appetizer as my meal.

Your statements carry some truth, for people whose dining habits fit within a narrow category. For people who regularly want the Surf & Turf, and not a salad. For people who would rather over-pay in advance, then pay the correct price at the correct time. For people who want to gorge on desserts and soda during their trip.

For people who don't fit that category, your statements just don't hold water.

 

[Tricia1972]

Jimmy, what is so hard to understand that people want a ceiling, they want to know, wow, i can eat a lot and i don't have to reach in my pocket one single time and I don't have to worry about what i eat, i can get whatever i want. The DP isn't a savings plan, you and havoc somehow think it is. There are savings there but it functions mainly as convenience. One of the things people seem to love most about a Disney vacation, is you can literally go out with your room key and its all you'll ever need. You don't have to worry about the price of anything because you paid it already long ago, you don't have to look at a menu and say,"its vacation, i'd love the surf and turf...but...i don't want to spend 50 bucks on an entree.

I agree with this, but it works both ways. For some the DDP is that sense of security that they don't need to worry. For me (and others like me), knowing that I paid X for the plan, I need to know that I am at least getting X out of it. The DP is confining to me because I order what the plan says I get, not necessarily what I want. I look for expensive items because I know that if I order the chicken, I will lose money on the day and need to make it up somewhere else later on in the trip. If I am on the DDP and I want an appetizer, then I need to pay OOP for it, so it takes away the feeling of all inclusive.

I've done the QSDP, DDP, DxDDP and OOP. Personally, I felt the best and spent the least the time we came home after our OOP vacation, so we are going back to that. Doesn't make me right and others wrong, and it also doesn't make me wrong and others right. It is what it is. So long as a family does what works for them (DDP or not), it's right for them.

The Dining Plans are advertised as a savings plan and definitely not as a convenience only, so I think it's fair that others focus on the savings aspect a bit. Though certainly I agree with you that some use it as simply a convenience plan and that's great if that is what works for them and makes their trip a happy trip.

 

[Cafeen]

One other thing to realize about the plans and that "get the most for my money" is that this can be done (for the most part) beforehand. Thus freeing up any stress related to trying to calculate on the fly.

If you craft your trip in a manner that takes strong advantage of the plan, then when trip time comes you simply have to follow what you've already (mostly) decided. It's not calculating or figuring on the fly. This, obviously, shifts the advantage of DDP to planners vs. non-planners. The GC card does not do this. It simply offers everyone a flat percent discount (which is fine too), but the idea of "I have x amount of money left" is still present.

You're also assuming that you're always going to go over the GC amount. What happens when you only spend $400 of your $500 card? Would Disney let you keep it? That's fine, but it veers further from the plans you're attempting to emulate.

The best option for the consumers is both really. Let the dining plans grant an average of 10-20% based on how they plan ahead of time, or their desire to not count pennies and give the flat 10% discount to those who don't want to follow this.

TiW to all would work, except the fact that it doesn't work for most CS. I'd also see them charging in the $200 range for non-FL, non-AP holders (though, even at $200, that means the family would have to spend $800 over the year to make it break even, which is entirely plausible)

 

[havoc315]

If you craft your trip in a manner that takes strong advantage of the plan, then when trip time comes you simply have to follow what you've already (mostly) decided. It's not calculating or figuring on the fly. This, obviously, shifts the advantage of DDP to planners vs. non-planners. The GC card does not do this. It simply offers everyone a flat percent discount (which is fine too), but the idea of "I have x amount of money left" is still present.

You're also assuming that you're always going to go over the GC amount. What happens when you only spend $400 of your $500 card? Would Disney let you keep it? That's fine, but it veers further from the plans you're attempting to emulate.

The best option for the consumers is both really. Let the dining plans grant an average of 10-20% based on how they plan ahead of time, or their desire to not count pennies and give the flat 10% discount to those who don't want to follow this.

TiW to all would work, except the fact that it doesn't work for most CS. I'd also see them charging in the $200 range for non-FL, non-AP holders (though, even at $200, that means the family would have to spend $800 over the year to make it break even, which is entirely plausible)

The advantage of the Gift Card set-up, is that all people could realize the same savings, regardless of their eating habits. Thus, it neither encourages nor discourages expensive eating, dessert eating, etc.

In terms of "left over" money -- The same can be said for left-over credits. Many people end their vacation with left over credits. Some people let them go to waste, some people use those credits to pack their suitcase with Disney snacks for home.
The exact same thing would happen with the GC premise. You could even allow people to "bank" their unused dining dollars for a future trip -- which would create an incentive to return!

 

[tarheelmjfan]

It makes the most sense for those frequent visitors.

But, it could boost Disney profits for all guests -- by encouraging them to spend more on-site dining. In fact, from Disney's perspective, it would be more profitable to sell these cards to people who are just staying a short time. (Though, I suspect not as profitable as the DDP).

Afterall -- if the card costs $100 --- Then the break even point is $500.
A family staying 3-4 days and spending exactly $500.. would just break even on the card. No loss to Disney (and no incentive for the family to buy the card).
But a family who is staying 6-7 days, with lots of fine dining, etc.... Maybe they spent $1,000 on food. With the savings and the card, with the 20% discount... They actually spent $800 on dining, plus $100 on the card. Total spending = $900. Got a real savings of 10%. I would easily take that option over the DDP!

But a local AP holding, who theoretically may utilize Disney dining frequently.... Let's say they spend $2,000 on Disney dining -- After discount, they spent $1600 on dining, plus $100 on the card. So they realized 15% savings. And Disney had to fork over a 15% discount.

Thus, Disney is actually better off selling the TiW card to the short term guest, then then long term AP holder.

Why don't they? Because I suspect they have found the DDP to be even more profitable. Especially as I don't think they are really giving customers any true discount on the DDP (Just discounting the high mark up items like soda).

Offering TIW to FL residents is a way to beat the competition. Since a FL res. has a TIW card, they may decide to go to a WDW restaurant rather than another local eatery. After all, the TIW card is already paid. The discount could be deciding factor. This is money WDW probably wouldn't be making, if there wasn't a discount. Let's face it. We could probably get a higher quality meal elsewhere for the same price. Non-FL residents can't make that choice.

This falls in line with the discounted rate for FL AP holders. When looking for a quick, weekend getaway, most people will choose a location within a couple hours driving distance. FL residents have a lot of options in that range (some that are a mere 15 minutes away from WDW ) not to mention the beaches, cruise options, state parks, etc. Having an AP & TIW card will probably sway them to give that money to WDW. It's their way of raking in the local money rather than having it spent elsewhere.

I suspect they offer it to AP holders, because they come more often. They no longer feel the need to stay in the parks open to closing leaving them much more time to go offsite or cook in their villa, if they have one. Plus, it's a little more incentive to buy an AP, if you're not sure you'd get your money out of it. If you're riding the fence, the dining discount just may push you over the edge. Now, they've succeeded in getting you there at least one more time in a calendar year.

 

[SunnieRN]

If it aint broke, Disney is NOT going to 'fix' it. Disney keeps the dining plans around for one reason and one reason only, profit.

If you choose a dining plan, it is silly to do so without being aware of what benefits/shortcomings it contains. There isn't any plan I find totally appealing, but with two small grandmunchkins, we almost always get the QS plan. The grandmunchkins like breakfast, so we use two of their CS credits for breakfast.
we then pay OOP for any TS meals we want.

We usually can not each eat an entire meal at lunch or dinner, so get three or four for all of us to share. Unfortunately, we almost always have some credits left, (childrens credits), which we exchange for 3 snacks each, at the end of our trip.

Some would say that is not a good deal, but if you figure that each child credit is approx. worth $5.00, or less as children get two snacks a day also, it is quite a good deal. The grandmuchkins get to bring home snacks to remember the trip by!

I am 'deserted out' by day two, so at counter service restaurants, try to substitute for fruit or something else portable. It also works well, when sharing meals, as we can share desserts also. The grandmunchkins would much rather have grandmas dessert, than a dry cookie.

Overall, I like the qs plan and the value we find in it as a family, but, if the price goes up next year, we will not be in the break even, or profit range and will probably not get a dining plan, or try to travel during free dining.

To me the mug is not a great incentive, as we are not a huge soda family, plus we make coffee in the room, so I don't count that as part of the value of the qs dining plan, but I do love my Mickey mugs at home!

All in all I think Disney could make more money and have happier customers if they had a plan that allowed you to choose the number of credits you need, charge for them individually and let people customize.

5 nights, you want 7 1 credit meals, 1 signature dining experience, 10 snacks and 4 cs meals. no problem, your total is.... Load it on your KTTW card and you're off!!

 

[JimmyV]

If it aint broke, Disney is NOT going to 'fix' it. Disney keeps the dining plans around for one reason and one reason only, profit....

All in all I think Disney could make more money and have happier customers if they had a plan that allowed you to choose the number of credits you need, charge for them individually and let people customize.

5 nights, you want 7 1 credit meals, 1 signature dining experience, 10 snacks and 4 cs meals. no problem, your total is.... Load it on your KTTW card and you're off!!

Indeed, your idea would be great for the consumer. But Disney wants to capture 100% of your dining dollars. It is inextricably intertwined with profit and keeping you on property. To some degree, those two overlap, but not completely. By giving you "length of stay" credits instead of letting you dictate how many credits you want, they are building in a huge incentive for you not to wander. I think you can sum up the DDP by simply saying: "Disney does NOT WANT you to go to Universal Studios." If you stayed for 7 days and bought 5 days worth of credits, Disney would assume that you are going to escape for 2 days to go up I-4 and they don't want that. Of course, you can still escape by doubling up your credits on one day at a Signature, and then use your OOP day to go to US. But I'll bet only a small minority of people do this.

 

[havoc315]

Indeed, your idea would be great for the consumer. But Disney wants to capture 100% of your dining dollars. It is inextricably intertwined with profit and keeping you on property. To some degree, those two overlap, but not completely. By giving you "length of stay" credits instead of letting you dictate how many credits you want, they are building in a huge incentive for you not to wander. I think you can sum up the DDP by simply saying: "Disney does NOT WANT you to go to Universal Studios." If you stayed for 7 days and bought 5 days worth of credits, Disney would assume that you are going to escape for 2 days to go up I-4 and they don't want that. Of course, you can still escape by doubling up your credits on one day at a Signature, and then use your OOP day to go to US. But I'll bet only a small minority of people do this.

The following article is about the strategy behind their ticket pricing. You can extend the same logic to dining. Everything is meant to get you to spend more, stay on property more, stay longer.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/travel/os-disney-ticket-prices-20110620,0,5337229.story

 

[kaytieeldr]

First off, different people want different things. So we can't make a generalized statement about what people want. You are talking about your personal preferences.

And yet it appears you and JimmyV have done much the same throughout this thread - claimed many personal preferences as generalized statements

Next, you say that "I don't have to reach in my pocket one single time" --- This isn't the least bit true, since you have to pay tips OOP.

Right. One of the reason WDW excluded tips from the DDP was customer complaints about (perceived) service. A larger one, of course, was financial Honestly can't see them doing anything that would include their funds for tipping. Ditto for appetizers.

Next, you say, "The DP isn't a savings plan" -- While I agree with that statement, Disney promotes the DP as a savings plan.

Which is why they use the qualifier "can". Maybe you will, maybe you won't. I like the dining plan because I can order food I'm too cheap to order in restaurants at home . Despite living in New England, I never had lobster until one night at Narcoossee's!

But even on the trip, I have to worry about potentially wasting credits,

That's you. I don't worry about money I already spent (see the Serenity Poem).

 

[kaytieeldr]

The things is, many people are LOSING money on the DDP, especially as the price increases.. and depending on how you define "losing."
For example -- If using 2012 pricing --
I could pay OOP and for $50, get my TS steak, my TS beverage, my TS dessert, my CS entree, my CS beverage, and my snack.... Which is everything I actually want... OR....
I can get the DDP, and pay $$53.50... Get the exact same TS meal, get the same CS entree, get the same CS beverage, get the exact same snack... but also get a refillable mug (which I don't use), and get a CS dessert (which I don't really desire to eat)...
Have I basically lost $3.50?

Just to show you that my example isn't absurd:
TS Dinner at The Wave:
Chili-marinated Flat Iron Steak - with warm fingerling potato salad and avocado mouse $21.99
Creamy Indulgence - Cheesecake with Raspberry Coulis, Coconut Panna Cotta with Passion Fruit Drizzle, Chocolate-Passion Fruit Mousse with Pecan-Olive Brittle $7.99
Whole Leaf Silk Sachet Hot Tea $2.39

TS total -- 32.37 (will add tax later)
CS at Columbia Harbor House:
Fried Fish Basket - Served with choice of either French Fries or Apple Slices $7.49
Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Orange Soda, Light Lemonade, Iced Tea and Apple Juice $2.49

CS total = $10

For snack -- Warm Cinammon Roll $3.49 from Main Street Bakery:

Total -- $48.84, with tax.
Let's factor in a possible 3% price increase for 2012: $50.30.

I didn't exactly pick the cheapest items at Disney -- Heck, I got steak. The only items I skipped were a CS dessert, and use of the refillable mug.

But I would lose any peace of mind by knowing that I was losing a few dollars per day on the DDP.
Of course, it would be about break even if I did actually want that CS dessert. And if I actually use the refillable mug, I could look at the mug as "bonus."

The 2012 ddp will still work for some people, certainly.

But if just looking for pre-payment convenience and peace of mind, you really could be losing money on the plan. (If I had desired an entree cheaper than a steak, I would have lost even more money on the plan!)

It will actually likely 'work' for the majority of Guests - not the one's who close those two restaurants and those exact menu items every single day, but then who wouldn't get sick of the same thing day after day after day...? The CS dessert you don't need could be fruit for later or breakfast the next day, but it's up to the Guest to get value from the convenience of any WDW Dining Plan.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Honestly? A little of each.
Disney has designed a plan that can be rather confusing. (As seen by the number of questions asked on this board).
While a buyer certainly has an obligation to understand the product they are purchasing, the seller should also be presenting things in a straight forward manner. You shouldn't have to spend hours of research to understand a vacation dining addon.

Respectfully, I've been participating in the DDP since its inception in 2005, and reading the material online and in person. I've always been able to understand the conditions.

Your friend absolutely should have at least asked whether room service was covered by the plan.
But Disney shouldn't be trying to make profit, by intentionally confusing people.

I don't see anywhere that WDW is intentionally confusing anyone; customers really have to take some responsibility for knowing what they're buying - or else don't buy it! At least not until you do some research.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I think a great job would include advertising the price of the plan. But Disney refuses to officially announce the price. You need to take the entire bill and subtract room and tickets yourself, to then figure out the cost of ddp.

Because the majority of Dining Plan Guests are required to purchase Magic Your Way Packages to include any Plan. The Guests exempted - AP holders booking a special AP/MYW package, active military, and DVC-on-points visitors - are told the pricing.

The Disney website is notorious for misinformation about which restaurants are included. For example, last I checked, Via Napoli was listed (incorrectly) as accepting the basic ddp, but not the deluxe dp.

I don't know when that was, but the DDP brochure linked in the sticky at the top of this thread 12/10 has Via Napoli accepting credits from both plans (there's really no reasonable explanation why they wouldn't ). A sample trip booking today shows the same thing:
DDP http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/me...alog/WaltDisneyWorld/en_us/PDF/2011Dining.pdf
DDxP http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/me...altDisneyWorld/en_us/PDF/2011DeluxeDining.pdf

There are many snacks where you get a different answer about whether you can use a snack credit for it, depending on the day and the cm.

Items eligible for a snack credit are indicated with a purple & white square. If a CM is more generous and allows something not marked as such, appreciate it but don't expect it. Go by the Dining Plan brochures and the signage.

There is no consistent policy on trading a CS for snacks. There is no consistent policy on whether you can use a TS credit to get a CS meal.

The official policy is "no". Again, when/if you encounter a CM willing and able to circumvent the official policy, great. As a standard expectation, no. But a tip - it's more likely to happen at a restaurant food court than in a park.

If you want to have an appetizer as your entree, no consistent answer on whether it is allowed. Some restaurants allow substitutions, some don't.

Again, the official policy prohibits it. A Disney-owned restaurant is far more likely to be amenable to such a substitution than an outside company. How to tell the difference? Look at the 2012 DDP participants now, and compare that to the 2011 list. The 'missing' restaurants -which will be added later - aren't owned by Disney.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Though I see your point, I think the gift card is far far more convenient than the DDP. I simply need to keep track of 1 thing -- a dollar total.
But with the DDP, I need to keep track of 3 different types of credits -- snack credits, CS credits, and TS credits. Should I use a snack credit to get cereal in the morning? Or better to use a CS credit, to get cereal, juice and a pastry? We shared 3 CS meals for 4 people, so now we have an odd number of CS meals remaining. That was a signature meal, so now I'm a TS short, where should I eat? Oh, I have too many ADRs booked, which should I pay OOP? Since I don't want dessert, should I get fruit for dessert and bring it back to the room as breakfast?

May I ask how you think keeping track of a remaining dollar total is easier than keeping track of snack, counter service, or table service credits when those remaining credits are printed out on the appropriate receipt after you use that type of credit?

And of course, if I'm concerned about whether I'm getting value out of the DDP, then there are a ton more considerations! Which restaurant gives value, which entrees. etc, etc.

Is Disney Dining genuinely the only thing in your life from which you worry about getting the most/best value - perhaps even better value than you put into it? That's how this sounds. Or - seriously - are you as concerned with getting better value out of, say, your lawnmower or vacuum cleaner?