New Disney Dining Plan 2008

[mandibc11]

Does anyone know if these plans are in any way related to the all-inclusive plans that not only include dining, but also activities and tours?

 

[tatooed goofy]

We never had trouble.....
However I don't know if I would do the dining plan like this. The gratuity thing is a pain!! I do enjoy the free dining. Eating free with the Mouse...what could be more heavenly???

 

[CarolA]

You know what I find amazing.....

The "bailing" on the dining plan over the tip? After all the posts I have read on this board in the past where folks "claimed" they would eat just like this if they were NOT on the DDP?? Hmm.......

 

[fakereadhed]

You know what I find amazing.....

The "bailing" on the dining plan over the tip? After all the posts I have read on this board in the past where folks "claimed" they would eat just like this if they were NOT on the DDP?? Hmm.......

I was not one of those. We were one of those "it's too much food" families. We ended up with a fridge full of desserts that we threw out. We would definitely not order that much or eat that often if we were not on the plan. But it was cost effective for us. The tip which adds up to more than you would think, and the loss of the appetizer which my teens often enjoyed more than the meal , kills the deal for us.

 

[thelionqueen]

You know what I find amazing.....

The "bailing" on the dining plan over the tip? After all the posts I have read on this board in the past where folks "claimed" they would eat just like this if they were NOT on the DDP?? Hmm.......

I've read on the boards that many of those who have done the free dining, and paid for it as well, only ate what they did because the plan allowed and encouraged them to do so. If they went to the same restaurants paying out of pocket they would likely not order appetizers, or desserts, Just my .02

We are ones that think it is too much food as well, but having the dining plan opened our options to trying appetizers we wouldn't normally try, eating at restaurants we wouldn't normally eat at, and not worrying about an additional expense while on vacation. The convenience alone is a huge draw for us.

Needless to say taking away the tip portion of the DDP would be a HUGE additional expense that would not make having the dining plan cost effective for us. For example, our last 2-ten day trips with the free dining plan were around $1896.00 each (kept receipts). To tip properly (and not even more for excellent service) would be nearly $400. You can add that right on to the cost of the "new" dining plan and that would be a deal breaker for us as I'm sure many others.

I agree with a previous poster who noted that the reason for the changes are most likely financial. Seems all good things must come to an end I guess. I just hope they keep things "as is" though it seems unlikely.

 

[CarolA]

There are a lot of folks in the "Too much food" camp but generallly when you point it out, you get two reactions. Those who KNOW it's too much food and those who don't want to admit that since it impacts thier sense of "value" LOL! If they say well NORMALLY I would eat an appetizer, entree and desert then the savings are greater then if they admit that without the DDP they might eat just the entree...

 

[TBAKER215]

Disney Will Do Whatever Works Best For Them. If You Look At The Changes & They Work For You Go For It. If They Dont Work Life Goes On We Will Still Eat So Dont Worry Be Happy Your In Disney

 

[deejo]

I probably won't use the dining plan again either due to the increased expense. I will definitely still stay on site though since it is much more convenient for me and my family. I hope they keep the magical express from the airport!!

 

[My2Cinderellas]

just as I did the last time, I will need to run the numbers based on what we like to order. Does the cost of entrees and drinks and the 1 or 2 desserts we would usually order, plus a CS meal/drink, plus a snack still add up to the cost of the meal plan or not? If we really want an appetizer we will still order it.

If prices stay the same, then the meal plan is a wash for us. If prices go up dramatically, then the meal plan might work. I hate that the tip is still not included, it was SOOOO nice to not worry about the total cost of the meal.

 

[Lisa_M]

I'm just thinking, do you have to tip on the cost of the meal less the discount or tip on a flat rate meal (like Disney does with their servers)? I think they tip 18% on a flat $22 for a complete TS meal. Would the consumer now be expected to tip on the total cost of a TS meal?

Also, for guests from countries where tipping is not customary, I wonder if there will be many instances where servers do not receive a tip....

 

[CarolA]

I'm just thinking, do you have to tip on the cost of the meal less the discount or tip on a flat rate meal (like Disney does with their servers)? I think they tip 18% on a flat $22 for a complete TS meal. Would the consumer now be expected to tip on the total cost of a TS meal?

Also, for guests from countries where tipping is not customary, I wonder if there will be many instances where servers do not receive a tip....

I see this as a MAJOR issue.

Tipping should be based on the COST of the meal. So if the meal would have cost you $50 tip based on $50. You do not tip based on the 80% discount for DDE or some "mythical" flat rate (how would you know what the flat rate is? Disney doesn't disclose the "proration" of the cost between your various meals)

And it's not just guests from foreign countries.

On the DIS we have had the following

1. I don't tip because I will never see those servers again.
2. I don't tip because if I had to pay a 15% tip I could not afford resturant XYZ.

And my personal favorite occured when I was sitting at the Rose and Crown. 'You don't tip at resuturants in the UK so we don't need to tip' Well, yes, that is partially true. Service charge is often included in Europe, but the Rose and Crown is in FLORIDA!!! (And these folks had an accent just like mine. I think they were from East TN!)

 

[Danemom]

I loved the DP because, without it, I tend to order the least expensive thing on the menu (can't help myself) and only occasionally an appetizer or dessert. The DP costs more than I would spend OOP but the value to me is not having to look at prices, trying new things with the desserts and appetizers, and not having to carry cash. The new plan eliminates a lot of the value to me.

I would love the deluxe plan but $280 a day (4 people)? No way - it's too much food and I don't spend that for 2 weeks worth of groceries. Can't justify it. I may be underestimating the number of people who want convenience over value but I don't think the new plan will do well.

 

[HaleyB]

I actually don't read as many of these threads as I used to, but I never saw many people say that they normally order an appetizer and dessert with every meal. A few, but not many.

Many people looked at what they would normally order and saw that they could get more for the same price with the DDP.

I think the $38.99 was very close if not a tiny bit over a lot of peoples comfort point. The new plan forces you up into the $45 a day range (unless you short the tip). That is more than a 10% increase, and you are getting less for it.

 

[SRUAlmn]

You know even though it is a rumor so far. I have a feeling the sources are right. Anyhow, I believe the "value" of the DDP relies on your party size. All the people who are for it. More than likely have fewer than 5 in thier family. Say for instance if I only had 2 in my party. I would pay 140, total for deluxe, and then tip on top of that. Ok.

I think this logic only would hold true IF you could actually eat that much food. When we go in November, it will just be DH and myself (2 adults, obviously ) Therefore, we would pay $140 for this deluxe plan.

I went through our notes from our trip 3 weeks ago for our wedding and pulled out a typical day's worth of food. On a typical day, we ate 1CS, 1TS, and 2 snacks. This left us VERY full and I couldn't even imagine adding another TS into that, let alone 2!
Deluxe plan for us (I know you get 3 meals, but I'm using a signature meal in the example because there's no way we could do 3 meals a day!)
CS $25
TS $74 (with app and dessert and we can't ever both eat both)
2 snacks per person $14
Total cost of our meals $113
Deluxe plan costs $140 plus we'd have to pay another $15 or so in tips
Therefore, we'd lose a little over $40
OR we could add another meal just to break even or save $10-$20, but it would be a complete waste of food.


For us, the normal DDP is a slightly better 'value,' but I agree that it's ridiculous to take out the appetizer AND the tip and only decrease the cost by $1.
Regular plan for us:
CS $25
TS $50
2 snacks per person $14
Total cost of our meals $89
Regular DDP would cost $76 - We would save $13, but we would have to pay $10 for a tip at the TS, so we would only save $3

Both circumstances don't really make sense to me unless your main concern is having all your food paid for in advance and not having to carry cash around. If you're not concerned about saving money and the 'value' of the plan, then I guess this would work.

 

[livie1205]

I live in Florida also. How do you get the ticket deals you listed above. We would definitely try Universal if we could get a good deal. Thanks.

Joanne

I guess since I am a florida res. who has stayed at there resorts I get coupons mailed to me,with one free ticket for 1 day 2 park and up to six other1 day 2 park tickets for 35.00...and fl res rates at royal pacific for 134 or 139.00 a night and hard rock 20.00 more....i never pay more than that...also they have a ticket 85.00 for 7 days, both parks AND if you use mastercard if you stay 4 nights you get one free.EXPRESS PASS is worth it alone lol also my kids are 9 ,10 and 2 yrs old and even my 2 yr old has things to do there.

 

[mommylicious]

My family will probably skip the dining plan with these changes. Will it keep us from vacationing in Orlando and going to Disney? No. It will make staying off site a possibility for us though. We really enjoy staying on site and will probably try to continue to do so but with being a family of 5 now we need more space. Two rooms would be ideal. We definitely enjoy the deluxe amenities but 2 rooms at a deluxe is out of our price range. When comparing the options of two rooms at a value or mod or two rooms at a nicer more "deluxey" off site that would cost about the same, we'd opt for off site. In the past the dining plan has tipped the scales in favor of on site but the value isn't there as much for us if these changes come to fruition. I know we CAN all stay in one room at a deluxe, but that feels very cramped to us. My youngest is still under 3 so technically we CAN stay in one room anywhere but the reality is that is not an option we are willing to consider.

Running numbers, we could save some with the deluxe plan but it would mean doing more sit downs than we normally do (and we do at least one a day with at least 2 days with a table breakfast and table dinner). With 3 small kids, that's a lot to ask of them to sit down for that long. For just DH and I it would be great and we could always put the kids in a kids club but that adds to the cost and then it is no longer worth it.

I won't rage and scream and say Disney is ruining my vacation but since I know they do read here, I will say that this change would not be good for my family. We are more likely to look at off site options if the dining plan isn't a pull for us. If we were still a family of 4 that may not be the case but we can't send our youngest back, can we?

 

[IluvKingLouis]

I wonder if it was the over crowding of TS restaurants that caused them(Disney) to decide to make this program attractive to a smaller customer base. This way they make more $ on OOP people who would normally order more expensive meals (but who have been shut out due to over crowding), and while the new plan makes more money for Disney they also eliminate some of the problems of having to turn visitors away from TS restaurants. By eliminating appetizers you can have higher table turnover too.

I'm hoping that this makes it easier to get into a TS, as we've never done the DDP (too much food) but miss being able to dine at a nice sit down without ressies months in advance. Maybe the food quality will return to the good ole days.

 

[CarolA]

My thoughts are that perhaps the "contracted resturants" wanted better reimbursement. While Disney might be willing to let the places it owns and manages be "loss leaders" for room sales, the other resturants don't really care that Disney is making money renting rooms at rack rate.

Plus if Disney thinks it can rent the rooms at "good price" they may not need to discount food as much.

 

[mtblujeans]

This is what I just received in my monthly email from Passporter concerning this topic:

"Disney Dining Plan Re-design for 2008.

It seems new information/rumors on this topic emerge every few days, and we expect the 2008 offering to be announced officially by Disney in the next couple of weeks. The very popular Disney Dining Plan at Walt Disney World seems too good to be true, so whenever rumors emerge, they almost always report doom -- higher prices, fewer restaurants, and less-attractive features. So far, the doom scenarios have not come to pass. It does seem highly likely that the 2008 plan will no longer include 18% gratuities in the price -- that's a change that was made to the new trade union contract, so there's little reason to believe it won't happen. After that ... evidence was found at Disney's UK site that the plan would eliminate the gratuity and table-service appetizer, and that the price per person/per day would be reduced by about $11 as a result. Seems like a fair deal. Subsequently, the UK site was re-programmed so information about the 2008 plan would no longer be divulged. Then, AllEarsNet reported a rumor with nearly the same information, with the key difference that the price would only be reduced by about a dollar. AllEarsNet also reported the possible availability of an additional, deluxe dining plan. AllEarsNet often gets good information, but this one smells like a "trial balloon" to me. Personally, I think Disney's aim will be to maintain current levels of popularity, or even increase it. I'm not sure a big price hike (by charging the same for less) will accomplish that. Rumor Status: Here's a pager. Your table will be ready in two to three weeks."

 

[CarolA]

Well if the UK site was the Virgin site, you can still find the data, you just have to "book" a vacation.

However, that site did not "reduce" by $11. It went UP! LOL!