Rant: The DDP is ruining everything!

[gina2000]

Sometimes I wonder if this discussion isn't the tail wagging the dog. The real question is why does Disney want to show hotels booked at rack rates on their balance sheet. They're obviously pushing some of the dining loss off on the establishments so it does strengthen their bottom line. But I wonder if a full hotel at rack rates looks better on the bottom line when refinancing loans is considered.

Just a thought.....

 

[Quinn222]

Um, no. Filet mignon is a part of the tenderloin cut of meat. If "they're" using a cheaper cut of meat, "they're" lying on "their" menu/s when "they" call it filet mignon. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filet_mignon

Not necessarily. There is a huge difference between prime, choice etc. So it may be a filet but a lower grade of filet.

 

[deltachi8]

The easy solution to this is price the DDP at around $60.00 instead of $38.00. This would allow the restaurants to make a profit while still offering great meals. The DDP person gets treated just like everyone else and the non DDP person gets the fantastic menus that used to be avaiable.

Easy for you perhapps, but at that price, many, if not most, would not buy the plan, which means fewer on site guests. Fewer on site guests menas lower occumpancy rates, fewer trinkets being bought, fewer meals...and eventually fewer profits for Disney.

 

[honeymo78]

Thanks for the info, honeymo!

Wouldn't make sense for us we'd be paying for recreation we wouldn't use.

Did this include tickets, though? Or just dining and rec?

Nope, that's in addition to your tickets - the price covers the food and recreation/tours.

 

[barbarabee]

When we ate at Prime Time Cafe this year, we had the same server we had the previous year. We asked how the DDP was affecting her, and it was very disheartening to hear that they are no longer encouraged to interact with the visitors, because they have to turn the tables over much quicker. And turning tables over is harder with so many of the visitors having three courses now. She said to watch for the people walking around with digital notepads...they are tracking how long each server takes to turn a table over (get the "guests" in and out), and if they go over a certain time, they are reprimanded. I was also disappointed to see that my favorite sundae had changed (ACK! No more crackerjacks on my sundae!!!!), and she pointed out that it took an extra 30 seconds to add the cracker jacks, so they were eliminated. Plus, the serving size had been drastically reduced because most people weren't finishing it anyway...after eating a full appetizer and entree, how could you? So, yes, she did get more in tips with DDP, but at the expense of the enjoyment of her job.

We'll be eating at far less TS restaurants this year. As vegetarians, the pickings were already pretty slim, now they are even less unique. We usually share one appetizer, one entree, and one dessert between the two of us for our meal, so DDP is a complete waste as far as we are concerned.

 

[IluvKingLouis]

My dh and I have been going to WDW yearly (or more) since 1996. I have to say the quality seems to slip slowly each time (at the TS). Anyone remember the days when you'd get a lovely piece of chocolate with your bill when you ate TS?

We are spending more time at CS, partially because we now have a dd3.5, and because these days you can't just walk into a TS restaurant. We use to eat our main meal at 2'ish at a TS (late lunch/early dinner), even at that odd hour we can't get a table.

I really like the suggestion to try the sit downs at the Swan/Dolphin.

 

[StevePSU1]

I try and add a viewpoint that hasnt already been beaten to death.

After 9/11 Disney has had a substantial recovery. They have worked hard and utilized every tool in the book to generate new business and keep "old business".

I think the opportunity that exists here is that exciting. Packed restaurants means high demand, great use of the facility, and potentially new "things" down the road (restaurants, attractions, new hotels (or finish ones previously started.)

Disney Dining is still light years ahead of most the of chain restaurant garbage in the surrounding Orlando area.

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

I'm glad you said most because I'd hate to throw out Ruths' Chris, Emerils, Del Frisco's, Charley's, Blue Zoo, The Palm, Shula's, Cafe D'Antonio, Columbia, Tchoup Chop, The Kitchen, Morton's...Oh, I'm relatively new offsite and this is the best I could do.

 

[StevePSU1]

I'm glad you said most because I'd hate to throw out Ruths' Chris, Emerils, Del Frisco's, Charley's, Blue Zoo, The Palm, Shula's, Cafe D'Antonio, Columbia, Tchoup Chop, The Kitchen, Morton's...Oh, I'm relatively new offsite and this is the best I could do.

I'll give you Blue Zoo...

Ruth's Chris, Morton's, The Palm, Del Frisco's, Shula's have great food at a price that is completely outrageous for the typical tourist family. You can also visit one in any major city in the country. The menu at all of the above is pretty similar, as well....

Emeril's - been there....I dont get what the fuss is about.

 

[S.Poppins]

The easy solution to this is price the DDP at around $60.00 instead of $38.00. This would allow the restaurants to make a profit while still offering great meals. The DDP person gets treated just like everyone else and the non DDP person gets the fantastic menus that used to be avaiable.

I agree with this. I would have no problem paying more. I like the convenience of having it all paid for before we leave and not needing to worry about it while on vacation. If they raised the price, we would still use it. But keep in mind, with a family of 4 even the current WDW DDP plan for an 8 day trip is not cheap.

 

[S.Poppins]

Welllllll, Im referring back to post #9 by S.poppins from 2 days ago(amazing how us welfare recepients can do all that fancy math in our heads, ain't it ), but we have spent $8,000 to take our family of 5 for our May 2007 vacation, and that was doing the MYW+dining package, and doesnt include the limosuine that my kids would like, not expect, but would like, or HDDR, which are paying for OOP, as well as, Rainforest Cafe, and any souvenirs we happen to purchase along the way. Oh and let's not forget Photopass, which is a must buy for us, sooooo, YUP, Im proud to say that Im happily taking the "Disney Food Stamp Program" with a big ole smile. BTW, last time I checked food stamps were given to families who needed them without them paying for them. And since, Im pretty sure I paid for our DDP with my hard earned money, Im not ashamed to take full advantage of it.

BTW, Im sure S.poppins meant that statement in the most loving and sarcastic way possible,

I think you may have missed my point. I love the DDP! We used it last year on our first family vacation and we are using it again it January. The other times we have been to Disney we were lucky to eat a couple of CS meals - sack lunches the rest of the time. It was very exciting to eat at great TS places while we were there. And since we are not the type who do fine dining on a regular basis, we thought the food and service was great! I was being sarcastic - but not aimed at DDP users. I was refering to the dozens of other similar threads that very quickly turn into ugly debates between DDP and OOP. This thread has however remained fairly civil thus far.
Anyway, I just got tagged! So life is good with me!!

 

[markandtrish]

I think you may have missed my point. I love the DDP! We used it last year on our first family vacation and we are using it again it January. The other times we have been to Disney we were lucky to eat a couple of CS meals - sack lunches the rest of the time. It was very exciting to eat at great TS places while we were there. And since we are not the type who do fine dining on a regular basis, we thought the food and service was great! I was being sarcastic - but not aimed at DDP users. I was refering to the dozens of other similar threads that very quickly turn into ugly debates between DDP and OOP. This thread has however remained fairly civil thus far.
Anyway, I just got tagged! So life is good with me!!

I actually meant my post to be more lighthearted than it came out sounding, it is hard to produce appropriate sarcasm in a post. I havent quite mastered that yet, lol.
Anyway, congrats on the tag

 

[kaytieeldr]

Not necessarily. There is a huge difference between prime, choice etc. So it may be a filet but a lower grade of filet.

Right. As the person who made the original statement responded above, she or he meant grade, not cut. The tenderloin is the tenderloin is the tenderloin; you can't take a piece of flank steak and call it filet mignon.

I was also disappointed to see that my favorite sundae had changed (ACK! No more crackerjacks on my sundae!!!!), and she pointed out that it took an extra 30 seconds to add the cracker jacks, so they were eliminated. Plus, the serving size had been drastically reduced because most people weren't finishing it anyway...

Thirty seconds? Why? Do they have to seal and store the Cracker Jacks container away from the prep area after making each sundae? As for serving size being reduced, well, I can't speak for anyone else, but I can't finish ANY restaurant meal anywhere - and I have a pretty good appetite.

I'm glad you said most because I'd hate to throw out Ruths' Chris, Emerils, Del Frisco's, Charley's, Blue Zoo, The Palm, Shula's, Cafe D'Antonio, Columbia, Tchoup Chop, The Kitchen, Morton's...Oh, I'm relatively new offsite and this is the best I could do.

Good - because there are plenty of chains offsite that are FAR more reasonably priced, and more competitive with the Disney restaurant prices, than the ones you list

 

[Leota]

I'm thinking that it would be a good idea to write to Disney at this point. I will write them one of my past dining schedules (CG, AP, Citrico's, Narcoossees) then compare it to my upcoming plan (BlueZoo, Shula's, PftS & one Disney restaurant, Flying Fish)

I will also tell them of our plans for spring (Rent a car, so we can add Tchoup Chop & other's to our plans for BlueZoo, Shula's & hopefully, Il Mulino - notice not one single Disney Signature where in the past every night was a Disney Signature) I will also tell them that we are even looking at new vacation destinations like Vegas since dining has gone downhill at WDW.

Granted, I am representing only one family of 3 adults that goes an average of twice a year. We spend a significant amount of our budget on dining. But, from the looks of this thread, there are many of us like-minded families who are frustrated with the current trend in Disney Dining. I plan to speak with my Wallet & voice my displeasure to the powers that be. I hope enough of us will do the same & affect some change.

 

[MICKEEP]

This is going to sound like an SAT question...
The Disney Co. is into making money....The DDP makes money. What does the Disney Co. do?

I hate the DDP because of how it affected spontaneity, now it has affected quality, choice and service. But until it stops making money for Disney, I unfortunately think it will be around for a while, even with all the customer complaints.

 

[gokenin]

Granted, I am representing only one family of 3 adults that goes an average of twice a year. We spend a significant amount of our budget on dining. But, from the looks of this thread, there are many of us like-minded families who are frustrated with the current trend in Disney Dining. I plan to speak with my Wallet & voice my displeasure to the powers that be. I hope enough of us will do the same & affect some change.[/QUOTE] I know that our opinions are important and Disney should be willing to listen to them and maybe even change things if enough people complain but we here on the boards are only a fractions of the tens of thousands of people that attend that parks on a yearly basis so our voices may not have as large an impact as we think they should.

 

[Local_Girl]

When we ate at Prime Time Cafe this year, we had the same server we had the previous year. We asked how the DDP was affecting her, and it was very disheartening to hear that they are no longer encouraged to interact with the visitors, because they have to turn the tables over much quicker. And turning tables over is harder with so many of the visitors having three courses now. She said to watch for the people walking around with digital notepads...they are tracking how long each server takes to turn a table over (get the "guests" in and out), and if they go over a certain time, they are reprimanded. I was also disappointed to see that my favorite sundae had changed (ACK! No more crackerjacks on my sundae!!!!), and she pointed out that it took an extra 30 seconds to add the cracker jacks, so they were eliminated. Plus, the serving size had been drastically reduced because most people weren't finishing it anyway...after eating a full appetizer and entree, how could you? So, yes, she did get more in tips with DDP, but at the expense of the enjoyment of her job.

We'll be eating at far less TS restaurants this year. As vegetarians, the pickings were already pretty slim, now they are even less unique. We usually share one appetizer, one entree, and one dessert between the two of us for our meal, so DDP is a complete waste as far as we are concerned.

Wow...this example from PTC is the proof, IMHO, that the DDP is affecting the dining experience in multiple ways. Very sad indeed.

 

[kdzgon]

I'm thinking that it would be a good idea to write to Disney at this point. I will write them one of my past dining schedules (CG, AP, Citrico's, Narcoossees) then compare it to my upcoming plan (BlueZoo, Shula's, PftS & one Disney restaurant, Flying Fish)

I will also tell them of our plans for spring (Rent a car, so we can add Tchoup Chop & other's to our plans for BlueZoo, Shula's & hopefully, Il Mulino - notice not one single Disney Signature where in the past every night was a Disney Signature) I will also tell them that we are even looking at new vacation destinations like Vegas since dining has gone downhill at WDW.

Granted, I am representing only one family of 3 adults that goes an average of twice a year. We spend a significant amount of our budget on dining. But, from the looks of this thread, there are many of us like-minded families who are frustrated with the current trend in Disney Dining. I plan to speak with my Wallet & voice my displeasure to the powers that be. I hope enough of us will do the same & affect some change.

IMHO, if dining is such an important part of your criteria, I would not be rushing to Vegas. Not that there aren't some excellent dining facilities there (albeit on average a price often significantly higher than at WDW, IMO), but Vegas, too has a higher priority than dining. Vegas wants you to gamble, Disney wants you to spend $$ at their parks (and not just for admission). The majority of dining options in Vegas have also increased substantially in price while (noticeably) decreasing in quality. Of course, if you have not been a regular visitor to Vegas, odds are you will not be aware of the changes, just as is true for the "newbies" and future guests of WDW. I have noticed the same change in cruising, as well. We have been regular cruisers for many years now. The dining experience has deteriorated greatly, IMO, but people still book.

I think there is a recurring theme here: vacations such as Disney, cruising and even visits to Las Vegas were once geared to a wealthier clientele. In the quest to draw more visitors, the reality is the best way to up the bottom line is to increase the number of bodies entering one's domain. It's why the Atlantic City casinos subsidize so many bus trips - the avg guest arriving by bus may not be a high roller, but as a group they are loyal and steady patrons, and they affect the bottom line, not to mention "appearances" (who wants to play in a casino that appears empty all the time?); the casinos cannot afford to turn their noses up at such volume, either.

I'm sure Disney will miss you, and Disney is more likely to at least acknowledge your dissatisfaction than many companies. However, if in the long run the DDP allows more patrons to return more often, they will allow you to leave. Just as Las Vegas is not in the "family vacation" business, Disney's primary business is not dining.

BTW, I do agree with you that the loss of quality in dining is sad (although you might use a stronger word furious:?), but it is definitely part of a larger trend within the industry.

 

[saschab]

Yet Vegas still wants to keep it's whales. Yeah, baby! (in best Austin Powers impression)

 

[WDWsocstar12]

I have not read all of the replies to this post so if this was said already I am sorry but I have a question for everyone on here. Do we all really need to have an appetizer, main course, and dessert with every meal of the day? And also who wants to schedule a vacation around where to eat and what time you are eating, is it just me or does that not sound like a vacation anymore? Vacations are not all about food it should be more about family time and having fun, eat special meals with your family yes but to schedule your life around them no.