Second Trip using Dining Plan--revised opinion!

[estnh]

We just returned last night from a week at the CBR using the dining plan. We had previously used the plan on our last trip in April of last year, and we loved it.

But I have completely revised my opinion of the plan, and probably will not use it again. The restaurants have become wildly busy, and the atmosphere (at least at the restaurants we frequented) has changed since last year. Even at the better restaurants they are rushing you, trying to turn the table over in a minimal amount of time. There are long lines everywhere, and there is absolutely NO flexibility in dining. Most of the restaurants we saw did not even attempt to fit walk-ins into their schedule-they just turned them away. In fact it seemed they were struggling just to accomodate the people that had ADRs.

We had made ADRs for our entire trip, but several times did not feel like using them. However, since you can't get in anywhere, so you're pretty much stuck with what you have. There is nothing enjoyable in having to sit down to a meal that no one wants!

Also, for some unknown reason, they nickel and dime you at the least expensive meal of the day--breakfast. Last year, you could get an entree such as eggs, sausage, hash browns, and get a bagel or a croissant or fruit, which they counted as a "dessert". This year you get absolutely nothing at breakfast but the entree and a drink. They charged extra for fruits, breads, etc. Its not a big deal, but it is very aggravating. You can get huge amounts of food at lunch, but the same counter service credit at breakfast gets you much much less value.

Very disappointed with what has happened to Disney dining in the past year, and next trip we'll probably research offsite restaurants and utilize them much more than we have in the past. My best analogy is that the restaurants are becoming much like a Disney ride attraction--long lines waiting to get in and cast members doing everything they can to push the maximum number of people through.

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

Oh no! Your post makes me sad! Dining is a MAJOR part of our trip. when I first read the title of your post, I thought that it didn't apply to me, since I have never used the DDP and so far do not plan to. But I see what you are saying...everyone ELSE is using the plan, and if you are not, you are still being rushed, and ADRs are necessary...Ay yi yi! I don't like the sound of that! I am 180+10 days out right now and I made a bunch of ADRs...maybe I will make a few more.

Sorry it was such a disappointment. I never go off site when at WDW, but I can see where you may want to after that type of an experience.

 

[Hoosier Mom]

I see what you mean about breakfast. We are planning to use the free meals for lunch and supper. We'll just pay for breakfast on our own.

We'll be there in September. I've not been to Disney since they added the dining plan. I guess we'll see how it goes. With a toddler, we sometimes don't mind our meal being served quickly, but I can see where it would bother those who want to take their time. Do you think they just rushed you during prime eating time? We are having all our meals early.

We already have our ADR's for our table service meals. I sure wouldn't want to be turned away.

 

[kabauer]

We're going in Sept w/the dining plan, but not planning on using it for bfast. We figured that we only spend about 10-15.00/day for bfast.

Actually the last time we went we brought cereal with us and just stopped for small milk containers at the end of our day, kept them on ice and had breakfast in the room.

We're having such a great time deciding where to eat!

 

[AMcaptured]

I completely agree with you. I noticed it last August ( we are DVC members and have the DDE card so the dining plan doesn't interest us ) when not only where the restaurants incredibly crowded but the clientele was not what we were used to when dining on site. Nothing against anyone but we had this enormous fat man yell across the dining room at us asking me if I liked my new RAZR phone and that he wanted to get one but the "old lady" makes him get the free phones!!!! URRRGGGHHHH!!! Never in my 30+ years of going to WDW have I experienced that!!!

I know the dining plan is a great assistance to many families but unfortunately it will ruin the overall dining experience and uniqueness of dining onsite. We still go to a few restaurants on site but prefer renting a car and dining off site most nights. Actually the restaurants we still frequent tend to be the establishments that use two dinner credits instead of one because they haven't been as negatively effected as the other restaurants.

JMO

AM

 

[calgarygary]

I completely agree with you. I noticed it last August ( we are DVC members and have the DDE card so the dining plan doesn't interest us ) when not only where the restaurants incredibly crowded but the clientele was not what we were used to when dining on site. Nothing against anyone but we had this enormous fat man yell across the dining room at us asking me if I liked my new RAZR phone and that he wanted to get one but the "old lady" makes him get the free phones!!!! URRRGGGHHHH!!! Never in my 30+ years of going to WDW have I experienced that!!!

I know the dining plan is a great assistance to many families but unfortunately it will ruin the overall dining experience and uniqueness of dining onsite. We still go to a few restaurants on site but prefer renting a car and dining off site most nights. Actually the restaurants we still frequent tend to be the establishments that use two dinner credits instead of one because they haven't been as negatively effected as the other restaurants.

JMO

AM

Did it occur to you that maybe the man was trying to point out to you that you were the rude one as you were using your RAZR in the dining room and ruining the overall dining experience and uniqueness for everyone else.

 

[MikeS.]

I have to somewhat disagree with the OP in that my experiences 6 weeks ago didn't include being rushed or not having fruit at b'fast. At the biergarten we had about a 15 minute wait to be seated but then stayed for over an hour w/o any "hassle". In Italy we ate at the Itialian place, makes sense huh?, we had a great meal and again no rush. We had the princess breakfast in Norway and waiting at the table for us was a plate of fresh fruits and cheese.

We did find that w/o a resv. that it was impossible to walk up and get a table at any time. We were total newbs to WDW and I hadn't yet found this site. We had no idea in advance where to eat. I figured we would make a resv. early in the day or walk up.

So on our 3rd night I spent an hour on the phone with disney dining plotting out where we could get in. Several things we would have liked to try were missed but there is always next time....

We rediscovered that b'fast isn't really our thing, we prefer to sleep in. Next time it will be lunch and dinners except for a couple character b'fast.

 

[AMcaptured]

Did it occur to you that maybe the man was trying to point out to you that you were the rude one as you were using your RAZR in the dining room and ruining the overall dining experience and uniqueness for everyone else.

No it did not because I was not ON my phone, I was checking the time. I was no the rude one, he was. I wrote of my own personal experience. The dining plan is having an impact of the overall quality and service at the on site restaurants. Sorry if you can't accept that.


JMO

AM

 

[bicker]

Well, to be fair, you did make it hard to give your message much credence. I personally read your message and just dissmissed it, though didn't think it worth highlighting as calgarygary did. Perhaps you didn't realize what you wrote? I'll send you a PM about what turned me off about your message. I don't think it really needs to be discussed in the thread.

 

[Christine]

Well, it looks like my biggest concern about the dining plan has come true. I was really afraid that all the "free" dining was going to make the restaurants madhouses and it looks like it has in some ways.

Last summer was the first time I had been when the dining plan was offered. I never do the dining plan because I stay at Shades of Green.

So, last June, the only thing I noticed was that when I went to the restaurant for my ADR time, it seemed like it took a lot longer to get seated than in the past. I used to just walk up, give my time, and I was seated within about 3 minutes. This year, I swear I waited at least 15 minutes to be seated at each restaurant. And I always had the earliest ADR that I could get (between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m.) I just found that to be too much for the early time.

Also, most of our meals were planned but we happened to cancel the Cape May Buffet dinner one night because the whole buffet was being refurbished and I didn't like the temporary way it was set up. I called Disney Dining the day prior to the my meal and I couldn't get in ANYWHERE unless it was at 8:45 p.m. They had one opening and that was at Marrakesh at 6:00 p.m. We took it. No one was there, we had about 4 other families in the whole restaurant and they were taking walk ups. They must have been the only place that was doing this.

Anyway, my point of this is that Disney Dining on my last trip was not as "easy" and "friendly" to navigate as it used to be. It's a shame because it is one of my favorite things about Disney. I really hoped that it hadn't gotten worse, but it sounds like it. I do agree with sticking to the signature restaurants. I had no problems at these.

 

[patsal]

In December they were not letting you have dessert with breakfast and the "bread" product was extra, so for me no changes. I figured the free dining last year was sort of a way to tweek the dining plan--sort of see around any unintentiaonal loop holes, etc. As far as ADR's all the sit down restaurants in the parks were full and turning away people who did not have ADR's. I don't mind, I'm a planner. If I were not hungry I would still skip a meal and then I would try to make a new ADR when I returned to the room. If you have a cell phone it is easy to cancel an ADR and to find something that is available for a later time or a different day--maybe fewer choices and perhaps at a hotel rather than park, but something will be available. I never felt like I was spending too much out of pocket in addition to the plan, and I never felt rushed by the servers at any TS location.

 

[disneyjunkie]

I completely agree with you. I noticed it last August ( we are DVC members and have the DDE card so the dining plan doesn't interest us ) when not only where the restaurants incredibly crowded but the clientele was not what we were used to when dining on site. Nothing against anyone but we had this enormous fat man yell across the dining room at us asking me if I liked my new RAZR phone and that he wanted to get one but the "old lady" makes him get the free phones!!!! URRRGGGHHHH!!! Never in my 30+ years of going to WDW have I experienced that!!!

I know the dining plan is a great assistance to many families but unfortunately it will ruin the overall dining experience and uniqueness of dining onsite. We still go to a few restaurants on site but prefer renting a car and dining off site most nights. Actually the restaurants we still frequent tend to be the establishments that use two dinner credits instead of one because they haven't been as negatively effected as the other restaurants.

JMO

AM

Wow, what a nasty post.

 

[Mamu]

A few pointers Never, Never let restaurants rush you when dining. Your the one paying and expect good service.

I always take my time never let anyone rush me. If something isn't right I send it back and back and back until it right. It's my vacation, I'm the one coughing up the money to pay for it. Many a time my DH will say hurry-up all those people are waiting, my reply is usually "When I'm done" Many a time with an ADR I've waited almost a hour to be seated, I'll be dammed if I'm going to rush, get sick because I ate too fast. I like to sit and relax at meal time. We live in a fast pace society and vacations are a time to relax.

I'm never demanding, but I do demand good service and will reward that person for his or her service.

When you visit foreigh country it's nothing for a meal to last 3-4 hours. They sit relax and enjoy each others company. They actually talk to each other, not shovel in the food then leave the table.

I do think the dining plan has increased the number of clients in Disney Restaurants. I remember not to long ago you could walk-in any sit-down restaurant. Not anymore even at slow times. Sad that our vacations have become stressful also.

 

[lillygator]

Wow - this makes me sad. We love dining at WDW and as DDE holders, have no interest or plans to use the DDP...it's a shame that this will have an impact on our dining experiences, especially considering what we normally spend on a meal! We leave in 2 weeks....will report back!

 

[hegs65]

I completely agree with you. I noticed it last August ( we are DVC members and have the DDE card so the dining plan doesn't interest us ) when not only where the restaurants incredibly crowded but the clientele was not what we were used to when dining on site. Nothing against anyone but we had this enormous fat man yell across the dining room at us asking me if I liked my new RAZR phone and that he wanted to get one but the "old lady" makes him get the free phones!!!! URRRGGGHHHH!!! Never in my 30+ years of going to WDW have I experienced that!!!

I know the dining plan is a great assistance to many families but unfortunately it will ruin the overall dining experience and uniqueness of dining onsite. We still go to a few restaurants on site but prefer renting a car and dining off site most nights. Actually the restaurants we still frequent tend to be the establishments that use two dinner credits instead of one because they haven't been as negatively effected as the other restaurants.

JMO

AM

Let me start off by saying THIS IS THE MOST OFFENSIVE POST I HAVE EVER READ ON THESE BOARDS!!!!! You should be ashamed of yourself!!!!!!!!!! JMHO...but it sounds like YOU, not the "enormous fat man" are the one with the problem. Disney is supposed to be a magical place for everyone-not just the wealthy. It just makes me sad to read such a condescending post on this board. Because you have more money does not make you a better person! (as you have proven with the above statements!)

 

[vascubaguy]

I think some of this has to do with when you are going, because we did not have any problems, except one night. We were there the last week of March and first week of April (spring break time!). We had all of our ADRs set, but we were not on the DDP.

The only "problems" we had with restaurants were the buffets. The only exception was Boma, but even there they had quite a few empty tables but lots of people sitting and waiting to get in. The food and service at the "buffet" restaurants were what set us off the wrong way, but we didn't have any problems with the other TS locations.

Oh, and one night we decided to add an ADR and tried to get one at CA Grill, but they said they had no availabililty. So then I asked about Olivia's and she just asked what time I wanted to go because there were plenty of openings. Another night we were standing in the lobby of the GF and I called Citricos and they told me it would be about 30-40 minute wait, but we were seated within 20.

It is a bit disappointing to hear about the changes to the CS breakfast. The last time we used the DP, we'd use 1 CS credit to get a breakfast platter and then for the dessert we'd get a cinnamon roll or something. I'd take the pastry and DP would have the eggs 'n stuff (yuk). Even though we have the DDE, I was considering getting the DP for our trip in October, but now I think I might pass and we'll just do more Signature restaurants...

 

[jenga1030]

I completely agree with you. I noticed it last August ( we are DVC members and have the DDE card so the dining plan doesn't interest us ) when not only where the restaurants incredibly crowded but the clientele was not what we were used to when dining on site. Nothing against anyone but we had this enormous fat man yell across the dining room at us asking me if I liked my new RAZR phone and that he wanted to get one but the "old lady" makes him get the free phones!!!! URRRGGGHHHH!!! Never in my 30+ years of going to WDW have I experienced that!!!

I know the dining plan is a great assistance to many families but unfortunately it will ruin the overall dining experience and uniqueness of dining onsite. We still go to a few restaurants on site but prefer renting a car and dining off site most nights. Actually the restaurants we still frequent tend to be the establishments that use two dinner credits instead of one because they haven't been as negatively effected as the other restaurants.

JMO

AM

Wow! Do you realize how elitist that sounds? Maybe you should suggest that Disney not let "enormous fat men" in their prestigious restaurants? Or people that are too friendly? Or people that only have "free cellphones?" and call their wives "old lady?"

I am from Georgia and down here we all talk to each other at restaurants and stores and waiting in lines. People are just friendly. It's very sad that your dining experience was ruined by someone telling you that he liked your phone.

 

[MomofKatie]

Wow! Everyone sure does have different dining experiences, don't they? We did Free dining last fall, and we didn't have any negative experiences. We never waited more than a few minutes for our ADRs- in fact, we arrived up to 45 mis early for a few of them, and were still seated right away. The restaurants were busy, yes, but we never felt rushed. We had some really great meals. I was too busy having fun with my own family to notice other folks too much- nobody bothered us, and most people were really nice that we interacted with.

I guess everyone has different expectations of their experience- we would definitely do DDP again.

 

[AMcaptured]

Wow! Do you realize how elitist that sounds?

I apologize if you believe I came off as elitist, my intention was not to offend anyone. Obviously, I have


AM

 

[Dreamfinder2]

I completely agree with you. I noticed it last August ( we are DVC members and have the DDE card so the dining plan doesn't interest us ) when not only where the restaurants incredibly crowded but the clientele was not what we were used to when dining on site. Nothing against anyone but we had this enormous fat man yell across the dining room at us asking me if I liked my new RAZR phone and that he wanted to get one but the "old lady" makes him get the free phones!!!! URRRGGGHHHH!!! Never in my 30+ years of going to WDW have I experienced that!!!

I know the dining plan is a great assistance to many families but unfortunately it will ruin the overall dining experience and uniqueness of dining onsite. We still go to a few restaurants on site but prefer renting a car and dining off site most nights. Actually the restaurants we still frequent tend to be the establishments that use two dinner credits instead of one because they haven't been as negatively effected as the other restaurants.

JMO

AM

Hey, that was me. I did like your phone, and I've been allowed to get one.

My therapist has encouraged me not to be so sensitive to what people say about me, so I've moved on.