Second Trip using Dining Plan--revised opinion!

[Dreamfinder2]

Hey, I'm kidding.

Apologies noted ... and accepted. Sometimes it's hard to be objective as to how our posts come across. I'm sure you meant no harm.

 

[janets]

and were on the dining plan. We had done the plan last summer and while I noticed that there was definitely a longer wait at most of the table service restaurants (our longest was probably Coral Reef for dinner) I also was able to walk up to O'hana's podium and ask if we could eat earlier (it was about 8:30 and our ADR was for 10:50). They were able to fit us in after about 10 minutes. We waited only about 10 minutes at any of our ADRs.

We also saw that there was very little opportunity for walk up dining. We had second thoughts about our dinner at Teppanyaki but there was no other option available.

At each restaurant, we never felt rushed. In fact our dinner at Coral Reef was well over an hour long. We got out in time for Illuminations.

We're doing free dining in September and have all of our ADRs made. We're going back to a few regulars and trying some newer places too.

 

[majortom]

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.

I highly doubt that was his goal.

/carmi

 

[jessica52877]

I think the OP didn't mean harm in what she said. Although I will say I felt as if I wasn't good enough to eat at a TS restaurant anymore. I felt like it was a put down but don't think the message was intended that way.

We used the DDP last fall and loved it. It was also when you could still get dessert at breakfast and I chose to get fruit every morning, that is something that I'll miss and surprised by their decision because it does make breakfast the least food for your money. But I am not really trying to maximize my money on the plan. It is a great deal and gave us the opportunity to try so many places we otherwise would not have. Including Chef Mickey's which we now have gone back to without the plan.

I think the DDP offers more regular families like myself the opportunity to enjoy some better food.

 

[5disneyfreaks]

To start off, I am not going to try and make anyone feel bad. OK?
I understand that there are a lot of people here that have been going to Disney for years. I am sure the dining plan has changed things for you and I understand that. I also understand why you may not like the changes.
However, let me explain something. (and this is just about MY family)
We are a family of 5 (check the name. ) and the dining plan is great for us!We are also a one income family. For us, we can plan and pay for everything. Our room, our tickets, AND our dining. For us, it is one less thing to worry about. We can go and have a great time. The money we take, we can do what we want to with. I can only figure that we are not the only family in this boat. The dining plan is making it easier for families to enjoy Disney, and don't you think that is what Walt would want?

 

[danalee]

5disneyfreaks.........Very well said!!!

 

[triplefigs]

We went in December on the DDP. It was fairly busy and the restaurants were not accepting walk-ups. We did not let the servers rush us. We took our time, ate at a leisurely pace, and thoroughly enjoyed our meals. Even though there were long lines and it was busy, we had excellent service. Our longest wait was at 1900 PF the night of MVMCP (over an hour but we were a table of 13). Otherwise, we were seated within 15-20 minutes for a table of 5.

We are going in September with free dining. My advice for using the DDP is to make lots of ADRs for the meals you might want, cancel them if you aren't going to use them, arrive a few minutes early for your meals, enjoy the food and company of your friends and family, and have a fantastic time at the Happiest Place on Earth!

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

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

I was going to get huffy with you until I realized your word usage needs help. Usually happens when you're trying to sound like a 2 dinner credit diner. For future posts, the word is affected , not effected.

The dining plan is not a welfare program, although one might feel so after reading your post. The EFFECT is the same.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

That being said... we used the plan in October 2005. Many places were booked, but we did not experience excessive wait times, pushy waitstaff, nor rude patrons. I was very glad we'd made ADRs!

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

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

Talk about your completely plastic apologies.

No admission of wrongdoing
No acknowledgement that her own post was the problem.
Cares more about how she came across than the reality.

Originally Posted by 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.

Oh no. You didn't mean to come across as elitist, you just did.
Work on the tude first, then plastic apologies won't be needed.

 

[nurseypoo5]

hey now....

When I read the post about the big fat guy..i was taken aback also. My hubby is well...probably in that catagory at 275 ( i lovingly call him my tubby hubby, he just smiles ), and me ......well i plan on losing 40lbs prior to leaving in Sept...does that say anything..

So yes at first i was shocked and thought it was a very very rude post.

Now...I have to say.. She has apologized. Do we need to keep beating her with a stick over it. The horse is dead. I'm sure she didnt mean to make it sound as bad as it did, you never know when you post something how it reads until others actually respond.

Just as in Texas (as another poster said) we chat everywhere. My hubby marvels how i can start an hour long conversation with a complete stranger at a grocery store. Perhaps the OP of that post is from another part of the country where people aren't as "friendly" to strangers.

I'd say she could delete it but its been quoted to death.

Now lets all hold hands and sing Kumbaya Ma' Lord....

 

[bertalander]

To start off, I am not going to try and make anyone feel bad. OK?
I understand that there are a lot of people here that have been going to Disney for years. I am sure the dining plan has changed things for you and I understand that. I also understand why you may not like the changes.
However, let me explain something. (and this is just about MY family)
We are a family of 5 (check the name. ) and the dining plan is great for us!We are also a one income family. For us, we can plan and pay for everything. Our room, our tickets, AND our dining. For us, it is one less thing to worry about. We can go and have a great time. The money we take, we can do what we want to with. I can only figure that we are not the only family in this boat. The dining plan is making it easier for families to enjoy Disney, and don't you think that is what Walt would want?

That sums it up PERFECTLY for me.

Thank you!

I will try not to ruin anyone's dining experience And plan to completely and totally enjoy mine!

 

[bicker]

Talk about your completely plastic apologies.
No admission of wrongdoing
No acknowledgement that her own post was the problem.
Cares more about how she came across than the reality.

So, as a result, you've decided to become as abusive and insensitive as AMcaptured? How does that help the discussion?

Work on the tude first, then plastic apologies won't be needed.

Glass houses, buddy.

 

[Kasmir]

Talk about your completely plastic apologies.

No admission of wrongdoing
No acknowledgement that her own post was the problem.
Cares more about how she came across than the reality.

Oh no. You didn't mean to come across as elitist, you just did.
Work on the tude first, then plastic apologies won't be needed.

WOW! Aren't we judgmental?

Yes, I suppose that AMcaptured shouldn't have apologized at all.

This is a Disney message board. Get over it already!

Methinks that you should work on your "tude" as well.

 

[Kasmir]

So, as a result, you've decided to become as abusive and insensitive as AMcaptured? How does that help the discussion?

Glass houses, buddy.

Great minds must think alike!

 

[majortom]

The dining plan is making it easier for families to enjoy Disney, and don't you think that is what Walt would want?

No, it is making so that only those families that can afford to stay on Disney Property can eat at Disney Table Service restaurants. It is making it harder for everyone else. In addition, as others already noted in this thread it is decreasing flexibility even for those that use it:

We also saw that there was very little opportunity for walk up dining. We had second thoughts about our dinner at Teppanyaki but there was no other option available.

What this means is that for most people (fewer than half of Disney World's guests stay on property) access has been cut to Disney's restaurants. It also means that for many (even those staying on property) that have never been before these changes will have substantially negative affect on their experiences. Pre-Disney Dining Plan (and Disney's new 180 + 10 day window), more people had a chance to eat at table service restaurants (every person on here who states that: "we could never eat at a table service restaurant before and now we have every dinner at one" is evidence of this). Before, most people that ate at Disney' table service would eat one or two meals there, often deciding when they were hungry to see what was available where they were.

Now, Disney's Dining Plan guests take up a disproportionate percentage of available tables, which means, in this zero sum game, that someone loses (and in many respects, everyone loses).

So, answering your question: I think that Walt would oppose this elitist exclusionist program (Disney's Dining Plan) and support a system that allowed many more families to experience Disney's table service restaurants (albeit few times for each of them). That is unless you believe Marc Elliot's views on Walt (see: Walt Disney: Hollywood's Dark Prince : A Biography) in which case, you might be right that he would prefer to enfranchise only those that can afford to stay on Disney Property.

/carmi

 

[majortom]

Glass houses, buddy.

Thanks, you saved me some typing.

/carmi

 

[Sammie]

Woa everyone, this has gotten completely off track.

First of all the OP is not AMCaptured.

AMCaptured, posted to the OP's comments about the effect the Dining Plan had on her/his recent.

AMCaptured made what I call a Net Forum Brain Toot and let her keys run away with her common sense.

Then she apologized and some of you others acted as mean to her as you thought she acted.

So now back to your respective corners, and let discuss if you think the Dining Plan has negatively affected Disney Dining.

 

[wdwbeforetn]

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

The man that yelled across the restaurant at you was probably from Texas (like me). That's something that someone in my family would do. We are just really friendly like that and just trying to make conversation! I'm always embarassing my kids!

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

So, as a result, you've decided to become as abusive and insensitive as AMcaptured? How does that help the discussion?
Pointing out an apology is completely false isn't abusive. I'll give you

Glass houses, buddy.

This from the person that is as guilty of it as anyone. Nice.

WOW! Aren't we judgmental?

Oh yes the problem isn't she did anything wrong such as calling someone fat anomg other things and then put up a fake apology that refused to even acknowledge she'd done anything wrong. the problem is I'm being judgmental for pointing it out.