Should the price of the DDP be raised so that the quality can return?

[BillSears]

Of course this assumes that quality has dropped as so many people say.

Since the DDP people and the non DDP people argue so much over the effects of the DDP I was thinking the solution would be to increase the cost of the DDP so that the restaurants can afford to serve both DDP people and non DDP people the higher priced menus.

 

[Bonnie151]

I'm a real foodie so I'd happily pay $60 if it meant better quality food - especially with the current exchange rate. That's just over £30 which is not unreasonable at all for us on holiday.

To be honest though, I'd rather be able to either take DS off the DDP or pay more for a child per day to get him better food.

 

[saschab]

My choice isn't shown because the "keep it the same" option adds that non-DDP'ers should "have to deal with it".

I think DDP's great. It meets the needs of quite alot of people. It even meets my needs for CS and regular TS meals.

I think they should keep the price the same, and allow add-ons or keep a few signature restaurants off the DDP.

No matter wear you go in the world, you get what you pay for. In the case of DDP you get a bit more than you pay for.

I would still like the option of paying OOP for a more lavish meal than can be accomodated within the cost margins the DDP sets. I would like those $$ to go to Disney, and to have finer options be more prevalent on-site for my convenience. But, I'll start renting a car and traveling off-site to find those excellent meals if Disney doesn't respond.

 

[Lewisc]

Disney is making changes to improve efficiency and increase profitability. The dining plan is being blamed, probably unfairly.

The bar menu is being standardized and that has nothing to do with the DDP. Disney is going to a more standardized TS menu but its a reach to attribute the change solely to the dining plan.

Disney elevated CRT to signature status, but lowered the menu.

LTT has mediocre food, very processed. The price, and DDP allowance, could certainly support better food.

Your poll is poorly written. DDP doesn't have to have any impact on the quality, but it might cause a restaurant to delete more expensive ingredients.

There has been very little change in the menus at signature restaurants. Many of the changes, such as the reduction of some of the more "exotic" entrées at Artist Point pre-date the current dining plan.

It's probably that some of the menu items that are labor intensive are dropped not specifically because of the DDP but rather due to the increased popularity of a restaurant.

 

[noodleknitter]

Improve the menu, and bring back the dining certificates... j/k

Voted to up the cost and not dumb down the menu.

 

[PlutoLuvr]

I voted for nothing. I say to do away with all of this "meal package" stuff. Reminds me of one of those tacky all-inclusive places where you've felt totally scammed when you get home and you realize you got your mediocre meals for "free," and you paid $250 per night for a tiny, cramped room.

Folks should just buy what they want to eat. Simple. Disney can offer many types of discounts and/or reward points or Disney dollars on rooms and park tix as incentives to keep folks on the property and to help with budgets -- instead of raising park tix, what, twice in a year?

 

[Kay1]

I voted for $60. I think that sounds quite fair.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

The Area Manager of one of the Epcot World Showcase Restaurants told me that the restaurant gets a fixed payment per meal served. Also the tip to the staff is based on this fixed payment.

Basically if the price were higher the restaurants would receive more money and would be able to serve better food. The real profit is going to the Resorts, as they are able to charge full price for the rooms.

 

[Amyg]

My choice isn't shown because the "keep it the same" option adds that non-DDP'ers should "have to deal with it".

I think DDP's great. It meets the needs of quite alot of people. It even meets my needs for CS and regular TS meals.

I think they should keep the price the same, and allow add-ons or keep a few signature restaurants off the DDP.

No matter wear you go in the world, you get what you pay for. In the case of DDP you get a bit more than you pay for.

I would still like the option of paying OOP for a more lavish meal than can be accomodated within the cost margins the DDP sets. I would like those $$ to go to Disney, and to have finer options be more prevalent on-site for my convenience. But, I'll start renting a car and traveling off-site to find those excellent meals if Disney doesn't respond.

I agree with this. If I'm going to pay $60 a day that would not be a savings for my family personally. A lot of us choose this plan to get some sort of break since staying on property is so expensive already.

The only thing I didn't like about the plan when we were there in July was that the children's choices were really awfull and I ended up sharing most meals with my 9 year old who didn't want to eat chicken nugget, pizza and burgers for 9 days.

 

[bicker]

I think the poll choices are okay as they are -- they acknowledge that nothing would change without something to balance that change. They're all realistic choices. I do agree, however, that there is no necessary linkage between the Dining Plan and "non-DDP" anything.

 

[bicker]

The Area Manager of one of the Epcot World Showcase Restaurants told me that the restaurant gets a fixed payment per meal served. Also the tip to the staff is based on this fixed payment.

That doesn't apply to Rose and Crown, Le Cellier or Biergarten.

 

[bicker]

I agree with this. If I'm going to pay $60 a day that would not be a savings for my family personally.

I believe that's going to be the most common scenario. Disney is very good at determining the perfect price for everything.

For our upcoming February vacation, for example, we're saving about $30 per person for a week, using the Dining Plan. If they charged even $45 per person per day, we'd be better off without the Dining Plan.

 

[Lisa F]

We haven't been to WDW in several years due to saving for and buying a house and then pooling our money and time off for the DCL panama canal cruise last year, although we used to go very frequently before (several times a year), and I have to say, I'm not entirely sure what all of the hoopla is about. We are DVC members and are doing DDP for the first time because it really fits the way we tended to eat at wdw, where we did a table service a day and then tended to fill in with snacks and CS.

Anyway in checking out the menus, it doesn't seem like things have substantially changed in the last several years. Of course, we never did something like a lobster add on or ever really paid disney prices for something like lobster PERIOD... for as long as I can remember, the prices on things like lobster were utterly ridiculous.

I was pleased to see that a lot of old favorites are still on the menu, like the mushroom filet at Le Cellier (a favorite of ours before it was considered a great value on DDP). I was a little disappointed to see that some old favorite options are gone, like the ability to have a more grownup lunch or dinner at cinderella's castle without the character hoopla, but I understand why they did what they did (remembering the insanity of getting the breakfast there).

I'm reading dining reviews and people still seem to like their food. I've seen some complaints about portion sizes but frankly I always thought the portions were a bit on the large side at many places to begin with and have never really seen a correlation between high disney prices and sheer quantity of food. To me you're paying high disney prices for location and we've always thought much of the disney food is high quality. Restaurants are crowded? I have to tell you that we've seen people turned away from le cellier for YEARS if they don't have a reservation in advance. After reading these boards I was panicking about getting reservations anywhere that I wanted but it turned out to not be a problem and even subsequent tweaks inside the 180 day period have been no problem.

I guess maybe because I haven't been following all along and keeping tally of incremental changes (things like "oh, this lobster is gone" or "oh, you used to get 3 cubes of beef and now you get two") but honestly things don't look all that different than 3-5 years ago from where I'm sitting. I guess we'll find out when we go, but I'm looking forward to trying the dungeness crab california roll appetizer at california grill that I never tried because I balked at the price of it and that hasn't changed, I am still balking at the price of it but the fixed price of the DDP makes it a non-issue.

We are planning to go next year during the food and wine festival and won't be using DDP because I think it will be incompatible with the way we will be eating (not enough snack credits ). Even if we weren't doing the dining plan this year I still don't see a big problem looking at the menus. DH and I always left food on our plates OR ate ourselves sick (generally only once on vacation!) so I'd welcome the smaller portions and ability to taste a few more things (like get to an appetizer and dessert). If we weren't on DDP we'd be buying the DDE card, something we always wished we could buy when we were frequent visitors.

I guess I just don't see what the angst is all about... if anything it seems like there are MORE choices, between DDE being offered to AP holders (surely a 20% discount for "regulars" who are not necessarily florida residents is nothing to sneeze at), a dining plan that for once fits the way WE eat (the old plans had way too many TS and were much more expensive) offered to DVC members as well as packages. From my perspective things have gotten better, not worse.

 

[PaulaSB12]

We haven't been to WDW in several years due to saving for and buying a house and then pooling our money and time off for the DCL panama canal cruise last year, although we used to go very frequently before (several times a year), and I have to say, I'm not entirely sure what all of the hoopla is about. We are DVC members and are doing DDP for the first time because it really fits the way we tended to eat at wdw, where we did a table service a day and then tended to fill in with snacks and CS.

Anyway in checking out the menus, it doesn't seem like things have substantially changed in the last several years. Of course, we never did something like a lobster add on or ever really paid disney prices for something like lobster PERIOD... for as long as I can remember, the prices on things like lobster were utterly ridiculous.

I was pleased to see that a lot of old favorites are still on the menu, like the mushroom filet at Le Cellier (a favorite of ours before it was considered a great value on DDP). I was a little disappointed to see that some old favorite options are gone, like the ability to have a more grownup lunch or dinner at cinderella's castle without the character hoopla, but I understand why they did what they did (remembering the insanity of getting the breakfast there).

I'm reading dining reviews and people still seem to like their food. I've seen some complaints about portion sizes but frankly I always thought the portions were a bit on the large side at many places to begin with and have never really seen a correlation between high disney prices and sheer quantity of food. To me you're paying high disney prices for location and we've always thought much of the disney food is high quality. Restaurants are crowded? I have to tell you that we've seen people turned away from le cellier for YEARS if they don't have a reservation in advance. After reading these boards I was panicking about getting reservations anywhere that I wanted but it turned out to not be a problem and even subsequent tweaks inside the 180 day period have been no problem.

I guess maybe because I haven't been following all along and keeping tally of incremental changes (things like "oh, this lobster is gone" or "oh, you used to get 3 cubes of beef and now you get two") but honestly things don't look all that different than 3-5 years ago from where I'm sitting. I guess we'll find out when we go, but I'm looking forward to trying the dungeness crab california roll appetizer at california grill that I never tried because I balked at the price of it and that hasn't changed, I am still balking at the price of it but the fixed price of the DDP makes it a non-issue.

We are planning to go next year during the food and wine festival and won't be using DDP because I think it will be incompatible with the way we will be eating (not enough snack credits ). Even if we weren't doing the dining plan this year I still don't see a big problem looking at the menus. DH and I always left food on our plates OR ate ourselves sick (generally only once on vacation!) so I'd welcome the smaller portions and ability to taste a few more things (like get to an appetizer and dessert). If we weren't on DDP we'd be buying the DDE card, something we always wished we could buy when we were frequent visitors.

I guess I just don't see what the angst is all about.

I have to agree with you, also I have read news reports that resteraunts have been told by various health bodies that portions need to be reduced because of the obesity problem. I am really looking forward to next years trip and will be getting the dining plan for 3 weeks so am already starting to work out which resteraunts. Must dos are Le Cellier, Spoodles Wolfgang Puck Cafe, California Grill, Narcoossee's, and Alfraedo's (might end up doing Le Cellier twice.

By the way I love your cats!

 

[thirtycats]

I vote for high quality and lower quantity.

Maybe pick dessert OR appetizer instead of both.

If people want big pig-out meals (and I admit it...I like it too occasionally) than they can go to the buffets.

Maybe also have more exchanges. I'd make CS and TS interchangable. And then one CS or TS equals 3 snack credits. That might clear up some of the restaurant crowds. I think some people may be going to TS because they feel obligated.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I truly don't think making credits interchangeable would work, but the first part of your suggestion? That's a GREAT idea! I'd already decided not to get the Dining Plan on my next trip because, honestly, it IS too much food - even if the portions are smaller. And naturally, I feel I 'must' get all three courses, especially dining at Disney-owned restaurants, because that affects the tip my server gets.

Even as a solo traveler, I can certainly survive on two courses - and maybe even finish them both And parties with multiple Guests? Heck, split one appetizer three ways, have three separate entrees, then split two desserts! Still plenty of still-good food.

 

[Castillo Mom]

Voted for $50. I think that price is reasonable.

 

[Nancyg56]

I can't make the comparison between the menus prior to this version of the DDP and the way it stands now, but I was happy with it the past two times we went. I paid once and was able to enjoy free dining in August. I voted $50.00 because I would still consider it a value at that price, mostly because of the convenience of having the majority if our meals paid for without DH actually paying OOP. He gets sticker shock and I prefer to keep him fairly sane. If the price was more than $50 I would probably forgo the plan and just pay OOP.

 

[Disney with Triplets]

I think assumptions are being made that the DDP and change in quality/quantity of food are linked when they probably aren't.

I think the DDP is to offer people another choice and to make it more attractive for someone to stay in a WDW resort and eat on site instead of staying and/or eating off site. WDW resorts full of people spending more money at WDW on not only food, but also shows, souvineers, clothes, holiday shopping, etc. helps the overall quality of the WDW experience. There's X number of dollars each guest needs to shell out in some form or fashion in order to make WDW's bottom line what it needs to be for investors and they are coming up with numerous ways in order to collect that.

Separate from the DDP, I think that there was probably a move behind the scenes to streamline the WDW food system to standardize the menus to create efficiencies in the purchasing process, increase purchasing power, make employees more interchangable, etc. I haven't been this year, but I'd assume that the quality of the food remains consistent with resort cousine.

When I go to WDW, I'm not looking for a Ritz Carlton experience and I'd assume that most people filling the hotels and parks aren't looking for that either. For those few who are looking for that sort of experience, well...there's always the...Ritz Carlton.

 

[theostwalts]

I'm a real foodie so I'd happily pay $60 if it meant better quality food - especially with the current exchange rate. That's just over £30 which is not unreasonable at all for us on holiday.

To be honest though, I'd rather be able to either take DS off the DDP or pay more for a child per day to get him better food.

Actually you can. You can have him listed as being 10 years old and pay the price difference. Then he can order off the adult menu.