Why I Hate the DDP

[MuppetDisneyKrazy]

I was waiting in line at Captain Cooks, and someone with the DDP took 10 minutes to figure out what credit they wanted to use. I got confused as they were talking. I just had $22.00 in my hand and my stomach was growling.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I was waiting in line at Captain Cooks, and someone with the DDP took 10 minutes to figure out what credit they wanted to use. I got confused as they were talking. I just had $22.00 in my hand and my stomach was growling.

Am I right to assume there was only 1 cash register open during this time?

 

[MuppetDisneyKrazy]

Nope, there was 2 CR Resort Fan 4 Life. Just the fact that everyone had decided to get breakfast at the same time, didn't make it go any faster.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Nope, there was 2 CR Resort Fan 4 Life. Just the fact that everyone had decided to get breakfast at the same time, didn't make it go any faster.

Oh ok I see. Also I have had the same problems at the Food & Fun Center. Some people not knowing how many credits they had and etc, so your not alone in this.

 

[Tinkerbell24]

I am amazed at how many people on the DIS have personal and close enough relationships with the chefs at WDW so they get all this lovely insider gossip. I just think it is funny, because every thread I have posted on about DDP it seems, at some point in the disscusion, ultimate authority is declared by way of "a chef at WDW told me so". Now I am not saying any poster with those claims is not being truthful. I am saying that if there are so many disgruntled chefs making these claims, who are they and what is their authority in the WDW kitchen brigade system??? Would I trust the guy who is running the fryer as an authority on Disney dining economics and menu planning/design politics.....No. Would I trust the Executive or Sous Chef on these matters......Yes. Many times in the kitchen hierarchy people and menus come and go......if these were small mom & pop operations I am sure everyone on the staff would be somewhat knowing of the circumstances of a departure or reasoning behind a menu change, but when you are talking about a food operation as large as the one at WDW those things don't always get disseminated to ones on the front line.

As I said, I am not calling anyone a liar; I am just questioning the information due to a lack of knowledge of the "chef(s)" who seems to put this very confidential information out in a very public manner, in a very disgruntled fashion. For me to ever put stock into a third party source I would have to know some info on said source.

I couldn't agree more! You just made my night!

 

[LoraJ]

When we ate at Narcoossees, our waitress asked us for our dining cards. We told her we were OOP and she was so apologetic. Like it was an insult to be on DDP. I really do wonder how CM's feel about the plan.

That night we also saw the head chef come out and talk to people at a couple of tables. I don't know the exact conversation, but I think I remember him saying hew as leaving. Of course I didn't hear him attribute it to the DDP though.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

When we ate at Narcoossees, our waitress asked us for our dining cards. We told her we were OOP and she was so apologetic. Like it was an insult to be on DDP. I really do wonder how CM's feel about the plan.

That night we also saw the head chef come out and talk to people at a couple of tables. I don't know the exact conversation, but I think I remember him saying hew as leaving. Of course I didn't hear him attribute it to the DDP though.

I thought the servers or hosts ask you before if your on the DDP? That's the way it was when my family and I went to Prime Time Cafe and the Plaza.

 

[LoraJ]

I thought the servers or hosts ask you before if your on the DDP? That's the way it was when my family and I went to Prime Time Cafe and the Plaza.

When I made my ADR I indicated we weren't on the plan. I think all of the other servers asked before we ordered. I think she automatically assumed we were on the plan (I don't know, was it because I was wearing a shirt from Target and not Saks?), didn't ask and when we asked for the check she just kept on apologizing. Not like she did a ****oo with the check, but because of her assumption.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

When I made my ADR I indicated we weren't on the plan. I think all of the other servers asked before we ordered. I think she automatically assumed we were on the plan (I don't know, was it because I was wearing a shirt from Target and not Saks?), didn't ask and when we asked for the check she just kept on apologizing. Not like she did a ****oo with the check, but because of her assumption.

That's a weird situation. I guess it never happened to my family and I because we made our ADR's on the Atrium Club Level at the Contemporary and they can see in the computer that we are not on the DDP, so there is need to ask us that when we made our ADR's.

FYI: I am not referring to the IPO Cast Members who make your ADR's before you arrive. I am referring to the Cast Members who work on the actual Club Floors in the Deluxe Resorts.

 

[apostolic4life]

When we ate at Narcoossees, our waitress asked us for our dining cards. We told her we were OOP and she was so apologetic. Like it was an insult to be on DDP. I really do wonder how CM's feel about the plan.

That night we also saw the head chef come out and talk to people at a couple of tables. I don't know the exact conversation, but I think I remember him saying hew as leaving. Of course I didn't hear him attribute it to the DDP though.

Many chefs stroll the dining room to speak with customers and to discuss their meal with them, but I bet you will never hear one bashing anything Disney (DDP included) to a guest. That would be highly unprofessional and could could cost him/her their position, if not employment entirely. Also, if they are talking with guests, I'll bet they are high up on the kitchen chain of command.

 

[kaytieeldr]

It just does not have to be 5 or 10 minutes after we order, assuming we don't order any appetizers because that will cause our main meal to be brought out later {and} It's not an issue, it's more of an observation about the way things are done during lunch time at the table service locations. I also happen to think that part of that is because of the DDP.

I think it has zero to do with the DDP, and is due entirely to the facts that (a) as stated above, most lunch Guests are anxious to get back to the parks and (b) that a party which orders no appetizers appears to be in that type of rush and (c) the efficiency of the restaurant: when the food is ready, they serve it.

Oh, and regarding the Cinderella dinner- we went in 8/2005 when the Dining Plan was fairly new, but we were not on the dining plan. That meal has changed a bit since then

These changes had little if anything to do with the DDP and were based on the popularity of the location.

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

When we ate at Narcoossees, our waitress asked us for our dining cards. We told her we were OOP and she was so apologetic. Like it was an insult to be on DDP. I really do wonder how CM's feel about the plan.

I think there is obviously a difference for the CM's if you are on the DDP. We have never had the hostess ask us if we were on DDP, it has always been our server, so maybe like most things, it just depends. We always do CG on each trip and this past trip I think our server assumed we were on DDP (I really can't say for sure)-he was very brusque and just not the normal happy, conversational and animated CM we are used to there. He took our order and then asked for our DDP cards and we told him no, we were not on it, we had our DDE card though-kind of freaky cause almost instantaneously he was all smiles and joking with us and everything was good in the world again. This was not the first time we had that experience. Same thing at Narcoossee's, Jiko, AP and LC. By the end of our last trip we pretty much felt like celebrities with the CM's for not using DDP-quite a change from when we did. I would love to hear a CM's take on the whole set up.

 

[MaryKatesMom]

I've done the DDP, DDE and paid OOP. Our next trip will be the DDE.

I don't like the DDP for a few reasons.

Often the CM's at counter service will be clueless, add a clueless guest in front of me and I'm in for a wait. This always seems to happen at the waterparks. Cold, wet AND hungry.

We've been going for years and have found it is getting much harder to get the TS's we want. It might be the DDP, higher attendance, more knowledgable guests, only Disney knows but they have been quoted in the press as saying the DDP promotions have been a "success". I would imagine that means more people are eating on property which would reasonably translate into more ADR's.

Funny, I had thought that the menu's had eliminated some of my favorite appetizers (salmon at the R&C) and entree's (prime rib I haven't seen anywhere). No more lobster at Le Cellier. If more people are using DDP it would be logical to believe that Disney ran the numbers and found that guests were ordering the items at the top of the price range so the unprofitable ones had to go. Bye, bye my options.

 

[MaryKatesMom]

These changes had little if anything to do with the DDP and were based on the popularity of the location.

That is a pretty definative answer. What is your source?

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

I am amazed at how many people on the DIS have personal and close enough relationships with the chefs at WDW so they get all this lovely insider gossip. I just think it is funny, because every thread I have posted on about DDP it seems, at some point in the disscusion, ultimate authority is declared by way of "a chef at WDW told me so". Now I am not saying any poster with those claims is not being truthful. I am saying that if there are so many disgruntled chefs making these claims, who are they and what is their authority in the WDW kitchen brigade system??? Would I trust the guy who is running the fryer as an authority on Disney dining economics and menu planning/design politics.....No. Would I trust the Executive or Sous Chef on these matters......Yes. Many times in the kitchen hierarchy people and menus come and go......if these were small mom & pop operations I am sure everyone on the staff would be somewhat knowing of the circumstances of a departure or reasoning behind a menu change, but when you are talking about a food operation as large as the one at WDW those things don't always get disseminated to ones on the front line.

As I said, I am not calling anyone a liar; I am just questioning the information due to a lack of knowledge of the "chef(s)" who seems to put this very confidential information out in a very public manner, in a very disgruntled fashion. For me to ever put stock into a third party source I would have to know some info on said source.

When there are severe life threatening allergies in your family every meal you speak to the chef. When you visit several times a year and usually frequent the same TSs you tend to become friendly with them.
If you want to make note for the future we also have a very good family friend who is an architect executive so sometimes we know which way certain things are going so please call me a liar now so when I post about a building or changes you won't always have such a horrible reaction.

 

[MuppetDisneyKrazy]

Whenever we arrive at restaurants they ask us "Are you on DDP?".

 

[apostolic4life]

When there are severe life threatening allergies in your family every meal you speak to the chef. When you visit several times a year and usually frequent the same TSs you tend to become friendly with them.
If you want to make note for the future we also have a very good family friend who is an architect executive so sometimes we know which way certain things are going so please call me a liar now so when I post about a building or changes you won't always have such a horrible reaction.

Just seems highly unprofessional for someone who is in a position of authority in any kind of establishment to run down or bad mouth the operation to someone who they have a casual relationship with. If this was someone who you knew outside the parks or resorts and had a deeply personal relationship with it could be a reasonable expectation to say you may discuss such issues. Based on the above description of the relationship though ("friendly with them"), I find it hard to believe they are going to share all the company dirty laundry with a guest no matter often they in there. If these chefs are behaving in this manner, they are not professional by any stretch of the imagination and should be fired. The last thing any company needs is for someone of position in their organization to be discussing internal information with casual acquaintances.

By the way, re-read my post........I did not call you a liar because you may have been the recipient of some bad gossip from the source. I would bet if someone did give you such information they were probably on their way out because it would seem their loyalty is at question.

 

[LoraJ]

Just seems highly unprofessional for someone who is in a position of authority in any kind of establishment to run down or bad mouth the operation to someone who they have a casual relationship with. If this was someone who you knew outside the parks or resorts and had a deeply personal relationship with it could be a reasonable expectation to say you may discuss such issues. Based on the above description of the relationship though ("friendly with them"), I find it hard to believe they are going to share all the company dirty laundry with a guest no matter often they in there. If these chefs are behaving in this manner, they are not professional by any stretch of the imagination and should be fired. The last thing any company needs is for someone of position in their organization to be discussing internal information with casual acquaintances.

By the way, re-read my post........I did not call you a liar because you may have been the recipient of some bad gossip from the source. I would bet if someone did give you such information they were probably on their way out because it would seem their loyalty is at question.

But you are assuming that indicating menu changes due to the DDP as bad mouthing as opposed to stating facts. If someone asks a chef they are friendly with "how come you no longer offer the lobster here?" And they answer something along the lines "It wasn't cost effective with the new dining plan." Is that bad mouthing or stating a fact?

 

[apostolic4life]

But you are assuming that indicating menu changes due to the DDP as bad mouthing as opposed to stating facts. If someone asks a chef they are friendly with "how come you no longer offer the lobster here?" And they answer something along the lines "It wasn't cost effective with the new dining plan." Is that bad mouthing or stating a fact?

... I would expect the response to be of a more diplomatic nature. This is all a game of marketing for which the chef plays an intricate role. If he does not put a positive spin on a customer's negative response he has failed at a major part of his job. He is required to shamelessly promote every aspect of the dining operation whether he personally likes it or not. If he does not lead by example it could run into a staff morale issue down the road. Who wants to eat in a place nobody takes ownership and makes the experience positive for the guests?? No, you can't make everyone happy 100% of the time, but you must try!

 

[Katiebell]

Most agree that if you are new to Disney you wouldn't recognize the difference in TS dining. Also, I think where you are from strongly effects what you consider good, excellent food (no that isn't a knock all looking to flame just a fact that some/many parts of the country do not have fine, high quality, diversified dining readily available).

Wow. Yikes. Perhaps you didn't mean this the way it sounds? I live in an urban area and have eaten at fabulous restaurants in LA, Sacramento, Mendocino, San Francisco, Seattle, and Ireland. My husband and I love to try new dishes and ethnic cuisine. We have enjoyed some excellent meals in pricey establishments; however, we are definitely not food snobs, and some of our greatest, most memorable meals were at places like a hippie breakfast diner in the heart of Haight Ashbury, or a local hole-in-the-wall Mexican place that advertises "big and boozy" margaritas on their menu, and serves amazingly delicious carnitas, chile verde, and house-made tortillas.

If the OP feels this way about the DDP, they are allowed the express their feelings. There are no rules on this board that all posts about the DDP have to be 100% positive, because there are others who don't like it for whatever their reasons are.

Absolutely, everyone has the right to their own opinion about the DDP, and some will love it and some will hate it. That's totally fine, and that's not the problem. After reading the last 15 pages (and yes, I read every single post), as well as other threads on this same topic, the objection is that some who dislike the dining plan also express their contempt and disdain for those who would stoop to buying it -- and then there are all the little digs about "those kinds of people" who stay at value resorts, and they should go back to buying CS because they are cluttering up our TS restaurants and now everyone has to make reservations, now our lovely menus have been dumbed down for them, and they don't know the difference since they don't know what decent food is anyway, and a dinner at IHOP is a big night out to them...

Even though this has not been proven and I am sure some of you will flame me over this, I have felt when having lunch at the table service locations that the kitchen staff are sending the food out way to fast, so this way the servers can turn over more tables at a faster rate. My family and I did not rush to eat when we got our food and we did not order any appetizers, however I thought wow that was way to fast for our food to be ready. In my opinion because of how popular the DDP is and because more people are purchasing it, they need to speed up the service to keep getting guests in and out of the restaurants as fast as they can.

In restaurants everywhere, there is what is known as the "lunch rush" and the "dinner rush". At lunches things seem to be faster paced at a busy restaurant because there is a specific time window in which people usually want to eat lunch, they are usually anxious to eat and get on with their day, and there are many other people waiting a turn to get their meals in that same time window and get on with their days as well. We didn't eat lunch on the DDP, but had several breakfasts and dinners, and not one time did the server ever rush us or act impatient if we wanted to linger a little over coffee at the end of our meal -- in fact, several, when they brought our check, offered drink refills and said, "No hurry at all, take your time."

Often the CM's at counter service will be clueless, add a clueless guest in front of me and I'm in for a wait. This always seems to happen at the waterparks. Cold, wet AND hungry.

The most clueless guests who held up CS lines in front of us -- at Tusker House and at Columbia Harbor House -- paid cash. I watched for it, to see if the confusion was being caused by the DDP. It wasn't.

Funny, I had thought that the menu's had eliminated some of my favorite appetizers (salmon at the R&C) and entree's (prime rib I haven't seen anywhere).

Prime rib was at several buffets -- we had it at Boma. My husband also ordered prime rib at the Grand Floridian Cafe, and it was excellent. He also had the best French Onion soup we've ever tasted as his appetizer.