Why I Hate the DDP

[*KeepMovingForward*]

We like DDP. It may be too much food, but we certainly don't eat it all! We do like ordering different appetizers and taking a taste. OMG-if we actually finished them off and the entree and dessert, we'd be the next spokespeople for Jenny Craig! The only thing we are not a fan of is that the restaurants are so crowded now and the DDP does not allow you to be spontaneous with your dining plans-even if you are not doing the DDP. If you don't plan it all out, you may be shut out of a decent meal, unless you like counter service all the time.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I agree about the relaxing meal but "food for thought"

I like the food coming out fast. I am usually pretty hungry when I order.

However, I am not required to eat it as fast as they bring it out.

No one has ever asked us to leave our table until we were done eating.

Obviously the Cast Members can't say eat fast so we can clean your table and give to the next set of guests. I also don't mind when food comes out fast, but that is when I am eating at restaurants where I live. When I am in WDW if the food comes out fast I don't mind. 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.

 

[drakethib]

Obviously the Cast Members can't say eat fast so we can clean your table and give to the next set of guests. I also don't mind when food comes out fast, but that is when I am eating at restaurants where I live. When I am in WDW if the food comes out fast I don't mind. 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.

I do have to admit that I never heard of anyone having issues with their meal coming out to quick when they order.

This one is a first for me.

Have a great evening!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

If you don't plan it all out, you may be shut out of a decent meal, unless you like counter service all the time.

My family and I don't mind the counter service locations and there a few of them which serve some great meals. Take Earl of Sandwich and Wolfgang Puck Express. Those locations maybe considered a counter service meal, however their food is amaizing. Last December when my family and I were in WDW we made 0 ADR's and did not go hungry. Some nights we went to offsite restaurants and other nights we went to counter service locations in the Resorts and they were not that bad.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I do have to admit that I never heard of anyone having issues with their meal coming out to quick when they order.

This one is a first for me.

Have a great evening!

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.

 

[marivaid]

One example I remember from 2005 is the Cinderella's sliper dessert at the castle.

Was the slipper dessert on the DDP then ? I'm pretty certain it's not now and that you have to order it at an extra cost.

Do those die hard proponents of the DDP that like to dispute everything really honestly think that no changes have occured?!

No one is saying that changes haven't occured, some of us are saying that the DDP is not the reason for those changes. The only concrete evidence I've seen at this point is the kids menus,and IMO it's more likely due to adults buying kids meals to save money. At TS you can still get kids' desserts you just have to pay extra for them.

By the way, we'll be using the DDE for our next trip. Just because I don't blame the DDP for every single thing that's wrong with Disney Dining doesn't mean it will work for us on every trip.

 

[Mickeyluver37]

LOL. I've been at Drum for 6 years and I HEAR YA!!! The Target opening was a big hit as were all of the new restaurants lol!!!

Missie

Ah, but like me, at least you "know better" since you're a military transplant, I assume. Dh's entire HUGE extended family lives up there and I can tell you that most of them wouldn't DREAM of spending $100+ per person on a meal.

 

[Mickeyluver37]

Was the slipper dessert on the DDP then ? I'm pretty certain it's not now and that you have to order it at an extra cost.



No one is saying that changes haven't occured, some of us are saying that the DDP is not the reason for those changes. The only concrete evidence I've seen at this point is the kids menus,and IMO it's more likely due to adults buying kids meals to save money. At TS you can still get kids' desserts you just have to pay extra for them.

By the way, we'll be using the DDE for our next trip. Just because I don't blame the DDP for every single thing that's wrong with Disney Dining doesn't mean it will work for us on every trip.

Well, I don't have a problem with the dining plan itself, I think it's a great idea, and we'll be using it (FREE!!! ) for the first time this year. What the complaints seem to be stemming from is the POPULARITY of it. I'm actually surprised to read that so many people only do TS because of the Dining Plan.

I don't blame DDP for everything, but I certainly realize that it has caused some things to change- which is what Disney wanted. The restaurants aren't just more popular, but it makes saying on site much more appealing. I was telling friends that we're going to Disney for a week for $82/night, food included in September and most of them are paying more than that just for hotels for local trips around here (Ocean City, Williamsburg, etc.) Even our local KOA charges almost that much for a cabin per night, and you have to bring your own food!

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.

 

[marivaid]

I don't blame DDP for everything, but I certainly realize that it has caused some things to change- which is what Disney wanted.

Couldn't agree more!!!!

 

[want2bamommy]

Ah, but like me, at least you "know better" since you're a military transplant, I assume. Dh's entire HUGE extended family lives up there and I can tell you that most of them wouldn't DREAM of spending $100+ per person on a meal.

Very true. I am from New Jersey (as is DH). I am REALLY missing Portuguese and Cuban food up here! I get my fill when we go to NYC though. Progress has been made over the last 6 years but I do long for the day when we can move back "home."

 

[Mickeyluver37]

Very true. I am from New Jersey (as is DH). I am REALLY missing Portuguese and Cuban food up here! I get my fill when we go to NYC though. Progress has been made over the last 6 years but I do long for the day when we can move back "home."

There's one thing I miss from up there and that's all the local ice cream places in the summer- like the Blizzard Barn! Of course, at least we have Rita's and Coldstone here in MD now.

The 4 years dh was stationed there, he never had to deploy, and the kids had their grandparents, so I really didn't hate it as much as most!

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

My family and I don't mind the counter service locations and there a few of them which serve some great meals. Take Earl of Sandwich and Wolfgang Puck Express. Those locations maybe considered a counter service meal, however their food is amaizing. Last December when my family and I were in WDW we made 0 ADR's and did not go hungry. Some nights we went to offsite restaurants and other nights we went to counter service locations in the Resorts and they were not that bad.

I'm not knocking the counter service restaurants-although I find the in-park ones lack variety IMO. We LOVE Earl of Sandwich and always eat there for lunch on our last day. That said, we are foodies...we live for the table service meals for dinner. We are also the screwballs that you see taking pics of their food.

 

[LoraJ]

One example I remember from 2005 is the Cinderella's sliper dessert at the castle. I would see pictures on here of a fancy presentation, and then when we got there, nearly every person in the restaurant ordered that same dessert. The slipper and the mousse were the same, but the platescape wasn't as fancy. I'm sure you can find pictures in the food porn thread that show the difference of that and possibly others. BTW, I'm not a DDP hater- I'm thrilled to be trying it for the first time this year. I see the negatives, but we are saving a tremendous amount on our trip, so no complaints from me. I am amazed/frustrated at how hard ADR's are to get though!

I wish I had taken pictures of my filet plate from Le Cellier before the DDP. This was from October of last year. My side of spinach is bigger than my meal. I remember there being more stuff on the plate in the past. I could be wrong though. I just thought this was funny:

We've planned our trips just a couple of months in advance. So it is frustrating for us when it comes to making dinner reservations. We mostly ate at resort TS restaurants or DTD on our last trip. We were able to get Le Cellier, but we like to eat late, which porbably helped. Other park TS restaurants we like, we ate at for lunch. But if we ever have a trip where we can't get into any TS restaurants we like and are forced to eat CS or off-site, we'll probably cut back on our Disney trips.

When I was planning my October trip, I remember there being posts about teh signature meals being taken off of the menu and the CM's commenting that it was because of the DDP.

I also remember there being lots of talk how it would be nice to have a menu for those on the DDP, and a regular menu for those paying OOP. Or keep the signature dishes and charge supplemental fees for those on the DDP if they order it.

 

[apostolic4life]

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.

Your feeling is probably very close to being correct. When you have a busy "chain style " restaurant, the meals are planned to be in and out in a very short time frame. How many times have we all been half way done with a salad or appetizer when our entree is plopped down as if to say "hurry up". This is typical of places such as those owned and operated as a big box chain restaurant: i.e. Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Outback, etc. As I have stated in previous posts to this thread, WDW TS venues are being homogenized to resemble a chain style of restaurant so that profitability is maximized. I think the DDP is not the cause for this homogenization, but
the tool Disney used to facilitate full restaurants that would ensure the profitability the chain model promised.

Yes, there has been a change in variety from venue to venue, but again I do not think the blame rests solely with the DDP.

 

[apostolic4life]

I'm not knocking the counter service restaurants-although I find the in-park ones lack variety IMO. We LOVE Earl of Sandwich and always eat there for lunch on our last day. That said, we are foodies...we live for the table service meals for dinner. We are also the screwballs that you see taking pics of their food.

We are guilty of being food pornographers too!!

DW and I always plan on TS with or without DDP....it's just how we roll!!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Your feeling is probably very close to being correct. When you have a busy "chain style " restaurant, the meals are planned to be in and out in a very short time frame. How many times have we all been half way done with a salad or appetizer when our entree is plopped down as if to say "hurry up". This is typical of places such as those owned and operated as a big box chain restaurant: i.e. Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Outback, etc. As I have stated in previous posts to this thread, WDW TS venues are being homogenized to resemble a chain style of restaurant so that profitability is maximized. I think the DDP is not the cause for this homogenization, but
the tool Disney used to facilitate full restaurants that would ensure the profitability the chain model promised.

Yes, there has been a change in variety from venue to venue, but again I do not think the blame rests solely with the DDP.

The thing is when we have had our meals at Prime Time Cafe they did not seem that busy where they need to get our main courses out ASAP. The two times we have had lunch there it has always been after 11:00 AM when they were not busy.

It was the same thing at the Plaza. We had our ADR there around 11:20 AM, although they were a little busier.

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

I wish I had taken pictures of my filet plate from Le Cellier before the DDP. This was from October of last year. My side of spinach is bigger than my meal. I remember there being more stuff on the plate in the past. I could be wrong though. I just thought this was funny:

We've planned our trips just a couple of months in advance. So it is frustrating for us when it comes to making dinner reservations. We mostly ate at resort TS restaurants or DTD on our last trip. We were able to get Le Cellier, but we like to eat late, which porbably helped. Other park TS restaurants we like, we ate at for lunch. But if we ever have a trip where we can't get into any TS restaurants we like and are forced to eat CS or off-site, we'll probably cut back on our Disney trips.

When I was planning my October trip, I remember there being posts about teh signature meals being taken off of the menu and the CM's commenting that it was because of the DDP.

I also remember there being lots of talk how it would be nice to have a menu for those on the DDP, and a regular menu for those paying OOP. Or keep the signature dishes and charge supplemental fees for those on the DDP if they order it.

This is a very good point...ask you CMs how many changes have come due to the DDP. Certain chefs that we have spoken to will tell you of all the changes, quality & variety are due to the plan and this has caused some terrific chefs to leave due to the DDP offerings. As far as ''homoginized'' great way to put it....we tell people when going to WDW for the first time think fair chain restaurants that is what you will be getting.

For all the people that have issue believing the changes of menus & signatue dishes just simply look at old Birmbaum books.....some of the menus were superior.

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

We are guilty of being food pornographers too!!

DW and I always plan on TS with or without DDP....it's just how we roll!!

Oh good, then we are not alone in our addiction! I'm a food pornographer and I'm proud! Yes, half of why we go to Disney is the food! Don't care where or what we eat for lunch, but dinner must always be TS!

One time in Brown Derby the folks at the table next to us were obviously intrigued by our food photography-at first they looked at us like we were nuts-then when their dessert came I guess we didn't seem so crazy cause they whipped out their cameras and started taking pics of their food too! (Either that or they were mocking us! )

 

[apostolic4life]

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.

 

[apostolic4life]

Yes, half of why we go to Disney is the food! Don't care where or what we eat for lunch, but dinner must always be TS!

As an Executive Chef, I have the philosophy of "You haven't been there till you've eaten the food". Traveling is about new experiences in different places. You can never truly understand a people or culture until you understand what they eat, why they eat it and how they prepare it. Food is our main reason for most trips!!