DDP Causing Some Issues?

[I_Love_Boardwalk]

I don't think this has anything to do with sense......I am in a position that we can now jump on a plane when we want and go. The reason in my opinion it is causing issues is that it fills restaurants that some people have never dined in before or never would before this plan. As stated before when we plan in advance I book very early.
Not sure why you reacted to my response.....Have a great day!

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

To the OP:

You know, I haven't been on this site for very long and I have to say that you are the rudest, most uptight snob I've seen here.

Oh you can see me? Do you see me waving at you?

 

[mybgirl]

My family used the DDP from jan 17th to jan27th and the only restraunt we booked for was the 'Hoop De Do Musical'. Every other restraunt we just walked into.... it was the quitest time of the year I know......

Sorry us 'poorer' people are talking up all your 'richer' peoples restraunts!

GOD BLESS

 

[Steph9072]

NEVERENOUGHWDW: You come across with a big me little you attitude and I think that stinks. You act like you are better then all of us that take advantage of the DDP. So you don't like it don't use it. Petition WDW to do away with it.

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

NEVERENOUGHWDW: You come across with a big me little you attitude and I think that stinks. You act like you are better then all of us that take advantage of the DDP. So you don't like it don't use it. Petition WDW to do away with it.

We don't use it and many have been complaining about it.....Have a great evening!

 

[Steph9072]

We don't use it and many have been complaining about it.....Have a great evening!

Maybe if enough people complain Disney will do away with it. But like the old saying goes if it ain't broke don't fix it.

 

[kaytieeldr]

There are many long timers (30 plus years of going to WDW)who HATE THE DDP! First, it packs the restaurants.

Aw, too bad. Better that restaurants should utilize only 20% or 25% or 50% of their capacity (and revenue) than that more Guests should be enticed to enjoy Disney's Table Service restaurants. And there are many long-timers who do not "hate the DDP".

It's laughable....most of the entrees are in the 20 dollar range, so if you can afford 700 bucks, you can afford a 20 dollar entree.

Your concern for my finances is appreciated. Afford? Sure. Be willing to take time out of park touring if I hadn't already paid for my food? Not so much.

And all the cost savings ignore the fact that they are getting an appetizer, dessert, and entree for each person, which most people wouldn't normally order. IT"S TOO MUCH FOOD MEAL AFTER MEAL!!!!

Gee whiz, not ONE Disney Cast Member "made" me order every course, or "made" me finish it if I did. But again, thanks for your concern.

And you answered your own question...People who could not normally afford to dine at the higher priced TS meals, but with this plan they are able to pre pay and ease the pressure

Afford may be the wrong word, given that (except for a few weeks a year) Guests must PAY for the DDP. Intend to spend might be more fitting

With DDP aren't meals still "actually" paid for?

Not according to the DDP-haters

Also, there were a lot of inconsistencies between what places offered what. One place would include a burger and fries as a combo whereas another just offered a hot dog as an entree. Well in that case the DDP is really a rip-off.

I respectfully disagree. Such offerings exist whether one is on a Dining Plan or not, and they existed prior to the onset of the current/popular Disney Dining Plan.

Plus with dinners, we wouldn't have ordered 2 appetizers. With one appetizer, 2 entrees, and one dessert to share we would have been fine. And when I added that up with what we would have eaten for lunch and snack then I MAY have saved $20 for the whole trip. But they try to sell the fact about how much you save when compared to the 2 apps, 2 entrees, and 2 dessert cost of the meal.

It's stated frequently on the DIS Restaurants and Dining Plan boards that the DDP is not for everyone. Despite the marketing you faced, knowing what you do about your dining habits indicates you're one of the parties for whom it does not "work", for whom it's not a good deal.

Because it has been cancelled several times before. An additional problem is people think it is free range to eat soup to nuts and then they once again Disney will re analyze and figure out it isn't finacially wise.

Uh huh. Okay. Sure. Fine. The Disney Dining Plan has been in existence now for almost twenty-six months. If it were not financially wise (and Disney thanks you for your concern about its financial condition), they'd have ended it by now.

I don't agree. Even before DDP and magical express we still flew to WDW and did everything on property.

But not everybody does that. It's been over two years now since I've been to SeaWorld or to Universal Studios Florida. Disney's influence works for me

As for ME, I used to think the wait for the Mears took awhile before ME. It is just so much longer now. I kinda find that annoying, too.

Mears waited to fill up a van or bus, generally heading for a particular area, before departing the airport - and after riders checked in at the Mears counter; - then dropping passengers at numerous resorts. Magical Express generally departs the airport about fifteen minutes after the first passengers board - and go to no more than four resorts, all Disney-owned. HOW is the DME wait longer than the Mears wait, unless you were incredibly lucky?

Another issue cruise food has gone down the tubes 100% since cruising has become so affordable.

You, um, might want to check your figures. A 100% drop in food means that there is now NO food on cruise lines (speaking of painting with a broad brush - food on Carnival has "dropped" the same percentage as Windstar? Interesting...)

. Saturday night we walked over to DTD from SSR, we checked in at Rainforest at 7:00, the earliest seating was 10:21!!! (not even sure if RF is on the DDP),

I don't believe RFC participates in the DDP but even if they do - a 3.5 hour wait on a Saturday night at any Rainforest doesn't surprise me.

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

Aw, too bad. Better that restaurants should utilize only 20% or 25% or 50% of their capacity (and revenue) than that more Guests should be enticed to enjoy Disney's Table Service restaurants. And there are many long-timers who do not "hate the DDP".

Your concern for my finances is appreciated. Afford? Sure. Be willing to take time out of park touring if I hadn't already paid for my food? Not so much.

Gee whiz, not ONE Disney Cast Member "made" me order every course, or "made" me finish it if I did. But again, thanks for your concern.

Afford may be the wrong word, given that (except for a few weeks a year) Guests must PAY for the DDP. Intend to spend might be more fitting

Not according to the DDP-haters


I respectfully disagree. Such offerings exist whether one is on a Dining Plan or not, and they existed prior to the onset of the current/popular Disney Dining Plan.

It's stated frequently on the DIS Restaurants and Dining Plan boards that the DDP is not for everyone. Despite the marketing you faced, knowing what you do about your dining habits indicates you're one of the parties for whom it does not "work", for whom it's not a good deal.

Uh huh. Okay. Sure. Fine. The Disney Dining Plan has been in existence now for almost twenty-six months. If it were not financially wise (and Disney thanks you for your concern about its financial condition), they'd have ended it by now.

But not everybody does that. It's been over two years now since I've been to SeaWorld or to Universal Studios Florida. Disney's influence works for me


Mears waited to fill up a van or bus, generally heading for a particular area, before departing the airport - and after riders checked in at the Mears counter; - then dropping passengers at numerous resorts. Magical Express generally departs the airport about fifteen minutes after the first passengers board - and go to no more than four resorts, all Disney-owned. HOW is the DME wait longer than the Mears wait, unless you were incredibly lucky?

You, um, might want to check your figures. A 100% drop in food means that there is now NO food on cruise lines (speaking of painting with a broad brush - food on Carnival has "dropped" the same percentage as Windstar? Interesting...)

I don't believe RFC participates in the DDP but even if they do - a 3.5 hour wait on a Saturday night at any Rainforest doesn't surprise me.

You either see yourself as an expert or have much too much time on your hands.....

 

[arachal]

We are visiting WDW this June. We will be using the DDP. The DDP total for our trip will be $900 for 7 nights. That doesn't sound free to me. Oh and yes, we would eat at the same restaurants with or without the DDP. To those of you who expect to walk up to a restaurant at WDW and get a reservation....that just sounds ridiculous to me. This will be my third trip to WDW. The parks have always been obscenely crowded. I would NEVER expect to walk up to a restaurant and expect to be seated that night. It's called PLANNING, we do that a few months before we go to WDW.

I have to admit, there are some very rude people on this board. Most are great and helpful, though.

 

[cara76]

We're doing DDP and lovng it. Sure I probably could of afforded 90% of out meals without DDP esp since we wouldn't do dessert and only one appitizer. However I wouldn't of spend the money I have one other stuff, because I would of been too worried about not having enough for food and we wouldn't be spending 14 days here.

We booked 4 weeks ago for our 2 week trip we are currently half way through. I got all the ADR's I wanted and last week was a mad house here with it being Race Weekend, President's Day and Mardi Gras. I've also canceled, rearranged and made new ADR's to different places with no problems. We will end up doing every character experienence except CRT. I have one more meal to book and will call tomorrow and see if I can get in somewhere Friday night, which I'm sure I can. I had ADR's for Friday at Cap't Jacks but changed them to tomorrow night because we felt 8:40 was too late to eat at Le Celliar.

We saw people walk into 1900 Park Fare last night, yes they had to wait a bit but they got in. So it's possible.

DDP is working, it's been in exsistance inone form or another for a very long time. The resorts are filled, the resturants ar filled and Disney's making lots of money by enticing people to stay onsite with the all inclusiveness.

OP- sorry your not having any luck, sending some Pixie Dust your way...

 

[dbmarie]

The reason in my opinion it is causing issues is that it fills restaurants that some people have never dined in before or never would before this plan.

Where else would we or did we dine at disney?

 

[themudd4]

I (almost) believe that we are the only ones that do not participate in the DDP. The issue we are having (along with others that pay cash) is that people that would not normally dine at high end TS are booking like crazy and ressies for a last minute trips are almost impossible.

Has anyone else experienced this? When does this dining plan option come to an end? Why was this ever a good idea?

Hold back the flames it is an observation & a follow up to a conversation we had with cast members at CG as well as CG regulars.......The only place we didn't have a ressie issue was V&A's is that not part of DDP?

Please forgive me for not reading through all the pages in this thread.
Also, I am telling you upfront I am not flaming but simply wanted to make a comment...I have read very simialar threads in which you created as well. You have stated you point many times in that thread and I am sure many others including this one. I am sure you fell very strongly about this issue as do those that enjoy and take part in the DDP. I really believe you need to move on to something else...you are beating a dead horse!

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

We are visiting WDW this June. We will be using the DDP. The DDP total for our trip will be $900 for 7 nights. That doesn't sound free to me. Oh and yes, we would eat at the same restaurants with or without the DDP. To those of you who expect to walk up to a restaurant at WDW and get a reservation....that just sounds ridiculous to me. This will be my third trip to WDW. The parks have always been obscenely crowded. I would NEVER expect to walk up to a restaurant and expect to be seated that night. It's called PLANNING, we do that a few months before we go to WDW.

I have to admit, there are some very rude people on this board. Most are great and helpful, though.

June is always crowded. Free? No, deeply discounted yes. By the way in 2 weeks we will be visiting for the 47th time so I am familiar with how WDW dining works. But thank you.

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

Please forgive me for not reading through all the pages in this thread.
Also, I am telling you upfront I am not flaming but simply wanted to make a comment...I have read very simialar threads in which you created as well. You have stated you point many times in that thread and I am sure many others including this one. I am sure you fell very strongly about this issue as do those that enjoy and take part in the DDP. I really believe you need to move on to something else...you are beating a dead horse!

When I receive comment, I will comment back. Thanks for your advice. Do you mean I feel strongly?

 

[themudd4]

When I receive comment, I will comment back. Thanks for your advice. Do you mean I feel strongly?

Yes..typ-o...it happens!

 

[stargrazer]

Although I agree that I have concerns with DDP, it is for entirely different reasons than the OP stated and it has nothing to do with who has money for what. I think a good conversation on the subject is possible but how much money the people that eat there have doesn't have any part of it.

Here's my thing about the plan...

Am I really saving money? The plan lists a lot of food for the price comparison to be able to justify the cost of the DDP. Most people don't order multiple appetizers and desserts though, that's why the disclaimer is there about whether or not it is more economical for you to eat on DDP. It depends on your normal eating style. I'm not convinced that, with my eating style, I would really save any money.

For another concern, it's been commented on by different sources that menu choices at WDW restaurants that participate on the DDP have been severly reduced. It makes sense, the more people you have to feed in a night, the easier it's going to be if the back-end is making less variety of dishes. But part of the appeal for me, before they had to feed so many people, was the variety of choices.

Not only that, but perhaps a bigger concern is that many of the restaurants are making their menus more Americanized to better accomodate the plan participants. Face it, there are a lot of picky eaters out there and lots of people not comfortable eating outside of their familiar palate. When people pre-pay for food, they expect to find things they like. For many, they don't want eating to be an adventure, they are eating for other reasons. ESPECIALLY on a vacation with young children...we're talking the Mac N' Cheese generation here.

True, people that wouldn't usually eat so much table service may be taking a majority of reservations, but those people are not doing anything wrong...it's what Disney wants. The company is not losing any money on it...in fact, they are probably now selling more table service meals than ever before. And they can have better inventory control because they know roughly how many people they need to seat in a night.

If you visit almost any city center in America, you know it is rare to walk into a restaurant (beyond a chain) without a reservation. WDW is no different in that regard, and I have personally never had a problem dining anywhere, including with princesses, with very little notice. If you are flexible on time and only a few in your party, you can get table service lots of times day-of.

I hope no one takes any of my comments as disrespectful, I'm honestly having a convo here about the food, not the people that eat it. I hope no one takes it the wrong way

 

[jenseib]

I have recently watched a few shows on Disney, and one thing the ysaid was they will continue to build more resorts, etc, whatever it takes to keep people on property, spending all there money there. They DON'T want people leaving to eat, or go to other parks. So most likely the dining plan is here to stay.

 

[mumom95]

You either see yourself as an expert or have much too much time on your hands.....

( I underlined the section) I just have to say that this is a bold comment made by someone who has over 800 posts in less than two months.

 

[Unregistered]

but if the OP would like to tell me exactly when she and her husband will be at WDW I'll go with my best friend/sometimes date who also happens to be an Oscar winnng actor. They'll close the park for us, no one else will be allowed in...and the DDP problem won't matter.

BuUt guess what???? We'll be using the DDP because, not only is my BF cheap, but how do you think he holds onto his mega millions?

I'm not kidding ....if I did take him he'd want the DDP AND he'd still complain about the cost...lol.

Gotta wonder exactly how well off the OP is..everyone rich knows that the best restaurants (especially in NYC) need to be booked sometimes several months in advance, unless you're an Oscar winning actor...lol

I love the DDP and hope it never goes away.

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

but if the OP would like to tell me exactly when she and her husband will be at WDW I'll go with my best friend/sometimes date who also happens to be an Oscar winnng actor. They'll close the park for us, no one else will be allowed in...and the DDP problem won't matter.

BuUt guess what???? We'll be using the DDP because, not only is my BF cheap, but how do you think he holds onto his mega millions?

I'm not kidding ....if I did take him he'd want the DDP AND he'd still complain about the cost...lol.

Gotta wonder exactly how well off the OP is..everyone rich knows that the best restaurants (especially in NYC) need to be booked sometimes several months in advance, unless you're an Oscar winning actor...lol

I love the DDP and hope it never goes away.

I lived at 235 W.E.A for 5 years.......I think the culture of NYC & WDW differ a bit. My entire point of starting this thread was an observation & I am so sorry it does not agree with everyone's point of view.