Dining plan review

[Ciciwoowoo]

Ok.. We just got back and were sorely disappointed by the dining plan.

We noticed that once the server found out you were on the dining plan, you were an unwanted party. They would not refill drinks and the service became subpar.

Also, not everyone is up on what is included with the dining plan, and we noticed quite a variation, depending upon where you ate.

There really aren't any healthful desserts available to people as an alternative to the fattening desserts. (My dad is on a diet. We asked at every place for fruit as an alternative, but the only place that provided us with fruit was the Columbia Harbor House in the MK)

We ate too much food, wasted too much food, and felt much too cramped by the fact that we had reservations to adhere to every day.

I have to say, it earned a big thumbs down from us. We were all looking forward to having things prepaid, but it didn't work out the way we would have liked.

Who would I write to at Disney to suggest a more healthful alternative in dessert and perhaps better education of the CM's?

Also, has anyone else made the same observations on the dining plan?

 

[Floridasunshine]

No, I experienced exactly the opposite treatment from wait staff.... They seemed to bend over backwards for us. Since I had never been to Disney with or without the dining plan, I am not sure if it had anything to do with the dining plan or not. But I sure know we were treated better than in any of our local restaurants....

And it might have been coincidence, but the two restaurants where we paid out of pocket (and did not use dining plan credits) were the two where the service was sub-par (Cap'n Jacks & Restaurantosauras).

Since we hardly ever order desserts at all when we eat out, they were a real treat for my family. But I have to admit I was 4 lbs heavier after leaving Disney.

As for being scheduled I think I timed our meals just right, normally eating a counter service between 8 & 11 and then dinner between 5:30 - 7:30. So we were hungry by the time dinner rolled around, and were ready for a nice, long sit-down, air-conditioned break.

We loved the dining plan and probably won't go back for an extended time without it.

 

[shoppingnut]

No, I experienced exactly the opposite treatment from wait staff.... They seemed to bend over backwards for us. Since I had never been to Disney with or without the dining plan, I am not sure if it had anything to do with the dining plan or not. But I sure know we were treated better than in any of our local restaurants....

Since we hardly ever order desserts at all when we eat out, they were a real treat for my family. But I have to admit I was 4 lbs heavier after leaving Disney.

As for being scheduled I think I timed our meals just right, normally eating a counter service between 8 & 11 and then dinner between 5:30 - 7:30. So we were hungry by the time dinner rolled around, and were ready for a nice, long sit-down, air-conditioned break.

We loved the dining plan and probably won't go back for an extended time without it.

I totally agree, we had great service with the DP and if we timed our CS breakfast about 9:30a and then dinner at 5:30-6, it was great as we were hungry then and didn't need a meal in between, just a snack.

Some people don't like sit down meals because they feel it takes them away from the parks, but I like having a break to sit down and enjoy the a/c and a good meal in a civilized fashion, in other words, not fight with the animals at the CS and deal with all the noise.

As far as healthy desserts, they just started selling fruit at stands not long ago and adding healthy options at various locations. The dining plan is only a little over a year old, so they need a bit of time to shake things out and maybe add something healthy, but generally speaking when I go to disney, I'm not so much worried about healthy if I'm going to have dessert. If I want to be healthy, I'll just skip dessert. I agree that they could offer something more healthy.

As far as the variation in what's on the DP, it depends on the restaurant, lobster for instance isn't included which is not at all restaurants, thus a variation.

 

[Monty]

I found the DDP to be a wonderful option.

Yes, there are downsides to having scheduled Table Service meals, but that applied before the DDP, it's a fact of life that if you want TS, you need ADRs almost all the time. There is some possibility of spontaneity in TS working, but there's a good chance you won't find a table when you want to eat. I prefer the less-spontaneous but more reliable ADR.

As to service, I never had any perception that I was treated badly after advising that I was on DDP. If anything, I had servers who helped me maximize my order [which I was happy to do, as it also maximized their tip]. The closest to a problem was at the Teppanyaki, where they seemed to go out of their way to explain what I couldn't have, but the quality of the meal and the service was still excellent.

I find that being genuinely polite with my server gets me genuinely gracious service, wherever I'm dining, DDP or not [even Disney or not].

 

[New2WDW]

Loved the DDP here also! Sorry you had such a bad experience. I do agree that it would be nice to have healthier alternatives to dessert!

 

[Yellow Shoes]

The lack of fruit for dessert was a fact long before the Dining Plan came around.

My suspicion is that most people do not order dessert when they eat out. And if they do, they want something decadent. (At least we do, and we usually split one dessert)

 

[Ciciwoowoo]

The lack of fruit for dessert was a fact long before the Dining Plan came around.

My suspicion is that most people do not order dessert when they eat out. And if they do, they want something decadent. (At least we do, and we usually split one dessert)

Yellow Shoes, I agree with you, if one is on a diet they generally don't order dessert!

I think the dumbest thing we ran into was at the Earl of Sandwich... They have these brownies and cookies that are about $2.00 each that were included with the package. There were also apples and bananas for sale, but I regret to say, I don't know the price. But, they wouldn't let my dad substitute an apple for a brownie. I would think that the fruit was probably less expensive?

There were just all sorts of little things that kept adding up. Perhaps we just had the luck of having waitstaff with limited knowledge of the plan, or maybe they were just crabby because it was hot outside the whole time?

 

[shoppingnut]

I think the dumbest thing we ran into was at the Earl of Sandwich... They have these brownies and cookies that are about $2.00 each that were included with the package. There were also apples and bananas for sale, but I regret to say, I don't know the price. But, they wouldn't let my dad substitute an apple for a brownie. I would think that the fruit was probably less expensive?

There were just all sorts of little things that kept adding up. Perhaps we just had the luck of having waitstaff with limited knowledge of the plan, or maybe they were just crabby because it was hot outside the whole time?

They should have let you substitute the apple, that was just plain ridiculous and I would complain about that and I'm sure the apple was far cheaper. And, yes, a lot of times, it is just the luck of the draw with the waitstaff and others to be accommodating to make substitutions.

 

[LaughingGravy]

We loved the DDP

For the first couple of meals we found it a little confusing in that you couldn't assume anything from one place to the next as far as what was included vs. not.
We quickly got into the habit of identifying ourselves as DDP members and asking what was allowed vs. what wasn't. Each time, we knew our choices and ordered accordingly, so no problem, and we ate well.:king:

We found the staff to be very knowledgeable and friendly at every meal.

 

[hansel1]

I found the DDP to be very enjoyable. I didn't mind making Advanced Dining Seatings, It forced us to park hop and enjoy the parks at night.

Where did you eat that you got poor service? Surely, it wasn't like that at all the places you ate.

I think the other posters are right though, if you try to go to a sit down restaurant without an ADR you will probably end up not getting to eat when you want.

 

[meatloafsfan]

There really aren't any healthful desserts available to people as an alternative to the fattening desserts. (My dad is on a diet. We asked at every place for fruit as an alternative, but the only place that provided us with fruit was the Columbia Harbor House in the MK)

Lots of places offer sugar free desserts and at most sit down restaurants if you ask ahead of time they will have something sugar free or even low fat / low cholestrol.

 

[shoppingnut]

Lots of places offer sugar free desserts and at most sit down restaurants if you ask ahead of time they will have something sugar free or even low fat / low cholestrol.

You can also make arrangements for sugar free desserts ahead of time. Check out this website http://www.allearsnet.com/din/dining.htm#diets

 

[LaughingGravy]

The only downside of the whole ADR thing is that if you're planning on eating at a different park where you are, or at a resort, you have to allow for travel time to get to whatever place it is. That sometimes takes a bit longer than you may expect, so there's a little bit of nervous energy of if you'll be there on time and then the travel back.

We did a bit of both and concluded that for the next trip, our only exception to eating our sit downs in the park where we are that day will be Boma, because we still haven't see the AK resort and our kids are adventurous with food.
On the other hand, if you don't plan on visiting the parks every day of your stay, the resorts in and of themselves can be very entertaining. That would also allow a huge variety of things/places to see and not have to deal with fast passes, lines, or admission price. Just some leasurely bus rides.

 

[Ciciwoowoo]

I found the DDP to be very enjoyable. I didn't mind making Advanced Dining Seatings, It forced us to park hop and enjoy the parks at night.

Where did you eat that you got poor service? Surely, it wasn't like that at all the places you ate.

I think the other posters are right though, if you try to go to a sit down restaurant without an ADR you will probably end up not getting to eat when you want.

Let's see...

We always identified ourselves as DDP customers to our waitstaff right away.

1. ESPN- Our waitress found out and it was like, see you, bye. Just not a really friendly attitude

2. Liberty Tree Tavern- Never got a refill on drinks, and had a tough time getting a refill on anything else. We watched the table next to us get their drinks refilled several times.

3. Le Cellier- They were very nice there. (Unfortunately, my son chose this night to throw up during dinner)

4. Brown Derby- We chose not to use our DDP here and got exceptional service.

5. Ohana- Breakfast- had a hard time getting refills on things

6. Wilderness lodge place (can't remember the name)- We were served our dinner before we got our salads and drinks. Our waitress was NOT FUN. Yuck!

So, we either had some really bad wait staff, or the DDP was to blame.

Now, this doesn't include things we ran into at counter service places.

 

[GoofyMom2]

Let's see...



2. Liberty Tree Tavern- Never got a refill on drinks, and had a tough time getting a refill on anything else. We watched the table next to us get their drinks refilled several times.


5. Ohana- Breakfast- had a hard time getting refills on things

6. Wilderness lodge place (can't remember the name)- We were served our dinner before we got our salads and drinks. Our waitress was NOT FUN. Yuck!

We had really poor service at Liberty Tree Tavern in April and we were not on the DDP. Our waiter just dissapeared after we got our food so it was very hard to get refills on anything. I usually tip well (being a former waitress)....not this time.....

I hate to see you had bad service at O'Hana and Whispering Canyon Cafe....these were the best places we ate in April and the service was outstanding at both. We are planning on going back to them (on theDDP) in Sept......

 

[LaughingGravy]

Refills were never a problem at sit downs for us anywhere we went and we were on the DDP for every lunch and dinner.
I think at the time I mentioned I was really thirsty at just about every meal, now that I think of it.
It was really great!

Maybe that's a new tip to insure your DDP satisfaction, saying that you're REALLY thirsty before anything else, so there can be no other response except to bring you refills?

 

[HauntedPirate]

We didn't encounter very many problems a few weeks ago when using the DDP. Sometimes we informed them ahead of time, like at Alfredo's and the 50's Prime Time, but the level of service didn't change.

We thought it was a great value - $650 worth of food for $434. Although next time, we're going to NOT plan a sit-down meal our first night there.

 

[Ciciwoowoo]

We didn't encounter very many problems a few weeks ago when using the DDP. Sometimes we informed them ahead of time, like at Alfredo's and the 50's Prime Time, but the level of service didn't change.

We thought it was a great value - $650 worth of food for $434. Although next time, we're going to NOT plan a sit-down meal our first night there.

I can't argue that it was a great deal. However, I need to stop and figure out what we would have eaten on a normal visit, without the fancy sit down places everyday. Also, we never order desserts or appetizers, so that is more money would probably would not have spent.

Although, I generally like a foo-foo drink and I didn't order any this time because it wasn't on the plan, so that would be money I could add.

 

[DisneyBound]

We love the dining plan. We have used it the last two years, and will be using it again this year. With the plan, we were able to eat places we couldnt afford otherwise...like our dinner at LeCellier, which would have cost us about $200.00, on dining plan much much less We havent noticed a difference in service from DP to out of pocket...sometimes you just dont get the greatest service...

 

[Senderella]

I can't argue that it was a great deal. However, I need to stop and figure out what we would have eaten on a normal visit, without the fancy sit down places everyday. Also, we never order desserts or appetizers, so that is more money would probably would not have spent.

Although, I generally like a foo-foo drink and I didn't order any this time because it wasn't on the plan, so that would be money I could add.

I think (and I'm sure a lot of other people do too) it's fun to be able to get the desserts and appetizers and different types of food on the plan (where you might not normally if you were paying out of pocket) to sample new things. When we first went with the dining plan, I made a mental note not to feel forced to finish an appetizer or dessert. I would nibble a little bit to try them out. Ya, so I only ate maybe a quarter of my dessert or had like 4 bites of appetizer... but I ate my entree and I didn't leave overly stuffed. It was cool getting to try new things.

As far as the service goes, I think maybe you just got unlucky. We've never had poor service in any of the restaurants at Disney. LOL I was a waitress for many years so my expectations are kind of high as far as service.. but I can also scan a seating section and be able to tell if it's just poor service or if the poor soul is in the weeds. If someone is super busy and struggling, I'm a lot more laid back with them where as if it was obviously NOT busy and we weren't getting tended to.. then I'd be upset.

Just a question, but when you checked in at the podiums of the TS restaurants, did you tell them your dad was on a diet? Usually, if you tell them this upfront, they'll make a note of it and try to accomidate you. I think you'd probably have better luck at a TS rather than a CS because of the fact the CS meals are kind of limited/a done deal know what I mean? When we go again in October, we're going to be traveling with 2 normal eaters, an Atkins eater and a vegetarian. When I made my ADR's I made sure to ask about the restaurants I chose..make sure they wouldn't have a problem accomidating us when we got there.