Disney Dining Experience Changes

[shoppingnut]

If so, its a minuscule amount, given the fact that DDE is only available to Florida residents and AP holders.

I don't believe the amount is that minuscule, otherwise it wouldn't even have been a consideration of Disney giving that one up. I'm willing to bet the vast majority of DVC members have AP's and probably have bought the DDE card.

I can also tell you the loud arguments in the restaurants won't be minuscule.

 

[Mommeee]

I took my family of four to Sci-Fi diner in October (and by the way the food was fantastic, much to my surprise) and now I'm wondering if a gratuity was added to my bill prior to the addition of my own tip. I know I should pay more attention, but I don't and now I don't have my copy of the bill anymore.

On the subject of the DDE, on my last THREE vacations in Disney, valet parking has shown up on my room charge even though I clearly told them I was DDE and showed my card. I saw several of these $10 charges on my last bill then called the number at the bottom, where a very nice woman went through my previous bills and found - and refunded - more. So, word to the wise: make sure you take the resort i.d. sheet out of your car before you valet it so they don't scan that and charge you!

And, again, yes, I know I should pay more attention.

Finally, I have a question because I'm brand new here. Someone wrote:

I think that pretty much is the final word on the subject. This is something that has gotten a lot of people overexcited and maybe we all should just let it drop.

Are these board moderated? That message was written by someone identified as "junior member", which on other boards tends not to mean it's an official moderator, but I'm not sure about here. This is a sincere question, so if the answer is obvious, I've missed it. I don't want to flout the rules, but I'd also hate to see a discussion on a discussion board ceased because one person doesn't like the content or tone.

 

[DisneyJoe]

Then consider this statement of clarification from DDE:

"When using your Disney Dining Experience membership card the assessed gratuity will be added to all table service restaurant locations and lounges for all transactions regardless of party size."

NO WHERE in this statement does it state that the gratuity is MANDATORY.

If you don't want to pay the 18% that they added for you, cross it off and make your own tip. What would stop you from doing that?

 

[brkgnews]

Are these board moderated? That message was written by someone identified as "junior member", which on other boards tends not to mean it's an official moderator, but I'm not sure about here. This is a sincere question, so if the answer is obvious, I've missed it. I don't want to flout the rules, but I'd also hate to see a discussion on a discussion board ceased because one person doesn't like the content or tone.

Moderators are pretty well-identified on here by their titles, but they are...
wdwmagic, Erika, Eeyore, The Mom, (and maybe one other I don't remember).

Weclome, by the way!
:wave:

 

[nibblesandbits]

Are these board moderated? That message was written by someone identified as "junior member", which on other boards tends not to mean it's an official moderator, but I'm not sure about here. This is a sincere question, so if the answer is obvious, I've missed it. I don't want to flout the rules, but I'd also hate to see a discussion on a discussion board ceased because one person doesn't like the content or tone.

Yes, these boards do have moderators, however, their tag that you will see usually says moderator. (There are some exceptions, as The Mom has her own saying.) Also there will be a list of the moderators for a specific board at the bottom of the main pages (ex. look at the bottom of the WDW Park News and Rumors page and you will see not only a list of who's online right now, but also that list of moderators.)

Now, there are some people around here who like to think of themselves as moderators, even though they have absolutely no say in the matter. This happens quite frequently. As long as a REAL moderator hasn't interfered in a thread, you can continue discussing something. The REAL mods don't usually intereject too terribly much unless something is just causing a lot of trouble. Usually in those cases the threads or locked or deleated.

Hope this helps! :wave:

 

[nibblesandbits]

Moderators are pretty well-identified on here by their titles, but they are...
wdwmagic, Erika, Eeyore, The Mom, (and maybe one other I don't remember).

Weclome, by the way!
:wave:

Is NowInc still one?

Edit: looked it up, and he's still listed, at least on the photography threads.

 

[Erika]

Please keep things on track and refrain from personal attacks. Thank you.

 

[Mommeee]

Moderators are pretty well-identified on here by their titles, but they are...
wdwmagic, Erika, Eeyore, The Mom, (and maybe one other I don't remember).

Weclome, by the way!
:wave:

Thanks, brkgnews and nibblesandbits! I wouldn't want to continue a discussion that had officially been axed, so, as I said, I wanted to clarify so as not to become persona non grata here!

 

[bigtotoro]

I took my family of four to Sci-Fi diner in October (and by the way the food was fantastic, much to my surprise) and now I'm wondering if a gratuity was added to my bill prior to the addition of my own tip. I know I should pay more attention, but I don't and now I don't have my copy of the bill anymore.

On the subject of the DDE, on my last THREE vacations in Disney, valet parking has shown up on my room charge even though I clearly told them I was DDE and showed my card. I saw several of these $10 charges on my last bill then called the number at the bottom, where a very nice woman went through my previous bills and found - and refunded - more. So, word to the wise: make sure you take the resort i.d. sheet out of your car before you valet it so they don't scan that and charge you!

And, again, yes, I know I should pay more attention.

Finally, I have a question because I'm brand new here. Someone wrote:



Are these board moderated? That message was written by someone identified as "junior member", which on other boards tends not to mean it's an official moderator, but I'm not sure about here. This is a sincere question, so if the answer is obvious, I've missed it. I don't want to flout the rules, but I'd also hate to see a discussion on a discussion board ceased because one person doesn't like the content or tone.

I am not a moderator, nor do I play one on TV I just think things have gotten out of hand due to a few excitable folks (myself included) and maybe we should all take a deep breath. I do not have the power to close the topic, nor would I exercise it if I did, but I think every view point has pretty well been expressed at this point. I am excusing myself as my presence seems to inflame the subject more and more.

 

[JimboJones123]

I am not a moderator, nor do I play one on TV I just think things have gotten out of hand due to a few excitable folks (myself included) and maybe we should all take a deep breath. I do not have the power to close the topic, nor would I exercise it if I did, but I think every view point has pretty well been expressed at this point. I am excusing myself as my presence seems to inflame the subject more and more.

Whoa, sounds like a challene (should you choose to accept it)

FIND A NEW POINT OF VIEW.

Oh boy.

Um.

Er.

Will DDE members that don't approve of the policy be offered a prorated refund on their annual membership?

Or will opting out of the plan mean that you can just choose not to use it and pay more out of pocket just for the meal and still be stuck with the tip?

 

[shoppingnut]

Or will opting out of the plan mean that you can just choose not to use it and pay more out of pocket just for the meal and still be stuck with the tip?

If I choose not to use it, I can tell you I'll be eating off property then, so that not an issue for me of paying more money. And when I choose to eat on property and the 18% is included, I expect my service to be great and if there are problems, I will be complaining.

 

[DisneyJoe]

If I choose not to use it, I can tell you I'll be eating off property then, so that not an issue for me of paying more money. And when I choose to eat on property and the 18% is included, I expect my service to be great and if there are problems, I will be complaining.

So let me try and understand this. Let's assume a $100 meal for ease of calculation.

With DDE, your bill before discount is $100, they then remove 20% giving you $80, and you tip 18-20% bring you back up to $98-$100.

Without DDE, your bill is $100, you get no discount, and you still tip 18-20% bringing your total to $118-$120.

I don't know about you, but I'd rather save the $18-$20 and use the DDE.

(and yes, you may eat cheaper offsite, but don't forget the time driving to and from, and the cost of gas)

 

[imamouse]

Not exactly... but sort of... you see, if the 18% were being added to ALL meals, the 18% FORCED "tip" when using my DDE card would still "sort of" be a discount.
However, if the 18% is ONLY added to DDE, I feel unfairly forced into a situation, even considering we used to tip 20%.
If the DDE members are being specifically FORCED to pay the 18% charge as a "tip" then I certainly agree that I will
1. Continue the practice of not revealing I am DDE until the bill comes.
2. Let the server be happy with ONLY the FORCED 18% every time, if the service deserves it.
3. Be certain to vocally point out every flaw and bit of bad service, which is something I don't do now.

I also agree that we have had dinners with friends for special occasions and ordered a couple bottles of wine (even cheap at WDW is almost $40 a bottle) and that adds an immediate unfair FORCED 18% on that number!

:wave:

I'm not sure that will solve anything. In order to get the DDE discount, the server will rerun your check and the computer will automatically tack on the 18% service charge (I have a hard time using the word 'graturty' when it is an automatic, forced addition to the bill). That's what I suspect will happen - I could be wrong :shrug:.

Like you, I ususally tip 20% for good table service, so this will only impact me if the service is not up to snuff.

 

[imamouse]

So let me try and understand this. Let's assume a $100 meal for ease of calculation.

With DDE, your bill before discount is $100, they then remove 20% giving you $80, and you tip 18-20% bring you back up to $98-$100.

Without DDE, your bill is $100, you get no discount, and you still tip 18-20% bringing your total to $118-$120.

I don't know about you, but I'd rather save the $18-$20 and use the DDE.

(and yes, you may eat cheaper offsite, but don't forget the time driving to and from, and the cost of gas)

Close, but one small difference. The 18% is added to the bill before the DDE discount is applied.

 

[Matpez]

I'm not sure that will solve anything. In order to get the DDE discount, the server will rerun your check and the computer will automatically tack on the 18% service charge (I have a hard time using the word 'graturty' when it is an automatic, forced addition to the bill). That's what I suspect will happen - I could be wrong :shrug:.

Like you, I ususally tip 20% for good table service, so this will only impact me if the service is not up to snuff.

Yes, but if they know I am DDE ahead of time, they now know they will automatically be getting my FORCED tip. That is what I was getting at.

 

[mkt]

So let me try and understand this. Let's assume a $100 meal for ease of calculation.

With DDE, your bill before discount is $100, they then remove 20% giving you $80, and you tip 18-20% bring you back up to $98-$100.

Without DDE, your bill is $100, you get no discount, and you still tip 18-20% bringing your total to $118-$120.

I don't know about you, but I'd rather save the $18-$20 and use the DDE.

(and yes, you may eat cheaper offsite, but don't forget the time driving to and from, and the cost of gas)

it's not about the money for me... it's about the fact that I don't agree with this policy

 

[frank2271]

Then consider this statement of clarification from DDE:

"When using your Disney Dining Experience membership card the assessed gratuity will be added to all table service restaurant locations and lounges for all transactions regardless of party size."

NO WHERE in this statement does it state that the gratuity is MANDATORY.

If you don't want to pay the 18% that they added for you, cross it off and make your own tip. What would stop you from doing that?

I was wondering this, what if we dont' pay the full 18% tip, what if we had bad service and leave a smaller tip? Can the manager change the tip amount if we ask?

Frank

 

[shoppingnut]

So let me try and understand this. Let's assume a $100 meal for ease of calculation.

With DDE, your bill before discount is $100, they then remove 20% giving you $80, and you tip 18-20% bring you back up to $98-$100.

Without DDE, your bill is $100, you get no discount, and you still tip 18-20% bringing your total to $118-$120.

I don't know about you, but I'd rather save the $18-$20 and use the DDE.

(and yes, you may eat cheaper offsite, but don't forget the time driving to and from, and the cost of gas)

I'm not talking about eating cheaper offsite, I'm talking about eating better food (not to mention selection) with better service, in a better atmosphere. I come to the parks often enough that I don't worry much about my time, it's my time and having a nice dinner experience is an important part of my overall vacation.

 

[DisneyJoe]

I was wondering this, what if we dont' pay the full 18% tip, what if we had bad service and leave a smaller tip? Can the manager change the tip amount if we ask?

YOU can change it!

Cross it off, put in your own tip, write in the authorized amount for your charge or just pay with cash - do you think the DDE police are going to chase you out the door and try and stop you?

They are pre-adding this amount on to try and get people to pay it - if you want to pay less - pay less!

 

[frank2271]

YOU can change it!

Cross it off, put in your own tip, write in the authorized amount for your charge or just pay with cash - do you think the DDE police are going to chase you out the door and try and stop you?

They are pre-adding this amount on to try and get people to pay it - if you want to pay less - pay less!

If I can change it, then let them put what ever they want. I will tip what ever the server deserves (which is usually 20%).

But, from now on I will not show my DDE card until the end of the meal. I don't want the servers thinking that they are a shoe-in for 18% and not do their best.