People Angry Over Disney Dinning Plan

[WDW 3]

I'm one of those who would prefer to do away with the dining plan completely.
It's made walk ups impossible and my family likes to eat when we're hungry, not make dining plans months in advance. Disney has made this plan so complicated that it's slowing down counter service lines and upsetting a lot of people who think they are getting something for nothing.

Here's a new concept....Buy a meal, pay for it.
Not to sound rude, but I wouldn't dream of going on vacation unless I had enough money to pay for my meals.

I have practically stopped doing sit down meals because I got tired of listening to the table next to me arguing with the wait staff about the price of their (Not so Free) meals. That is of course if I can even get INTO a sit down restuarant. Now I pay 10 dollars for a meal at a Counter service place and leave no tip instead of $90 a meal at a Sit down meal where I used to leave a 20% tip. Sorry Disney Dining Plan genious creators...I win...and your plan loses.

I agree!!!
We don't want to make a schedule and ADR 180 days in advance for a TS meal everyday for a 10 day trip. Whew, too much thinking. Where is the fun in that? Isn't a vacation supposed to be fun and spontaneous? Especially at WDW where there is magic all around and we want to be free to explore and not watch the clock. Going for the Food & Wine Festival and no DDP.:slurp:

 

[MIDisneyFamily]

If theres a bright spot obout having tips paid seperately, if a server picks up your cash from the table, they most likely are not claiming it on thier taxes as they would have to if it was added to thier pay check. So I guess its in some way a bit more money for them. Just tying to see the reason for the change in a positve light. With 4 kids, we rarely, if ever sit down for a table service meal anyway. And unless it was the free dining, it just isnt economical for the way we eat when were there. But i can see the added inconvenience of having to have a payment method for the tip in addition to the room key with the dining plan on it. It kinda ruins the point of the pre-paid vacation for alot of people.
Thats all I have to say about that.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

I hope you are not encouraging tax evasion?

 

[SANDKRUSER]

Originally Posted by abug'saunt
"While I think we'll get the plan if offered next year, I hope that they make at least one change. IMHO, I hope that whoever decides how the plan is set up will change the plan so that people can choose between the appetizer and dessert. In our case, the hubby likes appetizers and I prefer desserts. It would be a win/win with us for disney."

I think that's one of those things where you'll just need to ask your server/CM, and more often than not they'll probably accomodate you.

Has anyone ever tried this? My husband, too, likes the appetizers and I would rather have the dessert. I'm wondering if anyone has actually done it and the server let you on the dining plan.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

I cant see it, especially given the price variances in dishes.

 

[wannabeBelle]

Hey Sand, I think the point is that you officially wont have the choice and it will depend on the restaurant themselves,the server you get, if the wind is blowing in the right direction etc. I dont doubt that some servers will let you if allowed by the individual restaurants, but KNOWING for sure that you have a choice would be far better. Belle

 

[colleen2997]

After using the Dining Plan 3 years in a row, paying for it twice and gettign it for free once, we have decided it is only worth it if is free. We are planning our next trip for September with the hopes we get it for free. We have done the math and concluded that it is not cheaper than just buying our food down there. The convenience of it is a factor though, it is a weight lifted off your shoulders knowing all your meals are pre-paid, and great meals that you wouldn't normally pay for .

 

[Lucky]

Originally Posted by abug'saunt
"While I think we'll get the plan if offered next year, I hope that they make at least one change. IMHO, I hope that whoever decides how the plan is set up will change the plan so that people can choose between the appetizer and dessert. In our case, the hubby likes appetizers and I prefer desserts. It would be a win/win with us for disney."



Has anyone ever tried this? My husband, too, likes the appetizers and I would rather have the dessert. I'm wondering if anyone has actually done it and the server let you on the dining plan.

I've heard from one or two others that it's worked, but I have no idea how often it would work. It could vary by restaurant, or even by CMs within a particular restaurant.

 

[fosse76]

I've never understood the dining plan. Do some of you people really eat more than $40 worth a food per day at Disney? No wonder we have an obesity epidemic! I don't think I spent more than $25.00 a day on food (average of course).

 

[Disneyfan1981]

Depends where you eat. If you go all counterservice then that's one thing but many dinners just sitting at a restaurant and getting an entree, drink and sharing a dessert will hit about $30 per person at any given time dependent on the restaurant it'll be more towards $40. The dining plan is a good idea, it just the changes that have been made that make it a little questionable for some.

Counterservice typically for me is about $10-$11.
One snack is about $5
Sit Down dinner? $25-$30

At $38 per day, I've either fallen in that range already so at least all my food is paid for or gone under where I'm getting some actual savings....

 

[ToTBellHop]

Obviously the Dining Plan is worthwhile if you would NORMALLY get the food listed. If you normally eat at least one sit-down meal a day, you will save money. If, on the other hand, you normally have only a couple sit-down meals in a week at Disney, you aren't saving any money since you are just getting sit-down meals you would not have normally gotten. I would not normally get the Dining Plan, but I think for our honeymoon next year, my fiancee and I will get it since a sit-down every day would be nice.

 

[raven]

I've never understood the dining plan. Do some of you people really eat more than $40 worth a food per day at Disney? No wonder we have an obesity epidemic! I don't think I spent more than $25.00 a day on food (average of course).

We were able to eat at places that were $40+ per plate that we would have never been able to afford before. The total bill for some of those places for 2 people were around $100 but it was covered AND we still had a counter service meal AND a snack voucher.

 

[raven]

Obviously the Dining Plan is worthwhile if you would NORMALLY get the food listed. If you normally eat at least one sit-down meal a day, you will save money. If, on the other hand, you normally have only a couple sit-down meals in a week at Disney, you aren't saving any money since you are just getting sit-down meals you would not have normally gotten. I would not normally get the Dining Plan, but I think for our honeymoon next year, my fiancee and I will get it since a sit-down every day would be nice.

I'm normally not this confused. :lol:

 

[ToTBellHop]

I'm normally not this confused. :lol:

normally, "normally" is not a word I overuse in my normal posts. Hopefully, I can return to normalcy in the future.

 

[mousefan1972]

The new "holiday surcharge" on TS buffets makes a big difference, too. For example, the price per night of the DDP for kids is $9.99. That includes TS, counter service, and snack. Our kids like places such as Chef Mickey's, 'Ohana, 1900 Park Fare, etc. Since we go at Christmas, the dinner cost for each of these meals was around $16.99 for kids. So we've already saved 7 dollars, plus whatever her snack and CS meal would've cost. :shrug:

 

[TrojanUSC]

$40 a day in food? That is relatively cheap? Heck, I never eat breakfast, but I go to lunch at Cosmic Rays, that is at least $12-15 for a meal and drink. Then a nice sit-down dinner is at least $25-35, depending where you eat. A buffet is like $30 now a days, a sit-down a la carte place is $20-30, if not more if you live it up at Citrico's or something.

 

[ToTBellHop]

$40 a day in food? That is relatively cheap? Heck, I never eat breakfast, but I go to lunch at Cosmic Rays, that is at least $12-15 for a meal and drink. Then a nice sit-down dinner is at least $25-35, depending where you eat. A buffet is like $30 now a days, a sit-down a la carte place is $20-30, if not more if you live it up at Citrico's or something.

exactly--thus if you normally go to a sit-down every day, you will save money. If not, you lose money versus what you would normally spend.

I believe Citrico's is one of the "signature" dining locations, so while it does cost a fortune to go there, keep in mind it also costs you TWO sit-down restaurant credits.

 

[MIDisneyFamily]

If the tips were included last previously, and since not included, was the change because of all the free dinning plans handed out, and it just did not work if tips were dished out based on the menu prices. With the free dinning plans, there must have been an even greater expense for Disney to pay out an 18% gratuity on top of eating the cost of the free meals. I can actually see wheree not including tips would be a neccesity given the numerous free dinning that was/is being fed to alot of people. If I was paying for the dinning plan, id be mad. If it was a free addition I really wouldn't mind it so much assuming the compensation structure for the servers and staff splitting those tips is set up. Tips at most table service resturaunts in thew real world are split between the severs, host/hostesses, bar staff, buss staff, floaters, etc. I dont know if the servers at Diseny are paid based on thier receiving tips like the real world, or not. I never tip based on the prices charged, meaning that if a place is expensive or overpriced, somehow the staff deserves less tip because of it.

 

[JimboJones123]

Depends where you eat. If you go all counterservice then that's one thing but many dinners just sitting at a restaurant and getting an entree, drink and sharing a dessert will hit about $30 per person at any given time dependent on the restaurant it'll be more towards $40. The dining plan is a good idea, it just the changes that have been made that make it a little questionable for some.

Counterservice typically for me is about $10-$11.
One snack is about $5
Sit Down dinner? $25-$30

At $38 per day, I've either fallen in that range already so at least all my food is paid for or gone under where I'm getting some actual savings....

Well, best case, you are already losing $2 on the snack. I don't believe any of the current options are more than $3.

 

[yankspy]

Never mind