People Angry Over Disney Dinning Plan

[Sam02]

The dining plan is ALL or NOTHING. If they gave me 4 dinners, 4 lunches, 4 snacks to spread out over my week's trip, great. But to have to plan every single day is just too limiting.

But you can spend your credits on any day you want. You do get a set amount for the number of nights you are staying, but you can spend them however you see fit. You can spend them all in one day if you like or spread them out over the entire trip.

 

[WDW1974]

This thing is destroying WDW Dining ... and it's also why they just raised prices yet again with entrees going up from $1-7 depending on location.

Amazing how they have no problem charging over $20 for a veggie or chicken entree.

All the bumpkin tourists will then go home touting the 'great savings' and the rest of us ... well, are smart enough to know we're being gouged.

 

[fyn]

I am in the wing it group and I have to say that I think there is some exaggeration going on here. If you go to WDW during the slower times of the year, you can get same day or even walk-up seating at some of the most popular restaurants. In recent years we have done this and we have managed to eat at Le Cellier, Yachtsman, Boma, Ohana, as well as most of the countries and many other places as well. I have nothing against planning it is just not for me. Too much planning for something that is supposed to be fun is sort of like planned intimacy.:wave: To each His/Her own.

+1. I grew up spending almost every vacation I can remember at WDW (3-4 times per year, hooray for camping at FW ) and I don't operate on an itinerary at WDW. I'm lucky if I know which park I'm going to the night before. Ever since the inception of the DDP, simply being able to eat at TS restaurants is a trial in itself. Lucky for me, I only eat at a few TS meals each trip (they're just too much food for me to eat every day) so I can be pretty flexible within the week or two we're there.

I used to be angry at the DDP for making restaurants too crowded and difficult to get reservations for, but I've learned to deal with it and I realize its a real money saver for certain people.

 

[gmg]

I remember having to wake up at the crack of dawn and go to epcot to make ADR with a TV person. (circa 1984) I LOVE the fact that I can call 180 days in advance and get what I want. I have two children with opposite appetites and the meal plan is the bast way to make everyone happy. Like I said yesterday, I can make sure that everyone gets what they want and then everyone is happy.

 

[RiversideBunny]

We have decided to go back to just using Counter Service for meals, plus one character breakfast each trip.
Eat when you're hungry and don't worry about reservations.
The main purpose of being at WDW is fun; eating is secondary.

The Table Service meals lock you into a time schedule.
They take up a lot of park time.
Also we just don't eat that much normally.
Even for Counter Service on the DDP, it includes desert; we would never normally order desert with a Counter Service type of meal.

For others, the DDP could be good.
We just don't eat so much and don't want to be tied up with ADR times.


Now- if the DDP happens to be free, then it's a no-brainer. Use it.

 

[jemlover]

My DH is not as much of a Disney fanatic as I am, but he does love to eat. I was able to engage him in the planning process for our last trip by reviewing menus and deciding on new places to eat. We had a lot of fun with this. We will be doing that again this year. Since we go without kids the one TS per day gives us a time-out from the bustle of the parks. If we didn't plan ahead we would probably not take the time for a TS meal. We really enjoyed using our TS meals at various resorts. It gave us a chance to explore the resorts and get out of the parks for a short time.

 

[fosse76]

I actually crunched some numbers, and had I been paying for the DDP when I go in September, I would end up saving a WHOPPING $8.00. I am a picky eater, so some of the meals I would eat aren't necessarily on the high end. But also, I noticed a lot of the table service restaurants don't have entrees for more than $12-15 so you still end up losing money. I rarely ever order a dessert with dinner, and I imagine most people are the same way. So essentially you are paying for a dessert you ordinarily wouldn't have ordered. If they had left gratuity included, it would be the value they are touting, even for me. As it is I wouldn't pay for it, because I don't need table service when I go to Disney. I appreciate that other people find it useful and it's good they have the option, but I hope some people who do buy it actually track the costs so they can determine in the future whether or not they really needed it (by that I mean the plan and whether or not they are in fact actually saving money).

 

[DisneyJoe]

I rarely ever order a dessert with dinner, and I imagine most people are the same way.

You base that assumption on what, exactly?

 

[fyn]

You base that assumption on what, exactly?

Looking at the average weight of Americans these days, I'd say his assumption is way off.

 

[Eyorefan]

^^^^
I don't think she was saying most people are heathly eaters, just that most don't order desert, and I think she is probably right. Given the choice I would think most people would get an appitizer.

 

[gmg]

What is the sense of being on vacation if you can't have dessert? I always have dessert on vacation. When I go out at home - that's when I get an app. instead of dessert.

 

[yankspy]

What is the sense of being on vacation if you can't have dessert? I always have dessert on vacation. When I go out at home - that's when I get an app. instead of dessert.

I have two. One at the restaurant and then a snack at the hotel. No I am not obese.

 

[kimmychad]

This is so true. This past summer I took my oldest daughter's girl scout troop (with families). Our group included 36 people, 7 of us regular WDW'ers, 6 who had been once or twice, the rest 1st timers. Thankfully Pam booked all of our meals. I walked everyone through the first counter service meal (uh, what an experience)and explained how to use snack options. More than once group members told me how lost they would be if they didn't have someone to guide them. Plus they would have been w/o dinner res. if Pam hadn't taken care of that for them. Many of them assumed you could make your plans the day you were in the park (like they did the first or second time they were at WDW).

well im glad you helped out your friends at disney and explained to them about the dining plan and what they could get with it, etc. but for some people to say it needs discontinued because its too complicated doesnt really make sense to me. lots of things are complicated, like an 8 lane highway, but no one every says that we should go back to dirt roads do they? if someone cant handle the stress of picking their favorite restaurants 6 months in advance there are plenty of cs restaurants available

 

[nibblesandbits]

well im glad you helped out your friends at disney and explained to them about the dining plan and what they could get with it, etc. but for some people to say it needs discontinued because its too complicated doesnt really make sense to me. lost of things are complicated, like an 8 lane highway, but no one every says that we should go back to dirt roads do they? if someone cant handle the stress of picking their favorite restaurants 6 months in advance there are plenty of cs restaurants available

I was with you all the way up until your last sentence.

I personally think the dining plan is ok...I've used it when it was free, but not sure if it's necessary for me when it's not. However...I personally understand that it is quite complicated...especially for someone new to Disney. Most people who are new don't take time to do research to plan out their trips beforehand...and even some who do, might not realize how important it is to get those ADRs. To me...6 months is WAY too far in advance for ADRs to be released. It needs to be closer to 3 or 4.

My other gripe is that there is no way for walk ups, usually. I know when I was there in Sept and was on the dining plan (granted it was free dining, but that's not the point) and I had a ressie that I needed to cancel. So I walked up and cancelled it...however, there was another couple who walked up and we were talking to them and they needed a table...and you know what stinks...even though we'd just cancelled, we couldn't give them our ressie b/c the restaurant overbooked. So, they were still out of luck. Disney really should leave some spots...not a whole lot...just a few, open for walk ups. Because it's not then fair that b/c they didn't plan 6 months in advance, that those people are stuck with eating cs.

 

[kimmychad]

I was with you all the way up until your last sentence.

I personally think the dining plan is ok...I've used it when it was free, but not sure if it's necessary for me when it's not. However...I personally understand that it is quite complicated...especially for someone new to Disney. Most people who are new don't take time to do research to plan out their trips beforehand...and even some who do, might not realize how important it is to get those ADRs. To me...6 months is WAY too far in advance for ADRs to be released. It needs to be closer to 3 or 4.

My other gripe is that there is no way for walk ups, usually. I know when I was there in Sept and was on the dining plan (granted it was free dining, but that's not the point) and I had a ressie that I needed to cancel. So I walked up and cancelled it...however, there was another couple who walked up and we were talking to them and they needed a table...and you know what stinks...even though we'd just cancelled, we couldn't give them our ressie b/c the restaurant overbooked. So, they were still out of luck. Disney really should leave some spots...not a whole lot...just a few, open for walk ups.

oh trust me, im not all for planning 6 months in advance, i just do it in order to eat at the places that i want to. disney is way too much money to not do the things you want to when you go, so i plan, heavily. we're struggling now planning for our next trip cause my relatives cant figure out what they want to do, dont know how early they want to get up for breakfast, etc. they just dont understand, disney has some amazing restaurants, and in order to see the best you need to plan

 

[pax_65]

So we've established that some people like to plan and some people like to be spontaneous. That's fine.

But what stinks about the dining plan's impact is that it removes the spontaneous option, at least for anyone who really wants to eat on property. I'm going two weeks from tomorrow. While this isn't a super busy time of year, I know that my chances of eating a table-service dinner on property are pretty remote. I can't walk up or plan a day or two in advance like I've done many times in the past.

So if I want to eat on property, I have to plan months ahead. Planning is thus forced upon me. In my case, having young kids, it's more important to keep the flexibility and spontaneity than it is to eat TS meals on property. So we will eat off-property or just get counter service. And yes, there are restaurants that I will miss - but not enough to be forced to plan so far ahead.

 

[tomm4004]

We've had little trouble getting TS on short notice. Restaurants in resorts are usually easy since they are not impacted by DDP as much due to the two-credit obligation. And we got Morocco and France in December by walking up and making a res the day before respectively. Brown Derby is fairly easy since it's a two-credit place as well. It just depends on where you want to eat. We don't care about buffets and character meals, which seem to be the toughest. And many reservations are abandoned. So it can be done.

 

[yankspy]

So we've established that some people like to plan and some people like to be spontaneous. That's fine.

But what stinks about the dining plan's impact is that it removes the spontaneous option, at least for anyone who really wants to eat on property. I'm going two weeks from tomorrow. While this isn't a super busy time of year, I know that my chances of eating a table-service dinner on property are pretty remote. I can't walk up or plan a day or two in advance like I've done many times in the past.

So if I want to eat on property, I have to plan months ahead. Planning is thus forced upon me. In my case, having young kids, it's more important to keep the flexibility and spontaneity than it is to eat TS meals on property. So we will eat off-property or just get counter service. And yes, there are restaurants that I will miss - but not enough to be forced to plan so far ahead.

I would not give up so fast. Do a little research with the menus of lesser known places. There are a few places in the swan and dolphin and on the boardwalk in general that are very nice and do not fill up. There is a character breakfast at the garden grove cafe in the swan that is great and is generally quiet. Downtown has some nice places as well that are not as popular. I would also still try some of the more popular places when you get there. As I said before, some people exaggerate about the unavailability of these places. I have gotten ADR's the day before at places like Ohana or Le Cellier even during moderate times.:wave:

 

[ToTBellHop]

I would not give up so fast. Do a little research with the menus of lesser known places. There are a few places in the swan and dolphin and on the boardwalk in general that are very nice and do not fill up. There is a character breakfast at the garden grove cafe in the swan that is great and is generally quiet. Downtown has some nice places as well that are not as popular. I would also still try some of the more popular places when you get there. As I said before, some people exaggerate about the unavailability of these places. I have gotten ADR's the day before at places like Ohana or Le Cellier even during moderate times.:wave:

Le Cellier???

 

[yankspy]

Le Cellier???

I am not sure what you asking. Judging from your post count I imagine you know what it is so I am assuming that you are questioning the fact that I got ADR's there on short notice. If that is the question We did get ADR's there last may on two day's notice at around 5-ish if I remember correctly. I will admit that perhaps we got lucky but my only point was that it is not necessarily impossible to get ADR's on short notice depending on when you go. :wave: