Would you support the axing of the dining plan?

[LuvtheGoof]

While we don't ever use the DDP (TIW for us), there are simply too many insiders that talk with the restaurant managers that state they have had to cut back on quality in order to afford it.

The solution is so easy as well. At the table service restaurants, only offer certain items to the DDP, and all others are at full price. Then, if someone on the DDP wants that filet mignon, they have to pay for it. This should solve the food quality issue, as the managers are free to add the better cuts of meat back in, since they know it will be paid for at full price.

 

[G00fyDad]

While we don't ever use the DDP (TIW for us), there are simply too many insiders that talk with the restaurant managers that state they have had to cut back on quality in order to afford it.

The solution is so easy as well. At the table service restaurants, only offer certain items to the DDP, and all others are at full price. Then, if someone on the DDP wants that filet mignon, they have to pay for it. This should solve the food quality issue, as the managers are free to add the better cuts of meat back in, since they know it will be paid for at full price.

Or simply create a better menu, and place a statement on the top inside of each page that states that if you are using he DDP them only X amount of dollars goes to each entree. That way people can order the entree's within that price range or order anything they want and pay for the difference. It cannot be any more confusing than things they have done with the DDP in the past.

 

[njDizFan]

I wouldn't mind seeing a smaller menu for people on the DDP, or maybe highlighted items in the menu. Anything that can bring larger diversity to the current menus. And giving the chefs some more freedom with ingredients.


But can you imagine the outrage when a family on DDP walks into a restaurant and is asked by the server "are you using the DDP?", and when they say yes, they are handed a card with an augmented menu. People would have a fit if they would not be allowed to order from the full menu.

This could be a customer service nightmare. People are so used to being able to order whatever they like, this would definately take a while to integrate. Although people are still complaining that they don't get an appetizer.

 

[G00fyDad]

I wouldn't mind seeing a smaller menu for people on the DDP, or maybe highlighted items in the menu. Anything that can bring larger diversity to the current menus. And giving the chefs some more freedom with ingredients.


But can you imagine the outrage when a family on DDP walks into a restaurant and is asked by the server "are you using the DDP?", and when they say yes, they are handed a card with an augmented menu. People would have a fit if they would not be allowed to order from the full menu.

This could be a customer service nightmare. People are so used to being able to order whatever they like, this would definately take a while to integrate. Although people are still complaining that they don't get an appetizer.

You have a fair point, but Disney cannot, and should not, try to please everyone. It cannot be done. Trying to that is tantamount to smacking your head on a brick wall to get to the other side. They should just create the new system (dual menu's or a single augmented one) and be done with it. If people do not want to use the DDP at that point then they do not have to. If someone is going to let something like not being able to order Filet Mignon and being told that they can only have a regular steak ruin their trip then they are going to be pi**ed off at something else anyway.

 

[Innkeeper's Club]

I wouldn't mind seeing a smaller menu for people on the DDP, or maybe highlighted items in the menu. Anything that can bring larger diversity to the current menus. And giving the chefs some more freedom with ingredients.


But can you imagine the outrage when a family on DDP walks into a restaurant and is asked by the server "are you using the DDP?", and when they say yes, they are handed a card with an augmented menu. People would have a fit if they would not be allowed to order from the full menu.

This could be a customer service nightmare. People are so used to being able to order whatever they like, this would definately take a while to integrate. Although people are still complaining that they don't get an appetizer.

Using that idea I would rather see seperate line at the Quick Service locations for those who are on the Dining Plan and those who are not. This hasn't happened to me in a while but there has been the odd time when I got stuck behind someone who was on the Dining Plan and they didn't know how it worked, how many credits they had and etc. So it got frustrating after a while.

However in the long term I can't see that happening because I know the DDP can also be used at other Quick Service locations like Earl of Sandwich which only has one line to order and pay.

 

[BrittanyRose428]

Personally, I would not want to see it go. But this is because the next couple of times I go to WDW will most likely be with my boyfriend or a group of friends, and for a group of college kids it just seems a lot easier to have the meals paid for ahead of time. I realize it might not even be worth it, considering I don't usually eat dessert, (I would actually rather an appetizer), but when planning the first couple of trips without my parents I think it would be easier to have the dining plan.

 

[Annielkd]

You are paying quite a premium to have that convenience. I think it's better to just get a gift card and whatever you don't use getting whatever you want to eat... buy souveneers.

 

[G00fyDad]

For some it is worth it even without the Free discount they give out. We have specific locations we like to sit down and eat at (50's Prime Time, SciFi, Liberty Tree Tavern, etc...) and I take the menu's each trip and figure what we would likely get when we go to each of these places. I also add one CS to each day and how much that would cost, as well as a snack (We usually use it for a soft drink each night). I add it up and add gratuity to the TS meals and tax. Then I compare it to the DDP cost. Then I go with the cheaper option, which has always been the DDP.

 

[disneyrcks]

If it meant that reservations would be easier to come by? Yes. However, we never use the Dining Plan. We are considering Tables in Wonderland. We do not have kids at this time but we may change our tune if the DP is financially better once we have a family.

 

[WDWLOYAL1971]

I haven't seen any reduction in food quality at all. I have noticed menu changes, additions and deletions but that goes with just keeping it new and inviting.

 

[njDizFan]

I haven't seen any reduction in food quality at all. I have noticed menu changes, additions and deletions but that goes with just keeping it new and inviting.

Deletions is the key word in that post. Just as an example, look at the menu for Coral Reef. The menu choices 10 years ago were substantial, it was a full 6 maybe 8 pages. Now its down to 2 pages with only 4 seafood entrees. And this is a seafood restaurant...

 

[Phonedave]

My complaint with the automatic tip is, once the server knows you are using Tables in Wonderland, they dont care about you because they are going to automatically get their tip anyway so they rush you and turn into poor service etc. We have found this to be more and more the case and its not good. When asked if were on any dining plan I just say no, and I dont show the tables in wonderland until its time for the check.

I have never had this problem myself - however the 18% is NOT required, it can be adjusted if necessary.

I am a heavy tipper - most of the time 20% and a round up. With TiW I usualy just leave the 18% they add on. It SAVES me 2% over if I was left to my own devices.


-dave

 

[Mawg]

Deletions is the key word in that post. Just as an example, look at the menu for Coral Reef. The menu choices 10 years ago were substantial, it was a full 6 maybe 8 pages. Now its down to 2 pages with only 4 seafood entrees. And this is a seafood restaurant...

I don't think deletions are due to anything but good buisness, while I do agree a few more seafood options are needed. Any good restaraunt these days does not want a 6 page menu, too much food cost and wastage and quality control is too hard. A smaller well thought out menu with fresher produce and meats can be so much tastier as well as saves the buisness money without raising costs.

 

[Phonedave]

I don't think deletions are due to anything but good buisness, while I do agree a few more seafood options are needed. Any good restaraunt these days does not want a 6 page menu, too much food cost and wastage and quality control is too hard. A smaller well thought out menu with fresher produce and meats can be so much tastier as well as saves the buisness money without raising costs.

That is true .... IF the products that are on the menu are of a better quality.

WDW seems to have gone to a limited menu because of the limited amount of dishes you can make with hagfish and cutter grade beef.


-dave

 

[I_heart_Tigger]

This is it in a nut shell. While Disney has had some form of a dining plan for quite some time, it had always been very expensive and almost unheard of. Because of this, the restaurants did not have to really worry about it as only a small percentage of guests were using it. Now that the price has been cut and it is being marketed heavily as well as being used as a promotional tool a good chunk of the people traveling to WDW are using it. The restaurants are forced to curtail their offerings to fit within the confines of the plan.

About the only way I see around this is to start allowing restaurants 1 or 2 dishes that require a sur-chage when using the DDP. That way they can offer a dish that is not shoehorned into the DDP pricing structure.

What about a separate menu or at least a DDP symbol next to the options that are covered by the plan? I realize that may make for some more questions by guests (but why can't I get the 12oz strip with the dining plan - only the 8oz strip?!) but that could help. I realize some people will be peeved at first but Disney changes things all the time and people get used to it. When FP's started people couldn't believe they could not just go into the left hand line at Splash Mountian like they used to...it seemed crazy to them then that they needed a little card to use that line because they never had to before. Though having two entirely separate menus may wreak havoc in the kitchen, (unless they were similar options just smaller portions or fewer sides etc.) most people will get used to it and those that don;t will complain and have to deal with it...just like everything else.

Personally the dining plan works for me for a number of reasons:

1. It sometimes saves me money when dining with my family. We tend to eat a few table service meals on each visit and we sometimes travel as a group of 13. Our last trip as a family I tallied up the reciepts and we saved about $460 with the plan it's not a lot per person but it is something. On my last trip we saved about $160 for 3 of us. Also...for the persona who said you rarely use all of your credits :shrug: Can't imagine not using them! I don;t think we have ever had any credits left over - we have saved a snack credit so we can each take something to the airport on the way home but that's it.

2. It is more convenient for me to have everything paid for upfront. This is much more important to me than saving money. I budget my trip to be within a certain price range and know that as soon as it is paid for anything else I save above and beyond that is for souvenirs. I would rather have my entire vacation paid for months in advance that having to spend time figuring out a budget for food each day. I honestly don't care if I save money on the dining plan since it is more convenient and like anything else, you pay for convenience.

3. It makes me choose different restaurants than I would without it. Before we used the DP I was eating at the same restaurants all the time. with the DP I find I am more open to trying places that I wouldn't otherwise try because I would not want to "waste my money" by going there, thinking I wouldn't like it. I discovered some new favourite places that way

4. On a related note it makes me try things on the menu I wouldn't normally try. I will eat a steak if it is cooked exactly the way I like it. If it's not, I won't eat it. I rarely order steak in a restaurant because it's on the expensive side and I don't want to pay a lot for a meal when there's a decent chance I won't be happy with it. I realize I did "pay" for it already but I don't look at prices on the menu when using the dining plan so I am not turned off by trying something different at a larger price tag rather than the same-old-same-old because I can afford it.

5. While some people hate that you have to make plans around your ADR's because of the DP...I rather like it when traveling with my family. Have you ever asked 13 people aged 4 to 68 what they wanted to do today? You will probably get 13 different answers. With the DP we know when we go to bed that night that the next day will be spent at Epcot because that is where our ADR for lunch is. It's not always bad to add a bit of structure to the day especially when traveling with such a diverse group

6. The free DP offer is a good bargaining tool for convincing people to go. My sister had planned on taking my niece for her 9th birthday but when the free dining came up we rebudgeted and discovered we could afford to go for her 8th birthday instead. A short term trip was planned and it was a great surprise for her. Now I just need to convince her that her 10th birthday is pretty special too and we should go again this summer :lol:


I would be upset if it was taken away entirely. I have generally had great experiences with the food and service in the times I have used the plan (with the constant exception of Crystal palace ... I swear the last time really WAS my last time...I hope :lookaroun)

Unfortunately, the dining plan also now as another purpose - It encourages guests not to stray away from Disney property. If you are planning 5 nights at Disney with the dining plan - but wanted to take a day or two to go see Universal - well, some people may not now, because it would be like forfeiting those dining credits that you paid for - and having to pay out of pocket at Universal. It would be interesting to hear if this has been a deterrent for anyone when planning days away from Disney....

My family hasn't rented a car at Disney since my father died since he was the "driver" of the group. The rest of us tend to prefer using Disney transport so the DP wasn't keeping us on property - the not wanting a rental car was. Actually on my last visit the DP actually made me cut short my visit to Disney by 4 days. Instead of spending all 10 days of our trip on Disney property - I didn't want to waste our dining plan credits so I booked the Hard Rock Hotel and stayed there to do US/IOA & SW. If the DP wasn't a factor I may have stayed on Disney property and done some day trips to those parks instead.

 

[Phonedave]

What about a separate menu or at least a DDP symbol next to the options that are covered by the plan? I realize that may make for some more questions by guests (but why can't I get the 12oz strip with the dining plan - only the 8oz strip?!) but that could help.

I don't see what the problem is with this either.

You see this MANY times on pre fixe menus, where you pay one price for app, entree, and dessert. Certain items on the menu will have a notation next to them - $5 additional charge - or something along those lines.

Chefs do that because they got some item that was just too good to pass up, but was not in line with the other items they had for offer, so they add an additional charge.

Simply list next to each item what it is - 1 DDP entree, 1 DDP dessert, 1 DDP entree + $5 additional charge, etc.

It may even sell more plans if people are eating on cash and they see the DDP advertised. Hell, they could even push it on the receipt. Print at the bottom "If you were on the DDP, this meal would have cost you $XXXX". If someone reads that and sees $22.35 they would think it is a great deal, because they are decoupling the cost of the plan from the fact they see a $90 bill reduced to $22.35

This also lets chefs place better items on the menus if they want. DDP could simply say, if you want to participate in the DDP, you must offer at least 1 beef, 1 poultry, and 1 vegitarian offering that is covered entirely by the DDP.



-dave

 

[njDizFan]

I don't see what the problem is with this either.

You see this MANY times on pre fixe menus, where you pay one price for app, entree, and dessert. Certain items on the menu will have a notation next to them - $5 additional charge - or something along those lines.

Chefs do that because they got some item that was just too good to pass up, but was not in line with the other items they had for offer, so they add an additional charge.

Simply list next to each item what it is - 1 DDP entree, 1 DDP dessert, 1 DDP entree + $5 additional charge, etc.

It may even sell more plans if people are eating on cash and they see the DDP advertised. Hell, they could even push it on the receipt. Print at the bottom "If you were on the DDP, this meal would have cost your $XXXX". If someone reads that and sees $22.35 they would think it is a great deal, because they are decoupling the cost of the plan from the fact they see a $90 bill reduced to $22.35

This also lets chef's place better items on the menus if they way. DDP could simply say, if you want to participate in the DDP, you must offer at least 1 beef, 1 poultry, and 1 vegitarian offering that is covered entirely by the DDP.



-dave

Sounds more than reasonable. Seems like a great idea to incoporate both ends of the spectrum.

Although you will still get those "What do you mean, I was able to order that 12oz filet when I came 3 years ago?" issues.

 

[TINKER625]

I got to speak with Richard Debler at La Hacienda shortly after the first opened about this very subject. According to him the dining plan does have a direct effect on the menu. Whether that has an effect on quality is up to the diner but according to him there are simply things that they can not put on a menu because they cost too much. The restaurants are getting paid a fixed amount for each meal and they of course must keep their cost below this amount. This is why you will see cheaper cuts of meat for steaks, smaller sizes of good cuts, etc.
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I agree with you 1000 % The cuts of meat are not premium. Yet they charge $31.99 for a NY strip steak that is chewy. This happend this past week in WDW. My husband love steak and we tried many differnt restaurants. They steaks were very dissapointing, especially for the prices. A top rated restaurant in NY City for the same price blows WDW away. Remember the same steak. We believe they have dumbed down what people should be expecting from a very expensive meal. Just because its WDW you still should get what you pay for. ?

 

[aladdin2007]

I got to speak with Richard Debler at La Hacienda shortly after the first opened about this very subject. According to him the dining plan does have a direct effect on the menu. Whether that has an effect on quality is up to the diner but according to him there are simply things that they can not put on a menu because they cost too much. The restaurants are getting paid a fixed amount for each meal and they of course must keep their cost below this amount. This is why you will see cheaper cuts of meat for steaks, smaller sizes of good cuts, etc.
__________________
I agree with you 1000 % The cuts of meat are not premium. Yet they charge $31.99 for a NY strip steak that is chewy. This happend this past week in WDW. My husband love steak and we tried many differnt restaurants. They steaks were very dissapointing, especially for the prices. A top rated restaurant in NY City for the same price blows WDW away. Remember the same steak. We believe they have dumbed down what people should be expecting from a very expensive meal. Just because its WDW you still should get what you pay for. ?

Agree and it has become worse. Last week at Le Cellier was awful. For what they charge you get a few frozen gnocchi out of a bag in a watery broth and it wasnt even warm. Plus my dad wanted to substitute something in place of fries, like the green beans or whatever, with the salmon sliders and they refused to substitute anything. It was a real rip off. Yet they call that a signature dining location? Its anything but.

 

[The Incredible Schmulk]

If I thought the quality and diversity of the food would improve (along with the prices), yes.

Ditto.

I'm not sure that 100% of the homogenization of resort and park menus is the fault of the dining plan, or even the popularity of free dining promotions, though. If I had to guess, based entirely on assumption backed by no data, I'd say that the perceived decline in menu and food quality in the parks has more to do with profit margin and less to do with dining plan options.