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zane_anthony
08-05-2007, 09:09 AM
Will you do the dinning plan with the new changes? Basically for 2008 the gratuity and appetizer are no longer included. They do however have the deluxe dinning plan that includes 3 meals and 2 snacks for the low low price of $69.99/night. The packages are available for booking today.

llgray16
08-05-2007, 10:32 AM
I won't be doing the new dining plan. We typically only eat one TS meal a day so the deluxe plan is definitely out of the question. I think that the elimination of the appetizer and gratuities is a deal breaker for us. We could have lived without getting the appetizer but eliminating tips from it means about another $20 in charges for us. I will have to really sit down and work up the numbers further but I think for 2008 it will be no dining plan for us :( (unless they offer it for free again and then we will take it!)

I have to admit that what the change in plan does for us as well is makes staying off-site a much more attractive option. We loved the dining plan so much and it is one of the main reasons for us staying on-site.

zane_anthony
08-05-2007, 10:45 AM
I think a lot of people will start staying off sits again. I was trying to decide between the dinning plan and the disney dinning experience and this definitely made my decision easy. I will do the DDE.

Hannahsmom
08-05-2007, 10:54 AM
*Big Heavy Sigh*...........I feel the same way. I am really disappointed with the changes to the Dining Plan. I understand that Disney is in the business to make money, but jeez, the new Dining Plans are an insult to the consumer intelligence (although, I am amazed at the amount of people on the DIS that are excited about the new Deluxe Dining Plan). We enjoy the Dining Plan because it allows us not to have to budget during vacation. I don't have to worry about how much cash I carry for the day, or how much cash I have spent vs. how much I have left. We make all our ADR's ahead of time, and then all we have to do is show up and eat. With having to pay tips, that takes a lot of the "value" out of the Dining Plan for us. I suppose with the new plan you could eat all buffets (no noticeable loss of appetizer, plus minimal tip), but that would get old after awhile.

I just don't understand why Disney likes to take something that is working and wring every last penny out of it until it is unrecognizable.

ETA - The more I think about it, Disney has gotten every penny of my vacation dollar the last 3 years. ME and the free dining plan has kept us a captive audience. And since we are not paying for our food, we have been very willing to spend more on alcohol, souvies and tours. But now that we will have to budget, that won't happen.

m 'n c
08-05-2007, 10:55 AM
We'll still do it because we like the all inclusiveness of a disney vacation. I think we'll just do more character buffets as we like seeing the characters and shouldn't have a problem not getting enough variety. For us convience and not having to worry too much on how much we are spending on vacation is more important than worrying about maximizing the plan to get the most savings.

I think I'm going to get one of those coupon holders and start putting in cash for each restaurant that we go to for the tips based on what the menu prices on allearsnet.com says the prices are so that we can have the cash saved up and ready to go.

m4travels
08-05-2007, 11:05 AM
I think a lot of people will start staying off sits again. I was trying to decide between the dinning plan and the disney dinning experience and this definitely made my decision easy. I will do the DDE.
I thought I had read that the DDE will have a 18% gratuity added on the bill. Has it worked this way in the past? I know you get 20% off at various restaurants, which includes alcohol, but was the gratuity automatically added in the past?

zane_anthony
08-05-2007, 12:38 PM
I thought I had read that the DDE will have a 18% gratuity added on the bill. Has it worked this way in the past? I know you get 20% off at various restaurants, which includes alcohol, but was the gratuity automatically added in the past?

Not that I know of but I guess I need to look into that. :confused:

ligrumpygirl
08-05-2007, 11:46 PM
Unless there is a new change...we used the DDE two weeks ago and no gratuity was added on. Once we were a party of 8 (we had friends with us) and they added the tip. Not sure if I agree b/c two were infants who didn't order but it was what we would have left if not less. We usually leave the 20% that was taken off with the DDE.

ex $100 meal - 20%= $80 We would leave the $20 as the tip = $100

chipndale
08-05-2007, 11:54 PM
We used the DDE on our last 2 trips and never had the gratuity added on. When the bill came, we just handed them our credit card and the DDE card. The 20% was deducted from our bill.

m4travels
08-06-2007, 10:43 AM
Just got off the phone with DDE and parties of 6 or more will have the gratuity added, those under 6 won't.

Wishing all a wonderful week!

kerry34
08-06-2007, 12:50 PM
We were planning staying onsite in 2009 but given the changes to the dining plan we will most likely stay offsite. Given the large size of my family, the tip for dining TS will be considerable, so for us not worth it. We wouldnt ever do the deluxe plan since we had a hard time eating everything with just the 1cs/1ts/1s per day. We had a ton of snacks left over and a few cs also. We ended up with bags of snacks the day we checked out. Having the dining plan was the deciding factor to stay onsite.

jnorth1007
08-06-2007, 12:56 PM
We actually will probably try the new deluxe dining plan at least once. We like hot breakfasts and dinners so having 2 TS a day wouldn't be difficult for us. We probably wont save money on this plan but the convienence of it and the ability to eat what we want when we want or appealing to me. We usually plan our vacations to be all out do whatever comes to mind trips so that we save up an outrageous amount of spending money and have every possible expense prepaid that we can. Once we get there we can just go and do and not worry about money. I also have 3 kids but they are all under 5 so I wont have to worry about any children paying as adults. That may make a difference when the time comes.

bs4free
08-06-2007, 12:58 PM
For our first WDW trip we were planing to stay offsite untill i found out about the dining plan 2005 and we paid for the dinning plan and stayed on site, What we thouth would be a once in a lifetime trip has turned in the 4 trip,
Every year we have returned for the free dinning because the food was so good and the plan was so simple to use, and budget for, but with the 2008 changes. Any chance of a 2008 trip is way way way up in the air!

lisaoh
08-06-2007, 01:07 PM
I'm glad we're going in 2007 because I don't like the chaanges to the dining plan.

Magical JenK
08-06-2007, 01:11 PM
While I'm bummed that they didn't read my recommendation/wish that those on the DDP would get a choice of appetizer or dessert, I'm still not sure what we'll do next year.

I'll have to do some number crunching because we're going at a different time of year & would have to pay for the DDP for sure (we've been lucky to get the free dining 3 years in a row now). While I'm intrigued at having the Deluxe Plan & could see the value of it (pricewise), I just don't know how we'd fit two TS everyday & honestly, for us that would be the only way it would make financial sense...which then gets into the "get the most out of your money" mentality & I don't want to do that either...too much work!!

So I guess it's just more planning & figuring out on what we'll do! But I don't mind!! :0)

schachteles
08-06-2007, 01:45 PM
I won't be doing the new dining plan. We typically only eat one TS meal a day so the deluxe plan is definitely out of the question. I think that the elimination of the appetizer and gratuities is a deal breaker for us. We could have lived without getting the appetizer but eliminating tips from it means about another $20 in charges for us. I will have to really sit down and work up the numbers further but I think for 2008 it will be no dining plan for us :( (unless they offer it for free again and then we will take it!)

I have to admit that what the change in plan does for us as well is makes staying off-site a much more attractive option. We loved the dining plan so much and it is one of the main reasons for us staying on-site.

I agree with you. I could have lived without the appetizers, but the gratuity is the deal break for us too. I am glad that we decided to stay onsite in October so we can enjoy it, since we normally stay at our Hilton Timeshare...I was looking forward to more times onsite, but the dining plan as it stands now is the only reason we are staying onsite.

I cannot believe people on the budget board are excited about the premium plan, that is a lot of dough and WAY too much food...as if the current plan already isn't.

I really am concerned about the servers, they are the ones who are REALLY going to get the short end of the stick. My SIL called and was complaining about the changes and she said that she doesn't feel bad at all to stiff a waitress and I am sad to say she isn't the only one out there who will do that. I have heard from some people that they felt like they got worse service when they were on the dining plan, well that likely will just keep going down!!

schachteles
08-06-2007, 01:47 PM
For our first WDW trip we were planing to stay offsite untill i found out about the dining plan 2005 and we paid for the dinning plan and stayed on site, What we thouth would be a once in a lifetime trip has turned in the 4 trip,
Every year we have returned for the free dinning because the food was so good and the plan was so simple to use, and budget for, but with the 2008 changes. Any chance of a 2008 trip is way way way up in the air!

Not likely that it is up in the air since the rates for 2008 has been posted! YUCK

wilsonfamily4
08-06-2007, 01:56 PM
Granted we are not going until January 2009 so things will probably change . . .But if it doesn't we will break our stay between 2 DVC's and the first half we will do the deluxe and plan the expensive dinners for that. Like doing HoopDeeDoo and Cinderellas castle. Then the second half of the trip we will do OOP for cheaper restaurants like the buffets.

linanglab
08-06-2007, 02:07 PM
We half thought about doing the dining plan next time we go (2 years). But absolutely not now. Someone on the Dis broke it down, where you really do not save anything if you ate at the same places with or without the dining plan (of course it depends on the expensiveness of your restaurant). It sort of breaks even.

With 5 people in the family, and 4 being "Disney adults", it would not be worth it. We will have several nicer off site meals and save money.

I just cannot imagine the deluxe meal plan. That is ALOT of food. Then again, we go in the middle of summer where you are not all that hungry. But we are not that big of eaters to have 2 large meals a day. Plus, we wouldn't want to plan our day around our food choices.

Angela

m4travels
08-06-2007, 05:03 PM
I would absolutely love the deluxe plan and would love to hear Janet's thoughts on it once it's been utilized. If wine can be added that would even make my day (or night!) that much better.

While at home all I have for breakfast is a cup of coffee. Once I'm at work I'll have another cup. That's it until lunch. However, on vacation breakfast is a requirement. If we're at our spot south of the border we either walk into town, cook in the timeshare, or head down to the restaurant onsite for breakfast daily. I'm not svelte by any means but not bulging at the seams either, but I do find that even when eating like this on vacation I've never gained weight (STOP LAUGHING, IT'S TRUE!!!!).

We're going to go with the DDE card for the next 2 visits (Dec '07 and Sept '08) and then possibly try the deluxe plan, if it's available, for one of our trips in '09. It won't be our January trip that year as that's going to be 20-some people (WHY did I invite all the siblings?????) but I'm sure we'll try and fit another one in sometime!

speechteachri
08-06-2007, 05:14 PM
We wouldn't do the dining plan with the changes. We did it for half of our trip this past month, and while we really like the convienience of it, and being able to eat at places we normally wouldn't, I just cannot justify the cost of it when you add on the gratuity and take away the appetizer. For us I think it will work out much better to do what we did for the second half of the vacation....save up as many Disney GC's as possible from SR and use them towards our meals. This may actually work to our benefit bacause we might actually take advantage of the teacher discount at the Swan/Dolphin next time we go and get away with staying for a little bit less as well. This would also allow us to buy our tickets ahead instead of with the plan, which would also save us money.

So all in all, while we like(ed) the dining plan, and I'm really not happy about the changes, they actually will probably save us money in the long run.

jnorth1007
08-06-2007, 06:25 PM
I would absolutely love the deluxe plan and would love to hear Janet's thoughts on it once it's been utilized. If wine can be added that would even make my day (or night!) that much better.

While at home all I have for breakfast is a cup of coffee. Once I'm at work I'll have another cup. That's it until lunch. However, on vacation breakfast is a requirement. If we're at our spot south of the border we either walk into town, cook in the timeshare, or head down to the restaurant onsite for breakfast daily. I'm not svelte by any means but not bulging at the seams either, but I do find that even when eating like this on vacation I've never gained weight (STOP LAUGHING, IT'S TRUE!!!!).

We're going to go with the DDE card for the next 2 visits (Dec '07 and Sept '08) and then possibly try the deluxe plan, if it's available, for one of our trips in '09. It won't be our January trip that year as that's going to be 20-some people (WHY did I invite all the siblings?????) but I'm sure we'll try and fit another one in sometime!

Yanno, I have seen that they have a wine pairings package that can be added for the Deluxe Dining plan. I believe I saw it at 39.99 a day. I am not really sure what that includes but I would assume at least one bottle of wine per day.

Hannahsmom
08-06-2007, 06:34 PM
That better be some SPECTACULAR wine, for $40.00!!!

m 'n c
08-06-2007, 07:57 PM
I would love to do the delux plan just to have more character meals but I don't think I have the time to do all of that. I'd never use 2 TS meals every day there and I don't think I"d breakeven if I did 2 CS and 1 TS a day. It just seems like an exorbinate amount of food to try and eat in one week. I'd like to try it once like Janet was saying just for kicks. Who knows. If my reward program earnings continue the way they are going I might consider it.

m4travels
08-07-2007, 12:27 PM
That better be some SPECTACULAR wine, for $40.00!!!

Restaurant wine cellars will tend to be on the high side, much higher than what you would get in, say, your local grocery store, liquor store, or big box store.

That being said, they will also have wines that I cannot get in some of my local places. We definitely enjoy wine (amongst other adult beverages!) and that's really not a bad price at all. I know I won't be getting Opus 1 for that price, but there should be some decent offerings!

m4travels
08-07-2007, 12:32 PM
Yanno, I have seen that they have a wine pairings package that can be added for the Deluxe Dining plan. I believe I saw it at 39.99 a day. I am not really sure what that includes but I would assume at least one bottle of wine per day.
Right, that's what I was talking about. It's one bottle of wine per room per night. Then we'd only have to buy one additional bottle per day!!

3dog2kidmom
08-12-2007, 07:32 PM
I don't know who broke it down on the DIS or how they did it, but here are my own un-scientific findings based on the allears.net menus...

We would do 1 TS everyday regardless of whether we get the DDP so that isn't a factor, and would also do 1 CS and bring granola bars or the like for breakfast in the room, so the DDP really fits our family. I figured out "what it should cost" for our upcoming trip using the following notes regarding sharing, etc. -- all figures include tax & tip:

Ohana -- 3 Disney adults & 1 child $112 {family style, still get appys, drinks & desserts)
Electric Umbrella -- 3 combos, 1 kids meal, no desserts $34
San Angel Inn -- 2 combos, 1 kids meal, 1 appy, 1 dessert, 1 beverage $91
Flametree BBQ -- 2 plates, 1 fries or rings, 4 drinks, no desserts $32
Boma -- 3 Disney adults & 1 child $105 {buffet, still get appys, drinks & desserts}
Pecos Bills -- 3 combos, 1 kids meal, 4 beverages, no desserts $36
WCC -- 3 skillets, 1 kids meal, 2 desserts, no beverages $104 {salad & cornbread part of skillet}
Pizza Planet -- 2 combo meals w/salad, 2 indiv pizzas, 3 beverages, no dessert $35
and a total of 8 snacks for 4 of us to share over the the 4 days $25

Total: ~$574

The DDP plus tips will cost us ~$546 for 3 disney adults and 1 child, so we are still saving around $28 without having to scrimp, share, worry about prices, or deny anyone desserts. And that $28 can be used for a couple of appetizers at San Angel Inn or something else at WCC if we really need the extra food.

Hope this helps someone!

Sahmy
08-12-2007, 08:46 PM
I am not happy with the new plan but we will be getting it. We will probably come out a little bit ahead. I would prefer appetizers rather than dessert. I would rather not get the plan but DH really wants the convenience of the meals being prepaid. We know we will still be paying for some stuff out of pocket (like that Lapu Lapu :) ) but most if it will be payed for beforehand and he likes that.

3dog2kidmom
08-13-2007, 12:48 AM
I can't believe I just did this, but after reading everything I could find about the new plan, I mentioned to DH that we could eat EVERYWHERE we wanted to if we did the deluxe plan and he was all over it so I just booked 4 nights at the Poly in January with deluxe dining!

Here are the ADR's I hope to get when I call in the morning:

Kona Cafe Lunch
Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show (2)
Coral Reef Lunch
LeCellier Dinner
'Ohana Breakfast
Boma Dinner
CRT Lunch (2)
WCC Dinner
Kona Cafe Breakfast
Sci Fi Lunch

It's a little extravagent, but we love table service meals and hate all the line-waiting just to eat so this will eliminate that. Plus now the appy's are included, LOL!

bs4free
08-13-2007, 01:13 AM
Plus now the appy's are included, LOL!


Are the Appy's only included on the Deluxe or are the back on the normal plan as well?

3dog2kidmom
08-13-2007, 11:01 AM
Are the Appy's only included on the Deluxe or are the back on the normal plan as well?

Appy's are included in the deluxe plan.

luvdisney
08-13-2007, 11:22 AM
We are planning a trip next june/july with about 12 people 8 adults and 4 children one under 3. We are going to be doing up some menus and ts meals to see the cost with and without the dining plan to see which way to go. I am hoping that we could do the ddp because it is alot easier.

bs4free
08-13-2007, 11:23 AM
Appy's are included in the deluxe plan.

Well thats good news.


Hello Walt Disney World Marketing and Promotions. Let 2008 be the Year of a Million dreams more, with Not only Free dining this fall, but Deluxe Free dinning!

Thank You!

LuvMyBoys
01-08-2008, 11:15 AM
Did anyone else see the other small new change to the 08 DDP? Apparently now snack credits can only be used on "single serving" snacks - so no more boxes of donuts, 1/2 gallons of milk, etc. :( They are really stripping the plan down!!

Pooh's Pal
01-08-2008, 12:02 PM
A friend (my Disney traveling pal) sent this article to me last night, thought I'd share it with you all.


http://jimhillmedia.com/blogs/jim_hill/archive/2008/01/07/monday-mouse-watch-changes-to-disney-dining-plan-infuriate-wdw-guests.aspx

I can just imagine the chaos the 1st week of the NEW dining plan!! Hope they get more complaints from servers and guests that they at least put back in the tip!!

Magical JenK
01-08-2008, 12:20 PM
Did anyone else see the other small new change to the 08 DDP? Apparently now snack credits can only be used on "single serving" snacks - so no more boxes of donuts, 1/2 gallons of milk, etc. :( They are really stripping the plan down!!

I didn't even know you could use it for that stuff before???

Magical JenK
01-08-2008, 12:21 PM
A friend (my Disney traveling pal) sent this article to me last night, thought I'd share it with you all.

http://jimhillmedia.com/blogs/jim_hill/archive/2008/01/07/monday-mouse-watch-changes-to-disney-dining-plan-infuriate-wdw-guests.aspx

I can just imagine the chaos the 1st week of the NEW dining plan!! Hope they get more complaints from servers and guests that they at least put back in the tip!!

That link isn't working for me...do I have to register to join his blog?

LuvMyBoys
01-08-2008, 12:24 PM
I didn't even know you could use it for that stuff before???

The old rule was pretty much anything under $4. A lot of the gift shops had stuff like Entenmann's donuts, bags of Lays, etc. that fit into that category.

You can access that particular blog article through the Dis on the restaurants board, thread on DDP changes causing huge problems.

It's really sad that Disney didn't do a better job communicating to people about the changes, which are really MAJOR changes that cost a family more $$ (the tip). :( I don't understand how they could have been careless like that.

Pooh's Pal
01-08-2008, 12:25 PM
That link isn't working for me...do I have to register to join his blog?\

sorry, I just copied it from the email my friend sent me...try this

http://jimhillmedia.com/blogs/jim_hill/archive/2008/01/07/monday-mouse-watch-changes-to-disney-dining-plan-infuriate-wdw-guests.aspx

linanglab
01-08-2008, 01:48 PM
My family has never used the DD plan because we do more counter service. But I did think about doing the plan with just DD and me this summer. It would be nice not to worry about carrying extra cash and cards around. However, with the new rules, I would still have to do tip. Plus, it would have been nice to get donuts, etc., at the resort store for your snack credit. Now I will have to reconsider getting the plan.

Magical JenK
01-08-2008, 01:57 PM
Regarding the snacks I guess I just never thought of trying to use it for anything but the single serve items...my loss I guess!! :rotfl:

I'm honestly not surprised at the problems they are having, espeically the first few days of the new year. Think about the people who booked long before the changes were announced & they don't look at the disboards or anything & on 12/31 tips were included & on 1/1 tips weren't! I'd be mad too, but thankfully I know about the disboards!!

LuvMyBoys
01-08-2008, 02:08 PM
Regarding the snacks I guess I just never thought of trying to use it for anything but the single serve items...my loss I guess!! :rotfl:

I'm honestly not surprised at the problems they are having, espeically the first few days of the new year. Think about the people who booked long before the changes were announced & they don't look at the disboards or anything & on 12/31 tips were included & on 1/1 tips weren't! I'd be mad too, but thankfully I know about the disboards!!

We ended up using our snack credits on all single serve things, however, I just like the certainty of "anything $4 or under". Makes things much less confusing and gives a broader range of choices. :)

From reading on the Dis it sounds like Disney hadn't fully updated the website with the info, CRO's were (and some still are!!) giving people the wrong info that nothing had changed, didn't send out a letter to those who had booked in advance pointing out the changes, etc. :confused:

To me that is really bad business practices. I would feel very sorry for a family who went thinking app/tip was still included and then found out differently when they got their first TS bill :(

Magical JenK
01-08-2008, 02:15 PM
Yeah that is much easier isn't it!! No guessing involved there at all!!

Yeah, I agree...seems like many a ball was dropped on this one!! I feel bad for the servers too, they're getting the brunt of it...which again I'm not surprised. Even if people knew about the changes, the servers are apt to not get the 18% they used to be given. Everyone has their own idea of tipping....should be interesting!!

bs4free
01-08-2008, 02:16 PM
Well after just reading that Jim Hill Blog post! I think what i hope keeps happening is that the complaints do not drop off they keep up, customres keep upset, and disney has to change it back to the old ways! Just thing about all those guest coming in aug/sep who booked a bounce back that will not know! Its going to be Jan 1 all over again but for 2 months! And as the blog points out who gets hurt in the end is the servers! Which have no chocie, I think for all involved the old way was the best way even if it had an increase in price to help the food service part of the resort!

LuvMyBoys
01-08-2008, 02:26 PM
I agree with you guys, it's the servers who will get the earful and will take it in the pocket book - not Disney. :(

If the thinktank at Disney dining could come up with the Deluxe plan then they certainly could have come up with a better compromise on the current plan that was more fair to guest and to servers.

Was it really too much to ask for appetizer or dessert for those who can't eat sweets or don't b/c of health reasons? Or to figure out that the main reason a lot of people choose the ddp is b/c they like the "all inclusive" nature of it and not having to worry about paying cash/charge for the tip? They could have just upped the price a few bucks per person and avoided a lot of this unpleasantness, IMO. :confused:

I think I need to send a resume and cover letter to Disney dining, I may be an attorney but even I have better business sense than what they currently have on board!! :rotfl:

***Oh, there was one thing that is a "group item" that we used ddp snack credits on - the bunches of lollipops (mickey heads or pooh) from Goofy's - that is no longer allowed :(

m 'n c
01-08-2008, 02:41 PM
See i understand the no donuts or milk thing since a snack for one person is normally a single serving sized item.

The rest of the stuff I just don't know. When I checked in 2 years ago I was given a brochure about the plan and the ins and outs along with where it was accepted and not. Some of it might just be people too busy to bother reading or who don't want to read.

Kycha
01-08-2008, 05:06 PM
The 2008 plan is kinda confusing. I have been poring over it for 2 days to decide if it will benefit us for our December trip. Anyway, there are a few exceptions to the "gratuities not included" thing. If you do Cinderella's Royal Table or any of the dinner shows(Mickey's Backyard BBQ, Spirit of Aloha and HoopDeeDoo) or do In-room dining/pizza delivery the gratuity is included with the plan. I have a feeling a lot of people will end up overtipping because they don't know, don't understand or just plain forget. I wish they would just make it easy for everybody and make it one way or another. Either include grats or don't include them.

fordisneyap08
01-13-2008, 10:19 AM
We decided to go ahead a book the DDP for our upcoming trip. (even after much flip-flopping back and forth whether it would be good for our family). I have read tons of reviews lately about all the trouble they are having. I feel bad for the servers. Hopefully things will start working themselves out. I do think a person should be able to decide if they get appetizers or dessert though. Keeping an eye on eligible snack credits ( box of doughnuts would have been nice) But I understand the whole single serving thing. However it seems to me the under $4 item was an easier rule.......:confused:

Pooh's Pal
01-13-2008, 11:42 AM
Had coffee with a good Disney friend of mine (that I often travel there with) the other day and we were talking about the new dining plan, confused whether we'd use it again.
Both of us are in the restaurant business and always overtip..even on the former dining plan. We both feel really bad for the servers at WDW now. Some people were mad before about the gratuity being added to their bill, but now with no gratuity added, those poor servers will NEVER see a dime! They make about $3.00 an hour in FLA serving...they really depend on their tips!!
Anywho...we also said, Disney should take away the dessert with the counter service meal and put back on the appetizer on the table service.
Who needs dessert then?? Remember most table service restaurants in Disney, a salad can be your appetizer! Or add on the tip to table service again and take away something else!..or just charge more, people will pay for it, just for the convince of an all inclusive plan!

Just my opionion.....?? :eat:

m 'n c
01-13-2008, 01:31 PM
Yeah I'm with you on the dessert at the counter service meal. We really didn't need a dessert then. I am not really a dessert person to begin with and that was just overkill to me that week we did the plan. I would prefer an appetizer to dessert anyday but looking back and looking at our plans for this year we mainly do buffets/family style meals at Disney so the changes foodwise don't affect us as much as it does others.

Kycha
01-13-2008, 02:48 PM
Had coffee with a good Disney friend of mine (that I often travel there with) the other day and we were talking about the new dining plan, confused whether we'd use it again.
Both of us are in the restaurant business and always overtip..even on the former dining plan. We both feel really bad for the servers at WDW now. Some people were mad before about the gratuity being added to their bill, but now with no gratuity added, those poor servers will NEVER see a dime! They make about $3.00 an hour in FLA serving...they really depend on their tips!!
Anywho...we also said, Disney should take away the dessert with the counter service meal and put back on the appetizer on the table service.
Who needs dessert then?? Remember most table service restaurants in Disney, a salad can be your appetizer! Or add on the tip to table service again and take away something else!..or just charge more, people will pay for it, just for the convince of an all inclusive plan!

Just my opionion.....?? :eat:

I agree. DH and I never eat dessert when we eat out at home. We would definitely prefer soup or salad or appetizer than dessert. And when we were on the DDP in 2005 and 2006 we never ate the cs dessert(except Tusker House which had a fantastic carrot cake...yummmm).

I was reading a couple threads on the Dis about the changes. A couple posters made it sound like the servers themselves were the ones pushing for the gratuity not to be included in the DDP. According to these posters, the servers felt they could get more/better tips if they weren't included. Doesn't make any sense to me. I would have much preferred they leave the plan the way it was, and raise the price a couple dollars.

m 'n c
01-13-2008, 03:08 PM
I was reading a couple threads on the Dis about the changes. A couple posters made it sound like the servers themselves were the ones pushing for the gratuity not to be included in the DDP. According to these posters, the servers felt they could get more/better tips if they weren't included. Doesn't make any sense to me. I would have much preferred they leave the plan the way it was, and raise the price a couple dollars.

I can see the servers thinking this but they probably forgot the part about other countries don't tip and they won't be tipping here either. I bet they lose out more times than they "win" with the tips now.

Kycha
01-13-2008, 03:25 PM
I can see the servers thinking this but they probably forgot the part about other countries don't tip and they won't be tipping here either. I bet they lose out more times than they "win" with the tips now.
That is exactly what I thought. Plus, there are many people that have used the dining plan in the past and may not be aware of the change. So, they are either going to stiff the server unintentionally or may take out their dissatisfaction with the changes by intentionally stiffing their server.

I don't know. I am still really up in the air about using the ddp. We have taken advantage of the free dining package twice and it worked out okay. The fact that it was free food was worth any hassle we encountered. And with our upcoming trip in December, I wasn't going to bother with it. But, DH wants to try all these new restaurants. So, I am still up in the air about it. I ran some numbers and it looks like even paying tips oop, we would save about $80 using the ddp. Ugh. I just can't decide. lol.