Does anyone else dislike the Dining Plan?

[Nicole786]

Does anyone but me dislike the dining plan? It's not so much the plan itself (it's a great concept) but the fact that its not offered to all resort guests. I'm not sure of the reason why you can only purchase it in your package but I don't think its fair.

I remember the days when you could walk into 50s Primetime Cafe, wait 45 minutes, and then sit down and eat, rather than be shunned at the door.

Having to know exactly what restaurants I'm going to be eating at 5 months in advance is unfair. If you're on the DP it's great, because you don't have to worry about the inevitable question "Do we have money to eat out tonight?" But for those who aren't, you're pretty much SOL if you don't have a res. and you decide "I guess we can swing it tonight" It's nervewracking to know that if i'm walking through Mexico in the WS and i want to eat mexican, i won't be able to because i dont have a reservation.

I guess it's not so much the DP as it is the fact that it's not available to everyone. Part of the fun in WDW is eating at great restaurants, and they took the fun out of that for people who don't have reservations.

*Complaint Over*

 

[desktop]

Hi Nicole. I'm new here but in just a few days here I have realized I will need reservations for my entire trip and I Haven't ever been so don't even know where I will be or where to eat. I need to do some homework. What about people who just go and never realize they need reservations. Do they just eat hot dogs. I'm taking my two daughters and their families so DP is probably the way to go but we still need reservations right. How do you know where you'll be at dinner time, or even at what park. I guess I need a plan and stick to it. No, get up and decide where to go. I guess everybody just plans out every day. Never been to WDW so don't know??

 

[Momelie]

Those of us wth FL Resident passes feel your pain as well! Whether we are there for a weekend, a week, or just for the day, I miss being able to go to Guest Services when we got in a park and getting a same day reservation.

I wish we could get the dining plan, too, or something equivalent - I miss dinner at Le Cellier (they don't serve the salmon at lunch!).

 

[Nicole786]

Those of us wth FL Resident passes feel your pain as well! Whether we are there for a weekend, a week, or just for the day, I miss being able to go to Guest Services when we got in a park and getting a same day reservation.

I wish we could get the dining plan, too, or something equivalent - I miss dinner at Le Cellier (they don't serve the salmon at lunch!).

I'm glad someone feels like I do. I too am a FL season passholder (a newbie, i just moved here) I guess i'll have to start studying those CS menus! lol

 

[sasmmb]

I'm also disappointed as I was contemplating the DDP for our upcoming trip and we are staying on property for 5 nights, so I wanted MYW 5 day passes with dining. But since we are staying 2 nights at POFQ, and 3 nights at POP I was told I couldn't get a 5 day pass and would have to purchase either a 4 day and a 1 day (much more $$), or 5 day and 1 day, or some other multiple ticket combination. Or forgo the DDP. So no DDP for us. It is quite silly that even though I'm staying on property the whole time and are getting tickets that I can't get the DDP. Not exactly Magic my way if you ask me.

And Desktop yes, it is challenging planning the meals that far out especially if you don't know the layout of the land (lands?). A couple things to keep in mind: 1) get a rough idea of which parks you'd like to hit which days and then ask the board what they recommend. Lots of experts here! and B) Keep in mind that for the most part these are just "reservations", so if you make the reservation and then you find yourself on the other side of the park (or even a different park), don't knock yourself out trying to get there. It's OK if you don't show up (although the polite thing to do is inform guest services or WDW-DINE and cancel your reservation so they can release the table to some hapless soul who found themselves without reservations.)
There are a few exceptions where your credit card will be charged if you don't cancel with enough notice (like Hoop-de-doo), but this holds true for the majority of restaurants.

Remember this is vacation, where you are supposed to be stress-free!

 

[Juliah]

We haven't been to WDW since the dining plan started. We will be there this summer but are not doing the dining plan. Why is it you can't eat at table service restaurants without the plan? Are you guys saying that the plan has increased the traffic at table service restaurants so much that you can't get in without a reservation that was booked months in advance? Last time we were there, I remember calling in the morning and getting a reservation for O'Hana for that evening.

 

[mcco5543]

I haven't used the plan yet but I've included it for my trip in July '07 and YES the Dining Plan has increased traffic tremendously. Basically for a fixed price people can eat at the "fancy" table service resturaunts and order almost anyting their heart desires and try all sorts of food they never would have been able to afford without the fixed price of the DDP. so YES you need reservations WAY in advance IF:

You defintiely want to eat at a table service resturant on your trip

and/or
There is/was a place you went to before that you simply MUST dine at during your trip (and we all have our faves!)

You can cancle a reservation without penatly up to 48 hours in advance after that it's ten dollars per person in your party cancelation fee if you cancel within 48 hours.

you still may be able to get a table service meal for a day during your trip if you are flexible with what day and time you are willing to eat the the resturaunt but if you REALLY want a garunteed spot. Make a reservation and make them the recommended 180 days in advance

Hope this helps!

 

[Dis Ohana]

I like the idea of the dining plan, but like the previous poster, this is our first trip to WDW and having to plan everything down to the meal is a little overwhelming. We're not good at keeping to a schedule when we're on vacation. I'd say we kept maybe 1 out of 10 ADR's I made for our Disneyland trip - it's hard to tear away from what you're doing when you're having fun just to eat. In DL however, we were able to change our reservations with relative ease. There were a few restaurants on the weekends that couldn't accomodate us, but for the most part we were able to get in somewhere. Are the TS restaurants out there really that busy? I didn't think this would be a problem since there are so many to choose from.

 

[aubriee]

We haven't been to WDW since the dining plan started. We will be there this summer but are not doing the dining plan. Why is it you can't eat at table service restaurants without the plan? Are you guys saying that the plan has increased the traffic at table service restaurants so much that you can't get in without a reservation that was booked months in advance? Last time we were there, I remember calling in the morning and getting a reservation for O'Hana for that evening.

I'm afraid you won't be able to do that this time. For just about any time of the year you had better have an ADR for any popular restaraunt and since you're going in the summer I'd have one for every TS restaraunt I wanted. I called a few days ago to try to change some ADRs for my May trip and was unable to do so. In the last year we've been there in Jan, May, Sept, and Dec and every time have seen restaraunts turn walk ups away.

 

[GusT]

my fiance and i have just purchased our honeymoon at disney (i have been twice before he has never been), and we purchased the DP, he does not like the fact that we have to know where we want to eat and at what time now when we won't be there until the end of may. it's also causing me alot of stress since he as left the picking of the restaurants and times to me. we will have the DP for 5 table service meals, does anyone have any suggestions for places we "have" to go too. we both love good food and are looking forward to going, on both of my trips previously we only ate counter service in the park
thanks

 

[bicker]

It was very clear last week, still in the "off-season" that folks must have reservations for dining. Everything else you can "go with the flow" but dining reservations is a must.

 

[SandraVB79]

You can cancle a reservation without penatly up to 48 hours in advance after that it's ten dollars per person in your party cancelation fee if you cancel within 48 hours.

This is the firts time I read this. Can anyone confirm???

 

[MaeDaisy]

...we are staying on property for 5 nights, so I wanted MYW 5 day passes with dining. But since we are staying 2 nights at POFQ, and 3 nights at POP I was told I couldn't get a 5 day pass and would have to purchase either a 4 day and a 1 day (much more $$), or 5 day and 1 day, or some other multiple ticket combination. Or forgo the DDP. ...

Sas, I would call back and check that. That doesn't sound right to me. The first thing to understand is that the DDP has nothing to do with your park tickets, it is based on your nights in the hotel. It sounds like what they are saying is that splitting your hotel stay would result in 2 separate packages, and since the tickets are part of the package, you would have to buy tickets for each package. Am I correct that this is a single trip, you're just changing hotels midway through? Or is this two separate trips? If it's two separate trips, they're right, you'll need two packages. But if it's a single trip, I would think you could change hotels but still have it considered one package. If that's the situation, I would call back and be very explicit that it is ONE trip, you just need to change hotels. If I'm wrong and splitting your hotel always means a separate package, someone please correct me!

 

[Pedler]

Sas, I would call back and check that. That doesn't sound right to me. The first thing to understand is that the DDP has nothing to do with your park tickets, it is based on your nights in the hotel. It sounds like what they are saying is that splitting your hotel stay would result in 2 separate packages, and since the tickets are part of the package, you would have to buy tickets for each package. Am I correct that this is a single trip, you're just changing hotels midway through? Or is this two separate trips? If it's two separate trips, they're right, you'll need two packages. But if it's a single trip, I would think you could change hotels but still have it considered one package. If that's the situation, I would call back and be very explicit that it is ONE trip, you just need to change hotels. If I'm wrong and splitting your hotel always means a separate package, someone please correct me!

Unfortunately as far as the DDP is considered spliting your stay is two seperate packages / trips. In order to get the DDP you need to buy at least a 1 day ticket as part of your package. So the poster is correct. Big time bummer. My guess is that they are trying to either minimize changing resorts, (its easier to manage room inventory if you stay in the same place) or the reservation software doesn't have the capacity to handle spanning a package deal across a split stay. The DDP credits expire on midnight of the day you check out of your resort. With a split stay you are checking out of one resort and checking into another. Either way the DDP becomes much more expensive with a split stay.

 

[Allison]

I
You can cancle a reservation without penatly up to 48 hours in advance after that it's ten dollars per person in your party cancelation fee if you cancel within 48 hours.

This is true only for the few places that are actually take credit card guarantees such as for the Fantasmic Dining Package. Otherwise, you can cancel at any time without penalty.

We had dinner at LeCellier on Saturday. They said they were booked solid for dinner until March 5th. There were many people walking up asking about availability and CM's were recommending counter service as there was nothing available at Epcot for the evening.

I saw the signs saying no table service was available at MK on Friday.

 

[Trio]

I hate having to know in Sept of 2006, where I want to eat April 9th 2007 at 5:45.

That is crazy.

I wish each park would have a place to eat that did NOT take the DP. A place where you wouldn't have to plan so far in advance to be able to get to eat.

The DP has become so popular, that now even if you do not want to buy it, you still have to plan all your meals 5 mths in advance, just to get a TS style meal.

 

[bicker]

Well, you don't really need to "know" -- you just need to "guess". You can always change your mind later and switch to anything else that might still be available.

 

[castleri]

I'm also disappointed as I was contemplating the DDP for our upcoming trip and we are staying on property for 5 nights, so I wanted MYW 5 day passes with dining. But since we are staying 2 nights at POFQ, and 3 nights at POP I was told I couldn't get a 5 day pass and would have to purchase either a 4 day and a 1 day (much more $$), or 5 day and 1 day, or some other multiple ticket combination. Or forgo the DDP. So no DDP for us. It is quite silly that even though I'm staying on property the whole time and are getting tickets that I can't get the DDP. Not exactly Magic my way if you ask me.

And Desktop yes, it is challenging planning the meals that far out especially if you don't know the layout of the land (lands?). A couple things to keep in mind: 1) get a rough idea of which parks you'd like to hit which days and then ask the board what they recommend. Lots of experts here! and B) Keep in mind that for the most part these are just "reservations", so if you make the reservation and then you find yourself on the other side of the park (or even a different park), don't knock yourself out trying to get there. It's OK if you don't show up (although the polite thing to do is inform guest services or WDW-DINE and cancel your reservation so they can release the table to some hapless soul who found themselves without reservations.)
There are a few exceptions where your credit card will be charged if you don't cancel with enough notice (like Hoop-de-doo), but this holds true for the majority of restaurants.

Remember this is vacation, where you are supposed to be stress-free!

Which hotel will you be at first? If it is POP I would tell them I wanted a 5 day pass and the DDP for that part of my trip and that I do not want the park pass on my room key. That will give you from checkin at POP to midnight of the day you check into the second hotel to use the dining credits. All they can do is say no. The dining credits would be on the room key from the first room and you would need to be sure to use them. That won't help with the last two days but it would at least let you have the DDP for some of the trip. Maybe you can buy the 4 day ticket and then upgrade it at one of the guest services locations. You could ask what that would cost but probably not as much as buying a 4 day and then a 1 day ticket. We upgraded my DGD ticket while there this year and the CM took the original price and we paid the difference between that and what it would have been if we bought the other one to begin with. With the free dining you only have to purchase a 1 day ticket and can then use the credit from that to upgrade to the longer tickets if you so desire. I think you can do the same in your case. Maybe someone can tell us if this is possible from personal experience.

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

Although I love having the convenience of the DDP (in fact, wouldn't go to Disney again without it), I agree with all the prior posters. The fact that you have to make ADRs 6 months in advance is quite annoying. My family always goes in September and we've seen plenty of restaurants fulled to capacity. You could get on any ride you want but couldn't get a seat at a TS restaurant after 5pm!!!

 

[wdwfamilyinIL]

I guess we are a little different, while it is kinda of difficult to plan meals that far in advance, we enjoy the "early" start of planning. The hardest thing for us, was our very first trip we had no idea about anything. One thing that helps us out a lot is looking at the menu's that are posted for the different restaurants.