Has anyone heard rumors of changes to DDP 2009

[Narnia]

We choose the dXddp so that we can see the dinner shows and eat atleast 2 times a day. We and going to CRT,hoopdeedoo,luau. We are going to be getting 42 snack credits to use for the week. That's lots since the kids are still small and will share snacks. If we do have any left over we will be bringing treats home. I am hoping to find the most expensive snacks on purpose but then again vegtables and dip and cut fruit are over $3 alone.

 

[bytheblood]

We choose the dXddp so that we can see the dinner shows and eat atleast 2 times a day. We and going to CRT,hoopdeedoo,luau. We are going to be getting 42 snack credits to use for the week. That's lots since the kids are still small and will share snacks. If we do have any left over we will be bringing treats home. I am hoping to find the most expensive snacks on purpose but then again vegtables and dip and cut fruit are over $3 alone.

Is the snack credit still for anything $4 and under?

 

[asmit4]

4.00 is the general rule of thumb but they did cut out 'family sized' snacks this year. You can only buy items that are meant for personal use. So no quarts of milk, no box of 6 donuts etc (even if they are under 4.00) Most items are still allowed for this year.

We have heard rumors about the snacks being severely cut next year, so eat up while you can!

 

[planitdad]

I agree, enjoy the plan now! Chances are any changes will be in favor of Disney. I can see them charging 2 snack credits for "specialty" snacks from the bakery and similar spots, if not just eliminating them altogther from the plan.

We'll most likely see an increase in cost of plan too. As long as it remains popular, they'll think of some way to whittle away until the demand drops.

I think the demand for the plan right now puts a strain on their ability to handle the crowds. Remember last year, the lanyard and pin sets they offered as consolation for those redeeming TS credits for CS meals?

 

[bytheblood]

I am wondering what the changes for 2009 entail. (as we are all wondering in this thread)

I am honestly expecting Disney Corporation to push people away from this plan more and more. It was great when they rolled it out and it increased the crowd size, but I think that now it has become a bit of a chore for Disney to keep up. (crowds, keeping CMs happy with tipping methods, credits, etc)

 

[fall08CP]

What do you mean? That people are saying that others overeat? I don't think 2 meals a day is over-eating.

It depends how you use it. You could get three meals per day, two of them including appetizers and desserts. I never eat appetizers or desserts in a normal day so that would be overeating for ME and my family. I eat a bowl of cereal for lunch, a sandwich for dinner, and a small entree for dinner. I don't eat snacks either so having two of them would be overkill. Not saying that it is overeating for others as the credits can be used creatively, but I don't eat that much on a daily basis. The regular DDP was too much for me this past trip.

 

[asmit4]

It depends how you use it. You could get three meals per day, two of them including appetizers and desserts. I never eat appetizers or desserts in a normal day so that would be overeating for ME and my family. I eat a bowl of cereal for lunch, a sandwich for dinner, and a small entree for dinner. I don't eat snacks either so having two of them would be overkill. Not saying that it is overeating for others as the credits can be used creatively, but I don't eat that much on a daily basis. The regular DDP was too much for me this past trip.

Not sure when you went but the basic DDP does not include an appetizer.

You get 1 snack- you can buy a drink or ice cream or a # of things.

You get 1 counter service meal- think burger/fries or sandwich/side salad. With a small 4 ounce or so piece of cake that can be packed to go.

You get 1 table service meal- JUST the main meal and dessert. Think Salmon with risotto and a piece of cheesecake.

I'm not saying that the DDP can't be too much food for some, but I don't view the above as overeating, particularly when you are most likely walking 5-10 miles per day easily.

 

[RACHELSMOM1]

People are smart and most people tend to maximize the DDP. I don't know anyone that wastes credits on bottled water. We all get the high end ice creams or treats. My thought is- why use a credit for JUST a rice crispy treat when I can use it for a treat that is covered in 4 toppings?!

I like having a plan that allows so much and has so much flexibility. I think others agree. If it means adding $4 or 5 to the plan cost, but leaving the snacks alone AND making the dessert OR appetizer an option, so be it. Others might disagree and like that the plan is 'inexpensive'.

If they make changes to downgrade the basic DDP, I'll have to rethink the DDP completely, perhaps paying for the deluxe to get what I feel is a decent plan. Maybe that's what they want us to do!

I know that DW is not out there to make US happy, they are out there to make $$$....I guess I will just have to get used to it.

I "waste" snack credits on water all the time. My health-conscious 7 yr old DD insists on a bottle of ice cold water rather than a soda or an icecream!! It makes me happy that she wants water instead of soda, but I never insist on that. And, if that is what she wants, that is what she gets!!

 

[RACHELSMOM1]

I agree. We skipped DDP on our May trip, and we ate much better for the same money. If we'd been in a budget mode, I'm sure we would have had significant savings.

However, I think the Deluxe plan has been more successful than we thought it would be. It's certainly done better than I thought it would! It would be very interesting to see the actual numbers of how they're doing with the two plans this year.

Also, people who have tried Deluxe DDP seem to love it. I've been a little surprised that we don't hear the "too much food" complaints from the Deluxe purchasers! If regular DDP is too much food, how is Deluxe not too much???

And as I said above, the pricing of the Deluxe is more in line with what they did before DDP. If they can get the customers for $70, why charge $40?

Delux dp is not too much food because you can use your credits any way you want to. With the basic dp, you are "stuck" with so many CS meals, and a lot of people hate CS. We love delux and had no problem using all our credits. We did character bfsts, and 2 credit meals for dinner. We also had the refillable mugs, which makes life easier for us so that we no longer have to bring bottles of water and sodas to the room. No grocery shopping before we get there or after we arrive at the resort!! We loved having 2 snack credits per day per person. There were no "low blood sugar meltdowns" for the kids or adults.

Contrast that to our experiences with the basic dp, and there is no question that delux dp is very attractive. With the basic dp we were always dreading the CS meals. They get old after a while, and they seem to add up really fast if one or two don't feel like eating at the time, and at busy times they take up so much time because you have to stand in line for the food, find a table, go to the condiment bar, and it may take as long as a quiet and stress free TS.

It is delux for us from now on. I know why so many seem to be satisfied with it, and that it is not too much food.

 

[JimMIA]

I "waste" snack credits on water all the time.

We do too. In fact, THE very best use of a snack credit I've ever done was using it for an ice-cold bottle of water standing in line for DD to see Ariel one hot day!

 

[kxmeeh]

we only paid oop once instead of using a snack credit. my dd wanted an apple. if i remember correctly, it was 1.25 or so. i would rather use my spare change on that one. we also came home with about 6 snack credit items. it worked out well, because i didn't bring any money for souveniers to bring back for anyone. but, they all did get mickey cookies, rice krispie heads, ect.

 

[Lady V]

The first time I used it I tried to save the credits for the more expensive items for snacks but ended up with lots left over...so now I use them all up before I spend any out of pocket...works better for me...

 

[TheRatPack]

We had leftover snack credits last year, but only because we were planning on using them on checkout day, but the food section wasn't open when we left We use the majority of them on Food and Wine festival at Epcot when we go. We get a lot of the snacks walking around to the different countries/carts

 

[ms mouse]

We're doing deluxe this year over Christmas. I know it will be alot of food but with the extra charges at Christmas and the different packages we are doing I decided it would be just as cheap and we would know our costs.

 

[yankeepenny]

my HOPE, and that is a hope is that maybe they would on the on thebasic ddp
have 1TS= entree, non alcoholic drink and TIP.
if they get creative and make even more enticing apps and desserts, maybe folks would buy them. the stuff is good now, but make it even better.

just my opinion.

 

[bytheblood]

I wish that Disney would come up with a dining plan somewhere between the basic and deluxe. One that would offer 2 meals a day, 1 snack, and a refillable mug where you could dine any place you wanted, table or counter. Maybe like $55 pp/per night.

 

[wifey]

We are waiting with baited breath to see what announcements are made about next years DDP.
We have booked the basic plan to meet our budget for the three of us, me DH and DS . We have to save like mad for 2 years to get to WDW (we got a great deal on flights tickets and hotel room) and the economy here is in a downward slump. So to budget for it before we go is better for us.
There's no way we can justify paying for the deluxe plan, we would never eat or waste that much food, I hate to waste food at anytime not just on vacation. We saw loads of guests last year not finishing meals or snacks and the amount of food filling the trash cans was awful.
Yes the extra TS credits may for some families come in handy for things like HDDR and Mickey's Back Yard BBQ I can see that, but it's not much use to my family we have a tough time choosing where to eat to begin with. We prefer not to have a strict touring plan each day but only schedule a TS once a day leaving time to do what we want.

 

[jjohnson]

That's exactly why I do not what the snacks cut back. We always do HDD. Then we share 4 CS meals thru the week. Combined with the generous use of snack credits ie; chili fries, it works well for us without any OOP expense.

 

[Iggipolka]

We always get the DDP when we go to DisneyWorld. Our June trip was the first trip we ever had credits left over, but that was because we stayed on the Concierge Floor. We ate all of our breakfasts and snacks in the lounge!

I hope that they don't change the basic plan too much. The only thing I'd like to see is to have the option of getting either an appetizer or a dessert with a TS meal and a side or a dessert with a CS meal. After a week of the DDP, we really didn't want any more sweets, but missed the appetizers.

 

[Narnia]

I just hope they don't take free dining out before i get a chance to use it!