Poll: If you are a previous user of DDP, what will you do in 2008?

[kritter]

Aren't the snack chaning for the new dining plan as well???

As well as the tip not being included is the tax included in the new plan too???

 

[NMW]

Aren't the snack chaning for the new dining plan as well???

As well as the tip not being included is the tax included in the new plan too???

The tax is included. I don't think any knows if any changes will be made to snacks. I think that has just been speculation on this board. The wording the brochure about snacks is identical to the wording from 2007. I have not read about any changes in snacks here or on any other site. I really have no idea where that came from.

 

[theparsons]

You need to do the math. I used the menu's on Allearsnet and added it up. Ignoring the tip in both cases and even with the appetizer no longer included, it is still a better deal for us to use the dining plan. I figured we would save about $300 doing it that way.....which really surprised me. I didn't think we would do the dining plan again until I added everything up.

But don't forget to take your grand totals and add 10-18% for the tips. If you're saving that much before tip then you must be eating at some of the more expensive places, which means that $300 savings is likely to be taken by the tips. My number crunching showed me saving a small amount (of course assuming that we'd actually stick to the plan and eat the items we chose today)...but when I added in 15% for a tip all savings were gone and it was now going to cost me. I assumed 15% tip because I'd tip lower for poor service (which has been reported quite often on these boards), but I'd also tip more for johnny-on-the-spot service as it makes for a more pleasant experience for my family. If the reports that service should improve everywhere because they're having to work for it again are correct, then I'll possibly have budgeted too little for tips!


How many days are you staying?

 

[PaulaSB12]

I will be doing the delux plan for my last trip to disney for a few years. It just works out ok, but the waiters will have to be extremely good to get 18% I know its not popular but for some where like Sci fi a tip of $20 is reasonable, if you haven't got a choice on how much its just another tax.

 

[DisneyKidds]

We enjoyed using the DDP the way it was. We didn't "take advantage" of it, but we did use all our credits and did not find it to be too much food. We generally saved a couple hundred bucks over what we would have spent if we did meals out of pocket. We had to alter the way we ate, skipping some places we liked that didn't participate and doing more CS than we were accustomed to, but the savings and the ability to eat at some places we hadn't done in a while made it worth changing our patterns.

With an appetizer no longer included and the tip gone, the couple hundred dollar savings will evaporate and we will no longer use the plan. We'll go back to using the Disney Dining Experience discounts and paying out of pocket.

Initially I thought the 2008 Deluxe plan might be a good deal, but that might not even be. Figure if we did a character breakfast in the am and something like Narcoossees for dinner (skipping lunch and using two credits at dinner) we'd probably have about $290 worth of food covered for our family of 5, but the plan would cost us about $280 including the gratuities we'd have to pay for. Sure, we still get a snack so our total savings for the day would be maybe $25, but that is if we eat at expensive places and order the most expensive items. Other days when we might do a character breakfast, a CS lunch, and a reasonable TS dinner the savings wouldn't be there. If you like the prepaid option it is nice, but on average there won't be too much savings to be had. We'll get more savings out of the DDE, even with the membership fee.

 

[honeymo78]

But don't forget to take your grand totals and add 10-18% for the tips. If you're saving that much before tip then you must be eating at some of the more expensive places, which means that $300 savings is likely to be taken by the tips. My number crunching showed me saving a small amount (of course assuming that we'd actually stick to the plan and eat the items we chose today)...but when I added in 15% for a tip all savings were gone and it was now going to cost me. I assumed 15% tip because I'd tip lower for poor service (which has been reported quite often on these boards), but I'd also tip more for johnny-on-the-spot service as it makes for a more pleasant experience for my family. If the reports that service should improve everywhere because they're having to work for it again are correct, then I'll possibly have budgeted too little for tips!


How many days are you staying?

The tip amount doesn't matter in your savings if you would still eat there whether you got DDP or not - that seems to be what the poster was trying to figure out. If the cost of the meals themselves is more that the cost of the DDP for the day, and you would eat there anyway (not everyone only eats TS b/c of the DDP) the tip amount is moot.

Too many people are focusing on what they saved in the past. The old plan is gone and you can't base your new savings on those numbers. Ask yourself if you would eat TS anyway - if you would, either way you are paying the tip. Is what you would order, along with a CS more than $40? If so, buy the DDP. If not, don't buy the DDP. Same works for DxDDP. We eat 3 meals a day plan or no plan and will continue doing this in the future. A 1TS dinner would be at least $30-35, TS lunch $25-30, and character breakfast $20. That's more than $70 so DxDDP makes sense. Not counting snacks its about a $10 savings per person. Why wouldn't I like to save $10? I have to tip whether I buy a plan or not so that doesn't even go into my calculation.

 

[DisneyKidds]

The tip amount doesn't matter in your savings if you would still eat there whether you got DDP or not - that seems to be what the poster was trying to figure out. If the cost of the meals themselves is more that the cost of the DDP for the day, and you would eat there anyway (not everyone only eats TS b/c of the DDP) the tip amount is moot.

I see your point. In my example above, if the $290 was just the cost of food and tax, if we weren't on the plan we would be spending $340 (the $290 plus 18%) so the tip should be left out of the equation. The plan itself would cost $230, for which we'd have $290 worth of food and tax covered. With the snack there is a decent savings. That is assuming we would have ordered the same $ amount worth of food if we weren't on the plan, which we might not have. Skip one appetizer or dessert, pass on the surf and turf.....bye, bye "savings". Even on a day when we'd do cheaper meals there would still be some savings, or a breakeven. So the deluxe plan could be a good deal, or at least let you eat a little better for the same money. The regular plan isn't, not without the appetizer.

Problem for me is the deluxe plan is a lot more than we used to spend on food in the pre-DDP days, so while it may be a good value, you lose and Disney wins if it makes you spend more than you would have on your own. We used to be plenty happy on about $150 (including tips) a day for our family of 5, why spend upwards of $275 a day ($230 plus tips) even if it is a good value and does let us eat a little nicer?

 

[themudd4]

I am going to wait until we decide on our ADR's, then I am going to look at the menus and just kinda compare the pros and cons but when I booked my 2008 trip I left off the DDP.

My $.02 about the tipping...I only had poor service 1 time that I blame on the tip already being adding in. But I personally loved having the tip included. I think the CM's waiting on everyone are going to be the ones getting shafted in this deal. While some people we leave a nice tip, not everyone will. I for one base my tipping off the service I recieve. But this is what I don't really like about the percentage of the bill for tipping....on a $100 meal I should tip $15-$18 dollars. But as we all no these meals are over priced as it is. Why should I or anyone else tip that waiter more than the girl/guy busting there butt and doing a excellent job out side of the resort...And before you flame, I have waited tables it is not a shot at them...I just think it is crazy to tip more for a higher price meal for the same service.

 

[DisneyGerry]

But....

I think it is too much food.

Family of 5--perhaps 1 appetizer and 1 dessert along with entree perhaps for all on a usual dining experience.

I do think you get you money's worth off the DDP but I feel I am wasting food if no one eats it.

I also think the DDP has 'dummied down' service as well at WDW. Menus less choices and not as innovative. Service knows they are getting 18% so dont have to go out of there way. Yes, always exceptions.

It does seems it created jobs for specialty chefs especially the appetizer and desserts guys/ gals.

 

[irishelysia]

Service knows they are getting 18% so dont have to go out of there way. Yes, always exceptions.

It does seems it created jobs for specialty chefs especially the appetizer and desserts guys/ gals.

Agree. Although I felt all of my servers at WDW deserved the 18% I wonder if they were go the extra mile now that they really have to work for the tips...and I certainly would have not ordered appetizers or desert if the plan hadn't included it, meaning less of these chefs will be needed. I bet the servers/restaurant workers are just as unhappy about the change as we are....


Irregardless, the DDP was one of the best parts of our trip and well worth the money I paid. Although I would definately do some math and reconsider the plan after the changes....I figure I'd probably still use it just because it was one of our FAVORITE parts. It sucks, but I barely eat one full meal a day regularly(i just don't eat much) so with the appetizer it was way too much. THe most annoying part is the tip...grr...

 

[KIRSTIN'S MOMMY]

We have done the DDP for our last 4 visits and loved it, but with these changes, and the fact that we live only 5 hrs. away, we're planning on AP's and the DDE this year.

 

[bookgirl2632]

Too many people are focusing on what they saved in the past. The old plan is gone and you can't base your new savings on those numbers. Ask yourself if you would eat TS anyway - if you would, either way you are paying the tip. Is what you would order, along with a CS more than $40? If so, buy the DDP. If not, don't buy the DDP. Same works for DxDDP. We eat 3 meals a day plan or no plan and will continue doing this in the future. A 1TS dinner would be at least $30-35, TS lunch $25-30, and character breakfast $20. That's more than $70 so DxDDP makes sense. Not counting snacks its about a $10 savings per person. Why wouldn't I like to save $10? I have to tip whether I buy a plan or not so that doesn't even go into my calculation.

Exactly!! As I said before, I have done the numbers and we will still be saving. We won't be saving a whole lot, but it is still more cost effective for us to do the DDP.

We like a TS everyday. I also would prefer not to be looking at the prices when I order. The DDP still gives me this freedom. If we decided to forgo the DDP, I know I would look at the prices on the menu and not order whatever I wanted. That's just not fun for me, at least, not on vacation.

We will stick with the DDP.

 

[agentpleakley]

Haven't crunched the numbers yet -- but my initial reaction would be "NO."

Half the benefit of the DDP is the convenience factor. That's gone.

The Deluxe plan is way too much food. So, even if that numbers worked out for our benefit -- it would really be wasting food and money.

Maybe we can finally go back to staying at our Orlando timeshare (since we haven't stayed there for many years).

 

[LovinHavinNoClampets]

Haven't crunched the numbers yet -- but my initial reaction would be "NO."

Half the benefit of the DDP is the convenience factor. That's gone.

The Deluxe plan is way too much food. So, even if that numbers worked out for our benefit -- it would really be wasting food and money.

Maybe we can finally go back to staying at our Orlando timeshare (since we haven't stayed there for many years).

Many people feel this way. I am not discounting the fact it wouldn't work for you, but the new plan works better for my family. My opinion is that for every family that will move off of site due to the changes, they will get a family that stopped going but was willing to spend more back again.

I know that we will now go at least twice in 2008 where before we had skipped 2007 due to the dining plan (and the people that abused it).

 

[DisneyKidds]

Many people feel this way. I am not discounting the fact it wouldn't work for you, but the new plan works better for my family. My opinion is that for every family that will move off of site due to the changes, they will get a family that stopped going but was willing to spend more back again.

I know that we will now go at least twice in 2008 where before we had skipped 2007 due to the dining plan (and the people that abused it).

I'm not so sure I'd count on that if I were Disney. How many people are really going to evaluate the changes and say that in 2007 the plan wasn't cost effective and didn't work for me, but now that it costs more and they are giving me less I'll give it a shot? Me thinks you will be in the minority .

 

[LovinHavinNoClampets]

I'm not so sure I'd count on that if I were Disney. How many people are really going to evaluate the changes and say that in 2007 the plan wasn't cost effective and didn't work for me, but now that it costs more and they are giving me less I'll give it a shot? Me thinks you will be in the minority .

Do you think that disney would rather appeal to people like us (who canceled a Premium package due to the abusers and not wanting to deal with them) and the money that accompanies it or the people that milk every dime and spend little money on souvenirs? I am thinking their overall bottom line dropped by appealing to the uber budget minded because appealing to them made people willing to pay for more avoid the parks due to the "6 flags" atomosphere that their dining plan brought in.

 

[angelmav]

Do you think that disney would rather appeal to people like us (who canceled a Premium package due to the abusers and not wanting to deal with them) and the money that accompanies it or the people that milk every dime and spend little money on souvenirs? I am thinking their overall bottom line dropped by appealing to the uber budget minded because appealing to them made people willing to pay for more avoid the parks due to the "6 flags" atomosphere that their dining plan brought in.

Are you an actual Diser? Your only posts are about how you and yours could no longer go to the parks because of all the rabble that were allowed in under the old plan. You do realize that Disney has been posting quarterly profits right?

 

[patsal]

Do you think that disney would rather appeal to people like us (who canceled a Premium package due to the abusers and not wanting to deal with them) and the money that accompanies it or the people that milk every dime and spend little money on souvenirs? I am thinking their overall bottom line dropped by appealing to the uber budget minded because appealing to them made people willing to pay for more avoid the parks due to the "6 flags" atomosphere that their dining plan brought in.

I agree with what you are saying to an extent. However, you could still do the same thing--make it less appealing to the "buy the extra bun" crowd by simply raising the price to what would be perceived as a fair pricepoint. Raise the price to $45+ and don't strip it down--for my family the deluxe would be appealing if I din't have to pay for 4 "adults" I'd love to eat signature every night and CS while in the park--the problem is that $100 tip ont he signature meal after I add the wine. Seriously, $400 per day for food is a lot of money when you account for a 14 day trip.

Honestly I won't mind if the parks and restaurants clear out a bit--sorry some of the people were downright six flags scary--the lady who nearly jumped the regular line at Space Mountain comes to mind--yelling at me about how my fast pass was making her have to wait or the people who shout across the signature dining restaurants or even those that show up and remove their shoes while sititng on their knees with their feet hanging over the chairs and don't know how to eat with a fork and knife just pick up those large leaves of lettuce and dip and munch!

I think Disney often makes the mistake of making everyone think they can afford something that really isn't inexpensive--stop that marketing and maybe so many would not feel so badly.

 

[familyS]

Well, the poll is now invalid .

I originally voted that we would not get the plan. After discussing with my husband, he feels it is still worth the convenience of not having to look at prices when he orders.

I wonder if anyone else has changed their mind?

 

[Amyg]

My family really enjoyed the DDP last summer because it was such a great value and allowed us to try places that we might not have if we had to pay OOP. I always get appy's, entree and dessert at restaurants so taking them that out for next year is a big disappointment. And with no tip included in DDP we may as well just pay OOP when we get there next summer.

So far over 60% the posters in this thread will NOT buy the DDP next year!