Is DDP "killing" Disney dining??

[MickeyMousse]

My neighbors just came back from being at the world 1/12-1/21. Said the crowds weren't bad at all and the longest wait time was 75 minutes at Soarin'!

They brought up the difference they found in dining this time around. Last year they were on the dining plan and felt like a majority of the places they ate at the food wasn't at the top of their game, the wait staff was not attentive and they felt rushed.

This time they decided against the dining plan and says it was an entirely different experience. They ate at most of the same places, finding the food to be very good, the wait staff much more attentive and friendly and they felt more relaxed.

I've never done the dining plan, so I could not comment except for "wow, really???"

Wondering what my fellow Intercotees think??

[DizneyRox]

killing? No...

Killed

You just got the wrong tense...

[JPL]

DEAD and Buried!!

Variety is gone along with other unique menu items. Most Menus have been dumbed down. The quality of food has dropped off along with the portion sizes. The list goes on and on Oh and almost forgot to mentio prices continued to rise.

[luvdiznee]

Even though this thread seems to be about food, but since crowd levels were mentioned, I'm just hoping that the wait time for the new attraction at DHS, Toy Story Mania, is going to be a bit less. We missed it our last trip.

[SBETigg]

I think this is a matter of their frame of mind. The dining experience itself doesn't change if you are on the plan or not. The servers still get tips at the same rate now that tips are not plan-inclusive. The menus are the same, and I'm sure the chef isn't in back deciding to massacre the food of anyone on the dining plan.

But back to your point in the subject header, yes, the dining plan is having an undesirable effect on dining at Disney. I like the savings on the plan and the convenience of paying in advance, but I hate that the menus have changed to become more generic and less interesting with the plan in place. They seem to be cutting corners on table service dining since the implementation of the plan. And having to make those ADRs so far in advance is a bummer. I loved it when you could just walk up and get in, no hassle. This has all changed with the plan in place whether one buys the dining plan or not.

[medic9016]

But back to your point in the subject header, yes, the dining plan is having an undesirable effect on dining at Disney. I like the savings on the plan and the convenience of paying in advance, but I hate that the menus have changed to become more generic and less interesting with the plan in place. They seem to be cutting corners on table service dining since the implementation of the plan. And having to make those ADRs so far in advance is a bummer. I loved it when you could just walk up and get in, no hassle. This has all changed with the plan in place whether one buys the dining plan or not.

Do you think some of the changes are a reflection of the economy? I also really liked when you could walk up to any place you wanted to eat.

[Johnno52]

I agree the DDP has killed dining for us also and we no longer purchase it (as I have mentioned many times). We are going next week for 16 days and not one ADR. While at BW we will go to Swan and Dolphin and when at OKW we will dine mostly at DD. We will do counters wherever we are at the time but as I mentioned above for sit downs. This at least until WDW gets back to better food choices.

[thrillme]

I tried it and it was OK (after all it was sorta free). The disappointment is that there was a time in which there was no need for ADR's. You could get into most any place. When the DDP started up that sorta KILLED the walk ups.

[JPL]

Do you think some of the changes are a reflection of the economy?

This started long before the economy went downhill. This was caused by greed. Now not just Disney's greed but the also the greed of some guests who would simply order and calculate the most expensive places to eat and the most expesive choices in said restaurants in order to maximize their "value" or "savings" on the plan.

[elmjimmlm]

And having to make those ADRs so far in advance is a bummer. I loved it when you could just walk up and get in, no hassle. .

I have had the DDP for the past 2 years and I wish that I didnt have to plan my entire trip on where we are going to eat...There are also times when the place that we are going we are not in the mood for but go because most likely we will lose our credit...
I did notice this year that several places we ate at there were walk ups that were turned away because they were told that they were booked only to see many, many empty tables our entire meal...I dont understand that at all...

[cindchan]

I tried it and it was OK (after all it was sorta free). The disappointment is that there was a time in which there was no need for ADR's. You could get into most any place. When the DDP started up that sorta KILLED the walk ups.

I agree! Last time I have the DDP, because it was free with the package, and I almost didn't get to use the Table Service, because I could never find a place!! You apparently had to book before you even got to Disney! I hate doing that, because I usually decide that morning what park I'm going to. I don't want to be tied down to a schedule, because I have to reserve every meal!

[mouseketeer mom]

I have had the DDP for the past 2 years and I wish that I didnt have to plan my entire trip on where we are going to eat...There are also times when the place that we are going we are not in the mood for but go because most likely we will lose our credit...
I did notice this year that several places we ate at there were walk ups that were turned away because they were told that they were booked only to see many, many empty tables our entire meal...I dont understand that at all...

Agreed on this one. Planning your ADR's at home is one thing, but then once you get there, well, the day kind of unfolds in its own way, and we find that we don't want that specific ADR anymore, or the time is bad, whatever. Its a headache.
Also, like you said, we scramble to make our ADR's and found that there were so very many empty tables around us, even at Ohana's! What is that all about???

[DizneyRox]

I'm going to guess that now they book 100% using ADRs. Makes staffing easier, etc. They can say at several days out now, OK, we're 50% booked, so we need 5 servers, 1 cook, etc. Tell everyone else to not show up and BINGO! They run with their expected profit margin, etc. So what if they have to turn people away at the door, they may or may not have to, but if they run with what they know, they won't be "wasting" any money on salary IF people just don't show up.

With all the other penny pinching going on I would totally expect the above to be true. Maybe it's not, but not being able to walk up to so many places these days, something is just not sitting well.

[Dragongirlx]

It is a bit of a pain that you have to make ADRs to get in to eat. The first year we went we could just walk up and get in to restaurants.
The second time we couldn't do that but if we went to guest services the same day we could usually find something,
The third year I made ADRs because there were certain restaurants we wanted to go to but we found it quite restriciting to have to get places at a certain time and our holiday felt too planned.
Last year we were offered the dining plan as part of the holiday package but we didn't take it as we wouldn't have used all the options on it and we decided we wouldn't book ADRs but just try and get reservatiosn by going to guest services or phoning the reservation line while we were there (as phoning from the UK can be quite expensive). We couldn't get into a single restaurant and we were willing to take anything, and walking up did no good even out with the peak eating times.
This year we are going to have to book to get something and I only hope the online booking is up by our 90 days.
I think this is definatley due to the increase in the use of the dining plan - epecially because we tend to go when the free dining is offered.
I wish Disney would look over this agian and maybe consider saving a portion of each of the popular restaurants for walk ups only - I live in hope

[VWL Mom]

DEAD and Buried!!

Variety is gone along with other unique menu items. Most Menus have been dumbed down. The quality of food has dropped off along with the portion sizes. The list goes on and on Oh and almost forgot to mentio prices continued to rise.

Not to mention the new relaxed dress codes in the signature restaurants. Even my kids know to put on a polo shirt and khaki's when they go to them.

IMO Disney needs to rethink the system. For years there have been "meal plan" options at resort vacation spots. There was a set menu offered (3 choices) on the plan and other dishes that were add-ons. This allowed the kitchen to satisfy those on the plan and still be creative for those that were looking to dine rather than just eat.

[RocknBev]

"Killing" seems to be a bit harsh but I do believe it has had an impact on quality of food, ability to reservations and sometimes service.

I wish they would experiment with some restauruants that would not accept ADR's for table service so that if the "mood strikes" you could walk up and have table service. But I also understand that business and work force doesn't quite work that way....if you don't have any idea on how many to expect how do you plan food and staff? I am happy the WDW has changed the ADR's to 90 days now instead of 180....it seems a little more reasonable although I know some would still like it to be 24 hours!

On our trip a couple of weeks ago, DDP was very helpful for my DBro who wanted to enjoy all of WDW without the worry of how much it would cost in the end! We had great meals with me planning ahead and his trip was paid for with no surprises expenses with his teenagers ordering pricey meals.

If people want 5-star quality food off the DDP, I am sure downtown Orlando has restaurants that can satisty every need. I believe WDW is still doing a good job trying to cater to the average WDW consumer and keep most happy. There is still GREAT food and service available at WDW. Most people go to Disney for the WHOLE experience not just the food.

[MickeyMousse]

My neighbors never mentioned anything about problems w/ADR's, just that they noticed a difference in the food and service DDP vs paying out of pocket. And it wasn't at just one restaurant they revisited, it was at many.

[DizneyRox]

My neighbors never mentioned anything about problems w/ADR's, just that they noticed a difference in the food and service DDP vs paying out of pocket. And it wasn't at just one restaurant they revisited, it was at many.

Exactly... While I couldn't care less about the DDP, some people like it, and that's fine. My problem is the concessions that Disney has made as a result of the DDP that impact me as a cash customer. The menu selections are my biggest pet peeve. It's almost gotten to the point where you get the same menu at any restaurant (much like the merchandise).

Reservations have been impossible since poeple have these "credits" that they MUST USE or the world will end. Since they DID pay for them, I somewhat undersand, but I can't help but think there would be more availability if people didn't have to use every last food credit and if they just ate when they needed to. So, this impacts me too, since now I need to play the same game. And as I've stated int he past, I make reservations all the time, even without a trip planned, just in case I do end up going. I do this because of the lack of available ADRs, which I understand DOES make the situation worse, but you gotta look out for #1.

When gratuity was included, I feel service DID suffer. If you know what you're getting for a tip regardless, you really don't have to go above and beyond. I wouldn't... If I know there's some unknown at the end of the tunnel, I'm on my best behavior till I find out what it is. Sure, sometimes I'm disappointed, but sometimes not. It' just human nature.

So, I maintain, dining in Disney is dead. Disney won't go back and put choice on the menu. Quality won't get better, at least not until the DDP is gone and the restaurants can make their own choices about what's good for the bottom line. And in the mean time, even cash customers can just hang on for the ride.

[SBETigg]

My neighbors never mentioned anything about problems w/ADR's, just that they noticed a difference in the food and service DDP vs paying out of pocket. And it wasn't at just one restaurant they revisited, it was at many.

Yes, but I fail to see how their option of not choosing the dining plan would affect their food. The dining plan is still in place. It's not as if the kitchen staff preps special food for those not on the plan vs on the plan. They're in the kitchen making food. Why would they take time to care who's on the dining plan or not?

I'll grant that before the plan was implemented that the food was better in general. But I won't allow that buying the dining plan or not has any effect on what is served to you at the table on a meal to meal basis, though it may arguably impact service. Do your neighbors really believe they were served better food because they were not on the dining plan? That someone making their food is paying deliberate attention to how people are paying for it? I would think that they simply enjoyed it more when believing themselves free of something they actually considered a hassle to them.

[BMan62]

I'm going to guess that now they book 100% using ADRs. Makes staffing easier, etc. They can say at several days out now, OK, we're 50% booked, so we need 5 servers, 1 cook, etc. Tell everyone else to not show up and BINGO! They run with their expected profit margin, etc. So what if they have to turn people away at the door, they may or may not have to, but if they run with what they know, they won't be "wasting" any money on salary IF people just don't show up.

With all the other penny pinching going on I would totally expect the above to be true. Maybe it's not, but not being able to walk up to so many places these days, something is just not sitting well.

Agreed on this one. Planning your ADR's at home is one thing, but then once you get there, well, the day kind of unfolds in its own way, and we find that we don't want that specific ADR anymore, or the time is bad, whatever. Its a headache.
Also, like you said, we scramble to make our ADR's and found that there were so very many empty tables around us, even at Ohana's! What is that all about???

Empty tables could be a sign of 1) Staffing at ADR levels, so as not to have dining CMs standing around, or 2) People scheduling multiple ADRs for the same basic time frames and not canceling when the decide or 3) No shows for whatever reason

As to the OP statement: No, I don't think the DDP has killed Disney dining, but I do believe that it has put a premium on finding variety.