Dining Plan Gripe

[Tez]

Ok, I didn't use the dining plan on this vacation and I understand that it saves a lot of people a lot of money but we found that people do not understand how it works and what counts as snacks and whatever else. It made for longer waits at the food counters. I was VERY frustrated with it in general!!!!

Topics to Discuss

What can Disney do to make the Dining Plan more clear?

What can Disney do to alleviate the impact of those who may not understand the Dining Plan?

[SBETigg]

We didn't use the Dining Plan on our last trip either, and I agree that it could be frustrating being behind people who were using it in line. In one case, for example, I was at Yorkshire County Fish and Chips in a long line shortly before Illuminations. I was directly behind a family on their last day of the trip trying to get seventeen cs meals at once.

They didn't understand what the dessert choice was and if they could or couldn't make substitutions, didn't really know what they wanted. It took forever! Seventeen meals, because they didn't want the cs credits to go to waste. I'm not sure how many people they were actually buying for at the time. But I definitely can see that the Dining Plan can be a source of frustration. We are using it on our next trip, but we're armed with knowledge.

[HndrdPrcnt]

I totally hear you and understand the frustration. I think that they should do a much better job of educating the people who book a trip with the dining plan. However, that said, I LOVED being on the plan on my last trip and we took full advantage of it. Our family loves to sit down for nice meals at least once a day, so it really worked out for us. We got our money's worth and then some!! So, with that, I am glad that Disney offers it. I just wish that they would reduce the numbers of days out to make your reservations and I wish that they would keep at least 40% of the tables open for walk-ups so that way you don't have to plan out your whole trip so far in advance and then be stuck to the resies that you made.

[Bruegge]

I said that same thing to myself as I've read all these DDP posts and question

... I bet the lines are longer because of all the DDP quesions and issues... "what do you mean I'm out of CS credits" " Oh this isn't MY CARD get the other card out of the stroller"

(am i the only one seeing THIS happening??)

And I feel sorry for the poor CM that doesn't "hold the hand" of said person and walk them through their food purchase like they are the First people to use DDP. If they answer a stupid question too quickly they are gonna get yelled at.

Before you are allowed to buy and use the DDP you should have to pass a test....

post it here..... IMHO

Shame I'm not in charge

Scott

[Goofeygal]

Me and my DH have said the same thing. It seems that it takes forever when you get behind someone that has the DP. You are right in saying that they need to be educated better on how it works, it would save everone alot of time including themselves,

[KAJUNKING]

mabey just a good explanation at check in would work, anything would help

[dmallan]

Maybe they should have a special line at the CS restaurants for families on the DDP!

[Speedy1998]

mabey just a good explanation at check in would work, anything would help

They give you an info packet at check-in that tells you all about it, it takes less than 5 minutes to read all the way through. The problem is, most people do not take the time to read the info packets that they get at check in.

[Marker]

I guess I've been lucky. I can't say I've experienced delays solely because of DDP. Sure I've been behind people who seem to extra "care", but it's definitely not always because of the DDP. There are always people in line wanting to make substitutions, changing their order, not knowing what they want, dealing with kids, etc, regardless of the use of DDP.

You know, I may occasionally be the person in line with an extra question or two, and when I am I certainly appreciate the CM allowing me the opportunity to ask, and I also appreciate them taking time to help me. So if the people in front of me need an extra moment or two, that's ok. After all, I'm on vacation, I don't need to be in a rush. A little patience can be a wonderful thing. But that's just me.

[Sharon1026]

I've never had a problem with people in line. It's sort of like fast passes. Once people get used to it, it will go much smoother.

[heart4princephillip]

Maybe they shoudl have a special line at the CS restaurants for families on the DDP!

That's a fantastic idea!

[Katiebell]

I guess I've been lucky. I can't say I've experienced delays solely because of DDP. Sure I've been behind people who seem to extra "care", but it's definitely not always because of the DDP. There are always people in line wanting to make substitutions, changing their order, not knowing what they want, dealing with kids, etc, regardless of the use of DDP.

You know, I may occasionally be the person in line with an extra question or two, and when I am I certainly appreciate the CM allowing me the opportunity to ask, and I also appreciate them taking time to help me. So if the people in front of me need an extra moment or two, that's ok. After all, I'm on vacation, I don't need to be in a rush. A little patience can be a wonderful thing. But that's just me.

ITA. But I work in a customer service job, I'm paid to be patient with people. I'm actually more likely to try to offer suggestions and explain the plan if I notice someone is confused or unsure how it works. It's a compulsion to try to be helpful, I guess.

[r4kids]

I think it may be more a problem with people being uninformed than with the dining plan. It's not the dining plan's fault people don't choose to read or become informed. The same could be said for many things as far as ADR's (dining plan or not), parade times, fast pass lines. We chose to become informed about the dining plan before going so we were prepared when we arrived. I can only hope others will do the same but we know how that goes.

[JPL]

I have to say this has been really bad at the snack carts. It's not only the guests but some of the CM's seem just as clueless as to what is going on.
I also noticed a big problem at Cosmic Rays since there are 3 different lines and I saw a person order their entire meal after saying she was on the dining plan the CM asked her for the card. Her response oh my husband has it he is getting chicken just tell them over there what I ordered. Needless to say she had to call over to her husband wait until he checked out and came over with the card. Held up the entire line about 15 minutes since not only was the guest clueless but the CM didn't know how to void out the transaction or for that matter who to call for help.

[VickiP]

I don't mean to be a pain here, but I worked at a major fast food chain for 5 years. Believe me, that kind of stuff goes on there too, so while part of it may be people being new to the plan, that's not the entire explanation.

I will say that we are going to use the plan for the first time in May. I can't say that we have had a lot of explanation of what it is we get with the plan. I'm hoping what they give us at check in is a little more helpful.

[dtootsie42]

I was directly behind a family on their last day of the trip trying to get seventeen cs meals at once.

I have read this type of comment not only on Intercot but on another board. People keep saying it's a good deal but it seems that a lot of people scramble to use all their "credits" so how can it turn out to be a good deal if you are paying x amount of money for x amount of table service, counter service etc. but you are not using all the credits?

We are a family of 5 and I will be the first to admit that we are not in the norm. We have never used the plan because for us it does not save us money. We stay at the concierge level in the Poly so usually have a light breakfast there, then we have a sit down meal for lunch or dinner (we do more lunches than dinners). We are not big appetizer or dessert people it's just way to much food, we usually just get our entree and a drink.

I've heard all sorts of pros and cons for the plan and I guess it comes down to choosing what suits you best. I do agree that the plan needs to be explained better because there seems to be, for some people, a great deal of confusion.

Sorry to be so long!

Dec. 97-Contemporary
Dec. 99-Poly
2000-Disneyland
Dec. 2001-Poly Concierge
Dec. 2003-Poly Concierge
Dec. 2005-Poly Concierge
Upcoming trip
Dec. 2007-Poly Concierge

[MsMin]

I love the plan and most times I know what I want and I understand the plan but the problem comes in when the CS is not clear. An entree at one place includes a side and at the next it doesn't and you have to pick one.
FOR EXAMPLE: A CS is an entree, side, desert and drink. But if you get a burger it comes w/ fries so you don't get a side but if you get a chicken sandwich it doesn't come w/ fries so you need a side and desert do you want fries??? Say you want a shake it looks like a drink but it's a desert so you can get a drink and a shake but you don't want two drinks. Then you go to the next place and you get a flatbread sandwich and it doesn't come w/ a side b/c there are veggies on the sandwich which count as your side and no you can't get a shake as a desert it's a drink here. You would be surprised at the differences among the restaurants.
If they were marked w/ symbols (some simple notation) not gibberish you can't read from 25 ft. For lunch you get a star - entree, a dot, side, a crescent- desert and a triangle -drinks. Then mark the items like prices.... the burger and fries cost a star and dot. They just need to make it easier for substituting if they are going to allow so many changes.
We try to organize what we want to eat before getting in line whether we are using DDP or not. It makes it easier to have a note w/ 1 person.

[angedeaile]

I know I have tried to study up on this information and understand the plan completely before I decide to add that to my package. I don't want to be one of these individuals who don't understand the plan and jump into it...not understanding the ins and outs. Not only that, but I am sure it is frustrating to feel lost and confused at the counters.

MsMin did a great job of supplying examples. I noticed that other people had problems on my last trip and I know I was glad I didn't sign up for the program. This is also why I am hesitant, but want to try something new.

Overall, I think things could be alot easier if every dining place in DW got on the same page. I think it might make a dent on some of that extra confusion.

As for the woman who held up the line because her DH was in another line, that is just pure stupidity. If it wasn't the DDP card, it would have been a wallet or a credit card. Some people just need a good kick in the rear.

[LibertyTreeGal]

I understand this. I was at Cosmic Rays one night last Feb and I was listening to the most exhausted CM in the world give directions over and over again. So I got up to the register and said:

Dining Plan, 2 adults
Rotisserie, fries, coke, carrot cake
Rotisserie, fries, water, chocolate cake


He looked at me with such shocked gratitude that I thought he might cry. I said that I had been listening to him since I got in line and that I was sorry that people weren't listening to the people in front of them otherwise they would already know what he needs to know. Those poor people, I have to admit that this does make the Dining Plan a hassle.....

[Dewgin]

As for my family, we've been saving for years and this is our first trip. We are on the DDP for several reasons, the main 2 being that it saves us money and we won't have the concern of "do we have enough left to eat today", since we are going on a budget.