New DDP - How's it working out?

[Marker]

I know, everyone hates it. I know, it's not as good a deal as it was before. I know, it's not free when they have "Free Dining". I know, "no one with any intelligence at all could possibly ever save any money". I know, anyone who says they like it must not be being honest. I know, the DDP has ruined service, ruined the menus, ruined the ability to get a seat, and ruined vacations. I know the complaints, I've heard them often enough.

But now that it's March, and the new plan has been in place for a couple of months, I'd like to hear how it's going. I'd like to hear what people's experience has been with it. Actually, I'd like to hear from people who ACTUALLY USED and LIKED the previous version, to see what they think of it now that they have used the new plan. I'd like to hear a critique, and not just complaints.

I've got my fingers crossed. :fingers:

[Duchess99]

Great idea Marker! This will be great to hear feedback. I loved the old plan and I'm anxious to hear how the new plan is working out!

[Itchy]

In response to your question on the dining plan.

I have had the old version which I thought was great as I love the appetizers and am not a dessert fan. My dear lady friend loves desserts and nothing went to waste.

The new version is good and loved it on our last visit the week of Valentines Day.

The food was excellent, service great, and had no problem with paying out the 18+ precent gratuity. I wish that they would allow you to switch the dessert for appetizer.

As far as value I found that with the resturants that we ate at we got more than our moneys worth. I guess knowing that we could have anything that we wanted and did not need to worry about the price is the big selling point for us.

Unless there are any big changes I will continue to get the DDP I really feel that it is well worth it.:thumbsup:

Well thats my opinion, and with that and 50 cents I can get a cup of coffee with my AARP card at McDonalds.:blush:

[MickeyChick]

We used the new DDP on our trip at the end of January and did not ever use the old version.

We loved the DDP and thought it was a great deal, even without the tip and app. We used restaurants that were family style or buffet and even that way, we saved a ton of money based on our receipts. It basically worked out that the cost of the DDP covered whatever TS we had that day. We ordered expensive entrees or buffets and then when you add on dessert (which are also kinda costly) it worked out that our CS and snacks were essentially "free." We tipped based on the service we received, between 15 and 20 percent and only had horrible service once, at Boma.

[Marker]

well, at least there were a couple people who have used it.

[SurferStitch]

I must admit...we haven't used the new plan, but I wanted to share this....

I actually did some serious number crunching to compare the DDP to just using our DDE for our upcoming trip.

We had an offer to add the DDP to our room-only AP ressie without having to purchase the 1 day ticket. So, I pulled up my Excel workbook, and started crunching numbers to determine if it was a good deal.

We still got our AP discount on the room, so that was good. I then factored in the cost of the DDP per day. We know what TS meals we will be doing, so I estimated each meal cost based on what we usually order (including tax/tip). I then added in CS meals and snacks to get a pretty accurate estimate.

I came up with a full DDE price for food for our trip. I then did another calculation for all of our food including DDP, DDE (for TS items that aren't covered under DDP), tips and any OOP things to compare to the DDE only cost.

To my surprise, it was pretty much a dead heat. One option didn't really save me anything over the other (Maybe a $50 difference or so, which is nothing considering this is just an estimate).

So, we are sticking with the DDE just to keep things simple (I can't imagine the nightmare of splitting the bill for DDP, DDE and tip charges, especially with how the system still doesn't seem ironed out).

We did do the DDP in 2006, and we saved a ton of money. I can't remember for sure now, but it was somewhere around $750 after I factored in room cost, DDP cost, and OOP costs for an 11 day trip.

[Marker]

I really appreciate hear people's experience. I don't have a trip in the works, but hope to soon. I've used the DDP 3 times in the past and loved it. Prior to using the DDP we seldom ate at a Table Service restaurant, perhaps 1 or 2 per trip, but NEVER every day.

It's difficult for me to make a direct comparison of the difference between using it and not using is. The reason is, if I choose to NOT use it, then we probably will not eat at as many Table Service choices. If I'm paying out-of-pocket for all my meals, I'll no doubt choose other less expensive (counter service) options. And if I did eat at a table service restaurant, I seriously doubt I'd ever order dessert. So, my eating style changes, making any comparison much less valid.

Likewise, comparing the old plan to the new is not necessarily a fair comparison either. People tend to compare the value as if they ordered the exact same thing. But in reality, if I'm using the plan, I probably will not order an appetizer because I would be "thinking about the cost", whereas with the plan you don't have to think about the cost.

[TheDuckRocks]

We used the new DDP in Jan. This was the first time for us to use any of the dining plans as in the past we used the DDE with our annual passes.
With careful planning, for a party of 4 adult DDP credits for 7 nights and 2 adult DDP credits for 8 nights (my DH and I stayed an extra night so we could go on the Disney cruise) we saved $527.82.:thumbsup:

[nicjohn3]

Hello--I have never used the ddp in the past, however, having many snow days and being a teacher this year, I sat down with menus and prices and did alot of research and planning since I had the time. I chose to make many reservations at high priced TS restaurants. I also planned out our CS meals as well. I estimated snacks at $3 a day. I came up with pretty much breaking even with the adults, however, we will be staying 6 nights, 7 days. I have it planned so that we will get 7 full days of meals (lite breakfast in room).

When I took in consideration of 2 adults and 2 kids(who only cost $10 a day), we are saving lots with the kids. As a group, we will be saving about $150. We did alot of character meals (buffets) that cost $12-$15 for a child. Right there it pd for itself.

I much rather have an appetizer than the dessert (you can use an appetizer as a meal sometimes), however with careful planning, traveling with the children, and ordering "high priced meals" (something I probably would not do if I did not have the plan). I think is still a good deal-going this route. Not as good as in the past though.

I strongly suggest to do your research and PLAN ahead!! It was a good deal for us with the kids, but as I said --just adults not sure if its a good deal.

We leave in 7 days for POR!! Cant wait!:mickey:

[dolphinmickey9170]

This is what we had for our DDP in May of 2007. This was for three adults for 12 nights.

The total spent for TS was $1355.60
The total spent for CS was $ 433.31
The total spent for Snacks $ 94.30
With a grand total of $1883.21
DDP Cost for 3 Adults - $1403.64
This is a savings of $ 479.57

I think this worked out pretty well.

I will be trying the new plan in 70 days. I will be doing an exact comparison such as this one to see if the plan is worth it. When I have crunched the numbers earlier this year, the numbers seem to come out with a much smaller savings, but a savings none the less. I agree with a previous poster about not worrying what the price of an item is, it's already paid for. So, we'll see. Thanks for this thread Marker. I sure hope we get some great information vs complaints.

[poeticeclipse]

There is one thing that many people don't figure in when deciding whether or not to use the DDP.

If you weren't on the DDP, how would you eat? How did you eat before the DDP ever existed? Would you eat 1 table service meal a day if you weren't using the DDP?

Before the DDP, we never ate at a TS restaurant. EVER! It was just too expensive for us. But, the DDP came along, we tried it, we loved it.. end of that story. But, with the new DDP... we probably won't go back to using the DDP unless we have the extra money to spend. We're going cheaper on this next trip so we're giving up the DDP and just picking a few of our favorite TS meals and eating CS for the rest of the trip.

If you DO eat at least 1 TS meal a day... the DDP probably will work for you.

[Jared]

If you DO eat at least 1 TS meal a day... the DDP probably will work for you.
That's what I thought, too, but it's not the case for my family. Before the advent of the Disney Dining Plan, we ate one counter service and one table service meal per day. But I priced out what we would normally order against the price of the plan, and we would finish behind if we used the plan.

We would never order dessert with counter service meals, nor would we each order a dessert at the table service restaurants. Generally, we would split two among our family of five. We also would never all have a beverage every meal. Generally, my brother and sister are allowed one soft drink per day, while my parents rarely have soda. I drink lemonade, but never twice each day.

So when you consider everything, the plan is still a lousy value for my family, and we end up wasting so much food.

[SurferStitch]

There is one thing that many people don't figure in when deciding whether or not to use the DDP.

If you weren't on the DDP, how would you eat? How did you eat before the DDP ever existed? Would you eat 1 table service meal a day if you weren't using the DDP?

That's an excellent point. Luckily for us, we didn't change our eating habits at all. If anything, we ate at FEWER TS restaurants with the DDP so we could use up the CS credits for lunch (used to do a lot more TS lunches). So basically, the DDP saved us even MORE than the $750 I calculated. :thumbsup:

[PinKy]

DH and I have used the DDP ever since it was the "Silver Plan" on the old system..... we have always loved it. We are also planning to use the "new" DDP in 2 weeks when we go and aside from the new tipping policy, I don't expect any changes. The thing that I liked most about the previous DDP was that tips were included so we didn't have to carry any $ into the parks if we didn't want to...... just our room cards. We didn't have to budget in a % of meals per week for tips..... this time we are having to do that and I have to say it is time consuming trying to figure out an approximate tip per meal per week!

"Value" can mean different things. We certainly do not go to WDW to save money. We go because we love the place/atmosphere/entertainment. We would never expect to purchase the DDP to save money. That being said, to us it was very valuable to not have to worry about all of the inconviences of budgeting for meals or tips. We were willing to pay for the service and convenience, so to us this was very valuable and we always felt we were getting our money's worth.

And as for service, we only recieved "bad" service twice in 7 years and I believe that had nothing to do with the dining plan.... it was just someone's bad day at work. (and it wasn't all that bad.... just not the typical good service that we expect)

I don't think that the DDP has ruined the service, although I think it may have influenced the menus and the crowds. (again though, its Disney - its going to be busy....)

I say, book your DDP and have a good time! Let all the "complainers" worry about their own "value".

[Jeri Lynn]

Can anyone tell me if the gratuity is added to the check?

I understand it is no longer part of the DDP.

Thanks!

[poeticeclipse]

Can anyone tell me if the gratuity is added to the check?

I understand it is no longer part of the DDP.

Thanks!

From what I understand, gratuity is up to you to decide.

[jszczur5]

From what I understand, gratuity is up to you to decide.

Only if you are a party of 5 or less, otherwise 18% is automatically added to your bill.
It is for this reason that my family of 4 and my brother's family of 4 have separate reservations at the same time at the same restaurants for our upcoming summer trip.
I want to decide the gratuity, as I find the service to be much better if the tip has to b earned. We have done DDP for 10 days for each of the last 2 years, and have found the service to be sub-par at 3 meals, outstanding at 1, above average at 2 or 3, and average at the rest.
I would never tip 18-20% for sub-par or average service.

[chick20679]

We just used the 'new' DDP on our last trip (early Feb). We have used the 'old' plan too on previous trips.

We are going again in May, and we have the DDP set up. And in September. And December.

As you can tell, we like the DDP just as well the 'new' way. Even without the appetizer.

Granted, paying out of pocket, we would definitely NOT eat at a TS restaurant everyday. Nor would we order dessert (particularly with lunch).
But..... for us, that's part of why we use the DDP. You can order whatever you want and not have to worry about how much you have left in your pocket. So, on the last night of your vacation, you can have the filet mignon and worry that it's almost 30 bucks!! And then, have the creme brulee! It's your VACATION after all!!! :party:
It is alot of food, but somehow we managed to choke it all down! ;)

{On a side note on that "lunch dessert" - grab something that is wrapped and stick it your bag for a snack later. :tasty:}

We haven't had any problems with our service being less that what it should be on the DDP - we had meals at Spoodles, Concourse Steakhouse & Akershus this last trip and our service was very good, if not great.

The bottom line: amidst all the jabberwocky, the DDP still works for us. :thumbsup:

[Hull-onian]

We are going to try the DDE for the first time. There is four in our party. I don't know if we are going save anything. In all the years we have gone, we have always paid full price. We also learned that if you want a nice TS meal you really need to have an ADR. That being said, we learned our lesson the hard way. We have 38 more days to go. Can't wait.

[BelleLovesTheBeast]

We did the DDP for the first time last year and loved it. I wish they hadn't made the changes just like everyone else. Because of this I'm thinking of calculating everything out for both the DDP and DDP deluxe. When I get a chance I'll post it. I'll also list the restaurants and prices of what we would be ordering. I think it's the only way I can make up my mind on whether or not it's worth it to me. Maybe it will help someone else too.

[Duchess99]

Great review chick20679...Thanks!:thumbsup:

[Janmac]

Definitely our dining habits changed with the old DDP as we have for many trips eaten 3 TS meals a day. Tho we were struggling with adapting to the CS meals, we have tried the old DDP twice and feel we did save, as many of our suppers' actual costs exceeded the price of that day's DDP cost.

We have not yet used the new DDP, altho we have estimated, with the menus here at Info Central, what our meals should cost on our upcoming trip.

With potential AP discounts in mind, we compared DDE costs to the DDP with our OOP breakfasts, added in. Just with meals, it looks as the we could save several hundred dollars with the DDE over the DDP, even paying extra for an Annual Pass. If there's a substantial room discount, the DDE might be the way to go. As Surferstitch discovered, this is very family specific, whether DDE or DDP is the greater savings.

We're still fence sitting at this point. And watching this thread with interest. Thanks, Marker.

Jan

[DisneyDoug2]

I used the new DDP in Jan of this year, overall I thought it was still a good value and since we were staying on site charging the tip, drinks, or extras back to the room was as easy as charging the whole meal without having to worry about what the kids were ordering.

The best part of the new plan that I liked was the ability to determine the tip based on my criteria of how the server performed their job not on an automatic 18% based on what ever mode they were in at the moment. I have to say I never did receive bad service this trip or last year when we were on the old plan. The one thing that I would change would be the option for an appetizer instead of a dessert. My family is split 50/50 when it comes to wanting an appetizer or a dessert.

And yes I would sign up for it again. Its nice not worrying about how much your spending on food while your on vacation.

[lightyearfan]

well me and dw have done the old DDP on our last 3 trips, and we thought that it was the best thing that we could have done, we heard alot of complaints, but decided to see for ourselves, and i'm glad we did!! the service/food/quality of food was outstanding, to be honest we got the best service that we've ever gotten while on the DDP. now onto the new plan although we haven't tried it yet, (upcoming trip for June), we did upgrade from the DDP basic to the DDP deluxe, so for us with the exception of the tip(which we always left at least $10 on the old plan anyway), the new plan shouldn't effect us, if anything it will be better because of the 3 meal's as opposed to just 1 TS and 1 CS on the old, so we are anticipating a wonderful new plan, we'll let you know when we we get back.

Victor