NEW!!!! 2008 DDP Poll and comments About This Page:

[i'm all ears]

When we went in March we used the DDP and loved it!
For our family we enjoyed the sit down dinners and the fact that everything was paid for when we got there, no stressing over how much we were spending!

[dkfajr1]

We just got back and used the Deluxe DDP. We loved it and since DH eats so much I don't think he would have it any other way. I thought it was great value as well.

[mommadjones]

We have used the ddp in the past. we were very sad to hear that they had made the changes to the plan. We will use the plan again when we go in Jan. butI will be keeping track of the costs per meal for my family. Then I can decide if we did save any on the plan. My husband and I are vegetarians and find the food that we order is some cheaper then the food your normal patron would order. I loved the plan in the past but will reserve final judgment until Jan.09

[Tinkerbelly]

We have used the DDP the last couple of years and absolutely think it is Fabulous! We had thought about the Deluxe for this year and decided it was a no..too much good food, too much sitting and eating..we want more free time. Other than that, you can't go wrong with this plan..it's great!

[starkat3]

We used the basic dining plan this past May, and it worked out great for us. It was nice to be able to order anything you wanted off the menu and not worry about how much it cost. As for gratuities, I has about $250.00 on a Disney Visa reward card, and I used that for all our gratuities. That seemed to make leaving a tip a little less painful.

[Kristen C.]

We are going with the basic DP in August. I like the idea of not having to worry about my meal and being able to plan them in advance, all I have to figure out is the tip (and any extras that the kids want)

[WDW_Fan]

I did the basic DDP on my last trip and really liked the fact that everything was pre-paid.

On my upcoming trip I decided to upgrade to the Deluxe dining plan and am really excited!! It's giving me the chance to try several "signature" restaurants. It was $200 more, but I think totally worth it, since several of the meals would be $60-80 each.

[mimidodaplgo]

This will be my first time using a DDP on my upcoming WDW trip in August and have heard past stories of people having problems with cashiers ringing in the wrong type meal (table service for a counter service, counter service for a snack, etc..) and am a little worried about this type mistake and what to do if it does happen. Will I have to keep an eagle's eye out on all items that I purchase with my DDP and maintain all my receipts to assure that this doesn't happen with me? What experiences have all of my fellow DDP users had in the past? Thanks in advance for your responses to this inquiry..

[mimidodaplgo]

Posted twice..sorry

[Wendyismyname]

Originally Posted by mimidodaplgo

This will be my first time using a DDP on my upcoming WDW trip in August and have heard past stories of people having problems with cashiers ringing in the wrong type meal (table service for a counter service, counter service for a snack, etc..) and am a little worried about this type mistake and what to do if it does happen. Will I have to keep an eagle's eye out on all items that I purchase with my DDP and maintain all my receipts to assure that this doesn't happen with me? What experiences have all of my fellow DDP users had in the past? Thanks in advance for your responses to this inquiry..

I think you'll hear both sides, the good and the bad. We never had trouble with CMs ringing the wrong credits. You sure could keep an eye on all that, just like you normally would probably keep your receipt. Me? I'm a bad person because as many things that I have to keep an eye out, watching the receipt never crossed my mind!

[sweetyface77]

My family and I have used the Disney Dining Plan the last two times that we were in the World and my mother/daughter trip in August will be no exception. As we were fortunate enough to be able to take advantage of the Free Dining, it was obvious that we would indeed take advantage of it.

I was not thrilled by the changes for 2008, however I've come to appreciate why there were down. Having had the dining plan in 2007, I noticed how truly bad the service really was due to the tip being included. Our trip in 2008 showed servers being more attentive and courteous as the tried to "wow" the families in order to be tipped better. The menus seemed to have expanded, even if just a bit since the appetizer portion was eliminated.

I have noticed that with the dining plan, I am able to eat at restaurants that I may have normally stayed away from due to the cost. I think that the DDP is a great addition to a vacation package and having it all layed out makes dining a bit easier then standing in the middle of the theme park, trying to decide what and where to eat.

[lura008]

We have never used the DP. It's just out of our budget since we would have three adults and one child for 7 nights. Since we drive, we go to I92 and eat. Also we go Super Target or Walmart and get snack and breakfast foods. I just couldn't justify the almost extra $1000 for food. We did do only one character meal which cost over $100. I like to cut corners wherever I can. I would like to have that extra money spent on table meals to get souveniers for us.
This time we got in on the FREE DINING. We had originally booked for Oct, but when the FD came out, I changed our days and so we will have FD. If it's really worth it, we may consider it in the future. I just don't really see that happening. But you never know.

[hldunlap]

The new dining plan is not as bad as it sounds. With the cost of everything going up, some things must be cut in order to keep costs down. It is happening everywhere. My family has used the plan before and we loved it.

The amount if your tip should always be a questionable thing. It should never be set in stone. I have worked in restaurants and have seen the service that people receive. There are many who think that they have to give a 15-20% tip no matter what. Not true!!!!!! You should give a tip based on your service. If you constantly give a guaranteed tip, the server has no reason to go above and beyond. I saw someone in an earlier post say that they do not tip as well for buffets. I also do not tip as well for them because I am the one serving my food. I do tip very well when my service is excellent.


Heather

[MAria R]

I am still deciding what to do about our June 09 trip. At first I thought I would get it because when we went in 04 (my son was only 5, i spent a lot of money on food, and a lot was wasted). He is older now so i can only imagine what he might eat, plus i like to try new places and this would be a good way to do that. And on that last trip we did quite a few sit down almost one a day.

But..... neither one of us really eat a lot but we usually want different meals so sharing is out of the question most of the time which is why things get wasted, neither can finish the large servings you get. I also don't want to over eat worrying about getting my money's worth.

So I am still totally confused and i need to make up my mind soon so i can book my trip.

[Kristen C.]

We just got back and did the math....we accually saved $$$$ by using the DDP. We would have paid about 2-3 Thousand OOP but everything was prepaid and we didn't have to worry about anything but the tip. We really did find that service droped off, but I wasn't over impressed that I recieved a "bill" for my gratuity at a buffet. When we asked about it we were told that that was what we HAD to pay as a minimum.