More 2008 DDP information About This Page:

[jhoshowski]

Deb from AllEarsNet has posted some information on the 2008 DDP. Of course not official, but if Deb is posting, I would trust it.

UPDATE INFO: 7/31/07
1) The Deluxe Dining plan still does NOT include gratuity. It DOES include the appetizer.
2) No word on DVC member pricing.
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There has been lots of internet chatter about changes coming to the 2008 Magic Your Way Dining plans. AllEars now hears the following is scheduled to be announced in August:
1) Automatic Gratuity will be removed from all 2008 packages that include dining. Tax will still be INCLUDED, but the gratuity will not.
2) The Magic Your Way Plus Dining Plan as we know it today will change for 2008. Gone will be the appetizer from the Table Service meal. The full service option will consist of entree, dessert and non-alcoholic beverage. The price goes down just $1 per person per day to $37.99 for those 10 and older. $9.99 for those 3-9.
3) 2008 will see the introduction of the Magic Your Way Plus DELUXE Dining Plan. This plan will include: 3 meals a day - your choice of table service or counter service; 2 snacks per day per person; a Resort Refillable Mug for each person on the reservation. Signature restaurants will still count as 2 Table Service meals, but now with the additional table service meals, dinner shows and signature restaurants may be more doable. Price will be $69.99 for those 10 and older and $19.99 for those 3-9.
4) The last major change will probably be the addition of a Magic Your Way Plus Wine package. For $39.99 per night you may order a bottle of wine at your Disney restaurant or from a location on property that sells wine (like resort stores). It can not be purchased separately and may only be an add-on to a Dining Package. There are still a lot of details to work out on this including if there will be a special wine list to order from or a dollar limit. Sounds like if you are at a Signature Restaurant that takes 2 Table Service credits, you will also be charged 2 Wine credits if on the add-on plan.
Again, this is UNofficial information. Look for Walt Disney World to officially announce the 2008 packages and dining options in August.

You can link to Deb's blog here: 2008 Dining Plan Changes (Deb's Digest)

[disneydani]

Thanks for the update...I guess we will have to crunch the numbers to see how this all works out!

danielle

[jimmymac]

Thanks for the info. I think dropping the gratuituty is going to make many people opt out of the plan

[krisk11]

The deluxe plan with 3 meals & 2 snacks a day plus the mug sounds great at $69.99 a day as I could easily eat $70 a day at WDW but the major draw for me with the dining plan is not having to carry any money with me and knowing that every meal is paid for before my arrival but if I have to carry money to cover tips I just know I won't do it.

[cherylf]

thanks for the info. I agree that one of the biggest pluses of the DDP was that I didn't need to worry about having cash on hand for any of my meals. I will have to get out the old spreadsheet and do some number crunching to see if the DDP still makes sense for us.

[lukeandbrookesmom]

I heard something similar on a WDW podcast. The other thing I heard was that the snacks were going to be more limited also. For us the price is still reasonable, even if we will have to bring money for tips.

[RobDVC]

I think it's still a reasonable plan, but it's definitely not the super bargain it has been.
Gonna take some publicizing to make it known that gratuity is not included... I'm sure there will be some repeat DDP users who might not realize tips are no longer included, and might make for some uncomfortable conversations between guests and CM waiters.

[chezp]

Interesting - especially the idea of the three meals, which can be either table or counter service. We don't generally eat counter service, which is why the Dining Plan has never worked for us until now, so the changes may mean we give it a go in the future...

[dwelke]

Wow. This is going to be a big change! One of the reasons we purchased the plan was because of all the food with gratuity included.

I sure hope this somehow doesn't affect the package I already have booked. We are traveling to WDW with the DDP 12/29/07 - 1/4/08. I would hope that I won't have problems from 1/1 - 1/4.

Anybody have any thoughts?

[JohnB]

I would call Disney and make real sure that they are going to honor the program for the length of your stay. I would think they would, but who knows?

[Jookiba]

I'm kinda mixed. While it's still a good deal to us (there's no way we can each eat two meals a day for LESS than the cost of the plan) I liked it being all-inclusive. However, during our last trip (and first try of the dining plan) I noticed that the service was much less compared to when we were paying OOP. It seemed as if the servers didn't care-either way, they were getting their tip.

I wish they would have reduced it by a few more dollars to make up for the losing of the tip and appetizer. I'm anxious to see how this flies with the general public.

[lukeandbrookesmom]

Donna-
I would think they'd honor the old plan as long as the trip starts before the plan changes take affect. But calling can't hurt.

[BigfishSM]

I too will have to crunch some numbers. One question that comes to mind is who decides on the tip? Will a table of 8 get a bill for an included tip or will we be able to decide how much to tip?

[poohbear.u.k.]

Thanks for the info.

[angiek1024]

I probably would not do the regular dining plan minus the appetizer and tips. I think the Deluxe plan does sound interesting though. Alot of money but it might be good to try for a week and experience alot of different places in one trip!