What would you do to improve DDP?

[mhelsley]

I haven't done DDP yet but i have a few ideas.

I think we should be given two snack credits and then take away our CS dessert. But then i think Disney should allow CS desserts to count as a snack credit(for those who want dessert). This would help those of us with sugar problems plus make the coming back for dessert(icecream or at another location)much easier. I know that the CS desserts cost slightly more but i really believe DW would come out on top as it seems most people don't want dessert with every meal and they would use the extra credit for the cheaper options(the regular snack they offer now).

So what changes would you make?

 

[sameyeyam]

I would let people trade 1 sit down meal for 2 counter services. Some days we really don't feel like having a giant sit down meal. We could then have a counter service breakfast, lunch & dinner.

Also, many CMs are confused by what a snack is. Minute Maid frozen lemonade is a snack at EP, but not at TL! All ice cream at Pop Century is a snack, except Hagen Dazs. Seems like they would state that on the freezer, next to the DDP symbol. I guess they like people to get up to the cash register and have to argue! I would make sure that all snacks at each location area CLEARLY marked!

Here would be my ideal DDP: You eat whatever you want, wherever you want at all Disney Parks. Think about it, you eat a ton of food on the DDP plan anyway. I made a pig of myself eating so many huge meals. If they had just allowed me to eat anywhere or whatever I wanted each day, I probably would have consumed less than the huge meals I was served! If you are a snacker, you could just have small things to eat all day, if you are into buffets, why not sample a little of all of them??

Boy, do I live in a Disney Dream World or what??!!

 

[calie_j]

I'd change the snack credits to any item under $3 (just picked that number out of thin air). This would give a much bigger variety to snacks and allow them to be used for breakfast items, dole whips, bakery items, etc. I like your idea too.

Calie

 

[formernyer]

I agree with the snack credit idea and $3.00 is the perfect value for it (since that's the high-end of what currect snack items cost. The problem is that people are never happy...if Disney changed the snack credit to any item $3.00 or less, then people would change their complaints to, "Why can't I buy a $4.00 item and just pay $1.00 OOP for it?"

IMO the absolute most important change Disney needs to make to the DDP is to add a Juniors price for the 10-13 year olds. Many kids in that age group still have child appetites. Disney should offer Junior DDPs for somewhere in the $23.99/day range and the meals should include the child's choice of either a larger-sized portion of a kid's meal or a smaller-portioned adult meal. Appetizers should be included for the Juniors, but in a smaller portion than the adult menu offers. The Junior rate should be an OPTION for kids this age, but parents should be able to purchase the full $37.99 adult meal plan for Juniors if they have a larger appetite.

 

[wdwobsessed]

Well the biggest thing would be for them to send you the DDP information with your reservation confirmation. We didn't get ours until check-in. People who are not internet savy wouldn't have a clue about ADR's or anything!

More snack options.

WDWO

 

[ShellyMouse]

IMO the absolute most important change Disney needs to make to the DDP is to add a Juniors price for the 10-13 year olds. Many kids in that age group still have child appetites. Disney should offer Junior DDPs for somewhere in the $23.99/day range and the meals should include the child's choice of either a larger-sized portion of a kid's meal or a smaller-portioned adult meal. Appetizers should be included for the Juniors, but in a smaller portion than the adult menu offers. The Junior rate should be an OPTION for kids this age, but parents should be able to purchase the full $37.99 adult meal plan for Juniors if they have a larger appetite.

i totally agree with this. i think it's ridiculous to charge $38.00 for a 10 yo to eat.

 

[LoriZH]

I wouldn't change anything except to make it CLEARER for those who have never done it before.

I love the plan, think it's great. I obviously don't get everything you're entitled to because it's just too darn much! lol But I wouldn't change a thing...oops except give it away for free....oh snap they are

 

[PrincessNED]

BOOZE

 

[aubriee]

1. Include three meals/day (two CS and one TS) as well as a snack item.

2. Enforce that if someone pays for a child's plan that it is used for a child. I think it's absurd that people are using a $11.99/day plan (for kids) to buy adult meals (complete with appetizers, entrees, desserts, and drinks) at TS restaraunts. No wonder childless couples are contemplating inventing kids.

 

[bicker]

I'd definitely like to see them enforce that if someone pays for a child's plan that it is used for a child. Any program structured to provide incentive to make up things like that is just-plain-wrong.

I'm not sure about three meals per day. I think the dining plan already includes too much food as it is.

 

[fakereadhed]

IMO the absolute most important change Disney needs to make to the DDP is to add a Juniors price for the 10-13 year olds. Many kids in that age group still have child appetites. Disney should offer Junior DDPs for somewhere in the $23.99/day range and the meals should include the child's choice of either a larger-sized portion of a kid's meal or a smaller-portioned adult meal. Appetizers should be included for the Juniors, but in a smaller portion than the adult menu offers. The Junior rate should be an OPTION for kids this age, but parents should be able to purchase the full $37.99 adult meal plan for Juniors if they have a larger appetite.

I think that's a great idea. Maybe they should create a junior menu anyway. Or go back to kids being 3-11...I think the 10-12 age range gets the most complaints about the DDP around here.

 

[bicker]

I think junior pricing would be a great idea. Say $38 regular price, then, $26 for juniors (9-11), and $12 for young children (3-8).

 

[Pedler]

I think an option to add an extra CS meal per day for everyone in the group would be a good idea and relatively simple. They could have a $5 per person per day charge or something like that.

I also agree that they should give people the dinning plan info with the rest of their documents once they pay for the package. Lets face it when you check in you are ready to start enjoying your Disney vacation, not read through all the documents that they give to you at check in.

I also think that it would be good if they established consitency in how the plan is implemented across the board. If a frozen lemonade is a snack then it should be a snack everywhere. If its not a snack then it shouldn't be a snack anywhere.

A junior rate would be nice especially as our oldest turns 10 next year. I don't really see that happening as right now Disney essentially has 2 age groups and I can't see them creating a separate a third group just for the dining plan.

As for the enforcement I also agree that Disney should enforce its policies across the board. I think they do that for the most part now but of course that all depends on what you think the actual policy is.

BTW I think you could take the consitency in implementation and enforcement and apply it to many areas outside of the dinning plan as well.

 

[Hannathy]

I would like to see them fix the child credits so you can ONLY use them for child menu items. I think it is terrible how people are using the kid credits that they are paying child prices for as Adult Meals. Unfortunately if any loop hole is left dishonest people, and yes people are dishonest that do this, will find it and take advantage of it. You know what you paid for. Until this is fixed I don't see a Jr. price coming.
Allow you to use TS credits for CS esp since it can be so hard to get ADR's.

 

[Tink_Fan]

I like all of those ideas! I know that next year our daughter will be 10 and I doubt we will consider the dining plan because she eats like a bird. I just don't think it is worth us paying that much for her when she could really just share an adult meal with me.

I also wish we could eat where ever, not that I don't like the choices but there are places that I'd like to go to that isn't included in the plan. We would go but with all that food we already have it is kind of pointless for us.

I'm more of a grazer, so at the end of our trip I can barely look at any more food.

 

[Lewisc]

Allow customers to pay an up charge instead of using 2 credits for signature meals. Allow restaurants to offer one or two "signature" menu items that have an up charge. This will allow restaurants to still offer some exceptional dishes and will get rid of some of the hidden policies some restaurants are following. I'd consider dropping dessert with CS meals in favor of an extra snack credit, but only if Disney could do it within the present cost structure. That would limit items which are currently dessert but not snacks but would give us a little more flexibility.

Although it would be nice to include more snacks I suspect the wholesale price of the food, the difficulty in preparing the item and storage concerns rather than the selling price of the item is what determines what's included. Disney gets the bottled water and soda for next to nothing. That said I'd like to see if muffins and pastries could be officially added as a snack. That combined with coffee in our room or a refillable mug could be a light breakfast.
I don't know if the system could accomodate it, but I'd like the option to purchase an extra day of dining. Some trips I arrive before lunch and have an early evening flight home.


Changes which wouldn't benefit us but I'd like to see implemented only if the alternative is higher prices include a sharing charge and segmenting the credits into adult and child categories.

Disney recently changed the age for dining. They wanted the age for purchasing dining to be the same as tickets and it didn't make sense to charge 10 year olds the adult rate for dining but give them children meals. I don't see them adding a junior rate. Kids who are 9 and eat a lot don't do well on dining and 11 year old who eat very little don't do well. Famlies have to look at the plan like a buffet, if the family as a whole eats enough to get their monies worth then it's a good deal.

 

[Pedler]

I would like the idea of one more snack credit and removing the desert from the CS meals. We ended up throwing out more than one CS desert that was included with our meal. The extra snacks could have been used for more bottled water.

Expanding the snack choices would be nice but I would think that it would impact the cost. Right now the choices they have on the plan are high margin items.

 

[NYMom]

I would like to see Kid sized portions of adult meals at CS rest. It is sometimes difficult finding something healthy for DS8&11 to eat. Even though I don't like to do it, I sometimes order adult CS for DS8 to get him away from eating fried/carb rich foods at every meal. After a week of chicken nuggets, mac & cheese, PB&J's he is misrable with stomach problems.

 

[sameyeyam]

I was very appreciative of the CM's at CS meals on the DDP. They did not make my son stick to the kid's menu, so we did order adult meals for him that had a little higher nutritional content.

You are very right, the kids meals seem to be very high carb, high fat and lacking in vegetables & fruits! Seems like they could do something better for kids meals rather than just throwing a couple of carrot sticks on the side of a high fat mac n cheese meal and thinking that somehow makes it healthier.

We also found a good CS dessert that was available at many places. It was a sugar free strawberry desert with pudding. My entire family liked it better than the regular CS desserts (chocolate cake, brownie, etc...).

 

[cdtommie]

I would like to see some sort of signature dining plan option...maybe drop the snack credit and dessert with the counter service (two desserts in one day is a lot anyway) and have a basic one counter service and one signature dinner option (at a higher price at course). We tend to go to mostly signature restaurants and are trying the dining plan for the first time starting Sunday and are doing Spoodles/Kona Cafe/Cellier/Biergarten etc. during our five day trip - but my heart wants Flying Fish, Jiko's and Citrico's which we probably would have done using the DDE instead. We figure we'll give the dining plan a shot and see how it goes.