What would you do to improve DDP?

[gina2000]

I'd like to see the kids' credits only be allowed to be used for kids' meals. AND I'd like anyone on the plan to be able to buy and use a kids' credit option. This way, birdlike and/or picky eaters can eat from the children's menu on a child's credit option plan and adult type eaters could eat from the adult menu on an adult credit option plan. This takes care of the tweens.

 

[justplaingoofy]

I love the idea about the price for a snack... Whatever it is...

Instead of 1 snack... snack up to the value of $2.50? If you want something that costs more than that they you pay the difference. I think that would make it soooo much easier and would make their CM so much more consistent.

my vote.. yep... thats my vote


Okay, I have a second.. Be able to get dessert later..

 

[kaytieeldr]

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.

Okay, the "Junior" pricing isn't a bad idea (except what do you do about the parents trying to pass off their sixteen year old as thirteen to save a little money) but the portion thing wouldn't work.
"Okay, the slip says this order is for an eight-year-old, so we'll put three chicken fingers and fifteen fries on the plate; now this other person on the same order is a junior so we need to put four chicken fingers and twenty fries on that plate; now this other person on the same order is a junior but ordering from the adult menu so we'll plate four ounces of pot roast, one scoop of mashed potatoes and ten green beans; and for the adult meal we need eight ounces of pot roast, two scoops of potatoes and twenty-five green beans...."

BOOZE

Hey, now that's not a bad idea for an addo-on option, or an entirely separate plan

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.

Okay, good point. If they added a junior option to the dining plan, the next series of complaints would be "But my child is eleven and pays the Junior rate for the Dining Plan; what do you mean I have to pay the adult price for her park admission????"

Now, is this fantasy or reality? If I could make any change in the plan, it'd be to eliminate the Signature Restaurant designation and require the use of only one credit for all table service (but it's okay with me to continue to require two credits for the dinner shows ) So cdtommie's suggestion of a (slightly) more expensive option that allows you to use just one credit at the Signature restaurants is brilliant! You could use the credits for 'regular' table service venues as well, but it wouldn't be quite as good a deal.

Reality: I agree with everybody above who wants the plan changed so that childrens' credits can only be used for/by children ages three to nine.

 

[sameyeyam]

BOOZE

I SECOND THAT!! Add that to the DDP and who would really care what the plan did or did not have!! Let the kids talk to the CM's and figure it out when the meal's over!!

Of course if they added Booze to the plan my DH would probably move us into one of the Disney Resort's for eternity! Beer in hand, both of us weighing 600 pounds each from all the food, sitting next to the pool would be our retirement home!

 

[MinnieM3]

More snack offers! Anything $4.00 or less. Or anything sold at any cart or something definitive. I'm still kind confused about the snack options and whether they are enforced routinely at all locations.

 

[LoriZH]

oh brotha...can we please just have a fun post without tearing people apart?

I would like to see them enforce the "no picking on other disers" rule. Isn't this place for fun and for information not policing Disney, don't they have people who do that?

I have seen everyone been called cheap (for using the ddp) by the non ddp users, to dishonest for purchasing a child's meal, then use the credit for another meal for an adult (who cares, honestly, please if Disney cared they would tell you in the first place that you can't use them for all adult meals nevermind enforce it, what is it to any of us?). I just want everyone to stop policing Disney here, how bout' that for changing of the DDP, and I want them to stop giving it away for free because sooner or later someone is going to get really mad and write a wordy letter and I don't want to see any trees hurt by writing that nasty letter. I want to add tolerance to that list of what would I change on the DDP, yes that's it tolerance oh and I want to add that they send an apology card (via the internet to not hurt any trees) to all those who don't partake in the DDP on behalf of those who do...ummm that's it for now but I reserve my right to change my mind and add a few in case I get flamed

Sorry don't mean to snap but every post here has a follow up by someone who has a gripe about other people. Gripe about the price, gripe about the meal, but don't gripe about other people using it the way Disney allows it. Disney never told me personally that I have to use it for a child, they just said that a child has to order off the children's menu, if that was the case I wish they would recognize a 13 yo as a child not an adult, oh there I just added another one! In the words of that stand up citizen himself, Rodney King, please people can't we all just get along

now how bout that group hug???

 

[bicker]

In other words, you want everyone to agree with your priorities.

 

[LoriZH]

In other words, you want everyone to agree with your priorities.

lol, just lighten up here...it's meant to be a bit funny, didn't it make you laugh? lol

my priorities are family, friends and disney, so yup I do want them to agree

 

[bicker]

Oh yes, my message was meant to be funny too.

 

[formernyer]

Okay, the "Junior" pricing isn't a bad idea (except what do you do about the parents trying to pass off their sixteen year old as thirteen to save a little money) but the portion thing wouldn't work.
"Okay, the slip says this order is for an eight-year-old, so we'll put three chicken fingers and fifteen fries on the plate; now this other person on the same order is a junior so we need to put four chicken fingers and twenty fries on that plate; now this other person on the same order is a junior but ordering from the adult menu so we'll plate four ounces of pot roast, one scoop of mashed potatoes and ten green beans; and for the adult meal we need eight ounces of pot roast, two scoops of potatoes and twenty-five green beans...."

The portion thing would absolutely work. You make it seem like a science to make a Junior-sized portion. It's just not that difficult to scale up or scale down the entrees and sides. A possible exception would be steak, but honestly that shouldn't be too much of a problem either since my guess is that there would be a huge demand for Junior steak meals and the restaurant could just order a supply of smaller cuts. The concept isn't that difficult and it's already being done to an extent. Disney restaurants are generally very accommodating to requests for "adult-portion of child's menu entree," since there are so many "Junior" aged kids who are forced into the $37.99 adult DDP and don't like the adult menu choices.

 

[Pedler]

The portion thing would absolutely work. You make it seem like a science to make a Junior-sized portion. It's just not that difficult to scale up or scale down the entrees and sides. A possible exception would be steak, but honestly that shouldn't be too much of a problem either since my guess is that there would be a huge demand for Junior steak meals and the restaurant could just order a supply of smaller cuts. The concept isn't that difficult and it's already being done to an extent. Disney restaurants are generally very accommodating to requests for "adult-portion of child's menu entree," since there are so many "Junior" aged kids who are forced into the $37.99 adult DDP and don't like the adult menu choices.

I think the problem with Junior portions, and I would love to see it, is too many permutations of what to make if you had it for all the menu items. At most fast food places they have set routines to make everything. I still remember the exact portions that go into the items at the my first job when I was 16. They drill it into you. They can do that because there aren't that many portions. It isn't rocket science but in the fast food biz they don't want the folk making the food to think at all. It is strictly assembly line cooking.

 

[Pedler]

Lots of great ideas for suggestions to changes in the dinning plan but I think I can see why it is as simple as it is and will most likely stay simple. It has wide appeal in its current form and helps increase occupancy rates and spending while at the same time being simple to administer. As much as the suggestions are great having a 3 tier plan (adding a junior catagory), or an extra CS, or extra snack credit and so on just adds to the permutations that they have to sell and manage. Also the changes probably wouldn't bring in that many more sales but would increase the complexity of administering it and potential problems when mistakes are made.

I could see it now. Some one would ask for 1 child plan, 2 juniors, 2 adults, hold desert with CS but add a snack credit on the side and the booze option but only the domestic beer version not the mixed drink version. Wait, on second thought change that to an extra CS, no snack and add the import beer option.

 

[jjatwdw]

Way to go LoriZH!!! Very well put.

 

[bicker]

You may not have realized, jj, but Lori was joking.

I think the problem with Junior portions

Portioning wouldn't really matter much: The cost of ingredients is pretty minimal, so giving a full portion to a junior would be okay. The problem would be the actual options: Juniors wouldn't be universally happy with just more chicken fingers, nor would they be universally happy with a slightly smaller sized Malay Shrimp Curry -- you'd then have folks feeling that junior pricing wasn't an improvement at all because it didn't introduce a whole new set of menu items (something young teens would like). So the only way junior pricing would please everyone is if they expanded the menu substantially (make it like a New York Diner), and of course that would increase the prices pretty substantially too. No easy answers.

 

[Pedler]

You may not have realized, jj, but Lori was joking.

Portioning wouldn't really matter much: The cost of ingredients is pretty minimal, so giving a full portion to a junior would be okay. The problem would be the actual options: Juniors wouldn't be universally happy with just more chicken fingers, nor would they be universally happy with a slightly smaller sized Malay Shrimp Curry -- you'd then have folks feeling that junior pricing wasn't an improvement at all because it didn't introduce a whole new set of menu items (something young teens would like). So the only way junior pricing would please everyone is if they expanded the menu substantially (make it like a New York Diner), and of course that would increase the prices pretty substantially too. No easy answers.

I wasn't so much talking about the food cost as the operational details at the CS places. They function by having a set plan to make each item. Some places like Quiznos (sp?) even have posters setup near the workstations that show a visual flow chart of how to assemple each sandwich. This is a big training issue as these places have high turnover. They need to have consistency and speed with low skilled employees. (I know, I was one once many years ago in high school) The more options you offer the more challenging it becomes to have that cookie cutter approach. Its not that it isn't possible but I don't think most fast food operations would want to increase the number of menu items by having a junior version of everything.

 

[mickman1962]

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.

I agree 100%

 

[bicker]

The more options you offer the more challenging it becomes to have that cookie cutter approach. Its not that it isn't possible but I don't think most fast food operations would want to increase the number of menu items by having a junior version of everything.

Yes, definitely. Good point!

 

[formernyer]

I wasn't so much talking about the food cost as the operational details at the CS places. They function by having a set plan to make each item. Some places like Quiznos (sp?) even have posters setup near the workstations that show a visual flow chart of how to assemple each sandwich. This is a big training issue as these places have high turnover. They need to have consistency and speed with low skilled employees. (I know, I was one once many years ago in high school) The more options you offer the more challenging it becomes to have that cookie cutter approach. Its not that it isn't possible but I don't think most fast food operations would want to increase the number of menu items by having a junior version of everything.

We're not talking about fast food establishments where teenagers are serving. Most of the people working in the kitchens at Disney TS restaurants are adults and many of them are educated/trained chefs. They don't need a cookie cutter approach and, quite honestly, it isn't rocket science to put together a plate with 2 extra chicken strips or a few less grilled shrimp.

 

[bicker]

We're actually talking about both fast food establishments and table service restaurants. Unfortunately, whatever Disney does with regard to the Dining Plan must work for both environments.

Regardless, the age of the staff isn't the determining factor. One primary reason why small, new restaurants fail is that they put forth menus that are too large to be profitable. Ask any of the chef-consultants out there -- the first thing many of them recommend to the chef or owner of a struggling restaurant is to cut down the menu. Serve only a few items, but serve them very well.

Now, if you're just talking about entree size, that's another matter. I doubt that there is a mutually-acceptable price-point and menu offering combination for a junior priced option at TS restaurants.

 

[Pedler]

We're not talking about fast food establishments where teenagers are serving. Most of the people working in the kitchens at Disney TS restaurants are adults and many of them are educated/trained chefs. They don't need a cookie cutter approach and, quite honestly, it isn't rocket science to put together a plate with 2 extra chicken strips or a few less grilled shrimp.

I was just talking about the CS places. I thought that was the primary concern for junior meals.

Edited to add: BTW the Concourse Steakhouse has a great kids menu. They have a kids steak and shrimp cocktail.