Free DDP pains...

[ectomstr]

Been listening to the servers and such. Seems like we're getting a very....odd crew in with the free DDP.

Some examples:
-Father, Mother and Son were ripping pieaces of prime rib apart and eating them...sans knife and fork!

-SG Husband took off shoes and socks and put his feet up on the chair across from him.

-Dozens of "i want my money back!" for something that they didn't even pay for!

-Our guest compliments on our servers and such have decreased DRASTICALLY. From dozens a night to none. At all. Service hasn't changed, just clientele.

anyone else in F&B thinking this free DDP is a bad thing?

[vixen101485]

Been listening to the servers and such. Seems like we're getting a very....odd crew in with the free DDP.

Some examples:
-Father, Mother and Son were ripping pieaces of prime rib apart and eating them...sans knife and fork! LMAO--maybe the knife and fork were dirty or they liked plastic cutlery better

-SG Husband took off shoes and socks and put his feet up on the chair across from him. I have done this, not at table service yet...LOL but if my old feet hurt, I am gonna make them feel good..sorry hold your nose

-Dozens of "i want my money back!" for something that they didn't even pay for! But it is free money

-Our guest compliments on our servers and such have decreased DRASTICALLY. From dozens a night to none. At all. Service hasn't changed, just clientele.

anyone else in F&B thinking this free DDP is a bad thing?

Well coming from a guest point of view....I like free dining..it is free food, need I say more :D:

[ectomstr]

Well coming from a guest point of view....I like free dining..it is free food, need I say more :D:

i'm with you. free food is good but this "free service" attracts a lot of SG's. And when I say a lot i mean as in ALL OVER the World.

[sean1966]

As a guest... I hate the free dining / dining plan. When we started going to WDW we could book our restaurants the night before. I hate having to make plans 6 months away from our trip. We will never go for free dining, I guarantee that.

[ktulu]

Free dining sucks! We haven't booked a free dining package, I'll take the buy 4 get 3 free deal again though ;) The DDP royally screwed us on our meal choices and we didn't get to eat at most of the places we wanted to.

I don't think we booked out last vacation 6 months in advance. We're talking with my in-laws about going next year. I hate the idea that I need to plan each day at least 6 months in advance. That just sucks! I think it is affecting things negatively as well. I feel sorry for the CM's having to deal with this :(

[acourtwdw]

Since we are doing the DVC member cruise, we don't have a choice but to go to WDW during free dining. We are using DDE not DDP. I made the important ressies at the 6 month mark since we are celebrating my sister's 40th bday!

I agree though, just because it's free dining doesn't mean you don't have to use the manners your mother taught you!

See you all in 2 1/2 weeks!

[Princess Susi]

Is it really *free*? Don't they add an extra cost to the package for the dining plan? I know we got the dining plan included in our packages, but I thought they added a certain $$ amount for the food. I don't know. Is this something different entirely than the dining plan with the packages?

susi

[vixen101485]

It's a promotional perk Susi. Normally the DDP has a charge with the package but for certain dates in the fall they offer the basic DDP free when you book at least 3 nites and at least a 1 day ticket per person in your party.

Yeah, I sound like an ad for it :D: but this will be the 3rd time we have done it. It really does make a difference in cost. This coming week we will probably save about 500$ in food cost alone. You do have to know how to work it to make it worth while. It also gives us a chance to try some places we normally could never afford like HOOP DE DOO. Sorry, but no way am I paying $55 a person to have chicken and beans, etc. LOL

[Canuikstan]

For ME, The DDP is kinda not worth it.. my family spent just under $350 for food during the week we were there, including snacks and drinks.. and we ate GREAT.. the DDP would have raised that to a pre paid $1000 (or $650 wasted)

and also making plans for dinner 6 months in advance for every day for a week is just wrong...

i mean.. even when i had plans for dinner in the morning, by the time dinner came around i had changed my mind and developed a craving for something else...

i prefer the freedom of not having the ddp.

I don't think i will ever attend the resorts during the free dining periods.. this just seems awful.

(fyi, i also prefer to eat with plastic cutlery... but i wouldn't be eating meat with my hands like a wilderness family)

[Syndrome]

As a local, I hate, loathe, bane and despise free dining. It makes it impossible to get into many of my favorites, like Ohana, it causes Disney to dumb down the menus at all but the signatures, and as the OP pointed out, it brings in a rather....er, interesting clientele. I notice it even at the signatures, where Cletus and the gang don't seem to mind popping two credits and their antics make it pretty obvious that they're not paying out of pocket. This may sound mean, but put me in Jiko or Citricos and I can spot the DPP people a mile away, no psychic abilities required. (I'm in a cranky mood today...was on a 15 day Disney cruise and am now forced back into reality.)