Originally Posted By vbdad55 RT - I think that is great. I actually think ( a skeptic I know) that Disney feels people may mismanage the plan and actually get less value...yet I think just the opposite is happening.... get the discountbased on what you order -- that way Disney is returning some of their profits to you as a reward for frequent dining with them....and you don't have someone ordering lobster thermidor because it is the highest priced item on the menu then surprised when there is no free thermometer with their dinner. ( best I could so, it's been a tough day at work) for me the DDE card pays for my AP -- it works out excellently, but it didn;t change the eating patterns I already had --just get a better deal
Originally Posted By ChiMike >>I do -- but then it gives me 20% on the same restaurants I always ate at anyway<< I agree. I also use DDE. I think it is a very good customer loyalty program. Like everything that used to be small and niche it has ballooned thanks to the internet; but I think even with the increased membership price it is a very good program. My point with that statement though VBDad was that if a 10% savings on the dining plan was FANTASTIC, how should one describe the DDE.
Originally Posted By ChiMike >>but it didn;t change the eating patterns I already had --just get a better deal<< And to touch on that, I also think that is a big difference. A good difference. We can get savings without having to jump through hoops.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <>>but it didn;t change the eating patterns I already had --just get a better deal<< And to touch on that, I also think that is a big difference. A good difference. We can get savings without having to jump through hoops.< agreed - the other dining plan too gimicky for me, and even harder to make last minute changes to....change Prine Time for Brown Derby and you lost a credit etc etc -- more headaches than I want - if I change restaurants I get 20% at either...
Originally Posted By Lewis Goofy <<Service at any WDW resort restaurant is always five star.>> <<Have you ever eaten at a five-star restuarant, Goofball? Because I have eaten at many ... and many others that should be considered that.>> Yes I have dined at many a Five Star restuarant. IMO most WDW resort restuarants meet that standard. You can not find a more dedicated wait staff. It is a rare occasion to have a bad experience at any of our resort restuarants. <<Also because of the Plan the sit down restaurants at WDW are packed which increases the atmosphere. IMO.>> <<Increases it?!?! Sure. If packed, loud, understaffed equals atmosphere to you than you are 100% correct.>> IMO the busier the restaruant the more vibrant it is which increases the atmosphere. A bustling restaurant with dedicated CMs and Excellent food equals a Magical experience only found at Walt Disney World. <<Welcome back, my fave WDW apologist!>> Don't beleive you really mean that but it is great to be back. Thanks!
Originally Posted By Lewis Goofy << I would suggest that the value doesn't reach to what a reasonable person would determine to be FANTASTIC.>> Then there must be a lot of unreasonable guest visiting WDW because FANTASTIC is the word that I hear most when I ask guest if they like the Dining Plan. <<So how should one describe the 20% savings value of DDE? Super-duper-double FANTASTIC?>> You could describe it like that. The DDE is a great reward program offered by Disney to Florida residents, AP holders and DVC members. I know a lot of guests that would have never tried a certain restaurant if not for the savings they recieved by using there DDE. The DDE is Disneys way of saying thanks to Florida residents, Ap holders and DVC members for there support.
Originally Posted By ChiMike >>Then there must be a lot of unreasonable guest visiting WDW because FANTASTIC is the word that I hear most when I ask guest if they like the Dining Plan.<< In this case I would actually say that they aren't unreasonable in the least. I'm sure the program works out for many folks. If I required one snack, one cheesburger, one sit-down a day I might even purchase it. But - I do think FANTASTIC is an over-the-top adjective in this case. The DDE example below I think supports that. My problem with the dining plan is not that people enjoy the inclusiveness of it, but rather what macro effects it brings to the whole WDW dining apparatus. But lets not dwell on those pesky reprecussions while we're busy making Magical Moments (TM). >> The DDE is a great reward program offered by Disney to Florida residents, AP holders and DVC members...<< Thanks for the refresher course. For anyone not familiar with how to plan your trip to the Walt Disney World Resort please visit www.waltdisneyworld.com. It's your one-stop source for the best Disney Deals!
Originally Posted By RoadTrip I tend to look at WDW through rose colored glasses. Many here refer to me as a Disney apologist. But although I LOVE dining at Disney restaurants, and never dine elsewhere during a WDW visit, Five Star is really something of an exaggeration. Of all the Disney table service restaurants; there are a handful that I would consider Five Star as far as food goes: Victoria & Albert’s (never eaten there myself, going by reputation) California Grill Flying Fish Artist's Point Yachtsman's Steakhouse (maybe) Hollywood Brown Derby (maybe) When it comes to service, it is hit and miss. I’ve had great service at Trail’s End Buffet and lousy service at Brown Derby. I consider Five Star service to be service where the wait person is always there when you want them and never there when you don’t. I don’t know what kind of sixth sense enables this, but I have experienced it routinely at top restaurants, and occasionally at Disney.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo "You shouldn't have to put up with freebie-scrounging low-life when dining at a place like California Grill." Hold on here - this does not apply to us. We opted for the dining plan as a costed option because we always do table service anyway. But it is not free. I am still paying for my meal, just in a different way. I might have filet mignon or lobster one day, but another day I will have a sandwich. I intend on ordering what I want without looking at the price tags. I know not everyone is doing this, but we will be. And a good cruise liner demonstrates that all inclusive deals do not have to lead to a reduction in quality or service.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<Hold on here - this does not apply to us. >> 1) I never said it did. 2) The comment was largely tongue in cheek. There are SOME who will try to milk every last penny out of a deal like Disney offers. Most people don't. But it doesn't take many bad ones to ruin it for the rest of us.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<for me the DDE card pays for my AP -- it works out excellently, but it didn;t change the eating patterns I already had --just get a better deal>> I'm sure my DDE card pays for my AP too! I likes to eat! But I still have issues with Disney opening up the program beyond Florida boundries. I'm sure adding APers and DVCers to the mix is why I'm paying $85 for what was $50 last year. Of course, it was $25 when the program started in 1995 -- and that was when you could get a full dinner at say Concourse Steakhouse for $16.99 (including soup or salad) before the discount. And taking away locations like the Mara and Roaring Fork (and having DDE reps lie that they were never supposed to accept the card when you have the newsletters annoucing those locations) has taken away some of its value to me. But I'll still buy it ... at least until it goes over the $100 mark (2-3 years from now).
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<Yes I have dined at many a Five Star restuarant. IMO most WDW resort restuarants meet that standard. You can not find a more dedicated wait staff. It is a rare occasion to have a bad experience at any of our resort restuarants.>> Fair enough. It's your opinion. I have had, FWIW, far more good or great experiences at WDW's fine dining locations. That said, I wouldn't at all agree with your opinion about the servers across the board. On any given night, at any given locale, you can get everything from awful to great service. The consistency isn't there. It may have been 20 years ago. Not now. <<IMO the busier the restaruant the more vibrant it is which increases the atmosphere. A bustling restaurant with dedicated CMs and Excellent food equals a Magical experience only found at Walt Disney World.>> Contact PR and marketing. <<Welcome back, my fave WDW apologist!>> <<Don't beleive you really mean that but it is great to be back. Thanks!>> I do. I love having contrary points of view. That's what spices things up. You have every right to post whatever you believe. ... And I'll do likewise.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<My problem with the dining plan is not that people enjoy the inclusiveness of it, but rather what macro effects it brings to the whole WDW dining apparatus. But lets not dwell on those pesky reprecussions while we're busy making Magical Moments (TM).>> Ditto!!! Wal-Mart Dining!!!
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<Of all the Disney table service restaurants; there are a handful that I would consider Five Star as far as food goes:>> Trippy, my only problem with your statement is that true 5-star caliber dining is so much more than just food. It's service, ambience, presentation, wine list etc ... food may be the most important element, but it still is only one item. That said, as far as your list. <<Victoria & Albert’s (never eaten there myself, going by reputation)>> I also have never dined there. I always viewed it as a place for honeymooners or special anniversaries. But I do believe this definitely makes any list. More importantly, it's the only WDW location to ear the AAA 5-Diamond Award. That means everything. <<California Grill>> The food is certainly worthy. The special view of the MK too. But service for me has been all over the board and usually is just good because the place is such a madhouse. Also, having such a loud dining room, not to mention the amount of young children (and poor parents) definitely lowers this. <<Flying Fish>> This is another place where the food would come close or make the 5-star cut. But all the reasons listed above (except service, I have always had EXCELLENT servers at FF) would prevent it from getting that high. <<Artist's Point>> One of my faves that has fallen dramatically over the past 5-6 years. I knew the place had jumped the shark when they stopped bringing out the fresh salmon still aflame after the lawyers put a stop to that. Then they removed many of the unique items (such as buffalo, which has since returned). Then they doubled the cost of the desserts. The place is still good, especially the selection of NW wines, but doesn't come close to 5-star in any sense except maybe the beautiful dining room. <<Yachtsman's Steakhouse (maybe)>> Nope. Just a very good hotel steakhouse. <<Hollywood Brown Derby (maybe)>> The best thing about Disney-MGM Studios, but there's no theme park restaurant I've ever been to that can be considered 4-star, let alone 5. You can't have a 5-star experience with sweaty tourists in tanks and strollers with Mickey balloons tied to them. Also, I've come to realize that rankings and ratings are quite subjective and really you have to figure things out on your own. I recently dined at two very highly regarded steakhouses -- one was Tom Collichio's (sp?) Craftsteak at the MGM-Grand in Las Vegas, the other was Prime 112 on South Beach. Both were so raved about in any review. Both were pricey ($11 for veggies, $14 for salad), but one of them delivered (Prime 112) in every aspect while the other left me feeling cold.
Originally Posted By oc_dean Wow! I've been enjoying this entire read .... Though I have something I want to ask .. please .. by all means .. continue on with this particular discussion. I'm still mentally digesting this whole "DDE" thing. I haven't been to WDW since '95 .. but since my buddy who recently went complained of the selection of places that served up something better than your usual hot dog/chicken sandwich on a hamburger bun kind of place ... I just now tried to compile a list of places that serve a DECENT meal: Main Street – * Crystal Palace * Tony’s Liberty Square – * Liberty Tree Tavern Fantasyland – * Cinderella's Royal Table Tomorrowland – * Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle Station I methodically went through everything in the 'magic kingdom' park. Courtesy of this wonderful website that does a great job of describing all the MK eating places....... <a href="http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining/disneydining.htm" target="_blank">http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo /dining/disneydining.htm</a> Great guide, I must admit. But can I ask you WDW regulars .... Is that list of places I just wrote that aren't all starchy junk, enough places that serve up a decent meal? One thing that ticked off my buddy ... Is that King Stephans ( I know it's not called that anymore doorway was so jammed. He couldn't even get through. And when he finally nudged his way through .. Only to find out that the MK's few decent places get booked FAST from people staying within the resort hotels. Is that really fair? Hord up the restaurants ... when each resort has it's own fine dining. But when someone doesn't have time to go on some rigmarole trip throughout the entire resort to get a decent meal .. and really needs to make the best time in the park ... Seems some improvements are in order. What do you all think?
Originally Posted By ChiMike ^^ I'll echo the popular sentiment and say that the only two places I'll dine at MK are Plaza Restaurant and Columbia Harbor House. I think they are the most consistant locales. I would also say that by luck of the draw I used to have good meals w/ good portions at El Pirata Y El Perico when it was open. I would say now that Plaza Restaurant normally is where I want to go when I'm at MK.
Originally Posted By ChiMike >>One thing that ticked off my buddy ... Is that King Stephans ( I know it's not called that anymore doorway was so jammed. He couldn't even get through. And when he finally nudged his way through .. Only to find out that the MK's few decent places get booked FAST from people staying within the resort hotels. Is that really fair?<< No it's not. Royal Table is a bigger headache than what it's worth IMO. Ever since the P.S. shenanigans coupled with what I perceive to be a decline of food quality, I haven't been very motivated to even visit for an early dinner.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 Honestly Dean, there are so many great dining options at WDW and surrounding areas that I try to hardly ever eat at the MK anymore. My favorite places Cindy's and Liberty Tree Tavern have been overrun by character meals. And none of the fast-food is particularly good, although the burgers and salads at Pecos Bill's are decent in a pinch. I'd rather hop on a monorail and eat at one of the resorts.
Originally Posted By oc_dean Since the Polynesian, Grand Floridian, and Contemporary are on the monorail loop .. Anyone have any decent dining suggestions in these three hotels?
Originally Posted By Labuda I really enjoy the Concourse Steakhouse over at the Contemporary. Right dow the hall from Chef Mickey's so it could get a bit loud, I suppose, but I've eaten there around 1 or 2 pm each time I've dined there, and the noise level has been nothing to complain about, and the meu has kept my steak-loving hubby & chicken-adoring self happy.
