Originally Posted By demderedoseguys See link for DDE plan specs. <a href="http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneydiningexperience.htm" target="_blank">http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyd iningexperience.htm</a>
Originally Posted By MPierce >> Well I stand corrected. I just checked about DDE and A/O 1/1 2008 tips are automatically included regardless of party size. Geez, I leave WDW for two months and the place goes crazy) << Disney giveth, and Disney taketh away! The whole Disney Dining Experience, and the Disney Dining plan are slowly loosing their appeal to a lot of folks.
Originally Posted By demderedoseguys ^^ Basically, it still hurts the waitstaff. I always give 20% tip on the entire bill. Now, they'll just get the 18% on the non taxable portion of the bill.
Originally Posted By nbodyhome Demder - I knew I was right. It was announced a long time ago! In fact, I used my DDE card today and had the mandatory gratuity added. The DDE card used to be only for Florida Residents. Now it is AP, DVC, FL Res. The APers get a discount, not sure if DVC does (on the price).
Originally Posted By MPierce ^^^ I agree the waite staff will suffer the most. The changes for 2008 don't make since to me. They tack on 18% for the DDE, and remove the gratity from the DDP. Something just doesn't seem right with that.
Originally Posted By nbodyhome The Dining plan is still popular, but I bet the servers are getting quite the pay cut this year with less tips. Again - I don't tip 6%. :-D Once you've been a server, I'm not sure you can tip just a little unless it's VERY bad service (I waited on tables for 2 or 3 years a long time ago). It's really hard work, and even buffets can be. There are more plates to clear, more drinks to fill, etc. You do know that prices are going up on buffets now at certain times of the year, including between May 25th and July 5th? 6 weeks where the buffets are going up by about $5.00 per person.
Originally Posted By demderedoseguys >APers get a discount, not sure if DVC does (on the price).< I'm afraid to even post this for fear of being incorrect again, but the last time I bought mine, I got the same discount that APers received. As a DVC member, I received a discount on the AP and the subsequent discount on the DDE card. Wonder if that has changed.
Originally Posted By nbodyhome Demder - I am not in DVC, I could look it up - but it isn't that important to me. The union voted back around June on the contract, and I believe the DDE tips were a concession to the servers for taking way the DDP tips. Don't worry being incorrect, it happens to all of us. If you received a discount on your DDE, you probably still do. It is kind of odd that they'd make it more expensive for FL Residents, as that was the only group for whom DDE was available for many years (I've had it for 11 years or so now) The card used to have different names, I think the Food and Wine Experience, etc. And I'm not sure if it includes too many special events anymore, there used to be quite a few.
Originally Posted By Jhawk Disney puts us between a rock and a hard place on this one. They raise the prices and get us used to this great plan, then they take away the appetizer and the tip, so now we are watching how much the bill is anyway, so that we don't rack up huge tip bills during the stay!
Originally Posted By hightp I had mentioned before, one of the benefits to the Dining Plan was that you did not have to worry about carrying money for your meal. The plan now is very disapointing. I won't be using it in the future unless it's a freebie.
Originally Posted By nbodyhome For myself, the worst part is that guests are used to the tip being included. Meals at Disney are expensive - they will look at a $200.00 bill and be like $40.00 more after we already paid for our meal? I would bet that some guests will either not tip, or tip based on the plan price. I wish Disney just would have raised the price, though they may have already been making plenty of money. So many credits get left behind. If you left a table service behind for 4 "adults" at the end of the stay, that is $100.00 that Disney has that you didn't benefit from.
Originally Posted By nbodyhome I had said that servers are going to make less. I had spoken with a Disney character buffet server who claimed like 70k in 2006. That isn't what he made - I am one of the only people I know who claimed every penny as a server. But he kicked butt on tips, and lots of guests double tipped (not knowing the tip was included). So even if everyone tipped, the server income will go down. But I don't think everyone will tip.
Originally Posted By Jhawk I, too, wish that they had just raised the price (like they do everything else)! Now I have to budget for the tips, and with the price of the meals those tips will be a lot.
Originally Posted By Liberty Belle I agree about wishing they'd raised the price and kept the plan as is - before our trip I had heard people on the DDP received bad service and thought that maybe it made sense to remove the tip from the plan to alleviate that problem, but our service in November went from great to exceptional at almost every restaurant, with only one bad experience with a server (at Tutto Italia). So I lost my only reason for thinking the removal of the tip might be a good idea! I think it's a shame, especially as we don't tip here in Australia and, frankly, tipping gives us a bit of a headache while in the US since we're not used to it - it was great not having to worry about that on our last trip! As for it being too much food ... I eat way too much on my Disney trips, so it was the perfect amount of food for us. We love table service meals and book one a day on the average trip anyway, so that worked out well - combine that with a counter service breakfast or lunch and a snack, and it worked out perfectly. We had one snack credit each left over at the end of our trip, and used it to buy a packet of chips for the plane. So I'm one of the few who'll mourn the loss of the appetiser! (I'm aware I'm making myself sound like the world's biggest pig here). I'll probably try the plan again on my next trip (assuming it's the same then as it is now), and will withhold my judgement until then, but it's certainly not the great deal that I considered it to be on our trip last year.
Originally Posted By a1stav "a Disney character buffet server who claimed like 70k in 2006." WOW a buffet server that was making over 70K a year! I am in the wrong business.
Originally Posted By nbodyhome >> "a Disney character buffet server who claimed like 70k in 2006." WOW a buffet server that was making over 70K a year! I am in the wrong business. << Yup!!! Denise
Originally Posted By sun-n-fun Now I have never been a waitress or a server, other than fast food, so maybe I am way off - always possible. But, if you think about it, if a server has 5 tables - each there 2 hours and a 150.00 bill, even just a 10% tip gives them $75 for 2 hours or $37.50 an hour. This is in addition to their regular pay (which I know is meager). Now I know some of the tip gets shared with maybe cooks, buspeople, etc. Still more than I make an hour as a teacher. I am NOT advocating to leave less of a tip. Just seeing how it is possible to do very well.
Originally Posted By nbodyhome The thing with serving tables - you often have time where you are not waiting (at the beginning and end of a shift). And I always used to do math like that in my head before waiting tables, but it usually didn't work out to be more than $10.00 or so per hour (this was quite a few years ago now). Still very good money. As far as a $150 bill - if you have 2 adults, 2 kids, you may still end up with only a $100.00 or so tab. And I'm not sure how often the servers have 5 tables at a time. Actually, for breakfast and lunch, you are talking even less on the tab. 2 adults, 2 kids for a buffet at the Crystal Palace is going to be closer to $60.00. Servers at Disney have done very well over the past couple of years, except maybe those at the participating (non-Disney owned) restaurants. I'm not saying they wouldn't have done well, but they wouldn't have made as much as other servers. I do think this will end up being a significant pay cut for nearly everybody.
Originally Posted By sun-n-fun I was thinking of Chef Mickey with the prices, but you're right, not all are that expensive and lunches would be less. But our server did have 5 tables, maybe someone called in or something but that's probably why our service was poor. They couldn't being me a 2nd drink in a timely manner, but sure could come around to try to sell me a package of pictures!
Originally Posted By nbodyhome Don't get me started on the photos! (I don't even get in line for them). Sorry about not getting the drink quickly. The last time I went to CM's - I believe in early September, the service was fine - I had someone who'd been a long-time server. But the buffet was terribly managed, many dishes were very empty. After that, I canceled the reservation I'd had for the free dining Chef Mickey dinner.
