Originally Posted By davewasbaloo The World and WDW, losing it's soul as it's population of dalmatians and humans forsake patience and how to really enjoy themselves in the name of maximising the utility of their dollar.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 Have a great time where you can vbdad. -- thanks Dave-- the older I get I realize that every trip ( especially with my kids) is a gift not a 'right'--
Originally Posted By RoadTrip Geez Dave, nothing like using the WDW restaurant that is THE MOST DIFFICULT to get into as your example. Yes, for 'Ohana you better book a month out if you want anything. But I gotta tell you... it was like that BEFORE the DDP also! I also agree that it is difficult to get a reservation at one of the very few MK table service restaurants at the last minute and indicated that in a prior post. But it has also been that way for YEARS... long before the DDP started. I would agree with anyone who said that there were a group of restaurants (perhaps 10 at most) where it is impossible to get a same-day reservation. But for many of those, it was the same way before the DDP. No seats are held open at any WDW restaurant exclusively for those on the DDP. They have to do the same thing the rest of us do.... reserve FAR in advance. I really have no dog in this race. I have NEVER used the DDP and don't plan to. I prefer the ridiculously named "Tables in Wonderland" since it is more flexible, giving you 20% off menu prices on a wide variety of WDW restaurants for ANYTHING you order, including liquor. No limits on quantity... if a person wanted to have five desserts with their meal they would be able to have them. I just hate to see false stories being spread how after the advent of the DDP it is IMPOSSIBLE for anyone to get same day reservations at any table service restaurant. We all know that is just plain not true.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Like I say though, we could not get any reservations at a reasonable family hour (before 9pm) in the MK, Poly, Grand Floridian, Contemporary, or Wilderness Lodge. That is like 14 different restaurant options. In fact, in the end, the ONLY place we could get for the rest of the trip that fit into our plans was Boma for breakfast, the day after we had breakfast there the day before :-( It was during Pop Warner, but it was reason 40 odd why we found our WDW trip to be the least enjoyable vacation of our lives (saver perhaps being in DLP for 9/11). The bit that made my blood boil is on slightly quieter days, we peeked in some of the restaurants and they had whole sections closed off (obviously due to capacity planning). Something I NEVER saw growing up at DL, and only saw at DLP once that jerk rasulo was put in charge.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 I think there are really two forces at work in DDP -- The DDP has brought more people into the sit down restaurants which I am sure was the plan and although I have no proof I do believe it has also resulted in dumbed down menu's - if for no other reason they are trying to turn tables over more quickly - easier for the kitchens to turn food around with less options. but the killer in this equation is when FREE dining is on -- that I believe brings out a whole other animal into the equation. People trying to ensure they get their moneys worth ( even though it was supposedly free) - like RT I am a DDE-TIW person so DDP maters not to me except for the impact. btw- booking two weeks out I got a 7:40 at O'hana in a few weeks as for what RT is saying- having been going for 22 years straight I can also attest some of these restaurants were not exactly a peach to get into before-- we went almost 10 years without being able to get breakfast in the castle..Le Cellier was always an issue as were at that time Cali Grill and Coral Reef. And for those who say well you could go to guest relations the day of-- yeah if you were there are opening-- isn't one of the arguments about FP that you have to be there early before they're gone ? no system is perfect -- I don't ming booking 6 months out --and 2 weeks out like this time..the ability to do it on line now is tremendous IMHO... you can search ALL sit downs by time and day -- let's give them some credit when it's due also. that's how I booked this time-- let's see 7 PM Friday ( in 2 weeks) and I get a list of what's available for my party size- 2 minutes later I have a ressie at somewhere nice. Can't be much damn simpler than that. And I'm not going to bitch about not getting into Cali Grill at fireworks time - there are plenty of other great choices. Dave, in the situation you were in, I think the new on line system that would allow you to pull open times within a range for a day across the WDW universe would have been very helpful. Lots of great choices even when it's last minute -- all I can think of is with the great restaurant choices in my downtown suburban area ( Rosebuds/Sullivan's/Heaven on Seven/Catch 35 etc. all nationally known places -- if I wanted a ressie tonight or even tomorrow at a proper lunch /dinner hour- I'd be out of luck also.. btw- you can get to the dining ressies from your iphone by going to the Disney site- parks- dining Now it would be nice however if when one calls let's say Ohana - since they have access to the same tools ( and likely beter) they could say- sorry sir, we cannot accomodate you, let me tell you comparable places that can accomodate your party at that time. This would be a very good thing and something if I was working on evaluating their dining system I would look to add.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer >>>I would agree with anyone who said that there were a group of restaurants (perhaps 10 at most) where it is impossible to get a same-day reservation. But for many of those, it was the same way before the DDP. <<<< Not really.... I remember waltzing up to something like Ohana or Cinderella's Royal Table or even Le Celier in the morning and being able to snag a table for later that night, and that was in the late 90's. In June. *shrug*
Originally Posted By standor When people get used to the online reservations system, then it will be difficult to get decent reservations.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<When people get used to the online reservations system, then it will be difficult to get decent reservations.>> Yes and no... One 'trick' many people used in the past was to make multiple reservations at restaurants for the same time and then decide where they felt like going when the time came. The on-line system won't let you book anything that conflicts with one of your current reservations.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper Here are my thoughts on the DDP, yes, from my experiences it makes it harder to get reservations in the short term. But if you plan far enough ahead, it's fine. But that's far from the worst offense of the dining plan. The dumbing down of the menus is. Yes, I still can find something great wherever I go, but the selection has seriously declined.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<But that's far from the worst offense of the dining plan. The dumbing down of the menus is.>> I don't like that either. But was the dumbing down of the menus really a direct result of the DDP, or does it just reflect the same corporate mind-set that resulted in the dumbing down of park merchandise?
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<But was the dumbing down of the menus really a direct result of the DDP, or does it just reflect the same corporate mind-set that resulted in the dumbing down of park merchandise?>> That's a very good question, and one I feel we'll never have a straight answer on. But to me, I started to notice the destruction of some menus as free dining became more and more popular and widespread.
Originally Posted By HMButler79 "", I started to notice the destruction of some menus as free dining became more and more popular and widespread."" Because DDP has let people who could/would NEVER had afforded and dare step into a WS restaurant or hotel rest. step into them. People of, how shall we say, freak out that there was French cusine at .......Le Chefs de France. Call 911! Now we have BURGERS at Chefs and people in tank tops and flip flops at Cali Grill
Originally Posted By vbdad55 I remember waltzing up to something like Ohana or Cinderella's Royal Table or even Le Celier in the morning and being able to snag a table for later that night, and that was in the late 90's. In June. *shrug* --- I do not have those same memories- and we were there crack of dawn in the 90's --once in a while you'd get lucky, but most of the time they were booked - period for us. That would have been late June- July for us
Originally Posted By vbdad55 Especially with rides. That'll be painful. --- I really don't like the rides idea at all-- with restaurants it's planning your 'down time' so to speak-- the rides will be a nightmare I believe
Originally Posted By vbdad55 WOuld removing a few restaurants on the high end from DDP help ? -- or would that jam those up even more ?
Originally Posted By sjhym333 Could it be that the DDP dumbed down the menus so that Disney could turn tables over quicker?
Originally Posted By Bob Paris 1 "People of, how shall we say, freak out that there was French cusine at .......Le Chefs de France. Call 911!" People may laugh at this but it's not far from the truth. It reminds me of those oxygen thieves that call 911 from inside the MK when the crowds are too big. I am stuck between shaking my head and an urge to want to do them serious harm.
