wiaters happy or annoyed by DDP

[babywewe]

Before I left for WDW I read a lot about waiters annoyed by the DDP and people getting bad service because of it.

When I went I found it to be the opposite. I felt like the waiters were excited because it meant you would be willing to get the appitizer, entree and the desert. After all, a bigger bill = bigger tip for them. They were even quick with refills !

 

[kcashner]

We had excellent service. I think they appreciate the guaranteed tip and the fact that many people order more than they would without the plan.

We'd seen the service slipping for years. On our May trip it was so good that even teen DD commented on it.

 

[Redwitch]

We had the DP free last fall and bought it in January. There was no difference in service between the two trips. We did not feel like second class citizens and always received good service.

Some of the wait staff actually, said "Good, I love the dining plan" when they discovered we were using it.

The service was as good as or better than what we get at home in similar restaurants.

 

[JimMIA]

I think our service may have been better with the dining plan, although it could well have been just better individual wait staff. We did two character meals, plus Teppenyaki, Le Cellier, and Coral Reef for TS meals. The service at all was excellent.

If anything, it seemed like the dining plan gave the waiters an opportunity to give a little bit better service because they have the opportunity to make sure you understand what's included, what's not, and what they can do to work around some of the little things like limited kids' appetisers. In return, we found ourselves leaving extra tips at each meal.

 

[bicker]

There must have been some reason why they upped the gratuity from 15% to 18%, but beyond that, it doesn't seem like the wait staff have any significant concerns about the Dining Plan, nor does there seem to be any specific trend in terms of better service with or without the Dining Plan.

 

[Diamond_Girls]

I've found the CM's actually encourage you to order your appetizer, entree and dessert (the higher price the better) because the more you "spend" the higher their tip is. So it's a win-win for everyone!

 

[NMW]

I can't imagine why CM's would be upset by the DDP. They get an automatic 18% tip and since we usually tip 20% we will just leave extra cash. Plus we drink alcohol and tip on that too. I can't understand why service would suffer because of the plan.

 

[salmoneous]

I don't really believe the stories about people getting bad service because they are on the dining plan. Bad service happens. People call in sick leaving the rest of the staff short handed. Servers have bad days due to thing unrelated to the restaurant. People are hired as waitstaff who have no business in that job.

A few readers on the dining plan get bad service and come to the conclusing that it is because of the dining plan. I guess they believe the only reason Disney servers provide good service to they are sucking-up for tips. I disagree.