New Monorail Resort Dining Experience Announced

[ToTBellHop]

Curious to hear about the logistics of this. As @MansionButler84 points out, the time frame seems pretty closed off. If you eat faster then your neighbor, do you then wait for them to finish? Or vicey versy? You all board the monorail together and have a private guide to each restaurant? I think it would probably be MUCH easier to do this on your own.

Exactly. I could do my own resort crawl the other 4 nights of the week when the 4th floor lookout supposedly for those paying to stay at the Contemporary is actually open.

Will they spray for mosquitoes now? They were terrible there last month.

 

[rael ramone]

Thoughts:

The fact that this gets revealed around the time that we hear about other 'revenue enhancement efforts' makes it look worse then it is.

The main issue is how does this affect those who don't participate. Will the monorail become standing room only for the 'riff-raff' who are spending huge money staying at these resorts? Or will they even close the resort monorail for those who aren't doing this? And what effect will this have on those who are eating at Citricos that evening or are trying to enjoy the live entertainment in the lobby?

Also, they are calling it 'the highway in the sky' again? Does this mean the monorails will return to that standard of cleanliness that it held back then? (A good that could come from this if it causes them to take pride in the Monorails again and treat them accordingly).

 

[Jon81uk]

45 minutes to eat a thawed TV dinner (no way there is time for you to sit down, order, and the food get prepped fresh)

You won't need to order, the main course is chef selected so it will be done banquet style with everything ready to go for as soon as everyone is seated. My guess would be the only choice is meat or veggie.

But yes I also wonder if the timings are right, as yes to do four courses in three hours is gonna be tight!

 

[Disney.Mike]

The price breakdown does include gratuity as a separate line item, but it looks to be roughly 16% (seems low?)

View attachment 177003

How is 16% low.... 15 years ago 10% was considered standard and 15% was a reward for great service. Now restaurants are setting the default tip to 18%... Bringing me a tray of oysters doesn't take more effort than bringing me a burger

 

[xdan0920]

How is 16% low.... 15 years ago 10% was considered standard and 15% was a reward for great service. Now restaurants are setting the default tip to 18%... Bringing me a tray of oysters doesn't take more effort than bringing me a burger

Good solid trolling here.

 

[Disney.Mike]

Good solid trolling here.

Not really 16% seems fair. I just refused to let a 50% tip for adequate service be normalized

 

[Sped2424]

Not really 16% seems fair. I just refused to let a 50% tip for adequate service be normalized

Work a service job and have that be your main income then please share your "opinion".

 

[Minthorne]

I think this is going to be a small group, perhaps only 12. Just conjecture but here is where I get that number:

It sold out very fast.
Private dining room at Citricos seats 12.
There are 12 permanent chairs on the 4th floor balcony at the Contemporary.

If it is only 12 then they wont have to "rope off entire monorails" and probably just take half the patio. Going on 1/17 and hoping it is great. Of course if the reviews pan it there time to cancel!

 

[csmat99]

These upcharges are getting almost comical.

Almost.

I would rather them charge me 200 per person for this if they take the extra 50 per person and expand and upgrade the monorail. I man can dream..

 

[Disney.Mike]

Work a service job and have that be your main income then please share your "opinion".

Meals at Disney for a family of 5 easily run 150$. 16% of 150 is 27. If a server can wait 5 families with an average cost and tip of 16%, then he/she will make 135$ a shift. Much of that being cash. If they work 5 shifts a week they have made 675$ that week or 35k for the year, much of that being cash, not counting the 3$ or so pay.

However, more realistically they probably serve 5 families an hour, lets say average size is 4 and average meal cost is 100. So per hour that is 500$, and lets say they average a tip of 12% so that is 60$ an house with much of that being cash. Lets say they work 20 hours worth of shifts like this a week, that leave them 1200$ a week or about 60k a year.

Not bad for a non skilled job working less than 40 hours a week. And if they work 40 they pay racks up.

I have personally known a few waiters at the nicer restaurants everyone of them made upwards of 150k a year due to tips, with much of this being cash and tax free. Do I think they are "overpaid"... no but a 50% tip shouldnt be expected...

Do I think the waitress at the local Waffle House who may make 15k a year is overpaid when she cant manage to keep 2 peoples drinks refilled... Absolutely.

 

[MisterPenguin]

I'm waiting for heavier times with crowds and CM's trying to "rope off" monorail cars... I don't think that's going to go over too well.

This is taking place the two hours before fireworks on the local resort loop. Just how much of a heavy crowd is there?

 

[Minthorne]

The more I think about this, the more I become unsure if this is an experience that would benefit us because of this point. When we go out to dinner, we like to enjoy each other's company and enjoy our meal. The tight timeline for this would seem to make that somewhat impossible. If this was a go at your own pace, it could work.

I think this is why the cheese and champagne after dinner is in the Lobby at GF. As folks finish their dinner they can move out to the Lobby. I suppose there will be some time constraint for get to dessert before fireworks but all in all I think it should be un-rushed. The longer dinner takes the less cheese/champagne time. I can hardly wait for a review!!

 

[Minthorne]

This is taking place the two hours before fireworks on the local resort loop. Just how much of a heavy crowd is there?

...and besides I think it is going to be a small number group taking one full loop ride over 3 hours.

 

[MichWolv]

These upcharges are getting almost comical.

Almost.

This one sounds OK. The cabanas at MK is definitely in the land of comical. Or maybe tragic.

 

[Sped2424]

Meals at Disney for a family of 5 easily run 150$. 16% of 150 is 27. If a server can wait 5 families with an average cost and tip of 16%, then he/she will make 135$ a shift. Much of that being cash. If they work 5 shifts a week they have made 675$ that week or 35k for the year, much of that being cash, not counting the 3$ or so pay.

However, more realistically they probably serve 5 families an hour, lets say average size is 4 and average meal cost is 100. So per hour that is 500$, and lets say they average a tip of 12% so that is 60$ an house with much of that being cash. Lets say they work 20 hours worth of shifts like this a week, that leave them 1200$ a week or about 60k a year.

Not bad for a non skilled job working less than 40 hours a week. And if they work 40 they pay racks up.

I have personally known a few waiters at the nicer restaurants everyone of them made upwards of 150k a year due to tips, with much of this being cash and tax free. Do I think they are "overpaid"... no but a 50% tip shouldnt be expected...

Do I think the waitress at the local Waffle House who may make 15k a year is overpaid when she cant manage to keep 2 peoples drinks refilled... Absolutely.[/Q

https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/server-salary-SRCH_KO0,6.htm

This is the average for servers . Your math is highly without factual backing or reality and relies on the idea that everyone tips the suggested amount and that servers get through that many families in an hour. Or that there isn't a slow and fast season. Point is lots of variables and way to much fantasy estimating on your point. And 150k salary for servers isn't just laughable it's insane stop while your ahead.

 

[Disney.Mike]

1 - Thats reported salaries... I'd be willing to guess the cash take home is higher.

2 - Thats not controlling by restaurant type. Servers at high end restaurants will make more than servers at the Huddle House

3- Servers at high end restaurants makes a good living for what they do. Taking plates of food to people isnt exactly skilled labor.

Even by the metric you provided, 25k is about 12$ an hour and many servers do not work a full 40 hour week, so they are pushing upwards of 18$ an hour... Very good for non skilled work.

 

[LukeS7]

1 - Thats reported salaries... I'd be willing to guess the cash take home is higher.

2 - Thats not controlling by restaurant type. Servers at high end restaurants will make more than servers at the Huddle House

3- Servers at high end restaurants makes a good living for what they do. Taking plates of food to people isnt exactly skilled labor.

Even by the metric you provided, 25k is about 12$ an hour and many servers do not work a full 40 hour week, so they are pushing upwards of 18$ an hour... Very good for non skilled work.

Hi, former server here. Where I worked we had to tip share with the bartender and the host/hostess. We only received $2.13 base pay and rarely even saw a cent of that because that money was taken for taxes almost always. We had to pay 3% of the overall bills for the day towards the tip sharing (so say if every table tipped us 15%, we were really only getting 12%). On top of that there are plenty of tables who tip very very low or not at all and then there's also the fact that many foreigners don't have tipping as a custom because wait staff actually receive a salary/proper hourly wage in their country. That problem is probably even more extreme in WDW with the high percentage of international visitors. And I would consider being wait staff in a high-end restaurant skilled labor. One mistake in a high end restaurant will probably cost someone their job

 

[xdan0920]

Guys. You're being trolled. Forget the gratuity argument.

 

[Sped2424]

Hi, former server here. Where I worked we had to tip share with the bartender and the host/hostess. We only received $2.13 base pay and rarely even saw a cent of that because that money was taken for taxes almost always. We had to pay 3% of the overall bills for the day towards the tip sharing (so say if every table tipped us 15%, we were really only getting 12%). On top of that there are plenty of tables who tip very very low or not at all and then there's also the fact that many foreigners don't have tipping as a custom because wait staff actually receive a salary/proper hourly wage in their country. That problem is probably even more extreme in WDW with the high percentage of international visitors. And I would consider being wait staff in a high-end restaurant skilled labor. One mistake in a high end restaurant will probably cost someone their job

He's done the math man there is no defying his very sound and factual logic supported by his clearly thought out logistics.

 

[Minnie1976]

I am seeing a very greedy Disney that is only interested in cultivating a clientele of the rich.