I hate the Free Dining Plan

[Patsfan28]

I have been going to Disney for 25+ years. Never in Mid September has it been so difficult to find a decent place to eat. There is ZERO availability at any halfway decent restaurants. This frustrates me so much as I know half the people who made the reservations back when free dining was originally offered wont even go to their restaurant. For those of you who do keep your reservations let me be the first to thank you for being considerate! I think Disney should punish those who do not keep to their reservations by deducting dining credits from their card( with a few emergency exceptions). If that wont work make it like it used to be without advanced dining reservations. I remember my dad making a sprint to Cinderellas Castle to make a lunch reservation for King Stefans Palace! Enough of my rant i still cant wait to have a great time again at the World... just may be a bit less fulfilling :fork:

 

[RiversideBunny]

Anyone heard how the wait staff has been doing during the 'free dining' period?

There was a concern that, since the tip is no longer incuded, and many people would still think it was all free, then the tips would go way down.
The wait staff would get stiffed.

 

[nibblesandbits]

I think that's a fantastic idea to drop the ADR days. It'd give planners the chance to really consider where they'd like to be each day, based on EMHs, Spectro/Fantasmic! schedules, etc, and therefore make ADRs accordingly, without having to do the reshuffle once Disney had got their proverbials in gear.

However, I still cannot understand why people are "not able to plan farther out" than 3 months. Can you give me an example of why this would be the case?

I can give you a few...

In my line of work...I do photography...I have to wait, at least 3 months before to know whether I've got a wedding that books within that 6-3 month window (it's happened), a school dance, an event that needs to be photographed (which many times, these calls come in WAY last minute...like only a few weeks ahead of time). I'm lucky if I can schedule my vacations a six months to a year in advance...6-3 months is preferred though. And by then, I'm lucky to get ADRS sometimes.

Also, another example...I had to cancel my vacation this August that was scheduled for a trip to Disneyland. Since I didn't want to loose out on a vacation this year...I scheduled a trip to Florida less than three months out...around 2 months out. I simply couldn't take that Cali trip because it was too much time off work...but, am lucky I get to get a vacation. Should I be "punished" because I had to rearrange my trip? Shouldn't I get the chance to actually eat a good meal on my vacation too?

And what about those who, yes, can go on a whim...say they get a weekend where they get good airfare or a good deal on hotel rooms...should these people be punished with counter service simply because they got a last minute chance to go?

Now, as I mentioned, I like Free dining...I've participated in Free dining...but I can tell you...that seeing people being turned away from eating is hard to watch. Because I experienced it multiple times last year when I was on Free Dining.

Edit: And one last thing that bothers me about how ADRS are set up right now. For those of you who say that if you go to any major restaurant any major city you have to have ressies...yes, that may be true. However, keep in mind, that at Disney World...while a lot of restaurants have achieved "major" status with some of us...at Disney World...you are mostly a captive.

If you take ME and don't have a rental car, you are at the mercy of Disney. So, it's not the same...because in big cities...if the restaurant you want to go to is booked solid...there's a very good chance that there will be another restaurant nearby that you can get to.

As I mentioned, with Disney, you're stuck. There is no where for you to go. If you didn't get ANY ADRs...you can't just go to the next restaurant and get food. You will most likely then, have to eat counter service, since you must eat on Disney property.

So to use the big city and ressie analogy simply doesn't work...because when you're in the big city...you're not captive. You have other possiblities.

 

[Glasgow]

Maybe they should add FastPass to the restaurants ...

*ducks*

 

[LaughingGravy]

As for the online possibility of making ADRs, There should also be something in place to stop the same user from making multiple reservations immediately after each other. I can see it now.

Whispering Canyon 5PM
LeCellier 6PM

Same guest ID number, different time slots so allowed to make online, yet impossible by any stretch of the imagination to get to both.

Anyone going soon want to test this out?
Even using your own car, no way to get to the two.

 

[aurora1982]

Thanks for explaining about your job, Rikki, I just couldn't think of any reasons why it would be a problem booking early, but now I see.

I don't think anyone deserves to be penalised at all, but with a place this popular, latecomers will lose out.

I've never been during summer or Christmas week - worst was Spring Break combined with Easter in 04, when it was pretty manic and we waited over an hour for (ugh) Planet Hollywood, so I guess I don't know just how awful it can get at those times. Are there still turn-aways at the less-popular-but-still-good resort restaurants?

On an aside, I feel really dumb now, cos I was just saying on another forum what a fan I am of yours, and first encounter I manage to P you off :brick:

 

[WildLodgeFan]

Also, Disney offers the dining plan as an incentive to fill rooms, fill the parks, and reap the rewards of ancillary income from stores and other add-ons. Having booked-up reservations is a plus for them, not a negative. Wait and kitchen staff are kept busy and they get their tips, food turns over quickly alllowing Disney to buy more volume at lower prices. The dining plan is just good marketing/business practice, even though it can be annoying for those who don't like planning ahead.

Exactly - from a sales and marketing POV, this is a successful campaign.

 

[WildLodgeFan]

We had trouble last year with the free dining and getting the places that we really wanted. I would like to make a suggestion that many of you probably already realize.

Try again for the reservation at your favorite restaurant two to three days before and try earlier in the morning around 8:30/9:00 am. We did this during the free dining promotion and got Le Cellier for lunch and Chefs De France for dinner a couple of days ahead of time.

Persistence will pay off. My MIL called weekly to get into the Luau and after 4 weeks, finally found an opening for 2 people. And then later in the week, she succeeded in snagging a table for 7 people at the Hoop and this was under 30 days for our trip!

 

[RiversideBunny]

Exactly - from a sales and marketing POV, this is a successful campaign.

Yes.
I see one draw back, maybe as a long term thing.

If the Dining Plan keeps all the TS restaurants full then there's no real incentive for the restaurants to be good ones.
For example, if people start callling for ADR's and the only thing left on that day is Tony's Town Square, and they don't really like TTS, they will go ahead and get an ADR for it just out of desperation.
Thus a medicore restaurant is kept in business due to ADR overflow, so to speak.

So- in the long run how does WDW get and keep good restaurants if it looks like they all are full all the time and thus there is no measurement of customer satisfaction?

Tks.

 

[shoppingnut]

When we went in July, I only booked our trip 4 weeks out and called the next day and got all the ressie's I wanted at good times. However, the one thing is when I go with my nephew at that time of year, we usually eat at the signature restaurants which are easier to get into.

I always cancel a ressie if we aren't going to be able to make it. I know in the past, I've wanted to change a ressie and while at guest services was trying to find another restaurant and they did, so they booked that one and then cancelled the other one. I would think that the system should be able to hold both ressie's for a short period of time so that you get your new one confirmed first so you don't end up without any place to dine.

I would also like to see the ADR window reduced to 90 days again, I really think that 180 is way too far out. There have been times that I've planned a trip 2-3 mths out because of good airfare.

 

[shoppingnut]

Yes.
I see one draw back, maybe as a long term thing.

If the Dining Plan keeps all the TS restaurants full then there's no real incentive for the restaurants to be good ones.
For example, if people start callling for ADR's and the only thing left on that day is Tony's Town Square, and they don't really like TTS, they will go ahead and get an ADR for it just out of desperation.
Thus a medicore restaurant is kept in business due to ADR overflow, so to speak.

So- in the long run how does WDW get and keep good restaurants if it looks like they all are full all the time and thus there is no measurement of customer satisfaction?

Tks.

I agree not only will the bad restaurants survive that would have otherwise been revamped, the good ones will become complacent and service and food quality will suffer.

 

[WildLodgeFan]

Yes.
I see one draw back, maybe as a long term thing.

If the Dining Plan keeps all the TS restaurants full then there's no real incentive for the restaurants to be good ones.
For example, if people start callling for ADR's and the only thing left on that day is Tony's Town Square, and they don't really like TTS, they will go ahead and get an ADR for it just out of desperation.
Thus a medicore restaurant is kept in business due to ADR overflow, so to speak.

So- in the long run how does WDW get and keep good restaurants if it looks like they all are full all the time and thus there is no measurement of customer satisfaction?

Tks.

That is one possible scenario. The incentive to keep it a good restaurant is then more about reputation. How much value do you put on your reputation? If you offer mediocrity, it's only a matter of time before the market you are pursuing no longer takes advantage of the offers being thrown at them. So from my marketer side, I would be surveying people to get a handle on their satisfaction level. What's the difference in the satisfaction of the dining experience between the free dining period and the normal dining situation. ADR's perhaps can no longer be the rule of thumb in this situation. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if some of the catalyst for the online booking system has come from survey results or focus groups.

 

[Conrad3000]

Ah someone finally sees the myth that is "free dining" take the slowest time of the year. a time when they use to deep discount the rooms in order to fill them. Now offer "free dining" but charge full price for the rooms. now the hotels are full, the restaurants are full.

If you have four people staying in one value room and they all have free dining, then the free part of the package they all get is worth about $120. That means that their discount is more then the price of the room, which would be around $100. This means that for a discount on the room to be a better deal, it would have to be free. And that is not even taking into acount the fact that the free food is worth more then $30 a day.

 

[Conrad3000]

I agree not only will the bad restaurants survive that would have otherwise been revamped, the good ones will become complacent and service and food quality will suffer.

If a restaurant exists in the most popular destination in the world, and it can't handle extremely high volumes of people, then this is more of a reflection on the service that disney is providing rather then the cause of a promotion.

You'll notice that alot of the rehabs and constructions projects over the last couple of years have been largly related to revamping old resturaunts and building new ones (IE: Tepenyaki, Nine Dragons, T Rex Ect......)

 

[shoppingnut]

If a restaurant exists in the most popular destination in the world, and it can't handle extremely high volumes of people, then this is more of a reflection on the service that disney is providing rather then the cause of a promotion.

You'll notice that alot of the rehabs and constructions projects over the last couple of years have been largly related to revamping old resturaunts and building new ones (IE: Tepenyaki, Nine Dragons, T Rex Ect......)

By revamped, I mean new chef, better menu and improved quality of food which Tony's desparately needs. Sorry I wasn't clear on that. As far as new, TRex isn't new or exciting, it's a chain restaurant the same as rain forest and planet hollywood who's food is not great.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

That is one possible scenario. The incentive to keep it a good restaurant is then more about reputation. How much value do you put on your reputation? If you offer mediocrity, it's only a matter of time before the market you are pursuing no longer takes advantage of the offers being thrown at them. So from my marketer side, I would be surveying people to get a handle on their satisfaction level. What's the difference in the satisfaction of the dining experience between the free dining period and the normal dining situation. ADR's perhaps can no longer be the rule of thumb in this situation. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if some of the catalyst for the online booking system has come from survey results or focus groups.

Wooopppee great marketing average food and reduced menu choice. Speaking as a paying customer that frequents this site, a view frequently expressed on here is that as its free who cares that the quality has dropped. Not great for those of us who are paying.

And yes I will be eating some meals off site this Nov

 

[RiversideBunny]

....
And yes I will be eating some meals off site this Nov

That's a good point, Pumbas.

If the quality of a significant number of the WDW restaurants really got bad, then a lot of people would start eating off site.
As long as they didn't use Magical Express and thus would not have a car.

 

[nibblesandbits]

Thanks for explaining about your job, Rikki, I just couldn't think of any reasons why it would be a problem booking early, but now I see.

I don't think anyone deserves to be penalised at all, but with a place this popular, latecomers will lose out.

I've never been during summer or Christmas week - worst was Spring Break combined with Easter in 04, when it was pretty manic and we waited over an hour for (ugh) Planet Hollywood, so I guess I don't know just how awful it can get at those times. Are there still turn-aways at the less-popular-but-still-good resort restaurants?

On an aside, I feel really dumb now, cos I was just saying on another forum what a fan I am of yours, and first encounter I manage to P you off :brick:

Hey...don't worry. You didn't tick me off...:lol:

I was just pointing out that there were some reasons for booking late. It takes a lot to make me angry...and you most certainly didn't! We're good!

As for the resort restaurants, I'm not real sure how they're really affected with those times...I can guess that while they book up slower, they end up booked. Especially in the really busy times. But, I'm no expert on that.

To that aside...where were you talking about me...:lookaroun :lol:

 

[aurora1982]

:lookaroun TGM forums... It's really nice to have someone who's part of a young couple on the podcast - most things Disney-related are very child-focussed and while that'll be useful someday, I like hearing your perspective. Although you are soooo wrong about HM - I was dragged, kicking and screaming onto that ride age 5 and it still terrifies me now!

I guess they just need many more restaurants. They can't expect to build that many more hotel rooms (SSR, AKV, and soon VCR), offer special incentives to dine on-property, and then only add a couple of new restaurants - it's a bit daft.

 

[Tiggerfanatic]

I just got an e-mail offer with a pin for free dining for December, which really surprised me. I quickly took advantage of it, and applied it to my exiting reservation for the 3rd week, but it makes me wonder if the economy really is having an effect on park attendance and they're trying to fill rooms.....

 

[jjgoo]

I would also like to post another perspective. Most people who are on these boards have either been to WDW multiple times or at the very least know the ins and outs of WDW such as you should at least make a few ADRs and really try to make all during free dining.

However, there has to be a large group of the population that does not have this knowledge. Think about it, when you go on vacation to <gasp> somewhere other than WDW do you make dinner reservations months or even weeks in advance? I know for me I might make a reservation early in the morning if I think it is a busy time of the year elsewhere or maybe a few days in advance if it is a special occasion.

It's really in recent years that anything other than CRT or one of the dinner shows has gotten so cutthroat to get reservations. So my point is there could be people who did not get to take advantage of free dining and have no idea about making reservations so far in advance. This could be their first time or several years since they visited and things have changed.

I feel bad for those people. I remember seeing one couple walk up to a restaurant while we were waiting for a table and just seem to be bewildered by the fact that they could not even wait for a table, there was no room at all for that night. The obviously did not know.

I think reserving some walk up spaces and quite frankly WDW opening more restaurants would do a lot to make it a more enjoyable experience for everyone.