No "free dinning" rumor

[G00fyDad]

But it isn't just limited to places like Boma. I think Buffet's have seen it worse, but it still hits the table serve restaurants (especially the signatures like Brown Derby and Dinner shows). In 2005 it was 12.99 for a fried chicken dinner, which increased to 14.99 by 2009. Now that same meal is already 16.99. It isn't as much of a climb, but you can see how prices are moving up faster now than they did not that long ago...and it is happening across property.

I haven't even been paying attention then because the rise in cost of out-of-pocket meals for us has been negligible.

Boma is not high end. It is a regular 1 service buffet without characters. Realistically, I would put it on par with Ohana.

Oh. I haven't been to Boma but I assumed it was one of the snooty fruity restaurants that charge $40 for a small cube of steak and garnish then call that a fine meal. lol

 

[roodlesnouter]

I don't post often but on this occasion I felt I wanted to add my 2 cents.

Let me start my introducing myself, my name is Mark and I'm a chef from the UK.

1. Over the past 5 years food prices have risen dramatically across board. As an example rise has risen by 40%.Wars, fuel, weather and inflation are all causes.

2. I have been to Florida in particularly WDW for a minimum of 3 weeks for the last 5 years, I have 4 weeks booked for later in the year. It has been free DDP, coupled with discounted hotels that keeps me coming back. Disney know this only to well, like it or not ,it is fantastic marketing from Disney.

3. I have now visited almost every restaurant and have only ever had one bad meal/experience (Morocco)

4. I agree that booking 180 days out is a pain, but hey, you are in the same boat as everyone else. You know better than most how it works.

5. As far as food not being as good. I would say that was down to the chef. He should be on top of his game no matter how much a meal has cost the customer. Although in the years I have been going I haven't seen a decline.

6. It is a great tool to fill the parks. Full parks are obviously what TDO want and free DDP certainly does this. The more those tills ring the more profit, the more new attractions we "should" get.

Free DDP has given me and my family some fantastic times and memories. It allows me to easily budget my holiday as most expenditure is already paid before I get there. Free DDP has been a huge decider on multiple visits. During those multiple visits I have spent more time on site, done a cruise and spent a small fortune on Disney what with photos, merch and tickets. I have also recommended it to lots of friends. During the years of going I have fallen more and more for the place and have become a fan.

To summarise.
over the last few years I (like many others) have spent a small fortune at WDW, DLP and cruising. All because I got free DDP.

Free DDP brings in the punters and the money, especially impressive during these tough times. I don't see it going any where soon.

 

[BrightImagine]

And I am quite certain that the fact that DVCers can now buy the TiW card is because Disney has noticed decreased spending from DVCers.

I just wanted to thank you for mentioning this change! I am a DVC member and I was completely unaware that this happened. TiW for DVC is a GREAT idea.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Good point.

However, I do not eat at Boma or anywhere else that expensive so that increase doesn't bother me. We only eat at places like 50's Prime Time, Hollywood Brown Derby, etc... The high end places do not appeal to us. And I have noticed a price increase but nothing I wouldn't have expected with inflation. I do pay for a few meals out of pocket each trip because we go to the Hoop Dee Doo and CRT. Those eat up 2 TS credits and then we get shorted one whole day because the DDP goes by nights you visit and not days.

Last I looked, Brown Derby was a signature.





Also, something not yet mentioned, is how people perceive the massive savings when their receipts come to the table at non-buffets. But if it wasn't free would you have ordered all that food to begin with? I can tell you from my experience the answer is no. We've done the free dining plan and we've paid for the dining plan. On the trips when the dining plan was involved both the hubby and I put on quite a bit of weight even with all the walking because we ordered more than we normally would if paying out of pocket. We don't normally order desserts at every meal. Sometimes we might opt to split a meal. We might order an appealing appetizer as a meal vs the full multi-course meal. The point is that the perceived savings can appear to be a large number simply from having ordered everything included in the dining credit as opposed to what you would've been satisfied with had you been paying out of pocket.

 

[Pioneer Hall]

Last I looked, Brown Derby was a signature.





Also, something not yet mentioned, is how people perceive the massive savings when their receipts come to the table at non-buffets. But if it wasn't free would you have ordered all that food to begin with? I can tell you from my experience the answer is no. We've done the free dining plan and we've paid for the dining plan. On the trips when the dining plan was involved both the hubby and I put on quite a bit of weight even with all the walking because we ordered more than we normally would if paying out of pocket. We don't normally order desserts at every meal. Sometimes we might opt to split a meal. We might order an appealing appetizer as a meal vs the full multi-course meal. The point is that the perceived savings can appear to be a large number simply from having ordered everything included in the dining credit as opposed to what you would've been satisfied with had you been paying out of pocket.

This is why Tables in Wonderland always works out better for us. It is very rare that we go to a restaurant and order dessert, let alone one for each person. We prefer appetizers to begin with, but if we want something at the end we usually just share.

 

[Lucky]

It's not only food prices - look at parking, strollers, one day park tickets and a lot of other things at WDW. Their price increases have been running way ahead of inflation in recent years. They've become more aggressive across the board about charging what the market will bear.

It's possible the dining plan has had some impact, but I think most of the restaurant menu price increases would have happened anyway.

 

[xdan0920]

It's not only food prices - look at parking, strollers, one day park tickets and a lot of other things at WDW. Their price increases have been running way ahead of inflation in recent years. They've become more aggressive across the board about charging what the market will bear.

It's possible the dining plan has had some impact, but I think most of the restaurant menu price increases would have happened anyway.

It's not just the price increases. It is the price increases coupled with the decline in quality.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

It's not just the price increases. It is the price increases coupled with the decline in quality.

Exactly.

 

[misterID]

I think DDP is a good excuse for rising prices and slashed menus.

I don't know, this is where it's been headed for years, imo.

 

[Pioneer Hall]

I think prices have gone up, but I don't think that the quality has slipped to that bad of a place. Yes, I think that Prime Rib could be on a buffet as opposed to the sirloin...but I don't see that as something that would keep me from returning. I think that there have been a lot of decent developements in Disney dining lately, that kind of contradict the "Restaurants have declined and it is all the same" argument. Via Napoli, La Hacienda, San Angel new menu (that is nothing like the sit down taco bell it used to be), Sanaa, and others. I could go on about how I think the power of suggestion works here, but I don't really think that I need to do that. I will say though that the same food at much higher prices can make it taste a bit worse...

 

[Lucky]

It's not just the price increases. It is the price increases coupled with the decline in quality.

I see posts here by well-informed insiders nearly every day about declining standards (attractions not being maintained etc.) across the parks. I don't think those can be blamed on the dining plan. If there are WDW-wide trends in prices and quality - and it's not just a problem with the restaurants - there must be bigger causes of it all than the DDP.

 

[G00fyDad]

Last I looked, Brown Derby was a signature.

It's been a while since we were there. How long has it been 2 TS credits? We ate there a while back and we only used one TS credit. And the food wasn't "high-end fancy" either. The only reason we ate there was because my wife is a Lucille Ball nut and she wanted to eat at the replica of the spot in one of her episodes.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

It's been a while since we were there. How long has it been 2 TS credits? We ate there a while back and we only used one TS credit. And the food wasn't "high-end fancy" either. The only reason we ate there was because my wife is a Lucille Ball nut and she wanted to eat at the replica of the spot in one of her episodes.

Oh I have no clue how long it's been classified a signature. Been since well before LeCellier's dinner went to the 2 credits, I think. I don't know. The 2 times we went to WDW and had the dining plan we didn't eat at the Derby. In fact, the only time we've eaten there was when the old man & I did the Lunch with an Imagineers and that was in 2008. Last September I wanted to go to the Brown Derby for a Cobb salad & grapefruit cake which would be pretty reasonable, especially with TiW. However, I know my teen sons. The oldest would've wanted the steak & the youngest the lamb. Both entrees are in the $38 range. I was NOT spending that much for me to get a salad & slice of cake. And the mommy in me couldn't fathom sending my teenage boys to go scrounge up yet another bland burger while I go to a nice restaurant. Ya know?

 

[MaryJaneP]

Maybe it is just me, but isn't free dining exactly the opposite of what this country needs? Does anyone able to afford a WDW vacation really suffer from being unable to feed themselves? Isn't DDP the flip side of Habit Heroes? Do buyers get info on the health concerns of over-consumption of food? Do visitors want more GAC/ECV issues? If some plan could be tied to healthy eating and information on developing a healthy lifestyle, I would be all in favor of it. Otherwise, it seems like hypocritical profiteering that has resulted in a vast diminution of food quality. Do you want fries with that V&A meal? No more "Free Dining"? Oh well.

 

[Lucky]

Maybe it is just me, but isn't free dining exactly the opposite of what this country needs? Does anyone able to afford a WDW vacation really suffer from being unable to feed themselves? Isn't DDP the flip side of Habit Heroes? Do buyers get info on the health concerns of over-consumption of food? Do visitors want more GAC/ECV issues? If some plan could be tied to healthy eating and information on developing a healthy lifestyle, I would be all in favor of it. Otherwise, it seems like hypocritical profiteering that has resulted in a vast diminution of food quality. Do you want fries with that V&A meal? No more "Free Dining"? Oh well.

Free dining is not the deluxe dining plan, and it's really reaching to blame obesity in the USA on free dining. I've been to WDW with free dining 5 times, for a week or more each time, without gaining any weight. You burn extra calories walking around the parks all day.

Really, what else can we blame on free dining while we're at it? High oil prices? Nuclear proliferation?

 

[G00fyDad]

Free dining is not the deluxe dining plan, and it's really reaching to blame obesity in the USA on free dining. I've been to WDW with free dining 5 times, for a week or more each time, without gaining any weight. You burn extra calories walking around the parks all day.

Really, what else can we blame on free dining while we're at it? High oil prices? Nuclear proliferation?

I'm going with world hunger. I mean after all, they must be robbing the world blind of all it's food to give us all the food they do on the DDP. The DDP is a food monger!

 

[Master Yoda]

Free dining is not the deluxe dining plan, and it's really reaching to blame obesity in the USA on free dining. I've been to WDW with free dining 5 times, for a week or more each time, without gaining any weight. You burn extra calories walking around the parks all day.

Really, what else can we blame on free dining while we're at it? High oil prices? Nuclear proliferation?

I hear is causes uneven tire wear.:lookaroun

 

[G00fyDad]

I hear is causes uneven tire wear.:lookaroun

And Hammer Toe.

 

[unkadug]

Free dining is not the deluxe dining plan, and it's really reaching to blame obesity in the USA on free dining. I've been to WDW with free dining 5 times, for a week or more each time, without gaining any weight. You burn extra calories walking around the parks all day.

Really, what else can we blame on free dining while we're at it? High oil prices? Nuclear proliferation?

No, only the things that are directly related to free dining.

Some people just refuse to listen to reason. :shrug:

 

[Gator]

Does it? I have never paid rack rate for a room at Disney ever. I haven't done the math to see if a room discount or free dining is better. A 40% room discount on moderate and deluxe resorts has to be a substantial savings as well. This may not be true with the lesser discounts on value rooms.

Let's see. I usually stay at Coronado or Carribean. Deluxe is just too much unless I rent points, and at that point I hate not having my bed turned, trashes emptied, and then running down mousekeeping for extra towells.

So my typical 9 nights at a moderate during value season would cost $1675 (with tax). I've NEVER seen a 40% discount, and I've rarely seen 30% for mods. Usually about 25%. But let's pretend that dreams come true and I got 40% off. That means I save $675 for the trip.

We always get the dining plan because we crunch the numbers and we come out anywhere from $25-100 ahead. What if it's free? A free dining plan for two adults and two kids is a savings of $1200 for a 9 night trip.

Fantasy room rates: $675 savings. Reality free dining plan: $1200. That's over $500 difference. It's the one discount that makes it hard to resist WDW. Room rate discounts are OK, and I'll take them if that all that's offered. It will probably be more in the $400 savings range, though. But if they offer free dining for a time I'm considering, I'm there. It's just that simple.