Recent promos suggest Disney restaurants are in trouble - why?

NearTheEars

NearTheEars

Well-Known Member
Aqueeta said:
IMO, Disney brought this on themselves by allowing the annual-passholding locals to overrun the parks to the point that they became so unbearable that the traditional tourist is no longer coming to Disney as often a they once did. It is a well-known fact that the locals don't spend money like the tourist do so the only way to fix this issue is for Disney to do away with the AP and the one-day ticket passes. This will bring the crowds down to tolerable levels and the money spending tourist back to the parks.
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I'm maybe bias as I'm one of those terrible APs taking up space, but I don't think that's true at all. Maybe at DL, but certainly not WDW.

Up until this year's dining discounts and the addition of free parking to lower tiers, they've done plenty to discourage us from renewing with drastic price increases, blackouts and removing perks.
 
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wdwfan4ver

Well-Known Member
I have some answers with resort hotels from my own experience.

  1. Disney transportation can be a problem going to some of the Disney resort table services. I'm referring to the Monorail hotels. We all know the monorails don't work all the time. The best way to put it is quite a few years ago I was going to use to the Monorail from MK to a Monorail hotel for an ADR. I ended up taking the boat.
  2. Location of some of the resort table places. I am bringing this up due to Fort Wilderness. Trail's end is my favorite WDW buffet and is one the places you can go to for eating at Fort Wilderness, but getting there is a chore without use the Mk boat. The problem will getting to Fort Wilderness eating places is they are very far away from the guest parking lots and you have to use a Disney bus to get there after parking your vehicle.
  3. Disney in the 2010s has been adding eating places outside hotel resorts. I know Disney has added eating places at the hotels during this decade, but Disney has done the same to MK, AK, Epcot, and Disney Springs. The best way to put is Would you want to deal with the pain of getting into Resort for table service or eating outside of the resorts.
  4. This is already mentioned by others, but Disney has increased prices on everything including park admission. I see guests cutting back as a result. The truth is if it wasn't for getting the dining plan for free, I would be eating counting counter service meals instead.
  5. This is was mention already by others, but the hotel security is an issue. What I am talking about I know people who wanted to go to a hotel bar before ADRS by taking a rental vehicle, but security wouldn't allow them in the gate before a certain time for ADRS.
 
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aladdin2007

aladdin2007

Well-Known Member
lentesta said:
I think it's a couple of things:
  1. International tourism to the US is down this year
  2. Disney's "grow revenue through price increases not attendance" strategy is ... lowering attendance
  3. Competition with Disney Springs
  4. As others have noted, it's frequently a hassle to park at a Disney resort for dining. You're treated like you've been caught trying to smuggle another seven dwarfs across the border or something.
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Thank you for pointing this out, it has become a huge problem. We had just given up awhile back and decided to stop dining at the resorts all together because of this. They act as if you dont have your passport or something, there's no reason for that. I guess they finally found they have been scaring too many people away or maybe there has just been a lot of complaints. Has it improved it all since some of these discounts have been implemented?
 
Biff215

Biff215

Well-Known Member
jt04 said:
Your casual observations have led you to a false conclusion.

Florida is having a localized heat wave. Pretty sure that affects an individuals desire for a heavy 'sit down' style hot meal. Nothing to see here.

PS- before anyone starts crying AGW wolf, Indiana and other parts of the mid-west are having one of the coolest summers on record. That is why they track averages. Because science.
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You post some crazy stuff, but this is on another level. You think a handful of resort restaurants would be the only ones affected by a heat wave? I agree that this is not a big deal for Disney, but you have to come up with more realistic excuses.
 
jt04

jt04

Well-Known Member
Biff215 said:
You post some crazy stuff, but this is on another level. You think a handful of resort restaurants would be the only ones affected by a heat wave? I agree that this is not a big deal for Disney, but you have to come up with more realistic excuses.
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Let's see if they drop the discounts once the summer weather breaks.
 
wishiwere@wdw

wishiwere@wdw

Well-Known Member
tirian said:
Anecdotally, my job is in Disney's coveted six-figure range, and none of my 22 coworkers plan on returning to Disney parks soon. The reasons? (1) Food is too expensive and the dining plan isn't worth its price. (2) The hotels are outrageous and Disney must've lost its mind.

Interestingly, few of them would consider staying off property because they LIKE the Disney bubble.

Disney seems to have forgotten that generally speaking, the more money someone makes, the more well traveled they are, and the more familiar they are with prices and value.
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You couldn't be more spot on. We are no longer Ap'ers and that is due to being a family of 6. We couldn't believe the food prices in 2016 when we last visited as an entire family. We travel quite a bit both on hybrid business travel and as a family. Even at 30% off they are totally out of line with reality!

That said, since I'm down here rather frequently on business, including this moment, I do find reasonable value in leveraging the lounges at the various resorts. Not a great answer for families though!
 
BuddyThomas

BuddyThomas

Well-Known Member
Maybe it's as simple as people finally getting tired of the terrorist price point of so many menu items,

$29.00 for a plain cheese pizza at Via Napoli with toppings priced between $3.50 - $10.00

$23.00 for a noodle bowl at Skipper Canteen

$65.00 for Dover Sole at Flying Fish

Etc, etc, etc.

I realize that you are also paying for the atmosphere/theme and I always budget for paying these exorbitant prices, but I totally understand why many may be balking at laying down this kind of $$.
 
Biff215

Biff215

Well-Known Member
jt04 said:
Let's see if they drop the discounts once the summer weather breaks.
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I believe they're set to end September 30, and Disney obviously doesn't know what the weather will be like for the next 50+ days, so this decision is clearly based on something else.

One thing worth mentioning is free dining starting during this timeframe. With most of these being two credit signature restaurants, Disney may know that DDP guests are less likely to use their plan here, so why not try to attract AP/DVC?
 
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WDWTrojan

Well-Known Member
Disney rested on their laurels for a long time, letting their once-great deluxe hotels decay to the point where they're offering a three star experience for five star prices. We walked in the Beach Club the other day and my friend said "Wow this is the hotel the 90s forgot to take with them." It's just very out of date. Add in the Disney Dining Plan which gets dumb tourists to prepay for their meals thus allowing Disney to start cutting back on menu choices, homogenizing ingredients, offering lower quality and raising prices for those paying out of pocket. The kinds of high net worth guests who would previously stay at Wilderness Lodge or Disney's Animal Kingdom are now staying at the Waldorf, Ritz or Four Seasons and have no real desire to schlep back to an off the beaten path Disney resort for a relatively mediocre meal.

Even speaking for myself, I used to LOVE going to resort restaurants but at some point you can only have the same boring sourdough bread roll and decent quality filet so many times before it gets boring. What is the reason to go to Jiko when I can go to Morimoto for better, more creative food?

Lastly, just getting to these resorts is a tricky endeavor. Uber/Lyft certainly help but most Disney visitors think Uber is scary or have no idea it's available to them on property.
 
B

BrerWayne

Well-Known Member
I'm writing this from Coronado Springs as we speak. When I booked the trip the reservation agent asked if I wanted dining. When I said no, she was polite but asked why? I told her frankly I'm from New Orleans and on a daily basis I can eat much better food for less money. My family tends to eat counter service at Disney and sit down at home. Exception: I took my daughter and son to Cinderella's Royal Table. The look on there faces was priceless they could have served donuts and I'd been ok.
 
seabreezept813

seabreezept813

Well-Known Member
Laketravis said:
Minnie Van to the rescue!
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When I married at Disney, we ate at Narcoosees after the ceremony and the limo brought us there. But then we didn't have any more limo time so we planned to take the monorail to the Ticket Center, but it ended up being closed. Our group of 12 waited at a bus stop for bout 25 minutes. The bus driver realizing what happened and asked for permission to reroute and took us back to to Pop. One of the best moments of a cast member going above and beyond-we even took a picture with her.

Needless to say transportation to hotel restaurants is probably hit or miss.
 
tirian

tirian

Well-Known Member
Aqueeta said:
IMO, Disney brought this on themselves by allowing the annual-passholding locals to overrun the parks to the point that they became so unbearable that the traditional tourist is no longer coming to Disney as often a they once did. It is a well-known fact that the locals don't spend money like the tourist do so the only way to fix this issue is for Disney to do away with the AP and the one-day ticket passes. This will bring the crowds down to tolerable levels and the money spending tourist back to the parks.
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That's not much of a problem in Florida, but it has burdened DL for years.
 
W

WDWTrojan

Well-Known Member
Aqueeta said:
IMO, Disney brought this on themselves by allowing the annual-passholding locals to overrun the parks to the point that they became so unbearable that the traditional tourist is no longer coming to Disney as often a they once did. It is a well-known fact that the locals don't spend money like the tourist do so the only way to fix this issue is for Disney to do away with the AP and the one-day ticket passes. This will bring the crowds down to tolerable levels and the money spending tourist back to the parks.
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Really? You want to tell someone they can't come to Disney for the day if that's all time they can get off of work or that they can afford? That's crazy.

If you did away with one day passes, you'd lose half your tourist base in CA. It's simply unmanageable at a resort that attracts mostly locals within 6-8 hours drive. Annual passes are a genuine problem in California, as there are so many out there but again, Disneyland relies heavily on them - especially on non-peak days, that they are a serious driver in that park's attendance and revenue stream. This is the reason Disneyland does all the overlays that WDW doesn't do. Changing one small thing or plussing one new attraction leads to a massive influx of APers who, while maybe not spending as much as a normal day guests, still buy merchandise and grab some food.

In Florida, the AP demographic is negligible and day passes account for such a small portion of visitors that it wouldn't make much a difference,.
 
Jon81uk

Jon81uk

Well-Known Member
Maccabee18 said:
I agree, but my problem with the dining plan is its on the verge of gluttony in order to be worth the price. I did a price comparison for example on the deluxe and unless you plan to eat an appetizer per person, one of the more expensive meals (which limits choices) and desserts. Its either not cost effective, or Disney makes money off you because you waste the dollars.

Id rather pay and get what I want and spend less than feel forced to gorge myself on food or almost plan my trip just on dining. Its convenient for sure, but I am betting that Disney makes a profit off the dining plan because most people don't spend what they would have if the paid ala carte. Or if you do, you leave 5lbs heavier than you planned too. lol
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I only get the dining plan as the offer each summer in the UK is for free dining plan when booking a moderate or deluxe resort. If I didn't get it for free there is a good chance I'd stay off site anyway.
Paying cash for the dining plan hasn't been good value for years. But the suckers still pay...
 
Sunset7132

Sunset7132

Active Member
wdwfan4ver said:
I have some answers with resort hotels from my own experience.

  1. Disney transportation can be a problem going to some of the Disney resort table services. I'm referring to the Monorail hotels. We all know the monorails don't work all the time. The best way to put it is quite a few years ago I was going to use to the Monorail from MK to a Monorail hotel for an ADR. I ended up taking the boat.
  2. Location of some of the resort table places. I am bringing this up due to Fort Wilderness. Trail's end is my favorite WDW buffet and is one the places you can go to for eating at Fort Wilderness, but getting there is a chore without use the Mk boat. The problem will getting to Fort Wilderness eating places is they are very far away from the guest parking lots and you have to use a Disney bus to get there after parking your vehicle.
  3. Disney in the 2010s has been adding eating places outside hotel resorts. I know Disney has added eating places at the hotels during this decade, but Disney has done the same to MK, AK, Epcot, and Disney Springs. The best way to put is Would you want to deal with the pain of getting into Resort for table service or eating outside of the resorts.
  4. This is already mentioned by others, but Disney has increased prices on everything including park admission. I see guests cutting back as a result. The truth is if it wasn't for getting the dining plan for free, I would be eating counting counter service meals instead.
  5. This is was mention already by others, but the hotel security is an issue. What I am talking about I know people who wanted to go to a hotel bar before ADRS by taking a rental vehicle, but security wouldn't allow them in the gate before a certain time for ADRS.
Click to expand...
Your allowed to resort hop so that makes no sense that they won't let you in ,my husband and I resort hop every time we go and we have never been denied access to any resort
 

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