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Sign of free dining plans to come?
- Thread starter kennygman
- Start date
Pumbas Nakasak
Heading for the great escape.
To be honest apart from the shrinking menus, the declining service, the over booked restaurants and the fact that free dining shafts DVC members (a strange thing to do to something that is a glorified loyalty scheme) I think that its a great scheme.
copcarguyp71
Well-Known Member
I just have to ask...do you go to WDW to eat or to have fun? I know I go for the fun and immersive experience. We do use the DDP and are happy enough with the restrictions and difficulty getting reservations. Yeah we missed out on one or two character meals because we waited too long before calling for ADR but what the heck we will be in Disney anyway so how bad can things be.
I think perspective is the most important thing to maintain for me in this situation. My basic mindset is this...I am not at work...the phone is not ringing...the voice and emails are not piling up...I am spending much needed uninterupted R&R with my family...and doing so in a place that exudes utopia. If I don't get a res at Le Cellier then I am not going to boo-hoo over it to the point of dragging my mindset down. A Disney vacation is one of the best check-up from the neck-up vacations you can take IMO regardless of what you eat.
I think Disney is probably trying to load up the moderate and deluxe resorts with this move and shift things in that direction instead of having the VR's always packed but rooms empty on the other MR and DR's. The only thing I have to question is the timing since airfare is skyrocketing I think they might be better served offering added value or discounts at least for the short term. Remember though that your own grocery bills are increasing at home so theirs must be as well.
I think perspective is the most important thing to maintain for me in this situation. My basic mindset is this...I am not at work...the phone is not ringing...the voice and emails are not piling up...I am spending much needed uninterupted R&R with my family...and doing so in a place that exudes utopia. If I don't get a res at Le Cellier then I am not going to boo-hoo over it to the point of dragging my mindset down. A Disney vacation is one of the best check-up from the neck-up vacations you can take IMO regardless of what you eat.
I think Disney is probably trying to load up the moderate and deluxe resorts with this move and shift things in that direction instead of having the VR's always packed but rooms empty on the other MR and DR's. The only thing I have to question is the timing since airfare is skyrocketing I think they might be better served offering added value or discounts at least for the short term. Remember though that your own grocery bills are increasing at home so theirs must be as well.
Pumbas Nakasak
Heading for the great escape.
Do you know I just cant be bothered............................................
we started going to disney in 2005, what the menus or service were like before that i can't comment on, as far as the overbooked restaurants, disneys attendance increases every year, where are those people going to eat?
copcarguyp71
Well-Known Member
Sorry to bother but I think you misunderstood...my reply was rhetorical and not directed to you. My reply just happened to be directly after yours.:shrug:
Pumbas Nakasak
Heading for the great escape.
Well having gone for the last 10 years I would hazard a guess, based by posts on sites such as this, that many stuck to counter service eateries, also some establishments are jokingly referred to as seasonal, this in fact usually means closed. I chose the term over booked as the alternative would seem to imply that in recent years the quality of servers has declined as they seem to struggle to offer the same level of service.
As for the menus, there has been a shrinking (not always a bad thing) of choice, but coupled with a reduction in variety across eateries. Dining out is a big part of my vacation, and I would assume a nice little earner for Disney, Im expressing my concerns that my needs and those who enjoy table service meals like me are being taken for a mug. Non reuseable of course. :animwink:
DiPSU224
Member
Couldn't agree more!
I don't really have anything to compare it to since my only "adult" trips have been on some sort of dining plan starting with the old silver plan back in 2003. But, for me, I enjoy booking my ADRs 180 days out along with which parks and rides I'm going to be doing each day as soon as I find out I'm going. I enjoy and thrive on planning my trips like that. There may have been one or two instances we haven't been able to get our first choice for dining. I do have to say we have been lucky enough though to have wonderful meals and servers and have never been disappointed in any of our dining experiences on any dining plans. I love having my meals taken care of before I go and don't have to worry about whatever dining bills I've racked up when I get home. Does the system have it's flaws? Sure. Putting aside a certain amount of tables each night for walkups seems like a great idea.
But, that being said, not getting to eat at Le Cellier for dinner is not going to ruin the fact that I'm in Disney...
RiversideBunny
New Member
minnie61650
Member
I agree.
imamouse
Well-Known Member
Outside the themeparks at the [soon to be] former PI complex when it reopens with additional dining and shops, perhaps? :lookaroun Of course transportation to DTD will have to be greatly improved to get me there. Let's start up the monorail expansion rumor again - just for kicks. :hammer:
WDW-LUVR
Active Member
I just did up the numbers, and this is what I came up with for my Family. 2 Adults 1 child at 7 no bells or wilsels
Value to Moderate it is a difference of $47.92
Moderate to Deluxe it is a difference of $91.28
RiversideBunny
New Member
In some cases, the table service dining plan is actually keeping some mediocre restaurants (like Tony's Town Square) open.
People can't get ADR's elsewhere so they take what they can get and thus end up at the less favored places.
True competition means better restaurants.
IMHO, of course.
People can't get ADR's elsewhere so they take what they can get and thus end up at the less favored places.
True competition means better restaurants.
IMHO, of course.
Ausdaddy
Active Member
I agree with most of the comments here, but I don't understand Disney's logic. The free dining is to help fill rooms during a slow period. I don't see how this plan will do that. If they had done the Quick Service with values, Moderate with regular dining, it would have made more sense to me. Clearly, they think they can fill the values using some other promotion. We shall see.
Buried20KLeague
Well-Known Member
At risk of adding to the thread drift...
What worries me is that if they got rid of the dining plan like so many have talked about, it wouldn't do anything to help the quality and diversity of the restaurants. Which seems to be the chief complaint, along with having to made ADR's way in advance.
I agree with those that think lower quality and smaller selection at the restaurants has been caused by the dining plan... But I think the powers that be are plenty happy with the move, and wouldn't change anything even if the plan went away.
Recent trends in general around the WDW property as a whole would lead me to believe this, unfortunately.
What worries me is that if they got rid of the dining plan like so many have talked about, it wouldn't do anything to help the quality and diversity of the restaurants. Which seems to be the chief complaint, along with having to made ADR's way in advance.
I agree with those that think lower quality and smaller selection at the restaurants has been caused by the dining plan... But I think the powers that be are plenty happy with the move, and wouldn't change anything even if the plan went away.
Recent trends in general around the WDW property as a whole would lead me to believe this, unfortunately.
Computer Magic
Well-Known Member
What a great post !!! :sohappy:
Before the modified plan introduced in 2005, I never went to counter service for a meal :lookaroun No, I'm not a Table Service Snob, just the silver plan offered two tables per day per person. I was presently surprised when I first tried counter service. It introduced me to Flame Tree and many other great places. Plus it was less food, which was a good thing because I was waisting.
Part of the fun for many is spending time at the restrauants. At least that is for us.
Computer Magic
Well-Known Member
Let's not forget Disney is forcing you into a dining plan. It would cost you much more to buy the exact same food not using the plan. I'm sure Disney hopes people don't use all the credits, like gift cards. It a sunk cost and may not be fully used. Lastly, it gives Disney a way to budget. let not forget the more people sitting at a table, the more open the rides are.
Pumbas Nakasak
Heading for the great escape.
And you would say this was a typical dining pattern?
Computer Magic
Well-Known Member
Actually yes for those that purchased the
Disney's Dream Maker™ Plan. I would say not typical for People that didn't purchase the add-on plan.