Sign of free dining plans to come?

[DivineMadness7]

It would be cheaper (47.92) to stay at a value and purchase the QDP than it would be to stay at a moderate and get it Free.

Oh, I guess I forgot that the dining plan offered for the Mods is the quick service and I was assuming the regular dining plan price ($39 per person.) Is the price of the QDP $29? Because that's still almost $60 for 2 people. If the price difference is $47 from value to moderate, that would be $13 cheaper per day, right?

 

[Ausdaddy]

Sorry, I must have misunderstood. I agree it won't be as much of a draw but I was thinking maybe Disney isn't concerned about that now that their bookings seem to have gone back up. Of course, free dining is going to draw more people. But if Disney is losing more money on it than it is worth, I can see why they are choosing an alternative rather than ditching the promo all together. Those paying full price will notice the changes, I'm just not sure a majority are going to care if they have used the dining plan before and like the convenience. Even with the changes, I would imagine more people purchase the DPP than compared to the Silver, etc plans of before. DDP is advertised a lot more than the Silver/Gold plans were, the free dining serves as advertisement in that way, regardless of what they cut from it. I hope I made more sense this time, but I'm not sure that I did

No worries. I understood your point. According to their last earnings call, the economy is starting to have an effect and bookings were flat in the current quarter. We'll have to wait an see what affect that has. To me, Disney seems to make decisions based on the fact they have high numbers of new visitors or visitors that haven't been to the park in a long time. I think that accounts for all the changes that seem to fly in the face of the current economic state. Every year, just grab a little value, charge a little more and move on. It's hard to blame them. They still draw me in every year! :lol:

 

[Computer Magic]

yes i can't wait for pi to close and we can get more variety with restaurants, shops i know won't be anything great. i'm glad their closing clubs that from what i've heard they can't get people into, i was only there one time, in 2005, and it didn't seem too busy to me then.

How do we know DTD restaurants will be on the plan. Fultion's and Rain Forest Cafe are not to name a few, I'm sure there are more. Many Non Disney restaurants don't allow the plan.

 

[DivineMadness7]

yes i can't wait for pi to close and we can get more variety with restaurants, shops i know won't be anything great. i'm glad their closing clubs that from what i've heard they can't get people into, i was only there one time, in 2005, and it didn't seem too busy to me then.

I hope you've got your flame retardant suit ready...

or something to catch worms with, because you just opened a whole new can of them!

There are plenty of restaurants at WDW...if you're willing to travel to the resorts. I would be okay with part of PI closing to make way for new restaurants, but I'm not okay with ALL of it closing as it was a unique part of WDW. More shops, really? More restaurants, I'll give you, but when all they do is homogenize the shops anyway, why do we need MORE?

ETA: and Computer Magic makes an excellent point, there are no guarantees any new restaurants at DTD would be included in the DDP. They may give more options for people who want to be able to walk-up (not that you can do that at Rainforest, which I might add is NOT included on DDP) but I think the bigger issue is more table service in the PARKS. MGM and AK especially could use some more table service.

 

[RiversideBunny]

Is it correct to say that the restaurants that are not on the dining plan are those that are not owned by Disney?

Is there some simple internal WDW rule that decides what is to be on the plan?
Specifically what about Fulton's and some of the other DTD restaurants?

Tks.

 

[Computer Magic]

Is it correct to say that the restaurants that are not on the dining plan are those that are not owned by Disney?

Is there some simple internal WDW rule that decides what is to be on the plan?
Specifically what about Fulton's and some of the other DTD restaurants?

Tks.

All Disney owned are on the plan. What Disney owns is fuzzy. Many Epot are not owned by Disney but are on the plan (probabaly by a twist of the arm by Disney)

 

[brianheather]

Love the DDP, Love Making ADR's far in advance, Never had a problem with any meals at any Disney Rest. as of yet over the last 4 years. Must just be Us. Hmmmm For those Who feel the pressure of a timed dinner, just call and cancel if You feel that type of pressure any day of Your vacation. "There's no stressing in Disney":ROFLOL:

:sohappy: Couldn't have said it better myself... since the beginning of DDP I have gotten it..
As far as cut backs, this is going on everywhere not just DISNEY. I look at it this way, I am not at work, I am at WDW and not having to cook. I have never had a problem making ADR's sure I have tried to get certain ressies, and couldn't but that is why I have a back up. Free or not we would still get the dining plan.

 

[Goofnut1980]

Okay raise the prices and improve the quality :shrug: I think people are blaming Disney for having a pre paid food package. What I'm saying is that is not the issue as the problems started in 2005. Disney has decided to exploit the plan by trying to get quantity of people rather then quality of food. But Disney is doing that with merchandise as well. How many unique stores are left :shrug:

So I think we agree :lookaroun I think hell just froze over, I just saw Gary with a winter coat :lookaroun

Amen to that... I couldn't agree more!!! The food was good.. but it does lack the 110% you expect from Disney

 

[brucie]

As I suspected. If this happens it will be our last trip to Disney for a while. Free Dining has got us there 3 times. but we always stay at a value. Oh well. My wife wants to travel other places anyway

 

[kverdon]

We are, of course, projecting the UK Free Dining Plan is going to be the same as the one offered in the US. Following that assumption, what I don't understand is WHY someone would stay in a value resort if they don't receive ANY free meals. Here is the math I did. This assumes a 7 night stay for 2 adults and 1 child age 7.

Value (Pop Century) Add 7 Night Counter Service Dining: $1995

Moderate (POR) - Free Counter Service Dining: $2037

So as another person put it, for $48 for the whole trip you can stay at a moderate. If you add another child or 2 then it becomes CHEAPER to stay at a Moderate. Why then would anyone book a value resort? This should make booking a moderate resort all but impossible during the plan offer. Unless they offer a different discounted package for the value resorts this does not seem to make much sense? :shrug:

 

[kimmychad]

I hope you've got your flame retardant suit ready...

or something to catch worms with, because you just opened a whole new can of them!

There are plenty of restaurants at WDW...if you're willing to travel to the resorts. I would be okay with part of PI closing to make way for new restaurants, but I'm not okay with ALL of it closing as it was a unique part of WDW. More shops, really? More restaurants, I'll give you, but when all they do is homogenize the shops anyway, why do we need MORE?

ETA: and Computer Magic makes an excellent point, there are no guarantees any new restaurants at DTD would be included in the DDP. They may give more options for people who want to be able to walk-up (not that you can do that at Rainforest, which I might add is NOT included on DDP) but I think the bigger issue is more table service in the PARKS. MGM and AK especially could use some more table service.

nope there are no guarantees that any new restaurants will be on the plan, but if disney wants to give them any chance at all of doing well, they'll try to include them.
i heard one time from a castmember on the phone that disney asks the restaurants if they want to be on the plan, not sure how true that is.
there are several restaurants that are on the plan, but not owned by disney. the ones that come to mind are: yak and yeti, raglan road, planet hollywood, and wolfgang pucks cafe.
and yes i have my flame retardant suit on, but it just amazes me how many things the dining plan is blamed for. and by the way, according to the reviews on allears, 94% of the nearly 600 people that reviewed the dining plan recommend it, so apparantly people in general don't hate it.

 

[Dwarful]

Well we did a full two weeks at WDW 07-26 to 08-09. We have done the dining plan numerous times (including last year with a grand gathering of 36 people). This was the worst experience this year. Many times service wasn't even up to Ponderosa standards let alone Disney Standards and this was at the 'better sit downs'. Don't even get me started about the water parks. There were many places at the water parks that didn't take the dining plan or even the KTTK cards. I only put charging privldgs on the card so we didn't have to take cash to the water parks.

The bus issues at Wilderness Lodge made us decide not to go back to Whispering Canyon. Even with a two week trip, I don't want to spend 4 hours on a meal. Getting to WL and back to the parks that night was a nightmare. Now I know why people double and triple book adrs for the same day.

I don't think you can fairly compare the 'old dining plans' of the 80's/90's to the DDP.

 

[Computer Magic]

As I suspected. If this happens it will be our last trip to Disney for a while. Free Dining has got us there 3 times. but we always stay at a value. Oh well. My wife wants to travel other places anyway

Yeah, I need to start looking at traveling to other places as well.

 

[blackthidot]

To say that you cant decide 6 months ahead of time when you will be hungry is pretty over the top considering you technically can eat 2 other times throughout the day. Ala snack, and counter service.

I still to this day cant see why people complain about this. Too much food, too much planning...DUDE DONT GET THE DINING PLAN IF YOU DONT LIKE IT! I dont like going in July when 3872301987 people are there but you dont see me in the middle of WDW in July complaining about it.

My friends, and myself included are really not "rich" enough to head down there once a year and eat like this without this plan, and every year I go I am more thankful for it than the last. This plan hasnt just created memories for me but it has given myself and my friends a chance to experiance the magic of WDW that myself and them would have never been able to experiance. At least not for a couple of years when we are actually rolling in money so to speak.

 

[Sleepy01]

I agree that free dining should go away, and so should ap discounts, its way too hard to get the room i want. i should be able to call a couple days before i leave to book a room, plus if i pay more for the room I'll definitely get better service.

+1 Best comment of the thread...

 

[Dwarful]

I think the main complaint is the quality of the food/service/selection. Under the way old plan of the 80's..those plans didn't really impact the dining options of other guests. When they unveiled the DDP many people spent time and effort trying to figure out how to get the most bang for their buck. When we were at WDW last year with 36 people..more than once I heard "NO, don't use a snack credit for that, just pay cash". I also saw many CM"s in MK getting yelled at by guests because they couldn't use a snack credit for a souvineer bucket of popcorn (what exactly does everyone do with those buckets?) and the souvineer soda cups..even though it was clearly spelled out in the dining plan information what was and was not allowed.

We noticed during our July/August '08 trip a serious trimming down of the menu's at many of the table service restaurants. I wasn't worried about not getting an apptzr. and we never missed it, nor did we order any. However, we were disappointed with the limited menu options. I'd rather go back to paying cash, having quality food, decent options and great service that Disney so highly known for (because they set the bar high themselves).

Planning 6 months out isn't really a problem as long as they let you know what parks are the EMHs. We knew ahead of time what our favorite restaurants were. But we didn't know until almost at the 180 mark which parks might have the EMH's. Some people want to take advantage of those hours and others want to avoid them. This is where I think many people do the double bookings..if they aren't sure where they will be they pick a place for each possible option which blocks tables for those of us seriously trying to get tables.

We never go during the free dining. But after paying for the dining plan this trip, we will skip it next trip and just bring the $$$ with us.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

I hadnt realised that there was a menu for guests that were paying by meal that hadnt been standardised or trimmed of choice. This is great news. I hope they have created a section where the servers arent swamped either.

After all we wouldnt want to have to give up on the Disney Magic just because we felt that despite significant increases in price the standard of food had fallen.
But then I suppose its all about previous standards and meeting those levels of expectation.

 

[ryguy]

I think 180 adr's is a major problem. I wish it was more like 7 days, I think that would be fair. Last year I made all my reservations early but when we got down to WDW the weather really messed up our plans. Basically all my reservations had to be altered or cancelled. At least with a week out I can kinda know what the weather will be like and plan accordingly. Also trying to get my wife to make decisions 4 months out about eating seriously ticks her off. Her view is why do we have to make these decisions so far out. I tell her its because there are freaks like me who are constantly thinking about there trip and love having everything planned out. I miss those days of my dad waking up early and running like a mad man through epcot to get our dinner reservations. Dinner tasted better when you had to earn your seat:lol:. Seriously though, 7 days is a happy medium for both types of traveler: the planner and the fly by the seat of your pants traveler. I think this change would serve Disney well and make a better experience for everyone.

 

[Brian Noble]

Too much food, too much planning...DUDE DONT GET THE DINING PLAN IF YOU DONT LIKE IT!

I don't get the plan, because it really doesn't fit my family very well---we rarely have dessert at lunch, we often share a couple appetizers and a couple desserts at dinner, and we typically spend a bit less on food than the plan costs. I also prefer the flexibility of not having to eat exactly as many TS meals as nights I am staying. DDE (or, in years I don't have a pass, just paying out of pocket) works much much better for me.

But, the "success" of the plan has meant that, for many restaurants, you have to plan well in advance whether you want to or not---because those places book solid weeks/months in advance.

The 2008 downgrade to the plan helped this significantly---it was much easier to get same-day reservations this year than it was in the past few. Hopefully, the offering of a CS plan will further reduce some of the pressure on the TS locations.

To Disney's credit, they do seem to be modifying the offerings each year to try to find the right balance point.

 

[wvdisneyfamily]

Love the DDP, Love Making ADR's far in advance, Never had a problem with any meals at any Disney Rest. as of yet over the last 4 years. Must just be Us. Hmmmm For those Who feel the pressure of a timed dinner, just call and cancel if You feel that type of pressure any day of Your vacation. "There's no stressing in Disney":ROFLOL:

I could not agree more. Fabulous post!

The sooner "free" dining goes and the dining plan goes the better in my opinion. Ever since its introduction, availability, choice and quality has suffered. I would even go as far as to say food has become greatly devalued by the plan. People order food willy nilly and dont really give care whether they eat it or not - because it's "free" or "included".

Yeah, but they are still wasting. If a family knows the plan will end up in more wasted food and wasted money, they shouldn't buy it. I just really disagree that the removal of the DDP would improve any problems you may see with Disney's restaurants. People have done the DDP for so long that they are hooked on the restaurants. Even if the DDP does go away, many people will still make ADRs 180 days (especially when they go online) out and restaurants will still be busy. I don't think the food is that poor in quality either. Obviously some places are much better than others.

Its not even free since you have to pay rack rate on the room.

I agree 100%. The cost of the DDP (whether you get it free or not) is not all inclusive. Those that have AP or tickets that have not expired still have to buy a one day admission. Plus, anyone who wants to use the DDP has to stay on Disney property. Even the Values are pricey compared to what you get other places.

I agree 100% - plus the service had gone downhill due to the guaranteed tip.

I miss the days of being able to decide at noon which WS restaurant you might want to try for dinner and making either a walk-up or phone ADR the same day. I still think that WDW should reserve a percentage of table for walk-ups. I have seen so many people turned away at the door. That's just wrong! It's a theme park - you are supposed to be spontaneous. Those days are gone (but not forgotten).

I thought service improved with the removal of the tip. I thought that was a great move on the part of Disney. I think the days of walk-up are over. Disney encourages ADRs as do most travel planners. The online system will really motivate more people to make ADRs.

I agree that free dining should go away, and so should ap discounts, its way too hard to get the room i want. i should be able to call a couple days before i leave to book a room, plus if i pay more for the room I'll definitely get better service.

Don't forget the removal of the DDE card. That will definitely improve service.

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.

Wonderful post! Who pays thousands of dollars to go to WDW only to have a chip on their shoulder about the perceived problems with dining at WDW?