News Walt Disney World to resume sales of Annual Passes (New sales resume April 20, 2023)

[AJT607]

I still think the primary reason Disney isn't ready to bring back the dining plan is based on labor and the amount of still shuttered/not fully-operational restaurants (e.g., think breakfast service at Garden Grill). A secondary reason probably has to do with the infrastructure required to build the plan in to their mobile ordering systems.

As plenty of other people have said - it was a profitable program for them because most guests either lost money or spent/ate more than they likely would have without the dining plan when they purchased it. Disney just can't launch the program and bear the complaints / refund requests that would likely come in if ADR availability remains limited and/or QSRs are unable to accommodate the plan through mobile order. As soon as they are able to overcome those challenges, I'm sure the plan will be back - bigger and more expensive than ever.

On a completely separate note, I know from talking to some former CMs that dining plan guests regularly did not tip as well as a la carte guests. I'm sure some of this comes from confusion about what is and is not included in the plan - but I doubt there are CMs out there clamoring for a return of the plan, as that would likely mean less take home pay for them at the end of the day.

While we considered the dining plan for almost every trip we have ever scheduled, we have only come across one situation where the dining plan worked out for our family to save us money vs paying out-of-pocket. I understand that there are folks out there that use it primarily as a budget tool, but I would encourage those folks to just save that money another way - perhaps by buying Disney gift cards - as those are also a great tool to help you budget/save for your trip.

 

[matt9112]

I still think the primary reason Disney isn't ready to bring back the dining plan is based on labor and the amount of still shuttered/not fully-operational restaurants (e.g., think breakfast service at Garden Grill). A secondary reason probably has to do with the infrastructure required to build the plan in to their mobile ordering systems.

As plenty of other people have said - it was a profitable program for them because most guests either lost money or spent/ate more than they likely would have without the dining plan when they purchased it. Disney just can't launch the program and bear the complaints / refund requests that would likely come in if ADR availability remains limited and/or QSRs are unable to accommodate the plan through mobile order. As soon as they are able to overcome those challenges, I'm sure the plan will be back - bigger and more expensive than ever.

On a completely separate note, I know from talking to some former CMs that dining plan guests regularly did not tip as well as a la carte guests. I'm sure some of this comes from confusion about what is and is not included in the plan - but I doubt there are CMs out there clamoring for a return of the plan, as that would likely mean less take home pay for them at the end of the day.

While we considered the dining plan for almost every trip we have ever scheduled, we have only come across one situation where the dining plan worked out for our family to save us money vs paying out-of-pocket. I understand that there are folks out there that use it primarily as a budget tool, but I would encourage those folks to just save that money another way - perhaps by buying Disney gift cards - as those are also a great tool to help you budget/save for your trip.

Free dining in October was the best! Spend a measly 3k on your week vacation and eat like a king!

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Always “on top of it”

Good help is hard to find

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I still think the primary reason Disney isn't ready to bring back the dining plan is based on labor and the amount of still shuttered/not fully-operational restaurants (e.g., think breakfast service at Garden Grill). A secondary reason probably has to do with the infrastructure required to build the plan in to their mobile ordering systems.

As plenty of other people have said - it was a profitable program for them because most guests either lost money or spent/ate more than they likely would have without the dining plan when they purchased it. Disney just can't launch the program and bear the complaints / refund requests that would likely come in if ADR availability remains limited and/or QSRs are unable to accommodate the plan through mobile order. As soon as they are able to overcome those challenges, I'm sure the plan will be back - bigger and more expensive than ever.

On a completely separate note, I know from talking to some former CMs that dining plan guests regularly did not tip as well as a la carte guests. I'm sure some of this comes from confusion about what is and is not included in the plan - but I doubt there are CMs out there clamoring for a return of the plan, as that would likely mean less take home pay for them at the end of the day.

While we considered the dining plan for almost every trip we have ever scheduled, we have only come across one situation where the dining plan worked out for our family to save us money vs paying out-of-pocket. I understand that there are folks out there that use it primarily as a budget tool, but I would encourage those folks to just save that money another way - perhaps by buying Disney gift cards - as those are also a great tool to help you budget/save for your trip.

It hasn’t come back because people showed and paid menu prices without blinking.

But to your other points…I’ve heard people don’t tip with it. Which is ridiculous unless it’s cultural.
Like…shoot the messengers, ya jerks

But I don’t want it back for hope that maybe the menu streamlining will ease some. Make better food…charge more for it. Simple

 

[AJT607]

Free dining in October was the best! Spend a measly 3k on your week vacation and eat like a king!

Yes very true… and they also often ran a 20-30% room discount in combination with free dining so we would calculate the potential room savings and compare it with the dining plan “cost”.

We only started visiting in the mid-2010s and I think free dining had already been sufficiently watered down (only giving you a QS dining plan, for example) by that point.

 

[drizgirl]

Yes very true… and they also often ran a 20-30% room discount in combination with free dining so we would calculate the potential room savings and compare it with the dining plan “cost”.

We only started visiting in the mid-2010s and I think free dining had already been sufficiently watered down (only giving you a QS dining plan, for example) by that point.

I think we got the last great deal. It was 2009 and you still got the full dining plan staying at a value resort. There were 4 of us so a great payoff.

I believe it started after the hurricanes in 2004 to lure people back that time of year.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Free dining in October was the best! Spend a measly 3k on your week vacation and eat like a king!

…2007 called…you’ve been missing for 16 years!

 

[Rickcat96]

I still think the primary reason Disney isn't ready to bring back the dining plan is based on labor and the amount of still shuttered/not fully-operational restaurants (e.g., think breakfast service at Garden Grill). A secondary reason probably has to do with the infrastructure required to build the plan in to their mobile ordering systems.

Not sure about this, if you mean that the "capacity" for dining is still diminished- Look what they did with diminished ride capacity, I.E. Gennie +

Dining plan has nothing to-do with mobile ordering as it's the payment method, not what's ordered.

 

[HauntedPirate]

The brand provides the cover that I’d argue no other company would get.

But particularly in Orlando…Iger REALLY screwed up by not adding capacity. It was the whole key to the financial success of the place…allowing for more and more frivolous guest spending.

They never understood their product. And now the chickens are looking for their hen house.

Bobs are amazingly clueless to what is going down.

BuT aDdInG cApAcItY oNlY iNcReAsEs DeMaNd...

 

[jinx8402]

Not sure about this, if you mean that the "capacity" for dining is still diminished- Look what they did with diminished ride capacity, I.E. Gennie +

Dining plan has nothing to-do with mobile ordering as it's the payment method, not what's ordered.

Correct, I remember on my trip in Nov 2019 with the dining plan it was already integrated into the mobile ordering. You could order from a QS and use your QS credit. So not bringing it back yet is not related to mobile ordering.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

BuT aDdInG cApAcItY oNlY iNcReAsEs DeMaNd...

Yep…

And revenues, profits and per guest spending

 

[HauntedPirate]

Yep…

And revenues, profits and per guest spending

And no one's planning a vacation based around Mary Poppins' Carousel. Or the Main Street Theater. Or Dumbo. Or... et al. Those kinds of things are what has been missing since Bob 1.0 took over - the complimentary pieces, the non-headliners, the B/C/D ticket things to do when the E-tickets have too long of a wait for some people. You have to build more than 2 things in a "new land". You'd have thought 50+ years of theme park history would have been a good teacher for the Bob Clowns, but here we are.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

And no one's planning a vacation based around Mary Poppins' Carousel. Or the Main Street Theater. Or Dumbo. Or... et al. Those kinds of things are what has been missing since Bob 1.0 took over - the complimentary pieces, the non-headliners, the B/C/D ticket things to do when the E-tickets have too long of a wait for some people. You have to build more than 2 things in a "new land". You'd have thought 50+ years of theme park history would have been a good teacher for the Bob Clowns, but here we are.

I’m quite sure they have no understanding of at least 2 big parts of their portfolio

And many more “debatable” at the least

 

[EPCOT-O.G.]

Winner winner chicken dinner.

Bed Bath and Beyond model - mark up everything so moms think they’re getting a deal using their cache of 20% off coupons.

Not sure that’s a model to emulate for TWDC - they’ve performed even worse than Disney over the last year!

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Bed Bath and Beyond model - mark up everything so moms think they’re getting a deal using their cache of 20% off coupons.

Not sure that’s a model to emulate for TWDC - they’ve performed even worse than Disney over the last year!

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Yeah…that’s “kohls pricing”…and we identified Iger doing that in parks during the housing crash.

There are no original ideas left

 

[HauntedPirate]

Bed Bath and Beyond model - mark up everything so moms think they’re getting a deal using their cache of 20% off coupons.

Not sure that’s a model to emulate for TWDC - they’ve performed even worse than Disney over the last year!

View attachment 679087

Kind of funny how a CEO isn't on the hot seat when the stock price for the company he runs is down 40% YoY and roughly 25% since he was installed as CEO. And still no dividend.

"We just need the consumers to purchase more units at higher prices to increase margins for our synergy machine" - Bob Chapek

 

[EPCOT-O.G.]

Food has been variable for a long time. Not all of it, but some of it. There was a stretch, for example, where Boma dinner could be anywhere from $38 to $48.

Speaking of “variable” pricing on food, has anyone ever gotten a food discount or deal as one of the higher ups said was coming via Genie+?

 

[MisterPenguin]

Kind of funny how a CEO isn't on the hot seat when the stock price for the company he runs is down 40% YoY and roughly 25% since he was installed as CEO. And still no dividend.

Because the Board that can fire him approved his strategy regarding D+ which was the same under Iger.

Wall Street, when they first saw that strategy, made DIS stock double. Wall Street is now down on that strategy and so it (and all the other streamer's stocks) is being punished.

I'm sure the Board is still on board with the strategy.

 

[HauntedPirate]

Because the Board that can fire him approved his strategy regarding D+ which was the same under Iger.

Wall Street, when they first saw that strategy, made DIS stock double. Wall Street is now down on that strategy and so it (and all the other streamer's stocks) is being punished.

I'm sure the Board is still on board with the strategy.

 

[EPCOT-O.G.]

Also, while the stock has performed terribly, so has everyone else to varying degrees