I am just curious if anybody out there has the answer. Why did Disney cut back on participating restaurants for the 2012 Dining Plan? I mean when I look at Downtown Disney everything good is gone. Planet Hollywood, Raglan Road and others are gone from Table Service and Wolfgang Puck, Earl of Sandwich and others are gone from Quick Service. Also, the new Beauty and the Beast that will be opening late 2012 isn't on the Dining Plan either. Why is this?
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Why did Disney cut back?
- Thread starter coldasice880
- Start date
If I remember correctly, many of these restaurants are signed up to the DDP on an annual basis. I would anticipate those restaurants missing to be added to the list by the end of the year.
And as for the BatB restaurant, Disney isn't going to add that to any list until they're certain of an opening date.
The list of participating restaurants is already out in the brochure on the disney website. Is this subject to change?
Disney generally does upgrade it once those restaurants sign on. Since those restaurants are independantly owned it takes longer. Look for changes right up until the end of this year.
Pam
Pam
OK. I just didn't understand how Disney could drop all their Downtown Disney Restaurants. That's one of the main reasons I get the dining plan. Earl of Sandwich is soooo good.
GoochDSA
Well-Known Member
As others have said, a lot of the restaurants have to sign on annually and most don't do it until late in the year (which makes everyone sweat).
As for the BatB restaurant/Be Our Guest and Gaston's Tavern, there are no set dates as to when the restaurant will be up and running. From how it sounds that area of Fantasyland is going to be the second phase to open (the first being the new Dumbo/circus area). The structure still has a way to go, then they have to deal with the exterior, then the interior. Bottom line, it's going to be a while, probably not until the end of 2012 is my guess. They left it off the list, I'm sure, because they don't know when it is going to open and they don't want people to complain that it is on the list without it being ready for opperation.
As for the BatB restaurant/Be Our Guest and Gaston's Tavern, there are no set dates as to when the restaurant will be up and running. From how it sounds that area of Fantasyland is going to be the second phase to open (the first being the new Dumbo/circus area). The structure still has a way to go, then they have to deal with the exterior, then the interior. Bottom line, it's going to be a while, probably not until the end of 2012 is my guess. They left it off the list, I'm sure, because they don't know when it is going to open and they don't want people to complain that it is on the list without it being ready for opperation.
It just doesn't make any sense to me as to why Disney would go through the work of creating and publishing the brochure if the list is not finalized. I mean why not wait until you have everything done and then come out with plan for the next year. One will never understand!
olinecoach61
Well-Known Member
The list will be updated.
Rob562
Well-Known Member
The simple version of the answer is that Disney *has* to put out a Dining Plan brochure when they release the next year's dates for reservation. (Historically this has happened in early August, but this year the rates came out unusually early) They need to explain what those packages come with, and thus they have to show restaurants that the Plan is accepted at.
But because the 3rd party restaurants (World Showcase, Downtown Disney restaurants mostly) haven't signed their contracts yet for the next year, they can't be published as participating.
The brochure will be updates once or twice more before years' end, but if it's on this year's list, you can almost guarantee it will be again next year. (I'm not even sure if a restaurant has ever *not* renewed...) Look for the date at the bottom of one of the pages to see when the list was made.
-Rob
53Herbie
Member
We always travel in February and are booking dining reservations in August. I have never had to wait for restaurants to be added. I am not sure what everyone is talking about. I have been using the dining plan for seven years now and this is the worst selection ever. I don't expect it to change.
Rob562
Well-Known Member
Restaurants don't have to be listed on the Dining Plan to make reservations for them.
People are talking about the current list of "participating restaurants" in the official DDP brochure. It's happened every single year since the DDP started (and we get these same "what happened to all the restaurants" posts every year on the forums between August and November).
More restaurants *will* be added to the Dining Plan for 2012, and they *will* go onto an updated DDP Brochure.
If you don't believe me, print out this link now.
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/me...alog/WaltDisneyWorld/en_us/PDF/2012Dining.pdf
Note that the date at the bottom of the last page is 61011 (for 6/10/11). Then at the start of December come back and follow the link again. The date will be different, and all those "missing" restaurants will have returned to the list.
-Rob
theguitarman
Member
Rob is correct on this. I can confirm that this happens every year. All of the normal restaurants will eventually be added to the list, and there has never been a lapse in accepting DDP at those restaurants. I agree, Disney is kinda stuck in that they have to release this information before it is 100% complete!
Rob562
Well-Known Member
Something worth mentioning... WDW does not cut back on the restaurants that participate in the DDP. Rather, any restaurant that simply decides the DDP is not worth their time has cut back on Disney. IF you ever see this? It isn't WDWs doing... it's the individual restaurant.
Exactly. And as another poster pointed out earlier in the thread, there has only ever been one restaurant that dropped off the Plan (not counting locations that dropped off because they closed).
-Rob
I was wondering about this too. So thanks for the post. Is the same true for restaurants in Epcot? I noticed many of them missing from the list too, yet I couldn't imagine those restaurants not being owned by Disney. I hope I am wrong. I would like to see those come back on the list for next year.
Crush Dude!
Back from WDW!Counting down to DLP in November!
Yes the same applies to many Epcot Restaurants, as many of them are 3rd party
lighteningqueen
Well-Known Member
That statement really upsets me. Not all of us get free dining,meaning we pay for it so why would the taste be any better or worse. Our first time in 2007 then 2008 we paid and the food was not all that great then. It is just convenient to have it paid for in advance. Also to not have to put it on a charge card and pay on food that is long gone for the next year. I just hate that the DDp gets a bad rap. If this dislike continues for some of you then we might should ask Disney to just do away with all TS places and this issue would be resolved. No one ever bashes the CS places.They are on the plan as well how come no one ever complains about them??
unkadug
Follower of "Saget"The Cult
The problem with the DDP came when they started giving it away for free. That cheapened the whole Disney Dining System across the board.
Prices were artificially inflated to increase the perceived value of the plan and the menus were pared down to the basics at a lot of places. The food became more and more homogenized and a lot of signature dishes were cut back or eliminated entirely as they didn't fit the pricing structure of the Free Dining plan.