18% increase in profit for Disney=15% raise in cost for DDP?

[just another guy]

I pay taxes on a minimum of 13% of what I sell to you on plan or off plan. I tip out runners, bussers and bartenders, based on my sales to you. Should you NOT TIP, you have just COST me money to wait on you. This is the most ludicrous suggestion I have ever heard! This attitude is just plain disgusting! Why protest to the ones who cannot do anything about it? Protest to those who make the decisions.

Exactly. Servers have 15 layers of management over thier heads. Servers have management who have to enforce rules they don't even like, simply because they got the word for their area manager, who got it from higher ups. Somewhere on property, there's a group of people who see the slightest problem, and then decide to make a new rule property wide without even looking into how it effects everyone.

 

[mickey2000]

I think they'll be lucky to get a 4% or 5% increase in profit. Regardless, after a few years of very small or non-existant price increases for the Dining Plan, an increase is long-time-overdue. In the end, we guests determine what they actually get: If we don't think the Dining Plan is worth it, we simply don't have to purchase it any longer.

 

[mousefan96]

Rip away. That is what the suggustion of "not to tip" is supposed to do. Of course it is stupid, it would hurt the people that make disney great.

As servers know, this IS the reality of the service industry. People will not tip.

The truth is that the DDP allowed people to try the more expensive options that they would not normally try. This raised the price of the check and therefore raised the tip. With the tip removed, folks will, even just to save on the tip, choose lesser costly options, saving disney even more.

These types of behavior changing decisions are made by big business every day.

Bottom line: If you have to raise the price to $45.00, then do it!
Let us have a break from reality and our "Dream Vacation" back!

 

[bicker]

Thanks for the input...Bicker the 18% is the truth...Disney will keep this as a profit..off the top...

No, sorry. The 18% is revenue, not profit, and only 18% of the TS meals, and then not-even, since Disney tipped their staff 18% of what the guest ordered EVEN IF THE GUEST ORDERED MORE FOOD than is covered by the allocation of the $38.99 per day that accounts for TS meals. Effectively, it's about $4.30 per day extra revenue, or closer to 10% than 18% -- but still that's an increase in revenue NOT profit.

 

[bicker]

How about a much better and more effective option of not purchasing the dining plan? If enough people do that, then Disney will make decisions based upon that.

This is a mature and rational approach to changes that you don't appreciate. Excellent suggestion, Dean. Once the changes are implemented, IF they're implemented, let those who feel the Dining Plan is still a great value still purchase it, and those who feel it is no longer a great value purchase their meals some other way.

 

[bicker]

While Walt rolls over in his grave

Walt is 100% in favor of the change. I just checked with him, and he confirmed it. Sorry, folks.



Silly, huh? Just like all assertions that any of us know what Walt would or wouldn't feel or believe or say, had he lived the last 45 years. Let's leave Walt out of it. Let's leave pointless mud-slinging out of if. Let's try to look at the issue maturely.

 

[bicker]

Bottom line: If you have to raise the price to $45.00, then do it!
Let us have a break from reality and our "Dream Vacation" back!

And get guests' hopes up without any foundation for doing so? That would only lead to more guest dissatisfaction down the road, not less. IMHO, the objective should be to help guests have the best vacation experience possible, within the bounds of reality.

 

[rotlex]

My take is this...
I have used the DDP because~
Once we got it for free
We stay onsite & eat onsite.
I have young children who LOVE character meals.
I enjoy not tallying up our spending on my vacation during every meal.(or ruining my husbands vaca. because he is doing this)
I know my budget way before our trip begins.
I like making ADR's ahead of time & choosing something I know my whole family will enjoy because I have consulted them.
It saves me $$.
We will be using it this year, for all of the reasons listed above. Disney has done a great job catering to our needs regarding the DDP.
Even if we broke even on the DDP & did not save $ I would still probably do it for the vacation friendly aspect of it.
Thats my take on it..you asked so I didn't want to be rude & "not comment".

I totally agree with these statements. My wife and I have been disussing any increase\changes in DDP since I first read about it here. I STILL don't see why all the negativity. We have purchased the plan, and will be getting it free this August. Free is best of course, LOL, but even when paying for it, I STILL think it is the absolute best deal going.

Frankly, IMO at least, I truly hope the folks that say they won't buy it anymore don't. Again, in my weird way of looking at things, the fewer people that actually BUY the plan, the more likely it will stick around. When you have a family like ours that uses it to it's fullest, i.e. character meals everyday, all snacks, walk ups etc., Disney is losing money on us even if we have to tip and pay in increase in price for the plan. Heck, I can spend the daily cost of the plan without blinking an eye on food!

 

[rotlex]

This is a mature and rational approach to changes that you don't appreciate. Excellent suggestion, Dean. Once the changes are implemented, IF they're implemented, let those who feel the Dining Plan is still a great value still purchase it, and those who feel it is no longer a great value purchase their meals some other way.

Exactly!

 

[bicker]

Frankly, IMO at least, I truly hope the folks that say they won't buy it anymore don't. Again, in my weird way of looking at things, the fewer people that actually BUY the plan, the more likely it will stick around. When you have a family like ours that uses it to it's fullest, i.e. character meals everyday, all snacks, walk ups etc., Disney is losing money on us even if we have to tip and pay in increase in price for the plan. Heck, I can spend the daily cost of the plan without blinking an eye on food!

I think you're on to something. There has always been an underlying conflict between guests who use the Dining Plan so that it just barely is worth it (unquestionably Disney's intent) and guests who use the Dining Plan in such a manner that it represents an over-the-top superlative value. This change, should it actually come to pass, could be a recognition that Disney cannot provide a Dining Plan that all guests will benefit from to the same extent. Therefore, their pricing, which probably has been some middle ground between what it should cost for the one set of guests and what it should cost for the other set of guests, was basically off-target for everyone.

Focusing only on those who utilize the Dining Plan to the fullest, the plan is horrendously under-priced. So if they are redirecting the plan towards those guests (after a recognition that they cannot direct it at everyone simultaneously and expect reasonable pricing), then the new pricing should be somewhere in the range where for those guests it is a good deal, but not the kind of over-the-top superlative value it has been in the past.

Time will tell...

 

[mickey2000]

No, sorry. The 18% is revenue, not profit, and only 18% of the TS meals, and then not-even, since Disney tipped their staff 18% of what the guest ordered EVEN IF THE GUEST ORDERED MORE FOOD than is covered by the allocation of the $38.99 per day that accounts for TS meals. Effectively, it's about $4.30 per day extra revenue, or closer to 10% than 18% -- but still that's an increase in revenue NOT profit.

 

[mickey2000]

This is a mature and rational approach to changes that you don't appreciate. Excellent suggestion, Dean. Once the changes are implemented, IF they're implemented, let those who feel the Dining Plan is still a great value still purchase it, and those who feel it is no longer a great value purchase their meals some other way.

 

[mickey2000]

Walt is 100% in favor of the change. I just checked with him, and he confirmed it. Sorry, folks.



Silly, huh? Just like all assertions that any of us know what Walt would or wouldn't feel or believe or say, had he lived the last 45 years. Let's leave Walt out of it. Let's leave pointless mud-slinging out of if. Let's try to look at the issue maturely.

 

[mickey2000]

And get guests' hopes up without any foundation for doing so? That would only lead to more guest dissatisfaction down the road, not less. IMHO, the objective should be to help guests have the best vacation experience possible, within the bounds of reality.

 

[mickey2000]

I think you're on to something. There has always been an underlying conflict between guests who use the Dining Plan so that it just barely is worth it (unquestionably Disney's intent) and guests who use the Dining Plan in such a manner that it represents an over-the-top superlative value. This change, should it actually come to pass, could be a recognition that Disney cannot provide a Dining Plan that all guests will benefit from to the same extent. Therefore, their pricing, which probably has been some middle ground between what it should cost for the one set of guests and what it should cost for the other set of guests, was basically off-target for everyone.

Focusing only on those who utilize the Dining Plan to the fullest, the plan is horrendously under-priced. So if they are redirecting the plan towards those guests (after a recognition that they cannot direct it at everyone simultaneously and expect reasonable pricing), then the new pricing should be somewhere in the range where for those guests it is a good deal, but not the kind of over-the-top superlative value it has been in the past.

Time will tell...

 

[gina2000]

M2K, you're making my day!

 

[mickey2000]

M2K, you're making my day!

Just trying to get to my 6 million post by 2008

 

[Lewisc]

DDP originally provided an 15% gratuity. The rumor is the union said their contract required an 18% tip rate. Disney thought 15% was fair because the average check is higher (more food ordered).

Many servers assisted guests in paying OOP for kids meals so "kids credits" could be "banked" and later used for adult meals.

Many servers encouraged guests to max out the plan by ordering appetizers and desserts the guests didn't really want.

Disney may have felt they were paying too much $$ to servers who weren't looking out for "company interests".

I think you're on to something. There has always been an underlying conflict between guests who use the Dining Plan so that it just barely is worth it (unquestionably Disney's intent) and guests who use the Dining Plan in such a manner that it represents an over-the-top superlative value. This change, should it actually come to pass, could be a recognition that Disney cannot provide a Dining Plan that all guests will benefit from to the same extent. Therefore, their pricing, which probably has been some middle ground between what it should cost for the one set of guests and what it should cost for the other set of guests, was basically off-target for everyone.

Focusing only on those who utilize the Dining Plan to the fullest, the plan is horrendously under-priced. So if they are redirecting the plan towards those guests (after a recognition that they cannot direct it at everyone simultaneously and expect reasonable pricing), then the new pricing should be somewhere in the range where for those guests it is a good deal, but not the kind of over-the-top superlative value it has been in the past.

Time will tell...

 

[mousefan96]

Lewisc, I'm back to not tipping!!...(easy servers out there.....not really).
Better yet, A standard tip of $7.00 per adult and $2.00 per child under 9 for the DDP.
What a world it could be if we could stop bickering and compromise.

 

[just another guy]

Many servers assisted guests in paying OOP for kids meals so "kids credits" could be "banked" and later used for adult meals.

Disney put a quick end to that. First off, their computers know separate adults and kids credits. Also, guests are not allowed to use more than what the card says. If it says 2 adults and 2 kids, yet the table has 4 adults, and they want it all on the DDP, they will be told NO!