arielsleepingbeauty said:
You are correct, they haven't added any tables to the restaurant, so the supply has not changed other than the fact that they have character dining for breakfast, lunch, AND dinner now. The demand, however, has changed. This has always been a high demand location, but now with the price increase the number of people requesting to book this location has decreased. How many people here have stated that they will not book at this location because of the price? Obviously, the number of people "demanding" CRT has decreased, therefore more of those who are willing to pay the higher price are able to book it. That is why the supply/demand argument makes sense.
Also, the photo package, in my experience, has not been offered for "free." I was told that the new price includes a photo package, with a retail value of 29.99 as well as the "goodies" for the kids at breakfast and lunch and the lithograph at dinner. I don't think the intention was to include a "freebie" when it's obvious that it's not free since the price has increased.
As far as Disney wanting your money...well, duh. They are setting a price for a good/service and of course they are going to set that at a price that most people are willing to pay. If a guest feels that it is overpriced, they have other lower priced alternatives to choose from. As consumers, we all have the option to determine what prices we are willing to pay for admission, meals and experiences. As a business, Disney has the right to offer those things at the price determined by them. The consumers are a factor in equating those prices, but unfortunately not the only factor. If they find that a vast majority of their clientele are no longer visiting their parks and resorts because of the prices they charge, then maybe things will change. That doesn't seem to have happened yet, though.
As long as people have realistic expectations, the character dining options at WDW are great. If a person expects each character to spend 5 minutes at their table or even sit with them (as some do) then they are bound to be disappointed. I always remember that there are other guests paying the same price that I am to attend a character meal and I expect that I will have the opportunity to get a photo and an autograph with a character. I know sometimes it's hard to keep that mindset when you put so much effort in planning a special vacation like WDW, but I think that in the end if you keep things in perspective it really makes the vacation 10 times better and leaves little room for disappointment.
