Are $60 buffets Disney's incentive to purchase the DDP

[Tom P.]

You are, literally, flushing away money...

No, you're not. If you were literally flushing money away, you would be standing at the toilet with your money, not purchasing food at a restaurant. You are figuratively flushing money away.

Sorry, sometimes the grammar Nazi gets the better of me.

 

[Eoghann]

No, you're not. If you were literally flushing money away, you would be standing at the toilet with your money, not purchasing food at a restaurant. You are figuratively flushing money away.

Sorry, sometimes the grammar Nazi gets the better of me.

If its good enough for Shakespeare and Dickens...

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Anybody who goes to 8 character meals in 11 days is nuts.

Not even a debate. That's a case where the PARENTS have to grow up. It's not about the Kids at that point.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

DVC membership and their accommodations keep making more sense. A few counter service meals maybe a sit down for a special occasion and make our own buffet. The restaurants and dining plans are no longer a good value. Maybe Disney is trying to promote DVC.

DVC made sense ten years ago before they doubled the point cost...so no real "relief" there.

I find the kitchens to be nice...but ultimately useless.

Few people go to Disney world to cook...the food has always been one of the Main draws.

I just don't feel like making chicken when I'm there...I tend to think my mentality is by far the majority opinion here.

 

[Eoghann]

DVC made sense ten years ago before they doubled the point cost...so no real "relief" there.

I find the kitchens to be nice...but ultimately useless.

Few people go to Disney world to cook...the food has always been one of the Main draws.

I just don't feel like making chicken when I'm there...I tend to think my mentality is by far the majority opinion here.

I think that's true. The food isn't much of a draw for me, but the hassles involved in pre-planning what you will need, arranging for everything to be there and then preparing it etc. That's a major disincentive. Plus you have to consider do you want to leave the parks to eat.

They have a captive audience and they know it.

 

[MommaBerd]

Few people go to Disney world to cook...the food has always been one of the Main draws.

I just don't feel like making chicken when I'm there...I tend to think my mentality is by far the majority opinion here.

I don't *like* making meals on vacation, but with a family of six, in the past it was a necessity, no matter WHAT vacation. But to make it a little more palatable (ha!) I prepared food in advance, like freezing taco meat or BBQ chicken and making high-protein muffins for breakfast/snacks, and brought and used my slow cooker.

 

[Minnesota!]

No, you're not. If you were literally flushing money away, you would be standing at the toilet with your money, not purchasing food at a restaurant. You are figuratively flushing money away.

Sorry, sometimes the grammar Nazi gets the better of me.

Oh, but you are. What happens after you eat? You have to get rid of that waste somehow. And then, when done, you flush it Which is the picture I was trying to paint.

 

[hopeful4fl]

Had a bad visual on the last comment.

Guys. In the end it boils down to one thing. Supply and Demand. Forget Disney. If I (or any of you) were the owner and would fill our restaurants even if we doubled the price, all of us would do that.

Disney is a commercial entity that is doing exactly what makes sense for the shareholders. As long as people will pay, Disney will keep raising the prices and lowering cost (quality?). I do think they are reaching the point of hitting that ceiling, and will have alienated too many people and will have a negative effect on their brand.

Of course the people who would have caused this will be long gone with their millions by then......

 

[Tom P.]

Oh, but you are. What happens after you eat? You have to get rid of that waste somehow. And then, when done, you flush it Which is the picture I was trying to paint.

Why do you assume that people flush? Can't we have tolerance for different viewpoints on flushing? Must we be hygiene normative?

Okay, touche, you make a good point...

 

[Minnesota!]

Why do you assume that people flush? Can't we have tolerance for different viewpoints on flushing? Must we be hygiene normative?

Okay, touche, you make a good point...

Well, I live with all males...I know that not EVERYONE flushes. I re-learn that daily. I have flush-inability-intolerance.

And now that I have taken this SO far off track, I apologize.

 

[ChipnDale79]

Disney is a commercial entity that is doing exactly what makes sense for the shareholders. As long as people will pay, Disney will keep raising the prices and lowering cost (quality?). I do think they are reaching the point of hitting that ceiling, and will have alienated too many people and will have a negative effect on their brand.

This this this this.

Yes I get why they are pushing the pricing so much and are trying to find their ceiling. Most businesses do that. But you have to be very careful about it, it can come off as greedy and turn guests away from your business for good.

A balance has to be found when it comes to short term vs long term health of the company. It appears to me at least, there is an unbalanced approach towards the short term health of the company. But what do i know.

 

[AquaDame]

We went out twice last week, both times were ~$40 and I thought THAT was bad.... No way we'd spend $120 + tax on a lukewarm meal either. But, thats fine... I will live with or without character dining!

 

[Eoghann]

Guys. In the end it boils down to one thing. Supply and Demand. Forget Disney. If I (or any of you) were the owner and would fill our restaurants even if we doubled the price, all of us would do that.

Well, actually no, not all of us would. Some people are greedier than others. This is a simple fact.

And that line of argument really changes nothing because being able or willing to do something doesn't make it a good thing nor does it mean that consumers should simply accept it.

 

[disneyseniors]

We always used the fdp, but last year went with OOP. I never checked the prices before booking a few adr's. We wanted Liberty Tree as it is our tradition on arrival day. Well, it was closed for refurb, so we went with Crystal Palace instead. We've eaten there before on the dp, so never gave it a second thought!
We had luke warm food, mostly chicken nuggets, a poor selection of salads and other food. We have eaten there many times and know that the amount and quality of food has really dropped over the years. Our service was poor, and the characters rushed by if they bothered to stop for 2 adults. We weren't there for the characters, but I love Eyeore, and he didn't stop. I know, not the end of the world! But for all that, our bill was over $80.00 for a lousy meal and poor service. We were shocked. I learned my lesson on the buffets while on OOP, so no more for us. I feel for the families who shell out a ridiculous amount of money for what the buffets have become. I'm going to date myself on this, but as an interesting fact, I remember when Crystal Palace was a walk in buffet for $3.95!!!!!!! Yep, many years ago with good food. I know those days are long gone, but was amazed at the quality of the food and the high prices.

 

[Grym]

Had a bad visual on the last comment.

Guys. In the end it boils down to one thing. Supply and Demand. Forget Disney. If I (or any of you) were the owner and would fill our restaurants even if we doubled the price, all of us would do that.

Disney is a commercial entity that is doing exactly what makes sense for the shareholders. As long as people will pay, Disney will keep raising the prices and lowering cost (quality?). I do think they are reaching the point of hitting that ceiling, and will have alienated too many people and will have a negative effect on their brand.

Of course the people who would have caused this will be long gone with their millions by then......

I'm perfectly fine with them raising the price as high as they as a company see fit and I would as well if I could as a business as you've said.

What I am not okay with is selling me a dining package with a set number of credits, allowing me to see how much each restaurant costs in credits, letting me book a vacation, lodging, flights, and dining reservations for those restaurants, and then changing the amount of credits necessary to actually eat at the restaurants I reserved at the given price/credit point. That is nothing more than a bait and switch and shady - plain and simple in my mind. Granted, it hasn't happened yet but the rumors are pushing it as a possible reality. If it does happen, we will cancel our dining plan or change our reservations (which after 180 days becomes a huge hassle), rearrange our daily plans, etc. There is no reason they couldn't have said....'okay...180 days from right now prices/credits are going to be X' rather than wait until all their upcoming customers have already booked and planned everything.

 

[piccolopat]

I'm going to date myself on this, but as an interesting fact, I remember when Crystal Palace was a walk in buffet for $3.95!!!!!!! Yep, many years ago with good food. I know those days are long gone, but was amazed at the quality of the food and the high prices.

We loved Crystal Palace when it was cafeteria style. It was a great way to start our day in the park and we loved the ambience of the building. We really try to avoid anything buffet or character these days since the food is to much, mediocre and way too chaotic and noisy. I really wish they would have one meal a day at many of these places character free so we can enjoy them again. For us, this includes CP, Akershus and the castle.

Edited to add: We also loved Canada's Le Cellier when that was cafeteria style. We would get the prime rib big enough to share for a fraction of what they charge today and we weren't squished in like sardines.

 

[Asellus]

DVC made sense ten years ago before they doubled the point cost...so no real "relief" there.

I find the kitchens to be nice...but ultimately useless.

Few people go to Disney world to cook...the food has always been one of the Main draws.

I just don't feel like making chicken when I'm there...I tend to think my mentality is by far the majority opinion here.

Count me as another person who cooks on vacation. Last time we had 8 people in a 2 bedroom timeshare. You can bet we cooked both breakfast and dinner. Food at disney gets expensive with 8 people even if you're just doing quick service.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Count me as another person who cooks on vacation. Last time we had 8 people in a 2 bedroom timeshare. You can bet we cooked both breakfast and dinner. Food at disney gets expensive with 8 people even if you're just doing quick service.

I wasn't claiming nobody does...I'm sure many do...

But I think it's safe to assume that most kitchens are "underutilized"

And you are speaking of budgets...and honesty - every move the Iger Junta over the last decade Indicates that they ignore those, discourage those, or outright deny their existence.

 

[midaroco]

DVC made sense ten years ago before they doubled the point cost...so no real "relief" there.

I find the kitchens to be nice...but ultimately useless.

Few people go to Disney world to cook...the food has always been one of the Main draws.

I just don't feel like making chicken when I'm there...I tend to think my mentality is by far the majority opinion here.

I actually like the kitchens. It's only two of us, but we tend to save money utilizing the kitchen since we go for extended trips. We've had trips where we've not used the kitchen and spent $2,500 on sit down dinners for 10 days. Plus, we eat better when we cook ourselves.

If you don't get the free dining promotion, purchasing the dining plan simply isn't worth the cost of it. You'd spend less on the bill than the plan, and get to eat where you want with no restrictions.

 

[manning]

I got into a conversation with fellow DVC member the last time there in March. This is what she said

"We used to eat out every day until these price increases. We have cut down on eating out and saved us money a lot. The secret is the slow cooker. You can make anything with little time. Throw it all in and set it for eaight hours. The new one's have an automatic warming feature so you don't have to rush back after eight hours. I keep mine in my owner's locker. And they are inexpensive to buy"

When I got home I looked on line for slow cooker recipes. She was right there are a whole bunch of recipes.

It would seem to me that Disney would not up the number of TS credits for buffets for 2016. None of their "print" material about the 2016 Dining Plan have the disclaimer that the number of credits can change, only that some locations may change. So, while they may up the prices for OOP in October, it doesn't seem plausible for them to charge 2 TS credits until 2017, especially since people are still making ADRs for this calendar year.

I can handle the price increases for tix and even resort stays, but these rumored food price increases are just unreasonable and even more illogical to pay. But, maybe they want to decrease demand for the character dining? I saw on another thread where a mom wanted to do *8* character meals in 11 days! Now if she's willing to pay, more power to her, but each of those meals represent an opportunity lost for another family, right? If you raise prices, it seems that people will make those meals more of a once or twice a trip experience, opening availability for new/different families. Or am I being too rational or giving Disney more credit/benefit than it deserves?

Why does everyone think "maybe they want to decrease demand for the character dining?". Companies do it to get the most money they can, especially public traded companies. The shareholders demand it and the directors are obligated to do so. Same applies to ticket prices. As long as you keep buying they will keep increasing prices. The only way to stop it, is to stop buying.

The $149 after hours cancelation is a perfect example..