Disney cutting back discounts in 2010.

[JerseyJanice]

I enjoyed Free Dining the past two years and have a bounceback booked for this year as well, so obviously, that's one discount plan I don't want to see go away.

Actually, though, I miss the Magic Kingdom Club. I liked being able to book a trip with a good discount back in the day. I don't care for the 4/3 deal. If you want to spend more or less days in WDW, it doesn't do as much for you as a percentage off discount.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I LOVE planning where I'm going to eat and when I'm going to eat months in advance. The problem in the past couple of years is that I call on the exact day at the crack of dawn I can make ADR's, get one or two at the day/time I want, three or four I get hours from the time I wanted or having to switch days around, and five or six I don't get at all and then I'm calling every day or online every day trying to get in. And I'm going during the, ahem, slow season .

I agree that it just makes people who normally pay OOP for these meals want to go other places (and not just because of the struggle to get ADR's. Like I said before, food quality/quantity doesn't help). We're planning a two week trip in 2011 and I can't get anyone to say more than 1-2 places they want to eat at in WDW. We drive down so we'll be experiencing more of the restaurants around Orlando on the next trip.

 

[Micca]

I'm with those who say they can toss free dining.

 

[Melrosgirl]

I would love free dining to go away. It really made our recent trip a hassle. (We don't qualify for free dining since we are DVC.) Long lines, impossible to get reservations (even at 90 days or now 180 days out). Food quality not so much great. For the first time in 8 years (and 13 trips), we've decided not to go back to Disney within the next year. (We had already booked our reservations and flights before free dining was announced...otherwise this trip would have been rescheduled right away.)

Each time we sat down at a restaurant, the server always looked surprised that we were not on a dining plan. LOL.

 

[Mr.MouseFan]

I don't mean to change the subject here, but I've noticed something in this thread and on other Disney boards as well. It seems that many people who would consider themselves frequent visitors have noticed a steady decline in the quality and value of a trip to WDW. Whether it be food quality, the condition of the parks, or the relatively overinflated price of some of their hotels. I've also noticed that many frequent visitors, myself included, have started to look at other places to spend their vacation dollars.

I was lucky enough to be able to visit both Disneyland and WDW within the span of two weeks this year and I noticed a huge difference in terms of value and quality between the two resorts. For me personally, I will be spending more time at Disneyland even though it is on the exact opposite coast from me. In the end, my vacation dollars are still going to Disney, but I wonder how many other people will stop going to Disney completely?

Sure, through these discounts Disney has gotten more people through the WDW gates that never would have considered, or would have been able to afford a trip there before, but at the same time they have begun to alienate their core audience, the people that return year after year. It'll be interesting to see what the aftermath of these discounts will be. Did they create new repeat business for Orlando or did they just increase the number of once in a lifetime visitors? And what about their already established repeat visitors? How much of a decline in quality and value will they be willing to accept before they stop coming, like some of us already have?

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love WDW and I wish nothing but the best for it. But personally, I won't be returning until the new Fantasyland is complete. I hope that TDO will eventually wake up and smell the roses.

Ok, hope that didn't sound snobish, or elitist, that wasn't my intention. If Disney created new business with these discounts then good on them and welcome aboard to the "newbies"!

Ok, stepping off the soapbox now.

 

[bicker]

It seems that many people who would consider themselves frequent visitors have noticed a steady decline in the quality and value of a trip to WDW.

I've noted that to be the case since at least 1986. I suspect that the a good number of the people who are saying that now actually took their first post-childhood trip since that time, so clearly there is some other phenomenon at work. It's, essentially, "familiarity breeds contempt". That's not to say that there aren't tangible and quantifiable differences between "then" (whenever "then" was) and now, but regardless the complaints, themselves, are as likely as not to be prompted by something other than those differences.

Beyond that, one of the most insidious aspects of subjective review and analysis is that you see a heck of a lot more recognition of the negative without very much recognition of the positive. For example, just off the top of my head, I find it remarkable how little note is made of how much better The Wave is, as compared to Concourse Steakhouse, despite it being essentially a move. I think the reality of how much better California Grill is than its predecessor (at least with regard to the needs and preferences of many) gets lost in the weeds of the penchant for expounding on the negative instead of on the positive. Similarly, note how comparatively little bandwidth is spent making note of how, over the last twenty-plus years, great restaurants like Jiko, have opened.

You also touched on price: One of things I think a lot of folks overlook is how everything discretionary have gone up as Americans have directed more and more income toward discretionary purchases. The more money people spend on non-essentially, the more non-essentials will cost. We have had a minor "reprieve" in that regard, due to the economic collapse, but as the economy recovers, that should be the case again.

 

[Carly_Roach]

My personal theory is that the "old" Disney business plan was to get repeat customers: a steady stream of income for decades into the future. The "new" Disney plan caters to those who learned their business acumen in the 70's and 80's: profit this quarter and this year.

The race to the bottom continues.

 

[eliza61]

For what it's worth, I was talking to someone just yesterday who told me they actually leave the parks and resorts for their meals because the quality of WDW meals has gone down while the prices have gone up. They find better and less expensive off-property, enough to leave in the middle of the day and go back. That worries me that WDW may, in fact, be headed for becoming just another amusement park. I've argued against that notion for years, but it is what it is.

George, that is sooo me. Last year we were there 11 days and we ate a total of 3 meals on site. This was after 4 trips within 2 years of very mediocre meals. The meals havent been totally inediable, which I wish they were because then you can send them back. They've just been on the applebees level at outrageous prices.

Bicker, not sure if I'm on board with the familiarity breeding contemp, maybe its more of the familiarity breeds expectation then comes the contemp. What I mean, as a annual visitor there were restaurants and activities that I loved so much that I look forward to every trip and when they start to decline or disappear all together then my contemp sets in. Am I explaining it right.

For example, every year I would go to the Beauty and teh Beast show and Indiana Jones show. Before each show they use to have pre warm up acts like 4 for a dollar, or Rosie the cleaning lady. They were quality acts, that made an 45-60 minute wait seem less long (especially in the hot weather of late August). Thats totally disappeared, now you sit in the hot arena totally bored.

Same thing with menus, we looked forward to Olivia's in OKW each and every year because they had a very different menu. Last two years, not so much.

Maybe as I get older, I like change less and less. LOL

So my concern is, if they are going to cut back on discounts which means we are paying rack prices will the standard go up?

 

[bicker]

Bicker, not sure if I'm on board with the familiarity breeding contemp, maybe its more of the familiarity breeds expectation then comes the contemp.

Unfounded expectation is indeed running rampant in our society.

What I mean, as a annual visitor there were restaurants and activities that I loved so much that I look forward to every trip and when they start to decline or disappear all together then my contemp sets in.

While you of course may be unique, some folks recognize changes in a negative direction and overlook changes in the positive direction. It's actually even worse than that... people read online about all the special unique experiences other people experience, and expect not just that they'll have a special unique experience, themselves, but they expect that they will experience all the special unique experiences other people experience plus some.

Maybe as I get older, I like change less and less. LOL

If that is the case, then you're normal.

 

[Teresa Pitman]

For us, the meals at Disney are one of the reasons we go there. We were there in August (free dining!) and again in November and had some outstanding meals both times. Most of my family is vegan, and Disney is wonderful for us because they have no problem preparing delicious, different, reliably vegan meals (as opposed to so many other restaurants where, if you're lucky, they'll hand you a salad). Usually when the chef comes out and we explain that we're vegan, we ask him or her to just "surprise us." We have never been disappointed, and have had some fabulous meals as a result. In November, we went to Ohana's on my birthday, because we knew that TJ (our beloved chef from Boma) is now there, and he made us an unbelievably good six-course meal. He just kept bringing out more and more food! We were so stuffed that we told him we couldn't possibly eat any dessert, so he brought us out each a spoon with lychee fruit, coconut sorbet and raspberries on it - a one-bite dessert that, yes, we managed to find room for. So when people say they think the food is going downhill - it sure doesn't look that way from the vegan side of the table.

Teresa

 

[manning]

George, that is sooo me. Last year we were there 11 days and we ate a total of 3 meals on site. This was after 4 trips within 2 years of very mediocre meals. The meals havent been totally inediable, which I wish they were because then you can send them back. They've just been on the applebees level at outrageous prices.

Bicker, not sure if I'm on board with the familiarity breeding contemp, maybe its more of the familiarity breeds expectation then comes the contemp. What I mean, as a annual visitor there were restaurants and activities that I loved so much that I look forward to every trip and when they start to decline or disappear all together then my contemp sets in. Am I explaining it right.

For example, every year I would go to the Beauty and teh Beast show and Indiana Jones show. Before each show they use to have pre warm up acts like 4 for a dollar, or Rosie the cleaning lady. They were quality acts, that made an 45-60 minute wait seem less long (especially in the hot weather of late August). Thats totally disappeared, now you sit in the hot arena totally bored.

Same thing with menus, we looked forward to Olivia's in OKW each and every year because they had a very different menu. Last two years, not so much.

Maybe as I get older, I like change less and less. LOL

So my concern is, if they are going to cut back on discounts which means we are paying rack prices will the standard go up?

I second that. We are there for about 21 days each January and lucky to eat 3-4 times on disney property. Back in the 70s it was the only place to eat.

Sad to say even Bob Evans beats them on certain things.

 

[Acklander]

I second that. We are there for about 21 days each January and lucky to eat 3-4 times on disney property. Back in the 70s it was the only place to eat.

Sad to say even Bob Evans beats them on certain things.

We only eat there occasionally now, usually we just grab a snack and then when done playing will head off site for something to eat. I'm not complaining - we've found some really great restaurants off site that we look forward to going to - Texas D'Brazil - Manny's Chop House - Pachinos - Johnny's Hideaway; so we're not lacking in great dinners.
I was glancing thru a scrap book from about 10 years ago, where we had done almost all the meals on Disney property, with the receipts listing all the great things we had eaten while on vacation. It's just in the last couple of years with all the menu changes to fit in with the dining plan that there are very few things in the Disney restaurants that interest me.

 

[JR6ooo4]

didn't read all the pages... hehehehe

But if people pay earlier, like 6 months or more, before their trip, disney has the cash to earn interest on.

Just like the tollway IPASS here in Illinois. They load up the little transponder with $40. Imagine having an average of $20-30 per passholder, sitting in your bank account earning interest. Even 1% is going to add up to a good amount.

Mikeeee