Disney Restaurants need flexible pricing

[DisneyWishes14]

Some years ago I stayed at Beach Club, the first time I stayed at a deluxe, and learned the hard way that just because you stay at a Disney hotel, they don't reserve space for you to eat at the hotel's restaurant. The restaurant hostess told me to just come back in an hour. I did that and they told me to wait another hour. So I ate at the food court and found the flatbread there to be out of the world!

I have since read many reviews from guests of deluxe hotels such as the Grand Floridian who were shocked to find themselves locked out of a meal at their own hotel. I understand that Disney is trying to fill up the restaurants, and I applaud them for that, but I believe there is a way to maximize the profit while at the same time make hotel guests not feel shut out of their own restaurant.

Disney needs to price the restaurants the same way they price the hotels and the parks. That is, if you go doing busy times, the cost is higher. The price can be adjusted such that the restaurant will be no more than 90-95% full at any give time, even Spring Break or Christmas, and hotel guests can almost always find a seat while Disney maximizes on their profits. Last fall, I went to the California Grill and found the food to be amazing. I tried to book another reservation during my 3 week stay and couldn't. There was no spot open any time, any day. When a restaurant is that full, that means the price is too low. They need to crank it up so that it matches the demand. Similarly, they need to crank the price down if the demand is low. Being that I couldn't get California Grill, I decided to try Jikos, another signature restaurant. I had no trouble making a same day reservation for any time frame I wanted. The restaurant was more than half empty when I got there at 6pm, and the food cost as much as that of
California Grill but not near as good. The place was so empty we were sad to be there. They need to charge less and fill up the place a bit!

After Disney increase the restaurant prices to match the demand, the should let the hotel guests enjoy a discount, about 20%, if they eat at their own hotel's restaurant, as a perk for staying at the hotel. In reality, Disney is simply letting hotel guests pay normal price but charge outsiders extra, but a discount sounds better than a surcharge.

It isn't even logistically possible to ensure resort guests can simply saunter over and eat in their resort's restaurants whenever they darn well please. There are 576 rooms at the Beach Club (I'm not even counting the villas). Multiply that by a possible 5 guests per room and you could have over 2000 people showing up at, say, 8 am every morning demanding they be let in to eat because they are staying at the resort. And you want them to keep 5 - 10% of their tables open on the off chance resort guests show up? So that's maybe 10, 15 tables? And when 200 resort guests show up at the same time for those tables, who gets priority?

I've stayed at many all-inclusives and resorts where breakfast is included. Even at those resorts, you HAVE to make dinner reservations so they can manage crowds effectively. At the resorts where breakfast is included, if you go at peak times, you may have quite a long wait to get a table. Even on cruises, you are typically assigned a dining time so that they actually have a table ready for you when you show up. What you are suggesting is just not even logistically possible. WDW has been in the restaurant and crowd management business for a LONG time. You learned a lesson. WDW isn't perpetually holding a table just for you whenever you want it. Make some reservations or eat QS.

 

[Disneypro1]

Why? When you are hungry...goto a counter service....if you want a nice sit down meal...make a reservation and be done with it.
There is nothing wrong with the way its done now...Its incredibly simple. We make a reservation say 60 days out...and eat then. Other than that...we do counter service.
Whats the issue?

 

[Disneypro1]

This has got to be the best "I should be entitled" post I've read in a very long time. No original poster, it's not the responsibility of the hotel to keep a table open on a maybe.

No kidding...its like "Im so privileged.....hold the table"
Give me a break..the OP is a whiner peter and simple....just ridiculous and sad. A typical whiner of life first world problems.
Who cares if you pay alot for a room.. thats got nothing to do with waiting your turn to eat....

 

[MomOTwins]

I just stayed at a high end hotel on a business trip in a major US city, and surprise surprise, their very nice hotel restaurant was fully booked when I inquired if they had room for one. This is not at all unique to Disney -- if a hotel restaurant is in demand, it will be fully booked in prime dinner hours and will not have seats "set aside" for guests. On my business trip, I ate in hotel the lounge/bar, which at that hotel, like at Disney, does not take reservations so as to accommodate walk ups from hotel guests. Disney deluxes have very nice lounges with very nice bar menus, and at Beach club, there is actually a choice of TWO lounges because you can walk through the hallway to Yacht Club. OP--something to keep in mind for the next trip.

 

[disfan07]

I haven't read all the responses so this probably was mentioned before, but what about those who stay on a discount? Full price? Not paying at all (just throwing that in for various reasons). We stayed at Grand Floridian a few years ago for the 1st time...45% discount. So would we be able to get a table reserved for hotel guests even if others paid more? Does someone who paid more get a table beforer us? Are we limited to only certain meal times? Or certain restaurants? Like GF....Grand Floridian Café for everyone but tables at Citricos or Narcoosses only held for those paying full price, suites, or possibly club level? Contemporary....same thing...is it tiered. Tower club first, tower theme park view 2nd, tower bay view 3rd, garden wings, last? Garden wing guests not counted at all for California Grill? What about Chef Mickeys?

Its an idiotic, entitled mentality. Not that I am surprised at that anymore. Entitlement seems to be the name of the game lately not just at Disney but just in general. But hell, we paid more for our room at PO Riverside (10% discount vs. 45% at Grand Floridian) than we did at the Grand Floridian (same stay...split stay)...wonder if that would have kept us out of some of the GF restaurants....hmmmm

 

[EdnaMarieMode]

I just stayed at a high end hotel on a business trip in a major US city, and surprise surprise, their very nice hotel restaurant was fully booked when I inquired if they had room for one. This is not at all unique to Disney -- if a hotel restaurant is in demand, it will be fully booked in prime dinner hours and will not have seats "set aside" for guests. On my business trip, I ate in hotel the lounge/bar, which at that hotel, like at Disney, does not take reservations so as to accommodate walk ups from hotel guests. Disney deluxes have very nice lounges with very nice bar menus, and at Beach club, there is actually a choice of TWO lounges because you can walk through the hallway to Yacht Club. OP--something to keep in mind for the next trip.

Another very good point raised- there are SO many options at YC/BC (not unlike a lot of areas at Disney). If you can't get into one restaurant, there are FOUR other TS restaurants (for a total of five), there are THREE QS locations. There are THREE lounges that all serve food. That's not even counting if you choose to walk over to the Boardwalk, minutes away. No one is going to go hungry if they can't wait 2 or more hours to get into thier first choice over there.

 

[evlaina]

OP has a couple of "interesting" suggestions for WDW right now on various sub boards.

So I had to click and see for myself. OP's second thread ever was "The Best Advice for First Time WDW Visitors." Rule #1 was KEEP EXPECTATIONS LOW...and now this thread, outraged that a hotel won't hold tables in the hopes that she will dine at all of them. Oh, the irony. And entitlement.

I've worked at a hotel with a full service restaurant for 11 years. We certainly do not hold tables just in case guests decide to dine with us.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

You seriously want to pay more for this food? This might be the funniest post I’ve read in years. Their prices are so far out of line with the service and food quality already


Sorry I don’t understand paying more for a continuing decline in service and food


Honestly if you’re at the yacht and Beach club. Don’t bother with any Disney restaurants, walk around the lake and eat at the Swan and dolphin. The fact they don’t take the Disney dining plan means you get better food.

 

[halfpintpeggy]

A thought provoking post but it fails to note as pp have pointed out that Disney already engages in seasonal pricing for parks, restaurants and hotel stays.

As for the idea of the hotel saving a certain amt of restaurant reservations for it's current guests I think this is a great idea and have seen it in action at other properties. Of course when the reservation allotment is gone, well it is. When we stay at the Hay-Adams in DC, we can walk in to any of the hotel's eateries w/o a reservation any day w/ the exception of certain holidays.

For Disney's current set up, you can resolve this problem by making ADRs or just eat from the hotel's room service menu. When we stay at Poly we never make a reservation for 'Ohana since we can eat pretty much the same meal in the comfort of our PJs on the terrace of our room. When we stay at BWI we can order anything Flying Fish is currently serving via room service as well (wuvv that feature of the hotel even though it's about 20% more).

Decades back it was common to find hotels in out of the way destinations that included all meals on what is known as the American plan. As a guest, you always had a seat in the dining room for any meal even if the hotel was also open to the public. The Greenbrier, several of the Colonial Williamsburg resorts still offer these pre-paid room and food stays. Understand that at WDW this would cut you off from all the park and destination restaurants at places such as the Boardwalk or Disney Springs.

The beautiful Chalfont Hotel in Cape May, NJ still does this very thing. Their restaurant called the “Magnolia Room” is one of our favorites. <3

 

[roylanc]

Do research before you travel and then you won't be shocked. Seems simple enough to me.

That's it in a nut shell , do the research.
We enjoy the dis & Disney dreams shows on you tube.
From them over the years we have learned so much about both Disney & Florida in general.
The biggest thing we have learned is to research the places & things you want to do to avoid being disappointed.
Being members of the Dis forums has helped in so many ways over the years from like minded people.
I have found dis forum members to have the best community for given great tips in & around the parks & resorts.

We still like an odd sporadic day though, where we have not planned anything & will go where we want to.