Is the dining plan going to change in 2011

[CathieArms]

I just think the whole thing is bizarre. I have no doubt they'll change the plans at some point, but it seems strange to me that at least the regular DDP will get an extra snack, while - if the changes are as we've seen them - the DxDP wouldn't get anything extra.

Oh well...time will tell.

 

[mickeysgirl17]

At the rate Disney's going, Table Service meals in 2012 will only include the non-alcoholic beverage.

I wonder just how long it will be before they take away the drink to?
What a joke.

I noticed the deluxe plan also drops the dessert. I can't say that I mind as long as the price also drops. I would much rather have an appetizer than a dessert and I think it will be fun to use our snack credits for sweets other than Mickey Bars.

I would mind if the dessert was dropped. I happen to love desserts. I wouldn't say that my family eats desserts with every meal, but at disney, on vacation, yes, it is nice to have this option.

Come on people, removing the desserts has nothing to do with Disney wanting people to be more heathly, its all about their bottom line!!!!!!!

I completely agree! They are charging us more and more money every year, but we keep getting less and less! It's ridiculous.

A couple of knowledgeable posters in the News and Rumors forum indicate Le Cellier will be changing to Signature States by the beginning of next year. That suggests some other restaurants may do the same thing.

We don't know if the 2011 plan will include desserts or what it will cost. Now assume some of your favorite restaurants may change to 2 credit.

Too many variables to even make a guess.

Wow.


I have read most of this thread and I am shocked that disney is doing this. If in fact it is all true, I am not happy with the changes and I will be contacting disney once this is all officially confirmed.

I went to disney in 2006 and purchased the regular dining plan. At the time, it included appetizer, entree, dessert, drink and tips and tax. This was wonderful. We got everything included and never even had to take our wallets out. I was dissappointed when disney changed the dining plan to remove the appetizer and have guests pay the tips. Although I didn't like the changes, I was ok with the new option- the deluxe dining plan. It sounded great and therefore, I have now planned a trip next year to include the deluxe dp. But, now it seems like disney is trying to rip us off.

Seriously, they keep taking stuff away, but keep charging more and more each year. The only thing that makes sense here is that they either are trying to get people to go to deluxe (which is starting to not make any sense either if they are removing things off the deluxe now too) or they are trying to get the tables to turn faster.

I happen to love desserts (especially while on vacation) and appetizers and have nice relaxing meals between running around in the parks which is why I considered deluxe for next year. But if they remove the desserts, and still charge the same or more money, I don't feel like I should purchase any dining plan at all. If we continue to purchase these plans, then disney will continue to take away each year and continue to raise prices which is not right. If this continues, soon the deluxe plan will only have 2 meals per day (and I don't know if I can even consider these meals when the appetizers and desserts might disappear) and only offer a entree and drink and disney will probly still call it deluxe because comparing it to the regular DP, it will seem like more is included.

I'm really reconsidering my options for next year....

 

[worm761]

Has anyone sent Disney an email regarding these rumors? It might be a good idea to start a campaign against the dropping of desserts from the dining plan. I know if they drop them then it is no longer beneficial for me to get the DDP. that also makes me consider staying offsite too. something I have never done but know would save money.

 

[mickeysgirl17]

Has anyone sent Disney an email regarding these rumors? It might be a good idea to start a campaign against the dropping of desserts from the dining plan. I know if they drop them then it is no longer beneficial for me to get the DDP. that also makes me consider staying offsite too. something I have never done but know would save money.

This is exactly what I was thinking. Just imagine people keep buying these dining plans despite the prices rising and the stuff disappearing....each year, more and more stuff will dissappear. The regular DP is now at the bare minimum with these changes, and now they will start messing with the deluxe dp....

If anything is confirmed, I will surely be complaining (I will never purchase the regular DP again unless it goes back to the old way) and therefore, I will mostly be complaining about the deluxe DP losing things as well even though the prices are still going up.

 

[worm761]

After thinking about it, I went ahead and sent an email. I don't know if it will make a difference but I would rather be proactive. If they know that we know and are considering not buying, then maybe they will not change it. It can't hurt and the more people that send in emails might help keep it the same.

 

[d-r]

all they have to do is keep upping the prices they put on the menus and add in more "seasonal" pricing and folks will still think the plans are a good value. "Look, a hamburger costs $50 if you order it for cash, but if you can get the quick service meal plan for $48 AND get a snack too!"

Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if they drop the deserts. It used to be that some of the quick service places had pretty decent deserts made on property, but they went to out sourcing those to save $ because so many get served now with the plans.

 

[darthtatty]

Has anyone sent Disney an email regarding these rumors? It might be a good idea to start a campaign against the dropping of desserts from the dining plan. I know if they drop them then it is no longer beneficial for me to get the DDP. that also makes me consider staying offsite too. something I have never done but know would save money.

Thats a great idea. think loads of us should send an email- do you have an address?
I know someone said before its always a good idea to mention you are part of the Dis (or rather part of a large online holiday review board) so can pass on any reviews to other people who are thinking of going there.

let us know how you get on.xx

 

[mickeysgirl17]

If anyone wants to make a complaint.....go to the official website:

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/

and at the very bottom in the support section, it says contact us where you can click and the form will pop up to send an email to complain.

If you have the time disers, please take a moment to do this. The more people that do this, the better. Maybe if we all say we won't buy the Dining plan if the changes are indeed true, then they might not make the changes.

 

[foreUT]

I didn't get a chance to read the whole thread so I apologize if this has been asked and answered.

If check-in is Dec 31st (DVC), how does the dining plan work? Do you a pay different price for the first night, and I assume you would be subject to the 2010 plan rules only for the 31st, and the rest of the trip would be subject to 2011 rules?

Thanks!

In 2006, we checked in on 12/30 and checked out 1/3 and the cost was based on the 2006 rate.

 

[MichaelColey]

Great suggestion! I voiced my concerns. Hopefully they will receive enough feedback that they will reconsider any potential changes to the DDP.

If anyone wants to make a complaint.....go to the official website:

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/

and at the very bottom in the support section, it says contact us where you can click and the form will pop up to send an email to complain.

If you have the time disers, please take a moment to do this. The more people that do this, the better. Maybe if we all say we won't buy the Dining plan if the changes are indeed true, then they might not make the changes.

 

[patsal]

Sadly, the only thing that will change the dining plan is data. Your pre-writing with anticipated malcontent will most likely not result in any change. You may receive a letter to the effect that they understand your concerns, however to meet the needs of the myriad of others complaining that there is too much food, they felt the need to cut the food. Seriously, back in 2005 the plan was great, it was a better than fair deal. They raised the price, took out the gratuity, eliminated the appetizer and people still rave about what a great deal it is. The only way you will see a change is when people actually stop purchasing.
Good luck!

 

[mickeysgirl17]

Sadly, the only thing that will change the dining plan is data. Your pre-writing with anticipated malcontent will most likely not result in any change. You may receive a letter to the effect that they understand your concerns, however to meet the needs of the myriad of others complaining that there is too much food, they felt the need to cut the food. Seriously, back in 2005 the plan was great, it was a better than fair deal. They raised the price, took out the gratuity, eliminated the appetizer and people still rave about what a great deal it is. The only way you will see a change is when people actually stop purchasing.
Good luck!

Yes, it is true that there were a lot of complaints (I could tell just from these boards) regarding too much food, but at least if they are gonna remove some of the food, then the price should go down, not up.

But, I agree with you. I'm not sure if our complaints will be enough, but if a lot of us do it, and let them know we will not buy the DP anymore, then something eventually might happen.

 

[Cafeen]

Sadly, the only thing that will change the dining plan is data. Your pre-writing with anticipated malcontent will most likely not result in any change. You may receive a letter to the effect that they understand your concerns, however to meet the needs of the myriad of others complaining that there is too much food, they felt the need to cut the food. Seriously, back in 2005 the plan was great, it was a better than fair deal. They raised the price, took out the gratuity, eliminated the appetizer and people still rave about what a great deal it is. The only way you will see a change is when people actually stop purchasing.
Good luck!

It's a slightly different case though, as value can still be achieved under typical situations (that is, not aiming for the most expensive restaurants and entrees). Of course, it's less of a savings than it used to be, but it's still decent percentage-wise. The issue comes if they remove all desserts, it may very well push the break-even point out of reach of these typical situations. It's already the costliest per credit of the 3 main plans (and a bit of that is driven by having only 1 snack and no mug) and even the extra 8-9$ per night (assuming the price doesn't go up) could push it over the edge.

Interestingly enough, I did notice that the line on the new ADR system is now "You can save up to 20%...", which is different than it has been for the past year (since I've been around with this stuff). Until recently, it was "30%". This could be another indication... or it could be them using more realistic numbers to find the marketing target.

Yes, it is true that there were a lot of complaints (I could tell just from these boards) regarding too much food, but at least if they are gonna remove some of the food, then the price should go down, not up.

But, I agree with you. I'm not sure if our complaints will be enough, but if a lot of us do it, and let them know we will not buy the DP anymore, then something eventually might happen.

"A lot" is relative. Of the ones that I've seen about way too much food, it probably represents at most, 10% of these forums, which represent less than 10% of yearly attendance (I'd estimate closer to 5% tops). I'm not sure how much they actually took that into account verse repeat dining plan buyers. It's worth a shot of course, but, sadly, I wouldn't put too much stock in it.

Of course, this could all be wrong in the first place . A typo on the international TA information packet, a "misdirection" campaign to make it sound like they're doing us a favor by including the items (and then raising the prices), or just a flub up somewhere else in the line (maybe they were kicking around the idea and someone released the information as such).

 

[gilsan]

I am disappointed to read about these possible changes. We have done DxDp for both our trips and really enjoyed it.

IF they took away dessert I would be disappointed, but I would probably still get the DxDp. Half the time I am too full for dessert and if I really wanted something I would pay out of pocket.

IF they take away both the appetizer and dessert I would not get the dining plan.

I did a cost check eating at Boma for breakfast and then Citricos for dinner. Adult buffet is $18.99 + the most expensive entree at Citricos $46 that equals $64.99 + $7 for two snacks and $5 for beverages the total is $81.99. The DxDp costs $71.99. A $5 savings based on ordering the most expensive and pricey snacks is not enough. I don't want to worry about ordering the most expensive entee to get my money's worth. I would rather pay OOP and have more flexibility. If you missed 1 meal credit you might not break even.

I can not imagine they would take away both the dessert and appetizer. I would think a lot of people would not take the dining plan if the savings are so slim.

 

[Cafeen]

I can not imagine they would take away both the dessert and appetizer. I would think a lot of people would not take the dining plan if the savings are so slim.

From a business standpoint, I can understand. It's much easier for everyone (guests and CMs) to understand plans where the only difference is the number and type of credits and not the meal-time entitlements. We see it quite often on here when people are confused about appetizers and prix fixe menus. Having the different plans utilize the same entitlements would reduce this confusion somewhat (prix fixe menus would still lend themselves to confusion though).

Of course, with that said, I definitely would not agree with it without reducing the prices accordingly. It's simply not going to be nearly worth it to buy any plan (other than maybe QS, and that may be iffy) without price reductions if they follow through.

 

[gilsan]

Another example of DxDP entree only. Tusker House $20.99 for lunch then Artist Point for Dinner what I ate last time was Salmon at $36 plus snacks $7 and beverage $5 the total is $68.99 so I would pay disney extra money for using the dining plan.

 

[TDC Nala]

A lot of people would still buy the regular dining plan if it was only entree and beverage.

Not sure so many would buy deluxe if it was only entree and beverage, but some would. "Three meals a day prepaid" can sound pretty powerful.

Disney may have hoped to get guests hooked on the convenience of prepayment.

 

[patsal]

Interestingly enough, I did notice that the line on the new ADR system is now "You can save up to 20%...", which is different than it has been for the past year (since I've been around with this stuff). Until recently, it was "30%". This could be another indication... or it could be them using more realistic numbers to find the marketing target.

Well, way back when they said up to 40% savings then the price increased and less was given, people complained and said they would stop purchasing it, etc. The plan is still pretty popular. When people really feel the value no longer warrants the price and stop buying it they will look at it and make changes, but a few people on here sharing concerns of a drop in value from 30% to 20% isn't going to be enough to make Disney make a change. If anything no one will buy it, they will stop selling it because "people no longer wanated dining plans", not becasue they outpriced the plans and took any value away. Better to blame the masses than take responsibility.
Honestly, I hope I am wrong, but given previous Disney history with the Dining Plans I am not optimistic.

 

[TDC Nala]

I was on the WDW dining reservation website today- a window popped up asking if I would consider adding the Disney Dining Plan with which I might be able to save up to 20%.

I was pretty sure they were advertising 30% not long ago.

 

[Cafeen]

Well, way back when they said up to 40% savings then the price increased and less was given, people complained and said they would stop purchasing it, etc. The plan is still pretty popular. When people really feel the value no longer warrants the price and stop buying it they will look at it and make changes, but a few people on here sharing concerns of a drop in value from 30% to 20% isn't going to be enough to make Disney make a change. If anything no one will buy it, they will stop selling it because "people no longer wanated dining plans", not becasue they outpriced the plans and took any value away. Better to blame the masses than take responsibility.
Honestly, I hope I am wrong, but given previous Disney history with the Dining Plans I am not optimistic.

The drop in actual value isn't 30% to 20%. That's the drop in the maximum value they are able to market (you really think they'd market less than they reasonably could? I know I wouldn't ). The actual drop in value will be a bit steeper. There are already a few restaurants that are not such great deals as the DDP is today (Plaza for instance, and I'm only talking financially), dropping the dessert will only force more of the current restaurants into that standing, thus limiting people further if they want to save (or thus rendering any savings nil if the diner chooses to dine at the more inexpensive places they want). That will be the real reduction of value. It will become much harder to reach the advertised numbers (it's already pretty tough) and it may even be considerably difficult to reach the break-even point.

The DxDDP will be even more affected by this, due to the loss of two courses from 3 credits a day. In theory, this can total up to about 36$ today (3 meal estimate, it's closer to 24$ for 2 meals if doing the 1 TS + Signature/day). Even using the lower estimate, this forces diners to pick much more expensive restaurants and entrees than they may normally pick (or desire) and becoming much less flexible than it is.

Of course, all of this is considering no price changes. If the price goes up, it will only exacerbate the issue. If the price goes down, it will alleviate it to some degree. The biggest concern (at least that I have, and I'm sure others as well) is not how much less we'd be saving, but whether or not we'd be saving at all. If it becomes more costly to use the plan than not (assuming same dining itinerary), that's the point where people (if they're doing their math) will stop buying it.

Now, I do think that we're both pretty much saying the same thing, just in different ways with different perceptions. Neither of us want to particularly see Disney taking advantage of the guests through the use of the "dining" plan. (Should we start calling it the "Bread and Water" plan? /snark) I just have an affinity for numbers and rambling on. (And belaboring the point)

I was on the WDW dining reservation website today- a window popped up asking if I would consider adding the Disney Dining Plan with which I might be able to save up to 20%.

I was pretty sure they were advertising 30% not long ago.

It was as late as last week or so that they were still saying 30%. I just noticed that 20% change while taking screenshots for the tutorial update (it's part of one of their loading screens).

It actually still says it today in the package reservation section:

Save up to 30% on Disney dining! For each night of your reservation, the Disney Dining Plan provides one table-service meal, one quick-service meal and one snack per person with over 100 participating restaurants to choose from!