Question for Complainers Against Quality of Food

[bicker]

I believe almost all the objections can be attributed to Disney deliberately reclassifying a number of restaurants to better serve the needs of guests preferring affordable dining rather than fine dining.

 

[3jsmommy]

I mentioned this somewhere else, but ees a mystery ... people complain about the DDP because it has led to yucky food at WDW, yet they complain about the hassle of ADRs because it makes it so hard for them to indulge in the yucky food.[/QUOTE]



I have noticed this too!
People complaining that they can't get ADRs at the restaurants that serve "smaller portions of food that has declined in quality"
If you think Disneys restaurants are so terrible leave the ADRs for those of us that are enjoying the restaurants!
I don't get it...but I also don't get bad food or service at any of the Disney restaurants I have been to either!

 

[bicker]

It is true that the one set of complaints ("hassle of ADRs") belies the other set of complaints ("smaller portions/declined in quality"). Clearly, Disney Dining is offering an incredible value these days, a far far far greater than just a few years ago. Value is what matters, no out-of-context quality grading.

 

[gina2000]

It is true that the one set of complaints ("hassle of ADRs") belies the other set of complaints ("smaller portions/declined in quality"). Clearly, Disney Dining is offering an incredible value these days, a far far far greater than just a few years ago. Value is what matters, no out-of-context quality grading.

I don't disagree with your opening statement. However, since it seems that about 30-40% of the restaurant patrons are on the DDP, where does that leave the other 60-70%? If the DDP estimated participants are anywhere near accurate, then OOP diners may not be perceiving quantity/quality in their dining experience and their opinions do count. And since they are paying OOP, value differs greatly for them. Assuming estimates are correct, OOP are the majority in sheer numbers. We don't know whether they are a majority in total $$ spent or profitability. Based on percentage of users, however, they most definitely have a say in price verses quality/quantity.

 

[Dragonfly0521]

Okay, as someone who has only been once (this past January), did the DDP, and very much enjoyed nearly every meal, I am going to insert my 2 cents.

Haven't you ever eaten at your favorite restaurant back home and had a poor dining experience? I know I have. I have gotten rubbery shrimp, bland lobster, tough steak, or just bland food in general from a fine restaurant that usually serves great food.

Back home we usually atribute that to a new cook (?). But we return and are usually delighted the next trip. Food quality is very subjective. And sometimes quality is not consistant. With the exception of "Signature Dining", which hire Chef's not Cooks, consistancy from one evening to the next will always vary.

I'm looking forward to doing the DDP again as it takes the stress away from budgeting for our meals. Is the DDP perfect? Hardly. But it works for us and so far... the food has been very good!

 

[DonnaDuck]

We have visited WDW each year for the last 9 years. This year will be the first year that we will visit twice.

Maybe it's because I love to eat ...maybe it's because someone else is cooking and doing the dishes, but eating at WDW is one of the things that my family & I look forward to most.

We have used the dining plan each year since it came out & for us, we love it!! For my family, it's a deal.

Now...I will say that Le Cellier has always been my favorite restaurant. In January, that changed. The restaurant had us packed in there like sardines and sadly, the food had declined. Even my beloved Creme Brulee wasn't the same. However, I will be giving Le Cellier another chance. I am hoping we hit it on a bad night.

I am also dissappointed that the kids meals changed. I do hear that they are much better now than they were 6 months ago, when we were last there. Hopefully my kids will have a better selection of things to eat when we go next week.

 

[bicker]

I don't disagree with your opening statement. However, since it seems that about 30-40% of the restaurant patrons are on the DDP, where does that leave the other 60-70%?

The point is that the Dining Plan is under-priced, so the "other" guests are fine... it is the Dining Plan guests that need to be "fixed" (by increasing their price).

 

[gina2000]

I disagree. The gap is so wide between a 3 course 1TS restaurant OOP verses the DDP that the perceived value lies somewhere in the middle. Each end is an extreme.

 

[bicker]

I cannot see the OOP price as an extreme. It maps very closely to what we'd pay here, locally, for a similar meal, plus a suitable additional premium for the fact that the restaurant is within a very popular gated attraction.

 

[micksterlee]

I know in my case part of the problem was that from reading these boards.I think I got my expectations so high that some of the meals were disappointing.When I ate at LeCellier I was really expecting something out of this world because of the way it was being hyped.I thought LeCellier was just ok when I ate there.

 

[gina2000]

I cannot see the OOP price as an extreme. It maps very closely to what we'd pay here, locally, for a similar meal, plus a suitable additional premium for the fact that the restaurant is within a very popular gated attraction.

You and I are looking at it differently. I am looking at the total OOP expense if I ordered without using the DDP. The DDP is the cheapest way I could order all the components and OOP is the most expensive way I could order all the components. That's the range. Of course, people use different components of the DDP as do people who order OOP.

I don't know what the customer ordering expectations were when execs put it together. Servers were smart, though, and told people to order the entire 3 course TS meal to maximize their tips. Disney cut quantity and quality which may have been an industry wide trend OR it may have been in response to the astronomical amount of food that was being wasted and time consumed (if you care about that thing.....you don't but perhaps the execs saw it as a further way to cut expenses). As an OOP diner, people are sharing less because portions have decreased and spending more as a result. As an example, so many people have commented on the decrease in size of the s'mores dessert at Prime Time (I think it's Prime Time). If you are an OOP diner, you now order one and share a little bit or each person orders their own to name both extremes. What actually occurs is not known to either of us. Are customers satisfied? If the DDP disappears, we'll soon know.

 

[Lewisc]

Le Cellier is great by theme park standards. Listen to some posters and you'd think Le Cellier is on the same level as steak houses like the Palm. Assume Disney is able to charge a $5-$10 price premium based on location. Under that assumption Le Cellier is priced similar to Outback. The food at Le Cellier is better then my local Outback, which is all I'd expect.

I know in my case part of the problem was that from reading these boards.I think I got my expectations so high that some of the meals were disappointing.When I ate at LeCellier I was really expecting something out of this world because of the way it was being hyped.I thought LeCellier was just ok when I ate there.