Free Disney Dining Plan - could it be the end?

[Wendy]

I don't think that the people who only go for free dining will pay for the plan. People will just use the counter service restaurants and maybe pay for the odd table service restaurant if there is something they really want to do.

Hopefully if it does put people off, Disney will have to think long and hard about inproving their service to what it once was to try to encourage people back again.

At the end of the day Disney had two aims, to make their resorts busier in off peak seasons and to tempt people to eat on site. Well the parks are busier, but whether people will actually pay for the Dining Plan is yet to be seen.

[Johnie]

I disagree. The free dining plan promotion especially when it first came out was pure genius. It made people try restaurants they had never tried before. It made people pay rack rate for the rooms and stay even longer because they were getting such a good deal.

Disney does not seem to care too much about the hard core fans who know how to maximize discounts. They know they have us. Which is poor thinking because I am seriously thinking about not going back for awhile.

I doubt Disney is going to lower food prices either. They seem to have raised prices specifically so that DDP users think they are getting a better deal.

[Britchick]

well i used to love eating onsite but i won't be paying that much to eat when i can get better quality for less off site. There are exceptions of course. I don't see us eating at many counter service places either, it was almost $40 for 2 of us at some of the places- ridiculous bearing in mind we ate at Kona Cafe for lunch for $40. I can see us having villa holidays predominantly, arriving at park opening having a snack mid morning then going to eat lunch offsite, having a swim or going to a mall and maybe returning later for fireworks having had dinner some where else or if a big lunch maybe getting a snack - pretzel or the like in the park.

[Keith]

yeah I mean, the dining plan whether free or not, has been brilliant for Disney. All the table service restaurants packed out just about every day far in advance. People tied into staying onsite for longer and discouraging them going offsite to eat etc.

For sure it's been a fantastic scheme for them and heck, they've taken the gratuity out, theyve taken expensive menu items off the menu (for all of us) to minimise what DDP people can buy. They've raised the prices. Win win win for them.

As Johnie says, they're proving every couple of weeks how little they care for regulars and locals in "good times". Every couple of weeks we get them chipping away at discounts and raising prices.

I DO think people will pay for the dining plan (unfortunately ). Even though I don't believe it makes much financial sense, its that feeling that everything's paid for in advance. Budgetted and done.

Sadly, because I do believe it's ruined Disney dining, I don't see it going away any time soon.

I'm just SO glad that you all convinced us to hire a car! If we didn't, we'd be much more upset at the changes because we'd be more of a hostage to them. As it is, we do a park and then we leave and have a much better quality dining experience offsite for FAR less money.

[Wendy]

I wouldn't expect Disney to lower food prices, after all they won't make the huge profit like they did this year.

If you think back, when it was introduced, it was bought in for the low seasons and Disney knew that it would encourage people would go then. It was a way to fill rooms giving the guest something they thought they were getting for free. If it was busy all year round Disney may very well have introduced the Dining Plan, but I doubt they would have made it free.

At the end of the day if someone thinks they are getting something for nothing they are going to take advantage of it and I don't blame them.

[Watchinherskip]

Came across this while researching the issue on the web...very sound observation IMO

My first thought is to blame the Disney Dining Program. By locking so many of its guests into a pre-paid meal plan, Disney increases the volume of food that it sells. But it also eliminates the need to "sell" that food to its visitors. They've paid for it, so they're going to order it - whether it's good or not. And, at the same time, since visitors have paid for their food, there's less incentive for Disney to offer something spectacular in an effort to entice visitors to open their wallets and pay for that meal, as opposed to getting by on snacks or eating later off-property.

[Johnie]

Car hire is the best thing!! No one is holding me hostage plus I don't mind driving. I have a great sense of direction and at this point, Orlando is like my second home.

There are tons of fantastic places to eat in Orlando so that is what we will be doing. One day I'm going to make it to Yellow Dog. I've liked them on Facebook and drool at their postings

[Britchick]

just googled yellow dog.....yummmmm! I love hot dogs

[Wendy]

Yellow Dog is wonderful the pulled pork is the best I've ever tasted

[Britchick]

Yellow Dog is wonderful the pulled pork is the best I've ever tasted

stop it now....lol my favourite bbq is sweet carolina from sticky fingers http://www.stickyfingers.com/default.aspx George W stopped into the Charleston restaurant when he visited. If it's good enough for the president lol