Disney Dining Died On 8/16/2010 RIP

[lugnut33]

It's official, excellent dining experiences without getting gouged officially died at WDW today. It makes me sad that Disney now considers its dining as a throw-in commodity rather than a dining experience. Disney allowing a whole years worth of free dining (actually it's 14 months) just confirms to me that they are going to run it into the ground by cutting back on service and quality because each dollar they can save on the free dining is a dollar in their bottom line.

Over the years you have seen a decline in the quality of food and service in the WDW restaurants and most people agree that it's a result of the free dining. While I certainly don't begrudge people for booking free dining, dining at WDW is just not what it used to be years ago. Every year they have been cutting back on quality and selection. The menus are getting dumbed down so they can increase profits because the "free dining" really isn't free. Then they increase the cost of the food on the menu so it makes the "free" dining people feel like they are getting a bargain. I personally don't think that's cool, especially since I'm paying out of pocket.

In the end, I'll just be eating off property more and more. In August of 09 we ate every dinner off property and honestly it wasnt' that difficult to do. We saved a ton of money since we were a party of 8. We ate a few lunches at the parks and honestly they weren't that good.

So, I send my condolences to the Disney dining experience, may you Rest In Peace.

 

[PSUGuy]

It's official, excellent dining experiences without getting gouged officially died at WDW today.

When was this born?

Bill From PA

 

[Blessed_wth_Triplets]

I sure hope this isn't true! I have to say I'm grateful for all the free dining...it's the only way we can budget to go and wouldn't go without it!

 

[lugnut33]

When was this born?

Bill From PA

Back when WDW decided to upgrade the restaurant experience in the late 90's, early 2000's.

Again, I'm not going to say that doing the "free" dining is a bad thing, it's a great way to budget for the large cost of food. What I'm saying is for the food you get for the prices you pay it's just not a good value especially if you're paying out of pocket (and really that applies to the "free" plan as well).

 

[DisMN]

It's official, excellent dining experiences without getting gouged officially died at WDW today. It makes me sad that Disney now considers its dining as a throw-in commodity rather than a dining experience. Disney allowing a whole years worth of free dining (actually it's 14 months) just confirms to me that they are going to run it into the ground by cutting back on service and quality because each dollar they can save on the free dining is a dollar in their bottom line.

Over the years you have seen a decline in the quality of food and service in the WDW restaurants and most people agree that it's a result of the free dining. While I certainly don't begrudge people for booking free dining, dining at WDW is just not what it used to be years ago. Every year they have been cutting back on quality and selection. The menus are getting dumbed down so they can increase profits because the "free dining" really isn't free. Then they increase the cost of the food on the menu so it makes the "free" dining people feel like they are getting a bargain. I personally don't think that's cool, especially since I'm paying out of pocket.

In the end, I'll just be eating off property more and more. In August of 09 we ate every dinner off property and honestly it wasnt' that difficult to do. We saved a ton of money since we were a party of 8. We ate a few lunches at the parks and honestly they weren't that good.

So, I send my condolences to the Disney dining experience, may you Rest In Peace.

DH and I feel exactly the same way. The fact they've now introduced this long stretch of *free* dining just cements my feelings that restaurant customers who felt the quality of food was indeed a very important part of their dining experience......well, those people (us) don't really matter any more to Disney.

Oh well.

I detest the free dining crap but the fact that the food quality has gone to hell is saving us lots of money when we go now. We spend less...probably less than half (if we used to spend $100+ on a good meal we now spend more like $25-$35 and even less at times. I suppose I'm ok with not spending as much but dang.....)

The restaurants used to be special one-of-a-kind places to dine, with varied menus of well prepared high quality foods.

Why why why can't/won't Disney provide an *Old School* restaurant or three where the dining plan isn't accepted and where the food is high quality and the chef is trained beyond heating water for hot dogs?

I sure hope this isn't true! I have to say I'm grateful for all the free dining...it's the only way we can budget to go and wouldn't go without it!

It's true. It makes financial sense from Disney's standpoint but it still sucks for people who remember how good the restaurants used to be.
I don't get the budget thing because it isn't but a piddly savings if much of anything. Free dining isn't really free, ya know? LOL

 

[DisMN]

Thought I'd add the ONLY reason I detest the free dining is because of what it's done to the food/menus/quality at all the restaurants. If you aren't a huge foodie and budget is more important then the dining plan makes sense......IF the dining plan were truly a savings that is. LOL LOL LOL

 

[bangzoom6877]

It's official, excellent dining experiences without getting gouged officially died at WDW today. It makes me sad that Disney now considers its dining as a throw-in commodity rather than a dining experience. Disney allowing a whole years worth of free dining (actually it's 14 months) just confirms to me that they are going to run it into the ground by cutting back on service and quality because each dollar they can save on the free dining is a dollar in their bottom line.

Over the years you have seen a decline in the quality of food and service in the WDW restaurants and most people agree that it's a result of the free dining. While I certainly don't begrudge people for booking free dining, dining at WDW is just not what it used to be years ago. Every year they have been cutting back on quality and selection. The menus are getting dumbed down so they can increase profits because the "free dining" really isn't free. Then they increase the cost of the food on the menu so it makes the "free" dining people feel like they are getting a bargain. I personally don't think that's cool, especially since I'm paying out of pocket.

In the end, I'll just be eating off property more and more. In August of 09 we ate every dinner off property and honestly it wasnt' that difficult to do. We saved a ton of money since we were a party of 8. We ate a few lunches at the parks and honestly they weren't that good.

So, I send my condolences to the Disney dining experience, may you Rest In Peace.

Please correct me if I am understanding this all wrong...Isn't free dining in 2011 still only good on certain dates? For example, next summer it still doesn't begin until August 19, 2011. There are also several other blocks of time it is not available, if you read the dates that it is available. So, it is not free dining for a straight 14-month period with no gaps.

 

[grimley1968]

While I might not quite as dramatic as the OP about it, I do think the dining plan has some flaws. The biggest flaw, IMO, is that dining plan patrons, "free" and paid tend to be made to feel as though they're in a cattle call. Food tends to be prepared to meet minimum standards and quantities set by the DP, rather than to the specific tastes of individual patrons. Basically, it's as though they're trying to turn even places like Le Cellier into miniature cafeterias. Yes, that's an overly dramatic statement in itself, but it reflects the way some of those formerly really good restaurants seem to me lately.

People may crave those "free dining" offers, but they all require rack rate on the rooms. Given that, it's not such a great deal for those who wish to stay at moderate or deluxe resorts. Room only or package discounts offer better deals for those who stay at those resorts and might not wish to eat at a table service restaurant on a daily basis. Ironically, some of those same people (myself included) might in other times wish to eat at a table service restaurant daily, but for the deleterious effect the dining plan has gradually had on the overall Disney restaurant experience.

 

[2Tiggies]

Please correct me if I am understanding this all wrong...Isn't free dining in 2011 still only good on certain dates? For example, next summer it still doesn't begin until August 19, 2011. There are also several other blocks of time it is not available, if you read the dates that it is available. So, it is not free dining for a straight 14-month period with no gaps.

That is correct. Of course you can still dine at restaurants onsite that don't participate in the dining plan. I would rather do a few really nice meals than a whole string of okay ones.

 

[bangzoom6877]

That is correct. Of course you can still dine at restaurants onsite that don't participate in the dining plan. I would rather do a few really nice meals than a whole string of okay ones.

Very true...the restaurants at the Swan and Dolphin hotels do not participate in the dining plans, and many people rave about those. And, there are several DTD restaurants that do not participate either. No car needed, just take Disney transportation to either one!

 

[Mom of 2 Wife of 1]

In the end, I'll just be eating off property more and more. In August of 09 we ate every dinner off property and honestly it wasnt' that difficult to do. We saved a ton of money since we were a party of 8. We ate a few lunches at the parks and honestly they weren't that good.

Going off property for meals has always been the dumbest, most laughable, knee-jerk reaction to the topic of Disney food. Leaving property is (at the very least) an hour of wasted time per day. No matter how much money you think you're saving, or quality of food you think you're gaining, you can always make that up. When on a Disney vacation, every minute counts and any time spent away from the resorts, parks, et al. is Disney winning and you losing big-time, because you've already paid for the tickets and time in the parks which you are willingly giving up. Don't rationalize it, don't justify it, don't excuse it. You can never get back the time that you've lost.

BTW, we've been to hundreds of restaurants in the Orlando area and you're fooling yourself if you think leaving for lunch and/or dinner is taking you to some culinary heaven-on-Earth. It's not. Disney isn't winning any James Beard awards, but neither their F&B outlets nor their DDPs are so disgustingly bad that you cannot "tolerate" another meal.

You need to get over yourself.

 

[grimley1968]

Going off property for meals has always been the dumbest, most laughable, knee-jerk reaction to the topic of Disney food. Leaving property is (at the very least) an hour of wasted time per day. No matter how much money you think you're saving, or quality of food you think you're gaining, you can always make that up. When on a Disney vacation, every minute counts and any time spent away from the resorts, parks, et al. is Disney winning and you losing big-time, because you've already paid for the tickets and time in the parks which you are willingly giving up. Don't rationalize it, don't justify it, don't excuse it. You can never get back the time that you've lost.

BTW, we've been to hundreds of restaurants in the Orlando area and you're fooling yourself if you think leaving for lunch and/or dinner is taking you to some culinary heaven-on-Earth. It's not. Disney isn't winning any James Beard awards, but neither their F&B outlets nor their DDPs are so disgustingly bad that you cannot "tolerate" another meal.

You need to get over yourself.

Wow. Pretty strong opinions. Why so defensive about Disney dining?

For most of us who need to get "off campus", so to speak, to enjoy a little better meal, it's not necessarily about saving money as it is about getting better value for what we're paying, and get away from the cattle call experience.

I'd rather pay $60-$80 per head to go to the Orlando Ruth's Chris Steakhouse and get a great steak cooked to my specifications, than go to Le Cellier and be served an "okay" meal at a place which used to excel at being a singular dining experience (like Ruth's Chris still does), and now has to simply meet minimum standards of quality and quantity set forth by the dining plan.

 

[DisMN]

Going off property for meals has always been the dumbest, most laughable, knee-jerk reaction to the topic of Disney food. Leaving property is (at the very least) an hour of wasted time per day. No matter how much money you think you're saving, or quality of food you think you're gaining, you can always make that up. When on a Disney vacation, every minute counts and any time spent away from the resorts, parks, et al. is Disney winning and you losing big-time, because you've already paid for the tickets and time in the parks which you are willingly giving up. Don't rationalize it, don't justify it, don't excuse it. You can never get back the time that you've lost.

BTW, we've been to hundreds of restaurants in the Orlando area and you're fooling yourself if you think leaving for lunch and/or dinner is taking you to some culinary heaven-on-Earth. It's not. Disney isn't winning any James Beard awards, but neither their F&B outlets nor their DDPs are so disgustingly bad that you cannot "tolerate" another meal.

You need to get over yourself.

Having a bad day?

I envy those who have a way to get off property and into a better eating arena. There's no law that says you have to stay on property just because you paid to be there. LOL
(and this is coming from someone who never leaves the property...but I don't begrudge others for doing so in their efforts to find better dining, shopping or whatever.)

 

[Brian Noble]

.Isn't free dining in 2011 still only good on certain dates?

Indeed. In 2011, it's Hurricane season (which they practically have to give away every year), plus the seven or so slowest weeks of the year. It doesn't include Marathon, MLK weekend, President's week, any of Spring Break season, Summer, etc.

 

[lugnut33]

Going off property for meals has always been the dumbest, most laughable, knee-jerk reaction to the topic of Disney food. Leaving property is (at the very least) an hour of wasted time per day. No matter how much money you think you're saving, or quality of food you think you're gaining, you can always make that up. When on a Disney vacation, every minute counts and any time spent away from the resorts, parks, et al. is Disney winning and you losing big-time, because you've already paid for the tickets and time in the parks which you are willingly giving up. Don't rationalize it, don't justify it, don't excuse it. You can never get back the time that you've lost.

BTW, we've been to hundreds of restaurants in the Orlando area and you're fooling yourself if you think leaving for lunch and/or dinner is taking you to some culinary heaven-on-Earth. It's not. Disney isn't winning any James Beard awards, but neither their F&B outlets nor their DDPs are so disgustingly bad that you cannot "tolerate" another meal.

You need to get over yourself.

We don't spend all day at the parks. We almost always head back to the hotel/villa in the afternoon for a rest and then we head out to dinner. For us it's not a big deal to head off site.

I don't think I mentioned there was food nirvana outside WDW. For quality versus cost Disney can no longer compete with outside restaurants (of course some outside restaurants are terrible) when they used to exceed them. The free dining plan has changed that dynamic.

I think my point was that the free dining plan has killed off the great dining experience that Disney used to have. Extending the free dining from what used to be a 2 month (end of Aug. until mid-Oct) deal to now going for 14 months (even if there are a few blackout periods) is telling.

Oh, here are the dates for free dining:
Free dining available most nights 10/1-10/7/10, 10/22-10/28/10, 11/12 – 11/18/10, 11/27 – 12/2/10, 12/10 – 12/21/10, 1/1 – 1/5/11, 1/9 – 1/13/11, 1/21 – 2/3/11, 2/11 – 2/17/11, 2/25 – 3/3/11, 5/27 – 6/2/11, 8/19 – 9/29/11.

 

[Pakey]

If it makes the majority of visitors happy while making money for Disney, I see nothing wrong with it. If I forget how the food used to be before the dining plan and remember that it's still just a destination theme park, it's not so bad. WDW's food isn't what it once was but it's still better than the junk I ate at Sea World a few months ago.

We started frequenting the places on property that are not on the dining plan a few years ago and are happy with that solution for us. I don't think that the Disney powers-that-be are wringing their hands in frustration that I'm eating at the Swan and Dolphin now. There are other places in the US or the world with great food but there's only one WDW.

 

[ElizabethB]

Yep -- the OP has it right. We now go to restaurants that do not take the DDP.

 

[stichy]

We are going to get the dining plan for our Feb trip but may forgo it for future trips.

 

[Huff]

WDW dining was never top notch to me. WDW caters to the masses and always has. I do not feel dining at WDW ever compared to dining site. For the money there are FAR better quality restaurants outside WDW that inside. Unless you dine at odd hours or low crowds days WDW restaurants are crowded, noisy, cramped and they were that way before free dining.

Nonetheless, I think the DDP is a great value and free dining allows us to visit WDW and have a decent meal every night we are there. I could not afford to go to Disney World otherwise. DDP was a far better value when it included appetizer and tip but still worth it.

 

[gigi1313]

Going off property for meals has always been the dumbest, most laughable, knee-jerk reaction to the topic of Disney food. Leaving property is (at the very least) an hour of wasted time per day. No matter how much money you think you're saving, or quality of food you think you're gaining, you can always make that up. When on a Disney vacation, every minute counts and any time spent away from the resorts, parks, et al. is Disney winning and you losing big-time, because you've already paid for the tickets and time in the parks which you are willingly giving up. Don't rationalize it, don't justify it, don't excuse it. You can never get back the time that you've lost.

BTW, we've been to hundreds of restaurants in the Orlando area and you're fooling yourself if you think leaving for lunch and/or dinner is taking you to some culinary heaven-on-Earth. It's not. Disney isn't winning any James Beard awards, but neither their F&B outlets nor their DDPs are so disgustingly bad that you cannot "tolerate" another meal.

You need to get over yourself.

i concur for the most part...

another suggestion to the OP and other foodies that cannot stand the slop that the masses are eating is to go to the signature restaurants... most free diners won't "waste" two credits on high-end food and you will have your fine dining experience...

i would venture to say that the porterhouse at yacht club is as good as or better than the porterhouse at ruth chris'...