I'm a little sad about all the "scaling back"...

[mom2morgan]

Our trip in December will only be our 2nd. We LOVE Disney and saved for a long time to be able to go that first time. We live in Alberta, so just the plane fare is $2,000. So, last time we did not do the DDP as we didn't feel we could afford it. This time we are doing it..and of course it isn't nearly as good as it used to be. No more appetizers or gratuities. Now, I don't mind SO much about the appy's since I think there's still lots of food, and we're doing some buffets anyhow. But I'm really kind of miffed about the gratuities, since that will add on a fair bit of cost, and inconvenience. And then there are the refillable mugs - I didn't know those used to be "lifetime". Considering how CHEAP pop is, that would sure be a nice touch to still have in place! A nice little reward for return guests, in a way. And then just this morning I read that a lot of things that used to be included on the snack portion of the plan have been discontinued. It just seems like they're are getting a little stingier and stingier over time, doesn't it?

[kadesha]

it sure does! And I anticipate more changes for the dining plan in 2009.

In addition to all of the things you mentioned, price increases have me all worked up too. I'm having to rework my whole budget because of price increases. After we had booked the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, a price raise was announced. Stroller price hikes have resulted in us having to buy a stroller, I refuse to pay those outrageous prices. Plus, it has been rumored about bus service cutting back. And I'm so sad about the recent closings at PI and the characters being taken away from meals. Seems like every week, we find out about some kind of new cutback.

[DizneyRox]

Welcome to the club! Unfortunately, at this time you are not eligible for charter membership as the club started way back in 2001.

You are more than welcome though to join, this weeks meeting topic is a walk down memory lane and discussion about now defunct the Clean Plate Club!

Seriously now, many share in your frustration, and honestly, I'm somewhat glad others are noticing. Hopefully we're nearing the end of line since it's now very apparent that the penny pinching is impacting more than the keen observers, it's hitting once in a lifetime type of guests.

[SBETigg]

I love the convenience of the dining plan, paying in advance, and I still find it to be a value for my family, even with the changes. But I did prefer dining at Disney before they added the plan. It was so easy to get ADRs. Most table service restaurants were rarely packed. The menus were more diverse. Service was almost always excellent. Of course, we spent a lot more on dining, but it was worth it.

Still, I don't forget that even with the changes in the plan, Disney's dining plan offers a significant savings to customers who regularly have evening meals at non-buffet TS restaurants. I imagine it will continue to change until Disney finds the balance to accomplish their goals of bringing more customers in to the table service dining venues and keeping customers on Disney property for the most part all while keeping it most cost effective for them.

[henry.james.s]

I love the convenience of the dining plan, paying in advance, and I still find it to be a value for my family, even with the changes. But I did prefer dining at Disney before they added the plan. It was so easy to get ADRs. Most table service restaurants were rarely packed. The menus were more diverse. Service was almost always excellent. Of course, we spent a lot more on dining, but it was worth it.

Still, I don't forget that even with the changes in the plan, Disney's dining plan offers a significant savings to customers who regularly have evening meals at non-buffet TS restaurants. I imagine it will continue to change until Disney finds the balance to accomplish their goals of bringing more customers in to the table service dining venues and keeping customers on Disney property for the most part all while keeping it most cost effective for them.

:ditto:
I liked the old days better as well. But it's still a good value if you plan well.
And as long as the Disney spirit & quality remains intact I'll roll with the changes.
On the Deluxe plan I calculate I'll come out ahead $20 to $30 a day using TS locations.

[bkfree]

Our last trip was in Jan. 06 and we did the DDP and stayed at the YC and flew down as well.

Our next trip is in Dec, which will be our first Christmas trip to WDW.
I looked up our expenses from our last trip to compare.
I was surprised to see that we are paying the same amount for airfare as we did back then.
$200 per round trip ticket.
We will again do the DDP. It saved us around $500 last trip. I am glad that we now have control over the tip amount instead of an instant 18%. Even paying the tip OOP, we will still save a huge amount.
One thing we do is eat at alot of the buffets
(Chef Mickeys, Crystal Palace,1900 Park Fare, H and V, Boma and a few sit down such as Chefs De France, Kona and Coral Reef) This gives us a big bang for the DDP Buck, lots of food choices and with kids getting the food in front of them quick is a big plus.
We also found on the last trip that an appetizer and dessert was just too much.And that many times we wanted the same appetizer but different desserts. This trip we will be happy to pay for an appetizer OOP and share it if we want one and then each have our own dessert. This works well for the wallet as well as the stomach.
We are staying at a moderate this trip, POFQ, but that is because our kids are old enough that they want to stay at the parks day and evening, so we did not spend that much time at our resort.
This trip is costing exactly the same as our last trip with the exception, this time we are going for 8 days instead of 5 and that is making all of us very happy;):mickey::party:

[Mickey91]

The scaling back is definitely killing the magic for us. It is hard to believe some of the changes Disney is making. At a time when travel is about excruciatingly painful to the pocket as ever, Disney decides to up more prices and take out more perks.

[Donald's Girl]

I think we all have to realize that if our grocery bills, utility bills, transportation costs are going up that exponentially Disney's expenses must be going through the roof! I can't even imagine what it costs to run all their transportation, heat and cool all their properties, supply the restaurants (around here restaurants and pizza places are really raising prices), etc.

Sometimes people seem to take everything they offer for granted. Over the years I have often marveled that I don't know how they do everything they do with what they do charge. (Check with your local authorities on what their 4th of July fireworks display costs are and then think about what Disney uses every day!) Maintenance of all their properties (the best I've ever seen anywhere) and all the extras they continue to provide are still second to none.

Remember it is a business and as their costs rise they do still have to make a profit!

[Young@Heart]

I miss the old DDP, but am still glad for the conveniece of the plan, even if that means it's scaled back. We liked the app., but are doing 4 buffets this time, so it wouldn't matter for us. The tip is going to be a pain, but we're just going to leave cash each time, so hopefully it won't be a huge issue.

[Checkers]

:mickey:We have used both the old DP and the new DP. With the new DP we found that in most cases a salad with your meal is considered an appetizer so we would end up paying OP for an appetizer plus the tip. The thing we would really like to be changed would be the selection of an appetizer or dessert. I know, I know, some appetizers are more expensive than a dessert but a nominal amount could be added if you wanted a more expensive one. JMHO.

[DizneyRox]

At least part of the reason for not allowing appetizer or dessert selection is due to the fact they want to minimize the amount of time a party is in the seat at a restaurant. Apps can/will be shared. Dessert can/will be shared. Giving people the option of either will allow a family to get both, thus extending their meal time. This in effect reduces the throughput of the restaurant and costs them money.

If you pay for the app, that's great, at least there's some additional money coming in the door.

I don't see them allowing a choice in any future modification of the plan. MAYBE, if the whole group does apps or desserts, but not 1/2 the party get one and 1/2 get the other. Id would be surprised to see a change in favor of guest demands, unless is results in a cost savings for Disney. Case in point, the requests to remove character dining options at MK. Less salary needing to be paid to CMs.