Walt Disney World’s dining plans seem like a great idea — your meals and snacks are paid for in advance, you’re guaranteed some big portions and when Disney offers its free dining promotion, you really don’t have to worry about menu prices. But some guests have noticed some drawbacks to the program, which has increased in price and has taken away options just about every year since it was introduced in 2005. Here’s a look at some ways that the plans have impacted Disney’s quick-service, table and signature restaurants:
1. Higher prices
Disney’s 2005 Standard Dining Plan included one table-service meal, one counter-service meal and one snack for about $35 per day for adults and around $10 per day for children. The 2016 Standard Dining Plan includes the same number of meals and a snack per day, but the price has jumped to $63.70 each day for adults and $22.85 for children. And another big change to the plan occurred a few years after the program started. From 2005 to 2009, table-service meals included an appetizer as well as an 18 percent gratuity. But in 2009, Disney cut out the appetizer and tip and reduced the price of the plan by only a dollar.
And while plan prices have continued to rise in the years since, plan options have continued to shrink. Now, there are no desserts included with quick-service meals, and even though there will be two snack credits instead of one on the 2017 Quick Service and Disney Dining Plans, guests will still be shorted one dessert each day as opposed to the previous years’ plans.
The higher prices have also impacted people who aren’t on the dining plans. Many DDP participants opt for the highest-priced items on the menus, so Disney has to make up the difference somehow, and that cost is passed to people who don’t pre-pay. Some guests also think that Disney has inflated its menu prices so the dining plan looks like a better deal. It looks like a bargain when one New York Strip Steak from the Sci-Fi DIne-In Theater costs half the price of one day of the Standard Dining Plan.
2. More homogenization
Guests will find fewer menu choices (most restaurants include just five or six different options, like a couple of beef and chicken entrees, a seafood dish and a vegetable entree) so they can be constantly prepared and waiting for when guests order them. Daily specials have been eliminated at most restaurants, and creativity from chefs is a thing of the past. Another thing that’s gone are very pricey dishes, like surf and turf, which have been replaced with lower-quality cuts of meat and food that’s been pre-assembled or cooked offsite.
This is an issue at counter-service as well as table-service eateries. The same burger, fries and chicken are served at many different locations all over the parks, and they’re often prepared in advance and not too hot when a guest actually receives them.
3. Rushed service
Disney dining plan participants do not want to skip meals and lose money on what they’ve already purchased, so restaurants have to meet that demand by turning tables over quickly. However, that means that you’re unlikely to get a very relaxed meal. And one way to get diners moving through their meals quickly is to eliminate “free” appetizers and make the breakfast, lunch or dinner over as soon as possible.
Rushing through a meal may be fine at a quick-service location, but people who take the time to have a sit-down meal usually like to take their time and enjoy the ambiance and special touches that DIsney adds to their restaurants. But many servers tend to get the meals out quickly (they’re likely already made before a guest even ordered them, of course) and they encourage guests not to linger. Meals become more of a chance to get “fueled up” before heading onto more rides instead of a memorable experience themselves.
4. More crowds
Walt Disney World’s occasional free dining promotions bring lots of people to the parks — and that, of course, means longer lines for restaurants and rides. But there’s another downside to this promotion too: Guests who want to skip paying for the dining plan must purchase a full-price Magic Your Way room and park ticket package, so there’s not really a completely free lunch after all.
An increase in crowds mean even faster service to free up those tables and less of a chance to eat at preferred places.
5. No spontaneity
Just like FastPass+ with rides, Disney wants guests to make their restaurant reservations up to six months ahead of their trips. This benefits the parks and hotels because they know far in advance how many employees will be needed and how much food must be purchased, but if a guest decides on her trip that she’s just not in the mood for French onion soup on a hot summer night at Chefs de France, unlike when she first made that reservation back in the winter, she may have a hard time getting a new reservation at a place where she actually wants to eat.
More people eating at table service restaurants means fewer open reservations, so guests are pretty much locked into their choices. Guests who decide to eat at a place other than what they reserved also must pay $10 per person if they don’t cancel their reservation a day ahead of time, and this cost can quickly add up if a large party is involved.
The advanced dining reservations and cancellation fee aren’t exclusive to the dining plans, but they show that since more people are eating at table-service restaurants because of the dining plans, reservations are a must, and the fees are meant to discourage people from taking reservations that they won’t use so other people (who are probably also on the dining plans) can use them.
So what’s the solution to the dining situation that Disney’s dining plans have caused? Disney’s signature restaurants, like California Grill, Citricos and Flying Fish Cafe, seem to have maintained their good service and kept innovative dishes on their menus, mainly because they tend to draw Florida locals, people who are in town on business and many fellow patrons who pay out of pocket. Guests could also venture outside of the theme parks to eat — restaurants at the Swan and Dolphin resorts, such as Shula’s Steak House, Fresh Mediterranean Market, Todd English’s bluezoo, The Fountain and Garden Grove, don’t accept the dining plan at all, so you can expect better variety and quality dishes.
What do you think about the state of Disney restaurants? Has it caused you to skip the dining plan or eat outside the parks? Leave your comments below!
