Pete's rants for 8/05/09

[bsusanmb]

I am with Pete. How can a young family afford going to WDW? Just the thought of that one day ticket is stomach wrenching. I am fortunate to own DVC points so that I can take my children and grandchildren, but I worked long and hard during my life to get to this point. I have long supported Disney. I will no longer purchase the dining plan. I will dine off property and maybe a meal or two on property that I enjoy. But I don't support a move to increase the price on something that isn't giving you something in return. What are we paying for? I don't get it.

 

[mainegal]

The Disney Dining Plan is increasing prices in peak season. They recently started charging extra for certain restaurants during peak season.

Are they going to raise the prices in all the restaurants (sit down and counter service) during peak season?

 

[NancyIL]

The Disney Dining Plan is increasing prices in peak season. They recently started charging extra for certain restaurants during peak season.

Are they going to raise the prices in all the restaurants (sit down and counter service) during peak season?

The basic DDP is also going up $2/pp during the non-peak seasons.

 

[eeyorethegreat]

When we were at WDW in July 08 over the Independence Day holiday, we were subject to increased pricing for dining during I thnk it was a five day period spanning from before July 4th and after the 4th. We did not have the dining plan. We did have the Tables in Wonderland card (then Disney Dining Experince), however during this "holiday pricing" period we were not allowed to use this discount- or any other discount (ie AP). So we did have to pay a premium for choosing to eat at a table service restaurant during this time. counter service, as I recall was not subject to this increase. It was a pricey trip given the increase in dining costs and the increase in lodging costs during peak season and that was staying at a value (we had a party of 7 so obviously it is going to be pricey anyway).

Our options as Pete mentioned are limited as we can not take our kids out of school and both Dh and I are teachers (my co workers do take vacations during the school year I just personally feel strongly that as a teacher I need to be available to my students when school is in session and take my vacations when we have school breaks). So taking our WDW vacations during a non peak time when lodging and dining costs are at their lowest just isn't an option for my family. I was not happy with the increase pricing for dining during that period knowing that I was getting nothing different in service or options than I would have had we gone during a non peak time. On the other hand, I will admit that even though I was not happy with this increase in pricing I did make a couple adrs during this time and though grudgingly, I swallowed the extra pricing. It did however leave a bad taste in my mouth (pun intended) and I plan on avoiding the table service meals the next time we are faced with having to pay that extra cost.

That being said, though Dis is a huge community of people whom for the most part educate themselves on getting the best value for their money and their time when on vacation at WDW there are even more visitors to WDW who do no planning and have no idea of this increase in pricing. They book their trip add the dining plan (or not) pay for their vacation and go. Still others, who are informed, do the math and decide that the dining plan even with all the various increases in price is still a good deal for them.

Disney knows that people will continue to pay whatever prices they set, at least for now. As some others mentioned Disney is a business with a number one priority of making money. Maybe I am a pessimist and I have been called such from time to time but I only see the upward pricing to level off only if: enough people stop going to WDW during peak time (for my family peak time is the only time we can go), stop returning to WDW altogether (not an option I am willing to take at this time), stay off property and not dine on property, no longer eat at table service restuarants on property that have an upcharge during peak times (this I have no problem doing) or stop buying the dining plan (personally don't do this anyway). For Disney to make a change they need to hear from their guests and see in their profits that particularly the returning guest will not accept the constant charges. I guess what I am saying is that in theory I agree with most of what Pete said I just wonder how many people are willing to follow through on it to make the difference that Disney needs to see to make the changes that we want to see. As it is there was what a 26% loss in profits and there were still price increases. So clearly that point hasn't been reached yet.

 

[mulderxcoltrane]

When we were at WDW in July 08 over the Independence Day holiday, we were subject to increased pricing for dining during I thnk it was a five day period spanning from before July 4th and after the 4th. We did not have the dining plan. We did have the Tables in Wonderland card (then Disney Dining Experince), however during this "holiday pricing" period we were not allowed to use this discount- or any other discount (ie AP).

Wow - that's the first I've heard of TiW having blackout dates. The back of my card doesn't mention anything about such blackouts.

Has anyone else experienced this?

 

[WebmasterJohn]

Wow - that's the first I've heard of TiW having blackout dates. The back of my card doesn't mention anything about such blackouts.

Has anyone else experienced this?

Yes, TiW is blacked out on all major holidays.

Here are the dates for 2009:

01/01/2009
04/12/2009
05/10/2009
07/04/2009
11/26/2009
12/24/2009
12/25/2009
12/31/2009
01/01/2010

 

[mulderxcoltrane]

Yes, TiW is blacked out on all major holidays.

Here are the dates for 2009:

01/01/2009
04/12/2009
05/10/2009
07/04/2009
11/26/2009
12/24/2009
12/25/2009
12/31/2009
01/01/2010

Thanks John.

I found it on the site minutes after posting.
(http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneydiningexperience.htm)

 

[darrengs]

...both Dh and I are teachers (my co workers do take vacations during the school year I just personally feel strongly that as a teacher I need to be available to my students when school is in session and take my vacations when we have school breaks)...

BRAVO to you!

 

[schoen]

No, that is NOT what he meant. He meant that they just picked anyone who would be a corporate puppet. He meant that she is not qualified. It was meant as an insult, not a term for a HR person.

Yeah. He definitely referenced literally cleaning offices. Which from reading her bio, it looks like she started at Disney in the Marketing group, and worked her way up the corporate ladder. Her job before her most recent position was head of HR. Not really a position to sneeze at.

Pete's comments regarding this woman were offensive and misleading on so many levels. It was hard to listen to.

I understand that Pete disagrees with this woman being in this role, and I understand that, and don't begrudge him that opinion. He belittled her though on this show in a way I have rarely seen from him. The way it was worded was offensive to people in Housekeeping positions, in HR, and to anyone in general who has "worked their way up".

I get that he doesn't like her decisions, and in general I agreed with most of his "rant". I just felt like there was a line that was crossed that I felt was disappointing, and just hasn't sat well with me.

Regardless, I love the podcast, and I even love listening to Pete's rants, this one just crossed a line for me.

 

[Decorated_Dust]

Being able to afford the ticket price increase is one thing... I think what bothers most people is the PRINCIPLE of raising prices in a recession, especially with a brand built on being family friendly. They pissed away a golden PR opportunity... There are a million places you could have bumped up to cover the "needed" raise.

I also have a problem with them doing it due to the diminished capacity of some park elements (FANTASMIC) and all the hard ticket events cutting into park hour times.

I wish I could have posted my reply to this earlier and I apologize if I'm beating a dead horse. My internet is down and I have been relegated to Barnes and Noble. However, I felt I needed to say my piece.

I remember reading Neil Gabler's Walt Disney biography, and about half of the (600 page!) book talked about how Walt Disney was always going bankrupt because of his stringent standards for quality. While I do not think that Disney has that same dedication now, the dedication that is there is still superior to their peer companies, because they know that's what separates them from Six Flags or Universal. As we learned from Walt, quality is never cheap. While they might skimp on the food, they have to pay for the fireworks and the laundry and the shows and the cleaning and the maintenance, etc. These things do not get cheaper over time, but rather get more expensive. At the same time, Disney's profits are taking a plummet.

Disney's profits are going down, and there is not as much money in the back to maintain this quality. I do not think that can cut much more without the ordinary guest noticing, and then they would have the PR problem of Disney not being what it used to be. With dozens of sites like this out there, word could spread that the quality is going down and then less people would come. If people are going to shell out a huge chunk of money during a recession, they had better be SURE that what they are getting is worth the sacrifice. Either situation would be bad for Disney, and I figured they chose the lesser of two evils. Disney always leans to the side of quality. I have a feeling that all companies that have been playing by the rules in this situation, like Disney, are caught between a rock and a hard place.

Now, I could be totally wrong, but Disney is already having quality issues with it's feature films. A hit like this at the theme parks would likely cause dire consequences.

 

[WDWtraveler27]

wow ive never made a thread tht is this popular hahhaha

 

[Allison]

I finally got around to listening to the podcast. I didn't like the cleaning woman reference but I agree with the rest. I found it very interesting to listen to. I agree it's a knee jerk reaction and a really bad P.R. move. What are they thinking?

Love this podcast. It's a great source of information and makes me think about things when these kinds of discussions come up.

I can say personally, as a mom with 3 kids considered adults for Disney pricing purposes who we do not believe in taking out of school for vacation, we won't be using the dining plan. I don't even know if we will be going as a family again. My visits might be limited to annual visits with friends for the Food & Wine Fest.

 

[Madi100]

I've been around long enough to hear many a rant from Pete, and I truly appreciate everything he has to say. I think that it's great that Pete feels so passionately about things. I think it's great for him to say what he believes and to say it to so many people. The whole podcast crew should be proud of themsevles for what they have turned the show into, and I think that they are. It's great to be part of such a community.

With that said, I was offended by the insults that Pete threw at Meg Crofton. I, for one, don't know her, and I don't know what her history is (other than that she's worked her way up with WDW). However, she is a human being. She has worked hard to get where she is at. You don't get to be in her position without a little ambition. And, to insult her by wondering if she still cleans the toilets in her free time is unkind. I for one, have respect for her for achieving such a position in life. She sets a great example for women and for all Americans. I'm sure that Ms. Crofton is responsible for many great things that have happened with the company. You can disagree with what WDW is doing right now. You can be passionate about it. But, it is not necessary to attack the human being that she is. It is not right to insult the years she has put into her career by belittling her.

 

[dpuck1998]

Since we are doing our own little rant, I'll join the frey. I second what Nicole had to say. I love the podcast and the crew, but Pete did go a bit to far. I have no doubt he will comment on this on the next show. I don't agree with a lot of things Disney is doing, if they are Megs fault then she deserves to be called out on it. However, calling her out on her decisions is much different than making a personnel attack.

 

[dopeyone]

I totally agree with Pete, hit the nail right on the head! Rant on brother!

 

[FireDancer]

I think something else that might not have been considered is whether or not Meg Crofton was really even responsible for the changes. I work for a much smaller company than Disney, much smaller, but even at our size company this type of decision is made in a pricing committee. I've been in on some of these and there is often heated debate on the course of action to take. However, once the decision is made and the door opens everyone presents a united front as though the decision was unanimous. This is true not only to the staff but to the share holders and public.

For all we know Meg Crofton was a voice of dissension behind closed doors but her position required she be the barer of bad news regardless of whether or not she was in favor of the decision. I am implementing a project now in a way I didn't want to, but was over ruled in committee. When I work with the vendors and train the staff though I treat it as though it is my baby, because I have be perceived to be on board in order to get the staff on board.

 

[dpuck1998]

I think something else that might not have been considered is whether or not Meg Crofton was really even responsible for the changes. I work for a much smaller company than Disney, much smaller, but even at our size company this type of decision is made in a pricing committee. I've been in on some of these and there is often heated debate on the course of action to take. However, once the decision is made and the door opens everyone presents a united front as though the decision was unanimous. This is true not only to the staff but to the share holders and public.

For all we know Meg Crofton was a voice of dissension behind closed doors but her position required she be the barer of bad news regardless of whether or not she was in favor of the decision. I am implementing a project now in a way I didn't want to, but was over ruled in committee. When I work with the vendors and train the staff though I treat it as though it is my baby, because I have be perceived to be on board in order to get the staff on board.

This is why I left the corporate world and went back to work at a school. I get to make my own decisions However, I don't have any money to make them.

 

[Decorated_Dust]

I agree with Nicole and Don, I was just too chicken to say it first. I still love your rants, Pete, but this time went too far.

 

[WDWtraveler27]

I agree with Nicole and Don, I was just too chicken to say it first. I still love your rants, Pete, but this time went too far.

im sorry but i disagree....i dont think he went too far at all

 

[dpuck1998]

im sorry but i disagree....i dont think he went too far at all

You are okay with the childish name calling? I think Pete and the crew do a great show, but we all know Pete can get a little fired up at times. I think he did just that and stepped a bit out of line. Calling her decision into question were fine, but the childish name calling was a bit much, IMHO.