I'm going to get flamed....

[pilferk]

I agree 100% and WDW does need to do a better job of catching guests who make multiple ADR's if they are within an hour of each other. My only suggestion is not letting them make ADR's at 180 days out, because they would have 6 months to cancell an ADR at the last minute if they were able to cheat the system and not have WDW catch it.

The problem in there are sometimes legitimate reasons to make 2 ADR's at times very close together.

For example: Last time I was at the Contemp was for a conference. My wife and kids came with me. We made and ADR for 12 up at the CG, for dining with the rest of the "crew" from my workplace AND an ADR at Chef Mickeys for 6 at Chef Mickeys for my wife, my kids, my coworkers wife, and their son.

We explained the reasoning to the reservationist, to ensure nothing got cancelled. But having an "automated system" that can wipe out ADR's because they are "too close together" doesn't work either....precisely because of situations like the one I outline above. Disney has to balance the need to stop people taking advantage of the system with those that are using the system "the right way".

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I have noticed that since the DDP has got very popular that must be the reason why such popular places like Chef Mickey's, Boma and Ohana have raised their prices on the breakfast and dinner menus.

 

[GrumpyFamilyof5]

no flaming here..........and this would be why I don't mess with any of the dining plan. We just eat at Counter Service places or go into town for dinner. Just seems so much simpler to me with 3 kids. Not that DD wouldn't love to eat in the castle, but the hassle. I guess for me it's just simpler to just eat somewhere quick for lunch then go out to dinner in Kissimmee somewhere!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

no flaming here..........and this would be why I don't mess with any of the dining plan. We just eat at Counter Service places or go into town for dinner. Just seems so much simpler to me with 3 kids. Not that DD wouldn't love to eat in the castle, but the hassle. I guess for me it's just simpler to just eat somewhere quick for lunch then go out to dinner in Kissimmee somewhere!

You sound just like my family and I. When it comes to eating in WDW the only places we go is the Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney, Earl of Sandwich. Some other nights for dinner we head on over to the Grand Floridian's counter service location Gasparilla Grill & Games and other times we go to the Food & Fun Center since we stay at the Contemporary. Also since we stay Concierge we also like to have the various foods which they put out at 5:00 PM. As for the parks we have no problems eating counter service foods there because they are very good. Some offsite locations we like to eat at is the Olive Garden, Shells, Golden Corral and the Cheese Cake Factory.

 

[NMW]

I think PYC is Portabello Yacht Club-an awesome DTD restaurant that does not take the DDP. I know it's been there a while-I ate there on my honeymoon in 1995.

 

[pilferk]

I've been to London, Paris, and even Louisville KY. The difference is that in those cities, there are more choices (well I will exempt Louisville, and focus on London and Paris or even Munich)

If a signature restaurant doesn't have a seating, there are other choices of the same caliber which will have seating. It's not the same at WDW. There are many many nights even in offseason when the only table service available is Marrakesh or one of the least popular places. The local or business traveller then has to choose to eat offsite (and thankfully, there are many good offsite choices now in Orlando)

I too live in a tourist area, and realize that it is the tourist revenue which drives much of the economy. That doesn't mean that I don't get irritated by the impact that living in a popular location has on me and my lifestyle.

There ARE choices...even the OP said there were....but they were at 9:30 at night....or offsite.

As to there being more choice....you're speaking as if WDW is a remote island. There is JUST as much choice in Orlando...as you, yourself, point out. If you go to Yankee Stadium on game day or the theater district in NYC on show nights, or the theater district in London on show night, or the area around the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre in Paris....you are not likely going to be able to walk in to an upscale place and be seated. If you want to eat there, you have to make ressies FAR in advance...because the tourists AND the locals flock to most of those places. The locals have learned they have to play by the same rules the tourists do, or they get locked out. It's no different in Orlando at WDW.

Yes, you can get irritated. Yes, you can vent. But then you have to look at this logically and realize it's not likely to change, because it's padding Disney's coffers and they have no REASON to change. So you grin and bear it, or move. Really, what other options are there?

 

[GrumpyFamilyof5]

You sound just like my family and I. When it comes to eating in WDW the only places we go is the Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney, Earl of Sandwich, some nights for dinner we head on over to the Grand Floridian's counter service location Gasparilla Grill & Games and other times we go to the Food & Fun Center since we stay at the Contemporary. Also since we stay Concierge we also like to have the various foods which they put out at 5:00 PM. As for the parks we have no problems eating counter service foods there because they are very good. Some offsite locations we like to eat at is the Olive Garden, Shells, Golden Corral and the Cheese Cake Factory.

yup,yup!! We love Olive Garden and the DH can go for the buffet at Golden Corral anyday,anytime! We also love Chili's.
I did finally make it to Downtown this go around, but didn't get to Earl of Sandwiches like I wanted, hopefully next time!
We tried Peco Bills this time, went around 10:30am, perfect timing right before the lunch crowd, got a table and ate before got to crowded! Food wasn't bad either, would recommend!

 

[bavaria]

and I believe that your response is what the OP was fearing when she titled this thread.

Eating at 930pm, or going offsite, or relocating her family are not always reasonable suggestions.

All that she is asking for is a little empathy - imagine if we all decided to come to your town and fill up all the restaurants every night and you could only eat at 930pm or go eat in the neighbouring town, or move to another town.

The continued lack of empathy and understanding on this website amazes me...

 

[pilferk]

and the emphasis on the DDP has also shut out another lucrative market for WDW - convention and business travellers.

I know people who attend conventions at WDW and never step foot inside a park. The only place that they can get a reservation is at a resort restaurant.

I am often in Orlando on business; I arrange those trips about a week out and certainly don't know when I will be free for ADRs.

My usual business restaurant now is Raglan Road - excellent food and service, and a good place to meet with clients.

Too bad that WDW is no longer getting as much of my dining revenue - they are opting for the lower revenue DDP customer rather than the higher revenue business traveller in hopes of filling in the off season. I understand that decision, but like the OP, it means that I eat at Disney restuarants less often than in past.

Odd.

I've been down to the Contemp for 5 or 6 conventions now. Since late '05, when I call to book my room through the convention coordinators, they ALWAYS remind me to make meal ressies as soon as I have a "firm" conference agenda (which I've always had prior to even booking my flight/room).

 

[bavaria]

I don't know if you are intentionally being obtuse when reading my posts, or if I require someone to translate my English as it is my second language.

When I go on business to Orlando, I often book a week out. That is normal for many business travellers - often I book my flights the day before or day of departure as my schedule changes so frequently.

How on earth could I book an ADR at 180 days out when I don't know where I am going to be next week, let alone in 6 months?

I am happy to eat at Raglan Road as it is a great restaurant, but at the same time I empathize with the OP. Sadly not everyone seems to care about her plight.

I'm done on this thread - yet another thread had gone where I choose not to go.

 

[pilferk]

you posted that you take a trip every five years, I believe. That's $900/year, divided by a family of four that's less than $200/year spent at WDW.

In contrast, I have been to a Disney park somewhere in the world at least once per month every month since last August. I would estimate that I have spent at least 30 days at a Disney park in 6 months. Most of the time it was an addition to a business trip; once was vacation. My total spending in a year is far more than the $200/year I quoted above.

There have been many discussions here over the years about local spend vs tourist spend. I can assure you that many locals spend as much in a year or more than tourists, and they are an almost guaranteed source of revenue.

Ask Ducklite sometime for her yearly spend at WDW - it may open your eyes to the value of local and business travellers.

The problem is, it's not really a fair comparison. And not one Disney is going to make. Why? Because the number of locals is FAR outnumbered by the number of tourists. It's not like DL, where a large % of their guests are locals and AP holders....

Locals may spend more, per capita, but their spending total is dwarfed, I'd bet, by the tourist total...because there are far fewer people like "you" and far more people like "them".

 

[PlutoLuvr]

Probably because they aren't anywhere near full. If they were, I doubt you'd get such a discount.

I don't know. I'm looking at receipts from 14 stays at HRH since September of 2003, and the most we've ever been charged is $169 per night -- and that's weekend rate. The weekday rates are all $149. 149 is what I was expecting to pay this go-around in May, so I was really happy when they offered me yet another five bucks off per night

Three of the stays I'm looking at, I know the HRH was sold out due to hurricane evacuations (we actually evacuated there). These stays were in September of 2004 and 2005. States right on the receipt, "FL resident discount," the same as our stays in December, January, February and May spanning over many years.

 

[pilferk]

and I believe that your response is what the OP was fearing when she titled this thread.

Eating at 930pm, or going offsite, or relocating her family are not always reasonable suggestions.

All that she is asking for is a little empathy - imagine if we all decided to come to your town and fill up all the restaurants every night and you could only eat at 930pm or go eat in the neighbouring town, or move to another town.

The continued lack of empathy and understanding on this website amazes me...

Maybe so, if "realism" is viewed as "flaming".

How are the suggestions not reasonable? It's one of those three, or simply choose not to eat out. Those are your ONLY options, so how can they be unreasonable? Suggesting Disney change a policy that's making them money to cater to a smaller market segment is much more unreasonable.

I do empathize with her. I said as much. It stinks. BUT, by the same token, after venting the frustration, what are you left with? A situation that you can't do anything about, and that Disney is unlikely to change any time soon....

As for the "what if"...I've been there. I do exactly what I suggested: Go further away from the "busy" areas of town, eat late, or eat at home. If it happened enough that it became an massive frustration or inconvenience in my life, yes...I'd relocate. Of course, I don't see it ever becoming THAT massive of a frustration, but....

 

[BillSears]

I sympathize with you. I may not be a local but I miss the days when you could call in the morning or walk up to a kiosk in the parks and make your dining reservations. You could even usually walk up to Le Cellieur and be seated within half an hour as a walk up.

I do blame the DDP on this change. But I understand that Disney is doing what is best for them not what is best for those of us who want to eat without making ADRs 180 days in advance. So I play by the new rules, I make my dining reservations at 180+10 days out and I complain about how I miss the good old days. Personally though I'd rather the DDP was never invented, that the price was $60.00, or that they'd just discontinue it.

 

[GrumpyFamilyof5]

and I believe that your response is what the OP was fearing when she titled this thread.

Eating at 930pm, or going offsite, or relocating her family are not always reasonable suggestions.

All that she is asking for is a little empathy - imagine if we all decided to come to your town and fill up all the restaurants every night and you could only eat at 930pm or go eat in the neighbouring town, or move to another town.

The continued lack of empathy and understanding on this website amazes me...

are you responding to me, cause I was responding to someone else. I said no flaming if you read my first response and just told what I do just as the OP says what she likes to do, we are all entitled to our opinion here are we not??
I live in Florida, all I stated was that the problems the OP was having is why I DON'T do the dining plan. I also said I ate at 10:30AM, not PM, which I did not only because it was less crowded, but because we were hungry!!
Maybe you should choose your words better before you write maybe your not thinking about how you've upset me, isn't that lack of empathy or understanding!
Sorry OP if I offended you or anyone else for posting my feelings here, I did not intend to nor was flaming you in anyway!!!!!

 

[pilferk]

I don't know if you are intentionally being obtuse when reading my posts, or if I require someone to translate my English as it is my second language.

When I go on business to Orlando, I often book a week out. That is normal for many business travellers - often I book my flights the day before or day of departure as my schedule changes so frequently.

How on earth could I book an ADR at 180 days out when I don't know where I am going to be next week, let alone in 6 months?

I am happy to eat at Raglan Road as it is a great restaurant, but at the same time I empathize with the OP. Sadly not everyone seems to care about her plight.

I'm done on this thread - yet another thread had gone where I choose not to go.

You can't (of course, you specifically mentioned conventioneers, and so that's what my original comment pertained to). Which means you can try for whatever is availabe, wherever it's available, whenever it's available (you mention Raglan Road). If the options are not to your liking, or your schedule is too variable, you can try offsite. If that's not possible, you can eat at the food court, or at some of the places that do not accept ressies.

It's not a matter of "caring". It's a matter of looking at the situation realistically....and having reasonable expectations given the current environment. Again, I understand her frustration. I just don't see any options available to her. You want sympathy? You got it. Absolutely. But empathy does not, necessarily, mean I have to condemn Disney and it's current system.

 

[mrsltg]

and I believe that your response is what the OP was fearing when she titled this thread.

Eating at 930pm, or going offsite, or relocating her family are not always reasonable suggestions.

All that she is asking for is a little empathy - imagine if we all decided to come to your town and fill up all the restaurants every night and you could only eat at 930pm or go eat in the neighbouring town, or move to another town.

The continued lack of empathy and understanding on this website amazes me...

OK.... here we go. I live in the DC area. I. HATE. TOURISTS. If I could get away with taking a chain saw to every flippin Cherry Blossom in this freakin' city I would. I hate the fact that I cannot go to a business lunch without some family of sweaty and inappropriately dressed people from West Central Nowhere sitting next to me and discussing how important it is to remember that the Constitution was signed in 1776 and that the Pentagon must be that building that has cranes because it was attacked on 9/11 (ummmm... no, the Pentagon is in Virginia and has 5 sides - making it, well, a Pentagon... and, there is other construction in this city....) Sorry, I digress.

Anyway, empathy? HHHMMMMM.... probably not much. I can't get a hotel room in this city for business travelers if I tried. I have two people coming here next week and the best rate I could get for them was $600 plus tax per night in a standard room. Yes, I understand what tourism does to a town. I also understand that I live here- I made that choice - and that it's a place a lot of people want to see, much like WDW. I remember to watch a little more carefully in the Spring months for moronic tourists who insist on standing in the middle of 14th St. to photograph the Washington Momument and the Capitol Building - during rush hour. Again, I digress.... The OP, and other locals, need to remember that Disney is a business. They are in business to make money. They make money whether it's the locals filling their restaurants or the family from Guam. Don't worry - when the next terrorist attack happens travel will bottom out again. The streets of DC will be empty, and the restaurants in WDW will have plenty of availability. Until then, locals, and native DC'ers will be on the wrong end of supply and demand.

 

[bavaria]

GrumpyFamilyof5, no, I was responding to the post here.... only came back to this thread to clarify that!

There ARE choices...even the OP said there were....but they were at 9:30 at night....or offsite.

As to there being more choice....you're speaking as if WDW is a remote island. There is JUST as much choice in Orlando...as you, yourself, point out. If you go to Yankee Stadium on game day or the theater district in NYC on show nights, or the theater district in London on show night, or the area around the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre in Paris....you are not likely going to be able to walk in to an upscale place and be seated. If you want to eat there, you have to make ressies FAR in advance...because the tourists AND the locals flock to most of those places. The locals have learned they have to play by the same rules the tourists do, or they get locked out. It's no different in Orlando at WDW.

Yes, you can get irritated. Yes, you can vent. But then you have to look at this logically and realize it's not likely to change, because it's padding Disney's coffers and they have no REASON to change. So you grin and bear it, or move. Really, what other options are there?

 

[pilferk]

are you responding to me, cause I was responding to someone else. I said no flaming if you read my first response and just told what I do just as the OP says what she likes to do, we are all entitled to our opinion here are we not??
I live in Florida, all I stated was that the problems the OP was having is why I DON'T do the dining plan. I also said I ate at 10:30AM, not PM, which I did not only because it was less crowded, but because we were hungry!!
Maybe you should choose your words better before you write maybe your not thinking about how you've upset me, isn't that lack of empathy or understanding!
Sorry OP if I offended you or anyone else for posting my feelings here, I did not intend to nor was flaming you in anyway!!!!!

Grump,

I'm sure he was talking to me...just didn't quote my message in his response.

 

[GrumpyFamilyof5]

sorry all for getting so offensive, been a rough week!