So How Do We Feel About the Changes to Be Our Guest?

[maltdizzy]

I think the cupcake argument (while valid) may be overstated. BOG is a VERY popular dining location in MK and was ripe for an experiment to maximize the per diner income. Why settle for split plates, one entree or a cupcake when you can get three courses out of everyone. At the same time, prix fixe means a more standardized menu that they should, in theory (though often not in practice), deliver more consistently. In another thread, we were discussing how Ohana, with a set menu and experience, can be very inconsistent.

We like the idea of the menu changes; we can live with the prix fixe (but we hate the desserts at BOG...including the over-rated cupcake); but then...we can take it or leave it as well. I think I said it in another post...we snack our way through the MK and leave to eat meals.

 

[disneynurse03]

I'm just hoping this makes ADRs easier to get...I'm still waiting for BOG dinner reservations to open past august 18th

 

[RealBlast3]

I don't agree with this at all, what was happening at BOG with an entire group going for just a cupcake in order to meet the beast is a far cry from someone going to a restaurant and having an appetizer and dessert for dinner because they enjoy the restaurant and food, but may not prefer, or be hungry enough for, an entree. There should not be a universal requirement that someone purchase an entree in order to be allowed a table at dinner. I have no issue with BOG going with a true Prix fix model, and requiring everyone to order it, but I disagree with saying that you need to have an entree at each meal. Many of my favorite meals at WDW are appetizers and they more than fill me up. At Jiko I ordered a bottle of wine, got the wild boar appetizer, and a side of macaroni and cheese, I can assure you that the restaurant was more than fine with it, and I spent more than someone who sat down and only ate an entree to fulfill your 'must have an entree' requirement.

Well, this is different and is definitely an exception to what I said, for sure. Every case is different. You're overall still having a "meal" and not taking advantage of the reservation by under-ordering. You are most definitely ordering but just prefer things other than the entrees and that's cool.

Someone getting like something that totals for under $20 or $30 at an expensive eatery at one of the tables should not be acceptable, though. Or at least it isn't really ethical. I mean, you know Disney expects that 1 person should be spending at least that for the dinners, for sure, look at what they charge for their buffets, after all. Making a ressie and drinking tap water and some gray stuff is not right.

 

[Drusilla]

The 2 credits has thrown a wrench in my plans but it is my dd16's birthday and that is where she wants to eat.

Our dinner at BoG is on our last night of our vacation and by that time we will each only have 1 ts credit left but each meal is 2. Will they let us pay one meal with our 2 remaining credits and one meal out of pocket?

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

The 2 credits has thrown a wrench in my plans but it is my dd16's birthday and that is where she wants to eat.

Our dinner at BoG is on our last night of our vacation and by that time we will each only have 1 ts credit left but each meal is 2. Will they let us pay one meal with our 2 remaining credits and one meal out of pocket?

Absolutely. You've always been able to split a check with some meals on the DDP and some OOP. What you could not do is if you had one person and one credit left pay for 1/2 of a 2 credit meal with your credit and the rest OOP.

 

[maltdizzy]

The 2 credits has thrown a wrench in my plans but it is my dd16's birthday and that is where she wants to eat.

Our dinner at BoG is on our last night of our vacation and by that time we will each only have 1 ts credit left but each meal is 2. Will they let us pay one meal with our 2 remaining credits and one meal out of pocket?

Yes, they will. People dine all the time with friends who don't have DDP. But remember, as discussed here and in other threads, the TS dining credits work out to be ~$45 each, so you would be paying $90 credits for a $55 dinner!

 

[Nancyg56]

The 2 credits has thrown a wrench in my plans but it is my dd16's birthday and that is where she wants to eat.

Our dinner at BoG is on our last night of our vacation and by that time we will each only have 1 ts credit left but each meal is 2. Will they let us pay one meal with our 2 remaining credits and one meal out of pocket?

I would pay for this meal OOP. The value has no wahre near what 2 credits are worth on the DDP

 

[KC Mouse]

I

I absolutely agree you can save money by paying out of pocket, but I have always maintained it is not cheaper. Of course it is subjective, but the Adult DDP cost $75.49 per day. So that's 1TS (entree, desert, and drink), 1QS (entree and drink), 2 Snacks, and Refillable Mug. Just using BoG for Dinner and Lunch, the average Entree for Dinner is $30 and the Dessert is $5. Lunch average is $15. You get a Drink with both, lets just say you go with Bottled Water which is $3 so a total of $6. Now throw in your 2 Snacks, again lets just call it $5 for average snack price. That puts you at $66 which is less than the cost of DDP at first. Now factor in the taxes you will pay on that $66 and also whatever value you put on the refillable mug that can be used at the resort(s). I always figure on 3-4 refills which would be approx. $3-$4 dollars if ordered separately each time. So basically it's roughly around $100 per day after including taxes if you pay out of pocket for what you get with the DDP. Of course that is only based on the averages. There are some menu options that are closer to $50 for an entree alone, depending on the location. Most buffets are $50+ for adults. Like I said, it is all subjective and if you just limit yourself to one QS meal a day or even just 1 TS a day you can definitely save money, but if you pay out of pocket for everything that comes with DDP, or you don't intentionally try to choose the cheapest option at each location, it is not cheaper.

Yeah, I didn't think so I just wasn't sure.

I base my assessment of value of the DDP according to what I myself and my family eat at the parks. I'm sure there are ways to make it worth the cost but as for me and my family we saved about $100.00 on our last vacation by avoiding it. With that being said, we didn't skip any meals or avoid the lobster but made the our choices based on what where where hungry for at the time. I would consider myself a "big eater" but I found without the plan I tend to order smaller items for breakfast, for lunch I'm always hankering for a large sit down meal and for dinner Im back to wanting a corndog or turkey leg. At EPCOT we snack around the world for most of the day. LOL All said and done we still saved money.

 

[Araminta18]

I would say to pick one or the other and not try to do both in one night. When we do a dessert party we eat a late lunch so we can enjoy the desserts.

I can certainly see that, but for a variety of reasons this works out best for us. It's not a dealbreaker (if you can't swap desserts for appetizers); I was just curious if anyone had any experience with that at prix fixe meals, 'cause I haven't.

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

Excited about menu changes, hopeful they make it pre-pay to cut down on ADR hoarding. The one downside is the 3-course setup, plus the wait to see the Beast, means that you're looking at a minimum of 2 hours for your meal here. (We were in there for 90 minutes our one dinner there). That's a lot of park time, especially if you have littles that retire early, and I can see people avoiding the place on party nights altogether.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Prix fixe usually does not permit substitutions of any kind (exceptions for allergies/medical conditions, but probably not to the extent that they'll allow an appetizer in place of a dessert). Because this hasn't started yet at BOG we can't know for sure but I would guess that you can't get an appetizer instead of a dessert.

 

[pharm55]

I'm just hoping this makes ADRs easier to get...I'm still waiting for BOG dinner reservations to open past august 18th

Reservations did open up for August 19th on Feb 23rd as we got one for dinner and people were being told by phone that BOG is closed for all meals on August 20-25 (tho some reported later being able to get reservations for the 25th so may actually be Aug 20-24th closure). If you want a reservation I would recommend using the touring plans reservation finder.

 

[William Ades]

And by the way, when you add tax to your $66 + $4 refill, you're only at $74.55, so $1 cheaper than you paid for the plan.

Yes, when using the average price as I did in the example you are correct. I tend to lean towards the more expensive dish. As opposed to the $22 Ratatouille, I'm getting the $36 steak. My wife is similar in that aspect, so the value is greatly increased at most the locations we dine. Like I said, It is subjective to what you you choose to order. Can you save money by skipping the dining plan and only paying for what you order? Sure...but if you pay out of pocket for everything that you get with the DDP, more often than not it is not "cheaper." I fully understand people can and do save money by no getting the DDP, and only paying for what they eat. If you don't eat 2 Snacks, you don't pay for 2 Snacks and therefore you saved money, I get it. However if you pay for item for item that the DDP gives you, you will be hard pressed to come out ahead.

 

[Hatbox]

The one downside is the 3-course setup, plus the wait to see the Beast, means that you're looking at a minimum of 2 hours for your meal here. (We were in there for 90 minutes our one dinner there). That's a lot of park time

Oh gosh, I hadn't considered this. Do you really think 2 hours is likely? I made a 5:30 reservation (party of two, with no desire to linger or see the Beast) -- but if I should be planning on two hours, I'd rather eat at the Wave.

 

[ElsasFan]

Oh gosh, I hadn't considered this. Do you really think 2 hours is likely? I made a 5:30 reservation (party of two, with no desire to linger or see the Beast) -- but if I should be planning on two hours, I'd rather eat at the Wave.

I don’t think the meals will now be 2 hours. How long does it take to dine at CRT? It has been years since we were there, but I don’t recall it taking much more than an hour. (There will be additional wait time to see the Beast, since the princesses come to your table at CRT, but I think the kitchen will move the food out quickly.)

 

[Disneyliscious]

BoG was a completely overrated cafeteria experience for us. Honestly, the food tasted great but the whole experience was just blah. There was no magic, no "feeling", nothing. It was just a bunch of loud people eating in a lavish cafeteria. The new changes won't affect me because our group all agreed it wasn't a restaurant we ever cared to return to.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

Oh gosh, I hadn't considered this. Do you really think 2 hours is likely? I made a 5:30 reservation (party of two, with no desire to linger or see the Beast) -- but if I should be planning on two hours, I'd rather eat at the Wave.

I would think 90 minutes max, but probably closer to an hour would be average.

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

Oh gosh, I hadn't considered this. Do you really think 2 hours is likely? I made a 5:30 reservation (party of two, with no desire to linger or see the Beast) -- but if I should be planning on two hours, I'd rather eat at the Wave.

It's hard to say. I imagine that if they're trying to really increase the "signature feel" they might remove some tables since they will be making up some of that revenue by having it by prix fixe. That and a slimmed down menu might mean the service is faster. We waited 25 minutes or so to meet the Beast because we finished dinner during a Beast shift change. We ended up missing the Halloween parade because of our dinner at BOG. I wouldn't do BOG during a party again (we chose to do it because we had a super short trip so we didn't have another chance to dine there, and we were all dressed up as Beauty and the Beast characters which made for a great photo op).

I'm really bummed at the rumors that lunch is going TS. It was the quickest, lowest hassle lunch in MK if you could score a reservation.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

I'm really bummed at the rumors that lunch is going TS. It was the quickest, lowest hassle lunch in MK if you could score a reservation.

Where did you hear that lunch is going to TS?

 

[Lisa F]

I'm disappointed IF the prix fixe option is the only option. I FINALLY tried this place on my last trip. I had bariatric surgery and can't eat much. I ordered the mussels appetizer and a glass of wine. The kid ordered a kid meal. It was all perfectly sized and delicious, and we ate in the west wing (his request) and the atmosphere was cool. I'd be disappointed at someplace that basically tripled in price for me and the kid (as he will be a disney adult next time we go) and probably would not pay 3x as much to go there and throw all of that food away. My son is also more of a basic eater. Basically I need someplace with flexibility. If there is none here, I guess it was a one and done for us!