Food prices anxiety!

kandb said:

It's the buffets that are ridiculous.

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We used to enjoy going to Crystal Palace for lunch. My wife loves Pooh and we all thought the food was pretty good. We would go there every year. The last time, several years ago, my wife happened to see the check when it came and was shocked. She had no idea how expensive it was. We haven't been back since.

These food budget planning tools are great! My DH is the one who likes to over budget for vacations-he doesn't want to have to worry while on vacation and then be stuck with a big bill later (although we haven't taken many family vacations). He so over budgeted last year that the leftover money in vacation account is going toward another WDW trip this year (specifically for SWW) and to do Universal. He has planned twice what I think we will spend-the calculators show I am closer (this includes the adult beverage and poolside snacks/drinks). Guess that will go towards the trip to DC next year...

kandb said:

It's the buffets that are ridiculous. We are going in Aug/Sept and I really wanted to go to Garden Grill. We are a family of 5 (dh, me, dd12, ds12, ds6), for
us to eat at the Garden Grill will be $250, with tip. It's really crazy, as you are not getting gourmet food and my kids don't eat that much. I have an adr
but don't know if I will spring for that much for dinner.

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At most of the buffets you are paying for meeting characters along with the food.

The first time I went to DW, I really could not afford it. I was also stressing about menu prices. My oldest daughter, 13 at the time, gave me the best advice. She said it would ruin my vacation if I have to pull out my wallet for every meal, so we should get the meal plan. That's what I did. We had a great vacation. When we got back home, I compared the checks to the cost of the meal plan. It was a little more, but allowed me to relax, so well worth the difference.

I did not go again until 2013, this time with 2 grandchildren, mom and dad. could afford it this time, so pulling out the wallet every meal was not so painful. This saved me about $150 over the meal plan cost. Again we had a great time.

maxiesmom,

I know you pay a bit towards the characters but how much money do you really think Disney pays per hour for 4 characters to walk around in costumes? I
bet they don't even make $15/hr and if they did, that's $60 for the 4 of them. Think about the hundreds of diners that are paying almost $50 for a meal, so Disney putting out around $60 an hour is really not that big of a deal.

kandb said:

maxiesmom,

I know you pay a bit towards the characters but how much money do you really think Disney pays per hour for 4 characters to walk around in costumes? I
bet they don't even make $15/hr and if they did, that's $60 for the 4 of them. Think about the hundreds of diners that are paying almost $50 for a meal, so Disney putting out around $60 an hour is really not that big of a deal.

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It is all in what people will pay for it. To some being able to see characters without having to wait in line is worth a lot. And I know some of my family members can put away a lot of food, so we really do not leave a character meal feeling like we over paid a lot.

I don't mind overpaying, I understand it's Disney and all you can eat but IMO $250 is ridiculous. I know it is supply and demand. Just like Disney is getting
over $500/night for a regular room at a deluxe hotel. If people stopped paying the super high prices, the prices would go down but obviously people don't mind
paying the price Disney asks.

Op, if you think about it, anxiety is basically a fear of the unknown. test anxiety, social anxiety all stem from not knowing. you've gotten great advice her so just arm yourself
with works best and relax

OP - I was wondering if you also plan to be in the parks everyday?

If you are staying in a Villa with a kitchen at AKL, you can cut your costs a lot and still not cook.

At AKL you are very close to 192 out the back way on Sherbeth Rd.

What I've found while on dining plans and going to Disney buffets and other Disney sit down restaurants is that after the 3rd day it is no longer enjoyable. It is just too much food. (Some people do eat like that all the time, but not our family.)

I would space my buffets and sit down meals. On the off days, I'd pick up some prepared food from Publix out the back way - sandwiches, rotisserie chicken and salads, deli stuff - $50 per meal for all 6 goes a long way here.

Since you are at AKL - don't miss Boma - love it! I'd do it as dinner despite the expense.

But don't miss Mara the quick service either - they have some good choices.

I'm guessing you have the Princess breakfast at Akershus - nice choice for the pictures and fun for the little ones.

Another breakfast choice is 1900 Park Fair - food is pretty good and fun is there with again picture opportunities with the characters and the little kids, and a place for the princess dresses to be worn.

So, once you choose your must do ADR's and 3-4 are plenty for most families with small children, you know what they will cost and what you will have left.

Fill in an evening with Pizza - someone suggested Via Napoli, or have it at the Villa, or do Pizza and drinks on the Boardwalk (they have a pizza window) after an evening at Epcot or before Illuminations (since you have kids).

You can bring food into the parks. If your kids love uncrustables and juice boxes now is the time. Pack some subs and buy some fries. Freeze some bottled drinks and use them like ice in a back pack cooler. Carry fruit cut up - the kinds you like.

For 1200-1500 you can eat well, and enjoy without going overboard.

Cheese and crackers and fruits and wine or (your choice of adult beverage) can be great as adult treats in the Villa. The bottles of wine at AKL in the main floor shop are fairly reasonable if you like wine. (Beers are pricey for some reason.)

Plan in advance with meals in your room for breakfast and lunch and do a nice dinner every night. That is the best way to do it otherwise it is terribly expensive!

maxiesmom said:

At most of the buffets you are paying for meeting characters along with the food.

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You are correct, you are paying to meet characters, but at most of the buffets, Disney seems to forget the food is also part of the experience. Some buffets are average at best, and most sub-par.

kandb said:

maxiesmom,

I know you pay a bit towards the characters but how much money do you really think Disney pays per hour for 4 characters to walk around in costumes? I
bet they don't even make $15/hr and if they did, that's $60 for the 4 of them. Think about the hundreds of diners that are paying almost $50 for a meal, so Disney putting out around $60 an hour is really not that big of a deal.

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You mean to tell me those are people in costume... Thanks for raining on my parade, I really thought that was Mickey, Minnie, Cinderella and etc.

I plan to bring oatmeal and dry milk (for cereal) for breakfast. We will eat breakfast in the room most of our days there, planning on QS for the rest. We have 2 breakfast TS and 1 dinner (BOG), but that's it. On the 2 days we eat bf in the parks, we will probably just have a light snack for lunch. We're staying at Boardwalk, so we'll take advantage of the pizza place there and the bakery.

I used the calculator on the first page and we're a family of 4 and based on my plans above we should be under $700. (Not including the Wishes Dessert party which isn't on the calculator and is already paid for anyways).

If we did the dining plan (QS) I'd have to spend another $500. This is why I'm *NOT* doing the dining plan. We're not big eaters, so I know it would cause me anxiety making sure that everyone "ate their money's worth" for the DP! On the plus side, my sister IS doing the dining plan, and I can just about bet we'll be getting some extra desserts that they couldn't eat! LOL!

Judique said:

OP - I was wondering if you also plan to be in the parks everyday?

If you are staying in a Villa with a kitchen at AKL, you can cut your costs a lot and still not cook.

At AKL you are very close to 192 out the back way on Sherbeth Rd.

What I've found while on dining plans and going to Disney buffets and other Disney sit down restaurants is that after the 3rd day it is no longer enjoyable. It is just too much food. (Some people do eat like that all the time, but not our family.)

I would space my buffets and sit down meals. On the off days, I'd pick up some prepared food from Publix out the back way - sandwiches, rotisserie chicken and salads, deli stuff - $50 per meal for all 6 goes a long way here.

Since you are at AKL - don't miss Boma - love it! I'd do it as dinner despite the expense.

But don't miss Mara the quick service either - they have some good choices.

I'm guessing you have the Princess breakfast at Akershus - nice choice for the pictures and fun for the little ones.

Another breakfast choice is 1900 Park Fair - food is pretty good and fun is there with again picture opportunities with the characters and the little kids, and a place for the princess dresses to be worn.

So, once you choose your must do ADR's and 3-4 are plenty for most families with small children, you know what they will cost and what you will have left.

Fill in an evening with Pizza - someone suggested Via Napoli, or have it at the Villa, or do Pizza and drinks on the Boardwalk (they have a pizza window) after an evening at Epcot or before Illuminations (since you have kids).

You can bring food into the parks. If your kids love uncrustables and juice boxes now is the time. Pack some subs and buy some fries. Freeze some bottled drinks and use them like ice in a back pack cooler. Carry fruit cut up - the kinds you like.

For 1200-1500 you can eat well, and enjoy without going overboard.

Cheese and crackers and fruits and wine or (your choice of adult beverage) can be great as adult treats in the Villa. The bottles of wine at AKL in the main floor shop are fairly reasonable if you like wine. (Beers are pricey for some reason.)

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Yes such great ideas!

kandb said:

I don't mind overpaying, I understand it's Disney and all you can eat but IMO $250 is ridiculous. I know it is supply and demand. Just like Disney is getting
over $500/night for a regular room at a deluxe hotel. If people stopped paying the super high prices, the prices would go down but obviously people don't mind
paying the price Disney asks.

Click to expand...

I think this really speaks to the problem. There is a segment of guests that can and will pay whatever Disney charges - so Disney keeps upping the prices. The problem is that leaves a lot of other guests unable or unwilling to participate. More and more, Disney is becoming a vacation for the rich.

BOG just opened for breakfast - for $20/person. No thanks. That's more than we spend for lunch or dinner. Oh, you want to see characters while you eat? Breakfast at Chef Mickey's would set us back over $120. For breakfast! Some cereal, toast, powdered scrambled eggs, and maybe a danish. Come on. How many average families can do that (and there are only 3 of us)? No wonder people look at a Disney vacation as a once in a lifetime deal.

I've been going to WDW since the 1970s. Prices have risen way, way faster than inflation. It's right up there with healthcare and college costs as skyrocketing out of control. But people keep paying it so Disney has no incentive to stop. It's just sad to see the progression of Disney becoming so elitist.

Novakm said:

The first time I went to DW, I really could not afford it. I was also stressing about menu prices. My oldest daughter, 13 at the time, gave me the best advice. She said it would ruin my vacation if I have to pull out my wallet for every meal, so we should get the meal plan. That's what I did. We had a great vacation. When we got back home, I compared the checks to the cost of the meal plan. It was a little more, but allowed me to relax, so well worth the difference.

I did not go again until 2013, this time with 2 grandchildren, mom and dad. could afford it this time, so pulling out the wallet every meal was not so painful. This saved me about $150 over the meal plan cost. Again we had a great time.

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$150 can be the cost of a good TS meal, so no small amount in my mind.

I am neurotic about our finances, no doubt about it. So paying more for the dining plan than I could pay OOP did not make sense to me.

So I basically came up with my own "dining plan": (1) I went to the menu for each non-buffet ADR, picked out a likely meal for each person/group, added it all up, rounded up and added a 20% tip (2) added the buffet costs plus 20% tip (3) added approximate cost of two off-site meals and (4) added everything together. This did not take long to do.

That TOTAL amount plus $200 (for overages, snacks, small souvenir) was my dining plan cost. I allocated that amount to dining and suffering no anxiety when taking out the wallet, and I barely glanced at the bills. The total amount spent was actually less than I budgeted for.

I also allocated about 60-70 bucks for groceries (we either ate in our room at least once a day and brought food into the parks), but we'd have to spend that money at home anyway.

ETA specifics: So we were 2 adults, one child, one child under 3. Our trip was delayed because of weather so we were in Florida Monday to Friday morning. Day -1: McDonald's dinner while traveling. Day 1: off-site breakfast, takeout pizza lunch at hotel, dinner buffet ADR at Park Fare. Day 2: breakfast buffet ADR @ Crystal Palace, ice cream snack in park, lunch leftover pizza at hotel, dinner ADR @ BOG. Day 3: breakfast buffet ADR Akershaus, sandwich lunch at hotel; shared snack in park; dinner ADR Rose and Crown. Day 4: eggs/toast/fruit/cereal in hotel room, CS lunch at Yak and Yeti, dinner off-site BBQ joint. Day 5: quick breakfast at hotel, brought sandwiches to eat on plane. Total cost (including groceries) = $600. No skimping, just some budget-conscious decisions.

Notes: Buffets are cost effective if one or more person eats free (under 3); Alcohol: We had 1 beer/wine each at BOG and R&C and got bottle of rum from Publix for hotel room cocktails; Stroller - we snacked on water, granola bars, fruit, and string cheese we brought to parks; Full kitchen in hotel suite (key!); Don't order more than your family will eat - I ordered app instead of entree where applicable and it was plenty of food - you can always get more if necessary; If we hadn't left parks, we would have brought sandwiches in the stroller.

For us personally, the dining plan was good and bad. We got it for "free" but I say that because we payed full price for the room in order to get that discount. When I calculated everything, the dining plan was $110 more expensive than the meals we ate. We usually would order water, but ordered soft drinks. We usually skip dessert and opt for a snack in the parks, so even with all of that the dining plan was still more expensive than the food we ate. However, we did enjoy the freedom of eating whatever we wanted. That was also the first trip I've ever planned (I went as a kid, but mom planned those) so it was a new experience for me.

Last trip, my mom wanted to do the gift card method. So I bought gift cards at Target (5% off with my red card!) and Giant Eagle (grocery store - .20 off gas for every $50 you buy in gift cards) and went that route. It worked really well. I ate what I wanted and didn't look at prices too much because I was on vacation. I did what others did and calculated my meal costs based on what I thought I'd order, and added some wiggle room for drinks or dessert. That's what we'll do this time with my fiance and I. I might do Garden Grocer for some water and breakfast stuff. It helped to bring some snacks to munch on before lunch too. I don't think the dining plan is for us, but I still think I'll budget $100-120 a day for food - one TS meal, one QS, some snacks and alcohol. Might be a lot, but if we don't use it all, we can use it for souvenirs.