$43.66 for a 10 year old to eat at Chrystal Palace!!!

[Doug7856]

We are planning a 3rd of July visit to Magic Kingdom. I know the crowds are going to be monstrous, but we (like everyone else there) want to see the 4th of July fireworks. Knowing from past experience that it would be nice to have a dinner break and an hour of air conditioning, I thought we'd try Crystal Palace. After making the reservation I checked the prices and was shocked to see the sticker price for 10 year old children is $43.66 including tax, NOT gratuity or the seasonal price increase.

My 10 year old will eat two chicken legs and dessert. No way I'll pay upwards of $60 for that!

I'm think character dinning is over for us.

I cancelled the reservation and we're eating at the Plaza Restaurant. Still air conditioned, I think LOL.

 

[LaurenT]

Good choice. My daughter is just turning 9, but I think even she's done with Pooh and Friends. We've done three or four character meals in a trip before, but now it's down to two - both breakfasts (Tusker house and ohana).
The Plaza is a great place for a light meal! You get away from the crowds, sit in a comfortable, attractive space with lots of windows to look out on the kingdom, cool off in the air-conditioning, and the price will be a fraction of Crystal Palace.

 

[luvmy2babies]

July 3rd...is that the holiday premium price? Our first trip was over Thanksgiving week so I'm familiar with that mark up.

Age 10 is like a magic number there. We'll probably do less once my daughter turns 10 in 2013. That same year my son turns 3, so I'm in for some sticker pain. Gonna ease into it, just do a couple of park days before a DCL cruise.

 

[bdink921]

Wow!! That's a crazy price . Alright, it's bad enough that Disney charges 'adult' ticket price for a 10y.o but doing the same at the restaurants just doesn't make sense to me. When my son turned 10, we stopped eating at the buffets for that reason -- he just didn't eat that much. Now that he's a teen it makes more sense, the kid seems like he's always starving LOL. It stinks though because at that age DS really loved the characters. Now that he can eat adult sized portions (and then some, it seems), he's just way too cool for that .

 

[Doug7856]

July 3rd...is that the holiday premium price? Our first trip was over Thanksgiving week so I'm familiar with that mark up.

Age 10 is like a magic number there. We'll probably do less once my daughter turns 10 in 2013. That same year my son turns 3, so I'm in for some sticker pain. Gonna ease into it, just do a couple of park days before a DCL cruise.

That's our situation! My oldest just turned 10 and my youngest is 3 (will be 4 in July). Disney's 10 year old restaurant pricing is a bummer.

 

[Jennasis]

I like The Plaza much better than Crystal Palace. You'll love it!

 

[maxiesmom]

Wow!! That's a crazy price . Alright, it's bad enough that Disney charges 'adult' ticket price for a 10y.o but doing the same at the restaurants just doesn't make sense to me. When my son turned 10, we stopped eating at the buffets for that reason -- he just didn't eat that much. Now that he's a teen it makes more sense, the kid seems like he's always starving LOL. It stinks though because at that age DS really loved the characters. Now that he can eat adult sized portions (and then some, it seems), he's just way too cool for that .

It is a shame that your child thinks he is way too cool for character meals. We are eating at the Crystal Palace this March, and the youngest in our group is 11. I'm glad we are a family that enjoys being silly. No one is too cool for school in our group.

As far as the cut off age being 10 and not making sense, well, no matter what age they pick it won't make sense to someone. Some kids can eat a ton of food before they are 10. Some adults like me only fill one plate and are stuffed. There really isn't anything they can do to make the cost fair, with regards to the amount of food you eat.

I think the Plaza is a wise choice for the 4th. When it is that hot at WDW you don't want to be eating a ton, and then trying to enjoy the parks.

 

[eliza61]

another vote for the Plaza. We've always gotten very nice lunches there. I know Disney had to set the age between adult and kids some where but 10 still seems awful young to charge a full adult price.

I agree no way would I fork over 50 bucks for a kid to eat a buffet. heck, I have a hard time paying that for an adult.

 

[MaleficentRN]

The park tickets, I understand. A ten year old is likely to ride every ride. But to think a ten year old is capable of eating as much as a grown man?! I'm sure there are children that eat as much, if not more than, me. But isn't that a minority?

 

[jg24over8]

Where did you get that price from?? I looked up WDW and ALLEARS for prices, and both were incorrect. I called the Disney DInning number and they got me the actully price for the time of year we are going. I suggest you do the same.

 

[sharonabe]

Where did you get that price from?? I looked up WDW and ALLEARS for prices, and both were incorrect. I called the Disney DInning number and they got me the actully price for the time of year we are going. I suggest you do the same.

Actually, that probably is the correct price for July AND it does reflect the seasonal upgrade already. When allearsnet updated their buffet prices this past Aug, it caused quite a stir over on the restaurant board until it was clarified that all the places where there was a price increase included the seasonal upgrade. As OP said, it does include tax which the quote from Disney Dining will probably not.

 

[Atchley]

I agree with the PP that said no matter what age they set to go to adults, someone would not be happy. My DS and DD are 12 and almost 14 and they could still eat off of the kids menu for most meals. I am sure that I don't get my moneys worth, but then you take my nephew who is 9 and he can eat more than my DH. He is not a large child either-just a high metabolism.
We always do the DDP so our meals are paid for in advance. I guess I've just come to terms with prices.

 

[mom2rtk]

Yeah, we had sticker shock on this trip too since my daughter is a new Disney dining adult. $124 at Chef Mickey (before tip) for me, my husband and our 11 year old grazer. Even I, a hard core character dining fan........ will have to think long and hard about our choices next trip. And if they cut back on free dining promotions, it might cause us to rethink the entire next trip.

 

[mom2rtk]

I agree with the PP that said no matter what age they set to go to adults, someone would not be happy. My DS and DD are 12 and almost 14 and they could still eat off of the kids menu for most meals. I am sure that I don't get my moneys worth, but then you take my nephew who is 9 and he can eat more than my DH. He is not a large child either-just a high metabolism.
We always do the DDP so our meals are paid for in advance. I guess I've just come to terms with prices.

I still might not like it at 12, and still not feel like we were getting our money's worth....... but 12 is a lot closer to "reasonable" than 10 so I would feel a lot better about it.

 

[SnoWhiteRabbit]

As far as the cut off age being 10 and not making sense, well, no matter what age they pick it won't make sense to someone. Some kids can eat a ton of food before they are 10. Some adults like me only fill one plate and are stuffed. There really isn't anything they can do to make the cost fair, with regards to the amount of food you eat.

I agree that no matter what age, it's not fair to some...but $43 at 10! Yikes.

We've done several character meals each trip (usually at least 3 or 4), but on our next trip all 3 KIDS will be DISNEY ADULTS ~ 10, 12 & 13. So as a family of 5, with 3 kids, we will count as 5 adults. No way we can afford to eat at the places we have loved over the years.

Last trip they were 8, 10 & 12. We were considered 4 adults. OUCH! Thank goodness for free dining

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

Thankfully our character dining days seem to be behind us. We didn't do any this past trip and it was AWESOME! Our kids are taller now and can ride more attractions, so this is where we place our emphasis -- thank goodness. I hope it remains that way, lol.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Chalk those prices up, partially due to the dining plans, as well as the "free" dining. Once the money is coming out of Disney's pocket, all the more reason to cut back on the experience, as well as continue the march upward to force more into the packages and go for the "free" dining.

 

[SnoWhiteRabbit]

I still might not like it at 12, and still not feel like we were getting our money's worth....... but 12 is a lot closer to "reasonable" than 10 so I would feel a lot better about it.

I agree. I accept it has to be at some point, but 10 seems harsh.

 

[BNM]

The park tickets, I understand. A ten year old is likely to ride every ride. But to think a ten year old is capable of eating as much as a grown man?! I'm sure there are children that eat as much, if not more than, me. But isn't that a minority?

The cost of the food you actually consume has nothing to do with the price they set for the meal. It's about how many people they can get in the restaurant, paying full price. If they could get away with charging the same price for everyone, they would. At a buffet there is tons of waste anyway. They don't care how much you eat or don't eat. The cost is due to the building overhead, paying staff, characters, and of course a hefty profit.

 

[Meriweather]

Plaza is a great place. We love it!

But, we as 2 adults are still going to Crystal Palace........never too old for characters!