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

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.
I agree about the Dining Plan being the driving force behind the sky-high pricing. We used to love to eat at WDW restaurants when my DD was under 10. We probably ate one TS per day and loved the buffets. That all changed when she turned 10 and was considered a "Disney Adult". She is a vegetarian and she eats like a bird. The ONLY time that we eat at TS restaurants now is when we are on the DDP and the only time we are on the DDP is when it's free. Our eating has changed so much that long time friends who tour with us over NYE were shocked at how many ADRs we had. For the record, it was ONE ... dinner on NYE at Teppanyaki. She ate a kids meal and miso soup and it was still very expensive!
 
I've accepted the pricing for everything at Disney. It sure isn't keeping me away!!! My family is three adults (me, DS16 and grandma). We are going to Crystal Palace this trip. It is a tradition and DS doesn't mind the character interaction. We don't do M&G in the parks usually, but if the characters stop by at a meal, he's good with it. He even indulges his mother and poses for pictures!! He's a good boy!! Of course, it doesn't hurt that the character are Pooh and Friends. I still call him Pooh at times, although I would NEVER do it in public!! ;)
 
If you're just looking for a place to sit down and relax, the Plaza or LTT for lunch would be a better bet. If you're looking for the experience at CP, it might be worth it. I agree that the price for a 10 year old is ridiculous, but if they can do it, they will.
 
Disney really needs to come up with a Junior price range. :idea: Maybe ages 10-14. For tickets and food. There is no way either of my kid will eat over $40 worth of food. I do not even do that!
By the way I prefer the food at the Plaza over Crystal Palace.
Have fun on your trip. :)
 


Disney really needs to come up with a Junior price range. :idea: Maybe ages 10-14. For tickets and food. There is no way either of my kid will eat over $40 worth of food. I do not even do that!
By the way I prefer the food at the Plaza over Crystal Palace.
Have fun on your trip. :)

There is no motivation to make such a change when plenty of people are more than willing to pay premium prices for these type of experiences. :confused3
 
That's one of the reasons we do DDP. I am not sure how much money we really save, but two years ago, for me DH and dd who was 2 and free at the time, our bill was 76 before tip at Crystal Palace. If we didn't have DDP, it would have put us in a bad mood. I thought the food was okay, but I think Golden Corral is better. Dh compared it to a wedding buffet. I know you are paying for the experience, but still!

I think you are better off switching to The Plaza. We really enjoyed the character interaction, but I can totally understand where you are coming from.
 


Yes, they defi They need to cool it on the buffet character meal pricing...no one that I know can eat $46 worth of breakfast food, especially in the heat... Even at lunch...that's just crazy!!!! I really wish they would tone down those prices for the kids. They should have three price ranges...kids under 10, maybe 10-15, and adult. I can tell u that my DD16 only eats as much as my DS6... So today for the buffets for her, makes me cringe! Lol
 
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.

Like Robin, I agree with you, Dan. OP, I really hope you enjoy the Plaza.

:)
 
Yes, they defi They need to cool it on the buffet character meal pricing...no one that I know can eat $46 worth of breakfast food, especially in the heat... Even at lunch...that's just crazy!!!! I really wish they would tone down those prices for the kids. They should have three price ranges...kids under 10, maybe 10-15, and adult. I can tell u that my DD16 only eats as much as my DS6... So today for the buffets for her, makes me cringe! Lol

You post, and one shortly before it, prove my point on that no matter what age Disney chooses as a cut-off point for dining and tickets, no one will agree on what age is fair. One poster said a 14 yr old should be a junior price, and then someone says 15. Heck, I think having a 15yr old pay less than me for a meal would be not fair at all! Most 15yr olds I know can eat waaaay more than me! And most of them probably enjoy more of the rides than I do too. But I think most of us know we are not paying $40 for the food. It is for the chance to eat with characters, and as long as so many of us are willing to pay for the experience, they will continue to charge a premium for it. Just like the ticket price is not just for the rides, but for the atmosphere and other things.

I agree the cost for character meals is a Yikes! And why, if we want to do a few of them during a trip, we choose to do the Dining Plan. They are definately a splurge item otherwise.
 
I am very knowledgeable about Disney buffets, and just ate lunch at Crystal Palace yesterday, so I can clear up some confusion:

- price OP quotes is definitely including holiday surcharge

- Disney Dining always gives the total cost including tax

- it is best to aways call Disney Dining directly as websites are not updated enough due to Disney's various seasons and price fluctuations

- paid 24.99 for lunch yesterday and it is not peak season, so add 4.00 plus tax to adult price for holiday surcharge and you have a reasonable rate as dinner price is way too high for essentially the same food, except for a few additional items

Hope this info helps, Tiger
 
I enjoyed it, but it's overpriced. I think there are better character meals out there. Specifically, I like the breakfast at Ohana. You could have a small meal first thing in the morning, and run over there for their last breakfast of the day. I'm guessing it's close to 11? Usually by 11 I'm already tired of the parks and need a break...and a big meal! I'm not sure of the price offhand, but it has to be less than that!!
 
We have stopped eating at all buffets because to me they're all too expensive. That price is ridiculous for any age IMO.
 
We will have about $200 in DIsney rewards cash for our trip in June.

We will stay in a offsite house. We Are buying Disney Y.E.S. tickets. And we will be brown bagging our lunches and eating most of our dinners at the house with easy to make meals or Papa JOhns-esque stuff.

We cant use Disney gift card cash on our Parking/Tickets/Accomidations/Most Dining.

So, we have the options of souvineers or dining experiences (I know there's more choices, but we narrowed it to these2).

As such we will have one Ohana breakfast for 2 adults, 5yo, 2yo. It will be about $70 dollars, but since it is free money, we want to do it. However, I cant see paying that much out of pocket for a 5 yo that will eat about $2.50 in food.
 
As such we will have one Ohana breakfast for 2 adults, 5yo, 2yo. It will be about $70 dollars, but since it is free money, we want to do it. However, I cant see paying that much out of pocket for a 5 yo that will eat about $2.50 in food.

The way I look at it is this: Do I go on a trip to WDW thinking about how much I am paying for everything, and is that item woth the cost? No, not really.If I did, I would never eat a meal on WDW property. If you were to look at how much a few eggs and bacon cost, of course it isn't worth $70 for a family of 4. However, once you add in that you are having breakfast at the Poly, and dining with Lilo and Stitch and friends, then that changes everything.

Honestly, you won't ever find a better deal than the one you have on a character meal. If this is a once in a lifetime trip, then now is the time to splurge. And if you plan on going back, it will only get more expensive to do character meals. Before you kids hit 10yrs old is the perfect time to experience a character meal. Before the price really skyrockets.
 
We have stopped eating at all buffets because to me they're all too expensive. That price is ridiculous for any age IMO.

I agree 100% plano. I have never paid these kinda prices and never will.:thumbsup2
 
Agree--that's a lot but you have to remember, you're paying for the experience, not so much the 2 chicken legs.

Even at those outrageous prices, there are doorbusting crowds all day and night. People don't care how much it costs.

Sometimes I look around and think "what recession?"

I think you're making a good choice for your family. You wouldn't enjoy it if you were sitting there thinking about how much money you're spending. There are so many other great options there.
 
There is no motivation to make such a change when plenty of people are more than willing to pay premium prices for these type of experiences. :confused3

Exactly.

My family has a dinner ADR just about every evening. We try not to let the prices bother us. Heck, we're on vacation!

Also gotta love our TIW card...every little bit helps. :thumbsup2
 

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