All Disneyed out

[elisebutt]

I don't think I'll be going back to DLP for a long, long time unless I come into an extremely large sum of money.
Even tho this was a free break - everything was sooo expensive.
Everywhere we went we got pushed and shoved around around by the french. Poor old Zachie only managed to get 8 autographs despite all the opportunities due to all the pushing and shoving going on around the characters, it was so disorganised.

At least in Florida they are not quite so obvious about sucking all the money out of your wallet. One time Mum and I sat by the Roger Rabbit corner to relax with a small beer each whilst the kids played - £7.50!!!!eek - tiny little beers as well!
The best value meal was definitely the all you can eat buffet at Billy Bobs - 25€ per adult and €10 per child (3-11).

Annettes Diner was gross - we had 2 hot dogs and a kids meal with some coffees - €40n (£28) and the hot dogs tasted like they were straight out of the fridge - we couldn't even complain cos the place was so crowded - we had got the take out and I couldn't face the queue again to speak to the server.

At least the park wasn't so crowded on Mon and Tues so we didn't have to queue to long - apart from the curse of Dumbo(LOL).

Zach and I waited to see the electric parade on Sunday night - we staked out our places on the pavement an hour before hand near the coffee cart by the castle and then just before it all kicked off, a french family decided to push in, buggy and all and I ended up with a massive bruise on my thigh when I refused to budge and the Dad decided to barge his buggy right through us!!! In the end I stood behind Zach and gave up my place to this cute little Geordie kid who was getting trampled by aforesaid frogs.

Sorry to sound so racist but by the end of the hol we were all really tired and bruised and totally fed up. To top it all off we then didn't get home until really late as there was a problem with the plane so we all had to get off and wait back at the gate for another ½hour.

I will do a full report later when I am not feeling so p'ed off.

 

[alexandra uk]

Thats a nightmare Elise
I'm surprised that it was quite crowded this time of year (or was that just over the weekend).
I was looking forward to eating at Annette's. Its had so many good reports for good value and quality. I'm going to have to avoid the peak eating times like the plague. I don't handle crowds very well.
How they can justify charging £7.50 for a beer is beyond. I know its a business and they're there to make money, but thats nothing other than daylight robbery
As for those people pushing in front of you, I bet you were livid. I know I would of been, especially after being there an hour. Arguments are the last thing you need when your on holiday.

How did Zach enjoy the trip ? Kids normally see past the stuff that peevs us adults don't they

What hotel did you stay in after, am I right in thinking it was the Sequoia Lodge ? What was it like ?

I guess you'll be sticking strictly to Disney Florida now then

 

[dlpSteve]

I guess I must have been lucky - in all the places we drank in DLP, both times, we never paid anywhere near £7.50 for a beer - from the Blue Lagoon, to the Sports Bar, to the Hotel Bars to Planet Hollywood - in all of those £7.50 bought us two beers!

 

[chezp]

Sorry to hear about your experiences. I'm definitely not going to show this to DH, as he's convinced he's going to have a bad time in DLP because of the French!! Our forthcoming trip will be a freebie as well, but I hadn't thought about how much money to take for spending. I think I'd better start saving up.

Cheryl

 

[alexandra uk]

We're going to budget for £100 a day. Thats how much cash we'll take, and if we go over we can always use the card.
I'm not really very happy about there being no saftey deposits in the hotel. I don't like to carry that much cash around. Hopefully the hotel will let us keep some of it in their safe.

 

[rob@rar.org.uk]

Although I've not done a proper comparision, I'm can't remember thinking that DLP was any more expensive than other theme parks I've visited, including those in the US. What you don't get at DLP are the bargain basement prices at off-site restaurants. No all-you-can-eat buffet breakfasts for $4.99 at DLP! Other than that, I always assume that as a theme park visitor I will pay a moderate premium over nornal prices because I'm part of a captive audience. This applies equally to DLP as it does to other theme parks in my experience.

The costs of soft drinks forms a big proportion of the cost of eating in theme parks. If I'm on a tight budget or feeling miserly I carry a small bottle of water in my bag (normally something they sell in the park like Vitel) and fill this up at water fountains around the park. This saves a couple of quid for each meal, and often makes me feel better as don't feel as if I've been ripped off!

Regards

Rob