Are people insane?

lemondog

<font color=darkorchid>My twins fight over who too
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Oct 5, 2004
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Okay, I am fairly new to this site and planning a Disney vacation in general, but I was just perusing eBay and there is an auction for 3 Q&C meal vouchers, and the bidding is already up to $69. From what I gather from the auction description, these vouchers are good for 3 adult meals at most of the counter service restaurants, and include a drink and dessert. So, in essence, someone is paying $70 for 3 meals at counter service. That comes out to $23/meal. Am I misunderstanding something here, or are people really that crazy? Do they not realize they could pay cash for their meal and spend a lot less? :confused: I just want to make sure I am not missing something here.
 
I gather from your post that you may be planning your very 1st trip to WDW?...if this is the case, or if you just are not otherwise familiar with Disney prices, food is THE most over-priced thing at The World! I don't think I'd bid up quite that high - for counter serivce - but it's conceivable an adult could spend a good $20 for that type of meal! Softdrinks run in the neighborhood of $2.50; a sandwich at $7-$10 isn't out of the question; dessert another $5-$7...And that's just a very basic meal!
I think part of the appeal of these vouchers (although I've never used them personally) is to have your meals "paid for" before you ever arrive. Some folks just like to have that taken care of, although I would agree I've seen some Disney tickets/vouchers on eBay that bid WAY over what you would just pay for them through Disney!...Crazy... :crazy:
 
They are way over bidding. I don't consider muself to be a Disney expert but, those vouchers originally cost about $11.00. You can find lots of counter service meals for under $10.00. Sure you could spend more if you wanted too. Disney has lots of combo meals w/drink no dessert for around $8.00. AK sells their own vouchers. They are good for a combo meal, a popcorn, and I think a drink. You can buy them at any counter service in AK. I forget how much but, remember it was a good deal.
 
Very crazy. I may have to buy some and sell them on EBAY myself.
 

I shake my head with this one too! I thought it might be fun to pick up a few but can't believe how much $ people are paying for vouchers that cost the seller $11.50 to buy! They expire on May 31 and are not available to purchase through Hotwire anymore anyway...
 
The original price of the vouchers at Connections, Simple Escapes and Hotwire Savings Club was $11.50. The voucher was good for one combo meal OR one entrée and one sidedish, plus a large non-alcoholic beverage and a dessert at a number of counterservice restaurants in WDW.

For the most part, it was a break-even venture at the in-park locations. I think you would have a hard time trying to total up $20 worth of food on a single voucher in the parks, even if you ordered the most expensive items on the menus. However, they were an especially great bargain at the Pepper Market in Coronado Spring and Beaches & Cream at the Beach Club Resort, where the cost of the voucher also covered your server's tip.

The AK Meal Plus deal is $11.99 plus tax for an adult and it is good for one combo meal and one beverage plus a coupon good for a bottled beverage and either an ice cream or popcorn at select AK locations. You would come out slightly ahead of the game because of the extra beverage with this deal.
 
No, they're not insane, but they may suffer from another malady: laziness.

They have not taken time to investigate whether the ebay vouchers are a good deal. They have not bothered to price actual meals at Disney, but they have just heard that they're expensive. Yes, food is more expensive at Disney, but you would be hard-pressed to spend more than $10 for most counter-service meals. The few exceptions would be places like Beaches & Cream where their elaborate sundaes run around $7 each.

Don't take my word for it: check out http://www.allearsnet.com/contents.htm. Add up what you'd typically spend on a counter-service meal; unless you go with the most expensive items on the menu AND dessert, you're not often going to reach $11 per person.

Other foolish bidders may be misled by the sellers who purposefully choose one of the few places where the vouchers are a fantastic deal (like Pepper Market); these sellers list the most expensive items on the menu and show "maximum savings" on their ebay listing. This leads the lazy buyer to believe that the example is typical of meals at Disney when, in fact, it's an extreme example. The misleading sellers also claim that the vouchers include the server's tip; Hello, it's counter-service -- you don't tip at most of these locations!

Either way, it's a case of buyer beware. At $11, these vouchers are an okay deal -- they're not the over-the-top bonanza that the ebay sellers would have you believe. When we used vouchers, we added up our meals before paying and USUALLY we found that we could "save" only if we ordered dessert. Ordering more food than you want/need isn't a good way to save money.
 
akamad4themouse-- The other reason the AK meal deal is better than the vouchers is that you can have the ice cream (or popcorn) LATER in the day. Not many of us want a big meal and dessert at mid-day, but an afternoon snack and a drink is a different story.
 
Some of these bidders may be planning on using them at Pepper Market or Beaches and Cream. In my opinion, those are the best use of those. A counter meal with dessert comes to about $15 in the parks (you could spend more, but it wouldn't be much more at the counters, per person). At PM, it could be a total of $35 if you get the prime rib and dessert and frozen drink, and at beaches, the dessert alone could be $8.99. These include tax and tip..and you don't have tips in the parks at counter places.

Right now no one is selling them that I know of, so people going to those places are buying them on eBay.
 
DMRick said:
Right now no one is selling them that I know of, so people going to those places are buying them on eBay.

Doris--I didn't realize Hotwire/Connections stopped selling vouchers. Is this permanent or temporary?
 
Lewisc said:
Doris--I didn't realize Hotwire/Connections stopped selling vouchers. Is this permanent or temporary?

I called Hotwire yesterday, and they are no longer selling the Meal Vouchers. This is permanent. That is why WDW is offering DDE to more groups now. I wonder what the cost comparison will be using DDE vs. Vouchers?
They do sell the park tickets. I was going to cancel, but I will give them another month to see if I can save elsewhere.
 
Hotwiresavingsclub no longer sells park tickets.
I had to cancel.
$69 for 3 vouchers is ridiculous.
Once, a few years ago, when eating at Pepper Market they were out of the steak and tuna steak. Also people on these boards have mentioned going to Beaches and Cream and they were out of the steak sandwich. The buyers of the vouchers can only hope to break even if they order the most expensive items available.
 


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