Back from first trip to DLP somewhat disappointed

[Muse]

Loved the parks, hated the food and the food prices. I expected it to be expensive, but it was ridiculously so.

Anyone planning to go, I would recommend buying the half board vouchers. We were there 3 nights and spent £350 on food. The queues at the food shops in the parks were absolutely horrendous. The prices were sickening. I realise the pound is weak at the moment, but even so what a rip off.

We've done it now, but won't be going back. I'd rather save up for Orlando and get 14 nights in the sun for double the price we paid for 3 nights in ripoff DLP.

Soz for being so negative as I know there are a lot of DLP fans on here, I just wish I could have shared your enthusiasm.

 

[hildasmuriel]

Sorry to hear you were so disappointed. I normally budget about £100 each day for food, but have never got close to actually spending that amount - even though we eat in Inventions, Auberge de Cendrillon, The Steakhouse etc. I find the food prices very reasonable, but that things like beer and wine would push up the price a lot if we had chosen those. The food itself has been lovely, almost without exception. Mind you, when I'm at home I don't often eat out in 4 star hotels so perhaps I'm easily impressed.

I hope you enjoy your break in Florida next time.

 

[jillrobinson]

I've just been extolling the virtues of the HB vouchers on another forum (non-Disney), I like to eat at nice restaurants so will definately be adding them to our booking, although having been told how dreadfully expensive DLP was before our first visit I was pleasantly surprised when we got there, but that was back in the good old days of a stronger pound.
I'm really sorry that food prices marred your opinion of DLP so much, that is a shame, but at least you enjoyed the parks so there must have been some good points to the hol.

 

[mommy2ash]

im glad you enjoyed the parks. its a pity the food has put you off. it depends on where and what you eat but yes it can definately get expensive. expecially if you are a family with a couple of kids. we did a balance of counter service and table service on our trip and i think we will keep it that way for our next

 

[marcus.ka]

Yes food at DLRP is expensive but not if you compare it to other tourist destinations in Europe. Many restaurants in the resort have all-you-can-eat buffets. The Plaza Gardens at Main Street costs 19€ per Adult and all the hotel restaurants that have all-you-can-eat buffet cost between 25€-29€. And for 33€ you even get a character all-you-can-eat buffet at the Lucky Nugget.

Try to find a good buffet (and the quality at the restaurants is good) for 19€-33€ in Paris, London or Rome. (And with HB Vouchers you even pay less for these buffets.)

When we are at DLRP we always do it this way: Eat a lot at the free breakfast in the hotel and then have a small snack during the day and after the park closes a nice (buffet) restaurant at one of the hotel or Village restaurants. This way we need about 35€ per Adult per day for food. And we are happier this way as if we would eat two times per day Burger and Fries at a "Fast Food Restaurants".

 

[DLPdaft]

I think, if you are used to food prices in the resorts in the USA, going to any European destination will bring a shock to the system. Yes, with the pound so bad against the euro, the prices do seem high at DLRP - compared to destinations outside Europe. Anywhere you have to pay in euros will seem expensive right now, if your normal currency is sterling.

I totally agree with you regarding the half board vouchers - they are excellent value for money. I paid £25 per night for one adult, one child (half board plus), and that was our main meal of the day sorted. We also, like marcus, tend to opt for buffet meals, and think of our dinner as an extension to the day in the parks.

Time to start saving for Orlando then for you Muse

 

[davewasbaloo]

I think it all depends on how you do it. We only tend to eat in table service restaurants, many of which are better than WDW's, so we are happy. Whereas if you want counter service food, WDW is a better experience.

Personally I think the quality of DLP is better than WDW, so I am prepared to pay.

 

[mummyal]

Sorry to hear that you were disappointed. On our last two trips there, we spent quite a bit on food (we are going with half board vouchers this time) but as we love our table service restaurants, we were prepared to pay for it and we have always been happy with the food we have had there (with one or two exceptions). We are 2 adults, 2 kids, so I guess you can imagine what the bill's like at the end of the meal.

Glad you enjoyed the parks though.

 

[cap'njack.]

It's a shame when anybody experiences a su-standard holiday...even more so when it is Disney.

Unfortunatly us DLRP die-hards seem to be used to the prices as such and therefore are almost immune to it.

With the dropping Euro rate it will be costing just over £9 for a counter meal in the parks...which is rather expensive. I haven't been to a Theme Park in England for years and years although when I did go it was to Chessington and the choice was Burger King, McDonalds, KFC or Pizza Hut

The one big plus for the USA is that the price of food there always seems to be reasonable, however for my family it is vastly more expensive for trips to WDW than to DLRP, even with the dropping euro rate.

I hope your next trip is a more enjoyable experience.

 

[giuly09]

Sorry you have been somehow disappointed about your holiday but i have to agree with the others the price for us 4 adults in DLRP was not higher than in Italy were we live.
Mind you we still talk about the horrendous price for just ONE apple we were asked in Rome (next to the Colosseum): 3 EUROS

 

[Tillybud]

I'm sorry to hear your thoughts on the food prices but having read the post I definitely think on our next trip we'll invest in HB vouchers, I'd never really considered them in the past but think they will be a must next time around. From my own experience, going on holiday or even day trips the food tends to cost a lot more than what you would normally expect ... certainly places like Legoland, etc all seem to be quite costly even for simple things like drinks and ice creams - I think that's how they make a lot of their money so we tend to accept the prices at DLP.

 

[sara969]

Im sorry that the prices of food spoilt your trip.
I did think the food was very expensive but it wasnt a shock as i was warned before we went.
However the food that we did eat was delicious, especially the steak & cheese baguettes in Annette YUMMY!

I did get a bit cross of the price of drinks though and dragging a big heavy bag of carton drinks and fruit shoots on holiday with us did come in handy.
We ended up only buying a drink with our main meal and just drinking the drinks that we had packed to take with us around the park. (this saved us alot of money)
We also packed a few choc bars, crisps and snacks to eat around the park.

So we ended up paying for table service for our main meal, then a takeaway each day.. with snacks & drinks that we had packed here and there throughout the day.

We did think that the Disney shops were also expensive, but then again we were prepared for that and bought my daughters Minnie outfit from Disney UK and also bought her Buzz & Woody from UK and then allowed her to take her Birthday money with her to buy little things that we couldnt buy in the UK.

After worrying if our spending money would be enough.. i now realise that it is possible to do a trip on a budget as there are a variety of resturants that were cheaper than some table service resturants.
But this was our 1st trip and we dont know when we will be going again so we decided to not let the prices spoil our holiday and we wanted to treat ourselves and enjoy our experience.
However we did look at the bill on some occasions and go EEEEEEEK!

 

[Booknut]

We've just come back and I have to agree, the counter service restaurant prices are ridiculous and the food we had was rubbish to put it mildly.

But we quickly learned that counter service is NOT the way to go at DLP. So we ate a bigger breakfast, bought hot chocolate and brioches to get us throug the day and had a bigger meal in the evenings at a proper restaurant. I didn't think our meals at Planet Hollywood, Cafe Mickey or Plaza Gardens were unduly expensive, none came to over £40 and I had a drink at 2 of these places too.

 

[thelittlemermaid83]

Sorry to hear that you was dissapointed.

Its a shame the food point of view has stopped you from going back to DLP as it seems you enjoyed the parks.

Hope you have a happy trip wherever you decide on going.

 

[ema74]

So sorry you were disappointed with the prices. The pound is quite weak at the moment but it's just one of those things I guess...

We live in London and compared to DLRP is just as bad if not worse. The only thing is we go on holiday to DLRP and have to eat somewhere so it's ok (I suppose) to pay more for a few days. We don't go to expansive places in London and eat out on a few occasions but the food bills etc are just as bad.

Hopefully the next trip to WDW or elsewhere will be much more pleasant experience for you.

 

[hollymattbenmilo]

I am not really a "foodie" as i am limited to what I can eat with allergies! So I have to say i didnt even notice the food.. haha. I mean yes it was expensive... but we had huge amazing brekkie... then snacked all day on popcorn, fries, rolls made from brek buffet, coissants etc.. then in eve went and got a pizza/ pasta type thing from somewhere like pizza outpost etc, or mc donalds for kids... I craved all my veggies etc but... I didnt even notice what i was eating just enjoyed the holiday so much. was without doubt the most magical experience of my life, the only thing that has ever beaten it was my first kiss with matthew and the days my children were born. Was amazing. such a shame that the food ruined it for you... I hope you enjoyed the experience though, and the beauty of the park itself

 

[cap'njack.]

I am not really a "foodie" as i am limited to what I can eat with allergies! So I have to say i didnt even notice the food.. haha. I mean yes it was expensive... but we had huge amazing brekkie... then snacked all day on popcorn, fries, rolls made from brek buffet, coissants etc.. then in eve went and got a pizza/ pasta type thing from somewhere like pizza outpost etc, or mc donalds for kids... I craved all my veggies etc but... I didnt even notice what i was eating just enjoyed the holiday so much. was without doubt the most magical experience of my life, the only thing that has ever beaten it was my first kiss with matthew and the days my children were born. Was amazing. such a shame that the food ruined it for you... I hope you enjoyed the experience though, and the beauty of the park itself

 

[hollymattbenmilo]

hahaha.... sob.. i am feeling all sentimental... my son has got his school play in a few hours and has lines! he is 4! and is the inn keeper!!

 

[gavvy]

Out of interest how much is a bottle of coke from a stand now, or a hotdog?

 

[davewasbaloo]

A bottle is about £2, I can't remember exactly how much a hot dog is though.