Buffets and value...

[smiths02]

Why does everyone say a buffet is not a good use of adult credits?

Is my math wrong??

For instance, we want to eat my son's b-day dinner at Crystal Palace...allears.net lists the price with surcharge (we are going in June) at $34.99 for an adult plus tax takes it to $37...add a $2.99 snack and the plan has paid for itself for the day and I have not eaten the counter service...

On another day, we are doing a character breakfast $22.99, add a Dole Whip Float $3.99 snack, then add an salad entree at Columbia Harbor House $7.19 plus a drink $2.39 and dessert $3.59...the total is $40.15 before tax ($42.75 after tax)...I only paid $39.99 for my meal plan that night.

Granted, I could pay OOP and save money by eating less or at fewer restaurants or I could get more bang for my DDP buck at Le Cellier...but we are eating almost all buffets for table service except for one lunch at Sci-Fi....and we still save some money by my calculations.

 

[PictureJumpr]

The general advice seems to be that the buffets are 'not good value' for the credits because in the place of those choices, a person could order a $50 meal ($40 entree, $7 dessert, $3 beverage) from a non-buffet restaurant for the same credit. Could, if you want to spend that time considering menus and making a point to order the most expensive things... it's a challenge many people take quite seriously, and I have no problem with their philosophy - after all, they did pay their $40 and have every right to work at figuring out a way to get the most bang for those bucks if that is something that is important to them.

Yes, that anti-buffet math works if you consider the higher-ticket meals you could get instead of the $20 for the adult character breakfast or $35 for lunch/dinner at a buffet.

This advice is based on those folks' idea that they should try to get far more 'value' out of their credits than the $40 they paid for them, and so that $2.75 margin you created on that one day - not enough 'win' for those folks.

I totally understand the idea, but really, like you do too it seems, I just book what/where I want and eat/order what I want and consider it a good job if I got $40 worth of food for the day (which, as you point out, is not difficult to do even with 'cheap' use of credits) - but it doesn't upset me if I don't come out hundreds ahead at the end of the week.

I usually do come out way ahead, but not because I try.

 

[LadyZolt]

In addition to what PictureJumpr posted, I think it's mostly about breakfast buffets, which tend to be less expensive than lunch or dinner buffets. If you're on the regular dining plan (one TS, one CS, one snack per day) and use those TS's for breakfast buffets every day, that's not the most cost effective plan because, as you noted, some breakfast buffets are closer to $20 and some dinner buffets are $35 or even more. But like you noted, if you add in the cost of CS and snack, you'll likely end up ahead or at least even in most cases, so really, everyone should just do what they will enjoy and have a good time.

-Dorothy (LadyZolt)

 

[Faldred]

It's also an over-generalization of the observation that if you're going to pay for some meals OOP in addition to meals on the plan, that buffets are, in general, the (adult) meal to pay OOP for, because you will likely pay more for a TS meal elsewhere.

The complete opposite is true for kids -- a single kid's buffet pays for their basic DDP cost for the day, whereas the generic kid's meal is quite a bit less at ala carte places.

But if you're not in a "credit crunch", then eat wherever you like -- that's why you're buying the plan in the first place, right?

 

[smiths02]

See, I think as long as I ate where I wanted, saved a little bit of money (even if only $2.75 on one day....but over 6 days it is much more than that per day b/c we are only doing 2 breakfast buffets), and had it prepaid (no arguing over bills)...then it was worth it. This is value to me. Maybe not the BIGGEST value, but still value...

Buffets are also made a better value for my family because I have a two year old who will be "free" whereas at a traditional restaurant I have to share or order him a kid's meal OOP

 

[summermac]

I think it's mostly for breakfast and that's b/c many are assuming you're going to later eat later for a TS dinner. So you'd use the credit for your kids but not for yourself b/c the character breakfast is over what you pay for DDP for the kids but much less than what you pay for adults. Of course, depending on when you're going, you might have that pesky $2 "holiday" surcharge.

 

[Carmell226]

We are going during a "peak" time when the buffets will be more money (according to allears) and after I did a spreadsheet of what we could have paid OOP and what the dining plan cost we are actually going to save $30 per person. That is pre-tax, so seems worth it to me completely! And I did not even account for desserts considering we would not normally buy those OOP, so we are techinally saving even more money.
I agree about some breakfast buffets during non-peak times being not worth it but during our trip breakfast buffets with tax will be about $25....

 

[catne]

if you want to eat at buffets, go for it. As you've seen, if buffets are your choice for meals, you can break even or maybe save a little that way, especially if you're going during surcharge season (Personally, I think the Disney summer holiday surcharge season should be a national holiday...we'd all love to have 6 weeks paid off work for that summer "holiday" )

I think most of the time the discussion about buffets not being a good "value" for the Dining Plan are when people are absolutely trying to get maximum bang for the $$$. They don't want to break-even...they want to save the 30% on food the ads claim. If you're trying to do that, you'll have a hard time coming close using buffets for your table service meals.

But if you end up feeling you wasted your time at a sit-down, menu restaurant, or you're looking for lots of character time, or if you have people who want a big variety every meal then buffets are going to be your way to go.

 

[madisonsmommy7704]

we do the buffets a lot for the characters, (so much better than hunting them down at the parks) and the vareity of food- most likely to please everyone it was great for our last trip cause dd was 2 and could have her own picks at dinner w/ o us paying out of pocket- this next trip she is old enough for the dp, but now the baby will be about 1yr- so again it is just easier... so I don't much care that it isn't the most expensive food in the park LOL Heck i just wish there where more Character buffets LOL- man I would LOVE Tink meal

 

[LadyZolt]

Heck i just wish there where more Character buffets LOL- man I would LOVE Tink meal

I don't know -- I don't think it would be safe. Tink is only a couple inches tall! I'd worry that someone might accidentally smoosh her at a character meal.

-Dorothy (LadyZolt)

 

[madisonsmommy7704]

I don't know -- I don't think it would be safe. Tink is only a couple inches tall! I'd worry that someone might accidentally smoosh her at a character meal.

-Dorothy (LadyZolt)

she's life size in pixie hallow well sort-of, I've read that it looks like you shrink when you go into pixie hallow..
heres somones post w/ pics http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2108976

 

[septbaby]

Never heard me say it and you never will. If you want you can get waaay more food at a buffet and "appetizers" are included, huh? We are a vegetarian family (fish too) and buffets work really well for us. We did one breakfast and two dinners (one OOP) and will do them again and again.

 

[Merilyn]

We love the buffets. It seems that most are more family oriented and kids do better at them. Most have characters and that is a plus. The expensive places are really not kid friendly, or at least that is what I have found. We can usually save money doing buffets with Pepper Market or Wolfgang Puck Express for counter service.

 

[teach22180]

I don't know -- I don't think it would be safe. Tink is only a couple inches tall! I'd worry that someone might accidentally smoosh her at a character meal.

-Dorothy (LadyZolt)

Thank you for the chuckle. This is one of my favorite posts ever on the DISboards! (I think using smoosh put it over the top!)

 

[TifffanyD]

Because usually the food is not good and you spend more money later eating something you actually like

 

[Don Disney]

Value? For us,it's Buffet City!!! We all have salad,and then everyone gets whatever they like that particular day-chicken,beef,pork,whatever.We all also like to get different desserts too-cake,bread pudding,cookies,ice cream-Man i'm getting hungry now!!! I personally can do witout the"fancy-schmancy" TS meals with the so-called gourmet food with the little drizzle and twigs and stuff on those little plates!!! To each his own,but for us it's the variety and characters that we enjoy the most-besides,we live in New Orleans,so good,or even great food is always available,but not Disney Character Buffets!!!

 

[catne]

Value? For us,it's Buffet City!!! We all have salad,and then everyone gets whatever they like that particular day-chicken,beef,pork,whatever.We all also like to get different desserts too-cake,bread pudding,cookies,ice cream-Man i'm getting hungry now!!! I personally can do witout the"fancy-schmancy" TS meals with the so-called gourmet food with the little drizzle and twigs and stuff on those little plates!!! To each his own,but for us it's the variety and characters that we enjoy the most-besides,we live in New Orleans,so good,or even great food is always available,but not Disney Character Buffets!!!

(FUNNY! Even though I like a lot of those fancy-schmancy places!)