character meals

[lennyd]

with disney increasing the prices of the character meals , is it a good idea to buy the dinner packages, Iwould like to hear what people think

 

[TheMaxRebo]

well, it depends on if they do in fact make more of these character meals 2 credits or not as then the per-credit cost of the meal goes up too - and more as the chatter was the $ cost of the meals going up ~50% but the pre-credit rate will go up 100%

In the past the character meals were one way to make the dining plan more of a value, but I think the move to 2 credits makes it less of a value

 

[disneysteve]

We stopped doing character meals years ago when my wife happened to see the bill at Crystal Palace. We used to have lunch there every trip but that was the end of that. And prices were far lower back then. I don't see us ever doing it again. There is absolutely no way we'd ever spend $60/person for a meal at Disney. Our daughter is older now but if she was under 9, we definitely wouldn't spend $40 for a meal for her. I wouldn't likely spend that much on her now and she's 20.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

We are not fans of DDP, but considering I always advise people that CRT is a much better value paying OOP vs. burning credits, I'd probably hold the same stance on all buffets/character meals if they shifted to signature/2 credits. CRT always tried to justify the signature status by providing a signature environment/experience plus characters, and while we've had mixed experiences with food, they at least attempt to make it look and sound like elevated cuisine...some dishes more successful than others.

We think character meals are fun and with kids, looked at it as a way to kill two birds with one stone...especially the pre-park opening meals. I mean, if I can get my kids M&G time with Mickey and friends and Chef Mickey's at 7am, I can make it to rope drop at Epcot (or really any park for that matter) and the kids' focus is attractions since they've already got characters out of their system from the meal. DH and I went on a kid free trip in 2014 and even did two character meals during that trip since we enjoy 1900 PF and Crystal Palace breakfasts so much. That being said, none of the other character meals or BOG offer signature level experiences and/or food. I've heard some people say they were surprised BOG isn't signature, but the only food we ate there which was signature quality was the charcuterie platter. Moral of the story...if these things change to signature prices/credits, it's very unlikely we'd go back unless it was some extra special treat...and even then, I'd be second guessing the whole thing.

 

[Princess Jes]

How in the heck anyone thinks CRT is worth what they charge is beyond me?!
I know I've not eaten there, but it's beyond expensove for food that I'm sure isn't worth it.

I've only booked chef Mickey's and Tusker house, both breakfasts, and would like to go to cape may for dinner maybe, but not at $60! No way Jose!

 

[T_O]

We don't get our money's worth out of DDP either, so we skip it.

CRT Breakfast is worth it for us as a family with a little girl who loves princesses. If no one in your party is into that, probably not worth it.
Way overpriced, obviously. If we were frequent WDW visitors, probably wouldn't go every trip.

$60 per person for a buffet dinner is...tough for me to afford (or justify), especially with a family of 4. I'll stick to breakfast or maybe skip entirely...

 

[lennyd]

its not worth it but the pics and videos of my daughter and niece are priceless , I will have those for the rest of my life,believe me I dont go for the food but I look at those pics and videos all the time and they make me happy inside.