Expensive Food Trend

[jlima]

Disney definitely takes advantage of its captive audience, tho. If AM/PM can make money selling Gatorade for 89 cents, then Disney makes more selling the same bottle for $2.75 and even more selling trendy Vitamin Water for $3.75!

 

[JenDisneylandlver]

The things we will eat in the parks has to be special (like some of the special treats and deserts!). Or have a special atmopshere like Blue Bayou, Character meals, or Rainforest Cafe. That is worth the price and part of the experience for us. If it's just pizza, chicken strips, hamburgers, and salads though? I feel I can get them outside of the park for much cheaper.

I think also for us the last few meals we had inside of the park weren't all that great. They were okay, but not for what they charged. I think if we didn't have a car, or if we never left the park for breaks we'd eat more meals inside the park. But I like saving the money for souvenirs!

 

[rentayenta]

We usually eat breakfast out of the park too but do indulge in all of the yummy snacks: churros, Dole Floats, Mickey ice cream bars etc....Bringing in our own water and soda has been a lifesaver and you can get a free cup of ice (normal size cup) for free. I would never spend $2.75 for an apple.....well unless it was one from Pooh Corner with the caramel.

I agree that the food is part of the experience. My kids know that when we are at Disney, we share. There are 5 of us; 2 adults and 3 children so we usually get 3 adult meals and eat family style. I don't find our CS meals to be too out of control. We haven't been to Disneyland in over 2 years so we'll see if I get sticker shock.

We usually bring in a few snacks; Dum Dums, beef jerky, raisins, and granola bars.

 

[lulubelle]

I think food costs everywhere have gone up. I know it has in my household. DL is no different. They have a profit margin to achieve and their prices will reflect that. Yes, prices are high, but not as bad as say, Angel Stadium, Six Flaggs or the Nascar Cup races. All places we have paid much more to eat/drink at. That said, it really does pay to bring your own drinks and snacks. Especially drinks. If you can limit yourself to one meal and one snack per day in the parks, it isn't too bad. I feel the portions are fairly generous. Quality is good, too. Many bash the food at DL, but we have lots of favorite snacks and meals. Like others have said, part of the whole experience for us is the food. I couldn't not eat any food there...it just wouldn't be the same. Just MHO .

 

[DangerMouse]

We usually bring in a few snacks; Dum Dums, beef jerky, raisins, and granola bars.

Jenny, aren't dum dums the best at DLR? They especially help with killing time in linesl Your snack list looks a lot like ours.

We do a lot of sharing at DL too. I don't think my kids have ever had a whole churro or dole whip to themselves.

 

[VegasMike21]

Disney definitely takes advantage of its captive audience, tho. If AM/PM can make money selling Gatorade for 89 cents, then Disney makes more selling the same bottle for $2.75 and even more selling trendy Vitamin Water for $3.75!

Wow, 3.75 for a 20 oz. bottle of vitamin water, that's insane. i guess when coke bought vitamin water a few months back they just started to sell that as well.

 

[jemilah]

Has anyone else heard Geogre Lopez talk about sharing a churro a Dl ......lick it and pass it........when the sugar is gone his grandma flipped it over and kept passing

 

[mt mommy]

My DH, who isn't as big of a Disney fan as me, has ALWAYS complained about the food prices.

He said, "I leave after buying meals at Disney and feel like I've been violated!" It really is getting worse each year.

Walt would be so disappointed that the food is so outrageously priced.

 

[Sunobo]

The first time we ate in the park was at Redd Rocket's Pizza Port and we were shocked at the prices. We had 2 salads, 2 small (8oz) bottles of water, 2 fountain drinks, 4 slices of pizza and it cost $52. That is outragous for counter service and we found the food to only be fair in taste. Had food prices been a bit less expensive, we would have eaten in the park more often. In our 3 days there, we only ate in the park twice.

 

[sameyeyam]

I'm finding that the prices for the "cheaper" food seems to be rising more than for the "expensive" food. Does that make sense?? So we tend to avoid the counter service and instead make ressies at one of the nicer restaurants each day. You can do a late lunch or early dinner and it will fill you nicely for both lunch & dinner.

One of our favorite cost cuttng ideas is to do a Split Plate at Blue Bayou (I'm guessing some of the other restaurants do this also). For a mere $4 extra you can split say the prime rib dinner. What does your $4 get you?? You split the meat in half, but they provide both people with all the sides. You both get a full size serving of rolls, salads, potatoes & veggies. It makes the price per person much more in line with what you would pay at an outside restaurant. The amount of food you get is still more than enough.

 

[rentayenta]

Jenny, aren't dum dums the best at DLR? They especially help with killing time in linesl Your snack list looks a lot like ours.

We do a lot of sharing at DL too. I don't think my kids have ever had a whole churro or dole whip to themselves.

Sounds just like us! Dum Dums are the best while waiting in line. I don't think my kids could even finish a Dole Float. They are healthy and have the ability to stop when satisfied. Once I realized that we didn't have to be uncomfortable stuffed to be finished eating while on vacation, our food bill went down a bit. Plus I HATE to waste food. We don't skimp but we don't throw a lot away either.

 

[mystic_path]

You misunderstood. The poster did find the online menues valuable. The post your responding to said the following:

allears and dlresortinfo have MOST of the restaurants updated to the last price change, and using those sites was absolutely invaluable to me when budgeting for Sept, Dec (after prices went up), and Jan.

Invaluable means something is so valuable that it can't have a price put on it. Many people mistake the word to mean something that is useless.

LOL ok I can be an idiot sometime but yeah thats exactly what I thought she meant. I can see things both ways why though.

 

[prettyprincessbelle]

Like others have said, part of the whole experience for us is the food. I couldn't not eat any food there...it just wouldn't be the same. Just MHO .

Exactly! That's one of the things I look foward to is the food.. You can't get the same food there anywhere else.. It really does add to the experience. Yum..!

 

[toocherie]

Jenny, aren't dum dums the best at DLR? They especially help with killing time in linesl Your snack list looks a lot like ours.

We do a lot of sharing at DL too. I don't think my kids have ever had a whole churro or dole whip to themselves.

Ok what's a Dum dum? I'm out of the loop!

 

[DangerMouse]

Ok what's a Dum dum? I'm out of the loop!

Dum dum = Yum yum!

I'm sure to have a pocket full of them on our Ladies' Only Trip, so I'll make sure you get one.

 

[bumbershoot]

Ah, looks like I was confusing in the way I worded things. I really need(ed) to put a thing in my sig saying "my kid's been sick 5 days, we don't generally use "knock 'em out drugs and even if we did he refused 'em" so I have had NO breaks, my sleep has been interrupted about once an hour each night....and now 5 full days after that, I now have the creeping crud and I should just keep AWAY from the keyboard, so if anything I write makes no sense, that is why!"

 

[toocherie]

Dum dum = Yum yum!

I'm sure to have a pocket full of them on our Ladies' Only Trip, so I'll make sure you get one.

I'm not sure I can wait that long--LOL

they look yummy!

 

[bumbershoot]

Ugh, Dum Dums. Evil evil Dum Dums. That was the exact food product that smacked me over the head to get me to realize that my boy can't have anything related to corn syrup. Nothing like being attacked by a crazed 3 year old, not 20 minutes after he eats his first Dum Dum!

Sigh.

(please note that my brother and I enjoyed them as children, but until they decide to go to a sugar-only, no corn syrup, recipe, we will have to forgot the relative pleasure, sniffle sniffle)

 

[disneylandguru]

Wow..the food prices have even gone up more since last year at the park.I mean inflation is one thing but jeez! I ate a small salad and a bottle of water from the restaurant near the train station in New Orleans square and it was $14..or how about the bread bowl of chili at the Coke place on Main Street that with a small drink was like $12! Shame on the place..however, ol Walt said he wanted you to feel like you left reality, that is a good example! I wouldn't talk if the portion size were better..some of you know what I am talking about I am sure.

I agree prices seem to have gone up. In reality, I think prices for food at Disneyland have always been well above normal and on par with prices for food at Airports.

What's the reason for this? Because they gotcha! You are in a place where you've paid a premium price just to be there (i.e. Park tickets). The distance you would have to walk to find reasonably priced food it is often not worth the effort.

So that's why they are able to charge (and get) the prices for food that they do in the park.

It is true that if they get too greedy, people may just stop going to the Park altogether. But that's the fine line that Disney (and others) have to walk in the Theme Park business.

Our only solution is to either pay their prices or structure you day so that you eat you main meals outside the Park and only purchase snacks inside.

 

[toocherie]

It is true that if they get too greedy, people may just stop going to the Park altogether. But that's the fine line that Disney (and others) have to walk in the Theme Park business.

Our only solution is to either pay their prices or structure you day so that you eat you main meals outside the Park and only purchase snacks inside.

The other solution is what someone else mentioned--to share meals. I have found the portion sizes are for the most part HUGE and more than I can eat in one sitting. So sharing (whether CS or TS) seems to be the way to go. Even the corn dogs are enormous!