Food prices in DL are ridiculous!

[Judy from Boise]

It sounds crazy.....but to avoid the $$$ of food we stay concierge ! I know on paper the math may not actually work out, but mentally when you get all the benefits of onsite, then add in the fact that we very rarely eat or drink anything other than in the concierge lounge, it seems like a bargain!

 

[Brina78]

We split our meals to save on money. Seriously, I bought just one Cherry Coke and shared it three-way. Or at Pizza Port, bought one of the meals and one drink. So, we're a little hungry afterward, but money is incredibly tight, and I feel better knowing I spent less. Need to lose weight anyway!

 

[Gisele]

You look fine Brina78!

For me, I like to say, well if my budget is tight, that is o.k. for can one think of a better way to lose weight? other than not buying any groceries! he he! ah, dieting by budget!

 

[Albort]

actually, since ive been working there 2 years ago, they jumped the price in ODV in Sept 06. They haven't jumped the price at all since then...

 

[Disney_Villain]

DL dining prices are on par with today's resort prices. People also complain about admission prices and hotel costs. This is premium entertainment - and I would expect to pay premium prices for food, hotel and entertainment in such a place.

WDW park passes are about 50% more than DL's, and Paris DL's passes are even more (being in Euros doesn't help). Paris DL dining costs us 50% than dining in DL or WDW. Hotels in WDW and DLP can also cost a LOT of more than the good neighbor hotels near DL.

We have it pretty reasonable in DL, actually. You don't get any cheaper for Disney entertainment anywhere.

 

[PHXscuba]

I agree that Disney does charge a lot for food, like most other captive-audience places. At least they allow food in -- some parks, zoos, etc. don't allow anything brought in .
And I think you do get a lot of food for the money you pay. I can rarely finish an adult meal unless I haven't eaten all day. Splitting or ordering kids' meals saves us money.
If I buy soda in the park(gotta have that diet Coke), I buy the bottled kind. About the same price, but I can carry it around longer and into shows/rides capped, so I don't throw it out half-drunk.
While I do bring food in to save money and eat breakfast in the hotel room, I think you just have to prepare yourself to spend more for food while there and make sure you can finish everything you buy.

PHXscuba
"You can't have everything -- besides, where would you put it all?"

 

[mAlien13]

I hope this isn't too redundant, because I know I have posted it before. We love to go to Disney, and we have to save every penny so we can go as often as we do. We have found that saving on food is the best avenue, and the next in line is to be prepared for the actual costs! With a little extra leg-work before we go, we save quite a bit. We bring drinks in, even if it means storing them in a locker (this isn't really an extra expense for us because we always rent a locker), and we bring snack bags with somewhat healthy and filling snacks. We always eat breakfast at the hotel, and when we have lunch and dinner in the parks, we split meals. We are not usually too hungry to do that, because we munch throughout the day on the snacks.

I plan out which restaurant we will eat at, even if we don't know which one on which day. This allows me to look at the menus ahead of time, and make some decent estimations of how much each meal will cost. I keep our 'meal money' seperate from other money, and anything that is left over at the end of the trip gives us a little extra mad-money for any last minute shopping we do. I just don't feel like it is 'adding up' on me, but instead is being doled out from a pre-planned source. We count any extravagant snacks, like Tigger Tails, BRB, or Dole whips, out of our personal spending money.

Planning ahead this way, we always end up with money left over in our 'meal money' fund. The biggest savings comes from not buying drinks. I agree with some pp's that it is not always, usually not in fact, cheaper to eat at other locations on Harbor. We would rather plan ahead and budget it out and not have to leave the park at all during our stay! We love to open and close the park when we are there.

One other small point, not to be contentious, is that although the food cost is just as high at WDW, and often as high or higher at other theme parks, the quality at DLR is superior, imo. There is a lot of variety, and usually something for everyone. I get frustrated when we visit the world, because unless we are in EPCOT, I always end up feeling ripped off. At DLR, it may cost a lot by general standards, but at least I feel that I get what I pay for.