How Much Is Too Much For A Buffet?

[meganb]

So, if we are a family of 4 (2 A 2C) paying oop for food, are the character buffets too much? I thought we would try breakfast because they are cheaper, but its still alot for breakfast, when we would normally eat in our room.

 

[cdtommie]

The Biergarten particularly vexes me as we avoid the character buffets...the price shot up from like $21 to $36 in about four years...a total joke. Also the beer went up like 3 bucks. So we do the latest lunch (3:10PM) once in a while instead.

The other one we used to do is Boma but now we switched to breakfast which is about half the price...oh boy, I just checked Deb's and the last time we went (past December) it was like $19 bucks...looks like it's now $24...holy moley...looks like I'll be canceling our May reservation.

 

[maggiew]

We stopped doing buffets when my 2 kids turned into "Disney adults". Just not worth it for us. My girls are teens now and still can't justify the cost of the buffets based on the amount they eat.

We only eat at places where we can order from the menu.

Maggie

 

[sweetdana]

I think they push people into staying on site and more so dining plan with buffet prices.

AGREED 100% in and by itself CP for 100 or Norway for breakfast at 120$ are terrible. (For our family prices.) Very much so not worth sticker price. I would not pay that price, certainly not daily on vacation, for that.

But on the DP you pay that same price and get a free (using word loosly) snack and QS. We do more TBS because of DP. They are just encouraging people to do DP and DDP. And more so to stay onsite as you can get the DP.

For us the DP allows us 1 char. dinners/steak houses daily along with pretty good QS. for our family it is a good deal.
It costs us about 100$ (there are 2 AD and 1 Child 6.) maybe 110 with tip per day for a great vacation. This includes more snacks than we use, a char buffet or a capt grill for dinner. The dining plan even the occations DDP just for the 1st night, for us runs less than 1K for 9-10 nights eating fine dining/char/ ect every day on vacation. I am sure if I had 2 Disney AD as kids.. I would feel different. I would also prob have to skip the buffets with Mickey and only do them maybe once on vacation. Taking them to Rose and Crown or San Anns instead.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

I know it's Disney and I understand that you pay for the special experience of a character dinner but my main problem is that at 10 years old a child pays the same price as an adult for a buffet. I find this high way robbery! If Disney wants to charge a 10 year old the same price as an adult to get in to the parks, fine, but I think for the buffets there should be another tier in pricing, 0-9 chidren 10-13 junior and 14 on adult. There's no way a 10 year old eats anyway near as much as an adult!

 

[Cat0727]

I just can't believe how expensive buffets are at WDW nowadays. For two adults at Beirgarten our bill came out to $90, and that was with using a 20% discount card. Heck, Crytal Palace is $37 per adult and $18 for a child(or even more if you go during select times). I guess it's not that much more expensive than a dinner in New York City, but it seems very pricey to me, and I'm a big eater.

So, at what price point does a person say, "That's too much, I'm not eating there"?

CP is $37 now? Are you kidding?

 

[tiffsix]

Ay....that is the magic question! We actually did 2 picnic meals at WDW when we were there just after Christmas.

With the decline in quality and increase in price - its just depressing. Disney has basically priced things to try and force you into the dining plan if you are staying on property. Pay for 1 table service or buffet and you've basically paid for a day on the plan - or at least perceived it and then throw in the "free" or discounted counter service as it would seem, and you can't get around it.

Factor in people who get "free dining" and the masses will LOVE the damn thing. I hate it - the DDP and I hate what its done to dining at Disney. I don't begrudge people that benefit from it, but would sooo much rather Disney go back to reasonable prices and get rid of the plan. Let the restaurants control what they want to do.

DVC has started letting you purchase the plan for only the nights you want it - that may bring us back to some restaurants, but we've reached the point where we're not paying it - or at least as often as we used to.

Will that be the mass response - absolutely not. The majority of people love that dang thing.

I'm with ya...HATE the DDP!!! Poor quality and higher prices. We don't get it because we don't want to be a slave to ADRs with 2 little kids but when we do go to a sit-down restaurant it just seems like such a rip-off. I too wish it would go away.

 

[robinb]

So, at what price point does a person say, "That's too much, I'm not eating there"?

I started saying that when my vegetarian DD became a "Disney Adult". I didn't really mind spending whatever on my DH and me, but I drew the line at paying that much for a little girl who would eat some fresh fruit and mac n cheese. The only time we book buffets is if we are on free dining.

 

[tiffsix]

LOL Cinderellas Royal table is the one that really lets me know how disney feels about their guest.

Really dude, $46 bucks for a breakfast buffet? and sorry, there is not many "experiences" that make 200 bucks for a family of 4 worthwhile for PANCAKES.

For that kind of money, Let me tell you, Prince Charming would have to do some thing to me that would dang near be illegal in some Southern states "

AKA Cinderella's Royal Rip-Off- and I don't just complain on here about these places...we just don't go back

 

[ks-man]

We are going next week. My wife and I are on the Dining Plan but we also have a two year old daughter. We are doing a lot of character meals and Buffets. Will I have to pay for my daughters buffet meal each time? I realize she'll get a kids rate but $17 seems like a lot to pay for a 2 year old. There are some meals that she doesn't eat anything on her plate. For quick service it won't be an issue. She can share what my wife and I get but I didn't really consider her cost at the buffets.

 

[Tiger926]

We are going next week. My wife and I are on the Dining Plan but we also have a two year old daughter. We are doing a lot of character meals and Buffets. Will I have to pay for my daughters buffet meal each time? I realize she'll get a kids rate but $17 seems like a lot to pay for a 2 year old. There are some meals that she doesn't eat anything on her plate. For quick service it won't be an issue. She can share what my wife and I get but I didn't really consider her cost at the buffets.

Children under 3 are free at buffets. You may get her own plate, and most places will also bring her a beverage as well, so no worries about paying for her.

Enjoy, Tiger

 

[maxiesmom]

LOL Cinderellas Royal table is the one that really lets me know how disney feels about their guest.

Really dude, $46 bucks for a breakfast buffet? and sorry, there is not many "experiences" that make 200 bucks for a family of 4 worthwhile for PANCAKES.

For that kind of money, Let me tell you, Prince Charming would have to do some thing to me that would dang near be illegal in some Southern states "

When a restaurant is wildly popular, Disney will charge what people are still willing to pay. It is the smart thing to do, and they owe it to their stockholders.

Eight years ago we did a breakfast at CRT. The price wasn't so high, but it took a few days of a few people calling at dawn to get a reservaton. It still cost over $25 a person, I believe. And we had to stop and get me food after, because I was the aunt who paid that and didn't eat, I was the one taping my nieces and nephew meeting the characters and having such a good time.

Disney will charge what people are willing to pay. If the restaurants start to empty they will rethink things. But that doesn't seem very likely to happen anytime soon.

 

[khgreen]

It has reached that point for us. I won't pay that much for a meal unless it is something truly unique and fabulous. (I'm a pretty good cook and I hate paying so much fobarlow that isn't as good as my own.) We did a character buffet Just once. The food was mediocre and so was the character interaction. We don't pig out either so buffets aren't a deal for us at all. However the restaurants are full and ADRs must be booked so far in advance...that must mean we are in the minority and the price point must be acceptable for most families. Dining is just not part of our WDW experience.

But I do plan to try making the LC cheese soup (thanks to a recipe link someone posted) along with pretzel bread from a local bakery....but I can't bring myself to pay for LC. I am VERY cheap.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

We usually do 2 TS meals OOP a day, usually including dinner at CP, Ohana's, HDDR, and Biergarten during our stay. We're not into character meals but I actually enjoy the atmosphere of CP if you get a table away from the chaos/noise. The prices don't really bother me (or should I say it hasn't stopped me from eating there) as we just figure it's going to be expensive and over save. We were in Myrtle Beach this past weekend and were going to do Medieval Times but when we found out it's $51 not including tip and tax and not all you can eat we decided no thanks. Maybe $50 is my breaking point? I don't know. I do think the price increases have been ridiculous (we've been eating 2-3 TS meals a day at every trip since '93) and I do think Disney is pushing people to use the dining plan but we still eat the way we always do. For now.

 

[mellvswdw1]

I have to say we since we have DVC we tend to eat in our villas....however on our last trip we didn't have a one bedroom so we did the dining plan. My husband and I marveled at the bill at Biergarten, and we couldn't see paying for that experience OOP again. I think we will just cook in our villa's except for 1-2 dinners and use our DVC or Passholder discounts from here on out...JMHO!

 

[eliza61]

When a restaurant is wildly popular, Disney will charge what people are still willing to pay. It is the smart thing to do, and they owe it to their stockholders.

Eight years ago we did a breakfast at CRT. The price wasn't so high, but it took a few days of a few people calling at dawn to get a reservaton. It still cost over $25 a person, I believe. And we had to stop and get me food after, because I was the aunt who paid that and didn't eat, I was the one taping my nieces and nephew meeting the characters and having such a good time.

Disney will charge what people are willing to pay. If the restaurants start to empty they will rethink things. But that doesn't seem very likely to happen anytime soon.

I really do understand that concept Max, and as a shareholder I guess I should be happy about it. but I guess the problem is I'm probably one of those "concencious" (sp) investors. Generally when I think about a stock to buy it's because I in some way like or I'm impressed by the company and some times the things disney does just leaves a "nasty" taste in my mouth.

Near my house is a billboard for a local bank, it says "The first principal of business should be that you have some principals". I think that's a great saying and one I see disney going on a downhill slide.

Charging 50 bucks for eggs and pancakes might not be illegal but IMO it is certainly unprincipaled. I am just fast approaching the point where "Disney is a business" is no longer an acceptable excuse for poor quality and price gouging.

You are right, they will continue to charge those outrageous prices as long as they can.

 

[maxiesmom]

Charging 50 bucks for eggs and pancakes might not be illegal but IMO it is certainly unprincipaled. I am just fast approaching the point where "Disney is a business" is no longer an acceptable excuse for poor quality and price gouging.

You are right, they will continue to charge those outrageous prices as long as they can.

The thing is, they are charging more for the access to the Princesses, and the location of that access, than they are for the eggs and pancakes. Only the buyer can determine if having a bunch of Princesses visiting you at your table in The Castle is worth the cost. For a lot of people it is.

I think it is hard to quantify how much that access "should" cost. And don't forget you get a picture package with the meal too. You get 5 pictures, and a print of the castle.

 

[Tiger926]

I really do understand that concept Max, and as a shareholder I guess I should be happy about it. but I guess the problem is I'm probably one of those "concencious" (sp) investors. Generally when I think about a stock to buy it's because I in some way like or I'm impressed by the company and some times the things disney does just leaves a "nasty" taste in my mouth.

Near my house is a billboard for a local bank, it says "The first principal of business should be that you have some principals". I think that's a great saying and one I see disney going on a downhill slide.

Charging 50 bucks for eggs and pancakes might not be illegal but IMO it is certainly unprincipaled. I am just fast approaching the point where "Disney is a business" is no longer an acceptable excuse for poor quality and price gouging.

You are right, they will continue to charge those outrageous prices as long as they can.

Exactly, and if most guests are on the DP, then the cash price is irrelevant. They can keep raising the prices, as that is irrelevant to DP guests.

I bet those of us who pay cash, are a much lower concentration of guests; therefore, DP guests take centre stage, as they make more money for Disney.

I think Disney will keep raising menu prices, and just keep raising DP prices for a few years to come. Some of the buffets, in just a few short years, have risen by 30-40%, so guest threshold for DP guests and cash guests will be different.

Disney is in charge of this cycle, so they can structure it as they see fit, as I think it will take a lot before it actually starts to harm them in an adverse way.

Tiger

 

[maxiesmom]

I bet those of us who pay cash, are a much lower concentration of guests; therefore, DP guests take centre stage, as they make more money for Disney.

Do you? I would think the opposite, that most people do pay cash. Now you have made me curious though. I wonder if there is a way to find that out.

I know, for my family, we have only used the dining plan twice. And we do buffetts, and usually more than one, almost every trip.

 

[Tiger926]

Do you? I would think the opposite, that most people do pay cash. Now you have made me curious though. I wonder if there is a way to find that out.

I know, for my family, we have only used the dining plan twice. And we do buffetts, and usually more than one, almost every trip.

I think the majority of trips are MYW packages with DP and tix included. Disney makes it very easy to add a DP package, and since it's packaged up, guests don't notice the cost as much.

Most people I know who have gone, do MYW packages with DP. The only people I know who pay cash for food, are fellow DVC members.

I really think that the majority, like 60-70% of guests, and maybe even higher, probably purchase the DP. I don't have evidence to back this up, but putting together what we read on these boards, seeing the way Free DP sells out the resorts, and having been in pretty much every restaurant on property multiple times and seeing that most of the guests were on the DP, I think it's quite high.

Tiger