I will never complain about Disney's food prices again

[eliza61]

I agree. Hershey Park is the same way which is why we never eat there. And the counter service food at Disney generally isn't bad. I always tell people how reasonable I think Disney prices are compared to other parks and they look at me like I have 2 heads though

because imo it's apples vs oranges. You guys say it all the time. Disney is not a amusement park. You are trying to compare two totally different entities.

Disney supposedly prides it's self on "quality" and being "world famous" and the food is not.

 

[Mad Hattered]

Do the math, though. It only costs $47 per adult/$21 anyone under 48" at Cedar Point. The admission to Disney is $87/$79 up to 9 years old. If 2 adults and 2 children attend CP it costs $136. The same admission at Disney is $332. That's a difference of $196. Yeah, their counter service restaurants are just a tad cheaper, but are you going to eat a $196 dollar lunch at CP? I don't think so.

 

[princesscharming]

Do the math, though. It only costs $47 per adult/$21 anyone under 48" at Cedar Point. The admission to Disney is $87/$79 up to 9 years old. If 2 adults and 2 children attend CP it costs $136. The same admission at Disney is $332. That's a difference of $196. Yeah, their counter service restaurants are just a tad cheaper, but are you going to eat a $196 dollar lunch at CP? I don't think so.

Good point. Although adjustments need to be made for multiday tickets.

I kind of thought that the complaints about Disney food prices was more reflective of TS, rather than CS. Am I wrong?

 

[TDC Nala]

Even Disneyland has more expensive food than WDW.

 

[snookiedoodles]

You can find a decent counter service food with enough variety for everyone. It's clean, and you can find a place to sit (some times!). My son has a heart condition and I can get something healthy for him.

I have been to other places (6 flags, etc) and the food is sooo much money, everything is dirty, and I end up being mad! Gross!

 

[kmedina]

I hate to be the negative one here, but I think complaints about Disney's pricing are justified. In my case, I've accepted that food at Disney World (or Las Vegas, or New York City, or any other tourist destination) will be overpriced compared to the real world.

However, WDW disappoints me when compared to Disney's previous offerings. The prices for WDW food have increased much faster than the overall rate of inflation. At the same time, variety of choices has gone down at each restaurant. Disney heavily promotes the dining plan in order to appeal to people who want a value. But in order to make the DDP worth it financially, Disney has to inflate the prices of its food to make the plan look better by comparison.

So maybe Disney is more fairly priced than King's Dominion. But things used to be better, and that's where a lot of the disappointment comes from (for people who only started coming to WDW in 2005 or later, this is probably less noticeable).

I live in Vegas and agree that most prices on the strip are very high. We were shocked when we visited New York City and found their prices to be much lower than Vegas (had leftover money, since we overbudgeted). Disney on the other hand is cheaper than both Vegas and New York for table service (and rightfully so, since the food is Vegas and New York is better). Please do not take that as a dis on Disney Food as I love it too. Vegas and New York just have so much more to offer. It costs around the same for counter service in all three places around the touristy parts.

You can eat for a decent price in Vegas if you eat off strip and avoid high end restaurants. We do it here all the time, since I am not much of a cook. Of course, it is not cost effective if you do not have a rental car (same with leaving Disney to eat).

 

[JohnNYC]

Disney is incredibly reasonable considering what you pay at other parks, sporting events, etc. Even at NY's major museums, the cafeteria food is more expensive than Disney CS!
I'm always stunned when people complain about the food prices or quality at Disney. Do they not go anywhere else???

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Disney is incredibly reasonable considering what you pay at other parks, sporting events, etc. Even at NY's major museums, the cafeteria food is more expensive than Disney CS!
I'm always stunned when people complain about the food prices or quality at Disney. Do they not go anywhere else???

It's more of a question of where you go and what you're used to. Not everyone is comparing Disney to their local sports stadium or amusement park, especially since Disney prides itself on being more.

 

[Kelblum]

We were blown away at Atlantis, we got 4 drinks, 2 fries, 2 sandwiches and 1 order of chicken nuggets and it was $62 and it was just OK!

 

[OThopeful35]

Exactly. That's why I think it's so funny to hear people complain about Disney prices. Went to Sesame Place in PA and Storyland in NH. Both were filthy, not to mention expensive!!! More so than WDW.

I dont understand it either. When I am going to an amusement park of any sort (or the airport), I expect things to be expensive so I don't get mad when something costs more.

 

[Josh'sDad1974]

What is soda? R u refering to soft drinks? Just a little lost on the conversation.

 

[Tricia1972]

I think part of the discrepancy in those that are upset with Disney's pricing, but perhaps don't complain when they go to a local amusement park or museum, is that you don't usually spend a week at a time just eating at a local amusement park or museum. You can eat lunch at the park/museum and then go to a local restaurant for dinner on your way back to your hotel.

When you go to Disney, many stay on site and eat at Disney all week long.

 

[kaybird]

What is soda? R u refering to soft drinks? Just a little lost on the conversation.

Yes; soda, pop, soda pop, soft drinks, cokes, etc. Just depends on the local slang.

 

[DonaldTDuck]

Do the math, though. It only costs $47 per adult/$21 anyone under 48" at Cedar Point. The admission to Disney is $87/$79 up to 9 years old. If 2 adults and 2 children attend CP it costs $136. The same admission at Disney is $332. That's a difference of $196. Yeah, their counter service restaurants are just a tad cheaper, but are you going to eat a $196 dollar lunch at CP? I don't think so.

I've never paid $87 a day at Disney and I doubt you have either. There are lies, damn lies and statistics. You chose to use stats. I go for 7-8 days and pay about $30 a day. A lot cheaper than $47 at Cedar Point. And so much more to do. Plus fastpass. If you don't feel like you're getting a good deal at WDW, go stand in line all day at Cedar Point to ride 3 roller coasters. And at least you can eat what you get at WDW. That carp they have at CP could be free and it wouldn't be worth eating.

 

[goofy4prez]

While I hardly would call WDW a value when it comes to it's pricing on food, after spending 5 days at the Atlantis Resort in Nassau a couple of years ago, I truly can say I understand what expensive is. Here is an example of what we paid for a dinner, and imagine we still had either a light breakfast and a lunch yet to buy during the day.

$50 14oz NY Strip
$9 A side dish ( ex. broccoli, mashed potatoes)
$12 for a tossed salad (this didn't include having cheese in it, very basic)
$6 Soda or pop or soft drink (whatever you want to call Coca Cola) With no refills.
$8 for a 20OZ bottle of water. (you did not want to drink the tap water)
Notice I made no mention of appetizers averaging $20 and dessert averaging $12

The average dinner bill with a mandatory 15% tip plus tax was a staggering $205+ for a dinner for two (no appetizer or dessert). And again, this does not include a cheap breakfast (yea right) which would consist of a $8 muffin and a $6 dollar carton of orange juice. Lunch was around $17 for a burger an extra $3 for a slice of cheese and $8 for an order of fries, and don't forget the soft drink or bottled water at $6-$8.

 

[lovebug33]

I don't mind paying if the food is good. We went to Elitch's in Colorado and couldn't even find anything we wanted to eat, let alone pay the prices for! It was awful! I understand things will be more pricey, but at least make it good. I'm from Vegas and, yeah, a high end buffet will be 20 bucks a person. However, it will be some good food! That counts for something!

 

[crostorfer]

I have said for years that I pay more for food when I go to a ball game or Cedar Point than at Disney. And the food is much better at Disney! I just figure the price of meals at Disney or anywhere else I vacation as part of the price of vacation and don't let it bother me too much. Yesterday DH and I went to the movies and my (very) small popcorn was $7! I didn't feel at all bad about the pop in my purse! (yes, in Ohio we call it pop also)

Thank you! Compared to Disney, the movie theatre is highway robbery. To take my daughter to an evening movie is close to $10 a piece for the two hour movie, plus $20 for popcorn and pop. I cringe every time we walk past the refreshment stand. I would much rather spend my money on Disney food.

 

[Mouse's Shadow]

What is soda? R u refering to soft drinks? Just a little lost on the conversation.

I went to school in Charlotte.The first day I was there, I made the comment that I was going to get a pop, could I get something for anyone else. I was met with blank stares, then one girl asked what did you say? I think everyone thought I said pot. I'm from Ohio. It's a reference to soft drinks.

 

[gracy_hm]

Went to Six Flags and paid 10 for a smoothie. I remember wishing I was at Disney the prices aren't that bad in comparison to smaller parks inflated food prices.

 

[JohnNYC]

I think part of the discrepancy in those that are upset with Disney's pricing, but perhaps don't complain when they go to a local amusement park or museum, is that you don't usually spend a week at a time just eating at a local amusement park or museum. You can eat lunch at the park/museum and then go to a local restaurant for dinner on your way back to your hotel.

When you go to Disney, many stay on site and eat at Disney all week long.

And you would think since Disney has you more or less "captive" for a week, they could charge what they'd like, no? Just look at the posts on Atlantis in this thread. That's a a full vacation overpaying for food

Sorry, I just don't get people who complain about Disney prices.