Need to vent on prices

CHIPSTER

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jul 7, 2000
I know its a vacation destination and theme park and I expect prices to be higher but come on $3.00 for a small 99 cent bag of chips.

While dining plan at times may be free they are making it up on the room prices because you get no discount. The food has gone downhill considerably and the prices are sky high. Was there in October and ate at Prime Time 50's - had the meatloaf which was about the size of a deck of cards, one ice cream scoop of mashed potatoes and about 6 green beans for a mere $16.00. What a rip off. Breakfast buffets for $20+ dollars - does the same chicken that lays the liquid eggs also lay golden eggs. Disney sure knows how to market - they give you ME so you don't go off property and they know they have you.

I will still return to Disney because I love the parks but I am getting fed up with food prices.

Any one else feel this way?

On our next trip we have only made a few reservations - Narcoosees, The Plaza Restaurant (this is about the only restaurant where the quantity and quality have not gone down and the prices have remained reasonable), Chefs de France for Lunch and the Cape May Clambake. Will also eat at Downtown Disney at Wolfgang Pucks Express (in my humble opinion the best counter service)and Earl of Sandwich.

Fortunately on this trip we are staying at Shades of Green where prices are relatively normal.
 
I find the food and portions pricey, but beter value then most parks, boardwalks, etc.
 
Yeah, the dining prices have gone up but on every trip, my husband and I comment and compare to going to a sporting event. That $2.50 bottle of water from Disney World will cost you $4 at most stadiums in the county. Add in the fact that you cannot take in your free bottle of water in the stadium but you can at Disney. You can also take in your free sandwiches and snacks but you can't at stadiums. Well, at NASCAR you can.

You choose what you eat at Disney World. My husband and I might do one table service meal for lunch during our trips. The rest is counter service and snacks. We love the $1.89 egg rolls at Animal Kingdom. You can find bargains but we steer clear of the signature places and buffets.

Disney can be expensive but only if you make it. Don't go to the places you find too high in price and then you'll be happier.
 
Personally I expect it..........AND it has nothing to do with free dining.

GEEZ, have you been to any other theme park and spent $$ on food? They charge the same thing and there is NO free dining...period.

This "free dining" killed, maimed, took away the good food, excuse is just that....it is an excuse.
IMO the next thing will be, "I lost my job because my boss got free dining at WDW". :eek:

How I look at it is this.......suck it up and count it as an expense of the vacation. Do I like it, NO but if I want to eat at WDW that is the cost. I account for it and don't complain about it.

Sorry I had to vent on your venting. :):):) All better now.
 


We just eat offsite a lot.
 
I find the prices no worse and perhaps better than state fairs, sporting events and other theme parks(and any other tourist traps).
 
Compared to other captive audience food vendors (theme parks, movies, and sporting events) we thought the food was pretty affordable. We had a party of 8, with 3 adults, and ate most of our counter service lunches for under $50. We ordered light for the kids, who'd been snacking anyway, and ate 3 (!) times at Pecos Bill's where we loaded down the taco salads, and basically enjoyed ourselves.

It gets very pricey, but I figure it's going to cost about twice what food would cost at a similar restaurant outside. So, McD's is about $25 for us, and we paid $50 for the same quality. Red Lobster runs about $100 for us, so I'd be surprised and happy to find formulaic sit down dinner running under $200.

Add the fact that you can pack whatever you want, and I love the place! We happily paid actual money (not dining plan) for a character lunch, and it was about $150. Still under half the price of a nice buffet outside the world.

And now I sit and knit dishcloths for christmas presents, but I've got happy memories!
 


The only reason I find it expensive is because you do it over and over, 3 meals a day for multiple days.

In general, I expect the prices to be higher than what I might pay outside the parks (any parks) because you are a captive audience. I just posted in another thread that we just went to Mythos for lunch at IOA and it was around $80 or $85; I felt that was very comparable to a lot of Disney TS places we have been, outside the dinner shows or CRT. If I go with my family to our local steak restaurant (not fancy steakhouse like Ruth Chris) - we really can't get out of there for less than $90 or so, so I don't see the prices as that out of line.
 
I find the prices no worse and perhaps better than state fairs, sporting events and other theme parks(and any other tourist traps).

Agreed and I have to say that Disney's food is far superior than most of the fair, park and event food we have eaten lately.
 
I was going to say the same thing ....... our local Kings Dominion (rinky dink by Disney standards) was even PRICIER!

And they don't let you bring in your own food OR water (really?! no water?!) which I think is very nice of Disney to allow you to do so. ;)
 
To respond to a poster - there is no such thing as free dining. You are paying for some way.

Also I don't mind the prices if the food quality was there.

Sorry if I touched a nerve with some but it was for you to voice your opinions on the prices and quality of food, not voice your opinions against me.
 
DH and I went to the movies yesterday, at the "matinee discount price" of $10.50 each. There we bought a medium (Ha!) popcorn and drink combo, at the "discounted" price of $12.50. I have never spent $12.50 on a CS meal in WDW, even with tax included. So I figure WDW prices aren't as bad as they could be.
 
I know its a vacation destination and theme park and I expect prices to be higher but come on $3.00 for a small 99 cent bag of chips.

While dining plan at times may be free they are making it up on the room prices because you get no discount. The food has gone downhill considerably and the prices are sky high. Was there in October and ate at Prime Time 50's - had the meatloaf which was about the size of a deck of cards, one ice cream scoop of mashed potatoes and about 6 green beans for a mere $16.00. What a rip off. Breakfast buffets for $20+ dollars - does the same chicken that lays the liquid eggs also lay golden eggs. Disney sure knows how to market - they give you ME so you don't go off property and they know they have you.

I will still return to Disney because I love the parks but I am getting fed up with food prices.

Any one else feel this way?

On our next trip we have only made a few reservations - Narcoosees, The Plaza Restaurant (this is about the only restaurant where the quantity and quality have not gone down and the prices have remained reasonable), Chefs de France for Lunch and the Cape May Clambake. Will also eat at Downtown Disney at Wolfgang Pucks Express (in my humble opinion the best counter service)and Earl of Sandwich.

Fortunately on this trip we are staying at Shades of Green where prices are relatively normal.

I see you are from PA. Have you been to Hershey Park? We were there this summer and paid way more for food than we do in Disney. Just saying they are not worse than other theme parks.
 
Try going to Six Flags and paying $10 for a Subway sandwich, no drink or chips...just the sandwich. At DLR, the CHEAPEST character breakfast is $28/adult and $14/child. Also CS kids meals are a few bucks more than WDW kids meals. So I'm looking forward to my "cheaper" east coast visit!
 
we stay off-site due to cost and eat off-site or in our condo for breakfast for the most part. when we have stayed on-site, we always loved the expensive hotels but even with the dining plan it is less expensive to stay off-site and eat at our leisure where ever we want. we were taken back by the food at crystal palace due to the high cost. i know a lot of people like eating there but we will skip it from now on.
 
went to Hershey park, Great adventure and state Fair this past summer and spend more money than I would have at Disney...I make comments to my husband as we went to Great Advneture and Hershey that it cost more than Disney but at least you get yummy food at Disney...he just :lmao:
 
To respond to a poster - there is no such thing as free dining. You are paying for some way.

Also I don't mind the prices if the food quality was there.

Sorry if I touched a nerve with some but it was for you to voice your opinions on the prices and quality of food, not voice your opinions against me.


Not gonna debate this but for me it is free. If I stay at POP during value, reg or peak times my package is the same. I have done my math and paying OOP for the same meals I pay more than eating free when Disney pays for it. period.
For some I agree it isn't worth it, but for us it is much cheaper vacation when free dining is applied.

And I do apologize that my post seemed against you......I can see where you thought it was. But it wasn't, it is agains the mentality that free dining is the cause for all of WDW's food issues.

You asked for opinions and I gave mine. Now I am done and agree to play nice. :):flower3:
 
I have to agree with the others before me who stated that you pay even more for the same quality food at movies or other theme parks. Plus those other places ban you from bringing your own food in. Disney doesn't. So if you don't want to pay Disney prices for that bag of chips, you don't have to.

I have also found that on some trips Free Dining is a better deal than getting a room discount. And I have had no issues with either food quality or quantity. Rather, I find the portions too large at Disney. During my first solo trip this year I found myself upset that I was throwing so much food away.
 
We continue to find our WDW trips to be the most affordable of any vacations we have taken. I think the food for the most part is MUCH higher quality and better value than any other park or fair, and that includes National Parks, beaches and the like. When ever we travel on non WDW trips now, invariably one of us will comment on how much more reasonable a disney trip is.

(And where else can you travel around the world at cs prices?!?)
 
What a rip off. Breakfast buffets for $20+ dollars - does the same chicken that lays the liquid eggs also lay golden eggs. Disney sure knows how to market - they give you ME so you don't go off property and they know they have you.

I will still return to Disney because I love the parks but I am getting fed up with food prices.

Any one else feel this way?

On our next trip we have only made a few reservations - Narcoosees, The Plaza Restaurant (this is about the only restaurant where the quantity and quality have not gone down and the prices have remained reasonable), Chefs de France for Lunch and the Cape May Clambake. Will also eat at Downtown Disney at Wolfgang Pucks Express (in my humble opinion the best counter service)and Earl of Sandwich.

Fortunately on this trip we are staying at Shades of Green where prices are relatively normal.


This is pretty much a view that comes up now and again. My take is pretty simple.

1) Of course Disney wants you to stay on site. food and souvineers (sp?) are their mark up items. You absolutely have it correct a 50cent bag of chips gives them 300% mark up.

2) I would not mind the markup if the food was of good quality. Disney food imo is lousy as a general rule. Yes, I know breakfast is 30 bucks but is there any reason you can't serve "hot" food and decent bacon that is not sitting in a vat of grease?

3) I have found that when I get a great deal on a car rental it more than pays for itself eating off site. for me it's not just the issue of money. I enjoy after a day at the parks sitting back and having a great meal. Nothing depresses me more than leaving Tonys and thinking, "that was the most tasteless pasta I've ever eaten". Even if the meal is "supposedly" free, I just don't get leaving a restaurant and saying "eh, the food was ok, nothing special". I hate that.

4) I've never understood how getting poor meals is ok simply because you get a discount on it? Do people go to a restaurant at home and say "it's ok if the meal is blah". yet, we excuse Disney by saying "yeah it was lousy but it was free" or "yeah it was bland but what do you expect from a theme park". call me crazy but when I go out to eat, every time I expect a good meal, otherwise I wouldn't go out.
 

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