Need to vent on prices

[cymbaldiva]

Food is stiil cheaper than at the average NFL game I've attended.

I saw Tangled on Saturday. I bought 1 medium bag of popcorn, 1 hotdog, 1 medium drink, and 2 kids drinks...for $29. Disney doesn't look so bad in comparison.

The difference between an NFL game or a movie over a trip to Disney? The game or the film only last a couple of hours....you only pick up a snack there if you want to; that is definitely a choice. At Disney theme parks they've got you....long day touring, you've spent a lot on admission and don't want to lose park time - everyone does have to eat eventually, right? At that point? You, the consumer, are pretty much stuck. It would be nice if the food quality were better since you're charged a premium price for it.

I feel like the biggest chump of all. I paid $17 and some change yesterday for a COOKIE at the GF gingerbread house. I'll never get over that one. Lesson learned. KNOW the price before you pick up an item and hand over the debit card. That is robbery.

Oh ouch!!!! That truly is robbery ~ I hope that was a mistake made by the cashier that rang you up because that price is insane!!! I'm sorry that happened to you.

 

[Hugpug]

I agree with OP but as stated it is a vacation spot so prices will be HIGH. I found the prices to be double compared to eating at places at home but I knew that going so I planned for it. I had to change some of my plans becasue I was layed off one week before my trip so I could not cancel without it costing me an arm and a leg. I enjoyed my trip but it could have been better if I still had a job. I am not sorry I went as it was special to me. I ate at both TS and CS places and was carefull what I choose to eat price wise. My best meal was at T-Rex and the best service to boot. Was pricey but worth it.

 

[MyTwoPrincesses]

The difference between an NFL game or a movie over a trip to Disney? The game or the film only last a couple of hours....you only pick up a snack there if you want to; that is definitely a choice. At Disney theme parks they've got you....long day touring, you've spent a lot on admission and don't want to lose park time - everyone does have to eat eventually, right? At that point? You, the consumer, are pretty much stuck. It would be nice if the food quality were better since you're charged a premium price for it.

I see your point but I don't think the prices are that out of line with real world prices. It's a bit more expensive than Ruby Tuesdays, but a lot of restaurants are in the same price range as regular, non-chain restaurants around here. If I have a CS lunch in the real world, I expect to spend around $10 for an adult (maybe $8 if no drink). For a TS meal, I expect most entrees to run about $18-$22 with some being a bit more, but nothing really less other than sandwiches unless I'm at a cheap place. The buffets are costly - honestly I don't do buffets IRL and don't know what they cost. I know that the Indian lunch buffet is about $14 a person (not including drink), but you don't eat Indian lunch buffet with Mickey Mouse, so I expect a surcharge for that.

Disney restaurants are marvelously themed too. You rarely see that in the real world. The closest I've been to Disney quality theming outside of Disney is Cuba Libre in DC and the prices are definitely in Disney range.

http://cubalibrerestaurant.com/pdfs/Cuba_DC_Dinner_0210_FINAL.pdf

 

[clanmcculloch]

The difference between an NFL game or a movie over a trip to Disney? The game or the film only last a couple of hours....you only pick up a snack there if you want to; that is definitely a choice. At Disney theme parks they've got you....long day touring, you've spent a lot on admission and don't want to lose park time - everyone does have to eat eventually, right? At that point? You, the consumer, are pretty much stuck. It would be nice if the food quality were better since you're charged a premium price for it.

I have to disagree with this. If I choose to stay on property and I choose to not rent a car and I choose to not stay in a villa or cabins or family suite where I can cook and I choose to not bring snacks or sandwiches or other simple foods and I choose to not take a taxi elsewhere then yes I have to buy the food being sold by WDW, but do you see all those choices that have led to that? Disney does not hold me hostage. I make my own choices. Everybody is free to make these kinds of choices, and as I showed, there are PLENTY of choices that people can make besides buying their food from WDW. Nobody is stuck other than by their own choices.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

Our family just went to Chilis:
1 appetizer platter
1 hamburger
2 sodas
3 kids meals with drinks (no dessert) for 4 kids
$48

DH and I went to Uno Chicago Grill a few weeks ago:
2 adult entrees
1 soda
1 "adult beverage"
$51

We've averaged what our TS meals will cost in WDW next year and they are around $100 for 2 adults and 3 kids. Plus we are doing mostly buffets and family style meals so DS (kid #4) will eat free. I don't think it's that much more than what we'd pay at home. Besides DH is just excited it'll be cheaper than DLR where we paid over $100 for Goofy's Kitchen for 2 adults, 2 kids and 2 FREE "infants"!

 

[drenalin'junkie]

Eating at WD establishments is optional.Staying on property is also optional.In fact most guide books suggest staying off property,carrying food in and eating off property as a way to save money,always have.

Expecting WD to be any different than any other company will only lead you to unhappiness.There are tons of resources here and elsewhere to help find a way to meld reality with your options.

 

[Bob NC]

Wow....Unhelpful and snarky all at once. Great job!!!!

 

[maminnie]

In reviewing menus for a Disney trip in 2011, food prices are getting a bit pricey. Some have compared their visits at Six Flags to Disney. The Six Flags in our area was practically giving the tickets away this past summer and the food was high unlike Disney where the tickets are pricey as well as the food. Big difference here.

Our next visit to Disney we will not be doing the dining plan and will eat in our DVC villa more and get more take out. We will also eat off-site the arrival day and the departure day where as in the past we always solely ate at Disney restaurants usually doing the dining plan. Can't justify the prices this trip.

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

Expecting WD to be any different than any other company will only lead you to unhappiness

There's a positive and imaginative outlook ... Walmart is what I have to look forward to for the rest of my life.

 

[AquaDame]

I understand when everyone says 'but other places charge X too!' like at a ballpark; but the thing is you are in said ballpark for three or four hours, not an entire week! Eating during those three hours is optional, and most often we hit the ones in our own hometown where we have more access to make our own food, or know of awesome cheap joints to grab a bite before or after as well. Disney truly does lure you in and then it is very inconvenient to get out and grab something else to eat - plus it is harder to find reputable reviews of restaurants even if we could find some worth the drive - we can't all afford villas either!

Only the absolute top notch restaurants in my metro area get away with charging such high prices and even then an elaborate entree costs 20-30pp.
Doing table service at disney is NOT as good as said restaurants and I definitely do not need to book months in advance, get apathetic treatment or have to stand around waiting to be seated even during busy times like valentines or christmas eve dinner. Ultimately AN expensive meal or two is fine, but when you pay it day after day....? When the option is fast food (which we VERY rarely eat at home) or putting up with it? And when you think about how hard disney tries to get you to stay longer by lowering the ticket price and giving the 4 for 3 discount etc... Well, it all adds up! This will indeed be our last visit to disneyworld for awhile and the cost of food is definitely a large part of that. We are spending as much on food as we are on our hotel or our plane tickets ACROSS THE CONTINENT which just seems absurd. When we went to disneyland earlier this year it was generally cheaper even in the nice table restaurants so I do not think it is a corporate wide choice really... I've traveled to various countries all over the world including notoriously expensive places and never have encountered such consistenly high prices... ugh. The opportunity cost just pains me.

 

[Alexander]

Yes, it is very expensive to eat in WDW. We tend to eat very few meals at the parks or hotels. We are DVC members so we always have a full kitchen and can cook. I don't like to cook on vacation, but we have found ways to cook multiple meals in one day and then just heat and serve.

Honestly, the food is not only expensive, but it just isn't that good either. Things really went downhill in the quality department when the dining plan began and they had to suddenly produce more quantity. Something has to get left behind when both quality and quantity are required. Since quantity brings in more dollars, Disney's quality of food had sadly dropped.

 

[dvcmember777]

The best value we have found is the sweet roll at the bakery shop on Main Street at the Magic Kingdom! It is a half of loaf for less than $5.00! Plenty for a family of four.

 

[cluvsdisney]

Honestly, the food is not only expensive, but it just isn't that good either. Things really went downhill in the quality department when the dining plan began and they had to suddenly produce more quantity. Something has to get left behind when both quality and quantity are required. Since quantity brings in more dollars, Disney's quality of food had sadly dropped.

This is my gripe. I don't mind paying more for meals on vacation, it's expected, but I can't remember the last time I walked out of a Disney restaurant thinking "Hey, that was great!!." It's usually, "Well, I'm not hungry anymore."

Thankfully, we are DVC so we can stock up on breakfast stuff and snacks for the room. We rent a car so we have the freedom to dine off property.

 

[over50visits]

The Dining Plan is one of the best moves on Disney's part for increasing revenue, and one of the worst moves for us because of higher prices and lower food quality. DDP is a great illusion making you think you are "saving" money.

We have our favorite restaurants that we have visited many times (we have eaten at every single table service restaurant save a couple in resorts) and still do, but have no illusion that the prices or quality are what theybonce were.

 

[WDWisTheBest]

The Dining Plan is one of the best moves on Disney's part for increasing revenue, and one of the worst moves for us because of higher prices and lower food quality. DDP is a great illusion making you think you are "saving" money.

We have our favorite restaurants that we have visited many times (we have eaten at every single table service restaurant save a couple in resorts) and still do, but have no illusion that the prices or quality are what theybonce were.

Sounds like someone who understands the situation as it is now.

 

[boldlyreal]

So I have read a lot of this thread and I see a lot of concern and a lot of suggestions for cost cutting.
As someone in retail, my best suggestion is to not buy the food. Small scale example: 100 people need lunch over 30 days, 50 have prepaid(dining plan), so Disney won't worry about them, the other 50 choose to not pay for what is offered. They will try to figure out why 50 have not eaten, eventually. If it is trend, they will offer promos to lure them back or on to the dining plan. The only thing retailers love more than full price paying customers are repeat customers! During the luring back process they will random sample survey to no end.
Sadly we as consumers let this happen, most of us won't stay away until they change for us, and we rarely take the time to say how we feel about them and their goods and services.

 

[honeydiane1953]

Yes the food prices are high. But u can leave and eat outside the Disney conglomerate. They have a captive audience. I hate the prices but I pay them or I don't eat.

 

[honeydiane1953]

Sounds like someone who understands the situation as it is now.

Exactly the food is mediocre at best and u r not getting ANYTHING free.

 

[kirstenb1]

Have you been to a grocery store lately? The same thing is happening there too. Smaller packages, but higher prices.

At least at WDW I can bring my own food in, if I so choose. I can think of no other venue like it that would allow that! Plus, you still have other options if you don't think Disney food is worth the price. You are not forced to stay in the parks and eat if you don't want to.

I guess I look at it more in context of what is going on outside of WDW. I think I would be suprised if they didn't raise prices. I don't buy into the whole quality has gone down argument. If it has, I haven't noticed it, and I have been going to WDW 2 or 3 times a year for the last 5 years, and once a year for years on end before that. I think the quality (if not the number of selctions) is still high, and I still cannot finish all the food they put on my plate. Ymmv.

In Williamsburg, both Busch Gardens and Water Country allow you to bring food/drink in. At WDW, we just vote with our wallet. We have a kitchen, via DVC, so breakfast and dinner are either at the villa, or offsite. Lunch is counter service in whatever park we're at.

When we're at home, I hate paying too much for food, so my philosophy is the same on vacation.

 

[Mouse's Shadow]

It's easy to find out what food items cost in the parks, before you ever book your vacation. You don't have to buy that $3 bag of chips, bring your own snacks; carry your own water bottle. You don't have to eat your meals in the park.

Movie theaters charge $4 for a box of candy you can buy at the grocery for a buck. Why would you expect Disney to be different from any other entertainment venue. If you don't want to spend that kind of money on food or you don't like the quality of food, make other arrangements.

The reality is, going to WDW is expensive. If you choose, you can minimize your expenses. In the end it doesn't matter what Disney charges or serves, some people just like to gripe.