OT: do we stress unnecessarily over restaurant prices

[eliza61]

Yesterday, I was helping some one on my job plan their first wdw vacation for next summer and I found myself kevetching endlessly over some of the restaurant prices. I think I probably scared my poor friend to death. Anyway I was wondering why I unintentionally did this?

Some questions:
Why do we compare prices to places at home? Of course you can get pasta cheaper at your local venue but can you ride soarin afterwards? Let's face it, we pay for location. Has anyone been to a professional baseball game lately and paid $8.00 bucks for warm beer?

If it's too pricey, don't we have a lot of other options? Sure that new place in Epcot is outrageous but there is always TTS in MK or Mama Melrose in MGM. Why is this freakin us out so much?

I didn't suggest the dis to my coworker, I'm scared we'll scar her for life before she sees her first character.

Just wondering?

 

[monkey11375]

I agree, I've never thought the prices were all that out of line. I mean, you're in the biggest theme park in the world, and the bottled water is less than half what I pay at a Yankees game. You can eat much more affordably in Disney World than at a baseball game.

 

[brightspark]

I wonder if sometimes when we love something so much, and want everyone else the same.. that we are almost a bit defensive when we talk about it... 'the restaurants are great but..' We don't want them to come home complaining about it... so we warn them in advance.

I alway struggle with prices of eating out.. for a couple of reasons:

1- we used to do lots of cheap european holidays, where everything was cheaper than home, and therefore we aren't used to paying the higher prices

2 - I don't eat out 3 times a day at home! but at WDW I have to pay for my breakfast, lunch and dinner! My food bill at home (if we eat in every day) for a week is less than 2 days for 2 at WDW! Bit of a shock to the system!

 

[SuzieN]

THAT'S why I like the DDP! Even with the changes coming next year. I pay for it in advance and then don't have to worry about it while I'm there!

 

[ransom]

I totally agree, Eliza61. The prices at WDW are actually much better than I would expect based on my experiences at other closed venues, such as ball parks, movies, and Six Flags theme parks.

Heck, this year I spent $12 for one hot dog and some fries at a Six Flags park. Drink not included. Try to top that at WDW!

So, while the prices at WDW don't delight me, I think they're fair, all things considered.

 

[deedeetoo]

I agree that you can overstress about the prices. We did this for years. For several trips we never ate at a TS because they were so expensive. Then we did two trips where we picked a couple but still did mostly CS. Last trip we decided to splurge and get the DDP. DH said going to a TS every night was his favorite thing about the trip. Now the silly thing is that we had the money to go to TS all along but just didn't because we thought they were overpriced. That has definitely changed. We will be doing TS every night on the next trip (but not on the DDP thanks to a soon to be 10 yo DD who eats next to nothing).

 

[disnut8]

Yes, we do overstress about the prices of food at Disney World. A lot of our family and friends think that we pay such extreme prices and we don't. We just went to the NASCAR race in Atlanta this past weekend. Turkey legs were $7. A bottle of water was $4. A medium Domino's pizza was a whopping $24! When we went to the Falcons games, we didn't get beers inside the Georgia Dome because the prices were extreme.

And even in outside restaurants here - at one place we go to, a plate of spaghetti and meatballs is $6.50. At another place, it's $9.50.

 

[dzneelvr]

Couple things to remember at WDW: the portions are very large and it's quite easy to order one entree with a few sides and share a very adequate meal for a nice price No reason to overeat. Another: purchase a DDE or another discount plan. That way, you can eat to your heart's content! I figure the meals at sit downs in WDW are the equivalent to the nicer places around our area...and we wouldn't think anything about dropping $50-$100 for a family of four at any given meal....so why stress when youre enjoying Disney in addition And the resort prices hey! we pay $120+ for a nights room in a regular Courtyard by Marriott during state tournament runs, so a $100 price on the ASMo room is a bargain! ASMO June 2008--here we come

 

[Sleepy]

I don't stress. I just look for a restaurant that has prices I am willing to pay. It's not a budget issue. No pasta with meat sauce should EVER cost $25 I don't care if the chef is from Italy or not. It's just not worth it to me. Then again I guess it is a personal thing. Maybe someone who lives in a location with no authentic Italian food would spend the money to get the experience. For me, another reason I would skip it is because I would feel really bad if I paid the money and hated the food.

 

[gina2000]

I don't stress about WDW prices but I do think they are hard on the pocketbook especially when you consider that most people are there for multiple days and eat many meals (if not all) in the park. You can't compare WDW to a seasonal venue like a ballgame or a local amusement park. People go to WDW for DAYS not an afternoon. And when people are eating multiple meals for multiple days in the same place, it would be nice if the quality was good, the prices reasonable and the value noticeable.

WDW is trying to create an all inclusive atmosphere with the DDP (which is reasonably priced if you compare the pricing to OOP prices but not necessarily reasonable if you compare it to perceived value) but they're dropping the ball on quality and value for the OOP patron. And if the DDP patron only represents a small percentage of the entire patronage of WDW restaurants, a lot of people are getting hosed on quantity, quality and value these days.

We've gone back to offsite restaurants. We see more value even if the quality isn't always there

 

[Taja]

Yep! I stress over TS prices at WDW--and CS, as well! *LOL*

I'm not sufficiently into food to want to pay $40 to $60 for dinner--and I can only eat 40% of it, at best! And counter service at $10 for the basics (and not very good quality) is high to me. But I typically carry my lunch, as buying it near my office is $12+ per day--similar to WDW! And that's counter service!

When I have a rental car at WDW, I'll usually eat off site every third day or so and have a decent meal. If I'm depending on WDW transportation (typically shorter visits), I'll primarily eat CS, with perhaps one TS dinner. Usually at a buffet or LTT, where I can take the amount of food I want and not feel guilty about not eating everything! *LOL*

What can I say? I'm weird! *LOL*