Ouch.. Price increase??? Worth it?

[cristielf]

I see that Allears has updated the price on the Happily Ever after dinner at 1900 pf to 42.59/adults and 21.29/child.. That seems like a lot of money. Is it worth it? I have two boys and thought this looked like fun, but now I'm not so sure after reading some not so great reviews. WDYT?
Also, do is their tomato mozzarella salad good? That's a HUGE selling point for me

 

[OhThePain]

In all honesty, none of the dinner buffets are worth the price to pay OOP. Cape May and Boma come closest, but for a buffet still aren't worth the price. IMO it's Disney's way of pushing people to go with a dining plan. The higher the prices of the dinner buffets go, the worse the value is to pay OOP but better the "value" of a TS credit.

Breakfasts, on the other hand, are still somewhat expensive but I can at least justify the cost OOP.

 

[bcrook]

I agree with ohthepain, I think that is too steep of a price for that buffet.

 

[disneydreamkate]

We ate there our last trip and were very underwhelmed! There was not tomato mozzarella salad was not served the night we were there. We did not find it to be the cleanest of the buffets we have been to (we have done Tusker House, Boma, Cape May, and Crystal Palace) and had, IMO the worst food. My husband who is a clean freak also complained about the smell in there. It just had a strange funky odor. JMO of course! I am sure there are others who will dispute this.

 

[SPOERLX3]

I agree. NONE of the buffets are worth the new prices. Just 2 years ago in August 2009 we paid $17.99 for the Donald Safari Breakfast at Tusker House, it is now $28.75pp for for anyone over 10. This year it is me, DH, DD22, DGD11x2 and DGS11. There is not one person in our family that could ever eat $28 worth of breakfast food. A normal breakfast anywhere generally costs less than $10 (and that is high for us) add an extra $5 per person to dine with the characters and that is a reasonable price but $28.75, that is crazy.

They are definitely trying to push everyone to the dining plans, then 1/2 the year they are giving it away with the FD promo's. The price increase is probably due to them giving the FD promo's, trying to make up the money lost by giving it away.

We are staying at POP during the QSFD in December, we were debating on whether to upgrade to the DDP or keep the QSFD and pay OOP for the Tusker House Breakfast and one other sit down meal. After seeing the new prices for the buffets, I think we have decided to keep the QSFD and not pay for anything OOP. If we do pay OOP for any meal, it will not be a buffet. Since my 2 DGD's, DD22 and myself don't eat much, if we do any sit down meals, we will go someplace that we can order off a menu and possibly split.
Who knows, we will just have to decide and see what happens.

 

[Amy&Dan]

No its not. And I like that dinner just fine (have done it several times) but right now I am boycotting Disney buffets. They are so insanely overpriced when you pay OOP there is not a one that is worth it.

We went with family this past June and we had free dining for the counter serve plan. We decided to do one character meal OOP and our dinner with gratuity at Crystal Palace was $202. That was four people. I was so mad at myself for doing that meal! The food was very good but it was not $200 good.

No more. Unless I get free dining (which for my family of four adults is the only way I will do the DDP) we will not be doing buffets.

We had a wonderful dinner, also out of pocket at Ragland Road and even with dh and I drinking cocktails was not even half what we paid at Crystal Palace. He and I shared a salad, some calamari, a burger and a dessert and left stuffed and happy. My family enjoys buffets, my teenage son in particular but we are done with them.

 

[Amy&Dan]

I agree. NONE of the buffets are worth the new prices. Just 2 years ago in August 2009 we paid $17.99 for the Donald Safari Breakfast at Tusker House, it is now $28.75pp for for anyone over 10. This year it is me, DH, DD22, DGD11x2 and DGS11. There is not one person in our family that could ever eat $28 worth of breakfast food. A normal breakfast anywhere generally costs less than $10 (and that is high for us) add an extra $5 per person to dine with the characters and that is a reasonable price but $28.75, that is crazy.

They are definitely trying to push everyone to the dining plans, then 1/2 the year they are giving it away with the FD promo's. The price increase is probably due to them giving the FD promo's, trying to make up the money lost by giving it away.

We are staying at POP during the QSFD in December, we were debating on whether to upgrade to the DDP or keep the QSFD and pay OOP for the Tusker House Breakfast and one other sit down meal. After seeing the new prices for the buffets, I think we have decided to keep the QSFD and not pay for anything OOP. If we do pay OOP for any meal, it will not be a buffet. Since my 2 DGD's, DD22 and myself don't eat much, if we do any sit down meals, we will go someplace that we can order off a menu and possibly split.
Who knows, we will just have to decide and see what happens.

You sound like us. We got the qsdp for free in June and decided to pay OOP for two meals (see my post above). I felt ripped off by the buffet but felt like I really got my money's worth and a very nice evening at Ragland Road. Dh and I shared, got what we want, had a drink, watched the dancers and agreed buffets are in our past unless we get the full DDP for free.

Our waiter at CP got around $30 in a tip as I recall and we saw him once. He was rude but they lopped that gratuity onto our bill and it just added insult to injury. Compared to our Ragland Road waitress who was delightful, worked hard all night bringing us our food and drinks.

There are just so many things wrong with WDW buffets right now so why should I pay for them and allow them to basically overcharge me for mediocre food?

 

[SPOERLX3]

You sound like us. We got the qsdp for free in June and decided to pay OOP for two meals (see my post above). I felt ripped off by the buffet but felt like I really got my money's worth and a very nice evening at Ragland Road. Dh and I shared, got what we want, had a drink, watched the dancers and agreed buffets are in our past unless we get the full DDP for free.

Our waiter at CP got around $30 in a tip as I recall and we saw him once. He was rude but they lopped that gratuity onto our bill and it just added insult to injury. Compared to our Ragland Road waitress who was delightful, worked hard all night bringing us our food and drinks.

There are just so many things wrong with WDW buffets right now so why should I pay for them and allow them to basically overcharge me for mediocre food?

Amy&Dan, I feel your pain! We are joining you on the boycot against the Disney buffets. And you are so right, when the waiters know that they are going to get the tip no matter what, some of them don't care what kind of service they give you. There is not one buffet that is worth the new prices. I will definitely miss Tusker House Breakfast, I think it is one of the best breakfast buffets but definitely not worth $28.75pp especially for an 11 year old child.

And definitely agree with you on our experience sharing. During our last trip, we paid OOP for 50's PT and between the 5 of us on that trip(me, DH, DD19, DGS11 & DGD11; we take our grandkids to Disney when they turn 11), all 5 of us shared 3 of the chicken dinners along with 2 deserts and we left happy and full. At Sci-Fi, we all shared burgers (except DH--he had one on his own), 2 orders of onion rings and the kids shared an oreo shake, again, we left happy and full with plenty of food to eat and a bill that we felt comfortable with. We used our last 2 CS credits on our departure day at DTD, WPE for lunch and then we grabbed sandwiches at Earl of Sandwich and took them to the airport and ate them there while we waited for our plane. This has now become a tradition for our family

I truly feel that if Disney is going to raise the prices for the buffets so high, they need to raise the age of children or add a jr price (like they used to have). My grandkids at 11 have very small appetites. Realizing that this is not always the case with kids. I remember when Disney had a kids price 3-9, a jr price 10-14 (I think) and then everyone 15 or older was an adult. That makes so much better sense but who am I? Just someone that loves Disney but can only afford to go if I stay at a Value resort during FD. LOL

 

[smidgy]

I wish we could get everyone to boycott the buffets. it is just ridiculous, the prices for these. ww will be staying at AKL and wanted to eat at Bomas. just can't justify the cost. we can't eat tha much in one sitting to make it worth the cost.
the prices of the buffets have gottne way out of hand.

 

[Amy&Dan]

Amy&Dan, I feel your pain! We are joining you on the boycot against the Disney buffets. And you are so right, when the waiters know that they are going to get the tip no matter what, some of them don't care what kind of service they give you. There is not one buffet that is worth the new prices. I will definitely miss Tusker House Breakfast, I think it is one of the best breakfast buffets but definitely not worth $28.75pp especially for an 11 year old child.

And definitely agree with you on our experience sharing. During our last trip, we paid OOP for 50's PT and between the 5 of us on that trip(me, DH, DD19, DGS11 & DGD11; we take our grandkids to Disney when they turn 11), all 5 of us shared 3 of the chicken dinners along with 2 deserts and we left happy and full. At Sci-Fi, we all shared burgers (except DH--he had one on his own), 2 orders of onion rings and the kids shared an oreo shake, again, we left happy and full with plenty of food to eat and a bill that we felt comfortable with. We used our last 2 CS credits on our departure day at DTD, WPE for lunch and then we grabbed sandwiches at Earl of Sandwich and took them to the airport and ate them there while we waited for our plane. This has now become a tradition for our family

I truly feel that if Disney is going to raise the prices for the buffets so high, they need to raise the age of children or add a jr price (like they used to have). My grandkids at 11 have very small appetites. Realizing that this is not always the case with kids. I remember when Disney had a kids price 3-9, a jr price 10-14 (I think) and then everyone 15 or older was an adult. That makes so much better sense but who am I? Just someone that loves Disney but can only afford to go if I stay at a Value resort during FD. LOL

Okay, we are Disney food twins separated at birth! We did the Earl of Sandwich thing for the airport too, in fact we had to do it the day before our flight since we had a very early flight. We just took the wrapped sandwiches back to POR, stuck them in the fridge and then ate them for lunch on the plane the next day. They were still delicous!

And WPE is better food than most Disney table serve places. Even off the QSDP its not a bad deal given we will share there if we are paying OOP.

The buffets I'll miss the most are 'Ohana's dinner and Cape May's breakfast. But its just so stupid to pay that much. We had 8 total people at Crystal Palace and the total bill was $405. For four adults, two ten year old's, and two teenagers. Like I said, my family's share was $202.50. Our new motto is "just say no" to a buffet or two and that leaves us money for a few ts meals we actually enjoy or even upgrading our tickets to hoppers and water parks. It takes about 2.5 buffets to equate what it costs to upgrade our tix with both options.

And I do want to clarify, not all Disney waiters/waitresses are rude. But given the price of the buffet, and the obvious fact we get our own food, I'd at least like the waiter to be friendly and come by more than once. That waiter was one of three waiters I can remember off hand that was not up to par for us at WDW and the funny thing is that he counts as two of our three since we had him a couple of years ago and he was the same way then!

 

[Tiger926]

Disney has not just increased prices. Prices increased in January by about $2-$3/person. Right now, you are under surcharge season, and so prices are higher by $4.00/adult and $2.00/child plus tax.

All Ears is frequently incorrect about menu prices. They don't change the prices often enough, so there are many errors. It looks like they have just updated their price list to include summer buffet increases, but there is only a few days left, so those prices are going to be lower very shortly, but All Ears won't change them for quite some time, as that is how they work.

Incidentally, those buffet prices do include tax.

Here is my thread from January, with prices listed: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2627843

The best way to check is by calling Disney though if you are concerned about your budget.

Hope this helps, Tiger

 

[lynn46356]

I and a friend took a Moms Only Trip to Disney this past January/February. As both my friend and I have boys we decided we'd treat ourselves to 1900 Park Fare for dinner. Well let me tell you it was not anything I'd repeat in the near future. I was even less than impressed with the dessert portion of the meal. Luckily we had free dining so we weren't paying oop for this meal. If we had, I would have been so upset with myself for booking an adr there. The characters were fun but the food.............ick!

 

[cajunprincess]

I'm usually underwhelmed by any lunch/dinner buffet. Call me picky, but I would prefer picking one thing off a menu than picking several items off a buffet that seem sort of good. I don't mind doing breakfast off of a buffet because what you can get off of a buffet is usually about the same thing you can order.

But when it comes to dinner foods, I never get my money's worth whether it's a WDW or some buffet around town. I end up trying and eating more than I want to try and find something I really like and get my money's worth out of it. Just not my thing I guess.

 

[divawife]

Am going peak season in 2012 I would love to see the buffet prices for next year.

Much thanks if you know where I can find them.

 

[Tiger926]

Am going peak season in 2012 I would love to see the buffet prices for next year.

Much thanks if you know where I can find them.

January 2012 prices should be loaded into dining computers in order to satisfy 180 day ADR window, but that is not to say that those prices will carry over into the rest of 2012.

This year, they increased all buffets by $2-$3/person in early January, and that was it, but they also had all prices listed for most of the year by end of January, so you could check on prices if need be.

Disney doesn't advertise when peak seasons are though, but you can check when you call Disney and compare the prices. I did a bunch of research, and spent considerable time on phone with Disney, and was able to figure out the peak season dates, within a few days or so. What they do is just increase the buffets by $4.00/adult and $2.00/child, and Disney dining will give you the prices including tax for your travel dates during peak season.

You can also do a check online by making a dummy ADR for CRT as that is a meal that requires prepayment, so it shows you the price online. Remember though that it includes gratuity, so the price will be higher than all other buffets. Make one for 2011 non peak or peak, and then make one for dates in 2012, and compare!

The actual best way to check on prices is to call Disney though, Tiger

 

[divawife]

Thank you! I do know for sure we are going when peak prices are in effect-Prez week in 2012. When I called to make my reservations I asked about upgrading free dining from Cs to TS for the values.

I just started another thread asking the question before I saw your answer on this thread-I am sorry!

Thanks again for your answer!

 

[Tiger926]

Thank you! I do know for sure we are going when peak prices are in effect-Prez week in 2012. When I called to make my reservations I asked about upgrading free dining from Cs to TS for the values.

I just started another thread asking the question before I saw your answer on this thread-I am sorry!

Thanks again for your answer!

Glad to be of help! I hope you can get the correct price from Disney. Remember, they will include tax for all buffets.

Best of luck, Tiger

 

[Amy&Dan]

Disney has not just increased prices. Prices increased in January by about $2-$3/person. Right now, you are under surcharge season, and so prices are higher by $4.00/adult and $2.00/child plus tax.

All Ears is frequently incorrect about menu prices. They don't change the prices often enough, so there are many errors. It looks like they have just updated their price list to include summer buffet increases, but there is only a few days left, so those prices are going to be lower very shortly, but All Ears won't change them for quite some time, as that is how they work.

Incidentally, those buffet prices do include tax.

Here is my thread from January, with prices listed: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2627843

The best way to check is by calling Disney though if you are concerned about your budget.

Hope this helps, Tiger

I am not sure where anyone said they had just increased prices. To me its about this $2-3 per year increase that when you now tack on the holiday surcharge they added a few years back, its just slowly added up through the years that I am to the point (and I think others are as well) that we can no longer justify the cost. 1900 was one I used to really enjoy but will no longer pay that price given that the meal is to me not worth over $40 per person if I am paying OOP.

But for sure prices are only increased once a year.

 

[Tiger926]

I am not sure where anyone said they had just increased prices. To me its about this $2-3 per year increase that when you now tack on the holiday surcharge they added a few years back, its just slowly added up through the years that I am to the point (and I think others are as well) that we can no longer justify the cost. 1900 was one I used to really enjoy but will no longer pay that price given that the meal is to me not worth over $40 per person if I am paying OOP.

But for sure prices are only increased once a year.

Clearly the original post in saying that All Ears had just updated the prices to $42.59, and the thread title asking about price increases, I'm pretty sure that implies that the price has just been increased. Why would All Ears update a price, if not to show a price change? There have been several other ones over the past few days since All Ears updated their website, which is ridiculous, since peak season pricing is ending. It us just causing people confusion, they should have updated that price 2 months ago.

All Ears is notorious for not keeping an updated website, and so the last time they had the price listed for 1900 PF it was during non-peak season, and did not include tax, so it probably looked much lower than the current price of $42.59. I think that's a fair assumption to make, based on the wording of the original post and the thread title.

I just wanted people to know that those are the same prices that have been on menus throughout 2011. Remember, not everyone knows how Disney increases prices, as many people still seem to be confused by the whole peak season pricing schedule. And, so many people rely on All Ears, but it really is problematic for menu pricing, IMHO.

Incidentally, sometimes they raise prices more than 1x per year. I did all of my research in January, and ate at Crystal Palace in March, just a couple of months later, and Disney had already increased the price of their buffet at the beginning of March. When I called Disney Dining, they said that they had decided to increase it again, but did not tell me the reason. So, when I came home, I updated my thread with the new price, and that is the price that is reflected on there now.

I agree that buffet prices are very high, but part of that price is an entertainment fee, and since Disney is the only place you can eat with Mickey or Donald and company, people will pay it. Plus, it forces many guests to purchase the DP too. Not sure how high is too high?

Tiger

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

Not worth it!