Sorry Disney, I Can't Eat On-site

[ElliBelle]

I'm not judging you in any way, but reading your post made me very thankful that I wasn't made aware of WDW's food prices and/or my mom's vacation budget when I was 13. It may have made me feel bad about actually wanting to eat in even the most frugal of restaurants. My mom usually just had a plan & we stuck to it. I can't imagine a child having to worry about a parent's very limited food budget on vacation. It might not phase some kids, but it could really stress & worry others.

I have to agree. as a child I would have been very worried and as a parent I choose not to burden my son with the details of vacation meals. He learns responsibility by saving for his own souvenirs and small gifts to take home for friends but having to be concerned about food prices? Never! I'm making memories on vacation not teaching economics. We have stayed value, mod and deluxe, done a dining plan, no plan, deluxe plan and stayed concierge. he has the good sense to know that Disney is special and what is a truly special experience. Chick fil a will not enter into our Disney vacations.

 

[HunnyJar]

I'm not judging you in any way, but reading your post made me very thankful that I wasn't made aware of WDW's food prices and/or my mom's vacation budget when I was 13. It may have made me feel bad about actually wanting to eat in even the most frugal of restaurants. My mom usually just had a plan & we stuck to it. I can't imagine a child having to worry about a parent's very limited food budget on vacation. It might not phase some kids, but it could really stress & worry others.

My son is like that. When we eat out with his grandfather he always looks for the most inexpensive item on the menu because he knows how expensive some items can be. His papa is always telling him to just order what he wants and ignore the price, but he will stress about it. I couldn't imagine looking at menu prices with him while we plan out our WDW trip.

 

[maxiesmom]

You're going to either be starving or wasting a lot of time traveling back and forth from your resort to the parks.

I wouldn't get the dining plan but I would seriously consider eating at the parks in some manner, even counter service. Is it worth wasting 2 hours traveling back and forth to your hotel to eat a meal and save $10? I mean Counter Service meals are only like $8 per person.

That is what I was thinking. You are wasting a lot of time 'buzzing' back and forth. And by the time you add in the cost of gas, how much money are you really saving?

I know Disney meals are not cheap. But I pay more for a pop and popcorn at the movie theater. There is no way I would waste precious park time leaving to go eat off site all of the time.

 

[mhawk4]

I have to agree. as a child I would have been very worried and as a parent I choose not to burden my son with the details of vacation meals. He learns responsibility by saving for his own souvenirs and small gifts to take home for friends but having to be concerned about food prices? Never! I'm making memories on vacation not teaching economics. We have stayed value, mod and deluxe, done a dining plan, no plan, deluxe plan and stayed concierge. he has the good sense to know that Disney is special and what is a truly special experience. Chick fil a will not enter into our Disney vacations.

We are not big food people so a special meal or two at Disney works well for our family. My husband and girls would rather go on rides and see shows than to sit and eat a meal.

I know it works differently for different families. Our daughters are 9 and we do discuss finances with them, even vacation finances. They know what things cost. We want them to have the best in life but we also want them to be aware of financial decisons and how they impact our life. Instead of making it restrictive we talk about choices such as we can either spend our money on X or we can use it for A, B, and C and how to weigh the pros and cons.

We own a DVC and on our last trip we ate breakfast in our room (we had groceries delivered) and packed cut up apples, power bars, yogurts, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. We then chose certain special character and princess lunches on a few days. Other days we would pick special desserts or treats. I don't feel like they missed out on anything and I think they would agree.

Even where we live is a choice. Our girls understand that we could have bought a large home and they would have had own bedrooms but because we wanted them to have the best education we chose a smaller house and they share a bedroom.

So for us talking to our children about finances even vacation finances is what works well for our family.

 

[BriarRosie]

I'm on the side of the OP, and here's why.

He's a DVC owner staying in a 1 bedroom. He's fully prepared to have some meals in the villa. And, being a DVC owner, he takes more trips to WDW than most non-DVC owners, or buying DVC would have been a horrible value for him.

So whether he drives offsite for food or not is not an issue. He's clearly not a "commando tourist" who must maximize park time. As a DVC owner myself, I don't do that, either.

Disney clearly offered the dining plan and Magical Express to keep guests on property and keep their spending money on property. There's no disputing that. I do agree that some dining prices are NOT justified, especially the holiday surcharges. You rarely see me at buffets nowadays, even before the surcharges.

Do I rent a car or go offsite? Nope. I am a big fan of eating at my favorite places at Disney. Often that will be appetizers, drinks and dessert at a signature restaurant. That's why I prefer Tables in Wonderland over DDP. And it works for me because I'm single with no kids, so I can spend more for my meals without feeling a big pinch. If I had a husband and kids, I'd probably want to make some meals in my villa, too.

So I say, go for it if you want to avoid the full service restaurants and eat at the occasional counter service places.

 

[lugnut33]

I'm kind of shocked how some posters are implying that we don't have the money to eat at WDW, not sure where that came from. Ummm, that's totally not the case, we could eat every meal at a signature restaurant if we so choose. Matter of fact, I'm more interested in trying signature restaurants than table service. Trust me, we already have our flights paid, we have our AP's paid for 3 trips ago, and our DVC villa is already paid for.

Briar Rose touched on a lot of it. As the years have passed we have changed from a commando type family to a more laid back family. We are not going to stay in the parks during the midday heat of an August day. We are not going to go spend big bucks on a breakfast buffet when we can eat cereal at the dining tabe together.

Yes, we will eat some counter service in the parks, but I have a hard time justifying the cost of those sitdown restaurants. That's really what it comes down to, the cost of the meal for what you get. We have ate at many many table service restaurants through the years and the prices keep going up, especially when you times it by 4.

And heading off-site is not that hard, especially now that i'm learning the roads down there. I would bet I can get to an off-site restaurant faster than most here can take a bus to a hotel restaurant. For example if one was going from the Magic Kingdom to Yachtsman Steakhouse at the Yacht Club.

 

[KigerKat]

I'm not judging you in any way, but reading your post made me very thankful that I wasn't made aware of WDW's food prices and/or my mom's vacation budget when I was 13. It may have made me feel bad about actually wanting to eat in even the most frugal of restaurants. My mom usually just had a plan & we stuck to it. I can't imagine a child having to worry about a parent's very limited food budget on vacation. It might not phase some kids, but it could really stress & worry others.

I have to disagree with this. There is a big difference between not being able to afford something and trying to teach your children to be frugal. My niece was raised this way, and she has no understanding of money at 18 years old. She thinks she can just order anything she wants, appetizer, expensive entree, and dessert and not finishing any of it - it doesn't matter, because she's not paying for it.

On the other hand, my mother taught me the value of money when I was younger and pointed out the inflated prices a lot of restaurants charge. I was able to enjoy a meal out without it costing an arm and a leg for my parents.

I really don't think money would be an issue if such a large family with APs and DVC - they are just trying to save a few dollars where they can. It looks like OP was just trying to show their daughter just how overpriced some theme park restaurants are, and not saying they couldn't afford to eat there.

 

[TangaroaTiki]

Once I'm in the 'bubble', I'm not leaving until the Magical Express forces me back to the airport

 

[smiths02]

Totally understand the OP. I talk about money with my child as well...he is 4, but even at that age, he has to understand that we can't have everything and some things are a trade off.

But unlike OP, we don't even take a vacation every year. We generally like to go big or go home (plus my DH just will not take time off work-he was military, now law enforcement and he is just always too busy). We could go to Disney twice a year if we dropped down for a long weekend and stayed offiste or in a value room and brought our own food or ate outside the park, but I just don't want to do that on vacation. Maybe it is b/c I grew up near Disneyland (but poor) and remember eating our bagged lunches in the "prison yard" area they made you eat in if you brought your own food

I think that for the places we choose, the surcharge is worth it for a family going once every 2-3 years. And I am sure Disney caters more to that and prices accordingly. We also love Medieval Times, and will pay the premium to go there nce or twice a year (although I always get B1G1 Free coupons). I would compare Disney restaurants to something like Medieval Times or Rainforest Cafe rather than Chik-Fil-A or Applebees

 

[TDC Nala]

I refuse to get a rental car (too expensive) but I don't think I'd leave a park to go get Chick Fil-A. Not that concerned about the cost for CS and I think most of Disney's CS is better than Chick Fil-A. (Can you tell I'm not all that crazy about Chick Fil-A.) I also believe the cost is not THAT much less than Disney CS. It's a lot cheaper than Disney TS though, and a lot of the Disney TS aren't so good anymore. I won't touch the buffets now.

But I do have some local friends who have been driving me offsite for dinner lately (better deals and better food than Disney TS). If they did not drive me, I would be paying enough for the car that it would negate any savings on the food, and then I couldn't get any wine with dinner because I'd have to drive back anyway.

I don't like the dining plan, so I don't use it.

Don't think the OP is saying he thinks WDW restaurants are too expensive - I think he'd pay for them if he thought they were good quality. But a lot of them are not worth the money anymore, plus they're so crowded with those who have already prepaid their meals you just can't walk up and get a table in many instances, so if you've got the car anyway, and you're not into commando touring, why not eat elsewhere? Some of the locals I know won't eat in the parks at all anymore. They stop and eat somewhere else before arriving.

It's not just the food anymore either, I had what I thought was a tasty lunch at the Cantina de San Angel, had no quarrel with the food at all - but the eating area was an unbelievable mess. You had to wipe down your table yourself with a napkin because it took forever for the staff to do it. And the floor was horrible.

 

[ccgirl]

I'm not judging you in any way, but reading your post made me very thankful that I wasn't made aware of WDW's food prices and/or my mom's vacation budget when I was 13. It may have made me feel bad about actually wanting to eat in even the most frugal of restaurants. My mom usually just had a plan & we stuck to it. I can't imagine a child having to worry about a parent's very limited food budget on vacation. It might not phase some kids, but it could really stress & worry others.

Actually, I disagree with you here. I talk about money with my DD8. I want her to learn the value of a dollar. I have her help me to do he food shopping and stick within the budget. She is not stressed or worried at all as we have been doing this for a couple of years. As a matter of fact, she'll go to stores and say things like, "this is such a rip off and not worth it." Conversely, her friend that was never taught the value of a dollar will say, "just put it on the card."

 

[POOHsie]

I have previously read here on the DisBoards (I think the Budget Board) that you can order just the entree item from a CS restaurant. You are not obligated to buy the platter as described on the menu board. If you want a hamburger or sandwich ONLY, you can order it at an a la carte price. The CS menu board will not have entree-only prices posted, nevertheless, you can do this.

 

[mhawk4]

Actually, I disagree with you here. I talk about money with my DD8. I want her to learn the value of a dollar. I have her help me to do he food shopping and stick within the budget. She is not stressed or worried at all as we have been doing this for a couple of years. As a matter of fact, she'll go to stores and say things like, "this is such a rip off and not worth it." Conversely, her friend that was never taught the value of a dollar will say, "just put it on the card."

I do the same thing with my daughters. They know how to tell the price per pound of an item.

Last summer they kept asking to go to the ice cream truck after swimming lessons each day. I told them we could have it as a treat every once in a while but for the three of us to get ice cream would cost $9 a day. We worked together to find out how much it would cost a week if we all bought ice cream every day ($45) and then we went to the grocery store and bought $45 worth of ice cream, pops, bars, etc. We ate them all summer long and well into the fall. We even had plenty to share when friends came over. They thought it was fun and they had a lot of choices all summer long.

 

[xipetotec]

Just planning our itineraries for a 10 night trip at the end of August and I am having trouble pulling the trigger on any meals inside WDW due to the cost of said meal. We will have a car and a kitchen in our DVC and that is another reason why I can't see us eating meals on-site.

Heck, me and my 13 year old were looking at making a reservation and even she decided it is too expensive to eat at the parks. When we looked eating at the Sci-fi, even with out Tables In Wonderland card, we just couldn't justify the price considering we can buzz off property (while heading back to the room for our afternoon break) and grab some Chick-fil-a or something like that. It's not like the food is that good at the Sci-fi. Other than Boma, I've been disappointed in our buffet meals lately

Anyways, I'm not sure we'll eat more than one meal on-site the whole time we are there.

We usually get the basic dining plan. it works for us because we have breakfast in our DVC kitchen, then we get lunch and dinner in WDW.

 

[raysmom]

We have ate on the dining plan when when had to pay for it and when it used to be free even for a value resort
but to be honest the last few times we went to Disney and prob every time now since unless its free we will budget in a few of our favorite sit down places and eat on site

we get AMAZING deals on tickets now so we already save almost 100 a person on tickets and since we dont do the package any longer we usually get an amazing room only discount last time we stayed in POP for under 300 for the week

with all these saving we actually come out cheaper by budgeting in one disney snack per day each and a sit down if we wish sometimes we do all counters for a day We grab and go breakfast and pack packets for drinks. we love the dining experince at Disney but unless its free and even when it is free our deals we get are better since to get the dining plan u usually pay rack rate for tickets and hotel
.

 

[lugnut33]

I'm sorry, but I just saw the premium pricing at Chef Mickey's and it just reinforces my opinion. At $ 42.59 (before tip) per person, and since we are all considered adults, our bill would come out over $200 for 4 people with tip.

Sorry, that is totally not worth it, I don't care if it is a Character meal. The #1 reason for us to eat there is the food, and last time we did it I didn't think it was that great. I remember flinching at the $145 price. I'd rather spend 10% more and eat at California Grill.

Orrrr, I can swing by the Hess gas station by DTD and pick up two large pizzas and pop and it'll cost under $25.

 

[MelissathePooh]

I'm sorry, but I just saw the premium pricing at Chef Mickey's and it just reinforces my opinion. At $ 42.59 (before tip) per person, and since we are all considered adults, our bill would come out over $200 for 4 people with tip.

Sorry, that is totally not worth it, I don't care if it is a Character meal. The #1 reason for us to eat there is the food, and last time we did it I didn't think it was that great. I remember flinching at the $145 price. I'd rather spend 10% more and eat at California Grill.

Orrrr, I can swing by the Hess gas station by DTD and pick up two large pizzas and pop and it'll cost under $25.

The OOP prices basically force you into the DDP. We were there for a couple of days in January and our kids both had a particular place they wanted to go. Since we hadn't been in a while we said okay and managed get ADR's. Once we priced everything out it was ridiculous not to get the dining plan consider what all it covered. Would we normally have eaten that much - no, but 2 character buffets (CM and CP) and it was basically paid for

I have no problem going off property to eat - there are some really good places right by AKL. I can see if you don't have a car or don't go very often, but for people who go several times a year - year after year, its really starting to set in just how expensive it is for mediocre quality in many cases. I do not agree that cs at Disney is not much more than a regular fast food chain. $8 burgers before the $2+ drink??? Tacos were $9.99 and $10.99 in the Mexican pavillion - before drinks. Did we get that on the meal plan - heck yeah. Would I pay OOP for it other wise - no way.

I know its just my opinion, but the dining plan has just been toxic for Disney as a dining destination. For many of us - Disney really was a dining destination. That was a solid part of our vacation. Now its a chore to get the stinkin reservation half a year in advance watch to see the menu circle the toilet and then decide how much we're willing to pay for the same mass produced stuff in 10 different places.

We have a handful of old favorites that we're desparately trying to hang on to, but even they're losing appeal.

 

[TDC Nala]

They're not forcing me into DDP - I have just stopped attending any Disney buffets.

Tacos were $9.99 and $10.99 in the Mexican pavillion - before drinks.

I had the chicken taco platter - 3 chicken tacos, lots of chips and pico de gallo. Worth the price. I didn't see the need for the dining plan to eat this. Don't need to buy a drink - it's free to get a cup of water. Don't need a dessert, either. It's a good bit of food.

I googled Chick Fil A. Sandwich, $2.75. Yes, that's much cheaper if the sandwich is all you want. Add fries and a drink and you're looking at close to the same price as the taco platter, but you had to leave the park to get it.

 

[photobob]

Once I'm in the 'bubble', I'm not leaving until the Magical Express forces me back to the airport

Me too, and I drive so I have a car available! We too are DVC members and we usually have a snack bfast in the room, a TS lunch at the park we are at that morning and a sandwich in the room for dinner.

 

[d-r]

They're not forcing me into DDP - I have just stopped attending any Disney buffets.



I had the chicken taco platter - 3 chicken tacos, lots of chips and pico de gallo. Worth the price. I didn't see the need for the dining plan to eat this. Don't need to buy a drink - it's free to get a cup of water. Don't need a dessert, either. It's a good bit of food.

I googled Chick Fil A. Sandwich, $2.75. Yes, that's much cheaper if the sandwich is all you want. Add fries and a drink and you're looking at close to the same price as the taco platter, but you had to leave the park to get it.

Those tacos are pretty good, but man for 12 bucks you can get the papacita macho grande platter at most any mexican restaurant out in the real world. Sure, you don't get to hunt for a table outside in epcot, but somebody will come a fill up your tea. Throw in a $7 cup of Dos X and your pushing 20 bucks.

Here's a fun experiment. After a few days of eating on property, go over to Miller's ale house. The size of the menu, the size of the servings, the quality and the price will absolutely amaze you after a few days at disney world.