Surf's Up PCH Grill Character breakfast now Premium???

[auteur55]

Went to buy character dining vouchers from GetAwayToday office and they told me I would now be paying premium prices for Surf's up that it changed a few weeks ago. I called Disney reservation line to double check this and they confirmed that yes Surf's Up breakfast is now considered a Premium Dining experience. When I asked her what changed about the experience that now made it a Premium dining she said "well because Mickey Mouse is there."

I love Disney, the character dining are some of my favorite experiences in the park, but is anyone else a little tired of getting fleeced by this company. I mean there is no value being added to the experience it's a cash grab pure and simple. Not to mention my 11 yr old who practically eats nothing is somehow considered an adult.

 

[Malcon10t]

I think while the attendance was lower there, they kept the price down. Now that a lot of people have figured it out, they were able to raise the prices. Vote with your wallet. If you don't feel the experience is worth it for your family, don't do it. Personally, I prefer it over Goofy's, so to me, it is worth the money.

 

[mom2rtk]

Went to buy character dining vouchers from GetAwayToday office and they told me I would now be paying premium prices for Surf's up that it changed a few weeks ago. I called Disney reservation line to double check this and they confirmed that yes Surf's Up breakfast is now considered a Premium Dining experience. When I asked her what changed about the experience that now made it a Premium dining she said "well because Mickey Mouse is there."

I love Disney, the character dining are some of my favorite experiences in the park, but is anyone else a little tired of getting fleeced by this company. I mean there is no value being added to the experience it's a cash grab pure and simple. Not to mention my 11 yr old who practically eats nothing is somehow considered an adult.

Those 10 and 11 year old "adults" are a tough pill to swallow. If it helps, try looking at part of the price as being for the experience. Because you'll drive yourself crazy trying to justify the price otherwise.

 

[Napoleon Dynamite]

Can you tell me more about these vouchers? I'm a newbie going next month and we have a reservation for dinner at Goofy's Kitchen and breakfast with Minnie and Friends in the park.

 

[lorijohnhill]

Those 10 and 11 year old "adults" are a tough pill to swallow. If it helps, try looking at part of the price as being for the experience. Because you'll drive yourself crazy trying to justify the price otherwise.

It was really hard to swallow paying $65 for my 10 year old daughter to eat three little Mickey waffles at the Storytellers Easter brunch. And we saw three characters, yep, three.

 

[mom2rtk]

It was really hard to swallow paying $65 for my 10 year old daughter to eat three little Mickey waffles at the Storytellers Easter brunch. And we saw three characters, yep, three.

We did Storytellers once and saw 4 characters. 5 really seems to be the minimum I need to sort of feel like I'm getting value. 3 would have just made me sad.

 

[auteur55]

Can you tell me more about these vouchers? I'm a newbie going next month and we have a reservation for dinner at Goofy's Kitchen and breakfast with Minnie and Friends in the park.

Getawaytoday sells vouchers for the premium and regular character dining. So essentially you are pre-paying for them and it's a set price. The best thing about it is the tip is included in the voucher. I don't know how it compares in price but I think you come out ahead. It's also nice to pre-pay some of your Disney dining expense before you get there.

 

[auteur55]

We did Storytellers once and saw 4 characters. 5 really seems to be the minimum I need to sort of feel like I'm getting value. 3 would have just made me sad.

I've had wonderful experiences at Plaza Inn every time I've gone. Seen multiple characters and had memorable moments. It's never failed me. I've also had good experiences at Goofy's (twice) Surfs up (once) and Ariels (three times). The one place my experience was bad: Storytellers. We were there over an hour and not one character came by. No joke. Not one character. The food was also of very low quality (the mickey pancakes were gooey in the middle) and the atmosphere was dull. I finally went to the front and complained that we were done with our food and close to leaving and we haven't seen a single character. She rushed and got a few to come over but honestly the damage was kind of done. All the money they charge for a 7 yr old to eat a tiny bit of food it's just unacceptable to me for that to happen. I'll never go back to Storytellers. Why would I when I can have a genuinely spontaneous and memorable experience in actual Disneyland eating at Plaza Inn where they seem to always have it together.

I also completely get Goofy's and Ariels being Premium. You get better quality food and at Ariel's you get to have time with 5 princess's and they do a little show and a big presentation. As much as I like Surf's Up I don't get why it's premium. It's a pretty generic buffet and the characters are often second tier like Disney Jr and so forth. Not sure how they are justifying this additional cost.

 

[goooof1]

Storyteller's characters are lesser known, but the times we have gone we have seen 5 and the food has been a much better quality than the other buffets.

 

[Malcon10t]

Yes, for food, we rank it 1. Storytellers, 2. Surf's Up, 3. Goofys and 4th Minnies. For characters, it is Surf's Up, Goofy's, Storytellers, and Minnies. But I have never had a bad experience with characters at Storytellers. (We have at Minnie's, more than once.)

As for money, I just remember we are paying for an experience.

 

[mom2rtk]

Storyteller's characters are lesser known, but the times we have gone we have seen 5 and the food has been a much better quality than the other buffets.

If they really had a handful of lesser known characters, I would do it every trip. But it seems like 4 characters is pretty common, and of those 2 are typically Chip and Dale, who are also present at Goofy's Kitchen and Plaza Inn. Just not worth doing Storyteller's for that (IMO).

 

[agamble]

I don't feel the vouchers are a good deal. They seem to be much more expensive than the actual price. I know they include tax and tip, but they still seem high. And the price the show them worth is not true. If you call the Disney Dine line they will tell you how much the meals cost.

We haven't done Surf's Up partly because I can see all of those characters in the parks so I see no reason to go to a hotel to eat breakfast with them. If they're going to make it a Premium experience then they should probably improve the food because the menu sounds similar to Minnie's and Storyteller's. We have done Storyteller's and it was alright. Much more convenient hotel and 3 of the characters were unique. We'll be doing Minnie's for the third time as it is in Disneyland and includes a wide variety of characters. It's fun for the kids, and my husband, but I went back and forth on whether I even wanted to do it because it is pricey for breakfast, which we typically eat in the room. We're going later in the morning so it can count for lunch.

ETA: The price of Minnie's is currently $32 for an adult and the voucher is only $38, so if you don't have an AP it may be a good deal since it includes tax and tip. It's not a huge savings though as a %15 percent tip puts you around $7.50 with tax and tip and a 20% tip is about $9 total. I will say that Minnie's no one serves you anything. Though they do clear your plates. So you save $1.50-$3 by buying a voucher. Definitely not worth it if you have an AP. They claim the voucher is worth $51. Goofy's Kitchen is only $36 for breakfast though and the voucher is $47, so it is not worth it for breakfast. Maybe for dinner since dinner costs $39.

 

[GatorChris]

I love Disney, the character dining are some of my favorite experiences in the park, but is anyone else a little tired of getting fleeced by this company. I mean there is no value being added to the experience it's a cash grab pure and simple. Not to mention my 11 yr old who practically eats nothing is somehow considered an adult.

Great! More reasons for people not to go. That place is usually half empty. Not it will be 3/4 empty with these higher prices. Cash grab.

It was really hard to swallow paying $65 for my 10 year old daughter to eat three little Mickey waffles at the Storytellers Easter brunch. And we saw three characters, yep, three.

Yeah, this place is lousy. When we went back at the end of 2015, we got 4 characters. First we got Meeko, Chip and Dale (again). We really wanted Kenai because we're Brother Bear fans. We waited 75 minutes in there and then had to ask. And it was like a drive-by character M&G. Add in the fact that this place seems dull and dreary as a character meal, plus the food was not great, and this place is off my list for good.

What I'd love is to see a lot less of Chip and Dale at all the character meals, and maybe have a few more add in a character lunch or dinner.

 

[Malcon10t]

Great! More reasons for people not to go. That place is usually half empty. Not it will be 3/4 empty with these higher prices. Cash grab.

Actually, I have found it difficult to get in. In fact, for this weekend, there is only 1 time slot open on Sat (710am, nothing later) and Sunday is booked completely. I can get reservations for 5/27.