Tired of paying $100+ for meals

[PamNC]

Is anyone else tired of paying $100+ for nice, full-service meals at Disney? I thought I'd never say this, and it's not that we don't have the money. But, my husband and I have noticed that to go to the nicer restaurants at Disney like Artist Pointe, California Grille, Yachtsman Steakhouse, Narcoosees - it typically costs $100+ - which I find ridiculous. I can remember when these meals were about $75-$80 - and it wasn't that long ago and we are ordering the same amount and type of food. We usually split a dessert - and we may get one glass of wine each or one beer. Maybe.

We go every year and since we've hit all the restaurants we want to hit - and believe me I love the Disney restaurants - we're to the point where we are considering eating off-site for some/most meals OR trying the Fort Wilderness Cabins so we can cook our own meals. We usually stay at a deluxe resort so the cabins wouldn't be any more expensive - in fact...cheaper.

I dont' mind paying for park hoppers or AP's - they are worth the price. And, the resorts are wonderful and although I never pay rack rate...I don't mind paying $200-$230 a night for a great resort. But, $100+ for sit down meals is making me nuts! We use to budget $100 a day for food - and now it's more like $150.

I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on this and if you aren't into paying $100 for a nice meal - what do you do instead?

Thanks.

PamNC

 

[madalex]

Thoughts on this topic: I'm not tired of paying this amount for the high end meals at WDW. One of my favorite things about WDW is the wonderful dining experiences available there. I have had some of the best meals of my life at places like Jiko, Citrico's and Flying Fish. For those types of experiences, $100 does not seem (to me) to be an unusually high cost.

For the most part, prices for food at the nicer Disney restaurants seem to be about what I would expect for such fine dining. Wine list prices are a bit higher than I would like, but I believe the food is priced appropriately.

 

[CarolA]

I don't find the top drawer Disney resturants that much more expensive then those here in my home town. So I guess it does not bother me.

That said I only eat at one of them or so a trip. I just don't want that many large sit down meals. Part of that may be that I travel a lot so eating out is not a big deal for me.

 

[allforpooh]

PamNC,

We also enjoy eating at some of the nicer dine in places, and rarely eat for under $100.00. But we are seeing this everywhere not just at Disney World. We just went out the other night to a little Tappas place where we live and the bill came to about $110.00 dollars. Also when we went to San Diego last year for spring break we went to what we thought would be medium range place, it was seafood the service was horrible and the food was average- it ended up costing about $125.00 - not worth it...

I also think when we go to places like that we tend to drink and eat more then we normally would. Drinks can be very expensive, but so can that appetizer....

Since we normally do not go out to the nicer places on a regular basis, we consider that part of the overall vacation experience. We have also always felt that most of the time it was worth every penny.

Denise

 

[GEM]

I also think that the nicer restaurants at Disney are pretty much in line with what we would pay for comparable meals around here. Heck, DH and I had dinner at Red Lobster last night (certainly nothing fancy) and it was almost $70. I actually think the restaurant prices are pretty reasonable, when you consider where you are and what you are getting. And, yes, we tend to eat lots of big sit-down meals at WDW. That's part of the fun for us!

 

[disney4us2002]

It seems as though you are speaking of just two of you? We don't typically go to those types of places at Disney. With our family of 5, just going to a char dinner, or even a nicer restaurant is over $100. Our last trip we spent nearly $1400 on just food - that is more than two months worth of groceries!! We try not to think about the cost, lol. I'm on vacation so I'm not cooking it at least.

 

[PamNC]

Thanks for the replies. This is an interesting thread. By the way, it is just the two of us. Say a year ago, I would have answered just as you guys have. We love the dining experiences at Disney. I live in NC - and we can go out for a nice meal, very nice meal for $50-$70. I've never spent $100 on a meal around here. So I'm thinking where you live makes a difference based on what you're use to paying.

Now, you guys are right, when you're on vacation you tend to splurge on desserts, appetizers, drinks and the like. I don't want to totally eliminate Disney restaurant experiences, but I do want to cut it back.

I can't help it - I'm still struggling with this $100+.....

Anyone else?

PamNC

 

[crisi]

We find it to be very reasonable and on par with what we pay at home (Twin Cities) for similar dining.

We find the second tier dining (the World Showcase restaurants, for instance) to be bargains. We fed six of us (four adults, two preschoolers) for $170 pretty consistantly with dessert and appetizers, tax and tip.

We've dropped $70 at an Outback Steakhouse.

 

[DisneyAddict_M]

I've never eaten at a sit-down restaurant at Disney. I'd rather spend my money on something other than food. I'm not cheap, I'm frugal.

 

[kfeuer]

Coming from a different perspective, yes the price of meals does bother me. We went last September for a very special trip--it was our children's first visit to Disney and our 10th anniversary. We normally live very frugally, but we had saved enough money to be able to eat at some of the nicer restaurants. For the most part, we didn't feel like it was worth it. We went to Artist Point for our anniversary and were kind of disappointed. The food was good, but the portions were so small for what they charged (i.e. we got a venison eggroll as an appetizer...they bring out these two tiny eggrolls about the diameter of your finger and they cost around $12-ouch!) My DH was actually still hungry when we left the restaurant, and our tab was $80 with no alcohol or dessert. Sorry, but if I pay more for one meal then I normally spend for a week's worth of groceries no one should leave the table hungry

Also, the cost of kid's meals was appalling--$7.99 for grilled cheese and fries?

I've always said I don't want to cook on vacation, but I also don't want to feel ripped off. Next time I will bring more food with us and we're only going to one or two nicer restaurants. It'll be better for our waistlines, too--I made an effort not to overeat yet still gained 7 pounds on that trip

 

[Belle5]

Of course I hate paying it! But we have found that the prices for groceries or just eating out has gone up significantly for us over the past few years. My grocery budget is $1,600 a month. (Includes all sundries.) Just 2 years ago it was $1,100 per month. (Part of the increase is having 3 teen aged boys.) Dining out locally used to run us about $50 for an inexpensive sit down meal. That same meal is running us $65 this year. Meals at WDW that were $150 for us a couple of years back are now running at least $200. We are just saving longer to be able to go! We are so spoiled by our WDW dining habits that it's just not the same if we don't eat well. We'll just be patient, I guess. I don't think WDW is different that the local places with the price hikes. Our family easily can drop $175-$200 at the local Bahama Breeze! Most of our WDW dining experience are more "special" than that restaurant.

 

[ILoveMyDVC]

Yes, yes, yes!!!
The prices are ridiculously high compared to restaurants in my state. I think the cost of living factor should be considered in the replies you receive. If you live in New York or San Francisco, the prices will not be high in comparison.
Also, in many cases, we're not talking about gourmet food- especially at the buffets.
At least Disney has changed the age of eligibility for the children's rate. I couldn't stomach paying $24.00 (w/o a drink and before taxes and tip) for a 10 year old to eat a slice of mini pizza and some mac and cheese at Cape May Cafe (no characters).

 

[ceecee]

We normally don't get appetizers or dessert (just too much food!) we also don't drink. I think the entree prices are inline to our prices or maybe a tad bit higher at our local nice sit down places. I do however agree with the above poster (not just at WDW but everywhere) have a problem with paying $5.99-7.99 for a kid's meal (nuggets and fries).

 

[Local_Girl]

We're frugal too! With 2 children and limited disposable income, we rarely do expensive meals, in our hometown or elsewhere. We "splurged" and did Hoop De Doo, 'Ohana, and Garden Grill (for CP) on our last trip to WDW. We prefer to stay offsite in a villa, eating in several times, lunch picnics occasionally, and otherwise eat mostly counterservice meals. In my opinion, eating a big sit down meal once or twice a every day (at WDW) is just two much...too much food and too much $$$, LOL!!

We would rather have a longer trip, get more inclusive park tickets, and have $$ to do other things, than spend money daily on expensive meals. Just my .02!

 

[PamNC]

it's not just me. Now I'm seeing that there are others out there who have trouble with $100+ for a nice meal. I was beginning to feel "weird." But, honestly, I use to feel the same way - that the WDW dining experience was worth the extra $$. And it is worth extra $$ - just not double. And, absolutely where you live makes a big difference. The cost of living in Western NC is quite reasonable. That's one reason I love it here so much.

Has anyone thought about staying at the cabins in order to save food $$ - we are considering trying it. Also, we love FW and we're quite the outdoor enthusiasts so it suits us.

I think I would like to have say two nice WDW dinners out, and maybe one breakfast ( I love the Kona cafe) and eat in or off-property otherwise. We could try this and if we hate it - don't do it again.

We do love Beaches & Cream at the Beach Club...certainly not on par with restaurants like Citricos, California Grille, etc...but great food at a good bargain. Ohana is also a good value for all the food you get.

I agree with the poster that said a meal that costs the same as a week's worth of groceries should NOT equal leaving the table hungry. Our grocery bill is about $150 a week for the two of us and that's being quite liberal with what we buy.

This is interesting...keep it coming.

PamNC

 

[mtblujeans]

You should be able to feel good about what you are spending at the resort. After all, it is a "family vacation place". You are on a vacation so you should be able to spluge a little. BUT, when you are staying on-site and using only Disney transporation, you should be able to feel good about the whole experience - including what you spend for meals and if you are leaving the place content or not! I always try to keep in mind that some things are more expensive because they are a money-making industry. But, if you are noticing that the prices are continuing to go up, perhaps it is time to write to Disney and express your concerns. You, as a Consumer, are certainly entitled to your opinion of what you are consuming and they should welcome your input. You are probably not the only Consumer expressing this concern, either!

 

[PattiPB]

I agree with the comments about it being relative to where you live, but for another reason besides price. Where I live, we have a TON of the themed restaurants (Rainforest, Hard Rock, etc.), so they are not a novelty to us when we visit Florida. If we eat at those places here, it is either 1) because of guests in town or 2) NV resident specials (2 for 1, coupons).

We generally prefer to spend our money elsewhere (tickets, souvies, longer trip) than on dining. The WDW fine dining we have done has been great, but definitely the exception and not the rule for us!

Put me on the "$100 is overkill" side of this camp!

 

[frannn]

When we go out to dinner, we go to a good diner. It will cost 10-16. for a full dinner (not including appetizer). I have been to nicer places for company christmas parties, firehouse parties, etc, and don't feel the need to spend that kind of $ on a regular basis. DH, DD1 and I go out to dinner on Sat night, then the whole family (including other two DDs) order in on Sunday. In WDW, we definetly spend more on food, as we do character meals and sometimes Rainforest Cafe. We haven't done Citrico's or anything similar because we enjoy the character meals more. From what I'm reading here, it seems as if those meals are meal expensive than the character ones. If I am ever rich, or on a special WDW meal plan, I will try all the wonderful sit down dining choices WDW has to offer. Now, that is not the biggest priority for us. I don't mind the not-so-fast food the counter service places have to offer in the parks and resorts anyway (Just keep me away from the burgers and chicken fingers type stuff-ewwww!)

 

[barbeml]

Since I am from New Jersey, I am immune to sticker shock.

On our first two trips to WDW together, DH and I had very ambitious lists of "must do" restaurants, so we wound up having three sit-down meals per day. That caused "big meal fatigue" to set in quite early. Once we decided that WDW could be an annual thing, we felt less pressure to squeeze in all those big meals.

Now, we like to mix it up and we have had some mighty tasty counter service meals (lower prices and no big tip to factor in). We have experimented with small breakfast-big lunch-small supper combos, and the like. Also, so many portions at WDW are HUGE, and we have learned to share! We definitely spent a bit less on food last year, even though we tried just about everything at F&W.

We are most interested in having tasty meals and trying new cuisines, and less focused on ambience. Counter service in Morocco was one of our favorites last time.

This year we hope to take DH's brother with us, and he is in a completely different financial position, so we are going to be very creative with our meal plans in order to stay within hbis budget. I look forward to the challenge!

Also, we enjoy our wine and cocktails, but they sure do add a ton of $$ to the restaurant tab (AND your tips go up proportionately), so we usually bring a couple of bottles for our room.

Barbe

 

[disney4us2002]

I didn't even pay attention to the OP's name, PamNC, as in North Carolina, lol. Now I understand. My in-laws live in a tiny eastern town in NC and I am constantly shocked when we go to dinner there and the tab is sooooo low! We went once to this little diner for breakfast before the drive back to Maryland and for 8 of us the bill was less than $30 - I still talk about that one, obviously! I think the breakfast special was 2 eggs, a meat, toast/biscuit, grits or fried potatoes and coffee for $2.49. I wish we could experience those prices where I live or in Disney!