Wow Disney buffets are expensive

[crisi]

They aren't that much different than here in the Twin Cities either. I did some menu comparisions awhile back, and I'll pay about $1 more at Disney for an entree, maybe $1-2 for dessert. Alcohol is more expensive at Disney by quite a bit (cheap on DCL though).

We've been to Old Country Buffet, and while I don't like Disney buffets, at least its edible. I find Disney buffets price and quality to be comparible to the buffets I've been served at Easter Brunch at the club, or Mother's Day brunch at a hotel.

 

[Chuck S]

Mom & I ate in San Antonio the other day, a counter service French restaurant. You order and pay, they bring the food to you. Our total food was 1 sandwich with pasta side salad, 2 cups of potato soup and 1 petite ceasar salad. No beverages. Total, $19.70 for the two of us. Considering the quantity and quality, Disney is a little pricey, but NOT extremely overpriced. BTW, they closed all of our local Golden Corrals after repeated and severe health violations...so give me Disney anyday.

 

[Suzanne74]

Out japanese restaurant here near DC is MORE expensive then the one in World Showcase and isn't as authentic. I also feel the same way about some of the other restaurants. We ate at Rose & Crown. We shared an appetizer, both had great entrees and drank a beer each. dd had her kids meals. The bill came to $54 with tip. I thought that was reasonable and we had a great view of Illuminations!!

 

[LAWalz23]

Have to agree with those who say WDW buffets are not outrageously priced when compared to home. I always figure that $5 is the entertainment fee so it is atually very reasonable. I also agree that Trails End is great!

 

[marriedmarylander]

About being priced higher for characters... Some buffets without characters are the same price as the ones with characters.. Like LLT is about $23 and H&V at MGM is $23 and had no characters.

 

[Emily and Jack's Dad]

We had Chef Mickey Breakfast Buffet and it was better than I was expecting. The best part was the fresh orange juice. The rest of the food was typical, but I was expecting a lower quality of food than what was offered. Fruits, eggs, bacon/sausage, pancakes, waffles, cereal and even lox. For $19/adult it was not bad. We stayed long enough for two tours of all the characters and my 2 yr old DD truly loved it. I don't know if dinner would be worth the price though, but again, my daughter loved it.

 

[snowy76]

on our last trip unless it was counter service it was buffet or all-you-care-to-eat meals... we just prefer them... but we also combine meals and go to a late breakfast seating and call it "brunch" (and then skip lunch) or a late lunch/early dinner seating and call it "lupper" (again, eliminating a meal)... we find we get our money's worth, it reduces the amount of time we spend in restaurants and the kids can always find something they like and dh and i have never been dissatisfied... of course, there's always the extra perk of the characters or the princesses visiting too!

I usually get strange looks when I talk about "lupper" Glad to find a kindred spirit! I also occasionally refer to "linner..."

 

[Forever42]

I usually get strange looks when I talk about "lupper" Glad to find a kindred spirit! I also occasionally refer to "linner..."

We always call it "linner"

 

[cra-z-4-dizney]

On our last trip, DH told me that next time I'm planning to only include buffets or other all you can eat restaurants. He figures if we're going to pay that much for food, he wants to be able to control the quantity. I guess he has a point - any other sitdown restaurant costs at least as much as the buffets, and you only get one item/plateful for the same amount of money. So I guess we'll do a lot of Chef Mickey's, Boma, O'Hanas, Crystal Palace... this isn't sounding bad!

My DH says the same thing...if we are going to pay that much for a meal anyway, you might as well have it be all you can eat, then you know you will be full afterwards. They really are worth it.

 

[WillCAD]

I eat at one of several buffets in the Baltimore area about once a week; either Golden Corale, Cactus Willies, Old Country Buffet, or smaller non-chain Chinese buffets with names like Best Buffet. All of them are between $9 and $12, and the quality of the food ranges from average to pretty good.

My experience with the Disney buffets has been that mostly the food is a little better than the places at home, but not so much better that the food alone would be worth twice as much. And there are some exceptions:

Lunch at Biergarten was not bad but no better than I could have gotten at one of the buffets at home.

Dinner at Crystal Palace was chaos; the character interaction was the best, but the food was mediocre at best, and the buffet looked like a war zone. I was hesitant to put some of that stuff on my plate because the parents were letting 5-year olds go to the buffet unescorted and playing in the food like Richard Dreyfus in Close Encounters (This means something... this is important!)

Lunch at Trail's End was excellent; simple food, not a lot of selections at lunch, but very well-prepared and the buffet was clean and neat.

Boma and Chef Mickeys were both excellent the last couple of times I ate there. Although Chef Mickey's buffet did need a little attention, it was't a DMZ like CP.

I haven't eaten at Akershaus in a while (and won't now that it's all-princess, all the time), but I never saw that buffet in less than absolutely perfect pristine condition and full of the freshest, tastiest food. It was, hands-down, the very best buffet I've ever been to, I tell ya WHUT.

 

[Aidensmom]

Actually, I have - and they are IDENTICAL (except for one McD's near my house where a Big Mac is actually .10cents more!).

It just depends on where you come from. I live in the North East (points to name) and food and the like is just more expensive.

I find the food at WDW in general to be about what I'd pay for comparable meals at home in comparable establishments. $6-7 for a burger/fries combo at a counter service, $20ish for a nice piece of steak at a decent sit-down.

It's all relative to where you live. That said, at home I don't dine out nearly as much, LOL, so my wallet does feel a bit lighter for it.

N.E.D.

WDW food is definately more expensive than other places in FL (outside of the immediate area of WDW). If you are a FL resident and go to WDW, you think the food prices are outrageous even at DTD McDonalds, but I have noticed on these boards that if you are from some certain other states, the prices are reasonable to you. I live about a mile from Busch Gardens, and the prices at McDonalds directly across the street from BG are definately much less than the DTD McDonalds!

 

[dreamalittledream]

On our 2003 trip we did 5 of the character meals/buffets for both breakfast and dinner. For us it was really a great value since DD was under 3 and we did not need to pay for her. She was able to eat what she felt like, which was sometimes not much.
all of our meals were very good, O'Hana's especially.
So, we were able to save the cost of a kids meal 4.95 - 6.95 each time and one of us did not have to finish her chicken fingers.
I plan to do at least that many next time. Our DD has turned out to be a big breakfast lover and will easily eat 2-3 eggs and a waffle herself. lunch and dinner are smaller meals for her so we may try to do the brunch thing rather than a linner.

 

[OurDogCisco]

Disney food prices are very comparable to the prices here in CA... The 1st time I went to Disney world everyone told me to buy my snacks and stuff here because it would be cheaper. So, I stocked up on juices, baby food, etc... We did the park and then, a 3 day cruise. We took a limo to the cruise which included a grocery stop. OMGOSH, Floridians pay next to nothing for groceries. Juice was half of what I pay in CA. I was totally shocked because I didn't think there would be that much of a difference! So, I agree it really depends on where you live.

Tina

 

[Cindy B]

True; if you want proof, compare the prices at the DTD McDonald's to the ones by your house!

The McD's ner our hourse and this one have identical prices. Even our OCB is pretty expenive, over $10 per person.

 

[Stiff]

we have really cut back on buffet meals for this upcoming trip

we have chef mickeys planned for breakfast and I think thats it

I just find buffet food to be subpar

we are doing ohanas, but thats a little different to me as I can see it being cooked fresh while Im there

 

[Eeyore2003]

I think you have to figure in the cost of "entertainment" at most of them. There are a couple that don't have characters, but they do have to pay them also!!! But whenever I eat at Disney, I feel I also pay for the "atmosphere", (unique things for each restaurant, whether they be in the or "interaction" of the waiters and waitresses (50's Prime time, Whispering Pines) or the ambiance itself (Sci Fi, Brown Derby, the countries). And then of course the food quality. There are restaurants in our little town that are really good, but they certainly are not in the calliber of a Disney restaurant. (I'm sure those of you in bigger cities and tourist areas have more quality choices, but I don't think the majority of us have these luxeries at our back door) We don't spend so much time planning where we eat for no reason!!!

 

[mybgirl]

Pardon me for being ignorant... today we went to old country buffet... less than $20 for both of us to eat. A buffet at Disney for dinner is more than $20 per person! I guess I never really thought that was expensive until comparing it to somewhere else. The money tourism bring in

but you are at disney ,with the CM , Look in the MYW DP Will save you money,. And no mickey mouse at the old country buffet


you are at DISNEY

have a great trip

god bless

mary

 

[Lewisc]

I don't think the buffets are expensive so much as they food quality isn't all that great. People in this thread are comparing the prices with places like Golden Corral and Sizzler. The problem is the pricing is closer to buffets with excellent food like Fresh and Gaylord Palms but the food quality is closer to the inexpensive buffet restaurants.

We're paying for entertainment not food with the Disney buffets.

 

[BostonRob]

My DH says the same thing...if we are going to pay that much for a meal anyway, you might as well have it be all you can eat, then you know you will be full afterwards. They really are worth it.

I dunno folks. I'm a 200 pound man who can really put it away when he wants to, but I find that if I eat everything that's served to me in a typical Disney entre, I'm full beyond comfort. I don't need to go to a buffet to get full.

That said, I don't think the buffet prices are out of line with the other meal prices or with prices you pay in the real world - eating out is expensive everywhere!

We'll be eating a lot of buffets because our 2 year old daughter will eat free and we should be able to find something she wants every time.

 

[mybgirl]

I don't think the buffets are expensive so much as they food quality isn't all that great. People in this thread are comparing the prices with places like Golden Corral and Sizzler. The problem is the pricing is closer to buffets with excellent food like Fresh and Gaylord Palms but the food quality is closer to the inexpensive buffet restaurants.

We're paying for entertainment not food with the Disney buffets.

take care


mary