Holy $#@!...Did you see the price increases?!

BigTxEars

BigTxEars

Well-Known Member
I think number crunching is different for each family as each family has pretty different eating habits. We are going next month and are using the DDP. I have not crunched our numbers but I know that we might save money using our rental car to eat offsite, choosing a room discount over free DDP etc.

The reason I choose the DDP is simply I want to enjoy the days I am at WDW and not have to follow any type of budget. Even if the meals are in the long run costing me more I can sit down and my family and I can order whatever we want without regards to if we are on budget or not. I do not want to have to cut back on what I order on Thursday because my Monday meal was over my daily budget. :)

I know myself well enough to know that no matter what I told myself I would not be able to not think of what each meal cost when looking at the menu :ROFLOL:

Not sure about he longterm effect of the DDP on WDW and it's guest but for me it does indeed make my trip to WDW all that more relaxing, as does staying on property. I just want no more budget, travel or schedule worries than I absolutely must have :wave: DDP takes some of those away.
 
unkadug

unkadug

Follower of "Saget"The Cult
BigTxEars said:
I think number crunching is different for each family as each family has pretty different eating habits. We are going next month and are using the DDP. I have not crunched our numbers but I know that we might save money using our rental car to eat offsite, choosing a room discount over free DDP etc.

The reason I choose the DDP is simply I want to enjoy the days I am at WDW and not have to follow any type of budget. Even if the meals are in the long run costing me more I can sit down and my family and I can order whatever we want without regards to if we are on budget or not. I do not want to have to cut back on what I order on Thursday because my Monday meal was over my daily budget. :)

I know myself well enough to know that no matter what I told myself I would not be able to not think of what each meal cost when looking at the menu :ROFLOL:

Not sure about he longterm effect of the DDP on WDW and it's guest but for me it does indeed make my trip to WDW all that more relaxing, as does staying on property. I just want no more budget, travel or schedule worries than I absolutely must have :wave: DDP takes some of those away.
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With some people, the DDP has the opposite effect. Knowing what the DDP costs, they are constantly looking at the prices to make sure they are getting their monies worth. It's pretty much the same thing...it is still worrying about the prices. :shrug:
 
BigTxEars

BigTxEars

Well-Known Member
unkadug said:
With some people, the DDP has the opposite effect. Knowing what the DDP costs, they are constantly looking at the prices to make sure they are getting their monies worth. It's pretty much the same thing...it is still worrying about the prices. :shrug:
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I agree, that is why everybody has to know themselves and how they feel about it. I am not of the the type of people listed above :ROFLOL:

I would bet there are people who thrive on and enjoy crunching numbers and working out that they saved $1.12 on that last meal using or not using the DDP. :D They find it enjoyable and that is fine, I just do not.

I sorta look at the Disney package (room, food and tickets) like a cruise. Pay one price and get it all (more or less) and I am OK with that. Like I said I fully realize I might be paying more in the long run and that is OK with me as well. :sohappy:
 
lbrad

lbrad

Well-Known Member
Plowboy said:
You'll love it. We went in mid June and started in Rapid City and went through the Black Hills and then on to Devil's Tower, Yellowstone and finished in Jackson Hole. Lots of different things to see and do. The highlight for us was the cowboy cookout out of Tower/Roosevelt in Yellowstone. We did the 1 hr trail ride and the food and entertainment were great. Hope you enjoy your trip.
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Thank you esp. for the great tips :wave:
 
AgentP65

AgentP65

New Member
captainkidd said:
I'm not sure when those prices just took effect, but they were pretty high in July when we went. We usually go to about 6 character meals per trip. This time we did 2 - 1900 Park Fare and Ohana, and that was only because we had never done them before. We won't be doing any more character meals. They are a complete rip-off. The food is average at best, and the character interaction is usually brief and lousy.

My suggestion - Go to the Grand Floridian Cafe, Whispering Canyon, or Captain's Grille etc for a good breakfast at a decent price, then get to Epcot's character spot as soon as the park opens. You'll get more face time with the characters and 10x better pictures.
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This is excellent advice!!! And precisely what we have decided to do during our trip next month. Character meals have gotten too pricey and take too much time away from touring the parks. The value is simply not there for us anymore. Particularly since we aren't the type of family who can take advantage of the "all-you-care-to-eat" dining venues (no teenage boys!). Plus the character meals are noisy and chaotic, far from relaxing. Food is mediocre at best at most character meal venues.

We definitely prefer to meet characters (for free!) in the parks: EP - Character Spot & WS, DHS - Animation Bldg, AK - Character Trails, and MK - Town Sq (with Fastpasses!) & Adventureland (along with some other spots). And, as an amateur photographer, I agree completely - the backdrops make for much better photos than in a crowded restaurant. And it's also true that you (or your kids!) can get more quality face time with the characters at these locations.

Last year we did a total of 6 character meals - including CRT twice, for breakfast and lunch (adios, $400!) but I must admit it was fun to eat in the Castle. I think everyone should do CRT at least once. But we absolutely do not like the obligatory bundled "photo package", though. Had pre-purchased a PhotoPass CD, so why do I have to pay for the photo op in my meal price?! So annoying! There should just be a "regular" PhotoPass photographer there taking pictures. Period. Would be a great incentive for guests to purchase a PP. So Disney would still be making $$$. But don't make everyone pay for photos...not everyone wants them. There should be a choice.

This trip, however, we'll be grabbing a quick bite for breakfast in the parks (Main St
Bakery, Starring Rolls Cafe, Sunshine Seasons, Sleepy Hollow, etc.) or at our resort (Capt'n Cooks, can anyone say Tonga Toast?), followed by a sit-down (non-character) lunch and dinner in the parks. And we are not on the DDP. Not even with free dining. Much better savings for us with a 40% deluxe resort pin code.
 
sweetpee_1993

sweetpee_1993

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
First of all, I really hope everyone reads thru the thread a little further and sees where I found that those high prices were, in fact, holiday pricing which is no longer in effect! Are the character meals/buffets still waaaay inflated? You betcha...but it isn't as bad as it appeared when I spotted those updates at Allears. FYI, I did let Allears know and I got 2 responses from 2 different people. No idea if they've since changed it. Haven't been back to look.


unkadug said:
With some people, the DDP has the opposite effect. Knowing what the DDP costs, they are constantly looking at the prices to make sure they are getting their monies worth. It's pretty much the same thing...it is still worrying about the prices. :shrug:
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THIS! I can identify with this statement! I'm the person who keeps the family's books. Making our money go as far as possible is what I do and it's what my brain is trained for.

I thought the first time when we did the DDP I ate like a total pig at every meal because I was trying to get my quarter's worth knowing that I had paid for it. When I'd read a menu I was influenced by the prices and ate generously from every course offered (that was when you got the appetizer, entre, and dessert). I gained a little over 10 lbs. that trip. Hubby & I both discussed this at length before our last trip and decided when we were on the DDP for free we'd not worry so much about getting our quarter's worth and just eat like we normally would. But then the time came and we again ordered everything we could have and ate like there was no tomorrow just because we could without any significant financial reprocussions. Basically we've learned that we love food. If a dollar sign isn't influencing us to exercise restraint and order only what we truly want/need we're eating like we don't know when the next meal will come. :lol: Aaaaaand, we each put 10 lbs. on by the end of the trip. I know. I'm insane. So, money/budget aside, for a person who practically gains weight just by smelling delicious food and fights the body's wish to pack on more pounds multiple times every day of my life, I think I'll skip the DDP forever just to help me keep my clothes fitting when I get home from vacation. :lol: But if I could eat without restraint and not blow up like a balloon, by golly, I totally would and it'd be worth it to have the DDP. :wave:


AgentP65 said:
This is excellent advice!!! And precisely what we have decided to do during our trip next month. Character meals have gotten too pricey and take too much time away from touring the parks. The value is simply not there for us anymore. Particularly since we aren't the type of family who can take advantage of the "all-you-care-to-eat" dining venues (no teenage boys!). Plus the character meals are noisy and chaotic, far from relaxing. Food is mediocre at best at most character meal venues.

We definitely prefer to meet characters (for free!) in the parks: EP - Character Spot & WS, DHS - Animation Bldg, AK - Character Trails, and MK - Town Sq (with Fastpasses!) & Adventureland (along with some other spots). And, as an amateur photographer, I agree completely - the backdrops make for much better photos than in a crowded restaurant. And it's also true that you (or your kids!) can get more quality face time with the characters at these locations.

Last year we did a total of 6 character meals - including CRT twice, for breakfast and lunch (adios, $400!) but I must admit it was fun to eat in the Castle. I think everyone should do CRT at least once. But we absolutely do not like the obligatory bundled "photo package", though. Had pre-purchased a PhotoPass CD, so why do I have to pay for the photo op in my meal price?! So annoying! There should just be a "regular" PhotoPass photographer there taking pictures. Period. Would be a great incentive for guests to purchase a PP. So Disney would still be making $$$. But don't make everyone pay for photos...not everyone wants them. There should be a choice.

This trip, however, we'll be grabbing a quick bite for breakfast in the parks (Main St
Bakery, Starring Rolls Cafe, Sunshine Seasons, Sleepy Hollow, etc.) or at our resort (Capt'n Cooks, can anyone say Tonga Toast?), followed by a sit-down (non-character) lunch and dinner in the parks. And we are not on the DDP. Not even with free dining. Much better savings for us with a 40% deluxe resort pin code.
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I have 2 teenage boys (15 & 13) but they're both so totally different from each other. My 15 year old could go into a buffet and get my money's worth for him and probably at least another person or 2. :lol: My youngest, even tho he's 13, will barely eat a child's meal portion. He's thin as a rail. He never eats much at one sitting but eats multiple small meals throughout the day. If we have breakfast he probably won't eat much of anything because he doesn't get hungry until closer to lunch. It's very strange. I'm trying a bit of a strategy this next trip. Yes, my oldest will wake up ready to eat his own shoe if he has to. I'll be sure to send him on to grab a breakfast platter or eat a bowl of cereal before we head out. Then we'll do a brunch (late breakfast) when everyone will be hungrier. We can fill up and that will hold us over until an afternoon snack or until dinner thus eliminating a full mealtime. :wave:

I totally agree with the 2nd bolded statement! I really do think everyone should eat in the castle at least once. It's a lovely experience. I remember how special it was for me the first time we did it. When I was a kid we could never afford to eat in the parks so seeing inside the actual castle (not just the walk-thru tunnel) was something I dreamed of my whole life. Just seeing the dining room brought tears to my eyes. Just being there was my dream-come-true which was worth every nickel paid.

Also, for those who may not know... anytime you eat at a restaurant that does a picture prepaid or not, if you don't like the picture you can request a retake session! :sohappy:
 
Master Yoda

Master Yoda

Pro Star Wars geek.
Premium Member
John

John

Well-Known Member
The Mom said:
I don't know about his point, but mine was that once upon a time the prices of a hotel included meals, and people "off the street" paid outrageous prices . This appears to be where WDW is headed.

And $110 wasn't cheap 40 years ago, even with meals included. That was over a week's take home pay for me. ;)
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:) Although I was sixteen and working as a stock boy....I made $97.....every TWO! weeks stll managed to have my own car....5 bucks for gas and money to go on a date friday night....LOL
 

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