How do the movies work on a cruise?

[flynnibus]

Prepared food is served via room service at no charge. If you call room service and order the canned drink package, it will be a charge.

I'm aware of that... but my point was the food wasn't served from a 'certified cooking area' or similar or even necessarily prepared food (the snacks, etc). So I don't buy into the theory the food cart, which serves prepackaged foods, from a non cooking area, is the reason it's chargable food.

I think it's simply because it's not part of the normal dining offerings... so it's paid. Nothing more complex than that.

 

[Cesar R M]

They charge for popcorn (which I just can't believe, but they do), candy snacks, and canned soda or alcoholic drinks that you purchase at the Walt Disney Theater. I don't think there are concessions available at Buena Vista Theater. But you can, of course, go up to the quick service counters on Deck 9 (on the Classic ships) or Deck 11 (on the new ships) and get pizza, chicken fingers, ice cream, soda, whatever, and bring it into the theater with you.

thanks for the tip! definitively will use that for my september cruise!

 

[DisneyJoe]

Perhaps because popcorn can be such a mess to clean up, the price puts a small barrier to people buying it, vs everyone taking a bag and making a bigger mess?

 

[Cesar R M]

Ok, please clarify guys..
for the normal smaller movie theatre.. you can bring food from the food courts?
but for the WALT DISNEY THEATRE (the big one) you cannot bring your own food and you can only buy from inside?

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Ok, please clarify guys..
for the normal smaller movie theatre.. you can bring food from the food courts?
but for the WALT DISNEY THEATRE (the big one) you cannot bring your own food and you can only buy from inside?

That is the general practice these days. There are exceptions, but that is usually the case. Drinks with lids (ironically enough since they sell drinks without lids in the theater) aren't usually a problem for either.

 

[flynnibus]

Perhaps because popcorn can be such a mess to clean up, the price puts a small barrier to people buying it, vs everyone taking a bag and making a bigger mess?

Then why charge for all the other snacks they have there? They sell typical bagged candy.. which is much cleaner than the drinks or food people may bring in from Deck 11

On the size thing.. looking at some photos the theater is setup quite different in the classic ships vs the newer ones

Classic

Dream

 

[englanddg]

The bagged popcorn is not very good.

I think adding a fresh popcorn kettle machine using the recipe from the parks would be fantastic. And yes, I'd pay for bags of popcorn without batting an eye.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

The bagged popcorn is not very good.

I think adding a fresh popcorn kettle machine using the recipe from the parks would be fantastic. And yes, I'd pay for bags of popcorn without batting an eye.

Try the chocolate drizzled caramel corn. Crack in a bag! I have it down to a science: 1 bag will last me 2 shows.

 

[englanddg]

Try the chocolate drizzled caramel corn. Crack in a bag! I have it down to a science: 1 bag will last me 2 shows.

Hrm...I missed that last time. Filed away...

The popcorn bag I got had some special name (can't recall it right now)..."Mickey's Main Street Popcorn" or something like that.

I wasn't expecting it to be sweet...

 

[Cesar R M]

That is the general practice these days. There are exceptions, but that is usually the case. Drinks with lids (ironically enough since they sell drinks without lids in the theater) aren't usually a problem for either.

Thank you disneyfalcon! as usual, you're a lifesaver!

 

[BigTxEars]

We saw Lincoln, Wreck It Ralph and Brave on the Magic in 2012. I love the theater, never crowded and very nice. We did buy the popcorn and drinks. They were very reasonably priced I thought. Enjoy!

Love DCL!!!

 

[mammaminnie]

I would also recommend bringing a light sweater with you if you get chilly easily. I find that the theaters seem very cold- especially when it is hot outside!

 

[MichWolv]

Ok, please clarify guys..
for the normal smaller movie theatre.. you can bring food from the food courts?
but for the WALT DISNEY THEATRE (the big one) you cannot bring your own food and you can only buy from inside?

That was the understanding I gained a couple weeks ago by trial and error, with a slight modification. For the Walt Disney Theater, you can bring in drinks with lids and packaged stuff no matter where it came from (theater concession stand, brought from home or in port, ordered from room service) and anything else (e.g., popcorn) purchased at the theater concession stand.

 

[Phonedave]

I'm aware of that... but my point was the food wasn't served from a 'certified cooking area' or similar or even necessarily prepared food (the snacks, etc). So I don't buy into the theory the food cart, which serves prepackaged foods, from a non cooking area, is the reason it's chargable food.

I think it's simply because it's not part of the normal dining offerings... so it's paid. Nothing more complex than that.

Room service food is prepared in a kitchen and brought to you.

Popping corn requires a corn popper, and that is cooking. I have run them at a number of fairs / events and most of the time I have needed a food service license to do so (they also get very hot and pull quite a few amps)

-dave

 

[flynnibus]

Popping corn requires a corn popper, and that is cooking. I have run them at a number of fairs / events and most of the time I have needed a food service license to do so (they also get very hot and pull quite a few amps)

I too run a popper for our events and I'm aware... but at least on the new ships there is no popping popcorn. It's all pre-packaged stuff at the location outside the BVT.

It's literally a bar that serves pre-packaged candies and popcorns. Stuff in pre-made, sealed bags.

 

[Bolna]

recent reports have been that they are now serving freshly popped popcorn at Preludes.

 

[Phonedave]

I too run a popper for our events and I'm aware... but at least on the new ships there is no popping popcorn. It's all pre-packaged stuff at the location outside the BVT.

It's literally a bar that serves pre-packaged candies and popcorns. Stuff in pre-made, sealed bags.

That was the point. Because the space next to the theater is not a designated cooking space (at the least requiring an Ansel system or similar) they cannot do any cooking there - popping pop corn is cooking. So they are stuck serving pre-packaged stuff.

I guess they could pop it in a kitchen area, and transport it up to the theater and then hand it out. I don't know if warming lights constitute "cooking" on a ship.

-dave

 

[flynnibus]

That was the point. Because the space next to the theater is not a designated cooking space (at the least requiring an Ansel system or similar) they cannot do any cooking there - popping pop corn is cooking. So they are stuck serving pre-packaged stuff.

I don't see where you are going at all...

If they wanted to make it a food service counter - they could have. But they didn't... This isn't 'retrofit' stuff, but stuff they laid the ship out knowing would go there. And even the 'second time around..' they didn't change it.

And what does this matter anyway... being cooking space or not does not determine if its free or not. They have both examples of both on the ship.

Being pre-packaged or not does not determine if its free or not. They have prepackaged stuff they give away for free (chips, etc) as well as stuff they sell.

They've obviously made the conscious choice to have it a paid option (more than once!)... not that they are constrained from offering it for free due to packaged or not, or health codes, etc. I'd speculate it's charged simply because of having to inventory the stuff and they see it as a 'perk' beyond the standard offerings on the boat.

 

[MichWolv]

recent reports have been that they are now serving freshly popped popcorn at Preludes.

Although we did not purchase any, my wife and I both believe that we witnessed popcorn popping behind the counter at Preludes.

 

[Phonedave]

I don't see where you are going at all...

If they wanted to make it a food service counter - they could have. But they didn't... This isn't 'retrofit' stuff, but stuff they laid the ship out knowing would go there. And even the 'second time around..' they didn't change it.

And what does this matter anyway... being cooking space or not does not determine if its free or not. They have both examples of both on the ship.

Being pre-packaged or not does not determine if its free or not. They have prepackaged stuff they give away for free (chips, etc) as well as stuff they sell.

They've obviously made the conscious choice to have it a paid option (more than once!)... not that they are constrained from offering it for free due to packaged or not, or health codes, etc. I'd speculate it's charged simply because of having to inventory the stuff and they see it as a 'perk' beyond the standard offerings on the boat.

The point was that upgrading an area to be able to cook in is not easy - that may be why they use pre-packaged stuff.

Pre-packged stuff tends to be more expense, that MAY be why they charge for it, but as you said, the more likey reason they charge is because they can. I wan't trying to make a point about why they charge, but about why they use pre packaged items.

Apparently, they are now serving fresh popped pop corn, so either they upgraded the area, or somehow found a different way to accomodate it.