Too much money and not worth it..

[Tony the Tigger]

FTFY. The bread makes the po-boy. Anything else and it's just a hoagy/grinder/sub.

*flour tortilla.

 

[ppete1975]

Very unpopular opinion I know.

I have been to the park several times growing up, and twice as an adult. This past trip was my first time experiencing it as a family.

We stayed at a resort, planned fast passes, rode on all the rides we wanted to. Everyone told us the food was overpriced, but we were still utterly shocked. It's offensive that Disney charges what they do for low quality subpar food. We navigated the trip with a budget in mind. Skipped the frivolous (obnoxiously prices add ons) like the princess makeup makeover, park hopper option, mickeys halloween parade, souvenirs. Our total before flights was $1700- 5 nights at a resort and 3 days in the park, not including food. I understand that may be cheap compared to what others spend...

The "buy buy buy" mentality is so in your face. And people everywhere fall into the traps. My jaw dropped when people buzz around these gift stores, spending ungodly amounts of cash on Disney merchandise. And for what?! Also, some people love the customer service...I honestly just felt bad for the workers. It was a forced happy, and the stuff they have to deal with is crazy. I came across some of the rudest, most entitled people in the park. When a family would bump into others and say "I'm so sorry" or tell their kids "be aware of your surroundings!" it was so refreshing.. but rare.

And don't get me wrong- I love Disney movies, music etc. Its total nostalgia for me. But I found it too overstimulating and a lot of work, as did our oldest.
Hitting the pause button on Disney for a very long time!

Has anyone else experienced anything similar? Also, do you go every year or mix in trips to other places? And how much do you spend on average (all in)? Curiosity has gotten the best of me.

So.. you joined just to complain? Well welcome to the boards i guess

 

[Disneyhead'71]

I'll say it again -- their table service prices are, on average, basically in line with what you'd pay for a meal at a decent restaurant in any large city. They're more expensive than something like Applebee's, sure, but there's a quality difference there (even the Disney restaurants that aren't good are, at the very least, not anywhere near as terrible for you as somewhere like Applebee's).

Disney does a lot of things wrong these days and overcharges quite a lot (paying for parking at the hotels?), but the food prices (and most of the hotel room prices, actually) are generally where they should be based on my experience. The real problem is that the food quality varies from restaurant to restaurant, so sometimes you're getting exactly what you paid for (or even getting it for less than it's worth) and other times you're overpaying. Tony's Town Square is a prime example -- the food prices are in line with my expectations for a decent Italian meal, the restaurant just fails to provide a decent Italian meal because the quality is lacking.

Comparing WDW's prices to other prices in the Orlando market, WDW is astronomically out of line. A 3 piece fried chicken dinner with 1 side (mashed potatoes) at Homecomin' is $29. A better 3 piece fried chicken meal with 2 sides up at The Coop in high end Winter Park is $12. You guys that rationalize that as acceptable are smokin' crack.

Disney Springs isn't even a captive audience like the parks. It is just egregiously capitalizing on people who are ignorant of the market.

Go ahead, flame me because I just don't get it. Be sure to use some buzz words like "magical".

Or just admit the truth and say, "I don't care, it's worth it to me!!!!!". And then explain how this is different than a drug addiction.

 

[UNCgolf]

Comparing WDW's prices to other prices in the Orlando market, WDW is astronomically out of line. A 3 piece fried chicken dinner with 1 side (mashed potatoes) at Homecomin' is $29. A better 3 piece fried chicken meal with 2 sides up at The Coop in high end Winter Park is $12. You guys that rationalize that as acceptable are smokin' crack.

Disney Springs isn't even a captive audience like the parks. It is just egregiously capitalizing on people who are ignorant of the market.

Go ahead, flame me because I just don't get it.

I'm not comparing it to Orlando. I'm comparing it to places like Atlanta (where I live), New York, Los Angeles, etc.

Of course there will always be outliers, and I wasn't talking about every single restaurant on property (wasn't talking about Disney Springs at all, actually). But the table service restaurants in the parks are pretty comparable to any random table service restaurant in Atlanta on a price basis. I think some of the prices are totally worth it (Flying Fish, as one example I mentioned before) and others aren't remotely close to being worth it (again, Tony's Town Square). But that's also true of restaurants in general.

I don't really blame Disney for it. If they can charge those prices and people are willing to pay them across the board... why wouldn't they?

 

[Disneyhead'71]

I'm not comparing it to Orlando. I'm comparing it to places like Atlanta (where I live), New York, Los Angeles, etc.

Of course there will always be outliers, and I wasn't talking about every single restaurant on property (wasn't talking about Disney Springs at all, actually). But the table service restaurants in the parks are pretty comparable to any random table service restaurant in Atlanta on a price basis. I think some of the prices are totally worth it (Flying Fish, as one example I mentioned before) and others aren't remotely close to being worth it (again, Tony's Town Square). But that's also true of restaurants in general.

I don't really blame Disney for it. If they can charge those prices and people are willing to pay them across the board... why wouldn't they?

Yes, but WDW isn't in Atlanta or Manhattan (LA has their own Disney park to deal with). And even at Art Smith's place in a noticeably higher end Buckhead (compared to beautiful Lake Buena Vista, FL) you get 2 sides with the fried chicken dinner at a lower cost than at WDW.

And yes Disney Springs isn't in a park, yet it is very much in the WDW bubble. Thus the insane pricing.

The only logical rationalization is "It's worth it to me, get over it!"

 

[parkerthebarker]

There's some great food at Disney, but it's mainly at table service restaurants. The meal I had at Flying Fish was one of the better meals I've had anywhere (and yes, I'm pretty well traveled so it's not like I'm comparing it to Chili's). I've also had some excellent brisket at Polite Pig in Disney Springs, and the Boma breakfast buffet is fantastic. Be Our Guest, on the other hand, is incredibly overpriced and you're essentially just paying for the theming -- which is good, but not as good as I was expecting. I don't plan on ever eating there again.

Personally, I don't think the food prices are that bad. They're more or less in line with what I regularly pay for meals where I live (Atlanta) -- the quick service is slightly more expensive, but not significantly so (for the better items... some of the stuff like chicken fingers are definitely overpriced at Disney).

I think if you live places like Atlanta, New York, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Chicago, Houston, etc. the prices don't seem as bad as they do to people living in smaller cities like Greensboro or Rochester, and I'm sure it gets even worse as the population decreases.

We lived in NYC for many years, so I understand things are more expensive depending on where you are. I understand they can charge more, most theme parks, movie theaters, concerts do. I just thought Disney, being family oriented (supposedly geared towards middle class), was topping the scale for what they charged.

 

[parkerthebarker]

So.. you joined just to complain? Well welcome to the boards i guess

Well I knew everyone on here goes to Disney World. So I came here to share an opinion on the topic. I didn't think it was a cult haha! Some agreed with certain points and shared their experience. Some disagreed and shared their experience. I don't see a problem?

 

[Sans Souci]

So.. you joined just to complain? Well welcome to the boards i guess

Maybe you should ask Steve to create a sticky of what is an appropriate topic for new members to post. Then you won't have to police the board.

 

[Shouldigo12]

We lived in NYC for many years, so I understand things are more expensive depending on where you are. I understand they can charge more, most theme parks, movie theaters, concerts do. I just thought Disney, being family oriented (supposedly geared towards middle class), was topping the scale for what they charged.

I think that's probably very accurate- they very much are tipping the scales of what families can afford. Don't get me wrong, I love the places I can't wait to go back. But it's kind of an open secret that they're really testing the waters right now to see how high they can get prices and still have the massive crowds, or the crowded restaurants, or the filled hotels.

 

[UNCgolf]

I think that's probably very accurate- they very much are tipping the scales of what families can afford. Don't get me wrong, I love the places I can't wait to go back. But it's kind of an open secret that they're really testing the waters right now to see how high they can get prices and still have the massive crowds, or the crowded restaurants, or the filled hotels.

I honestly feel like most of the hotel prices are reasonable (maybe not for the deluxes). You're not going to stay at a decent hotel in any kind of busy area for less than $150 a night, and more likely going to be spending $250-300 a night for something relatively nice. I stayed in a hotel for a wedding a few months ago in an Atlanta suburb that was basically the same price as a room at Port Orleans -- Riverside (and that was with the wedding rate discount), and although it was a nice hotel, it didn't have the amenities of a Disney hotel. It was also in a suburb and not, you know, at Disney World.

The food prices, like I said earlier, vary wildly based on the quality of the restaurant, which is a definite issue. They just need to keep the quality consistent across the board rather than having some restaurants that are very good and others that are not good at all charge roughly the same price for entrees. If they were all at the quality level of the better restaurants, I don't think they'd have any pricing issue (speaking only for table service... some of the quick service prices are quite high). The real problem is that you can spend $30 at one restaurant and have a quality meal, and spend $30 at another restaurant and have a terrible meal. You shouldn't have to research the proper restaurants beforehand.

I am curious, though -- does Disney even set the prices for meals at their restaurants? I know most (all?) of them are managed/run by outside vendors. Does Disney dictate prices to them or are they allowed to set their own?

 

[larryz]

*flour tortilla.

... quite right... add "soft taco" to the list.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

A better 3 piece fried chicken meal with 2 sides up at The Coop in high end Winter Park is $12.

Someone could say a "better" 3 piece fried chicken meal could be $5.99 at Popeye's. It's all opinion.

I don't think a primary goal of most people going to WDW is to get authentic fried chicken. There are other places to go for that. I don't even think their goal is to find the best fried chicken in the Orlando area.

A decent bite at a reasonable price - and reasonable is subjective - is the best you can hope for at QS. If something is lacking flavor, you can usually thank your fellow travelers who ask for everything to be dumbed down because it's "too spicy" or "exotic," and find some condiments.

 

[parkerthebarker]

https://www.rd.com/culture/walt-disney-world-tickets-expensive/

This touches on the increase of recent ticket prices. The last point is spot on.

 

[eliza61nyc]

I think that's probably very accurate- they very much are tipping the scales of what families can afford. Don't get me wrong, I love the places I can't wait to go back. But it's kind of an open secret that they're really testing the waters right now to see how high they can get prices and still have the massive crowds, or the crowded restaurants, or the filled hotels.

if they are still getting the massive crowds it's obviously not out tipping the scales. If the majority of families can't afford it and stop going then we'll see a change.

 

[eliza61nyc]

Yes, but WDW isn't in Atlanta or Manhattan (LA has their own Disney park to deal with). And even at Art Smith's place in a noticeably higher end Buckhead (compared to beautiful Lake Buena Vista, FL) you get 2 sides with the fried chicken dinner at a lower cost than at WDW.



The only logical rationalization is "It's worth it to me, get over it!"

But here's the thing if the product is "worth" what it being paid then it's priced correctly.
A business that is offering a product that is on demand gets to set the price, do you think Disney gives a hoot about the price of fried chicken at some other place??
Your last line IS the correct rationalization. Will people feel that our chicken is worth what we priced it for (and remember it's not only about the actually chicken)??
At this moment the answer is yes. affordable to you or the supposedly "average" family isn't the question.
When the price point gets to high folks will stop buying it.
Smoking crack or not, if the crowd is consistently going to the eateries there is absolutely no reason to lower the price.

 

[Shouldigo12]

if they are still getting the massive crowds it's obviously not out tipping the scales. If the majority of families can't afford it and stop going then we'll see a change.

I wasn't saying the scales have been tipped yet. Obviously people are still willing to pay to go. But I do think the price increases are mostly them seeing how far they can push things before it drives people away. Which makes sense, there isn't any logical reason a company wouldn't try to maximize profits. Maybe it would be more accurate to say that they aren't tipping the scales, but trying to get as close as they possibly can to tipping them without actually going over

 

[Shouldigo12]

But here's the thing if the product is "worth" what it being paid then it's priced correctly.
A business that is offering a product that is on demand gets to set the price, do you think Disney gives a hoot about the price of fried chicken at some other place??
Your last line IS the correct rationalization. Will people feel that our chicken is worth what we priced it for (and remember it's not only about the actually chicken)??
At this moment the answer is yes. affordable to you or the supposedly "average" family isn't the question.
When the price point gets to high folks will stop buying it.
Smoking crack or not, if the crowd is consistently going to the eateries there is absolutely no reason to lower the price.

More or less what I'm trying to say, you're just better at it haha. The prices are what they are because Disney can charge it and people still come. It only makes sense that Disney would keep raising them until that pattern changes.

 

[eliza61nyc]

I wasn't saying the scales have been tipped yet. Obviously people are still willing to pay to go. But I do think the price increases are mostly them seeing how far they can push things before it drives people away. Which makes sense, there isn't any logical reason a company wouldn't try to maximize profits. Maybe it would be more accurate to say that they aren't tipping the scales, but trying to get as close as they possibly can to tipping them without actually going over

I also think the mouse men are a bit smart, they follow economics, right now folks are content, job security is good, wages are starting to tick up and folks with 401s have seen almost 10 years of growth. Right now folks don't mind spending.
They are taking advantage of that. You get a family that just dropped 4k on a vacation, they might not quibble as much over a 23 buck chicken combo

 

[networkpro]

We lived in NYC for many years, so I understand things are more expensive depending on where you are. I understand they can charge more, most theme parks, movie theaters, concerts do. I just thought Disney, being family oriented (supposedly geared towards middle class), was topping the scale for what they charged.

You're assuming that it's only the US market that the consumer base of WDW is in play, it's not. It's a global destination. Just sit back and watch the guide distribution points .. Its not just English guides in demand.

 

[ppete1975]

Maybe you should ask Steve to create a sticky of what is an appropriate topic for new members to post. Then you won't have to police the board.

Lol if i go somewhere and dont like it, i doubt i will frequent a message board that in general is a fandom is all. No police lol