WDW to Raise All Buffet Prices By Almost 50%?

[Brad Bishop]

There's definitely a fine line between "overpriced" and "I feel like a sucker". Disney seems to be pushing harder and harder at getting everyone into the "sucker" category. The problem is if you push too far, you anger your guests. All of a sudden a "magical" vacation turns sour and you really start questioning the value of everything at WDW. But clearly Disney has no concept of holding back.

I know that this thread is about, "Are prices going up by 50%," but, as shown by some posters above, including myself, the prices are already as "I feel stupid" level and, for me, that happened about 2 years back. Two years back I thought, "The food quality has gone down and the price is at stupid levels - I'm not going to eat on-site any longer."

It happens with me at some local restaurants where I frequent them over a few years because I like them and after a few bad meals (usually the quality just kind of tapers off) and the price increases I'll just sit there finishing the meal and think, "I'm never eating here again." - and I don't. It's not that "me not eating there" is going to crush their business but it is an indicator of an overall problem which they have let go on far too long (it's not one bad meal that does it) and, at that point, it's kind of spiraling out of control to where other customers have picked up on it, had an expensive-bad meal, and aren't coming back. There are two "solutions" to this:
1) Cut costs more and raise prices to cover the missing customers
2) Re-invest in your business, look at what you're doing wrong and what you're doing right, bring quality back and costs under control.

I think most of the local restaurants choose #1 and thus you get the death spiral. #2 is a lot harder because you can have that investment but you have to win your customers back so there's a lot of money going into it and not a lot of return. A better plan is to not let it happen in the first place but, time and time again, it does.

I'm not saying that's where WDW is at or that they don't know how to run their parks. I'm just saying that starting about 2 years back they entered the, "this isn't very good but is stupid expensive - I'm never eating here again"-thought process with me and this was after years of the, "yeah, it's expensive but it's pretty good and I like eating in the parks and at the resorts"-thoughts.

Whether they go up by another 50% or 150% really makes no difference to me at this point. They've lost me.

 

[21stamps]

I know that this thread is about, "Are prices going up by 50%," but, as shown by some posters above, including myself, the prices are already as "I feel stupid" level and, for me, that happened about 2 years back. Two years back I thought, "The food quality has gone down and the price is at stupid levels - I'm not going to eat on-site any longer."

It happens with me at some local restaurants where I frequent them over a few years because I like them and after a few bad meals (usually the quality just kind of tapers off) and the price increases I'll just sit there finishing the meal and think, "I'm never eating here again." - and I don't. It's not that "me not eating there" is going to crush their business but it is an indicator of an overall problem which they have let go on far too long (it's not one bad meal that does it) and, at that point, it's kind of spiraling out of control to where other customers have picked up on it, had an expensive-bad meal, and aren't coming back. There are two "solutions" to this:
1) Cut costs more and raise prices to cover the missing customers
2) Re-invest in your business, look at what you're doing wrong and what you're doing right, bring quality back and costs under control.

I think most of the local restaurants choose #1 and thus you get the death spiral. #2 is a lot harder because you can have that investment but you have to win your customers back so there's a lot of money going into it and not a lot of return. A better plan is to not let it happen in the first place but, time and time again, it does.

I'm not saying that's where WDW is at or that they don't know how to run their parks. I'm just saying that starting about 2 years back they entered the, "this isn't very good but is stupid expensive - I'm never eating here again"-thought process with me and this was after years of the, "yeah, it's expensive but it's pretty good and I like eating in the parks and at the resorts"-thoughts.

Whether they go up by another 50% or 150% really makes no difference to me at this point. They've lost me.

I hope a lot of people think like you and cancel reservations before my trip! I'm not happy with a lot of my ADR times, would love if spots opened up and I could stop stalking MDE!

You would hate any Cedar Fair park, their food/beverage prices are almost double Disney's. I do complain about those, so Disney seems less obnoxious to me lol

 

[Brad Bishop]

I hope a lot of people think like you and cancel reservations before my trip! I'm not happy with a lot of my ADR times, would love if spots opened up and I could stop stalking MDE!

I have no plans to go in the future.

 

[xdan0920]

you would hate any Cedar Fair park, their food/beverage prices are almost double Disney's. I do complain about those, so Disney seems less obnoxious to me lol

Really? Double?

 

[xdan0920]

I hope a lot of people think like you and cancel reservations before my trip! I'm not happy with a lot of my ADR times, would love if spots opened up and I could stop stalking MDE!

You would hate any Cedar Fair park, their food/beverage prices are almost double Disney's. I do complain about those, so Disney seems less obnoxious to me lol

I checked. $15 for a cheeseburger fries and a drink. So unless Disney is charging $7.50 for that, they aren't...you are full of carp.

 

[George]

If this does turn out to be true it will push me to just eat more QS and less TS. Right now it's still too much of a hassle for me with 2 small children to leave property just to get something to eat, especially if I'm at MK.

For what it's worth, I just spent a week carrying in sandwiches, carrots, chips, water, apples, etc in a backpack for lunch. Savings - 80 bajillion.

 

[21stamps]

Really? Double?

I don't think their quite double. But they're definitely a lot higher. I understand that WDW is a much higher cost trip overall. Strictly talking about theme park food/ drink prices. I just close my eyes and pay...try not to pay too much attention to the cost.lol They do sell daily and annual dining plans, but these don't include any "snacks", I don't think we've ever once been without getting an ice cream or a funnel cake sundae, so the dining plans do not make sense to me there.

Where are you seeing prices on meals for Cedar Fair parks? But anyway, I've never seen a $15 cheeseburger at Disney, not at a quick service place.

P.S. No need to get hostile. But yes, food/drinks are more expensive at a lot of other theme parks, sporting events, concerts etc than WDW..all of them, including WDW are ridiculous, but it is what it is.

 

[21stamps]

For what it's worth, I just spent a week carrying in sandwiches, carrots, chips, water, apples, etc in a backpack for lunch. Savings - 80 bajillion.

We take water and a couple of power bars in too. The sandwiches are a great idea!

 

[George]

But anyway, I've never seen a $15 cheeseburger at Disney, not at a quick service place.

I have as recently as Saturday. From the Liberty Inn Grill which on a quality scale of 1-10 is terrible....Below are the cheeseburger prices.

Sandwiches
All American Burger - 7-oz. Angus burger, Vermont sharp cheddar, smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, pickle on a briochee bun with apple slices or french fries $14.49

Classic Cheeseburger - 7 oz. Angus burger with two slices of American on a Brioche bun with apple slices or french fries $12.99

There isn't a soda included yet. Mr. @xdan0920 noted that you got a soda in that $15. That will run you $3.29 or $3.69 extra. I also found that ice isn't always included for that wondrous price as recently as Saturday.

How about Pecos Bills you ask? Well, let us take a gander.

Southwest Burger - served with pepper jack and a side of tortilla chips $13.99

Taco Burger - topped with seasoned ground beef and pepper jack and served with a side of tortilla chips $15.99

Once again, no drink. Plus, note the substituting of tortilla chips for fries. What about some place that has always truly been crappy like the Electric Umberlla?

French Dip Burger - 1/3 lb Angus Burger, Brisket, Crispy Onions, and Muenster Cheese with choice of Grapes or French Fries $13.29

1/3 lb. Angus Bacon Cheeseburger - with grapes or fries $12.29

Once again, I hope that the lack of soda is not worth mentioning. Of course, at this location a couple of convenient trips to Club Cool can be made as we all consume 1.5 ounces of soda for free in our bid to put Disney out of business.

 

[George]

P.S. No need to get hostile. But yes, food/drinks are more expensive at a lot of other theme parks, sporting events, concerts etc than WDW..all of them, including WDW are ridiculous, but it is what it is.

I'd like to take a bit of issue with this. I routinely get lunch/dinner for my family of 4 when we're out. In the past 2 years I've purchased meals at the Grand Canyon, the 99th and 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 mile race, Indianapolis Colts games (6x), Indianapolis Pacers games (8x), Chicago Fire games (2x), the Indianapolis Children's Museum (highest rated in the country btw), the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, the Adler Planetarium, the Indianapolis Zoo, Universal Studios Florida, Busch Gardens Tampa.....

I always pay in the 35-45 dollar range for the 4 of us. Thirty-five is my son gets a kids meal and 45 if he gets an adult meal. At Disney this range at a quick service always seems to be 45-60. It is more and it is more by a fair bit. Further, good deals on food seem to go away over time. Historically, there were quite a few spots where I could spend normal public place/tourist prices. Now, it is almost impossible to not pay Disney prices which are in a class by themselves. Almost impossible. I would mention things here, but I understand they take a gander at these boards. I'll be back in a sec. I want to return to buffets.

 

[Mike S]

So there are 479 post complaining about something that may not even happen?

Because the latest post complaining about complaining is so much better

 

[George]

Earlier, @wdwmagic mentioned seasonal pricing on buffets and said they increased by about $5. Not true for Cape May. It goes from 40-60. Not true for Akerhus. It goes from 46-55. True for Crystal Palace (37-44) and Boma (38-42) and my long beloved Biergarten remains at 38 the whole year.

Regardless, of seasonal pricing, if you have kids in the 10-15 year old age range, these buffets are a terrible, terrible deal. I'd guess that the number of kids in this age group that visit WDW are at least several. My 11 year old daughter doesn't eat much. Last week at Akershus I had to argue with my server and I finally got her to give my daughter the child's price. I should note Akershus is weird since it is half buffet, half entree, but as far as pricing goes it is essentially a buffet. I know that not that long ago, I was paying 10-20 bucks for a kid at a place like this. It was 32. So, for the 4 of us (no tax, no tip) it was 200 even. I wound up essentially dropping 250 on this meal. I should also note that the 150 dollar "discount" card was blacked out so I didn't purchase it. I would've used it for our group of 10 if possible. My brother in law was a bit aghast when he saw his bill. Really, I could do dinner and a show in downtown Indy for this price. I guess the ladies in princess dresses count as show. They did bring my daughter a princess cupcake, so, value achieved! Then, there are places like Cape May. We like Cape May. The Beach Club (Wilderness Lodge is the other) is one of our home resorts. We ate there last Christmas. That was also 230,240 or so after tax and tip and it also featured a battle to get them to charge my daughter a non-adult price. At least at the counter service/other table service places anyone can get a child's meal.

Also, with the basic dining plan, I'm paying $62 a day for her (they have a kids price, 20 bucks and then the perfectly reasonable 42 dollar a day jump to junior). I guess if the plan is to discourage families with kids in the middle years from paying for food at WDW, then mission accomplished!

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

I checked. $15 for a cheeseburger fries and a drink. So unless Disney is charging $7.50 for that, they aren't...you are full of carp.

Carp? Thats too exotic a fish for your average Disney Guest must be a signature offering at $50 a plate

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

I have as recently as Saturday. From the Liberty Inn Grill which on a quality scale of 1-10 is terrible....Below are the cheeseburger prices.

Sandwiches
All American Burger - 7-oz. Angus burger, Vermont sharp cheddar, smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, pickle on a briochee bun with apple slices or french fries $14.49

Classic Cheeseburger - 7 oz. Angus burger with two slices of American on a Brioche bun with apple slices or french fries $12.99

There isn't a soda included yet. Mr. @xdan0920 noted that you got a soda in that $15. That will run you $3.29 or $3.69 extra. I also found that ice isn't always included for that wondrous price as recently as Saturday.

How about Pecos Bills you ask? Well, let us take a gander.

Southwest Burger - served with pepper jack and a side of tortilla chips $13.99

Taco Burger - topped with seasoned ground beef and pepper jack and served with a side of tortilla chips $15.99

Once again, no drink. Plus, note the substituting of tortilla chips for fries. What about some place that has always truly been crappy like the Electric Umberlla?

French Dip Burger - 1/3 lb Angus Burger, Brisket, Crispy Onions, and Muenster Cheese with choice of Grapes or French Fries $13.29

1/3 lb. Angus Bacon Cheeseburger - with grapes or fries $12.29

Once again, I hope that the lack of soda is not worth mentioning. Of course, at this location a couple of convenient trips to Club Cool can be made as we all consume 1.5 ounces of soda for free in our bid to put Disney out of business.

But these are Angus burgers and Angus is a top quality burger maker, and guitarist for that well known Aussie beat combo The AC-DC or something. So as always Disney quality is at the cutting edge of burger patty cuisine.

 

[George]

But these are Angus burgers and Angus is a top quality burger maker, and guitarist for that well known Aussie beat combo The AC-DC or something. So as always Disney quality is at the cutting edge of burger patty cuisine.

Aaaaahhhh....they are made from guitarist body parts. Clones? Would explain why their angus is a bit different from the angus I have elsewhere.

 

[21stamps]

I have as recently as Saturday. From the Liberty Inn Grill which on a quality scale of 1-10 is terrible....Below are the cheeseburger prices.

Sandwiches
All American Burger - 7-oz. Angus burger, Vermont sharp cheddar, smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, pickle on a briochee bun with apple slices or french fries $14.49

Classic Cheeseburger - 7 oz. Angus burger with two slices of American on a Brioche bun with apple slices or french fries $12.99

There isn't a soda included yet. Mr. @xdan0920 noted that you got a soda in that $15. That will run you $3.29 or $3.69 extra. I also found that ice isn't always included for that wondrous price as recently as Saturday.

How about Pecos Bills you ask? Well, let us take a gander.

Southwest Burger - served with pepper jack and a side of tortilla chips $13.99

Taco Burger - topped with seasoned ground beef and pepper jack and served with a side of tortilla chips $15.99

Once again, no drink. Plus, note the substituting of tortilla chips for fries. What about some place that has always truly been crappy like the Electric Umberlla?

French Dip Burger - 1/3 lb Angus Burger, Brisket, Crispy Onions, and Muenster Cheese with choice of Grapes or French Fries $13.29

1/3 lb. Angus Bacon Cheeseburger - with grapes or fries $12.29

Once again, I hope that the lack of soda is not worth mentioning. Of course, at this location a couple of convenient trips to Club Cool can be made as we all consume 1.5 ounces of soda for free in our bid to put Disney out of business.

Ok. I thought we were comparing apples to Apples. But you are not.

Liberty Tree and Pecos Bills are two of the best uses on the dining plan- because they have some of the highest priced food.
I'm talking about burgers that you walk up to a window or cart and order, then go sit on a bench or outside table to eat. Comparing that to the same type at Disney. Bottled water is higher at different amusements parks as well.


@George
Ok so I love the Indianapolis Children's Museum!!!! We actually go there, COSI, and the Cincinnati Museum relatively often!

We have an amazing zoo here that we frequent as well, I don't love their food prices, but nope they aren't higher or the same as Disney.

I didn't mention any of these places in comparison because I never said they were priced higher.

I said Amusement Parks, and a lot of concerts and sporting events.

My statement wasn't meant to start a debate. If you'd like I'll be at Kings Island tomorrow and will email you a pic of standard food prices.

 

[George]

Ok. I thought we were comparing apples to Apples. But you are not.

Liberty Tree and Pecos Bills are two of the best uses on the dining plan- because they have some of the highest priced food.
I'm talking about burgers that you walk up to a window or cart and order, then go sit on a bench or outside table to eat. Comparing that to the same type at Disney. Bottled water is higher at different amusements parks as well.



Ok so I love the Indianapolis Children's Museum!!!! We actually go there, COSI, and the Cincinnati Museum relatively often!

We have an amazing zoo here that we frequent as well, I don't live their food prices, but nope they aren't higher or the same as Disney.

I didn't mention any of these places in comparison because I never said they were priced higher.

I said Amusement Parks, and a lot of concerts and sporting events.

My statement wasn't meant to start a debate. Big you'd like I'll be at Kings Island tomorrow and will email you a pic of standard food prices.

I included the Electric Umbrella too. I believe your statement is patently false.

 

[21stamps]

I included the Electric Umbrella too. I believe your statement is patently false.

Oh ok, when was the last time you were at an Kings Island or Cedar Point? You are free to believe whatever you wish...

I don't even know if Disney lists prices on the hotdog/pretzel etc stands. I'm not comparing actual restaurants. But I know the majority of water/snacks/ice cream/ hot dogs/ hamburgers are lower priced at WDW than the above mentioned parks. Why does it bother you so much? I made a statement, a true statement. You can believe it to be false and that's ok. Doesn't change it.

 

[George]

Ok. I thought we were comparing apples to Apples. But you are not.

Liberty Tree and Pecos Bills are two of the best uses on the dining plan- because they have some of the highest priced food.
I'm talking about burgers that you walk up to a window or cart and order, then go sit on a bench or outside table to eat. Comparing that to the same type at Disney. Bottled water is higher at different amusements parks as well.


@George
Ok so I love the Indianapolis Children's Museum!!!! We actually go there, COSI, and the Cincinnati Museum relatively often!

We have an amazing zoo here that we frequent as well, I don't live their food prices, but nope they aren't higher or the same as Disney.

I didn't mention any of these places in comparison because I never said they were priced higher.

I said Amusement Parks, and a lot of concerts and sporting events.

My statement wasn't meant to start a debate. If you'd like I'll be at Kings Island tomorrow and will email you a pic of standard food prices.

Captain Cook's (no fries or drink)

1/3 lb Angus Bacon Cheeseburger - served with American cheese, lettuce and tomatoes $11.29

Pop Century (2 sides, no drink)

Angus Bacon Cheeseburger - with a choice of two sides $12.99

Hurricane Hanna's (no drink, fries or slaw)

1/3 lb Angus Cheeseburger - served with French Fries or Apple Slaw $10.19

Hanna's 1/3 lb. Bacon Angus Cheeseburger - with smoked Cheddar and Hanna's Steak Sauce. Served with French Fries or Apple Slaw $10.99

Restarantousarus (Animal Kingdom), no drink

1/3 lb Angus Bacon Cheeseburger - Served with choice of apple slices or fries $13.29

There's really not that much price variation. For the record here are the prices at the Reds Hall of Fame Grille in PKI

Homer Burger (topped with sharp cheddar cheese, onion, tomato, lettuce, pickle spear, and Saratoga chips)- $10.29

Red Leg Burger (topped with cheddar cheese, bacon, onion rings, and BBQ sauce, served with Saratoga chips)- $11.59

Old Number Seven Burger (Coated with Jack Daniels sauce and topped with cheddar cheese, crisp bacon, red onion, tomato, pickles and served with Saratoga chips)- $10.79

No fries, but you get chips and in the case of the Homer burger a pickle spear. No drink.

I should note two things. 1) The Reds Hall of Fame Grille is table service. You get waited on. 2) I live in the midwest too. The one thing PKI gets knocked for is concessions that seem to be a bit out of line when compared to other touristy places. 3) I was comparing apples to apples. Your twice as much as WDW was patently absurd.

 

[George]

Oh ok, when was the last time you were at an Kings Island or Cedar Point? You are free to believe whatever you wish...

I don't even know if Disney lists prices on the hotdog/pretzel etc stands. I'm not comparing actual restaurants. But I know the majority of water/snacks/ice cream/ hot dogs/ hamburgers are lower priced at WDW than the above mentioned parks. Why does it bother you so much? I made a statement, a true statement. You can believe it to be false and that's ok. Doesn't change it.

Because it is not true.