WDW to Raise All Buffet Prices By Almost 50%?

[Filby61]

$50 for Mickey Waffles with a Donald covered in snot and maple syrup?

B-b-but... it's Pixie-Sparkle® snot and Disney Magic® maple syrup!

 

[ford91exploder]

B-b-but... it's Pixie-Sparkle® snot and Disney Magic® maple syrup!

If only it WERE maple syrup instead it's HFCS, Caramel coloring and artificial maple flavoring.... Maple Syrup is expensive the good stuff up here is 100-120 per gallon, The stuff Disney serves is perhaps 10-15 bucks per 5 gallon pail.

 

[disney4life2008]

Just got back from a short visit to WDW. We had not been in three years. I expected food prices to be high but we were a little more than shocked. The price gouging was off the charts - even for this seasoned Disney fanatic. The only food value left at WDW seems to be the buffets. We had have a nice meal in the Germany pavilion at World Showcase and Monday night at BOMA. If the buffet prices increase to 60.00 a person versus 40 a person I am way beyond shocked.

The 32.00 we spent on a hot dog and a chicken sandwich and a side of beans (3.99 for less than a 1/4 cup) and two drinks. And the food was not good. In contrast, we ate at the SIMPSONS food court in Universal for much less and better food quality AND better service. Universal had people guiding you in line, and lead us (while helping to carry our food) to a table that was clean and reserved for us. As I stood to leave and reached for my tray, there was another team member telling us that they would take care of it and being as happy, helpful and polite as possible.

Did I mention the 72.00 we spent for two on one salad, one soup and two pasta dishes at Tony's on Saturday? (Gay Days). I understand you pay more but this was over the top.

Did I mention the 40.00 counter service at Animal Kingdom (next to YAK and YETI) ???
I can have a nice sit-down meal at OUTBACK steakhouse for what this shy portion of average food we received at this counter service.

I am not sure who Disney thinks their customer is but I have been saying for a while and it was reconfirmed this visit, it is NOT us. My husband and I both are blessed to have nice jobs and live comfortably in Connecticut (not a cheap state to live) and we kept shaking our heads at the prices.

I feel your pain. I spent $40 on a burger, chicken, 2 drinks at ak last week. Granted, it was great but for $40 we could have went to mcdonlds 5 times

 

[ford91exploder]

I feel your pain. I spent $40 on a burger, chicken, 2 drinks at ak last week. Granted, it was great but for $40 we could have went to mcdonlds 5 times

Or 5 Guys 2-3 times and had an awesome burger and fries...

 

[Gabe1]

I don't pay that now. Last WDW buffet I had was Boma a few years ago with a CM pal's 40% off holiday coupon. It was well worth that.

I believe Boma was my last Buffet too prior to the CMs perk cuts. My DS put me on the DP and it was maybe $25 a day then a bargain for a QS meal and a TS. Even with that I wasn't impressed but admittedly I'm not a fan of Buffets anywhere. If I am going for any TS dining I appreciate service over the bouncing up and down of dining companions. Our wait staff was beyond invisible, dropped my fork and finally went behind the buffet (near the carved meat) into the service area and had to retrieve a new fork myself. Never did get my wine but it was on my bill. Being on a CM ressie you gotta be nice and bite your tongue. While my DS isn't considered a WDW CM some of these folk are great little trouble makers if you dare say something. I could easily stick with actual TS venues and skip the buffets.

 

[alissafalco]

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.

 

[alissafalco]

I was at AKL during one of the peak seasons and Boma was $52.99 for Dinner that day, Ate at the Mara instead where 3 of us ate for about the same price. We wanted to eat at Boma but no way could we justify a nearly $200 dinner tab for a buffet.

If you were going to splurge and treat yourself on a buffet Boma would be the one to do it on! I think it's the best buffet on property and the food was really excellent when we ate there.

 

[Bolna]

I just listened to the DISUnplugged podcast and they were talking about it. Pete Werner (the owner of the DISboards) said that he had it from a source that he trusts that the plan is that starting October 1st all buffets will be priced at 59.00$ per adult, children will be 39.00$. Their commentary on the news was really harsh.

 

[Jon81uk]

I just listened to the DISUnplugged podcast and they were talking about it. Pete Werner (the owner of the DISboards) said that he had it from a source that he trusts that the plan is that starting October 1st all buffets will be priced at 59.00$ per adult, children will be 39.00$. Their commentary on the news was really harsh.

My guess would be all character buffets will go up in price. There is no way Trails End would be that expensive. Places like Biergarten at least have the Oompah band.

They will "justify" that the character ones are worth it as they include entertainment. I still don't think most are worth it.


Also at the most popular theme park in the UK, Alton Towers, one of their hotels serves a buffet for £20 ($30 or thereabouts) per adult and gets frequent complaints about being expensive.
Although a three course meal even in a moderately priced place is going to be £20, so its not outrageous for a buffet. It just shows how far over the top Disney is trying to price things.

 

[seascape]

I feel your pain. I spent $40 on a burger, chicken, 2 drinks at ak last week. Granted, it was great but for $40 we could have went to mcdonlds 5 times

Be happy you don't live in New York. Even on Staten Island the cost of a whopper Jr with cheese is $3.60. Think of what it will be soon with a new increase in minimum wage. Disney does charge too much but 3.60 for a whopper Jr is even worse than what Disney charges. Just think $7.00 plus for a whopper jr, value fries and value drink. What a deal.

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

We have a trip coming up the last week in September, staying in Sports. We have the quick service dining plan however, our 5 year old really wanted to do one character meal. I went online and found all the cheapest breakfast character meals and let her choose which one she wanted. She chose Tusker House. According to what I've found online, its currently $29/adult and $16/child. If prices are raised significantly before our trip, we will be cancelling. And I honestly don't care if she's upset about it. I can't justify much more than the current prices.

 

[wdwmagic]

I could see this being called "seasonal pricing" to go along with admission prices, which they already do, but will be on a bigger scale.

There has been seasonal pricing for buffets for at least the last 5 years. During peak periods they all go up by about $5.

 

[xdan0920]

Just got back from a short visit to WDW. We had not been in three years. I expected food prices to be high but we were a little more than shocked. The price gouging was off the charts - even for this seasoned Disney fanatic. The only food value left at WDW seems to be the buffets. We had have a nice meal in the Germany pavilion at World Showcase and Monday night at BOMA. If the buffet prices increase to 60.00 a person versus 40 a person I am way beyond shocked.

The 32.00 we spent on a hot dog and a chicken sandwich and a side of beans (3.99 for less than a 1/4 cup) and two drinks. And the food was not good. In contrast, we ate at the SIMPSONS food court in Universal for much less and better food quality AND better service. Universal had people guiding you in line, and lead us (while helping to carry our food) to a table that was clean and reserved for us. As I stood to leave and reached for my tray, there was another team member telling us that they would take care of it and being as happy, helpful and polite as possible.

Did I mention the 72.00 we spent for two on one salad, one soup and two pasta dishes at Tony's on Saturday? (Gay Days). I understand you pay more but this was over the top.

Did I mention the 40.00 counter service at Animal Kingdom (next to YAK and YETI) ???
I can have a nice sit-down meal at OUTBACK steakhouse for what this shy portion of average food we received at this counter service.

I am not sure who Disney thinks their customer is but I have been saying for a while and it was reconfirmed this visit, it is NOT us. My husband and I both are blessed to have nice jobs and live comfortably in Connecticut (not a cheap state to live) and we kept shaking our heads at the prices.

Great post.

I went in September with just my wife. Left the little one at home. We spent, I am not exaggerating, $1100-$1200 on food and Bev in 3/4 days. That is insanity. We live in Bergen County NJ, so high food prices are something we are used to, WDW has gone well beyond what we consider "high" and moved toward ludicrous. A price increase like the one being rumored would move beyond even "ludicrous" and into comically ridiculous.

FWIW....

I don't see any way they don't switch the character buffets to 2 credits. Makes too much sense, with the way WDW is currently being priced, not to. The buffets are packed right now (which is crazy because they are already dumbly priced) so why not jack up the cost and test the limits?

 

[Mike S]

The food prices at WDW are exactly why I bring in my own snacks.

I just listened to the DISUnplugged podcast and they were talking about it. Pete Werner (the owner of the DISboards) said that he had it from a source that he trusts that the plan is that starting October 1st all buffets will be priced at 59.00$ per adult, children will be 39.00$. Their commentary on the news was really harsh.

Happy 45th Anniversary!!!

 

[GhostHost1000]

Great post.

I went in September with just my wife. Left the little one at home. We spent, I am not exaggerating, $1100-$1200 on food and Bev in 3/4 days. That is insanity. We live in Bergen County NJ, so high food prices are something we are used to, WDW has gone well beyond what we consider "high" and moved toward ludicrous. A price increase like the one being rumored would move beyond even "ludicrous" and into comically ridiculous.

FWIW....

I don't see any way they don't switch the character buffets to 2 credits. Makes too much sense, with the way WDW is currently being priced, not to. The buffets are packed right now (which is crazy because they are already dumbly priced) so why not jack up the cost and test the limits?

You nailed it

Disney's new path forward - "hey let's test the limits...we might even make more money and it'll be great crowd control since we don't want to expand and build new experiences to spread out the crowds and make even more....it's a win win and these stupid tourists that bleed pixie dust will still come because we provide such a magical experience!"

Many guest's new path forward - "they have lost their mind, this is insane, screw it I'll take a year or more off and go somewhere else"

 

[GhostHost1000]

Someone should start a post about Disney changes and issues in 2016 and create a list. Think of how bad this would look

In general to name a few
Insane pricing for Halloween and Christmas parties
Paying for extra hour experiences
Delays and problems in attractions and shows
CM cuts
etc etc etc

 

[aladdin2007]

My guess would be all character buffets will go up in price. There is no way Trails End would be that expensive. Places like Biergarten at least have the Oompah band.

They will "justify" that the character ones are worth it as they include entertainment. I still don't think most are worth it.


Also at the most popular theme park in the UK, Alton Towers, one of their hotels serves a buffet for £20 ($30 or thereabouts) per adult and gets frequent complaints about being expensive.
Although a three course meal even in a moderately priced place is going to be £20, so its not outrageous for a buffet. It just shows how far over the top Disney is trying to price things.

I cant imagine trails end being $60 per person, for breakfast especially, the other post up stated it was sounding like all buffets going to $60 a person etc...outrageous and will be the end for us, horrible price gauging. The majority of these locations arent worth it now for the food and service they have and continued cutting back. Also we have thanksgiving reserves here for dinner but will probably have to cancel if this turns out to be true. The problem is not everyone is on the precious dining plan, they are sticking it to those who aren't to pay for those that get free dining or whatever the mess is.....and Spirit it doesn't seem to do any good to complain because all they do is some rep who is clueless calls you on the phone and tries to deny it and just say its an internet rumor, so what can we do really? Believe me I would love to let them know now before they do do this how do you effectively do it anymore?

 

[JWG]

If a buffet like Trails End goes to $59.99 it is doubling in price. We just ate there in January for $29.99. Maybe that was with a 10% discount, I can't remember. There is NO WAY Trails end is worth $29.99 when I can get the same food at Golden Coral for $15-$20, but it most certainly isn't worth $59.99. Garden Grill's peak price is $41.99, so if this is true, the price of their buffet (it is a character meal) is increasing 43%. Chef Mickey's is roughly $48.99 so $59.99 would still be a 22.5% increase for the most likely location. Askershus is $51.99 (are you kidding me?!) so that would be going up 15.4%.

We'll see what comes out soon as they start releasing information for the holidays. I'm not even willing to do the "good" buffets for that much. My family of 3 can eat offsite at any number of places for that much in total.

 

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

Sickening.

I'm really tired of hearing about price hikes and quality cuts. I'm really second guessing my vacation plans for this autumn.

 

[TyrantBoss]

As long as the lemmings keep paying the steep prices for the food, Disney will keep charging it.
And if by chance we all stop buying food and start bringing food....Disney will at that time enact a ban on bringing in outside food and drink.

You can drive just outside of Disney World and go to Longhorn Steakhouse and a nice mean, in a quiet setting for a reasonable price.
Or just down the road from Longhorn you can go to Waffle house and get a much better and cheaper breakfast.

Sorry...I mean...Disney's food is reasonably and fairly priced and they are not jacking up prices at all. They are in no way taking advantage of their guests.