Attendance Tracker

[Parkscope Joe]

Well the crowds are here this weekend! DHS and USF packed.

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

Well the crowds are here this weekend! DHS and USF packed.

Thats great to hear!!!

 

[IHateJumpScares]

Our flight was cancelled on Friday so we called universal to explore staying for another night and they were booked solid except for a $250 room at sapphire falls.

So they seemed to be well-attended.

 

[rastuso]

I really noticed food prices at universal this trip. Seemed like they were higher than last year (maybe I am misremembering?) and the quality was lower.

Except for the shakes at Mel’s. $6 shake, tasted like it was priced right. Those were very good.

Everything, everywhere else in the park, felt wicked expensive. We ate there less and less and became much more choosy, lots of sharing.

As an aside- paper straws? Way to ruin a $8 butterbeer, guys. Sheesh. We just grabbed a bunch of plastic straws first chance we got and brought those in with us. I love that they eliminate plastic straws, but still serve everything in plastic cups. Total lack of pragmatic awareness...While completely ignoring the absolutely gigantic carbon footprint of a theme park.

But hey, let’s get those straws out of there! Changing the world, one ruined beverage at a time!

OMG, the paper straws!!! And they won't even give you a straw for the cold Butterbeer (which my dumb wife thinks is better than frozen). We took a ton from Pei Wei, but then ultimately didn't need them. The paper straw crusade is beyond stupid.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

OMG, the paper straws!!! And they won't even give you a straw for the cold Butterbeer (which my dumb wife thinks is better than frozen). We took a ton from Pei Wei, but then ultimately didn't need them. The paper straw crusade is beyond stupid.

They never gave straws with cold butterbeer.

 

[OLSinFLA]

Drinking buttterbeers with straws? Sacrilegious!!!!!

 

[jrn14]

I don't mind the paper straws ut:

 

[JoeCamel]

I don't mind the paper straws ut:

:crazy::think::ban::ack:O::grin:

 

[Scott W.]

More price increases at WDW:

Walt Disney World Snack and Drink Prices Increased (Churros, Pretzels, Resort Refillable Mugs, Alcohol, and More) - Blog Mickey

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

Man they're really trying to get me to not visit this April aren't they.


Edit: Granted, they're 20 cents each. However $ adds up. Just more bad trends here. Glad I'm going this April when pretty much all their new stuff should be open minus Remy. Probably won't be back for a few years after this with these prices. Plus Dockside and Surfside are better than any of the value WDW resorts from my experience. Anyways, sigh.

 

[Nick]

More price increases at WDW:

Walt Disney World Snack and Drink Prices Increased (Churros, Pretzels, Resort Refillable Mugs, Alcohol, and More) - Blog Mickey

Only .20-.30 cent increases, but it's still ridiculous with how expensive everything already is.

I've gotten to the point though where I cap my F&B per visit at a pretty low amount and I normally make sure that I bring multiple bottles of water into the park to stay hydrated and grab something to eat before coming to the park. They can keep raising the prices all they want but they won't be getting more money from me. The only thing I buy semi-regularly that's obviously and obscenely overpriced is alcohol at Epcot, but that's mostly just when i'm having a fun time with friends.

 

[Scott W.]

Only .20-.30 cent increases, but it's still ridiculous with how expensive everything already is.

I've gotten to the point though where I cap my F&B per visit at a pretty low amount and I normally make sure that I bring multiple bottles of water into the park to stay hydrated and grab something to eat before coming to the park. They can keep raising the prices all they want but they won't be getting more money from me. The only thing I buy semi-regularly that's obviously and obscenely overpriced is alcohol at Epcot, but that's mostly just when i'm having a fun time with friends.

I don’t think I’ll ever have a sit down meal in a WDW park again. The quality is no where near the price tag and I’ll be lucky to have one quick service meal a trip. I didn’t buy a single snack in DL last week or month or however long ago it was now, feels like forever ago.

I tried drinking around the world at Food and Wine last year and couldn’t get drunk with the small sizes of drink and finally resorted back to the standard size which felt like a bargain.

I wonder if this will make ‘free’ dining feel like a better value.

 

[Nick]

I don’t think I’ll ever have a sit down meal in a WDW park again. The quality is no where near the price tag and I’ll be lucky to have one quick service meal a trip. I didn’t buy a single snack in DL last week or month or however long ago it was now, feels like forever ago.

I tried drinking around the world at Food and Wine last year and couldn’t get drunk with the small sizes of drink and finally resorted back to the standard size which felt like a bargain.

I wonder if this will make ‘free’ dining feel like a better value.

I was actually able to have a pretty solid meal at Nine Dragons yesterday before IllumiNations and after discount it only cost $23 for my meal. Sure, expensive for Chinese Food, but it was good, we walked right it and were seated immediately (no reservation) and the service was great as well as the quality being well above a quick serve despite the price being similar.

Now if we're talking some of the more expensive WDW restaurants (and overhyped) like, say, Le Cellier, then yeah. Le Cellier used to be enjoyable, but now it's just living off of it's former reputation and the prices are ridiculous. Want to do a character meal at WDW (likely with a family of 3 or 4 minimum)? Get ready to shell out $200+. Etc, etc.

There are a few places like V&A's and Tukami Tei that are worth the splurge, but on the whole, the food at WDW isn't worth shelling out the money they are asking.

 

[jrn14]

This wouldn't be such a big deal, but they already did a pretty significant markup on all food items in the Spring according to the Disney Food Blog....

 

[Stryker]

With my family of 5, dining at any theme park can get quite expensive so I usually bring my own sandwiches/snacks to cover at least one meal and we'll eat breakfast beforehand. It's surprising how much food they let you bring in. For my 2 visits to DLR this summer, I brought 2 long premade sandwiches (cut up in to smaller portions) from Walmart, frozen GoGurt, assorted chips in quart-sized Ziplock bags, juice and other random snacks. That kept us going the entire 14-15 hours we were there. All we bought in the parks were 2 Ronto Wraps on one visit and a turkey leg to share on the other visit. Water is free throughout the parks so I brought 2 reusable water bottles.

At USH, I would bring 6 banh mi sandwiches with the same assortment of snacks. Same goes for SeaWorld and Legoland.

On the few Disney cruises I've been on, I even brought my own alcohol on board, which I believe was the only cruise line that allowed that at those times.

You can save a lot of money on food if you plan ahead.

 

[Mad Dog]

If anyone follows the quarterly reports of the past few years, generally Disney USA parks revenue has increased primarily due to increased prices of admission, hotels, food and beverage. Attendance gains have actually been minimal except for a couple of decent quarters. Disney has become addicted to this easy fix. It's like a drug to them. But the recent drops in attendance, even with two $1 billion plus lands debuting, may well indicate they've finally hit a wall. But, it seems they haven't learned their lesson. I love Disney's parks, but their questionable management continues to show me they only succeed due to the long term reputation and brand of the company that was created by long past, more competent, management teams that loved and understood the parks. These decisions are troublesome and indicate management that may well be out of touch....Long live the yearly bonus check, is their (Executives') major mantra.

 

[Honor_Knight]

If we can't get them TO the park, we'll get them IN the park. - Bob Chapek. :thumbsup:

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

My boyfriend and I are lucky that we're 23 and have been working since we were 17/18 full time, so we are able to afford value resorts and cheap flights at this point so we can enjoy Orlando vacations. My single mother, who I would say is middle to upper middle class, is finding prices absurd this vacation. Due to her health issues and no budget for me we haven't been to WDW or Orlando in 5-6 years together. We're planning this trip together, and she's flat out said she simply can't afford Disney anymore, at least to go frequently.

I just wonder if this is the main issue. People are still going to go WDW, but instead of every year, its more like every 4-5 years. Not as good for their longterm business prospects, but we shall see. Should be interesting to follow this winter and spring once Rise opens.

 

[Mad Dog]

My boyfriend and I are lucky that we're 23 and have been working since we were 17/18 full time, so we are able to afford value resorts and cheap flights at this point so we can enjoy Orlando vacations. My single mother, who I would say is middle to upper middle class, is finding prices absurd this vacation. Due to her health issues and no budget for me we haven't been to WDW or Orlando in 5-6 years together. We're planning this trip together, and she's flat out said she simply can't afford Disney anymore, at least to go frequently.

I just wonder if this is the main issue. People are still going to go WDW, but instead of every year, its more like every 4-5 years. Not as good for their longterm business prospects, but we shall see. Should be interesting to follow this winter and spring once Rise opens.

I would Bet that definitely is happening.

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

I would Bet that definitely is happening.

While my mom is a major Disney/Disney parks fan, she's not like some people who go every single year at least once. I know a few families like that, I truly am curious how much they're willing to spend for their yearly vacations.