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jeffthechef
10-08-2007, 08:26 AM
I'm sorry, but shelling out $100 fro breakfast for Self, DW, DD, and DS is absolutely ridiculous! I am refering to the new Princess breakfast at Ariel's Grotto. IMHO, the entire resort seems headed toward pricing out all but thos that can pay. Other examples include the Vacation Club, DL Hotels and in-park food.

Burnt Toast
10-08-2007, 08:39 AM
Um. Okay.

River Belle
10-08-2007, 09:06 AM
I know...I've been feeling nervous that there will soon come a time when I'll no longer be able to afford the place. I agree that the price increases do seem pretty steep. :(

I think "Character Dining" is a luxury these days, and it's becoming less and less affordable (at least for my family). We've done this for dinners, but none of us eat very much in the morning, so it was pretty hard to justify spending that kind of dough for such a small amount of food. (At Storyteller's, you can order off a menu--much more affordable than the buffet--and still get character interaction for breakfast.)

Luckily, there ARE some less expensive breakfast options...
You miss out on the character interaction, but The River Belle (currently closed) is a nice little dining spot where you can get a plate of pancakes, eggs and bacon for around $7 and enjoy the great view of the Rivers of America.

I've even found the breakfast prices at the Carnation Cafe to be pretty reasonable (oh geez--watch THOSE go up now!), and last week at the park, my friend and I saw the enormous cinnamon rolls at the Blue Ribbon Bakery and thought they would make a great breakfast with a latte!

It feels like it's getting more expensive every minute, but there are still some affordable options out there. For now, at least.;)

katiesue
10-08-2007, 09:23 AM
The Tomorrowland Terrace breakfast is also reasonable. I think it's $6.99 for eggs, bacon or sausage, homestyle potatoes and a muffin. Plus a drink is included in the price.

The character dining is expensive. We usually only do it for special occasions like a birthday.

kohl
10-08-2007, 09:37 AM
What food are they serving at the Princess breakfast?

daveywest
10-08-2007, 09:43 AM
Maybe it's just a result of growing up with a "cheep" father, but I always book a hotel with a continental breakfast. My sons think the best part of any trip is getting doughnuts every day for breakfast.

We did Goofy's kitchen for my oldest son's 5th birthday, but I know we would never spend that much money on a meal again. I've seen much better charcter interaction at the Visa meet-and-greet then I had at Goofy's.

Jim Dear and Darling
10-08-2007, 09:59 AM
I agree with the OP. Character dining has become pretty extravagant as far as the pricing goes. We still do it at least once when we go, but it's hard to justify thirty-something dollars for breakfast.

houseofmouse
10-08-2007, 10:09 AM
Character dining is expensive and is a special treat in our family. We did Lilo and Stitch last December for mine and my DD's birthdays. We ordered off the menu instead of the buffet but it was still costly.
Maybe putting away 10-15.00 a month towards a character meal would be a good way to save if you know you are going within 6mos to a year. Then you would have the money and enjoy your character meal.
I recommend the Lilo and Stitch we had a blast!
We love the non-character meals at the park too like Carnation and River Belle Terrace (although that is closed right now) the food is good and Mickey Mouse Pancakes and Waffles are always yummy!!:)

olegc
10-08-2007, 11:17 AM
welcome to the realities that WDW has had for some time... If you want special, you will have to pay. It's going to be this way from now on.

We do the "special occasion" thing as well. A long time ago we did a holiday meal at Goofy's kitchen every year - until the price shot up 45% in three years... so now it's only for a once in a while birthday, etc.

cstephens
10-08-2007, 12:26 PM
I think that "$100 for breakfast" is misleading. You're not paying just for the food at $25 per person. You're paying for the character experience. If you're just looking for food for breakfast, there are tons of much less expensive options. But if you want the dedicated character experience, yes, you're going to pay a premium for that. You can also have character interactions without paying extra - you just have to spend the time and effort to look for them in the parks. You're paying extra when you're at character dining because they're much more accessible.

The Fairest Beauty
10-08-2007, 12:42 PM
I personally don't think the character dining is worth it. You spend just as much time interacting with them as you would if you had gone to a meet and greet. Also, it's a pain in the but trying to eat and have the characters come up to you wnting to interact. Also, I found the the food at Ariel's Grotto is way over priced and kind of mediocre.

mckygirl99
10-08-2007, 12:56 PM
I think that "$100 for breakfast" is misleading. You're not paying just for the food at $25 per person. You're paying for the character experience. If you're just looking for food for breakfast, there are tons of much less expensive options. But if you want the dedicated character experience, yes, you're going to pay a premium for that. You can also have character interactions without paying extra - you just have to spend the time and effort to look for them in the parks. You're paying extra when you're at character dining because they're much more accessible.

I completely agree! We did CRT in WDW and plan to do it here. I would rather just eat, get character interaction and be done with it rather than chase characters down all day and stand in long lines. During dining, I feel like my kids get time with the characters and actually get to play with them. I get the best pictures from character dining!

Goosegirl
10-08-2007, 01:03 PM
While I do agree that it is pricey, we pay a little toward our Disney vacation every month. It is just part of our budget. We go about once a year and it is a huge treat for us. We do not eat out at fancy places very often so we all really appreciate the treat. My daughter's have been talking about the Princess lunch for months. Often when they will ask for a little treat, especially something that I don't want them to have anyway, I will remind them that we are saving for our trip to Disneyland where they will see the princesses. They will happily agree, most of the time, that the princesses are worth the wait :p:p:p:p:p.

So, yes, I agree that it is pricey. But for our family, the anticipation and saving all year are worth it.

jeffthechef
10-08-2007, 01:45 PM
I completely agree! We did CRT in WDW and plan to do it here. I would rather just eat, get character interaction and be done with it rather than chase characters down all day and stand in long lines. During dining, I feel like my kids get time with the characters and actually get to play with them. I get the best pictures from character dining!

That's a good point. It is a lot nicer not being rushed like one is in the Fantasy Faire.

aznewsboy
10-08-2007, 01:57 PM
We only did character dining our 1st year (we just got back from our 4th trip). I had no clue what lunch cost so when my brother-in-law suggested Goofy's Kitchen the afternoon we got in we went. Luckily they sensed we could not drop $80 some dollars on our 1st meal in the city & they paid for it-whew! Maybe he saw my jaw hit the floor.
We did the Minnie breakfast once that trip since it was "included" in the package but I realize now we paid for that somehow! Both of those meals my kids were too shy to interact so we never wanted to spend more money on those meals.
After 4 years they are not afraid anymore so if we try it again it will be for a special occasion only-after we save up. I do think you are really paying for the characters over the food.

backsthepack
10-08-2007, 02:47 PM
We paid about $189.00 for dinner at Goofy's Kitchen this past June for our sons birthday. It was high, but boy, was it worth it. Memories he will have forever!!
Character meals are so worth it to us. While the kids are "little" and enjoy them. We do only one per trip (we go about 3-4 times per year). Our son is 8 now, so I doubt he will want to continue doing them too often. Enjoy it while the kids are still kids.

janell
10-08-2007, 03:02 PM
I think character meals are way to high in cost. We don't have children yet, but when we do I think it still will be to high. We have stop going to Storytellers fore breakfast due to the increase in cost and I really miss the food there. They better not make the dinner a character meal or I'll be really upset.

Malcon10t
10-08-2007, 03:11 PM
Character breakfasts are not required. It similar to Premium seating at Fantasmic! or staying at the GCH. You choose what you spend your money on. Don't blame Disney. $100 is not "for breakfast", it is for the entertainment. Medival Times is twice the price.

Denny's is across the street, as is Mimi's. Both can feed a family of 4 adults for about $60.

cstephens
10-09-2007, 04:36 AM
We just had breakfast at Storyteller's on Sunday, and it was just as good as it's ever been. Yummy food (except that as much as I like the broccolini, I really, really miss the really yummy asparagus), and fun characters - we actually had much more interaction this time than in previous times.

bloodnswash
10-09-2007, 05:39 AM
To each his own when it comes to spending money at a Disney park. Nobody is forcing anybody to spend that kind of money for eating while at the resort (or for tours, souvenirs, Fantasmic Premium Seating, etc). The character breakfast is there if you want it....and if you don't, that's alright; there are plenty of less expensive places for a family to eat. It's not like the character breakfasts are the only option Disney is offering for breakfast while at the park. If that were the case then different story. Disneyland can definitely be expensive. But it doesn't have to be. Choices, that's what it comes down to, in my opinion.

KDR
10-09-2007, 09:43 AM
I think that "$100 for breakfast" is misleading. You're not paying just for the food at $25 per person. You're paying for the character experience. If you're just looking for food for breakfast, there are tons of much less expensive options. But if you want the dedicated character experience, yes, you're going to pay a premium for that. You can also have character interactions without paying extra - you just have to spend the time and effort to look for them in the parks. You're paying extra when you're at character dining because they're much more accessible.

Excellent point. Characters are expensive.

Here's a little info along those lines: Someone I'm acquainted with recently had a big shock when trying to firm up a private event at the DLR. Four years ago, character visits at a similar event were charged at $125 per character. I think it was for a 15 or 30 minute visit. Last year, I heard prices had gone up to $350. Now?

Get ready for it.

Remember, this is per-character, and for half an hour or less.

Are you sitting down?

Eight hundred dollars.

Yeah, my jaw hit the floor, too.

codewoman
10-09-2007, 11:28 AM
The Tomorrowland Terrace breakfast is also reasonable. I think it's $6.99 for eggs, bacon or sausage, homestyle potatoes and a muffin. Plus a drink is included in the price.

The character dining is expensive. We usually only do it for special occasions like a birthday.

I agree that Tomorrowland Terrace breakfasts are good. We had our first just this weekend and it was great!

Malcon10t
10-09-2007, 03:23 PM
Dont forget Cafe Orleans. We did a breakfast there one morning. Very reasonable.

pisces
10-09-2007, 07:48 PM
I didn't know you could order off the menu at Lilo and Stitch !!!

But I love their buffet food, anyway...those flautas, and they have the best omelet station with professional chefs....unlike Minnies.

I do think Minnie's (Plaza Inn) is kind of a rip-off, even though I've, very much, enjoyed the ambience.

I'm probably the only person on this site who goes just for the food. The Characters are simply a bonus. For me, the food is the thing.

pcrazy99
10-09-2007, 08:05 PM
I like the Minnie and Friends breakfast. It is a buffet with made to order omelettes and strawberry waffles. The characters are a bonus for my daughter.