Walt Disney World is starting the new year off with a bang…a bang to your wallet! Walt Disney World increased food prices on average $1-$2 across the Walt Disney World Resort. Unlike previous food price increases, this increase affects all aspects of Walt Disney World dining. From soda and snacks to main courses at many quick and table service restaurants, it appears Disney has left no stone unturned. Like most increases, Disney did not announce the increase, rather implemented them quietly the morning after marathon weekend.
Here are a few examples:
Dole Whips went from $5.99 to $6.99
Mickey Ice Cream Bars increased from $5.69 to $5.99
Hot Cocoa from $3.29 to $3.49
Freshly Brewed Joffrey’s Coffee from $3.29 to $3.49
Spaghetti and Pork-Beef Meatballs (Tony’s) from $33 to $35
Cesar Salad with Salmon (50’s Prime Time Café) from $18-$19
Mickey Waffles (The Market at Ale and Compass) from $8.49 to $10.49
Anyone who buys groceries knows that the price of food has increased significantly in the past 2 years. Living in a metropolitan area, I’ve seen my grocery bill increase as much as 5-8% since 2019. A good example, a gallon of organic milk increased from $5.99 last year to $6.39 just last week. Understandably, Walt Disney World is also seeing similar increases to its food prices, so at some point an increase was bound to show up. As an educated consumer and mom, I understand that logic, but I have several issues with the timing of these increases.
With no clear explanation other than speculation that staffing shortages are to blame, restaurants like 1900 Park Fare and Victoria and Albert’s remain closed. Other restaurants have limited seating capacity and clearly limited staff. On a recent trip we noticed our waiters busing most of their own tables. We’ve also noticed smaller portions in some places and some quality issues at others. I understand the challenges and can appreciate them, but I would expect Disney to resolve them before passing along a price increase. The item that bothers me the most are the character meals. I can understand that the experience with characters might still need to be different, however Disney did not lower the prices of their meals to accommodate this and now they are increasing the price! All I can say is wow!
By way of example, two years ago The Royal Table hosted 4-5 princesses and a PhotoPass opportunity with Cinderella. My daughter loved the interactions, and I loved the ability to sip my coffee without having to entertain her. We always had amazing food and although it was pricey, it filled our stomachs, and we were well entertained. Fast forward to today, Cinderella’s appearance is not guaranteed so you could have your meal and not even see her. When she does appear, Cinderella only waves from the balcony making even the selfie experience hard to capture depending on where you are seated (this is one time the window seat is not in your favor). There are also no PhotoPass opportunities. The price tag was the same even though the experience is less. We encountered similar issues with Be Our Guest (where the Beast Fly By has a lot to be desired). Disney has also not brought back all the character meals, notably characters are still missing at Cape May and Crystal Palace. I would happily pay more for quality experiences, but I am not willing to pay more for diminishing experiences.
Then there are the dining plans, or more appropriately the lack of dining plans. Disney put out a teaser in October that dining plans would return soon, but then radio silence. Taking an educated guess these price increases are probably the pre-cursor to some new dining plan being introduced, however I would have expected the plan first to drum up excitement and get people locked in. Given that the price increase for food was announced first I expect to see a price increase on dining plans too. Stay tuned.
All of this to say, if you are visiting Walt Disney World and plan to eat on property be sure to plan for the increase. Be sure to subscribe to the Main Street Gazette to keep up with the latest Disney news and look for my post How to Save Money on Your Next Disney Vacation to learn more about opportunities to save on food costs on your next vacation.
What do you think of the increase – please comment below. We would love to hear from you!
