Walt Disney World has raised menu costs on a whole lot (over 2,000 in case you rely repeats) of meals & drinks in any respect 4 theme parks, resort resorts, and past as of late October 2024. This consists of counter service & effective eating eating places, snacks, desserts, bottled drinks, blended alcoholic drinks & extra. This put up shares a sampling of the worth hikes, plus our commentary about why that is taking place and extra.
This comes amidst different worth will increase to start out the Walt Disney Firm’s new fiscal 12 months. Disneyland already had elevated costs a pair weeks in the past on park tickets, Lightning Lanes, and Magic Keys, however Florida waited because of the timing of the hurricane. Now Walt Disney World has adopted go well with, growing costs on Annual Passes, 2025 park tickets, valet parking, and extra.
We’ve already reported on Walt Disney World’s character eating worth will increase, that are up just about throughout the board. Apparently, it’s a little bit of a special strategy for different eating places. From what we’re seeing right here, it’s disproportionately signature eating, meals courts & counter service eating places, bars & lounges, and out of doors merchandising carts which have elevated.
What this implies is that the most costly eating places are getting much more costly. Locations just like the Hollywood Brown Derby, Tiffins, Le Cellier Steakhouse, and extra have seen will increase that quantity to round 4-7% larger costs. Since these had been costly to start with, that may be jumps of $5 or extra for some entrees. (That’s how percentages work, I’m instructed.)
Apparently, we’ve additionally observed that themed eating appears to be disproportionately hit by the will increase. Distinctive eating places like Coral Reef, Toy Story Roundup Rodeo, Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater, and different themed spots. Principally, the corporate appears to have carried out a focused strategy to extend costs at the kind of desk service eating places you’d usually establish with Walt Disney World or wouldn’t discover in the actual world.
So what does that depart that didn’t improve? Rather a lot, truly! Consider the eating places you wouldn’t usually consider. Just about all of these. The ‘ole reliables’ as we wish to name them, as a result of they fly underneath the radar of first-timers. This encompasses mid-tier desk service eating places within the parks and (particularly) resorts in addition to Disney Springs–the kind of locations that aren’t typically talked about however are often underrated. This makes some extent of sense–these disproportionately compete with actual world counterparts and lots of already provide 40% Solid Member reductions to fill tables.
On the different finish of the spectrum, costs at counter service eating places, meals courts and out of doors merchandising carts have additionally elevated on sure objects, however not every thing–and even a very powerful issues, as most entrees are immune. What’s gone up on the quick meals entrance is generally impulse buys, non-necessities, or indulgences. Not a lot else to say about these will increase, as they’re the costs that persistently go up 12 months in and 12 months out at the beginning of every fiscal 12 months.
Talking of which, Walt Disney World has returned to its regular cadence of resort-wide worth improve for meals & drinks in October. After a few will increase in 2022, the final two years have seen costs go up as soon as–after Disney’s new fiscal 12 months begins.
This isn’t to say there aren’t different worth will increase all year long–there completely are. Varied menus have ‘changes’ now and again, particularly these operated by third events. However October is the one time of the 12 months when there’s an virtually across-the-board improve that applies to the overwhelming majority of menus at Walt Disney World.
Apart from the aforementioned mid-tier desk service eating places, virtually each menu I’ve checked has been impacted, however there are a couple of stragglers nonetheless displaying the previous costs. If previous precedent is any indication, they’ll be up to date within the coming days, too.
Right here’s a rundown of frequent objects which have elevated in worth, and by how a lot:
- Mickey Pretzel (varied areas) – Elevated from $7.79 from $7.99
- Churros (varied areas) – Elevated from $6.79 to $6.99
- Popcorn (varied areas) – Elevated from $5.50 to $6.00
- Dole Whip (varied areas & flavors) – Elevated from $5.79 to $5.99
- Fountain Drinks (varied areas) – Elevated from $4.49 to $4.79
- Freshly Brewed Joffrey’s Espresso (varied areas) – Elevated from $3.79 to $4.29
- Powerade (varied areas) – Elevated from $4.99 to $5.50
- DASANI Bottled Water – Elevated from $3.75 to $4.00
- Bottled Drinks – Elevated from $5.25 to $5.50
- smartwater Bottled Water – Elevated from $5.75 to $6.00
That is only a small sampling of the snacks, drinks, desserts, and extra which have elevated–we tried to emphasise objects that may be discovered on quite a lot of menus. With that stated, loads of particular fan-favorite objects have additionally elevated, comparable to College Bread in Norway, the Wookie Cookie at Hollywood Studios, just about each ice cream sundae, cinnamon rolls, and extra.
This could provide you with a tough thought of what the worth will increase seem like at counter service eating places, meals courts, and out of doors merchandising carts (ODVs).
Typically, we’re seeing commonplace snacks and drinks growing at counter service spots by $.20 to $.50, though some objects seem to have been neglected solely. Notably, we aren’t seeing throughout the board will increase on stereotypical theme park delicacies–staple entrees like hen tenders, nuggets, burgers, pizza, and so forth. For his or her half, many salads nonetheless haven’t damaged the $10 barrier, both.
For distinctive entrees, the worth will increase (or lack thereof) aren’t as constant. In spot-checking, we observed plenty of gourmand burgers, salads, and different dinner specialties that didn’t improve. Customary sizzling canines are one other inconsistent one–a few of these have gone up, some haven’t. Maybe there’s one other wave of will increase coming and people can be swept up in that.
Many/most objects at out of doors merchandising carts seem to have elevated by $.25 to $.50. This will likely appear minor, however ODV costs shot up final 12 months and are up considerably since 2018/2019. If my information are any indication, lots of this stuff have seen will increase totaling over $1 within the final 3 years. When you final visited in 2017, you could be shocked that a few of these objects have come near doubling in price.
There are literally a handful of pre-packaged merchandise that went up twice in 2022 (February and October), as soon as in 2023, and are actually up once more in October 2024. Maybe an unpopular opinion, however I’m unbothered by this. A number of weeks in the past, somebody posted a ‘ragebait’ tweet about how a lot 6 bottles of smartwater price them within the parks and my major thought was that’s type of on you for purchasing smartwater within the first place! Or, as the children say, “talent problem.”
This most likely received’t win me many associates, however frankly, I really feel the identical approach about alcohol. Don’t get me mistaken–I’ve nothing towards it within the parks–however I additionally don’t thoughts family-friendly theme parks charging sky-high costs on booze to discourage overindulgence. Disney charging a “comfort tax” on all of these items–ODV impulse buys, booze, bottled drinks–that subsidizes decrease costs on staples at counter service eating places doesn’t hassle me within the least. However I digress.
The takeaway for planning functions is that in case you’re visiting Walt Disney World between now and 2025, improve your eating finances by about $3 to $10 per ‘particular’ desk service meal, $1 per counter service meal, and 50 cents per snacking session. Some issues didn’t improve in any respect and others are solely up by $.20, in order that’s nonetheless concerning the common whenever you consider every thing.
Whereas arguably no worth improve is an effective improve, the silver lining is that the 2024 worth will increase should not practically as unhealthy because the final two years. And final 12 months’s worth will increase weren’t as unhealthy as 2022, which was hit actually arduous. Once more, that’s when many objects elevated twice, for a complete of some {dollars} and double-digit percentages! There’s virtually nothing right here on par with that.
With the 2024 meals worth will increase, it’s solely potential–albeit inconceivable–that some visitors received’t really feel these in any respect. When you primarily do counter service eating places or lower-tier desk service and don’t order drinks or desserts, your finances doesn’t essentially want to extend. This was essentially the most cost-effective approach of doing Walt Disney World earlier than, and that is still the case going ahead–so a minimum of there’s that optimistic!
Extra restrained and focused worth will increase on menus round Walt Disney World shouldn’t come as an enormous shock.
Inflation has peaked and is unquestionably decelerating as in comparison with final 12 months when it was accelerating. (Be aware that slowing inflation just isn’t the identical as deflation–the previous means a slower rise whereas the latter means a lower. Two very completely different phrases!)
What you’re paying on the grocery retailer has most likely elevated (and never decreased) within the final 12 months, however the proportion change is quite a bit decrease this 12 months than it was from late 2021 to late 2022. That’s evident from the USDA worth knowledge, and mirrored within the menu worth will increase at Walt Disney World. They’re nonetheless going within the mistaken route, however to a extra regular and tolerable diploma than final 12 months.
With that stated, we are able to’t assist marvel if the route will change. I do know, I do know–wishful considering. However what’s extra highly effective than the magic of a dream your coronary heart makes, proper?! And I want for decrease menu costs.
Despite the fact that Walt Disney World costs are inclined to solely go in a single route–up–there truly is current precedent for reducing menu costs. Actual world quick meals chains have been reducing their costs within the final a number of months. McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King and Subway are all providing new, lower-priced worth meals.
All of those chains (and others) have reported that budget-conscious customers aren’t visiting as a lot, they usually’ve responded to this habits by making an attempt to lure again misplaced clients with decrease costs and higher worth. It ought to go with out saying that Walt Disney World is completely different than quick meals eating places for plenty of causes, however the sentiment about needing to lure again misplaced customers rings true.
It simply most likely received’t occur, each time it does occur, through decrease counter service menu costs. That’s not #1 on the checklist of the explanation why Walt Disney World has misplaced lifelong followers. It’s most likely not even within the high 10 or 20. Sooner or later, although, Disney goes to have to tug extra of its “levers” to reverse the continued attendance decline. It’ll be fascinating to see what that entails.
One factor price noting is that even when costs haven’t elevated, that doesn’t imply the worth proposition has remained the identical. By now, you’re most likely conversant in the ‘sensible phrases’ of dearly-departed Disney CFO Christine McCarthy who talked about managing prices on earnings calls: “We are able to regulate suppliers. We are able to substitute merchandise…We are able to have a look at pricing the place crucial. We aren’t going to go simply straight throughout and improve costs.”
This was additionally the supply of her now-infamous line: “We are able to minimize portion sizes, which might be good for some folks’s waistlines.” (Sorry, I do know I reference this quite a bit. I nonetheless can’t recover from the absurdity of her considering this was a factor she ought to say out loud.)
This sentiment is hardly distinctive to Walt Disney World. Phrases like “skimpflation” and “shrinkflation” have entered our collective vernacular, and Walt Disney World has turn out to be a poster baby for each. Portion sizes have turn out to be noticeably smaller within the final couple of years, with high quality cuts together with them. We’ve positively nonetheless been hungry when leaving some Walt Disney World eating places.
Truthfully, though I’m reporting about these worth will increase and providing commentary, I view this as far much less “newsworthy” or annoying than different worth will increase at Walt Disney World.
A part of this could be a sure numbness to larger meals prices. It’s taking place actually in all places, and in contrast to admission or Annual Go costs which are completely divorced from inflationary forces at this level, there’s a direct through-line between many menu costs and inflation. Disney’s margins at many eating places are most likely minimal.
Not solely that, however larger menu costs really feel much more uncontrolled in the actual world. There was an unlimited chasm between quick meals/informal chain costs and Walt Disney World counter service costs. There’s nonetheless a spot, but it surely has positively closed–and that’s even with Disney growing costs fairly aggressively for plenty of years.
On condition that Walt Disney World has a captive viewers and a random Panera or Chipotle in a strip mall don’t–and really have competitors a whole lot of yards away–I’ve to confess that I’m barely happy that costs at Walt Disney World counter service eating places haven’t gotten much more uncontrolled. When you instructed me the combination fee of inflation and requested me to guess what entree costs can be as of October 2024 again in 2019, I most likely would’ve picked larger numbers.
Lastly, we are going to as soon as once more reiterate our suggestion of having groceries delivered to Walt Disney World resorts at a cheap price. That’s one strategy to keep away from a minimum of a part of this worth improve by doing breakfast in your room, having your individual bottled drinks or espresso, and bringing snacks to the parks. As I’ve “bragged” elsewhere, I haven’t paid for caffeine at Walt Disney World in a protracted, very long time. You’ll nonetheless get hit by a few of these worth will increase, however the quantity you save ought to greater than offset that improve.
On the spectrum of issues which are vital or vital to a Walt Disney World trip, just about something bought at out of doors merchandising carts is on the tremendous low finish. These aren’t iconic meals, snacks, desserts, or specialty drinks that solely Disney does. That’s even true of churros and Mickey-shaped novelty snacks, all of which have comparable counterparts at Costco. Pack your individual snacks and allocate your eating finances in the direction of meals that’s truly distinctive and scrumptious. Value will increase are at all times annoying and by no means welcome, however these meals & beverage ones are most likely the “least offensive” of the bunch by Walt Disney World. When you’re budgeting $75 per day for smartwater, perhaps you’re truly a dummy.
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Study resorts on our Walt Disney World Resorts Evaluations web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Evaluations. To save cash on tickets or decide which kind to purchase, learn our Suggestions for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets put up. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys put up takes a singular have a look at intelligent objects to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Trip Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the most effective place to start out is our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information for every thing you have to know!
Your Ideas
What do you consider these and different current worth will increase at Walt Disney World? Assume it is a pure consequence of inflation, or one other instance of Disney getting extra grasping? Will these worth will increase affect your plans for future holidays? Do you agree or disagree with our commentary? Assume there can be long-term penalties for Walt Disney World ensuing from its pricing traits the previous couple of years? Any questions we may also help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even whenever you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
