Disneyland Raises Bar for Upcharge Experiences with $300 Jungle Cruise Breakfast

September 4, 2015, 12:25 PM · Disneyland just announced a new upcharge experience where you can eat breakfast on the African Veldt inside the Jungle Cruise — for $300 a person.

Jungle Cruise

The "Sunrise Safari Breakfast" includes "fresh pastries, exotic fruit & chia parfaits, glazed pork belly bacon, pan-seared sausage and roasted gold potato & onion hash." But, as with most of Disney's upcharge events, the experience includes more than just the food. After the meal, diners will get to take a turn on the mic as they skipper one of the Jungle Cruise boats before the park opens to the public. Diners also get a keepsake Tribal Mask, some of which likely will end up on eBay as diners attempt to recoup part of the cost of the experience.

The event starts Sept. 21 and runs for a few selected days between then and early December.

Walt Disney World has been adding a variety of upcharge experiences in recent years, usually in the form of dessert parties. But the Disneyland Jungle Cruise breakfast sets a new standard for pricing, at $300 a head. (Insert your favorite Trader Sam joke here.) Will the locals who make up the majority of Disneyland visitors (especially at this time of year) be as willing to pay for an upcharge experience as the typically more free-spending, out-of-market Walt Disney World visitors have been?

Update: $300 for breakfast too much? Then how about $150 for dinner... during the upcharge Mickey's Halloween Party? The new Mystical Spirits of the Blue Bayou Halloween Dining Experience includes a three-course meal at the Blue Bayou and reserved seating for the Halloween Screams Fireworks Spectacular, as well as live entertainment in the Bayou, hosted by Dr. Facilier, who will present you with a lithograph of original artwork by Disney Animator Eric Goldberg.

Replies (45)

September 4, 2015 at 12:29 PM · As I mentioned on Twitter, the sad thing is I would pay the $300 in a heartbeat for this breakfast... if it were on Tom Sawyer Island and included the chance to drive one of my rafts again. Perhaps there are enough nostalgic former Skippers around the LA area that Disney can pull this one off.
September 4, 2015 at 12:47 PM · Where do I sign?! Where do I sign?!
September 4, 2015 at 1:01 PM · I think people who spend that much for a breakfast between plastic animals in a theme park attraction lack a sense of value. It's sad the Disney Company feels the need to hunt these idiots down and arrange these scams. But sure the idiots exist and are willingly bending over and let Disney have it's way.
I'm not the guy who asks every time what Walt would do but I just don't recognize the company I fell in love with so many years ago.
September 4, 2015 at 1:06 PM · Trader Sam's "two for one" offer seems like a bargain compared to $300 a head.
September 4, 2015 at 1:09 PM · Good Grief.
September 4, 2015 at 1:13 PM · Holy....moly.... I don't know, TH, they better throw in a LOT of extra hippos for that price!
September 4, 2015 at 1:17 PM · $299.95 and I'm there.

Wait, drop the 2.

September 4, 2015 at 1:39 PM · I had to check the calendar to make sure it wasn't April 1 when I read that, or maybe I clicked a link to the Onion? I can't wrap my head around this one. I checked the Disneyland website just for laughs and almost every date you can check has no availability left.
September 4, 2015 at 1:40 PM · I think this is too overpriced for a simple breakfesat package, which is more than twice the price of an average Disneyland ticket.

Chop it by half, and I'm satisfied.

September 4, 2015 at 1:45 PM · I'm wondering, if a married couple or 2 or 3 friends are willing to pay the money to do this, are the trips on the Jungle Cruise solo trips? Does someone in your party get to ride the boat with you?

For that kind of money, you should get to take a boatload of your friends on the ride during operating hours and get to do the whole spiel from a script.

September 4, 2015 at 1:49 PM · Take my Yen!!!! Just take my Yen!!!!
September 4, 2015 at 1:58 PM · Not the same company, OT? Really? Cause, to me, seems that the company has been the exact same all these years.

If they were forcing this package down our throats, then I'd be outraged, but no one ever said you absolutely had to buy the package. It's just something nice to do if you have the extra money. You can still enjoy the park whether or not you buy it. Besides, is it any worse than UO making you pay for both parks just to experience all of Harry Potter?

September 4, 2015 at 2:02 PM · And the expanse between the wealthy and those that work for years to bring their kids to Disney, grows even larger. Absurd. Another good reason to go to Universal
September 4, 2015 at 2:08 PM · Another example or corporate greed. Disney has been ripping visitors off for years. What is the price of Adult 1 day ticket? $99. Are you kidding me? who would be stupid enough to pay this much for 1 day at a theme park?
September 4, 2015 at 2:15 PM · Those are expensive eggs and bacon. Disney is sucking the life blood out of its guests.
September 4, 2015 at 2:14 PM · Nice keepsake worth $5.00 or $30 retail.
September 4, 2015 at 3:01 PM · I'm sure there will be takers for this but it's to pricey for me and not enough of a draw
September 4, 2015 at 3:08 PM · Hope those "roasted gold potatoes" are the real deal!!!
September 4, 2015 at 3:11 PM · "There's a sucker born every minute." - P.T. Igor
September 4, 2015 at 3:17 PM · Doug - I have to respectfully disagree with this being a good reason to go to Universal. For all their great qualities, I find Universal is worse for making their guests "upgrade" for a better time. Having to pay for express passes, having to buy a park-hopper in order to ride certain rides (Hogwarts Express), and express pass for people at expensive hotels but none at the more moderate.

If Disney can sucker people into paying $300 to eat pancakes amongst a herd of animatronic gazelle, then good for them. There's a very finite amount of people who can do that, and its not something most people would be interested in doing, anyway.

If you want to go to Universal instead of Disney on your next vacation, I can't disagree - that's my next Florida vacation plan too (and will be until Avatar's open and the Studios are a functioning park again). But going to Universal instead of Disney because you don't like the concept of upgrade payments is like those people who said they were leaving the USA to go to Canada if socialized medicine were to be put in place.

September 4, 2015 at 4:03 PM · I'm surprised they didn't do this sooner. I'm actually more surprised they didn't attempt this with a higher, cult-followed attraction such as the Haunted Mansion.
September 4, 2015 at 4:45 PM · Mr. Niles...how about navigating your own raft around the entire Rivers of America followed by the breakfast??? That would be great.

B. Goodwin...you took the words right out of my mouth. There is nothing wrong with these businesses making money when the opportunities there. That's why they're able to drop a billion on these massive new park expansions that we all love.
The widening income gap is not a theme park problem, it's a social political problem.

September 4, 2015 at 5:19 PM · @ Rick.... oooh, you may have just hit on something! The Jungle Cruise part makes me go "meh", but if I was able to go behind the scenes at Haunted Mansion I would TOTALLY re-evaluate how much I was willing to spend. Maybe not $300, but....
September 4, 2015 at 7:19 PM · I guess some people just have too much money, and no clue anymore what to do with it. I hope the extra revenues go toward park enhancements, not just executive bonuses.
September 4, 2015 at 7:27 PM · I would consider it at $150 each. $300 is just too much for breakfast.
September 4, 2015 at 7:56 PM · If I had that kind of disposable income, I would totally drop $300 to fulfill that lifelong dream of skippering a boat through the Jungle Cruise. But I just don't have that kind of money, so the pipe dream will remain just that.
September 4, 2015 at 9:41 PM · I hate to freak anyone out here but people spend $300 on wine at Napa Rose and Steakhouse 55 nightly.

Just admit that you've always to be able to walk around in the jungle cruise sets and you're jealous someone else will be able to

September 4, 2015 at 10:57 PM · PASS!
This is just absurd.
The VIP Tour Services is the thing I would be saving my money for. Minimum $2400 for 6hrs up to 10 people. That's $240 a person and probably a far better experience.
September 5, 2015 at 5:38 AM · There's absolutely nothing wrong with this. It's optional, so those of us who choose not to do it are totally unaffected. It adds to the bottom line, so Disney may use the extra funds to improve the parks. The rest of us don't have to wait any longer in a line while the upscale services are offered. It offers a premium service to a small segment of the market who are willing to pay for it.

Why all the hate?

This is the free market at work, and Disney is actually being a good corporate entity for once by offering services like this that make some people very happy without degrading the time in the park for the rest of us.

September 5, 2015 at 7:40 AM · I think this is a fine idea as well, not sure where all the hate is coming from. This particular activity is not something my family or I would be interested in, but in the future Disney may come up with something similar that I would pay $300 a head for.
September 5, 2015 at 8:37 AM · To all the people who keep trying to tell us that it's getting much harder for the middle class to visit Disney, I want to ask a very important question. And I want a serious answer. If what you're saying is true, how come the Disney parks are still the most highly-attended parks in the world?
September 5, 2015 at 11:13 AM · I am pretty wasteful, but this seems a tad ridiculous... Disney has a lot of extremely wealthy families that like exclusivity that is out of reach for normal people. They should cater to the 1% with $300 per person per day front of the line access.

It would do very well. I'd pay it just to say we actually went on some rides at Disney World... most of your day is spent waiting in lines.

September 5, 2015 at 12:18 PM · If they offer it, we will come - and they know it. Silly? Yes. Extravagant? Yes. A success? Probably. They know their market well.
September 5, 2015 at 3:54 PM · It's an good option for those who can afford it and for those who have a really special event planned. Somehow I can see TH Creative proposing here if the option was available then. I'm assuming he doesn't need it now :)

Just because it's not my choice for $800 for the two of us with admission doesn't make it wrong. And as a stockholder in my IRA, I really like it - we could use some help this month...

GG

September 5, 2015 at 4:31 PM · Honestly, I don't get why people care how other people spend their money. That's particularly true in cases like this where the event doesn't take away anything from "normal" guests.

In curious to know how those who are against this breakfast feel about Disney's room rates. Both WDW and Disneyland routinely charge $400+/night at some of their resorts. Does that upset you, too?

September 5, 2015 at 5:19 PM · "They should cater to the 1% with $300 per person per day front of the line access."

Why would they stop at $300 person? There is no limit to how much they can charge. It sounds like sour grapes to suggest the Jungle Cruise breakfast is a bad idea and there's a better idea of what to charge for. If you have to ask, you can't afford it.

September 5, 2015 at 6:54 PM · As I mentioned above, it may just be about finding the right packaging for the right person. The Mystical Spirits thing sounds very, very cool! $150 is still steep, but I could almost see paying that for what you get in that package.

Heh, it may just be that, for me at least, it's a lot easier to envision spending extra money for dinner vs. breakfast.....

September 5, 2015 at 10:18 PM · I could rent a private yacht in San Diego for 2 hours for less than this "Best Western Free breakfast minus the eggs and pancakes" and probably still have enough left over to spend the night inside the SD Safari Park and have breakfast with the tigers.

The best part....

"At the end of your adventure, you’ll be escorted out of the park."

September 5, 2015 at 10:57 PM · Chris A. caallen

I think they should do breakfast lunch and dinner and make it part of the ride for everyone else. Just think of all of the jokes the boat skippers can come up with as their driving past the people eating on the shores. I also love the idea of the Haunted Mansion walk through and the Blue Bayou Haunted Halloween Dinner.

September 6, 2015 at 6:45 PM · I agree, people can spend their money any way they want. A lot of people do VIP tours, stay in the most expensive hotels etc... I just think Disney should offer an extremely expensive FOTL access package.

No sour grapes here.

September 6, 2015 at 9:15 PM · This is a great idea, and I would like to do both the Jungle Cruise and Bayou upcharges. Would I do the Jungle Cruise with the whole family? Probably not... but by myself it's not a bad deal at fulfilling the fantasy of piloting a cruise. I hope Disney does more and more of these upcharge experiences. They are great for guests who have a little extra coin, make Disney extra revenue, and don't negatively impact the other "regular" guests in the park. It's a win-win-win for everyone.
September 7, 2015 at 12:43 AM · @70.126.135.117
" And I want a serious answer. If what you're saying is true, how come the Disney parks are still the most highly-attended parks in the world?"

Answer to your question:
Because people are making their own sacrifices despite the raising prices to visit Disney. Ask around how people afford their constant trips, and they'll tell you how they skrimped and saved this and that, which I think is absurd to live off of ramen noodles for 2 years just so you can spend a couple more days with the mouse. Disney is like a drug that most people are obliviously hooked on, and need more and more of. They'll do what it takes for their next visit. As for me, I don't see any increased value with the price hikes, and will be taking my hard earned money elsewhere. I had a good run at Disney, but I don't see value in what they're offering.

September 7, 2015 at 8:23 AM · If they can find people crazy enough to pay, its not greed.

Sadly, I think they can!

September 8, 2015 at 9:27 AM · I'm sure that Disney can make money bringing the Tahitian Terrace back, although it will probably be expensive, but I would do it for a special occasion. If not, some entrepreneur should open a Polynesian dinner show on Beach Blvd near Knott's next to Medieval Times and the Pirate Dinner Show.
September 9, 2015 at 3:32 AM · For this... I would not pay $300. It would be nice, but not that nice. I did Dine with an Imagineer at WDW, which was nice. But the restaurant was noisy. It's an experience, and I'm sure it's worth every penny to some people. But compare the cost of this to the cost of joining Club 33!

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