Theme park food too expensive?
Prices are way too high.
Theme park food is way overpriced. The same thing can be bought in your home town for much less. An example is vending machines. Last year when I went to Carowinds, all drinks were $3.75. Thats outrageous. I can get a Coke in my hometown for 50 cents. When I am at a theme park, I always get my food from a pretzel stand. I got a pretzel and a slushie for $4.00. Still it is high but my friends got Subway and payed close to $7. Subway is not even close to being that expensive. It is like if a restaurant is going to be in a theme park, they have to increase their prices by at least $3. Is this a law or something. Make the prices cheaper so that the food will not cost almost as much as admission. Does anyone think the food is to expensive? Please comment if you have something to say.
My attitude if that if I'm going to spend top dollar for something, I want a top-dollar experience. That's why I've pretty much given up on counter service restaurants at theme parks and go instead to sit-down restaurants where I can.
You get a break in more pleasant environment than benches next to an order window. Someone waits on you, instead of you having to carry trays and find a seat. And the food's usually proportionally much better in quality than it is higher in price.
Bring your own bottled water into the parks, too. It's better for you and cheaper than soda pop.
From Gareth H
Posted April 20, 2006 at 1:48 PM
Take advantage of same day entry and go eat at a buffet restaurant...
I hate paying for stodgy counter food in parks. If I'm going to eat in a park I want a waiter/waitress service restaurant just because the quality has to be better.
Yeah, it tends to be expensive, but for some reason, Disney hides it much better than Six Flags! You need to go looking around to find good deals on food!
I think I have found them in Disney World and Universal!
But yeah, buffets are always good (especially at Germany!)
Epcot is definately the best place for food and lower prices. I love the food at UO a lot better, because you just seem to get more for your buck...maybe its just me. Special tips, if you can take in a bookbag, shove them full of cold sodas and bottles of frozen water. And snacks help as well. Also, for smaller kids, make them share a meal (like the double cheeseburger at the Burger Digs in JP at IOA). You'll save a load of money that you can use for my favorite pasttime...alcohol! But only if you're staying on site or have a designated driver....my PSA for the day.
I think it depends where you eat at Epcot Erik, some of the restaurants in the World Showcase can run $50+ for two people. Nine Dragons is pretty good and two can eat for less than $40. Universal Orlando has the "Meal Deal" which sounds like a good idea and includes a variety of choices from different on site restaurants, plus you could always go to City Walk(not that you'll save money) or go off-site which one is less likely to do at a WDW park since Disney parks are so secluded that it's not worth loosing your time (at the park) by going off-site. But, I think Robert said it best,"My attitude is that if I'm going to spend top dollar for something, I want a top-dollar experience."
Don't be afraid to spend money and enjoy your trip.
I agree with the top notch experience, but we go to our area parks so much that we need to be thrifty when we go.
I was referring more to the people who don't make it to certain theme parks that often. I'm saying if your going on vacation,make it a memorable one. Don't hold back, enjoy your theme park experience.
I always try to sneak in a soda and a bag of chips, maybe even a sandwhich ;)
I sneak water bottles in Disney World. It saves alot of money!
If you are going to a theme park for your vacation, then one or two meals at a high end resturant is usually about the norm. However, lets face it you're not going to wait all day to snack and grab a soda or water. Especially with kids. Thats where a backpack full of water and the sort comes in. You dont have to slow down to get a three dollar bottle of water, and you get to still have your good meal.
Prices jumped at Paramount's Kings Island this year too. A burger and fry meal with drink at Happy Days Diner runs about 11 bucks. Perhaps it's Paramount milking the properties for all their worth before unloading it. Cedar Point dropped a lot of their food prices...cotton candy now is a quarter. Holiday World still has free soft drinks. You would think that parks would consider the cost of gas this season and take it easy on everyone. Sales may actually go down because of some of the price hikes.
Cotton candy a... quarter?
I'm going to Cedar Point!
I agree. On top of all the parking costs, if theme parks continue to raise prices all across the board, including food, people may just decide to stay home this summer and do more things around where they live. Last year we went from going to the parks twice a month to just twice from May to September on account of the gas. I only wish I lived in Ohio so we could frequent CP, quarter cotton candy.....a fatmans dream.
This discussion has been archived, and is not accepting additional responses.