For all the magic, wonder, and childhood innocence in which Guests are immersed during a visit to the parks at Walt Disney World, sadly, there’s a price to pay, and Disney seems to have no qualms about continuing to raise prices for the same experiences (or less of one). And one Disney Park’s announcement about price hikes has fans asking, “Where will it end?”
Walt Disney loved his first park, Disneyland, in Anaheim, California, and often said that “Disneyland would never be completed,” meaning that he had the hope and dream to continue adding to the first Disney Park. But the lot on which the new park was built was landlocked, meaning Walt would ultimately have to expand beyond the confines of the small tract of orange groves he originally purchased on which to build Disneyland.
Though it’s not well known, Disneyland’s success in California led Walt and his team of Imagineers to begin dreaming up–in 1966–the prospect of building a similar theme park in Europe. There was talk of building another Disney Parks hub in Frankfurt, Paris, London, or Milan, per Variety. Walt would die before the final decision was made to build a park near Paris, France, that bore the Disney name.
The park opened in April 1992 as “EuroDisney” to a crowd of approximately 25,000, despite projections being much higher. Over the last decade, however, the European Disney Park has welcomed between 9 and 12 million people through its gates annually.
This year marked the 30th anniversary of the opening of what is now known as Disneyland Paris, as well as the increase of some of the costs associated with visiting the park.
A recently-released price increase is especially troublesome for Guests of the park who enjoy visiting during the holiday season and enjoying Disney dining experiences during their visits. Twitter user ED92, who follows all things Disneyland Paris, shared new dining pricing for Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve at the Parisian parks, and they are staggering.
“Discover the prices for dinners on 24 & 31 December at @DisneylandParis,” the tweet reads. “They have melted like Olaf in summer.”
🚨🎄🎊 Discover the prices for dinners on 24 & 31 December at @DisneylandParis. They have melted like Olaf in summer ⛄️
In the Parks (Adult/Child):
💐Plaza Gardens 150€/60€
🇺🇸Walt's 95€/45€
☠️Captain Jack's 95€/45€
⚜️Auberge de Cendrillon 150€/60€
🧬PYM Kitchen 80€/40€ pic.twitter.com/bzFkdkra4t— ED92 (@ED92Magic) October 13, 2022
A second tweet shares even more pricing information from Disneyland Paris restaurants on the two holiday evenings:
Disney Village & Hotels (Adult/Child) :
🌾La Grange 65€/30€
🏢Manhattan Restaurant 95€/45€
🏢Downtown Restaurant 80€/40€
⚓️Cape Cod 80€/40€
⚓️Yacht Club 95€/45€
🌲Hunter's Grill 65€/30€
🐴Chuck Wagon Cafe 65€/30€
🌵La Cantina 65€/30€
⛺️Crockett's Tavern 65€/30€— ED92 (@ED92Magic) October 13, 2022
When converted from the French Euro to the American Dollar, both the Plaza Gardens and Auberge de Cendrillon venues are touting meals at Disneyland Paris that will cost Guests more than $100 per plate. Both restaurants have advertised prices for dinner for adults on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve of 150 Euros, which is more than $145.00 per plate per adult.
Plaza Gardens offers a buffet inside a beautiful venue with Victorian decor.
Disneyland Paris’s website gives Guest an overview of the restaurant:
Make your way along the fountain path from Central Plaza to a period of elegance in Main Street’s oldest building. Antique furniture, porcelain, beveled mirrors, and velvet drapes, all in sumptuous shades of pink and green, supply the setting as you enjoy a generous selection of starters, main dishes, and mouth-watering desserts.
Auberge de Cendrillon features a Princess dining experience. Per the Disneyland Paris website, the restaurant features a medieval banquet hall and fine French cuisine:
Get ready for a royal meal in the company of the Disney Princesses in this majestic medieval banquet hall. Soaring stone archways, house flags, and spectacular stained-glass windows provide a royal backdrop as you perfect your taste for the finest in French cuisine. And remember, you’ll be holding court in the company of royalty, so young Guests are encouraged to dress for the occasion.
With the exception of Victoria & Albert’s at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, which is currently under fire for the extreme pricing for the return to Guests, the most expensive plate at Disney World is Monsieur Paul, set to reopen soon. Pre-fixe dinner at this restaurant costs Guests $195 each, which begs the question, “Where will it end?”
Are $200 individual plates soon to become the norm at Disney World?
A little more than a decade ago, pricing was vastly different at Disney World than it is today. For example, one of the menu items at Le Cellier–cheddar cheese soup–has seen a more than 70% increase in price as compared with 2009, and filet mignon at the Canadian restaurant has also increased more than 70%.
So will individual Guest meal prices of more than $100–or worse, $150–become the new norm? And seriously, where does it end?