Originally Posted By Rebekah This topic is for discussion of the 3/18/2002 news item <b><a href="" target="_blank">Blast! Dining Package includes meal, priority seating and pin</a></b> The Blast! Dining package includes: Choice of appetizer, entree, dessert and beverage (non-alcoholic) at one of the following locations: in DCA, ABC Soap Opera Bistro, Avalon Cove, Wine Country Trattoria; at the Disneyland Resort Hotels: Hook's Point (DLH), PCH Grill (PPH), Storyteller's Cafe (GCH), and Yamabuki (PPH), Priority Seating for "The Power of BLAST!" at the Hyperion Theater, and a Hyperion cloisonne pin with lanyard. Prices are $45 for Adults and $20 for Children. Visit the Guest Services Windown in Main Entry Plaza or call (714) 781-DINE for more information. Discounts do not apply
Originally Posted By socalguy Am I the only one who saw this and thought, "typical...here they go again"? I dunno. I've had this idea lately that Disney exects fall all over themselves trying to make another buck, but they can't keep attractions painted or operating correctly to save their lives. Something like this just furthers that thought. Even thought there's nothing wrong with trying to make an extra buck, it seems just a little blatant to do this in a park that is already critisized for asking too high of a ticket price. Besides, lets look at a little history about how well high priced dining add-ons have fared over the past few years: We all know how well Aladin's Oasis did. How many of you knew of people who were clamoring to take part in the Eureka or MSEP, sorry, DEP desert buffet? The Fantasmic desert buffet did well for quite a while. Is that still an option? The public doesn't seem to catch onto the Disney's idea that the public can't wait to spend an extra $45 for dinner, a pin, a lanyard, and a free show, when instead, they can get a dinner for a lot less, see the show for free with decent seats anyway, and not worry about the pins if they don't want it. I don't know. Maybe I'm making too much out of this, but Disney is getting more and more of a reputation of trying to pull every cent out of the public's pocket with and giving less and less for it (especially with DCA). Is something like this really a good idea?
Originally Posted By cstephens Actually, this sounds like a great deal to me. $45 for a full dinner at those kinds of places (except for the Trattoria - I don't think that's in the same league as the other listed restaurants) is pretty reasonable. I've not yet seen Blast but since I'd planned to anyway, this is another good incentive. And while the pin and lanyard aren't a total incentive, as I do collect some pins (the ones I think are cute), if it's a cute pin, then I'd be happy to add it to my collection. I think this is very different than the Eureka/DEP buffets previously offered. My husband and I had thought about doing those, but the price charged didn't seem worth the food being offered, and I didn't think the seating was all that much better. However, given the calibre of the restaurants included in this promotion, I think the price is very reasonable. As for the Fantasmic dessert buffet, it's not being offered currently because Fantasmic is not being performed, but when Fantasmic was running, it was offered, so I would presume they will do so again. Yes, it's very pricey, and I wouldn't do it all the time, but I do think it's worth the price for special occasions. /cs
Originally Posted By socalguy I guess it could also depend on the crowds during your visit. If there's hardly a wait for Blast anyway, like during any given weekday, it would make sense to just eat at the restaurant, then make your way over to the show. On a busy saturday however, I could see how someone might want to spend a few extra dollars to guarantee a nice meal, and good seats for the show.
Originally Posted By JeffG At several of those restaurants (particularly Soap Opera Bistro, Hook's Point, and Yamabuki), the food items would cost very close to $45 per person alone. Assuming that there aren't major restrictions placed on what items you can order, this actually sounds like it could be a >very< good deal. It pretty much amounts to reserved seating for the show (plus the pin and lanyard) being included with a regularly priced (or, in some cases, possibly even slightly discounted) meal. I would very seriously consider taking advantage of this offer some time in the near future. -Jeff
