From Newsgroup: rec.arts.disney.parks

Some fans of oThe Most Magical Place on Eartho apparently arenAt
very happy about one thing.

Disney World fans are criticizing the powers that be at the
theme park for significantly raising the prices at its most
expensive food establishment, Victoria and Albert's restaurant.

The restaurant is located in DisneyAs grand Floridian resort and
spa, a part of Disney where "Victorian elegance meets modern
sophistication," according to the theme park.

While options at the resort are plentiful, with 10 restaurants
to choose from based on movies such as oMary Poppins Returnso
and oBeauty and the Beast,o Victoria and AlbertAs is the belle
of the ball, so to speak.

Victoria and AlbertAs closed for a time due to COVID-19 and
underwent a renovation which changed the docor from wood tones
to a much brighter environment and new murals and fixtures.

The restaurant officially reopened on July 28 with the updated
look, a new and ever-changing menu and, with that, a higher
price point.

At the restaurant, which boasts a house harpist, a nonalcoholic
cocktail to imbibe as soon as youAre seated and luxurious
interior design, the restaurant offers three distinct prix-fixe
menu options.

The standard menu begins at $295 per person with optional wine
pairings starting at $150 or nonalcoholic pairings which start
at $110. This is up from $185 per person at the time of closure
and $250 with wine pairings, a difference of $195 for the
cheapest option, according to the Disney Food blog.

The point of contention for some seems to be the more luxe
options. These include first: the Queen Victoria Room dinner,
which now costs $375, with $200 and $110 dollar drink pairings
depending on alcohol content.

The ChefAs Table tasting menu, which used to cost $350 per
person before the COVID-19 closure. This is now the most
expensive option, now costing $425 per person with wine costing
$200 for a highest cost total of $625.

Disney declined to comment on the online discussion and reason
for the price increase.

Still, debate has been brewing online in subreddit
r/WaltDisneyWorld, with some decrying the price hike and others
defending the House of Mouse, as first reported by the New York
Post.

oCrazy over pricedao wrote one user on Reddit. oMichelin star
restaurants in NYC donAt even cost that much (except the very
best, like Eleven Madison Park, which is 'only' $335.)o

oIAm sure itAs a great experience and super fancy, but no
thanks. IAm out. No chance IAm spending $300 a person to eat
some food,o commented another Redditor, to which another
replied, oLetAs be honest, you werenAt in at $185 either.o

oThis is more expensive than a 4 course meal at Disneyland club
33 which is pretty crazy,o added another person on Reddit,
speaking of the most exclusive Disney experience that has a 10-
year waiting list according to reports. It also boasts an
alleged $25,000 to $50,000 initiation and yearly membership fee,
so while the actual food at Club 33 is less money, itAs also not
in the long run.

On the other hand, some users chimed in on the discussion to
defend Disney's price point.

oCompletely worth it,o one Redditor asserted.

oIf you really value an exclusive experience with elevated
service and elevated food, $300 bucks is probably not unheard
of,o wrote another. oWhen did people start thinking that every
experience at Disney had to be affordable and open to everyone?
I say that as someone who has never been to V&A and donAt know
that I even want to, but I donAt think that the price point
should change to make it more appealing to me...o

oI agree with this 100%. Not everything Disney has to be
attractive or affordable for every person,o responded someone
else.

oWe did this for our honeymoon in 1997. It was quite amazing,o
one person added. oLuckily we didnAt pay for it but a family
member did. I would still have paid myself though. It is
definitely a once in a lifetime thing for us.o

CORRECTION (Sept. 23, 2022 at 9:30 p.m. ET): An earlier version
of this story incorrectly quoted Disney World's motto as "The
Happiest Place on Earth." That is actually the motto for
California's Disneyland. This story has been updated to reflect
Disney World's self-proclaimed title: "The Most Magical Place on
Earth."

This article was originally published on TODAY.com

<https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/disney-world-fans-are- outraged-about-625-dinners-at-resort-restaurant/ar- AA128qdM?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=7246a6c0ef6d4e23b1dadb35b1e28643>

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2