One 12 months in the past, Walt Disney World followers united round a typical enemy. It was round this time in October when the Cake Bake Store, already controversial for changing ESPN Membership and providing an upscale eating expertise on the BoardWalk, posted its first menus outdoors the restaurant.
Disney diehards instantly tore into these. It was a mixture of mockery and outrage the likes of which we hadn’t seen shortly. It was additionally a uncommon second of unity. Moderately than arguing about whether or not the Rivers of America was ‘out of date’ or if Automobiles belonged in Frontierland, or no matter else was the controversy of the day, Walt Disney World followers all agreed that Cake Bake costs had been astronomical.
Being conversant in the opposite Cake Bake areas and sure variations in hire between Indiana and Walt Disney World, I used to be anticipating excessive costs. However I used to be nonetheless shocked. I’ve been doing this some time–it takes lots to shock me at this level. However you already know what? Youngsters menus with $18 PB&J sandwiches and $18 grilled cheese, $8 Cokes, $26 eggs, and $26 fruit plates will do it!
Cake Bake should’ve heard the refrain of complaints, as a result of the Cake Bake Store menus had been up to date earlier than the restaurant even opened with decrease costs just about throughout the board. It was fairly the curler coaster week, nevertheless it felt like followers had prevailed, and received by whining. (Emboldened by that, we tried comparable methods for saving Rivers of America and MuppetVision. Lightning didn’t strike twice.)
Right here’s hoping some good ole long-established web outrage can work its magic as soon as extra, as Cake Bake Store has introduced a brand new Dinner with Santa Claus eating expertise in the course of the Christmas season and–shock, shock–it’s dear.
It additionally appears to be like and sounds kinda superior, and one thing we’d like to take our daughter to expertise in the event that they ever have a coupon day. Listed below are full particulars through the Cake Bake Store’s Dinner with Santa Claus web page:
Have a good time the season with a festive night stuffed with glowing cocktails and Champagne, hors d’oeuvres, dinner, dessert, and a household present to take house. Enjoyment of a household picture and particular go to with Santa Claus himself. Dinner with Santa Claus at Cake Bake Store is on the market on the next dates:
- November 18, 2025
- November 25, 2025
- December 2, 2025
- December 9, 2025
Three-Course Vacation Dinner
Ready particularly for this festive event, we’ve got crafted a pleasant three-course dinner to sprinkle your night with vacation cheer. The menu begins with glowing vacation Champagne and cocktails, a sublime hors d’oeuvre, adopted by a luxurious important entrée designed to heat the guts, and concludes with a seasonal dessert, sweetly impressed by the magic of the season.
Skilled Household Photograph with Santa
Included together with your go to, every household will obtain a superbly captured {photograph} to obtain from Disney PhotoPass to treasure for years to return. Each household could have the possibility to satisfy Santa Claus himself, sharing their Vacation Pixie Glitter Needs® whereas basking within the magic of the season. From twinkling smiles to whispered needs, this particular second is designed to turn into a glowing reminiscence, a souvenir as timeless as Santa’s personal story.
A Candy Reward from Santa
Santa has hand-selected this pleasant cookie simply so that you can take house and assemble together with your family members. And it’s within the form of our Bubbles the Bear! Inside you’ll discover a handmade sugar cookie and all of the components it’s worthwhile to make a delicious cookie ok for Santa. This enchanting exercise extends the magic of the season into your private home, letting you proceed the celebration as you craft a dessert as whimsical as it’s scrumptious.
Dinner with Santa Claus Contains
Adults: $200 per individual
- As much as Three Drinks (Extra drinks can be found for buy)
- An Entrée of Your Alternative
- A Seasonal Dessert From our Menu
- A Skilled Household Photograph with Santa Claus
- Digital obtain by way of Disney PhotoPass
- A Reward to Take Dwelling
Youngsters: $150 per individual
- Any Drinks of Your Alternative
- An Entrée of Your Alternative
- A Seasonal Dessert From our Menu
- A Skilled Household Photograph with Santa Claus
- Digital obtain by way of Disney PhotoPass
- A Reward to Take Dwelling
Kindly notice, worth doesn’t embrace tax and gratuity. Full, non-refundable price is required at time of reservation affirmation, together with tax and 24% gratuity.
You may study extra or request a reservation for Dinner with Santa Claus at Cake Bake Store right here.
Our Commentary
The simple play right here can be to dunk on Cake Bake Store for the exorbitant pricing of its Dinner with Santa Claus. And to make certain, that is extraordinarily costly. For the price of this Santa Claus character eating expertise, if you wish to name it that, you can do Breakfast à la Artwork with Mickey & Pals at Topolino’s Terrace — Flavors of the Riviera and Story Ebook Eating Dinner with Snow White at Artist Level, and nonetheless have cash left over. You possibly can most likely do each of these plus a fireworks dessert occasion as soon as a extra cheap tax and tip are factored into the combination, if you wish to actually splurge.
Whereas the worth of Dinner with Santa Claus is objectively costly, there’s additionally the subjective facet of this that I discover mildly off-putting. Maybe that is partly as a result of I first noticed this on Instagram, the place the refrain of feedback is inexplicably, unanimously optimistic (though engagement there may be usually vapid and insincere), however there are parts of the announcement that simply strike me as unnecessarily pretentious. That’s the vibe of Cake Bake, basically, although. Unnecessary capitalization and accent marks, hoity-toity phrase selections, and many others.
I’ve discovered to largely ignore this. It’s what the target market for Cake Bake appears to love, so who am I to spoil their enjoyable? Even when it’s a method I occur to seek out grating, I’ve come to simply accept {that a} little bit of persona in writing isn’t the worst factor. Disney press releases are equally flowery; at the least it beats the vanilla language of AI slop!
I’ve additionally discovered to largely ignore this as a result of I’ve discovered myself within the place of reluctant Cake Bake Store defender. The restaurant doesn’t deserve the entire hate it will get, and albeit, if extra Walt Disney World followers had been keen to present it an opportunity, it will turn into one in all their favorites. The first enchantment of Cake Bake Store is similar to what made so many followers fall in love with Walt Disney World within the first place.
I’ll admit that when initially seeing this Dinner with Santa Claus announcement, I used to be intrigued! I like Christmas and it’s nice when eating places and resorts provide particular (bespoke if you wish to use pretentious language) experiences for the vacation season.
We’ve a younger daughter who isn’t fairly sufficiently old for the meal this 12 months, nevertheless it’s positively one thing we’d think about sooner or later. Or at the least, I believed we might till seeing the worth. That most likely makes it a no-go for us, except Walt Disney World brings again VIPassholder month and that is among the many 40% off meals. That appears uncertain, however I’m not giving up hope for a Christmas/Festivus miracle.
Minus the worth, this scratches me proper the place I itch! Extra Walt Disney World eating places needs to be providing particular experiences like this. If there’s a marketplace for this (and there assuredly is), there’s a marketplace for one thing downstream of it that expenses ~$79 per individual. We’ve made the case elsewhere for extra upcharges returning to Walt Disney World even when they’re not for us (see Little Huge Issues Walt Disney World Must Convey Again); it’s laborious to request issues like this on the one hand, however then criticize them after they’re supplied.
I might additionally add that Disney isn’t any stranger to exorbitantly-priced character meals, because the Disney Princess Breakfast Adventures on the Grand Californian Resort prices $149 for youths or adults.
And that’s at the moment being housed in a short lived flex area within the conference heart whereas Napa Rose is being reimagined. We’ve by no means finished that for a similar cause we received’t do that, but when I had been out there for a $150 character breakfast, I may simply justify a $200 character dinner.
Notably, the Disney Princess Breakfast Adventures is obtainable for a number of seatings from 8 am to 11 am each single day, and books up pretty far out. So not solely is demand clearly there, however provide is excessive. It’s much less bespoke, you would possibly say. In contrast, Dinner with Santa Claus at Cake Bake has 4 dates in complete in the course of the vacation season, they usually’re every one week aside.
On condition that, a greater comparability may be Tiana’s New Yr’s Journey at California Grill, which was $800 final 12 months. (If I recall accurately, that bought out.) This isn’t to try justifying the excessive worth of Dinner with Santa Claus; simply to level out that in relation to choices which are restricted capability and area of interest, promote outs are widespread even at excessive costs.
There’s numerous demand for premium experiences like these; persons are keen to splurge on choices that really feel custom-made and personalised. It’s not simply these particular examples, both.
We’ve seen a proliferation of pricier prix fixe menus at eating places (Takumi-Tei and Monsieur Paul being two of many examples that instantly come to thoughts) within the post-reopening period. At the same time as revenge journey has light, individuals nonetheless are prioritizing experiences; there’s a bigger subset of shoppers keen to splurge on luxury-level ones.
That’s true not simply at Walt Disney World or Disneyland, however just about wherever you go. It’s maybe price noting that the Dinner with Santa Claus pricing for the Indiana location of Cake Bake Store is $200 per grownup and $135 per baby, so not likely that completely different from the BoardWalk location. A lot for Walt Disney World worth inflation!
All of that is to say that, whereas I wouldn’t pay $200 for Dinner with Santa Claus at Cake Bake Store, I don’t doubt for a second that there’s an ample viewers for this. I additionally don’t begrudge these shoppers who’re keen and in a position to pay for such an expertise, nor do I actually fault Cake Bake Store for assembly that market.
I’d additionally add that if there’s this hypothetical situation the place I received ~$750 within the lottery (guess meaning I used to be doing scratch-offs?) and will solely spend that on taking our household to Dinner with Santa Claus or shopping for Lightning Lane Premier Cross, I might do the dinner with out hesitation. If that top-tier line-skipping is “price” over $400 at Magic Kingdom, than absolutely this meal is underpriced at “solely” $200! 😉
To finish on a honest notice, we dined at Cake Bake Store final Christmas and had a optimistic expertise. The menu was undeniably costly, positive, however we ordered neatly (for probably the most half) and felt that the restaurant was not out of line with different Walt Disney World areas.
On the contrary, had I not been deeply ingrained within the fan group and unaware of the pricing controversy, I wouldn’t have thought a lot of it. That’s largely as a result of the general expertise was downright magical, with the restaurant’s inside remodeled right into a veritable winter wonderland. It was resplendent, by far probably the most beautiful eating room at Disney in the course of the vacation season.
I’ve written this elsewhere, but when Walt Disney World supplied a Candlelight Processional Eating Package deal at Cake Bake Store, that can be the final word Christmas dinner-and-a-show or date evening expertise at Walt Disney World. It will be costly, however it will be actually particular and memorable. And isn’t that why we maintain revisiting Walt Disney World–for these recollections that type the inspiration for lifelong nostalgia and sentimentality?
That is most likely why I’m a bit forgiving of Cake Bake Store for the Dinner with Santa Claus pricing…and am perhaps, probably leaving the door open to doing it sooner or later. (In all probability not, however perhaps if I actually doubledown on my funding in scratch-offs!) It’s additionally why Cake Bake Store was on our shortlist of eating places to revisit throughout our Christmas-time journey to Walt Disney World.
Cake Bake shouldn’t be going to make the reduce for Christmas 2025 as a result of one in all us (not naming names) would moderately eat with Winnie the Pooh, nevertheless it was within the operating. All of this to say, in case you beforehand dismissed Cake Bake Store out of hand for a common meal, we’d encourage you to rethink. I actually consider that many Walt Disney World followers, even those that hate on it, would find yourself loving it in the event that they gave Cake Bake Store an opportunity. Right here’s our full assessment: The Greatest Factor About Walt Disney World’s Controversial New Cake Bake Restaurant Is Not Muffins.
It’s additionally price remembering that the majority Christmas leisure nonetheless runs between Christmas and New Yr’s Eve (some runs even additional into January), so take a look at our Final Information to Christmas at Walt Disney World for extra planning suggestions with regard to which vacation leisure you would possibly need to see on New Yr’s Eve. For Walt Disney World journey planning suggestions and complete recommendation, make sure that to learn our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information.
Your Ideas
What do you consider Dinner with Santa Claus at Cake Bake Store? Will you be reserving this or is it not for you? Let’s say you’ve got the cash and are keen to spend it…is that this your ideally suited occasion or would you favor splurging on one thing like Lightning Lane Premier Cross? Have you ever dined at Cake Bake Store because it opened? Would you ever do it? Agree or disagree with our evaluation? Listening to from you is half the enjoyable, so please share your ideas and questions within the feedback!
