Lots of restaurants have been reopening all around Disney World.
Dinner at the reopened Cape May Cafe
Just within the past few weeks, Casey’s Corner in Magic Kingdom, Maya Grill in Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, Sebastian’s Bistro in Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, and more have become available to guests again. But, a LOT of people are upset with one restaurant that reopened recently — Cape May Cafe at Disney’s Beach Club Resort, and they’re angry for a very specific reason.
For reference, Cape May Cafe previously served its meals buffet style. Dinner was a particular treat as it featured all-you-can-eat seafood. And what was one of the key items on that buffet that people flocked for? The snow crab legs!
Snow Crab Legs
Yes, the Cape May Cafe buffet meal featured all-you-can-eat snow crab legs! Not crab legs by the pound or only a specific number of crab legs. These were truly all-you-can eat, and they were regularly refilled so you could grab more!
Crab Legs, Clams
But, due to COVID-19 Disney’s buffet-style restaurants have generally transitioned to family-style service or some mixture of family-style and a la carte service. Cape May Cafe reopened not too long ago and is now serving a family-style dinner.
The dinner menu includes a number of items for the table to share including Parker House rolls, salad, a Turf Platter (with slow-roasted strip loin, oven-roasted lemon-pepper chicken, and more), a Seafood Boil (with PEI Mussels, Peel-n-Eat Shrimp, Cape May Clams, Sustainable Catch of the Day, Red Bliss Potatoes, and Corn on the Cobb), and (of course) desserts!
Seafood Boil — LOADS of yummy stuff in there
Notice anything missing from this list? Oh yeah, crab legs! You CAN get crab legs at Cape May Cafe now, but they’re not included in the family-style dinner. Instead, you’ll have to pay extra to get them!
While the regular family-style meal is $42 per adult, if you want crab legs you’ll have to pay an extra $29 per pound. And let’s just say that has some fans a little less than pleased.
©Disney
Now, you do have to keep in mind that Cape May Cafe itself used to be priced a little bit higher when it did include an all-you-can-eat buffet. It was around $55 previously, and that has now dropped to $42. But, getting just 1 pound of crab legs now (in addition to the regular family style price) will cost you more than it used to cost to get an unlimited amount on the buffet. The question now is how many crab legs you used to eat and what that equivalent cost would be now.
While we missed the buffet setting, we will say it was nice to have all the food brought out to the table during our recent visit to Cape May Cafe. And it’s important to keep in mind that you can generally request more of anything that comes with the dinner service (including those shrimp, mussels, and clams).
Starters at Cape May Cafe
Could things change in the future? It’s possible. Quite frankly, you just never know! Disney suspended a number of things due to COVID-19 that have started to return, like single rider lines, fireworks, and arcades. Some things are set to return in the future, like the Disney Dining Plan. But, it is possible that some things have changed for good.
Perfect Lobster (This Will Also Cost You Extra)
Only time will tell if the days of endless crab legs are gone or if they’ll return. We’ll definitely keep an eye out for any updates and let you know what we find!
Click here to see our full review of the meal at Cape May Cafe!
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Were you a big fan of Cape May Cafe’s crab legs on the buffet? How do you feel about the change to family-style service and the need to pay extra for the crab legs by the pound? Tell us in the comments!
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While everything looks great, the only reason we went was for the crab legs. Want be going back here unless they bring back the AYCE crablegs. It would cost my family a fortune since we all ate at least 6 full plates per person of them.
Been going to Cape May for the buffet and crab legs for several years. Will not be returning there or to any other “family style” that used to be a buffet….Trails End…Epcot Biergarden. Disney is getting to be too greedy..caring about $$ more than loyalty. Very, very disappointing.
We feel that Disney World is taking advantage of it’s guests by putting all their prices much higher, and giving you less food than before.
It cost so much with Air Fare, Hotel Prices, Rental Car, or other transportation, and need I say more about the price to get into the parks, and all the restrictions they have in place!
How can an average family with children, young couples, individuals, and Senior Citizens afford these ridicules prices.
You are discouraging people from traveling to your parks.
Not returning to Disney for a vacation as costs are prohibitive for meals, etc! I dislike the family style of serving to your table! If they don’t reinstate annual passes, especially for Florida residents, we will never return. Have to investigate Universal Studios options! Even before the pandemic hit, Disney seemed to be loosing it’s magic! When will they start charging for the air you breathe while in the parks?
This has a lot to do with the fact that the Crab fishery took a huge hit with the pandemic too. Let’s not forget the Crab legs don’t appear out of thin air. Thry have to come from other people fishing for them, that’s a business within itself. It’s sucks, but I understand as both someone that worked over 20 years in the restaurant industry and a consumer. Covid effected EVERYTHING. Prices have increased EVERY WHERE ON EVERYTHING. So it is what is it is, for now.
I went to this eatery once and I specifically went for the crab legs. If they’re not going to b on the buffet anymore, then that would be a deal breaker; I’d just go somewhere else.
Only reason we went was for the crab legs. Will not go back unless it returns to the buffet all you care to eat including crab legs.
Oh Disney, could you create any more disappointments for your loyal fans. What happened to all the magic? You are using COVID as the perfect opportunity to take advantage of your guests. Why aren’t you trying to make things better during this tough time? You seem to have used the current health crisis as an excuse to make all the money grubbing changes you can. Shame on you: you are pricing most of us right out of. Disney vacation!
Economics 101: Market Pressures amid Covid restrictions (that affects not only Disney but a lot of companies and businesses overall) =Demand vs Supply – Prices rise when demand overruns supply. First, there are enough people to pay for the rising prices amid a limited supply (hence increasing costs) of certain products and services. I also believe that it hasn’t been a great year and market for crabs and seafood. Secondly, labor and delivery has been constrained for a lot of products (hence, increased costs for delivery as well). Thirdly: Covid restrictions have pretty much eliminated the buffets everywhere which also adds labor costs for table service.
I can take my family to Europe for less than the cost of a trip to WDW. Enough said.
We will not be returning until the crab legs are included. My family does not care for fish but loves shrimp crab and lobster. I would feel we would be wasting food for them to bring us fish we won’t eat.
These changes aren’t about covid anymore. That’s just an excuse they can feed their gullible patrons. It’s not that there is a crab leg shortage. There are plenty available, if you’re willing to pay $29 per pound for them. Just like over at Trail’s End. They are now charging extra for spare ribs, shrimp and salmon. Why? There’s no shortage of those either. Buffets with choices aren’t coming back. Why? Because it’s all about them picking what few things (cheaper) they want you to have, and add on charges to boot.
Notice fast pass hasn’t come back. Why, there’s no longer social distancing requirements. Reason? Because they know they can get enough people willing to pay much more for it. Park reservations are here to stay. When capacity comes back, why? Because when limits are reached they will magically come up with availability for those willing to pay extra for it.
Keep in mind this is a business. I’m sure squeezing more $ per person that they can is a directive from above. Unfortunately I fear, Disney as we knew it won’t be coming back, unless their loyal customers show them what we think.
Not a lover of crab legs but always began our vacation with a trip to Cape May Cafe. I enjoyed the Cesar salad, clam chowder, peel and eat shrimp and various items from the buffet. The photo of the meal looks good but broken down it is a New England boil. Everything in the bowl is covered by watered down butter sauce and is warm. My grandchildren enjoy mussels but would not eat these. The shrimp were barely touched. The salad is a basic one with citrus dressing! I don’t think that is a choice in many restaurants.. it also was barely touched.
The rolls were good. Expensive dinner considering we did not like anything.
Over priced and under fed
Crab legs over cooked half the muscle shells half of them empty little necks tiny and over cooked
Had reservations called us a half hour or more later I had to tell waitress that I was wasn’t done eating started desserts before we finished eating rushed us out the door I thought it was all you could eat not you got an hour or so and you got to finish
The server raised her voice and said hey listen talking to my 15 year old nephew
Just a bad Experience