food quality at WDW

[DCDisney]

The biggest problem I've had with the food is when they switched to the "healthier" versions a few years ago. The buns are not whole grain they are just white bread with multigrain mixed in to appear healthier but to us they taste awful. The chicken strips are soggy rather than crispy now and seem greasier but have a percentage of whole grain in the coating. The pizza crusts are the same too. Other than the changes we've in general been happy with the CS. The burgers are done a bit too far for my tastes but in terms of food safety I understand why. Some of the problems are that they are doing so many prepackaged things now too like the grapes and desserts which aren't as good as real foods in most cases. We just went to DL this year and it was so nice getting real breads and desserts and regular old buns and pizza. I like healthier options when they are done right but not when they taste awful and the health difference is very minimal.

 

[ktlm]

Love TS (mostly although we've hit a bad meal or two)- hate CS (mostly and not counting World Showcase CS which is different or CS breakfast which is fine). My poor 3 year old DD would not eat anything from CS kid's meals other than the french fries. She never met a chicken nugget she didn't like until we went to WDW- I tried them when she wouldn't eat them and I agree with her that they were NASTY. Another Mom told me she learned to order the chicken strips off the adult menu because her chicken nugget crazy kids wouldn't eat the kid's ones either, and like me she tried them and got completely grossed out. I will say the burgers at Roarin Forks at WL were really good, but within the parks we never had a tasty CS experience. I tried to go outside the burgers etc and order a wrap, but mine was part frozen on the inside and did not taste very good either. Now DL is another story. At DCA last summer I had the best chicken wrap I've ever had from Farmer's market CS. It was a holdover from their food and wine festival that they put on the regular menu called the California wrap. I'm still craving another one of those! I wish they would show up at WDW.

 

[Lillabelle0]

Well I tend to agree. The food there is not world class and not worth the prices they charge. However, it is more convenient to just eat on the grounds. We tend to prefer the restaurants at the resorts to the food at the parks. My kids had looked so forward to eating at Pizza Planet and it was the worst pizza they ever had. For my kids to not eat their pizza..it had to be bad. But I take the good with the bad. I don't expect the greatest food but it is easy. We really enjoyed O'hana and Main Street Bakery was great! I hear ya though!!!

 

[disneydad74]

I find this a little hard to believe ?

Believe me. If we had our camera i would have taken a picture of it. Even my 9 and 6 year old boys were laughing at it. Like i said it could have been an off day or something.

 

[KatMark]

My son is there now and he and some of his team members, along with my son's girlfriend, have eaten at Rose & Crown, Biergarten and Fulton's (along with other places) and he said that his meals have been outstanding at each place they have eaten.

 

[Luv2Roam]

Agree on some of it. You have to be a little particular on the CS foods. We avoid the burgers. But there are several good counter service locations, esp in Epcot.
The remaining parks leave a lot to be desired and we avoid them.
That being said, we have eaten pretty crappy burgers at USO too. And nearly every one of their sit down services are nothing worth visiting, other than out of necessity.

 

[dgrissom17]

Thanks to everyone for their input!! I will try TS places next time. It's just that most of the time you don't want a long dinner/lunch or that much food or spend even more. Although with filet mignon the size of a meatball-LOL-maybe not all that much more!
it's interesting how some people have strong opinions regarding food.

I just wish there was some way we could let WDW know about how we feel, the good and the bad. It's a shame (for some of us) when we spend so much money and time devoted to Disney that we get so-so meals in return. There has to be a solution and I will search high and low for it and some decent CS food in the future!!!!!

 

[ntsammy5]

Actually the CS places are pretty good and pretty reasonable IMO. The TS quality and choice is deteriorating, but not all of them. IThey're very spotty and inconsistent. We do eat offsite more now than ever before.

 

[Planogirl]

Some people are saying to avoid the standard burgers, hot dogs and chicken strips and the food might be better at the CS. I personally never eat hot dogs or chicken strips and eat one burger (and that's only to get the mushrooms from the burger bar at Pecos Bills.) There are definitely great CS items to be had but a lot of it is just mediocre in my opinion. I love Columbia Harbour House and the World Showcase eateries and must try that salad some have mentioned.

Much of the TS is certainly better but I would never get a steak at WDW. I actually wouldn't get anything that required careful cooking in most cases simply because Disney chefs just don't have the time to really cook. Of course, there are as always notable exceptions.

Someone mentioned McDonald's. I was shocked a few years ago when I tried a sandwich at the McDonald's bistro in that huge McDonald's near International Drive and it was really good! I couldn't believe that I was in a McD's!

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

We try to avoid a lot of the CS places if we can help it. We enjoy the quick serve options at some of the resorts but who wants to leave the park to get a quick meal? We mostly snack during the day and save our appetites for a sit down meal onsite for dinner. The food quality there is definitely much better than CS in the parks.

 

[Jerry@dvcstore]

Some of WDW's food is Hit or Miss. I love the restaurants and the Table Service but the Counter Service can be off sometimes. It will just depend on the place you eat and what you order.

 

[jennipooh]

I think it comes down to personal preference, personal eating habits, and flexibility. We eat a lot of salads and whole foods at home. We are not used to a lot of processed foods, but at Disney we usually find something we love. We like to indulge in some "junk" and we are able to balance that with salads, veggies, grilled meats.

The only food we have ever not liked at Disney World is the pizza at Pizza Planet. But I attribute that to the fact that we are spoiled in the pizza department at home (we also do not like Domino's, etc.). We used to enjoy the hot dogs at Disney but last trip we did not. We attribute that to the fact that we usually eat chicken/turkey franks at home and at Disney they are all beef. That is a bit of a jump for us. Other than pizza and dogs we are very pleased with the food at Disney.

 

[RMulieri]

Simple solution...don't eat it. I happen to enjoy the food at Disney.No it isn't as great as gourmet ,but hey, I am happy .

 

[MHSweb79]

You are skipping free dining. To pay for meals offsite??

OK, I'll say it again: Free dining is NOT free. You have to pay full, rack rate for your room, which can be $40, $50 or more per night over the AAA discount you can easily pick up for the off season. Staying offsite at an even lower rate could save you upwards of $50-$75 per night, easily. If you are travelling with 4-5 people in your room, then "free" dining is a good deal. For my part, I had to pay AAA $160 more for my 4-day package just to get the "free" dining deal for two of us. It's a discount over the full DDP price, but it's nowhere near free.

/Steps off soapbox

As for the OP, I totally agree that the quality of food at Disney can be extremely poor considering the prices they charge. TS meals are even more outrageously priced, and in two cases (Sci-Fi, Mama Melrose) some of us were served food that we couldn't even eat. For $20-$25 per entree you should be getting something terrific, not simply "palatable."

 

[weHEARTmickey]

Please know I don't want to hijack OP's thread. But, for those of you who've gone during free dining, do you notice a decline in food quality compared to other stays? We love WDW food & I don't want to be disappointed during our first Sept trip!

 

[rotlex]

Please know I don't want to hijack OP's thread. But, for those of you who've gone during free dining, do you notice a decline in food quality compared to other stays? We love WDW food & I don't want to be disappointed during our first Sept trip!

We have gone during free dining and have noticed no difference whatsoever in food quality, quantity, or service. You have to remember, not everyone at the parks, resaurants is on the "free dining plan" so for them to drop service, or quality, would not be a very good idea.

That said, I hope they continue with the free dining plan for years to come. We think it is a great value, and look forwared to doing it again next year!

 

[rgf207]

Please know I don't want to hijack OP's thread. But, for those of you who've gone during free dining, do you notice a decline in food quality compared to other stays? We love WDW food & I don't want to be disappointed during our first Sept trip!

I was only there for the very first year of free dining and I thought the food was great. I have read on the boards that restaurants will remove some of the more expensive/favorable items from the menu during free dining.

I have never had an issue with food quality at WDW with the exception of the Mexico Counter Service (Cantina de San Angel)

 

[Planogirl]

OK, I'll say it again: Free dining is NOT free. You have to pay full, rack rate for your room, which can be $40, $50 or more per night over the AAA discount you can easily pick up for the off season. Staying offsite at an even lower rate could save you upwards of $50-$75 per night, easily. If you are travelling with 4-5 people in your room, then "free" dining is a good deal. For my part, I had to pay AAA $160 more for my 4-day package just to get the "free" dining deal for two of us. It's a discount over the full DDP price, but it's nowhere near free.

/Steps off soapbox

As for the OP, I totally agree that the quality of food at Disney can be extremely poor considering the prices they charge. TS meals are even more outrageously priced, and in two cases (Sci-Fi, Mama Melrose) some of us were served food that we couldn't even eat. For $20-$25 per entree you should be getting something terrific, not simply "palatable."

I agree that "free dining" is no bargain for a small group unless you eat a lot normally. I see no advantage to it if DS and I stay onsite (and we definitely checked the numbers) so we were better off staying offsite and saving a lot of money that way this year. I would like to stay onsite again but doubt that I'll bother with the free dining.

Is Mama Melrose really so awful? That is one we've never tried.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I've had a lot of good food at Disney, some of the food I've had has even been amazing. There's only one or two things I really haven't cared for at all.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I'm kind of interested to know where the OP ate.