Ariels Grotto or Princess Fantasy Faire???

[StEpHandMiKe<3Disney]

WWYD?????? So I really want to get pics with the Princesses, but really don't want to wait in line for hours. I think an hour is a pretty long wait, and I have heard that sometimes it could be several hours. The last DL trip, we ate at Ariel's Grotto to meet the princesses, but wasn't to pleased with the restaurant, food or staff. I expected the same service that we receive at WDW, but that just wasn't the case. The hostess was rude, then we met Ariel who is the only real reason we were eating there and she was rude to us! I can't remember whether our waiter was nice or not but obviously it didn't affect me much since I don't remember. The food was not very good to me either, and for the price, I think it should at least taste good. This was back in Aug 2008 so does anyone know if the food has changed or does anyone have anything good to say about the restaurant? I'm really trying to decide if we should just eat there or decide to wait in line for the Princesses. WWYD??? Thanks!

 

[love dland]

Not too sure that your experience at Ariel's would be any different now??
I think I would get in line for PFF as early as possible in the AM, and invest that little more than an hour...
The pics are great from PFF, though the princesses don't spend as much time with each person as they do at Ariel's

Go for PFF!

 

[nana50]

Gee, we always do Ariel's Grotto. The lunch last time was quite good and the princesses have always been really sweet. They even let my sister and brother-in-law join us after lunch and brought extra dessert for them. There is no way I would wait an hour or more to see anyone except Johnny Depp. At least with the Grotto you get to sit down and have lunch. Check out the new menu you might like it better.

 

[StEpHandMiKe<3Disney]

Gee, we always do Ariel's Grotto. The lunch last time was quite good and the princesses have always been really sweet. They even let my sister and brother-in-law join us after lunch and brought extra dessert for them. There is no way I would wait an hour or more to see anyone except Johnny Depp. At least with the Grotto you get to sit down and have lunch. Check out the new menu you might like it better.

What did you order if you don't mind me asking? I also looked at the menu on disneyland.com and it does appear to have changed a bit. What are the prices like?

 

[heather_sue_98]

We did both our last trip. We were only planning on doing Ariel's. We did that the first day, and everyone loved it especially DD4. We saw Ariel, Snow White, Aurora, Beauty, and Cinderella. The line for PFF the next morning was only 20-30 minutes, so we ended up doing that too. I was hoping for some different princesses (Princess Minnie, Mulan, Jasmine...) but we got Belle, Ariel, and Tiana. However, Tiana was absolutely darling, and had much more interaction with DD than any other princess at either place. And Ariel was the same Ariel as the day before and remembered DD, which was really neat.

Honestly, I think next time we will use some advice I've seen here, and book Ariel's Grotto for sometime toward the end of our trip, do PFF (possibly more than once) and see how it goes, and then decide if we want to keep our Ariel's ressie. If we did end up still doing Ariel's it'd just be the icing on the cake for DD.

 

[StEpHandMiKe<3Disney]

We did both our last trip. We were only planning on doing Ariel's. We did that the first day, and everyone loved it especially DD4. We saw Ariel, Snow White, Aurora, Beauty, and Cinderella. The line for PFF the next morning was only 20-30 minutes, so we ended up doing that too. I was hoping for some different princesses (Princess Minnie, Mulan, Jasmine...) but we got Belle, Ariel, and Tiana. However, Tiana was absolutely darling, and had much more interaction with DD than any other princess at either place. And Ariel was the same Ariel as the day before and remembered DD, which was really neat.

Honestly, I think next time we will use some advice I've seen here, and book Ariel's Grotto for sometime toward the end of our trip, do PFF (possibly more than once) and see how it goes, and then decide if we want to keep our Ariel's ressie. If we did end up still doing Ariel's it'd just be the icing on the cake for DD.

That might be a plan, what is the policy on canceling Ariels?

 

[Homemom]

I would eat at Ariel's. I would rather know I'll see several specific princesses while eating rather than see who knows while having to just wait in a line. Maybe you could change it up from last time for a new experience. If you sat inside then try outside. We love to sit out there and watch the rides going in the park. If you had breakfast then try lunch.

 

[StEpHandMiKe<3Disney]

I would eat at Ariel's. I would rather know I'll see several specific princesses while eating rather than see who knows while having to just wait in a line. Maybe you could change it up from last time for a new experience. If you sat inside then try outside. We love to sit out there and watch the rides going in the park. If you had breakfast then try lunch.

Before we sat inside, and I was just reading on the website that its a cheaper price to sit outside? Why is that? I think I would like to sit outside for Dinner. Can you see World of Color from the outside? Might be worth it to make a later ressie.

 

[heather_sue_98]

As far as I know, there's no deadline you have to "un-reserve" by. You could probably even just not show up, but I don't know if that's very princess-like...

 

[DLtorgo]

You can just call Disney Dining and cancel. They don't charge you anything. There is speculation there could be some sort of dining package for the WOC show, but nothing is known yet.

 

[Eeee-va]

StEpHandMiKe<3Disney, unless something has changed drastically, you can't get reservations for Ariel's for dinner after about 3:40 PM.

If they have a dinner package, some CMs have said they won't have the princesses, but I reckon that's subject to change. So far they aren't offering anything and the latest rumor I heard was that they might not start offering the dinner packages until well after the opening date for WoC. But who knows?

I'd GUESS the price would be more than a regular dinner at Ariel's, too (though in fairness if it were $59.99 like the Fantasmic dessert is, that might be a steal).

 

[pixiewings71]

Ariel's Grotto all the way. The new menu is amazing and the Princesses are all so gracious. Maybe your Ariel was just having an off day, we've eaten there quite a bit and never had any issues with our Princesses.

 

[jacobsmommy]

Two quick and possibly stupid questions about Ariel's....
I know the breakfast is family style and lunch you order off a menu. What happens with a two year old eating for lunch/dinner? Do you pay for them to order or do they have to eat off of your plates? Also, would I be able to order a larger portion of something off the kids menus? I told you it was a stupid question, but I am super picky. We have a 9:40 Ariel's reservation for our last day, but I'm only keeping that if we've already done TSMM at least once during our trip. If we get to see enough princesses the rest of the week I'll probably cancel the reservation.

 

[Kayla's Mom]

Two quick and possibly stupid questions about Ariel's....
I know the breakfast is family style and lunch you order off a menu. What happens with a two year old eating for lunch/dinner? Do you pay for them to order or do they have to eat off of your plates? Also, would I be able to order a larger portion of something off the kids menus? I told you it was a stupid question, but I am super picky. We have a 9:40 Ariel's reservation for our last day, but I'm only keeping that if we've already done TSMM at least once during our trip. If we get to see enough princesses the rest of the week I'll probably cancel the reservation.

The 2 year old is free. When my youngest was 2 she had mac and cheese. I can't remember if she could have anything off the kids menu or not. Can't answer your question about you ordering off the kids menu.

 

[tdashgirl]

My experience has been that since it's a character dining, you're also paying for the "experience" so you are expected to pay adult or child (depending on the age) for each person. The only exception I have personally experienced is when I was travelling with someone who recently had gastric bypass surgery and she had documentation. They allowed her to order from the kids menu.

FWIW, I love the lunch/dinner menu @ Ariel's. Tri-tip is delish.

 

[jacobsmommy]

I would totally pay the adult price and just get something off the kids menu, which probably means it is so not worth it for me to even eat there. I was just worried about having to pay for the two year old. She is a pickier eater than me, so I would hate to spend all of that money for her not to eat anything at all.

 

[StEpHandMiKe<3Disney]

StEpHandMiKe<3Disney, unless something has changed drastically, you can't get reservations for Ariel's for dinner after about 3:40 PM.

If they have a dinner package, some CMs have said they won't have the princesses, but I reckon that's subject to change. So far they aren't offering anything and the latest rumor I heard was that they might not start offering the dinner packages until well after the opening date for WoC. But who knows?

I'd GUESS the price would be more than a regular dinner at Ariel's, too (though in fairness if it were $59.99 like the Fantasmic dessert is, that might be a steal).

Ohhh...... so I can't even book a dinner ressie for July????

 

[nana50]

I think I got the chicken and it was quite good. What I liked was the appetizers, something for everyone. also the dessert tray with all kinds of goodies. We all loved it. Especially the little princesses.

 

[StEpHandMiKe<3Disney]

Well sadly I just got off the phone with Disney Dining and you cannot make dinner ressies in July for Ariel's Grotto. Guess that answered that question. Thanks for everyone input though. I guess I'll be rushing to meet the princesses.

 

[mom2rtk]

I'm guessing outdoor seating is less expensive because you are exposed to the elements. On a nice day, it would be great. But if it's super hot, I definitely want to be inside!