Dissappointment Reigned at new pizza place in Epcot

[Sammie]

Gosh, tell us how you really feel about people who like Via Napoli.

So you didn't like it. OK. No need to bash people that did like it.

Even people who live under a rock have manners, which obviously CEO forgot his.

 

[havoc315]

Are you kidding me? $45 for a PIZZA! No way in Hades! I don't care if it had black and white truffels and gold flakes on it...there is no pizza worth that!

.....

I would always encourage people to look at the current menu, follow the dining reviews here, and approach WDW dining as an opportunity to rest and refuel rather than an opportunity to explore the world of gourmet dining.

None of the pizza at Via Napoli is over $40. Further, the large pizza is really huge. Would paying $38 for 2 medium pizzas sound really ridiculous?
And if it did have truffles and gold flakes, it would be more than $40. Sone people are willing to pay for high end ingredients, some people are not.
There are $15,000 automobiles and $90,000 automobiles. They both have 4 wheels, engine, etc, but they are not the same thing.

But as to your last comment --- that is fine for you. It's almost like the movie Ratatouille, food can simply be "fuel.". But for many other people, gourmet dining is a pleasure. I know for me, a quick sandwich at the food court would not be how I like to spend vacation. On vacation, I want food quality, at a minimum, of what I eat at home on weekends. ( and I am quite used to spending $30-$60 per adult at many restaurants)
Disney offers high end and low end dining options for a reason - because people want different things.

I think the controversy with Via Napoli --- it offers high end pizza. But many visitors simply hear "pizza," and the expectation is the cheap comfort food served by 99% of pizza establishments.

 

[TDC Nala]

To those who say Disney has you captive...that is falling into Disney-think. They WANT you to surrender and open your wallets at their decree!

If you're onsite with no car and don't want to prepare your own meals or eat CS all the time you don't have a choice. You don't have to order the most expensive thing on the menu though. I did pay $16 for an individual pizza at Via Napoli. Yes, a pizza. Not complaining about it either as I did like the pizza. If I had hated it I just wouldn't go buy it again. EKW would likely see this as Disney ripping me off by fooling me into succumbing to "Disney-think" and paying $16 for a small pizza.

And there was another post saying you shouldn't be going to Disney for the food. Why not? Some of us do. We choose not to look at food as mere fuel but as a major component of a vacation. And I like San Angel. Either I have different tastes than the previous poster or I did not have the same experience.

Not everyone wants to spend the entire time eating in the food court. At the Epcot resorts, there is no food court.

I also would never suggest that readers follow the dining reviews on the DIS. They are too disparate. I would recommend San Angel whereas the previous poster would say to stay away from it.

 

[OceanAnnie]

Two large pizzas and "free" water for all was a whopping $97.31. I am still amazed. As soon as our server realized we were not there on the dining plan, the meal went downhill. She turned her nose up at us when we went for the free water rather than the large selection of bottled options.

Our pizza was burned on one end and underdone on the other. Go if you must, but be forewarned.

Has anyone else had this experience? It was a first and last visit for us (I had so looked forward to it).

Whoa! That sounds like a double whammy. Sorry you had a bad experience. I'd be over that. We haven't eaten there, but thanks for the heads up.

When we try someplace new, we find the menus and calculate a quick estimate of our total. Even then there are some sticker shock moments.

 

[EKW]

One thing I find amusing is the number of people who will rise to defend Disney, and attack Dis members who question Disney pricing, no matter how foolish it makes them appear. Folks, Disney is a mega-company, they don't need you to come to their defense.

I understand that, especially on these boards, there are elitists who would be glad to see Disney turned into a Country Club of sorts. By keeping us riff-raff...make that: normal folks who could never afford to spend a week's grocery money on one meal...out, it would make the parks more enjoyable for the wealthy.

Disney is obviously already catering to that group. The restaurant pricing reflects that. The meal we had at Sci-Fi cafe was not as good quality as what we can get at our local Village Inn, but the prices are two to three times what we'd pay here. Price is an economic means of rationing goods and services.

This is an issue that arises on these boards quite frequently. If Disney wants to promote itself as a vacation ANYONE can afford, which it does, then they need to embrace "anyone" when they show up at the parks. The current caste system if offensive.

The OP quoted a price of almost $100 for two pizzas. I don't care if the pizzas tap dance their way to my table, that is a ridiculous price. If the OP is a liar and misrepresented the cost of the pizzas, that's a whole different issue. Since I wasn't there, I'm going to believe what was said in the original post!

 

[havoc315]

I understand that, especially on these boards, there are elitists who would be glad to see Disney turned into a Country Club of sorts. By keeping us riff-raff...make that: normal folks who could never afford to spend a week's grocery money on one meal...out, it would make the parks more enjoyable for the wealthy. .

This is an issue that arises on these boards quite frequently. If Disney wants to promote itself as a vacation ANYONE can afford, which it does, then they need to embrace "anyone" when they show up at the parks. The current caste system if offensive.

As o the pricing, we know the pricing as the menus are readily available. Seems likely that the OP included the tip in his post.

But as to the more substantial discussion--- in making a vacation that anyone can afford, does that mean Disney should only cater to the poorest Americans? Should all rooms be $10 per night?
Ok, so obviously -- the goal is never to make it a place anyone can afford. No matter what price, there will be people who can't afford it.

So should Disney be offering all people the exact same moderately priced vacation? Should a deluxe room at the Contemporary be the same price as a room at POP?

Of course not -- Disney offers different vacations, at different price points, for different visitors. Do you object to Victoria's and Alberts-- do you say, how dare they charge over $100 per person for a meal?

I routinely pay prices fairly similar to Via Napoli for gourmet pizza. Sure, the Disney prices are a bit inflated -- Via Napoli charges about $18 for an individual pizza. The place I go for gourmet pizza, charges about $16 for an individual pie.
If you want 'cheap" pizza, you have other places you can go at Disney. Different offerings for different people.

I am not defending Disney's pricing -- that is supply and demand. I am defending their choice to offering deluxe vacations, to people who want deluxe vacations.

 

[OhioDisneyDad]

Last time I checked I believe just about all the TS restaurants have the menus posted outside the restaurant so you can look BEFORE you buy. If you go in blindly and then complain about the cost then there's no one else to blame than yourself. If you can't afford it don't go in - go grab yourself a turkey leg then sit back and enjoy your thriftiness. If that sounds like I'm rushing to WDW side to defend their pricing then all I can say is, "Enjoy that turkey leg!"

 

[handinpocket]

Room service pizza was much better. Our pizza was half cooked on one side and burnt on the other. Really not impressed and will not be going back.

 

[cymbaldiva]

Room service pizza was much better. Our pizza was half cooked on one side and burnt on the other. Really not impressed and will not be going back.

Asking you the same question I asked the OP - did you complain or even make mention of that to the restaurant? I'm sure they would have been happy to correct any problems...

 

[havoc315]

Room service pizza was much better. Our pizza was half cooked on one side and burnt on the other. Really not impressed and will not be going back.

I think a lot of people don't realize, that a proper wood-oven cooked pizza, is supposed to have a bit of a "burnt" appearance in spots.

 

[TakeMe2Disney]

We just returned from our trip in December and ate at Via Napoli for dinner.

First, we enjoyed our pizza. Was it the best I've ever had? No. Was it satisfying and tasty enough for us to return? Sure. We had far worse meals at Coral Reef and CRT that cost quite a bit more.

Second, I'm blinking my eyes at the 2 pizzas for $97. If the 1/2 meters were ordered then that price would include tip. And those 1/2 meter pizzas looked pretty darn big! We got the large for 3 adults and 1 child and had just the right amount.

Lastly, Disney prices are definetly high. I'm not going to sit and defend the pricing in any way. But, if you're going to come on to the board and start insulting people for not having the same opinion as you, be prepared to be called out for it. Sammie, I'm with you.

 

[Micca]

We have a party of 5 adults going soon. I don't think anyone will want salads, appetizers or desserts, just the pizza. How much should we order? Do we get two 1/2 meters? Two larges? Some other combo? DW gives me the stinkeye if she thinks I'm over ordering, so I'd like to get it just right.(No dining plan by the way).

On the cost issue: $97 bucks does seem like a lot for pizza, but look at the prices at the breakfast buffets. Who spends that much for breakfast at home? There's only one answer to low-cost dining at WDW: A can opener and pork & beans for the whole family

 

[ashg8r]

We have a party of 5 adults going soon. I don't think anyone will want salads, appetizers or desserts, just the pizza. How much should we order? Do we get two 1/2 meters? Two larges? Some other combo? DW gives me the stinkeye if she thinks I'm over ordering, so I'd like to get it just right.(No dining plan by the way).

If I were you I'd probably order one 1/2 meter and 1 large.

 

[WheelCEO]

We had 5 adults, with the largest pie they offer and we wound up eating a 2nd dinner

 

[sophie832]

Despite the negative reviews, DH and I will be eating at VN on 2/1 for our last meal before we leave. I've heard some really good reviews of VN, too, and we like to make our own decisions (unless a restaurant gets consistently bad reviews...which is rare on the DIS, but some DHS restaurants seem to qualify). Guess we'll see if it lives up to the (good or bad) hype!

 

[Bibbidi]

We visited here in early November and LOVED it. We got a large pizza ($28), the arancini and the $4 pp salad to feed 3 adults and it was perfect. The mozzarella on the pizza was the best I have ever had. And we had the opposite experience with the service. Our server was super attentive and there seemed to be a million servers in the place!

We can't wait to go back. OP, sorry you had a disappointing experience!

I would have to say our experience was just as outstanding as yours. We went during the soft opening in August and wished we had been able to get back. LOVED IT and hope to go more than once on our next trip in September.

 

[RobynPrincess]

We LOVED the pizzas in there, we werent on the DDP and were treated really well, they did have amix up with 1 of our pizza's but it was quickly sorted. It was expensive mind you!

Feel free to have a look through my TR at all the pictures (there are quite a few!)

 

[ebert]

Twenty years ago we'd all think it was insane to pay for a bottle of water, but now it seems to be accepted as normal. We always take steel water bottles (I don't like the aluminum ones that contain BPA lining) everywhere we go. It keeps plastic out of the land fills but, more importantly to us, keeps money in our pocket book and hydration in our bodies.

 

[Sweettears]

If you live under a rock, then Via Napoli MAY impress you. As I posted in another thread, it has hit me that the majority of users on this site live under rocks, enjoy subpar food, never leave their homes or all of the above.Via Napoli is no more than an overpriced bad version of every coal fire pizza place out there. We ordered the pizza that serves "5", 5 what? infants? We wound up going to eat a 2nd dinner because no one in our group was even remotely "full" (Ages: 22,24,25,70,65).. and our bill was still $50+ for 1 pizza + 3 sodas (not including tip).

If you are on the DDP then maybe it's worth it.. but if you are paying OOP, I'm sure there are better choices out there.. like chewing on some rocks

No sense in holding back. Let us know how you really feel.

 

[Barnhill9586]

If you live under a rock, then Via Napoli MAY impress you. As I posted in another thread, it has hit me that the majority of users on this site live under rocks, enjoy subpar food, never leave their homes or all of the above.

Via Napoli is no more than an overpriced bad version of every coal fire pizza place out there. We ordered the pizza that serves "5", 5 what? infants? We wound up going to eat a 2nd dinner because no one in our group was even remotely "full" (Ages: 22,24,25,70,65).. and our bill was still $50+ for 1 pizza + 3 sodas (not including tip).

If you are on the DDP then maybe it's worth it.. but if you are paying OOP, I'm sure there are better choices out there.. like chewing on some rocks

This post makes me laugh! I don't know if that was Wheel's intent but thank you, anyway. Very entertaining! For the record I used to live under a rock and it is very difficult to leave your home...darn things are heavy you know!