Do we have the right signatures on our list?

[orangecuse]

Okay! So many thanks to people who told us to go to a sig vs 3 sit down meals a day. Here is what we have on our list (not our ADR day yet so just planning still)

Cali grill brunch
Narcooossees
Citricos
Yachtsman

We are also planning on paying OOP for HDDR.

About us- 2 adults and a 1.5 year old who eats out often and is well behaved. DxDP. Staying at BLT. We love seafood/shellfish and aren’t super picky but I don’t eat red meat or pork.

Ones we considered but don’t have on our schedule right now:
1. Jiko- been seeing mixed reviews
2. MP- REALLY like the idea of this one but read its not kid friendly (I know they ALLOW kids but I read people get frustrated at the idea of kids here).
3. Flying Fish

Husband doesn’t want to do Disney Springs this trip. What do you think? Any subs you would make? One we missed thats awesome?

 

[jacknsally19]

Not sure that you should do Yachtsman if you dislike red meat.


My favorite signature is Tiffins. I highly recommend it!

 

[3 Hobbits 2 Disney]

I would do Narsoose’s and swap Citrico’s with Artist Point in the Wilderness Lodge. Narsoose’s has a wide variety and nice views/Services. I found Citricos noisy with poor service and meh atmosphere.
As PP said Yachtsman is a quality steakhouse; be sure to check the menu to see if there are enough options for you.

 

[OneinThree]

In my experience, Flying Fish is better than anything on your current list, and it's not close. Jiko is also generally considered to be one of the best restaurants on property. I would definitely do both of those. Love California Grill, but have never done the brunch so I couldn't say. I haven't been to Narcoossee's in some time, but a lot of the recent reviews are spotty. We had dinner at Yachtsman in December and were underwhelmed -very good steak, but the rest of the dinner didn't live up to billing at all.

 

[SouthJersey]

Okay! So many thanks to people who told us to go to a sig vs 3 sit down meals a day. Here is what we have on our list (not our ADR day yet so just planning still)

Cali grill brunch
Narcooossees
Citricos
Yachtsman

We are also planning on paying OOP for HDDR.

About us- 2 adults and a 1.5 year old who eats out often and is well behaved. DxDP. Staying at BLT. We love seafood/shellfish and aren’t super picky but I don’t eat red meat or pork.

Ones we considered but don’t have on our schedule right now:
1. Jiko- been seeing mixed reviews
2. MP- REALLY like the idea of this one but read its not kid friendly (I know they ALLOW kids but I read people get frustrated at the idea of kids here).
3. Flying Fish

Husband doesn’t want to do Disney Springs this trip. What do you think? Any subs you would make? One we missed thats awesome?

Flying Fish and Narcoossee will be your best options for more seafood-based dishes.
California Grill has always been great, Citrico's is consistently the best rated signature overall. I'd drop Yachtsman and add in Flying Fish.

 

[gharter]

I like your list alot.
But, I've eaten at Citricos twice and the food is good, but never wowed us. We love Jiko and have never been disappointed
Monsieur Paul is awesome, but probably not good for an 18 month old. Give them another year or two and you're good.
Flying Fish is another favorite of ours. If you love seafood, it is hard to beat. We've seen many kids there as well. Maybe in a year?
In the parks for Signature, nothing beats Tiffins at AK. Very kid friendly.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Okay! So many thanks to people who told us to go to a sig vs 3 sit down meals a day. Here is what we have on our list (not our ADR day yet so just planning still)

Cali grill brunch
Narcooossees
Citricos
Yachtsman

We are also planning on paying OOP for HDDR.

About us- 2 adults and a 1.5 year old who eats out often and is well behaved. DxDP. Staying at BLT. We love seafood/shellfish and aren’t super picky but I don’t eat red meat or pork.

Ones we considered but don’t have on our schedule right now:
1. Jiko- been seeing mixed reviews
2. MP- REALLY like the idea of this one but read its not kid friendly (I know they ALLOW kids but I read people get frustrated at the idea of kids here).
3. Flying Fish

Husband doesn’t want to do Disney Springs this trip. What do you think? Any subs you would make? One we missed thats awesome?

If you don't like seafood, I would pull Yachtsman off the list and consider Flying Fish or MP instead. Please don't hesitate going to MP. I've taken my DS there since the year it opened (he was probably 4 or 5 at the time). The staff will not be frustrated with a child being there. They have one of the best children's menus in WDW. It's WDW - children dine in the restaurants (except V&A, although they do allow 10 and up). Please don't let others discourage you from eating there.

I also wouldn't do Narcoosee's and Citrico's. Not that the menus are the same, but exploring the resorts is part of the dining experience, IMHO and I wouldn't want to eat at GF twice. Plus, Citrico's is pretty underwhelming, IMHO. I would sub that out for Jiko or Artist Point.

 

[JerseyJanice]

Like @DisneyWishes14 (whose posts I almost always agree with), I think you should swap one of the restaurants at Grand Floridian with something at another resort.

If I were you, I’d stay with Narcoosee. I haven’t been, but wish I had chosen it when I was on the Deluxe Plan. Being on the water and having a fireworks views would make me choose it over Citrico, and Artist Point or Flying Fish would be my choice instead.

Even though you’re not big on red meat, I’d keep the Yachtsman because I know it’s awesome. It will have at least one fish or seafood choice and a vegetarian option.

 

[FSU Girl]

I would take Yachtsman off your list since you don't eat red meat. Their steaks are fantastic, but I always feel if you're going to a restaurant that specializes in something you should order that. I had a great dinner at Narcoossee you can read about it in my dining report. I've heard Flying Fish has great seafood options.

I celebrated my 2nd birthday in the restaurant that is now MP, I don't remember it but the pictures make me look happy. I really enjoyed the food there, it is a little more upscale, but if your child is well behaved and used to eating out I don't see an issue.

 

[OneinThree]

Please don't hesitate going to MP. I've taken my DS there since the year it opened (he was probably 4 or 5 at the time). The staff will not be frustrated with a child being there.

I don't know about this. I haven't been to MP in many years (since it was Bistro de Paris). I have considered going back and looked at many reviews. Of the negative ones, many come down to adults feeling uncomfortable due to the formal atmosphere. In many cases it was either because they were under-dressed or because of the vibe they received from the staff. I get the whole French thing and it doesn't bother me, but I would definitely have reservations about taking my younger children there, even though they are extremely well-behaved.

 

[sleepydog25]

CG Brunch - Yes. Have done it twice and enjoyed it immensely. You can come back later and enjoy the fireworks out on the viewing deck, too.
Citricos - Underwhelming. Trade it for Artist Point or Jiko. The latter gets seriously good reviews the majority of times. You can find naysayers for any restaurant, but Jiko is one of the more consistently good restaurants on property.
Yachtsman - Meh. It's a steak place.
Monsieur Paul - Funny how different views pop up about the same restaurant. My worst meal at Disney was MP, and it wasn't because we felt the atmosphere felt stuffy. On the contrary, we were hoping for a lovely ambiance and topnotch food and got neither. It was not only "kid friendly" but also swim suit, running shorts, flip-flops, gimme caps, and tank top friendly, as well. Service was inept and unfriendly. Food was improperly cooked and lukewarm. If you want to do an in-park upscale restaurant that is kid friendly, then I echo the person(s) who mention Tiffin's.

 

[OneinThree]

Monsieur Paul - Funny how different views pop up about the same restaurant. My worst meal at Disney was MP, and it wasn't because we felt the atmosphere felt stuffy. On the contrary, we were hoping for a lovely ambiance and topnotch food and got neither. It was not only "kid friendly" but also swim suit, running shorts, flip-flops, gimme caps, and tank top friendly, as well. Service was inept and unfriendly. Food was improperly cooked and lukewarm.

A lot of what I've read has been off of tripadvisor. Surprised to hear the food was so disappointing for you there, which is concerning given the price.

 

[auntfrannie]

I've given Narcoossee's three tries and haven't yet been impressed. Citrico's and Flying Fish have always been consistently good for me.
It's been 5 years since my last visit to MP; it was absolutely delicious. There were families with little kids and I didn't notice anyone being treated any differently.
Artist Point has been hit or miss for me. Ca Grill and Yachtsman's Steakhouse have always been good but I'm in agreement with dropping YS if no one eats red meat.
Good luck!

 

[rentayenta]

CG Brunch - Yes. Have done it twice and enjoyed it immensely. You can come back later and enjoy the fireworks out on the viewing deck, too.

I didn't know this! Good news.

 

[sleepydog25]

A lot of what I've read has been off of tripadvisor. Surprised to hear the food was so disappointing for you there, which is concerning given the price.

I know many enjoy MP, and I'm a huge supporter of the notion one shouldn't decide upon a place to eat based on a person's assessment at any given time. I think you can get a solid feel for a place based on a general consensus (such as the site you mention), but even then, what's good for the goose may not be for the gander--a misappropriated adage, I know, but you get my drift. All that aside, there's no denying our meal that particular night was sub-par: rubbery-skinned duck that was served almost cool; a soup that was also room temp; overcooked, tiny scallops; sparse attention from a server who largely disappeared after we placed our orders; and an ambiance that night that I'd rank with a local diner. Of course, others have had much better experiences--that was simply ours. You're correct in assuming that the price made the mistakes all the worse.

 

[OneinThree]

I know many enjoy MP, and I'm a huge supporter of the notion one shouldn't decide upon a place to eat based on a person's assessment at any given time. I think you can get a solid feel for a place based on a general consensus (such as the site you mention), but even then, what's good for the goose may not be for the gander--a misappropriated adage, I know, but you get my drift. All that aside, there's no denying our meal that particular night was sub-par: rubbery-skinned duck that was served almost cool; a soup that was also room temp; overcooked, tiny scallops; sparse attention from a server who largely disappeared after we placed our orders; and an ambiance that night that I'd rank with a local diner. Of course, others have had much better experiences--that was simply ours. You're correct in assuming that the price made the mistakes all the worse.

I understand your point about that being your particular experience on that particular evening. I guess when I think about a signature dining experience costing upwards of $100/per person, I should be able to expect consistency. I'm actually considering this place for my wife's 40th, and the last thing I want is a sub-par dining experience on that occasion. It's one thing if a server has an off night, but it's more difficult to justify food that's overcooked, or served at room temp. My first job was at a Burger King in 1990, and even at that volume it's not all that difficult to serve it fresh and hot.

 

[orangecuse]

Thanks guys! We will look at Tiffins!

I was thinking the same thing re: should we do two at GF. I will see if we can move things around for Jiko instead!

Yachtsman I was going to do since my husband loves steak. I would go lobster unless people feel loke the non-steak dishes are not prepared well!

 

[sleepydog25]

I understand your point about that being your particular experience on that particular evening. I guess when I think about a signature dining experience costing upwards of $100/per person, I should be able to expect consistency. I'm actually considering this place for my wife's 40th, and the last thing I want is a sub-par dining experience on that occasion. It's one thing if a server has an off night, but it's more difficult to justify food that's overcooked, or served at room temp. My first job was at a Burger King in 1990, and even at that volume it's not all that difficult to serve it fresh and hot.

Agree about consistency. Over the years, with only a couple of exceptions, AP has been very good for us. Now, we have an emotional attachment there we didn't at MP, but even had we, I still would rate the latter experience as poor. Part of it for us was that we hadn't tried that particular Signature, and we wanted a lovely, upscale experience in the park as we were staying at BCV. The fact that it was in a park was likely our downfall. It's hard to do upscale in a park, and this night at this particular place, it didn't happen.

 

[OneinThree]

Yachtsman I was going to do since my husband loves steak. I would go lobster unless people feel loke the non-steak dishes are not prepared well!

We went to YS for our anniversary dinner. I got the filet and my wife ordered the lobster. My filet was excellent; my wife's lobster was absolutely not (a native New Englander, I'm well acquainted). The desert was beautiful but largely very average in flavor, and the atmosphere was just sort of lacking, IMO.

Agree about consistency. Over the years, with only a couple of exceptions, AP has been very good for us. Now, we have an emotional attachment there we didn't at MP, but even had we, I still would rate the latter experience as poor.

AP is a sentimental favorite of ours as well. My wife and I spent our first Valentines Day there over 20 years ago. We are probably headed back there this year for our 20th Anniversary.

 

[AllThingsMickey4]

Thanks guys! We will look at Tiffins!

I was thinking the same thing re: should we do two at GF. I will see if we can move things around for Jiko instead!

Yachtsman I was going to do since my husband loves steak. I would go lobster unless people feel loke the non-steak dishes are not prepared well!

I'm not a red meat eater so I ordered the chicken at Yachtsman and it was just okay. The French onion soup was really good though. The ambiance was just meh. I wouldn't repeat it any time soon just because there are a bunch of other signatures I want to try