How do you really feel about WDW and the food

[lady danger]

It's an overstatement to say that we go to WDW for the food, but we definitely like a lot of the restaurants there and consider Disney Dining to be an important part of our vacation experience. We have at least one ADR per day.

 

[suzimar57]

over time, we've morphed into going to disney more for the food than the rides - sometimes more for the food.... (especially during F&W!)

 

[cg1200]

With 3 small children food isn't really tops on our list. I will say that the thing that bothers me the most is the length of time it takes to get your food. Not so much in a sit down restaurant but in the counter service joints and the carts throughout the parks. I once waited almost 15 minutes for a box of popcorn and the line wasn't even that long! I've had good meals at Le Cellier and O'Hana. Perhaps when my kids are older and food becomes more important to them we'll make more of a point to seek out some more interesting places. I think the best meal we've had in a while was at Spoodles on the Boardwalk.

 

[micknpluto]

this is an interesting thread..

I think most of the food is very yummy at WDW. Sometimes I wonder if its "the magic of being in WDW" or is the food really that good?

Like, even the burgers and fries are so good! Of course we have our favorite places like dinner at Ohana and as for burgers we love Pecos Bills. Food is a big part of our trips to the world but I dont go crazy over ADRs (Unless we are on the DP) now.. I agree with what someone else said... My only complaint is how much I have to stress over making ADRs, if you dont make them 180 days in advanced, its close to impossible to get certain times for dinner. It seems I can never get dinner at Ohana before 8pm...This year our ADR is for 9pm. God forbid you make a last minute trip and try to make ADRs.. ok ill stop complaining now..lol all in all Im happy with the quality of food.

 

[Ron from Michigan]

We love to have ADR's at our favorite restaurants on every trip. Since it's just my wife and I on most trips now we love to have nice dinners each evening.

 

[iluvpluto27]

We don't go to WDW for the food but it's a huge part of our holiday. I'm a real foodie and always reading restaurant reviews and finding new places we like to try. We enjoy eating at nice restaurants at home so it's nice to be able to do that on holiday too.

 

[Mickey_Man]

We definitely make plenty of ADRs, and we try to mix in some of our favorite smaller restaurants and buffets (boma, sci-fi, etc) with signature dinners (jiko, bluezoo, etc). Is it THE reason we go to WDW? (No, that would be Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. oh, and all the great rides. Yeah - a 32 year old with no children needs to say Expedition Everest and Rock & Roller Coaster, not the characters! Thankfully no one can read this inner monologue!! ) However, it is one of the reasons, and quite often we will determine which park to attend by which ADRs we can get. Of course, we try to plan our ADRs around which park has EMHs or where we feel like being at that time, but the restuarants are an integral part of our planning.

 

[MomofCKJ]

Food isn't *the* reason I go but dining is a big part of my enjoyment on vacation. I love the themed restauarants, the food and trying new places. I could never go to Disney and just do CS all week. I'd be so sad!

Allyson

 

[ShellyLynn3630]

Well this is our second time to the world and our second free dining. But I think our next visit will be during cooler weather and pay for ddp possibly.

 

[JoePa4Ever]

Food is not the reason we go to WDW, but it is certainly something we really enjoy about vacationing there and we definitely look forward to eating at certain favorite places and trying new ones. IMO the quality of the food is fine - some may say the restaurants are over-priced & it may be true, but for us, it's not just about the food itself - it's about the atmosphere of the restaurant, the theming, characters (if character meal) & just the convenience of eating on WDW property, which is why I'm never bothered so much about the cost of the meal. Also, my DW & I are big planners so not only do we not mind making ADR's ahead of time, we actually enjoy it and look forward to the magical 180 day mark when we can do it.

 

[NSL]

Disney dining is not our only reason to visit the World, but it's definitely something we plan and look forward to just the same as our favorite attractions! We've done the Dining Plan since it's been offered and love it, love trying new places and eating at our favorites. When it's time for me to make my ADR's I pretty much throw myself a little party! Not more than a couple times have I ever been disappointed with Disney's food, it's always a great experience and also a great way to relax a little bit when you're in the parks all day. We consider our TS our 'break times'. Their restaurants have the greatest themes and really transport you just like the parks; it's so much fun.

I would have to agree with you. We definately do not visit for the food, we have fabulous restaurants where we live. All local, no chains. But we love DW and our kids are not too fond of going out to eat, that is what is so great about it. They actually do not mind going out to eat when we are visiting DW. They think it is fun and it entertains them. Gives my husband and I a great chance to relax and not worry so much about our kids getting bored. Can't wait until June 18 when I can make my reservations!

 

[nessz79]

A lot of it has to do with who we're with. We typically switch off, bringing family and going just as a couple. On the "just as a couple" trips, and the family trips when we're all older adults, then dining is a more of a feature of the trip.

That's us exactly!

When we have the little guys, the dining becomes the least important thing other than an occasional character meal. As long as we can eat in the a/c and it's not one of the most crowded times of the day, we're good!

 

[lizzyb]

Making a few ADRs and winging the rest

 

[Uncleromulus]

The VERY first thing we do when planning our Disney vacations is getting ADR's at our restaurants we selected for that trip.
Park time, swim time, etc all takes second place in our planning.

But there is some validity in what micknpluto suggested: I often wonder if Citrico's, etc were in my hometown would I be anxious to always go to dinner there over some other spot. Or does just being at WDW and in the Grand Floridian have something to do with it???

 

[MickeyNicki]

The dining is a huge part of our vacation because most of the places we eat at in WDW cannot be found where I live...Tonga Toast, Boma, Beirgarten, Tangierine Cafe...we have mostly chain restaurants by us so when we know we are going to WDW we get excited on our dining options!

 

[winterman]

We like the food (mostly) at WDW but it is certainly not the reason we go. That said we do make lots of ADRs.

 

[Frothy]

The first couple of times we visited we rarely went off property. Today we stay off site and this enables us to see much much more and to visit other places to dine.

Disney food is disappointing overall. The value is poor and the experience always inconsistent IMO. If you get a good server then it can be a great evening but if you get one having not so great a day then it tends to ruin things for us.

We now spend at least 4 or 5 nights eating out on Sand Lake and then 2 or 3 eating in at our vacation home. We go out every other night as that makes it more special and we have found some really good restaurants that offer better value for money and a more consistent service.

 

[Abharmagic]

You didn't have my option so I picked the one that sounded closest to how I feel- In general, I think the food at WDW is edible but borderline terrible at all places and waaaay too expensive dining plan or no dining plan.

 

[UP Disney]

It's not the only reason that we go to Disney but it is one of them. We always make at least one ADR per day. It is one of our favorite things about Disney.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

You didn't have my option so I picked the one that sounded closest to how I feel- In general, I think the food at WDW is edible but borderline terrible at all places and waaaay too expensive dining plan or no dining plan.

That depends on where you eat. If you choose wisely, you can have a great meal. If you choose buffets, you're going to get buffet (lack of) quality. I've never had a terrible meal at any of the Signature restaurants. I have had a less than memorable meal. Fortunately, that's not the norm. OTOH, I have had not so great meals in non-Sig establishments. I've also had some very good meals. Yes, the food is expensive, which is the case at most tourist destinations. Although, I don't think any of the restaurants offer a great value, you can usually determine what type of quality to expect by the menu prices.