How do you really feel about WDW and the food

[Meriweather]

Not the reason for going, but a big part of the entertainment. So many great dining opportunities in the space.
We always do about one a day...usually lunch.
We try to try some new ones each time, but we are getting so many favorites, it is getting hard to fit any more in

 

[tomerin]

my family has always treated the restaurants at WDW just like anther attraction. as my sons got older their eating habits changed and they are now more willing to try new and different foods. i always give them a list of places we havent eaten, we try and do at least 2 new places each time we go, they pick one each and i make the ADR's. we always enjoy our meals together and eating at WDW makes it that more special

 

[SuperTink]

We live in the DC Metro area, so we are never at a loss for restaurants of all kinds. Our pre-teens don't care that much about food (well, they are pretty satisfied with burgers and tenders). We did the DP last year and found it to be more aggravation than it was worth. We also stay for only 4-5 days, so we need to make the most of our time and sitting in restaurants just does not do it.

 

[chocovrdmicears]

Again - Definately not WHY we go...but one of the things we LOVE about our vacation. I love planning our dining and we really enjoy trying new places/foods & revisiting ones that we love.
I agree with the pp who said...'it isn't the BEST' steak, seafood or mexican food ...but it is, to us, the BEST place to enjoy it!..It is the overall feel of the dining experience...it is a 'piece' of our families day enjoying the most magical place on earth.

I am from New England...I can get fantastic seafood here anyday..However...my lunch at the Coral Reef was right after my kids experienced the Nemo Ride and were anticipating seeing Crush...They were THRILLED when the giant sea turtle choose to take a big nap right in front of us in the tank ..It was a FABULOUS meal experience..not the best seafood we have ever had...but definately one that we will do again this Sept..Does that make sense?

 

[pinkerbell]

well, none of those options worked for us. We get the dining plan because it is free when we go. We like the structure it gives us with two little ones, and get our ressies in advance, because on Free dinding, you need to (others can contest this, but I have been twice before during free dining and winging anything during the times we eat with children would not have worked, we inquired about a couple changes and could not).
A friend of ours once said people are often more concerned with quantity than quality... I tend to agree. While the food is good and we enjoy it, we would never visit the world for the food. Especially since our kids eat what we eat, and since most seem to enjoy hot dogs, nuggets and pizza, their options are limited, luckily, there is usually enough for us to share.
It may depend on where you live, but the prices are high and the food is good, but not outstanding.

 

[Buzz's Girl]

There are a few restaurants we never miss, but we go for the entertainment factor only. Shula's is probably the only place we go for the food. Disney's restaurants can't compete with what we have available locally.

 

[mamalle]

its not at all about the food for us. when the kids were younger it was about the characters to see. I make a few adrs for our trip so I know at least one day we have something set or we have a special occasion meal. We really arent the type to eat big meals every day so we pretty much wing it.. There really are not the must do restaurants for us.

 

[Mo-Yo]

We did the dining plan a few years back when it was more affordable (and all the kiddos were under 10). We really enjoyed trying out all the spots at Disney, and it was absolutely worth it then. But for the money, we felt overall that the food and service were generally average, although the atmosphere was often exceptional.

Now we take a different approach. We stay offsite and schedule a few special meals to enjoy the atmosphere, but we mostly eat at the rental home or enjoy other options.

Last year, we did Chef Mickey's, the Plaza (Mostly to avoid food lines, although it was nice) and Akershus Lunch with Princesses.


Next year with a group of 28-30, (if possible), we'll likely do Biergarten and Ohana.

DH and I weren't all that impressed with the "Signature Restaurants" as they stack up against fine dining options where we live, and while we are in Disney we look for a unique dining experience versus an upscale one.

For example, lots of great accolades are posted here for Le Cellier, but a I know lots of places near home to get a great steak in a warm atmosphere, so its unlikely we'd eat there.

And Flying Fish has great food and nice presentation (although its loud), but not up to par with our favorite spots at home so we skip it.

 

[LowesChevy]

Eating is an attraction as well. We usually eat a large breakfast, have a few lunch adrs, and have an adr for every night as well.

 

[TDC Nala]

It's also true that I never eat out at home. I only eat in restaurants when I am traveling. Maybe the restaurants are better here, I don't know. I only know WDW has a few really good ones.

 

[ransom]

I couldn't vote, because none of the options applied to me.

Food is "A" reason that we go to WDW every year. If the food was bad, we'd go much less often. Who wants to spend a week eating bad food? And I don't want to deal with the hassle of going offsite to eat every meal.

But food isn't "THE" reason we go to WDW. There are many reasons we go.

 

[mom2aredhead]

We live in the DC Metro area, so we are never at a loss for restaurants of all kinds. Our pre-teens don't care that much about food (well, they are pretty satisfied with burgers and tenders). We did the DP last year and found it to be more aggravation than it was worth. We also stay for only 4-5 days, so we need to make the most of our time and sitting in restaurants just does not do it.

I agree. We live in the NYC area, so if I want good authentic ethnic food, I've got it close by. I have better steak restaurants than Le Cellier near home, but I do not Soarin' in my backyard. I can have a "yummy" turkey dinner any time. (can you tell I just don't get the appeal of LTT ) but I cannot help my son defeat the Evil Emporer Zurg on Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin anywhere but WDW.

My son is 4.5, so for us, we make some character meal ADR's (to avoid having to wait in the lines for them at the parks ) plus a few other TS based 99% on convenience to whatever park we'll be in. Coming from NY, I just really don't see WDW as a dining "destination", but I guess it's all about perspective.

 

[Jacob]

Food is not necessarily a big draw for me at WDW. I did have a wonderful meal at Le Cellier, but other than that have not really been impressed with much. Chains like Rainforest Cafe don't really do it for me. So I usually just wing it. I would like to try BlueZoo, Todd English's restaurant at the Dolphin.

 

[MadToad]

While food isn't the main reason, it is a driving force...

I ate at Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill in Manhattan a few months ago. It was excellent. But the steak wasn't as good as the char-crusted one I get at the Flying Fish. I also love a great Cobb Salad - and they have them at many restaurants across the country. But I have yet to find one that beats the Brown Derby's.

There's also atmosphere. A good reuben sandwich can be found at many venues, but I haven't even heard of being able to eat one while at an in-door drive-in theater. Or a fine meal overlooking a fireworks display set to "Wishes". And while the food may be average at best (although the drinks are pretty good!), I've yet to come across a restaurant in the tri-state area where's it's perpetually twilight in front of a temple with a smoking volcano in the background.

When people complain about the food at Disney, I wonder to myself "where the heck did they eat?". And living in northern NJ, I find the prices to be almost reasonable. We had dinner - 2 adults - on Sat at a nice local Italian restaurant BYOB. We shared a salad and one entre each (we had dessert later at Coldstone Creamery . The bill was $75. Dinner for the 2 of us at the Flying Fish will be about $125, but will include wine and dessert.

Needless to say, I selected A in the poll

 

[ammo]

And while the food may be average at best (although the drinks are pretty good!), ...

When people complain about the food at Disney, I wonder to myself "where the heck did they eat?".

You answered your own question (actually, the answer was ahead of the question). We don't go in for the character meals, so characters add nothing to our experience. And while there are a few very unique/special settings for meals in WDW, most restaurant settings are not of "E-ticket" quality, so the food quality trumps setting for us.

Also, the crowd levels in recent years have often made Disney dining a less relaxing experience than restaurants back home. That is partly a consequence of traveling at busy times of the year, but it is a legitimate concern.

As a result, we pick and choose only a few WDW meals each trip. And as long as guests act like the Stepford Wives when it comes to Disney Dining (i.e., defending average quality food at above average prices just because it is magical to be at WDW), Disney has no financial incentive to improve.

 

[Karnak]

The first choice (the one I picked) seems to be saying two different things. Food is not the main reason I go to WDW, but I do make sure I have ADRs for most meals (15 ADRs for a six day trip in November.) It will be a solo trip, and I plan to take it easy and enjoy people watching, some of the attractions, most of the shows, and several of the restaurants.

Karnak

 

[jimmalru80]

The five of us get together about two weeks a year so we build our WDW vacation around our meals. It's our time together to relax and enjoy ourselves.