Let's Help Bring Back The Original CRT!

[Topper]

Sorry, but I won't cancel my reservation at CRT. I'm not sure why you say I should? I'll have to experience whatever the problem is for myself. Sorry.

Agreed, and please notice the OP hasn't been to this restaurant since 2003 and is calling for a boycott.

Uh...yeah

 

[clb22]

We (mom and DD 9) ate there for the Princess breakfast in Dec 04 and again in May 05. In Dec 04 we had the best server ever - he kept calling my daughter - Your royalness and she loved it. In May 05 - we had a window seat and it was nice (DD's 8th birthday).
But we will NOT be back because of the price increase. Disney has succeeded in pricing a meal out of the range of my finances.
For the food - I think the new price structure is outrageous.
It is sad that Disney took something very special that little girls enjoyed and priced it so that the normal family cannot afford to eat there.
Some families save for a long time to go on that special Disney vacation and now it seems that they cannot afford to experience some of the special extras.

 

[GC&S]

You dont understand? Have you not been reading the reviews? About 90% of the reviews are saying service, the food, everything has gone bad. Why would you wanna eat there? Just because its in the castle? Everything has changed. The service, the food quality, you have a VERY limited menu, its EXPENSIVE, using 2 TS credits on CRT is a complete waste at this point. But all I can say is good luck. Maybe u'll be one of the 10% to have good food and service. But dont say I didnt tell u so if u have a bad time and meal.

You haven't been there since 2003 so I'm not sure why you're so insistent on telling people they shouldn't eat there. Isn't that a personal choice? Unless I was just there and saw hundreds of people running out of the restaurant because the food and service were so awful, I don't think I would be telling people to boycott the restaurant. Some of our favorite places regularly get bad reviews but we still eat there because we like it. We ate at the Castle last year before all the changes. While it wasn't the best food we've ever had, the experience and the look on my dd's face was priceless. We won't be doing it this year as we picked all new places to try. Let people decide for themselves and don't take it so personally if they don't heed your advice (from 2003).

 

[DaisyD]

You dont understand? Have you not been reading the reviews? About 90% of the reviews are saying service, the food, everything has gone bad. Why would you wanna eat there? Just because its in the castle? Everything has changed. The service, the food quality, you have a VERY limited menu, its EXPENSIVE, using 2 TS credits on CRT is a complete waste at this point. But all I can say is good luck. Maybe u'll be one of the 10% to have good food and service. But dont say I didnt tell u so if u have a bad time and meal.

Maybe because others would like to experience it for themselves and make up their own minds? I have eaten at CRT many times but would still give it a shot now if I had never went before. My DD loves the castle. We never went for the food in the first place so why start now! I think everyone should keep their ADRS and make up their own mind. I have read many reviews of folks have a great time with the new changes. Personally I think they should keep the changes. It has kept the craziness of calling at 7am for an ADR down to a minimum!

 

[DaisyD]

Agreed, and please notice the OP hasn't been to this restaurant since 2003 and is calling for a boycott.

Uh...yeah

Oh wow! What a crock! So the OP hasn't even had the new menu yet sees nothing wrong bad mouthing something she has NO experience with?

 

[sugarpie]

I would go even if they served bread & water. My girls want to go & so do I.

 

[Stinkybell]

I would go even if they served bread & water. My girls want to go & so do I.

I totally agree!!! Even if the bread was stale!!!

 

[Disney8704]

I am only doing this because there are to many bad reviews going around about CRT. Why do you think you can get a ADR without having to call at 7am? Because of the prices. And some probably because of the changes. We all are here on the DISboards to help each other out. And even though I may havent experienced it myself but others have. Kinda odd how there are more bad reviews then good ones but yet people still wanna take that risk. Its a risk you are free to take. No one is forcing you to cancel and not go. It was a suggestion. A way to help people not make a mistake they could end up making. To help bring back the original CRT instead of this menu and plan that no one seems to like. Why are you even going just for the atmosphere? Thats crazy to spend all that money just so you can say you ate there. If you have a child and one of the reasons why they wanna eat there is so they can meet Cinderella, take ur prince or princess to the 1900 park fare. Where you will have great character interaction, good food, not to mention its cheaper. Would you rather spend the money on a possible bad meal or on a meal you know you will enjoy. The castle isnt going anywhere people. It will still be there the next time u go down. And if people stop going to CRT, Disney will catch on and make a better change. There maybe some people that love the plan now, but the ones who dont, out numbers to those who do.

 

[sukhakuli]

Disney8704 I'm guessing from your siggy you do not have children, so I understand why it baffles you that so many people are continuing to go there. I just made our reservation for our January trip this morning. The CM said I got lucky because a bunch of people just cancelled, so we were able to get in. I know you are asking why we are going, and I will tell you. I have a daughter who is almost four, and the Princesses are magic for her. No matter how slow the service, no matter how crappy the food (like she'll eat it anyway), she will remember having lunch in Cinderella's castle with Cinderella forever and will not notice anything else. It is worth the $108 that it is costing for the 4 of us (my son is free because he is under 3, but he eats way more than my daughter). We live near Disneyland, so we go to character meals often. We took my daughter to Ariel's Grotto for her birthday, and she still talks about it, and I see the pictures everyday because they are on my screen saver. She didn't even touch her meal, and I don't remember at all what we ate. I remember very clearly how she told Cinderella that her name was Cinderella, too. I remember how she gasped when she saw Ariel, and how shy she was when Prince Charming came by. In short, I am lucky that we can afford these experiences, because I will pay just about any price to have these memories and pictures of the day that my daughter ate lunch at the Castle in Disneyworld. I know this isn't the experience that you are looking for personally, and I respect that you are there for a great meal in a gorgeous atmosphere, but please understand that some of us are just there for the memories.

And I like that they include the picture in the price. It keeps my dh from balking at the price at the time of the meal. Now the cost is safely hidden away on my credit card, and he can enjoy himself (and I fit it into our budget as well).

 

[Stinkybell]

The castle might not be going anywhere, but each year children get older. Perhaps you don't have children. As the mother of a dd 18 who is starting college next week, you realize how fast the years go by. I wouldn't wait to see if they changed the menu back - while your'e waiting your children are growing up. For my dd, it wasn't just about the princesses, it was (and still is) about the castle. There are only two places she ever asked to eat at - the castle and Hoop De Doo review - and neither are about the food. I personally will continue to take my dd there as long as she still wants to go. And after that I hope to have grandchildren to take to the castle no matter what is on the menu.

 

[seven dwarfs]

I have not tried the new menu for lunch/dinner but have had the breakfast. I was so upset to see it change. I did enjoy the breakfast meal but it is not worth the extra cost. I hate the fact they took away the good cooked to order food and made it no different then a buffet. I am sad about it. Plus a lot of the staff worked their way up to be able to work there. So kids or not, I wish it was the old menu. And I can not afford the prices and am not happy about the food choices either. I do think the openings at this restaurant show it is not as "good" as it used to be. I do hope it goes back or even better improves as the way it was.

 

[GC&S]

The castle might not be going anywhere, but each year children get older. Perhaps you don't have children. As the mother of a dd 18 who is starting college next week, you realize how fast the years go by. I wouldn't wait to see if they changed the menu back - while your'e waiting your children are growing up. For my dd, it wasn't just about the princesses, it was (and still is) about the castle. There are only two places she ever asked to eat at - the castle and Hoop De Doo review - and neither are about the food. I personally will continue to take my dd there as long as she still wants to go. And after that I hope to have grandchildren to take to the castle no matter what is on the menu.

You are so right!! And for us, sometimes going to eat at Disney is not about the food. And honestly, my dd doesn't give a rats behind about the food. She wants characters and princesses and to believe we ate in a real castle. We go for atmosphere. Most of the buffets (even the Park Faire) are pretty much on par with many buffets at home. They just cost a lot more. But it's the atmosphere. It is a shame that CRT costs so much now - unless you are on the dining plan and choose to use 2 credits.

As the OP said, the Castle isn't going anywhere. Neither are the people who choose to eat there now and experience what the OP may consider a bad experience. SCI-FI restaurant gets horrible reviews. We chose to eat there and we thought it was good, not great, but good. Again, we went for the atmosphere.

 

[DeterminedOne]

I am only doing this because there are to many bad reviews going around about CRT. Why do you think you can get a ADR without having to call at 7am? Because of the prices. And some probably because of the changes. We all are here on the DISboards to help each other out. And even though I may havent experienced it myself but others have. Kinda odd how there are more bad reviews then good ones but yet people still wanna take that risk. Its a risk you are free to take. No one is forcing you to cancel and not go. It was a suggestion. A way to help people not make a mistake they could end up making. To help bring back the original CRT instead of this menu and plan that no one seems to like. Why are you even going just for the atmosphere? Thats crazy to spend all that money just so you can say you ate there. If you have a child and one of the reasons why they wanna eat there is so they can meet Cinderella, take ur prince or princess to the 1900 park fare. Where you will have great character interaction, good food, not to mention its cheaper. Would you rather spend the money on a possible bad meal or on a meal you know you will enjoy. The castle isnt going anywhere people. It will still be there the next time u go down. And if people stop going to CRT, Disney will catch on and make a better change. There maybe some people that love the plan now, but the ones who dont, out numbers to those who do.

Still not gonna cancel. I want to eat at the castle and bad reviews won't change that. I have tried for years to get a breakfast ressie there with no luck. If not for the changes, I don't think we would have gotten in this year either. But that's a whole other thread.

You think it a waste to use 2 TS credits, but that doesn't mean I have to agree with you. Here is what I am willing to do. I am willing to post a dining report when I get back. If CRT is as horrible as you say it is, you can say I TOLD YOU SO!

 

[NeverlandClub23]

But, and no offense to anyone here, I always try a restaurant myself instead of going by other's reviews.

Amen to that!! No matter if a restaurant has 99% bad reviews there is still 1% that like it and I may be that 1%. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Sci-Fi and MANY people give it bad reviews. I hated Boma and many people love it. I didn't like King Stefan's (CRT) and some people do like it. If everyone liked the same restaurant there would be just one big one in every park! Restaurants have been ever evolving and changing since WDW opened. Some people love the changes and some people despise them (i.e. 'Ohanas). They can't make (or keep) everyone happy (and the Dis members are a small percentage of people who visit WDW).

 

[keishashadow]

I absolutely hate the new dinner menu. This also was one of our favorites and when it changed in February, I stopped going. It was one thing to have character meals for breakfast and lunch, but they totally ruined the dinner there.

Agree 100%, eliminated one of our fav. dinner stops too...

 

[jeepgirl30]

I too will keep my ADR for Sept. I too would willingly eat there if they served (heck even threw) bread and water. Why? Because I have a DD6 and she may just believe she is a princess for the day.

I've never been so nothing to compare. I enjoy reading the dining reports but fine I'm 50/50 on agreeing. I'm glad I did not listen to a few. I love CG, Ohana and even Sci Fi. I like San Angel Inn for the atmosphere.

I understand people are upset with the price increase but you know what? Things change. I'm sure the menu will change again someday. Hopefully I'll be back when it does!

I actually have been nervous about the meal here but I keep thinking so what, if the food sucks we will use a snack credit or CS credit and fill up then! I'm planning to pay OOP and just enjoying the experience of *being* in a castle.

I'll post a review when I get back.

 

[bdklein]

It was kind of pricey for the food, but keep in mind the cardinal rule in real estate-location,location,location. The location is what you are paying for. You're eating in the castle.

The yogurt and granola were great, as were the strawberries. The hot breakfast was ok, too. Not worth the money for just the food, but worth the money for the whole package. The smiles on my kids faces could not be beat.

 

[pixie dust 112]

We had breakfast at CRT on July 14, 2006. We have gone to Disney many times and always do a few character meals as well as regular table service meals. We thought twice about scheduling ADRs for CRT due to the price and the fact that we didn't really care about pictures, but this was the summer between DD leaving elementary school and entering Middle School, and from experience we know that the kids really abandon alot of the whimsy and magic when they get to middle school, so we booked. I am happy to say that the breakfast was delicious, the service was wonderful and the character interaction was the best I've ever experienced. I think the characters at CRT are the best at WDW. They even had me believing that they're the real deal! When our pictures came the CM noticed that my oldest daughters face was partially blocked by her younger sister, so made arrangements for a picture retaken on our way out! We didn't ask for this and hadn't even seen the picture before arrangements were made. They let us keep both pictures! It was all about keeping the "Royal Family" happy. My youngest daughter's stomach was bothering her a bit that morning and she wasn't eating too much because the meal was a bit heavy for a queasy tummy. Our server brought her a different meal, a huge bowl of yogurt with granola and fruit and she ate every bit of it. Although they'd already given her one meal we were not charged for the replacement meal. They really went out of they're way to be sure everyone had a great experience. DH and I both agree that this was our best meal ever at WDW.

I'd love to go back again and again, but my DDs are getting older and, as ADRs are so difficult to get, we probable won't eat there again simply because I don't want to take the spot of another family that can have this experience.

It was expensive, but worth every penny!

We went to CRT for breakfast in 2000 and loved it then, but this far exceeded the prior visit!

 

[pixie dust 112]

It was kind of pricey for the food, but keep in mind the cardinal rule in real estate-location,location,location. The location is what you are paying for. You're eating in the castle.

The yogurt and granola were great, as were the strawberries. The hot breakfast was ok, too. Not worth the money for just the food, but worth the money for the whole package. The smiles on my kids faces could not be beat.

Ditto!

 

[Devil_Dog99]

I am only doing this because there are to many bad reviews going around about CRT.

If you read the boards you will see that bad reviews far outnumber good reviews for anything. Yes, posters will say things were good at such and such a place, but not go beyond the usual superlatives.

But if things go bad, or there is a negative experience, my how the words flow! People must be warned how bad this place is. DW and I love staying at CBR. Yet I almost always see negative things being said about it. De gustibus non est disputandum.

I have never eaten at CRT. Never really had a desire to. I am sorry if you think it has gone downhill. Maybe it has. But as one other poster so eloquently said - it's not about the food. She and her DD will reminisce on DD's wedding day about the wonderful meal they had with the princesses, and not, 'I met Cinderella that day?? All I know is I loved the macaroni and cheese!!!'