Marrakesh, worth it for the 'show' for the kids?

[kimkim]

If I had a dime for every ADR I changed, I'd have enough money for my next WDW trip!....

So I'm still rethinking my ADRs for our upcoming September trip. One that is bugging me is my lunch ADR at Marrakesh. I booked it because I thought my kids (DD9 and DS7) would enjoy the belly dancing show. I like Moroccan food, but from what I've read here it's not all that great there (and it made several people's 'never again' list!). So doesn't sound like it's worth going to for the food.

Should I keep it or book something different like Teppan Edo, San Angel or Tutto Italia? I was 'avoiding' those because we can eat Japanese, Mexican, and Italian at home. We are already doing Le Cellier, Biergarten, Coral Reef, and Chefs de France. My kids are the priority here, as DH isn't even going so I'm looking for fun dining experiences as much as (if not more than) the food.

So should Marakkesh stay or go??

TIA!
Kim

 

[GovieMom]

When we ate there, we were seated about 5 minutes before the end of the belly dancer's routine. She never appeared throughout the rest of our meal, and we were there close to an hour. And we found that at certain times throughout the day, you can watch a performance outside of the Morocco pavilion without having to go inside. We also dined at Teppan Edo, and the chef didn't put on much of a show at all. He made a smoking volcano out of an onion stack and that was about it.

 

[indimom3]

I would not go to Marrakesh for the kid's to be entertained by the dancer. As the other poster said, she comes on for very brief sets. I also am not sure she would be there for the lunch service on a daily basis.

We ate there last December, and while DH and I had a pretty good meal the kid's meals were terrible. Everything came out cold. Pasta, nuggest, fries - it had obviously been sitting there for an hour and was not a little bit warm. None of our children would even touch their meal. We had to grab something from the takeout to feed them on our way to the CP.
The belly dancer performed for about 10 minutes during the hour we were there.

 

[tinka-belle]

You can see the belly dancer periodically during the afternoon outside the pavillion, just beside the shop on the water where the musicians perform. The musicians will perform for her set. Not much interaction with the dancer like she does inside with the kids though.

The food at the Tangerine Cafe counter service is better than the food at the restaurant. We can take or leave the restaurant, but the Cafe is a must do every trip.

 

[RMulieri]

We actually liked the food.Food preference and dining experience is SUBJECTIVE.Try it for yourself and if you don't like it ,don't go back.If I listened to all the negatives about disney restaurants, I would never eat anywhere

 

[Keke]

The belly dancer was nice, but like others have said it does not last long. We loved the food so much on our last trip that we are going again on our next one. It is very pretty inside.

I take all the reviews with a grain of salt, good and bad. If I like the look of the menu and it sounds neat, we try it. I know that there are some people who are harder to please, and sometimes even the best restaurant can have an off night.

 

[Twigs]

We like the food too. I never had a bad meal there, the kids always got the shish kebab, and the Bastilla dessert is one of the best I have had at Disney (the chef mailed me the recipe, and I really want to try making it). I don't know if I would go just for the Belly dancer, but anytime we were there we caught at least one whole show or parts of 2 show and she usually gets the kids up and dancing with her.

 

[bleeps]

The reality is that EVERY WDW restaurant gets good and bad reviews -- so much is a matter of personal taste, luck of the draw, CM, etc.

We had a wonderful experience at Marrakesh. Not only was the dancer great, but the musicians who came out and played a set before (and with) the dancer were incredible. My DS went up to say hello to them when the set was over and to ask about their instruments and they were SO friendly and posed for pictures with him. We had great food and very attentive service (beef shishkabob was the big hit, with the lamb shank a close second). We also liked the overall decor of the restaurant.

We've had engaging chefs at Teppan Edo and others who were just going through the motions -- we go back because we enjoy the food and the experience.

You will make yourself crazy second-guessing every choice so just stick with your gut, and with the menus that interest you, and enjoy.

 

[kimkim]

Thanks for the responses everyone!

I feel reassured since several of you have had good experiences there. That's what I needed to hear!

I do understand that every restaurant has people who love it or hate it and we just need to try them for ourselves. I just wanted to make sure that there were some good experiences at Marrakesh!

Thanks again!
Kim

 

[GailT]

went there last year on my DDP not worth it at all. food horrile and the belly dancer was god but not worth going out of my way to see her. I could of hit a bad day but for some reason I dont think so, the place was half empty good luck on your choice, you might like it

 

[TheRustyScupper]

I booked it because I thought my kids (DD9 and DS7) would enjoy the belly dancing show.

Just what a prepube/tweenage boy needs!