No more Restaurant threads for me!!!

[meredy338]

I am going to have to quit reading all the threads about Disney Restaurants. I spend months deciding on all my ADR's and finally got everything I wanted reserved on 9/2/09.

Now, everytime I look at these threads there is a bad review/multiple bad reviews on all of my picks! Makes me question all of my decisions and even eating at Disney, period!!

Are people being more critical or is the quality/service really declining that much??!?!?!?!

 

[disney queen]

i sent you a private message

 

[DisneyGrampa]

First, I've never had a bad meal at Disney. Some were better than others, but never one where I walked out saying I'll never go back again.
Most of the "reviews" you'll see ion-line are useless, because the poster often gives very little information about what the issue is.
Many negative reviews are about poor service. I generally totally disregard these, since there really isn't much chance that I will have the same experience. Either someone was having a bad night, or a CM was involved who probably isn't there anymore. Truely bad food, cold, fatty, Etc. can happen in any restaurant, but is generally random, or the restaurant disappears.
What I look for is, was the dish prepared the way it's supposed to be, or has the chef got other ideas. How close did the chef come to the "perfect" preparation. Those kinds of reviews are rare.
Look at the menus, pick ploaces that serve tyhings yiou feel you'll enjoy, and go for it!
One other thing-don't expect much from the buffets!

 

[MickeyNicki]

We go to WDW alot, we eat TS alot...just look at my dining links and there are very few places I will never go back to again...most are buffet dinners like 1900 PF, Chef Mickeys, H&V but there are just a handful of others like Whispering Canyon, Raglan Road, Nine Dragons. Everything else has been great!

 

[shruley]

I know what you mean. We ate at some places that had gotten some pretty bad reviews but we liked and even loved them. I didn't see a huge decline in quality, I sometimes wonder if it's more about expectations? I mean, we did CRT dinner. Was it a good experience and good food? Yes. Was it worth the money- based on food quality, no, not for the price. It was good but not $200 good!

I was worried as I'd heard horrible things about the food quality, esp. during free dining. We had a great experience. Now, all our ADRs were between 5-5:25, but we were always seated within about 5 minutes of checking in. And we often checked-in 10-20 minutes prior to our ADR time. With the exception of 50's Prime Time, we had pretty good service. Waiters always very friendly and pretty attentive. All our food was cooked well...served hot or cold (as applicable.) We were able to get shakes for drinks everywhere. Food portion sizes were plenty big. I don't think we were served anything at a TS that would have been considered "inedible" or even bad. I think you will be just fine and have a great trip!

 

[shruley]

See, we just ate at Whispering Canyon and LOVED it. Everyone has an opinion. Just go and make your own.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

On all of our trips we do two TS meals every day (even when we first started going and I was 11, we were actually on a version of what is now the Deluxe Dining Plan so we were eating 3 TS meals a day on that trip). So I have eaten at a lot of WDW restaurants and I can tell you that I've had bad experiences at my favorite's sometimes and good experiences at one's we were giving a second (and sometimes third!) chance. In fact, I love many of the restaurants (or thought they were ok) that people constantly negatively review on here. I just figure that's one less person I have to fight for an ADR .

Also, on the same foot, I haven't cared for a lot of the restaurants people on here RAVE about (Boma, Le Cellier, etc.) There is no perfect vacation and I know we can plan ourselves to death trying to make sure nothing negative happens but, unfortunately, that isn't possible and sometimes everyone feels like they wasted money somewhere (or wasted a dining plan credit or two). I've never had horrible food (sometimes mediocre food) and 85% of the time I've had great service and experience (but like a PP said this isn't something you can prevent at any restaurant).

I am on the bus of people believeing that the free dining plan is doing awful things to once great restaurants but some of them are exaggerated a bit. Many have changed in some ways but I still enjoy those restaurants (maybe not as much as before but I still do enjoy them).

 

[Little_Sister]

First, I've never had a bad meal at Disney. Some were better than others, but never one where I walked out saying I'll never go back again.
Most of the "reviews" you'll see ion-line are useless, because the poster often gives very little information about what the issue is.
Many negative reviews are about poor service. I generally totally disregard these, since there really isn't much chance that I will have the same experience. Either someone was having a bad night, or a CM was involved who probably isn't there anymore. Truely bad food, cold, fatty, Etc. can happen in any restaurant, but is generally random, or the restaurant disappears.
What I look for is, was the dish prepared the way it's supposed to be, or has the chef got other ideas. How close did the chef come to the "perfect" preparation. Those kinds of reviews are rare.
Look at the menus, pick ploaces that serve tyhings yiou feel you'll enjoy, and go for it!
One other thing-don't expect much from the buffets!

I must say I totally agree with DisneyGrampa on all points...

I've enjoyed all of our dining experiences at Disney...some more than others...some I enjoyed the ambiance more than the food...some I enjoyed the food more than the ambiance...but all things considered, Disney dining is very good.

...in all of our years of going...we try to eat at new restaurants each time we visit...in my 20 years of Disney dining...I've only had ONE "negative" experience...not a bad track record as far as I'm concerned. Cantina de San Angel (Epcot quick service) was the one experience where I said I won't eat there again...the food was just not good on any level in my opinion--fast food or table service, it was just kinda yucky...however the view there for Illuminations was spectacular...next time I'll just order a beer and watch the festivities and pass on the food...but that's just my opinion.

Like DisneyGrampa said...I too think it's wise to choose restaurants based on their menus and what sounds good to you...perhaps check out the pics of some of the food at those restaurants to see if you like the looks of what they have to offer...the Categorized Food Pictures thread by KellyMae is an awesome tool...(I can't imagine how much time she dedicated to putting this together...amazing!! )

Hope you guys have a great and yummy trip!!

 

[koolaidmoms]

Disney usually has one shot to impress or put off a guest in the restaurants. Not many guests give a restaurant a second chance during a vacation. There are so many things that could go wrong - chef had a bad night, food order didn't come in right, the waiter broke up with his girlfriend before the start of his shift, who knows what.

But, I have found WDW to be usually very responsive if during my meal I am not happy and the waitstaff has been unable to attend to my request I will ask to speak with a manager before I even leave the table. I have sent back items to be warmed or replaced and only once was unhappy with the response I received - I immediately went to Guest Services after getting the manager's name.

Along the same line though I also go out of my way to praise good food and service. I feel that if I am going to complain I should also take a moment to praise.

Read the threads but leave it open for your interpretation when you go. I read horrible reviews of our hotel and ADRs before we went and we LOVED almost everything.

 

[DisneyGrampa]

Disney usually has one shot to impress or put off a guest in the restaurants. Not many guests give a restaurant a second chance during a vacation. There are so many things that could go wrong - chef had a bad night, food order didn't come in right, the waiter broke up with his girlfriend before the start of his shift, who knows what.

But, I have found WDW to be usually very responsive if during my meal I am not happy and the waitstaff has been unable to attend to my request I will ask to speak with a manager before I even leave the table. I have sent back items to be warmed or replaced and only once was unhappy with the response I received - I immediately went to Guest Services after getting the manager's name.

Along the same line though I also go out of my way to praise good food and service. I feel that if I am going to complain I should also take a moment to praise.

Read the threads but leave it open for your interpretation when you go. I read horrible reviews of our hotel and ADRs before we went and we LOVED almost everything.

I might add that not all guests are "walks in the park" either. We've all seen people go ballistic over trvialities-this is the source of some of the reviews you read.

 

[jana616]

I would agree to just not pay much attention to the reviews on here. We just got back from our first trip. We ate at a buffet everyone raved about (Crystal Palace) and thought it was good, but not great. We also ate at a buffet that gets tons of bad reviews (Hollywood and Vine lunch) and thought it was one of our best meals. Everyone has different opinions, expectations, etc. And I think there are some people who go out of their way to be critical and picky. We weren't expecting gourmet cuisine, and we were pleased with what we got. We left every meal full and happy.

 

[TDC Nala]

Pay no attention to the reviews. Food is very subjective. What one person hates, you might love. Where one person got a bad server, you could get a dedicated one. Try things yourself.

 

[Tistal]

Just remember that people are more likely to post about a negative experience than they are to make a long post about a positive or normal one.

 

[MyTwoPrincesses]

I haven't gone to WDW but I wanted to add something. I am getting very selective in which dining reviews to read. The thing I have been paying most attention to are what people order overall, what restaurants do they generally pick, and whether they review things I would choose (MickyNickey and TDCNala seem to have similar taste to me). Everyone has very different taste. I also look at the pictures to see if the food is visually appealling to me, and I lean towards reviews that give me a sense of how things taste.

Also, some of the comments (e.g. dissatisfaction small portions at a more upscale restaurant) indicates the types of dining experiences the reviewer may be used to. When I eat at an upscale restaurant, I expect small portions with a lot of emphasis on presentation.

Ultimately, when I chose our restaurants, I focused on what WE like. Hopefully we'll have made good choices, but there is no way to know whether you will like something until you get there.

We ended up picking:
- Akershus (Dinner) - Mostly for the princesses and we picked the unpopular dinner time because it was convenient for us, we aren't big breakfast eaters, and we like seafood
- Ohana (Dinner) - Wanted to try it, looks like fun, we like meat (love Brazilian steakhouses). We debated between Ohana and Kona, but we're picking Ohana for the experience and we hope the food is approximates the hype.
- Coral Reef (Lunch) - The Aquarium seems fun and we like seafood. Reviews are mixed but we thought we'd chance it. We thought about Chefs de France and Teppan Edo, but we chose Coral Reef for the experience (We can get hibachi at home).
- Sanaa (Dinner) - DH and I both love Indian Food and we'll probably ask them to kick up the spices a notch. We thought about Boma, but we really aren't big buffet people.
- The Wave (Dinner) - Food looks fantastic and creative. DH (who couldn't care less about trip planning) was excited by this choice - including the wine flights.
- Sci Fi (Lunch) - Probably paying OOP for this one. Thought about 50s Prime Time, but the food just isn't "us" - There are some things that look attractive on the menu at Sci Fi and we aren't keen on CS at DHS.
- 1900 Park Fare (Breakfast) - We chose it for the characters (DD #1 is a big Alice and Mary Poppins fan). We actually have toyed with switching to Chef Mickey's, but since it is our last day, we think the girls will have their fill of Mickey and gang by then?

 

[Vickis3js]

I was right where you were last year. Right after I made my ADRs Le Cellier changed their menu and everyone was complaining about how bad it was. At the same time raving about Teppen Edo so I switched my 6pm Le Cellier ADR for an 8:15 Teppen Edo one and I am still so sad I did that. I almost canceled Ohana due to horrible reviews but DH said no just leave them alone and stop obsessing and I am SO glad I didn't it was our favorite meal the entire time there and is the ONLY place my kids are begging to go back to this year.

So like others have said take the reviews lightly. No 2 diners have the same expectations, tastes or experiances. So you never know what will really happen or how your meal will be until you have actually had it.

 

[webstah]

I am going to have to quit reading all the threads about Disney Restaurants. I spend months deciding on all my ADR's and finally got everything I wanted reserved on 9/2/09.

Now, everytime I look at these threads there is a bad review/multiple bad reviews on all of my picks! Makes me question all of my decisions and even eating at Disney, period!!

Are people being more critical or is the quality/service really declining that much??!?!?!?!

Just an FYI, but last month, there was a thread about the worst WDW restaurants.
One of the vetran posters, (it might even be a mod) posted something very interesting.
He went through all the restaurants everyone hated, and found that if you follow the advice on the DISBOARDS, there isn't a single restauirant in WDW that is worth eating at.
No lie, almost every restaurant at WDW (except maybe V&A) was listed as someones worst.
Restaurants are all a matter of taste. If you like the type of food they serve, chances are, you'll have a good meal.
If you are trying somehing new, you may or may not like it.
If you want to compare it to a similar restaurant back home that you love, you'll probably be disappointed, because it's not the same.
We had dinner at the LTT the other night, and both my wife and I were so so with the meal, while my BIL and SIL loved it.
We don't eat Stouffers stuffing, they do.

It's all in your experience and taste.
If you see a restaurant you want to try, you should go for it, and not pay attention to what anyone else says, unless they are a close friend with similar tastes.

 

[LeCras]

I haven't ever seen a single post online that would sway me to cancel an ADR. Even DH and I have different opinions on restaurants sometimes, and we have the exact same taste in food apart from his bizarre love of offal...

Don't let complete strangers put you off your choices, you could be missing out on your favourite meal!

Charlotte

 

[Nancy for Disney]

I have also been telling myself that I am not going to read any more restaurant threads, yet here I am.