shaycamp21
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2005
- Messages
- 1,097
We just returned on Friday after a wonderful two week trip to California, one week of which was spent in Anaheim (we stayed at the Element by Westin--loved it). I just wanted to share our Disneyland dining experiences. We did character meals, the WOC dessert party, Fantasmic dining package (regular--RBT), lunch at BB, some CS and ended with a special meal at Napa Rose.
Character Meals
On our arrival night we had dinner at Goofy's Kitchen. The food was quite good for a buffet (though not worth the high price tag IMHO $50+ pp-- especially since our DD 10, who eats like a bird, is now a Disney adult--really wish that would start at 12, but I digress lol). The variety of food was decent though I do think they have scaled back since we last ate here (mind you that was many years ago so not surprised) and we did have great service. What the meal really lacked was the character interaction. I had read previous reviews so I was aware it wasn't like as before pre-pandemic, I just don't get why not as everywhere else --Storytellers and in the parks, characters would sign autographs, hug and pose for pictures. Other than the arrival interaction (he did sign, hug and pose) and picture with Goofy, all the other characters did was prance around every so often but didn't even stop to pose at tables so we were not able to get any decent pics (mind you dh and I are not the most skilled photographers lol). Overall, we still had a good time and it was a fun way to start off the Disney magic.
Storyteller's Brunch
We did this on the Sunday of our DCA day (08/14) and this for me, honestly was the most disappointing meal of our trip, food wise. I had read a number of positive reviews and had watched videos--but I found the food really underwhelming and limited (again especially for the price tag). There are no longer the served extras like crab cakes, avocado toast, truffle fries etc.. (which I was really looking forward to), not sure when they were taken off the menu but the served offerings according to our server (though he didn't seem to have any knowledge about the past offerings) now consisted of kid's options like chicken tenders, fries, grilled cheese, cheeseburger sliders, and beignet bites (which were more like little jam filled donut holes-- a little greasy but these were yummy). For a brunch there was mostly just breakfast food: sausages, bacon, scrambled eggs, omelettes, eggs benedict, breakfast potatoes, pancakes, Mickey Waffles etc. but there really wasn't much in terms of lunch fare (or dessert now that I think about it) : some carved meat, a nachos dish , a salmon dish and a few salads- these lunch items were often empty / near empty (and they were slow to replenish most items in the buffet). The layout of the buffet was also awkward and crowded with the line up for the omelette station spilling over into the other sections of the buffet. Food tasted fine just wasn't the high quality I'd been expecting and non breakfast items were harder to come by. The character interaction seemed disorganized, characters kept coming back to the same areas they'd already been and took FOREVER (over an 1 1/2 for 4 characters Chip & Dale, Mickey & Minnie) to get through all sections of the restaurant. However, once characters did arrive they spent some time interacting and did sign autographs and posed for pictures which we were happy about. Service was just ok.
Blue Bayou
We had lunch (not Fantasmic) here on our first DL day and this was the surprise hit of our trip. I was going more for ambiance and experience having never been (which definitely delivered) than food but was pleasantly surprised at the quality. I wasn't expecting much since the menu items didn't really excite me but everything was fresh and delicious. I had the gumbo and the heirloom tomato and watermelon salad (both very good) and also snagged a piece of my DD's Monte Cristo (YUM!). DH had the sustainable fish which was ahi tuna which he really enjoyed. We were stuffed from our meals so didn't have dessert. Service here was great.
WOC Dessert Party
We were booked for the 2nd show. Check in was pretty painless (checked in around 9) and we were brought to our table around 9:30. Seemed like tables were already assigned as we weren't asked about seating but were happy with our seats which was table 7, a low table right by the railing (we had a perfect view). Our server was prompt and super friendly taking our drink orders right away. DH got the sparkling wine, I got the tequila based drink (which a light weight like me found a bit strong lol so I diluted it a bit with the cherry fiz) and our DD was super excited to get her drink in the glowing ball cup. We also were give a bunch of mini water bottles. The desserts were meh but fine overall and I did enjoy the crackers and cheese and sweet crunchy grapes more (though additional crackers were needed for all the cheese). We had tons leftover and were given boxes to take it all back to our hotel. Prior to booking I found the $84 pp price tag a bit hard to swallow but after watching the parade and fireworks in DL a couple nights before in a sea of humanity (and the fun part of having someone try to squeeze their kiddo in and push my DD aside 2 min before start after we'd been there for over an hour--grr). After that experience I was more than happy to shell out the money for seats, desserts+ and alcohol to boot lol. In all we loved it!
River Belle Terrace Fantasmic (Regular) Package
We had lunch here on our 2nd DL day and opted for seats to the first showing. The portions were large and plentiful, 3 courses was a lot and I felt like we wasted a lot of food here as quality was just ok. DH and I had the salad which was barely dressed (mmm leaves lol) and DD had the red beans and rice appetizer which she had only a few bites of (she's quite picky--though I had a bite and it was tasty). For our mains, DH had the burnt ends grilled cheese, I had the brisket mac and cheese and DD had the fried chicken sandwich--everything was fine but nothing to write home about. We had the chocolate dome dessert which looked better than it tasted lol. We had a few different servers here but service was great overall. People started lining up for Fantasmic an hour and 1/2 before the show which was kind of a pain but we were tired so just bought some cotton candy and a Mickey ice cream sandwich and joined the line. We were let into our section a little after 8 pm and we got a spot right up by the railing. It was a little uncomfortable sitting so long (we brought a towel) but we had an amazing view of the show so I'd say it was worth it.
Counter Service
Most of our dinners in the parks were CS: Pizza Planet, Bengal BBQ (which I remember being better) and Flo's V8 Cafe which were more convenience of where we were in the park at the time rather than planning. Nothing was terrible but not memorable either-- but hey it's theme park food. Some notable snacks--we did enjoy-- one of the new Dole Whip flavours watermelon / mango swirl --very refreshing (along with original pineapple). And the Jack, Jack Giant Chocolate Chip cookie Num Num was delish too!
Napa Rose
This was our last meal of our trip and a birthday celebration for DH. Food and service were exceptional. I had the Vintner's 4 course tasting menu which consisted of sea breem with aromatics, roasted duck breast with champagne grapes, shrimp in a butter sauce with asparagus and a fig tart with goat cheese ice cream for dessert. Each course was scrumptious and exquisitely presented. I didn't do the wine flight pairing as I mentioned before I am more of a lightweight though I did enjoy the Napa Passion Cocktail and a glass of wine. DH opted for the a la carte menu and chose the diver scallop appetizer, salmon main course with strawberries and pistachios and the peach celebration for dessert. Though he found the food excellent he did find that the portions were not enough for him, for me it was satisfying but I had an extra course. They allowed our DD to order off kid's menu even though she was 10, our server joked with her that she was magically nine for the evening. She chose the petite fillet which arrived perfectly cooked and she ate every bite which is a feat for her. This was definitely a splurge especially for us once converted into Canadian dollars but a lovely experience-- no regrets here and perfect way to end the last evening of our trip.
I know this a long post but I just wanted to share and detail our Disneyland dining experiences as I appreciated reading others. Hopefully I can help others with their planning and I'd be happy to answer any questions.
Edited to add we used mobile order for CS which worked great except for Flo's which for some reason was super slow and was ready well past our window. For our ADR's we checked into all a little early and were seated promptly (except Napa Rose where we had to wait for valet parking and were 5 minutes late but again were seated immediately).
Character Meals
On our arrival night we had dinner at Goofy's Kitchen. The food was quite good for a buffet (though not worth the high price tag IMHO $50+ pp-- especially since our DD 10, who eats like a bird, is now a Disney adult--really wish that would start at 12, but I digress lol). The variety of food was decent though I do think they have scaled back since we last ate here (mind you that was many years ago so not surprised) and we did have great service. What the meal really lacked was the character interaction. I had read previous reviews so I was aware it wasn't like as before pre-pandemic, I just don't get why not as everywhere else --Storytellers and in the parks, characters would sign autographs, hug and pose for pictures. Other than the arrival interaction (he did sign, hug and pose) and picture with Goofy, all the other characters did was prance around every so often but didn't even stop to pose at tables so we were not able to get any decent pics (mind you dh and I are not the most skilled photographers lol). Overall, we still had a good time and it was a fun way to start off the Disney magic.
Storyteller's Brunch
We did this on the Sunday of our DCA day (08/14) and this for me, honestly was the most disappointing meal of our trip, food wise. I had read a number of positive reviews and had watched videos--but I found the food really underwhelming and limited (again especially for the price tag). There are no longer the served extras like crab cakes, avocado toast, truffle fries etc.. (which I was really looking forward to), not sure when they were taken off the menu but the served offerings according to our server (though he didn't seem to have any knowledge about the past offerings) now consisted of kid's options like chicken tenders, fries, grilled cheese, cheeseburger sliders, and beignet bites (which were more like little jam filled donut holes-- a little greasy but these were yummy). For a brunch there was mostly just breakfast food: sausages, bacon, scrambled eggs, omelettes, eggs benedict, breakfast potatoes, pancakes, Mickey Waffles etc. but there really wasn't much in terms of lunch fare (or dessert now that I think about it) : some carved meat, a nachos dish , a salmon dish and a few salads- these lunch items were often empty / near empty (and they were slow to replenish most items in the buffet). The layout of the buffet was also awkward and crowded with the line up for the omelette station spilling over into the other sections of the buffet. Food tasted fine just wasn't the high quality I'd been expecting and non breakfast items were harder to come by. The character interaction seemed disorganized, characters kept coming back to the same areas they'd already been and took FOREVER (over an 1 1/2 for 4 characters Chip & Dale, Mickey & Minnie) to get through all sections of the restaurant. However, once characters did arrive they spent some time interacting and did sign autographs and posed for pictures which we were happy about. Service was just ok.
Blue Bayou
We had lunch (not Fantasmic) here on our first DL day and this was the surprise hit of our trip. I was going more for ambiance and experience having never been (which definitely delivered) than food but was pleasantly surprised at the quality. I wasn't expecting much since the menu items didn't really excite me but everything was fresh and delicious. I had the gumbo and the heirloom tomato and watermelon salad (both very good) and also snagged a piece of my DD's Monte Cristo (YUM!). DH had the sustainable fish which was ahi tuna which he really enjoyed. We were stuffed from our meals so didn't have dessert. Service here was great.
WOC Dessert Party
We were booked for the 2nd show. Check in was pretty painless (checked in around 9) and we were brought to our table around 9:30. Seemed like tables were already assigned as we weren't asked about seating but were happy with our seats which was table 7, a low table right by the railing (we had a perfect view). Our server was prompt and super friendly taking our drink orders right away. DH got the sparkling wine, I got the tequila based drink (which a light weight like me found a bit strong lol so I diluted it a bit with the cherry fiz) and our DD was super excited to get her drink in the glowing ball cup. We also were give a bunch of mini water bottles. The desserts were meh but fine overall and I did enjoy the crackers and cheese and sweet crunchy grapes more (though additional crackers were needed for all the cheese). We had tons leftover and were given boxes to take it all back to our hotel. Prior to booking I found the $84 pp price tag a bit hard to swallow but after watching the parade and fireworks in DL a couple nights before in a sea of humanity (and the fun part of having someone try to squeeze their kiddo in and push my DD aside 2 min before start after we'd been there for over an hour--grr). After that experience I was more than happy to shell out the money for seats, desserts+ and alcohol to boot lol. In all we loved it!
River Belle Terrace Fantasmic (Regular) Package
We had lunch here on our 2nd DL day and opted for seats to the first showing. The portions were large and plentiful, 3 courses was a lot and I felt like we wasted a lot of food here as quality was just ok. DH and I had the salad which was barely dressed (mmm leaves lol) and DD had the red beans and rice appetizer which she had only a few bites of (she's quite picky--though I had a bite and it was tasty). For our mains, DH had the burnt ends grilled cheese, I had the brisket mac and cheese and DD had the fried chicken sandwich--everything was fine but nothing to write home about. We had the chocolate dome dessert which looked better than it tasted lol. We had a few different servers here but service was great overall. People started lining up for Fantasmic an hour and 1/2 before the show which was kind of a pain but we were tired so just bought some cotton candy and a Mickey ice cream sandwich and joined the line. We were let into our section a little after 8 pm and we got a spot right up by the railing. It was a little uncomfortable sitting so long (we brought a towel) but we had an amazing view of the show so I'd say it was worth it.
Counter Service
Most of our dinners in the parks were CS: Pizza Planet, Bengal BBQ (which I remember being better) and Flo's V8 Cafe which were more convenience of where we were in the park at the time rather than planning. Nothing was terrible but not memorable either-- but hey it's theme park food. Some notable snacks--we did enjoy-- one of the new Dole Whip flavours watermelon / mango swirl --very refreshing (along with original pineapple). And the Jack, Jack Giant Chocolate Chip cookie Num Num was delish too!
Napa Rose
This was our last meal of our trip and a birthday celebration for DH. Food and service were exceptional. I had the Vintner's 4 course tasting menu which consisted of sea breem with aromatics, roasted duck breast with champagne grapes, shrimp in a butter sauce with asparagus and a fig tart with goat cheese ice cream for dessert. Each course was scrumptious and exquisitely presented. I didn't do the wine flight pairing as I mentioned before I am more of a lightweight though I did enjoy the Napa Passion Cocktail and a glass of wine. DH opted for the a la carte menu and chose the diver scallop appetizer, salmon main course with strawberries and pistachios and the peach celebration for dessert. Though he found the food excellent he did find that the portions were not enough for him, for me it was satisfying but I had an extra course. They allowed our DD to order off kid's menu even though she was 10, our server joked with her that she was magically nine for the evening. She chose the petite fillet which arrived perfectly cooked and she ate every bite which is a feat for her. This was definitely a splurge especially for us once converted into Canadian dollars but a lovely experience-- no regrets here and perfect way to end the last evening of our trip.
I know this a long post but I just wanted to share and detail our Disneyland dining experiences as I appreciated reading others. Hopefully I can help others with their planning and I'd be happy to answer any questions.
Edited to add we used mobile order for CS which worked great except for Flo's which for some reason was super slow and was ready well past our window. For our ADR's we checked into all a little early and were seated promptly (except Napa Rose where we had to wait for valet parking and were 5 minutes late but again were seated immediately).
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