Portion sizes in WDW?

[Bnearing]

We're so excited to be going on our first trip to WDW in 2 weeks! I've been looking at the food porn posted here and I have a question. In a lot of the pictures the portions look rather small.

For instance:

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=37860410&postcount=952

That's a decent piece of chicken but there are barely any noodles under it. It would be great for me, but my husband would probably think this was a very small portion. Another picture I saw had a tiny steak, maybe 10 green beans and a few small pieces of potatoes.

My question: how do you feel about the portion sizes in WDW in general? Do you feel you get your money's worth? I know portions are too big in restaurants in the US, it's healthier to eat less, I get it. We're not big people but my husband can get pretty hungry. (He'll never complain about portion size though, but maybe I can prepare him to expect smaller portions.)

 

[NatalieMT]

I think it depends what you are used to, for me when I last went to WDW I was quite overwhelmed by the food. We were on the standard free dining plan but for someone who isn't used to eating a full breakfast, lunch and 2 course dinner plus bread it was a lot. You obviously do a lot of walking which builds up your appetite but I thought what was on offer was more than adequate.

If you are worried about your husband being hungry there are plenty of great snacks in the parks to have throughout the day - egg rolls, turkey legs, bakery items. Just take plenty of breaks to refuel and hopefully you will be fine!

 

[Bnearing]

Thanks. We are not on the dining plan so we won't be getting desserts with every meal, etc.

 

[greengeen]

In some restaurants the portion sizes have shrunk to the point of being ridiculous - for example, Artist Point, where we got a child-size steak for $41. A few others have really big portions. Olivia's at OKW, for example, serves big portions. So there's no single answer.

 

[Hopefully]

I think the pictures are accurate representations of portion size. It is enough for me, but I don't know about your husband. They certainly aren't big enough to share, as many state, IMO
Have a Great Trip

 

[sukhakuli]

In some restaurants the portion sizes have shrunk to the point of being ridiculous - for example, Artist Point, where we got a child-size steak for $41. A few others have really big portions. Olivia's at OKW, for example, serves big portions. So there's no single answer.

Maybe it would be a good idea for people to post places that have larger portions, and places that have smaller portions. Some people are eating once a day, and expecting the meal to take them through the day, and others are eating at multiple TS and prefer smaller meals. It would help a lot of people plan.

I know that the portions at the Rainforest Cafe at DTD in California are ridiculous. Dh got the chicken fried steak once, and the steak covered the entire plate. We could have shared it and still not finished it. And he's a pretty big eater. He's not overweight at all (the Navy has weight standards, and the taller you get, the tougher they are. He's pretty tall), he is very active and muscular and uses a ton of calories, so he eats pretty big meals.

Also, buffets are great for big eaters, because they get to eat as much as they want. Dh's the type to want to load up in one big meal, and not waste time eating again. It's the way he eats at home, too, his job doesn't allow him the luxury of eating during shifts, so he goes 15 hours without eating and then comes home and loads up after his workout.

 

[koolaidmoms]

We are a family of hearty eaters. We normally use DDP and have said without the dessert and/or appetizer at some places we would not have been full.

CRT and Le Cellier were the one I remember being small. A slice of meat with 2 pieces of asparagus cut into thirds and 3 potatoes wedges (about 1/3 of a potato). Without a salad and/or dessert we would have left hungry.

Hope this helps.

 

[Tropical Wilds]

I agree with the other poster... It depends on where you go. Where we went, the food portions all seemed to be really big. For example, Wolfgang Puck Express:

Coral Reef, on the other hand, were smaller... But no-less filling. Even without the dessert, it was a filling meal... Plus they served bread beforehand.

We got the Dining Plan, we were *NEVER* hungry. I strongly suggest to everyone goiing to Disney to invest in the Dining Plan. It takes so much of the hassle out and we never worried about prices and portions because there was always so much to eat all the time. I was shocked by how expensive food in the park had gotten, I think we had made up the cost of the Dining Plan 2 days into the trip.

 

[rcraw45425]

I can definitely attest to the fact that some restaurant portions have shrunk, considerably. Nine Dragons used to bring out whole platters of entrees and bowls of rice, refilling the rice if needed. As a family of four with two young girls (then) we could get two, at the most three entrees and split. Now each diner gets a scoop of entree and a scoop of rice, all for the same or higher price as before, whether you do DDP or not. One place that still has decent, or large portions, is Kona Cafe. I believe that the steaks are 12 and 14 or 16 oz each. Prices are decent as well.

 

[Jedimike]

Certain days I prefer the "smaller" portion sizes of the Signature Restaurants (smaller is really a relative term here -- I think the sizes are appropriate). If you're hungry or used to eating huge meals, you have plenty of buffet or family style dinners to choose from (i.e., LIberty Tree Tavern, where they'll keep bringing as much food as you want w/o charging extra).

 

[MSLRAC]

I think the pictures are accurate representations of portion size. It is enough for me, but I don't know about your husband. They certainly aren't big enough to share, as many state, IMO
Have a Great Trip

I would agree...I had no problem with the portion sizes but DH would not have been satisfied without an appetizer. I also don't think that the meals are big enough to share between two adults but there was plenty to share a bite or two with my kids who love to sample. I will also say that we felt the desserts were very rich and we found ourselves ordering two adult desserts to share between us and our kids and that was plenty for us but we really aren't dessert people.

 

[Mrsjvb]

Dh got the chicken fried steak once, and the steak covered the entire plate. We could have shared it and still not finished it. And he's a pretty big eater. He's not overweight at all (the Navy has weight standards, and the taller you get, the tougher they are. He's pretty tall), he is very active and muscular and uses a ton of calories, so he eats pretty big meals.

[...] Dh's the type to want to load up in one big meal, and not waste time eating again. It's the way he eats at home, too, his job doesn't allow him the luxury of eating during shifts, so he goes 15 hours without eating and then comes home and loads up after his workout.

Umm we may have the same husband.. is yours an IWO?! tall, red headed? coffee addict? if so we may have an issue here...

I always find TS portions to be huge and since it is inconvenient to take doggy bags back to the resort, I like the smaller portions. and we almost always will split one of the more generous CS meals and maybe just add a side to it to round it out.

 

[sukhakuli]

Umm we may have the same husband.. is yours an IWO?! tall, red headed? coffee addict? if so we may have an issue here...

I always find TS portions to be huge and since it is inconvenient to take doggy bags back to the resort, I like the smaller portions. and we almost always will split one of the more generous CS meals and maybe just add a side to it to round it out.

Dh's in the medical corps. Tall, brown, hair brown eyes, hates coffee, subsists on Pepsi Max (twice the caffeine and ginseng!) and kettle baked chips.

On our previous trips to save $ dh and I always shared a meal. I'm not a huge eater, myself, so it is usually fine for us. Now we have the DDP for our next trip, and it will be interesting to have a whole meal to ourselves, lol.

 

[Colleen27]

I think the portions sizes range from adequate to huge, depending on the restaurant. The Plaza, for example, has HUGE sandwiches, easily enough to share especially if you want to have room for dessert. But at Teppan Edo an entree is just right for one person, maybe even a little small for someone with a large appetite. Most restaurants fall somewhere in between.

I hear often that portions have shrunk but having only seen the semi-current state of things first hand I think they're fine as is. I can see how it might be disappointing to people paying OOP who want to share, but since we like the dining plan and don't have enough overlap between our tastes to share very often anyway I much prefer more reasonable portions.

 

[havoc315]

I have not seen any portions at Disney that I would call small. I'd say portions range from moderate to large. But I understand that many American restaurants, especially chains, have re-defined portion sizes to create an expectation of mega massive portions... 1500 calories on a single plate. Like going to the movies and the only size offerings for popcorn are large, extra large, and jumbo.
So really, I haven't seen any tiny portions at Disney. The smallest portions are still plus-sized meals. But it does depend on how you're used to eating. For regular moderate eaters, I'd say that most, but not all, Disney world restaurant entrees are big enough to share. (For example, 1 serving size of steak is 3-4 ounces... but all the steaks at Disney are larger than that, plus often bathed in fatty sauces).

 

[librarygeek]

Everywhere we ate we felt they really gave you a lot of food (almost too much food), but then we were always planning on getting dessert too since we were on the dining plan. We felt that the CS restaurants in particular that we went to really gave you a ton of food. Plus, we LOVE bread so when you add in the fact that almost every TS place gives you a basket of bread or rolls, we're good

 

[Colleen27]

So really, I haven't seen any tiny portions at Disney. The smallest portions are still plus-sized meals. But it does depend on how you're used to eating. For regular moderate eaters, I'd say that most, but not all, Disney world restaurant entrees are big enough to share. (For example, 1 serving size of steak is 3-4 ounces... but all the steaks at Disney are larger than that, plus often bathed in fatty sauces).

I don't think it is the size of the meat on the plate that makes it difficult to share meals... It is the fact that the oversized piece of meat is served with 4 green beans and an ice cream scoop of potato/risotto, and doesn't come with soup/salad starter the way meals in real world restaurants do. I know I often leave part of my main course on the plate because it is just meat overload (and while that isn't unique to Disney by any means, but seems more extreme there). The steak itself is big enough to share but unless one person is happy with just steak & bread at the very least sharing a meal requires ordering a side dish or appetizer to balance it out.

 

[havoc315]

I don't think it is the size of the meat on the plate that makes it difficult to share meals... It is the fact that the oversized piece of meat is served with 4 green beans and an ice cream scoop of potato/risotto, and doesn't come with soup/salad starter the way meals in real world restaurants do. I know I often leave part of my main course on the plate because it is just meat overload (and while that isn't unique to Disney by any means, but seems more extreme there). The steak itself is big enough to share but unless one person is happy with just steak & bread at the very least sharing a meal requires ordering a side dish or appetizer to balance it out.

I'll agree with part of that --- the serving size of the vegetables is quite small. Which is unfortunately common at most restaurants.
A scoop of mashed potatoes is actually quite plentiful. A serving of mashed potatoes is nutritionally considered to be 1/3rd - 1/2 of a cup.

I'll agree that yes, it does help to add a side or an appetizer to truly have enough food for 2 regular appetites.

In terms of a soup/salad starter coming with a meal... Guess it depends on the particular restaurant... But I dine out very frequently, and I can think of very very few restaurants where I eat, that include soup and salad without additional charge. In fact, I can't even think of the last time I saw a 1st-course salad automatically included with the entree. This may differ regionally. I remember a time when it seemed that the automatic salad was more common, but I don't seem to see it around anywhere anymore.

 

[Pakey]

Neither my husband or I can eat a Disney meal that includes appetizers and entrees. I find the portions at every restaurant at WDW to be on the large side. We may get one dessert within a week just for a treat. We often split entrees or skip them entirely and just have an appetizer.

 

[Colleen27]

In terms of a soup/salad starter coming with a meal... Guess it depends on the particular restaurant... But I dine out very frequently, and I can think of very very few restaurants where I eat, that include soup and salad without additional charge. In fact, I can't even think of the last time I saw a 1st-course salad automatically included with the entree. This may differ regionally. I remember a time when it seemed that the automatic salad was more common, but I don't seem to see it around anywhere anymore.

That might be me showing how out of touch I am... We seldom go out to eat, and the place we go most often is a mom & pop place where dinner prices include soup or salad and a slice of pie. It has been more than a decade since dining out was a frequent thing for me because since leaving suburbia we don't have nearby restaurants that are worth the money or the calories, so aside from special occasions worth driving into the city for a good dinner we just eat at home.