minnie_michelle
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2009
- Messages
- 88
I had been to Disney twice before, but both times I ate off-site, at DTD and did alot of counter service. Once I found this board, I discovered a whole new side of Disney I never knew about before. . . .Disney TS dining.
I did tons of research and we decided against the dining plan because we didn't want to be forced to eat so many meals per day and worry about credits and getting our money's worth. We had 1 ADR for each day and then two of those days had 2 ADR's. We ended up missing one of our dinners though because of the scare with the Disney buses and we were trapped at MK and couldn't get to our ADR at Saratoga Springs. In the end we had a blast and enjoyed the experience.
Here are my thoughts on Disney Dining after our 5 day fabulous vacation
(sorry, no pictures :-( we were too busy enjoying ourselves and eating!!)
PROS:
-It was SOOOO nice to leave the heat and enjoy a lesiurly meal in air conditioning without having to leave the parks. It was SUPER hot our entire trip, much hotter than I expected or planned for in September.
-The menu selection and variety was very good at all the TS we tried. We especially liked the restaurants to choose from in Epcot and after seeing how cool the themes are, I plan to try them all eventually.
-Having ADR's was the best. We never waited longer than 15 mins once we checked in and we often got seated early if we checked in early . .once even 30 minutes prior to our ADR! **Oh and side note, NONE Of the restaurants were fully booked while we were there. Every single place was taking walk ups (with a wait of up to 1 hr, but as small as 15 min) so I have no idea what the craziness is about with everyone being told everything is booked.
-All the CM waiters and restaurant staff were very very nice. We didn't have a single problem with any of them, they were prompt and efficient and very accomodating.
-DO NOT LISTEN to bad reviews on this board. I highly suggest trying any of the restaurants for yourself and make your own judgement. We ignored all the poor reviews for Sci Fi Diner and LOVED the food! It was one of the best meals we had the whole trip. The atmosphere was super cool and we left very happy with the experience. . . .and to think I almost didn't book it because of the poor reviews.
-You must try the resort restaurants too. We had breakfast at Kona at the Polynesian and were able to explore the resort prior to our ADR. We got many great pictures and now we plan to stay there on a future trip.
-We made the right choice for us by skipping the dining plan and paying OOP. We were really not hungry at all during the day because it was so hot that we just ended up getting snacks here and there and then going to our ADR's when we had them. Had we done the dining plan we would have either gained alot of unnessary weight and been miserably full or wasted alot of money. I doubt we will ever try the dining plan. We loved the flexibility of paying OOP.
-We also loved trying the various mixed drinks at Disney. The prices were a little steep in some places, but they weren't weak drinks at all. I read all over DIS that alot of the drinks were weak, but we definitely got our money's worth no matter where we went. We even drank around the world at Epcot (sharing each drink!) and were quite tispy at the end.
-Also, CS places do give out cups of free water. Do not pay the $2.50 for bottled. The water tasted great too! We were happy to save all the money because we needed ALOT of water to keep from passing out in the heat!!
CONS:
-The food was good, but not great by any means. DH and I love to cook and some would call us foodies, so we felt that alot of meals we had were bland and could use more spice and flare. You are definitely paying for Disney atmosphere.
-Dinner prices are a RIP OFF. Our breakfast and lunch ADR's ran us between $30-$50 which we considered fair because the portion sizes were more dinner sized and there were also cheaper options available than what we even spent. However, our bill at Marrakesh and Kouzzina was over $100 for 2 people and the food portions were small, very bland and just not worth it for the price. All the entrees were in the same high price range too. At Marrakesh none of the entree's (minus the vegetarian plate of rice and vegetables) were under $24, yet the quality and portion size was more like a $12 entree. There were alot of families sitting nearby that we could hear complaining about the cost versus quality at that place.
Restaurant reviews that we tried:
Kona Cafe:
Pro: Tonga Toast is AMAZING, not greasy at all.
Con: Kona press pot coffee is good, but very strong. I drank two cups and it soured my stomach
Turf Club:
Didn't get to go because of the buses being down :-( hopefully we'll make it next time.
Wolfgang Puck Cafe:
Pro: Sushi is good and well worth it, entrees are priced better than most with a large range available.
Con: Tables are super close together which makes it seem more like a cafeteria than a nice restaurant.
Sci Fi Diner:
Pro: Atmosphere makes it worth it alone, our lunch entees were really really good too.
Con: None that I can think of
Marrakesh:
Pro: Atmosphere was cool, liked the entertainment and belly dancer
Con: Overpriced and food was not good quality
Kouzzina:
Pro: Nice atmosphere, loved the location on the boardwalk
Con: Overpriced and bland
Rainforest Cafe at Animal Kingdom:
Pro: Great atmosphere and good food for breakfast prior to going to AK
Con: It could be loud for some families, but it was fine for us
Thanks for reading! We will definitely be back someday!
I did tons of research and we decided against the dining plan because we didn't want to be forced to eat so many meals per day and worry about credits and getting our money's worth. We had 1 ADR for each day and then two of those days had 2 ADR's. We ended up missing one of our dinners though because of the scare with the Disney buses and we were trapped at MK and couldn't get to our ADR at Saratoga Springs. In the end we had a blast and enjoyed the experience.
Here are my thoughts on Disney Dining after our 5 day fabulous vacation
(sorry, no pictures :-( we were too busy enjoying ourselves and eating!!)
PROS:
-It was SOOOO nice to leave the heat and enjoy a lesiurly meal in air conditioning without having to leave the parks. It was SUPER hot our entire trip, much hotter than I expected or planned for in September.
-The menu selection and variety was very good at all the TS we tried. We especially liked the restaurants to choose from in Epcot and after seeing how cool the themes are, I plan to try them all eventually.
-Having ADR's was the best. We never waited longer than 15 mins once we checked in and we often got seated early if we checked in early . .once even 30 minutes prior to our ADR! **Oh and side note, NONE Of the restaurants were fully booked while we were there. Every single place was taking walk ups (with a wait of up to 1 hr, but as small as 15 min) so I have no idea what the craziness is about with everyone being told everything is booked.
-All the CM waiters and restaurant staff were very very nice. We didn't have a single problem with any of them, they were prompt and efficient and very accomodating.
-DO NOT LISTEN to bad reviews on this board. I highly suggest trying any of the restaurants for yourself and make your own judgement. We ignored all the poor reviews for Sci Fi Diner and LOVED the food! It was one of the best meals we had the whole trip. The atmosphere was super cool and we left very happy with the experience. . . .and to think I almost didn't book it because of the poor reviews.
-You must try the resort restaurants too. We had breakfast at Kona at the Polynesian and were able to explore the resort prior to our ADR. We got many great pictures and now we plan to stay there on a future trip.
-We made the right choice for us by skipping the dining plan and paying OOP. We were really not hungry at all during the day because it was so hot that we just ended up getting snacks here and there and then going to our ADR's when we had them. Had we done the dining plan we would have either gained alot of unnessary weight and been miserably full or wasted alot of money. I doubt we will ever try the dining plan. We loved the flexibility of paying OOP.
-We also loved trying the various mixed drinks at Disney. The prices were a little steep in some places, but they weren't weak drinks at all. I read all over DIS that alot of the drinks were weak, but we definitely got our money's worth no matter where we went. We even drank around the world at Epcot (sharing each drink!) and were quite tispy at the end.
-Also, CS places do give out cups of free water. Do not pay the $2.50 for bottled. The water tasted great too! We were happy to save all the money because we needed ALOT of water to keep from passing out in the heat!!
CONS:
-The food was good, but not great by any means. DH and I love to cook and some would call us foodies, so we felt that alot of meals we had were bland and could use more spice and flare. You are definitely paying for Disney atmosphere.
-Dinner prices are a RIP OFF. Our breakfast and lunch ADR's ran us between $30-$50 which we considered fair because the portion sizes were more dinner sized and there were also cheaper options available than what we even spent. However, our bill at Marrakesh and Kouzzina was over $100 for 2 people and the food portions were small, very bland and just not worth it for the price. All the entrees were in the same high price range too. At Marrakesh none of the entree's (minus the vegetarian plate of rice and vegetables) were under $24, yet the quality and portion size was more like a $12 entree. There were alot of families sitting nearby that we could hear complaining about the cost versus quality at that place.
Restaurant reviews that we tried:
Kona Cafe:
Pro: Tonga Toast is AMAZING, not greasy at all.
Con: Kona press pot coffee is good, but very strong. I drank two cups and it soured my stomach
Turf Club:
Didn't get to go because of the buses being down :-( hopefully we'll make it next time.
Wolfgang Puck Cafe:
Pro: Sushi is good and well worth it, entrees are priced better than most with a large range available.
Con: Tables are super close together which makes it seem more like a cafeteria than a nice restaurant.
Sci Fi Diner:
Pro: Atmosphere makes it worth it alone, our lunch entees were really really good too.
Con: None that I can think of
Marrakesh:
Pro: Atmosphere was cool, liked the entertainment and belly dancer
Con: Overpriced and food was not good quality
Kouzzina:
Pro: Nice atmosphere, loved the location on the boardwalk
Con: Overpriced and bland
Rainforest Cafe at Animal Kingdom:
Pro: Great atmosphere and good food for breakfast prior to going to AK
Con: It could be loud for some families, but it was fine for us
Thanks for reading! We will definitely be back someday!
