Should I be discouraged or are people too critical?

[Nancyg56]

Ignore the critics. People are jerks and just look for a reason to complain.

Really Msstephen87??????? How helpful is this?

The short of it is people are too critical. The food is fine, no better or worse than it has been over the past 10 years.

I'm not sure I agree. I think that in many cases the choices are more uniform throughout the WDW complex, and that can diminish the dining experience you now have vs the one you remember at the same restaurant 5 years ago. With that said, I think that dining and expectations are very personal, so I look at reviews as suggestions, and not to be taken with anything as then a personal observation.

Here are some good examples of how opinions can differ greatly. O'Hana is a hugely popular restaurant that people rave about. I thought it was just okay and not really worth the money. Next trip, I will just get the bread pudding at the lounge. Le Celier gets a bad rap sometimes, but I am a HUGE fan. It is my favorite table service and sometimes the only ADR I make.

Oh dear, 'Ohana! It has always been "just okay" for me, but my family loves that place.....until last August. Now it is going to be a while to recover from that one LOL!

OP- I am also from CT and am used to somewhat higher prices for meals out. I think DIsney is expensive, but not out of touch with theme park prices. I seldom worry about dining reviews unless I am looking at a new restaurnt and want to see if the glitches have been worked out. I like Chef Mickey and Tony's but I am in the minority. Le Cellier was one of my treated Disney Dining Disappointments , but at that time it was the most sought after restaurants. Go figure?

Pick the restaurant that is convenient to your plans that day, and that offered food that you may like and that is within your budget. Decide for yourself if the meals are good.

 

[tony67]

My opinion only (and everyone has them)...

Yes, the quality of food has decreased somewhat since 2002.

Variety has definitely decreased (both the variety of restaurants and the variety of food offered at most restaurants).

I remember a time when Disney was successfully making an active effort to attract foodies and make Disney a food destination (and I'm pretty sure 2002 was in that period). That is no longer the case and it shows. [For this, I mean with restaurants, not with the Food & Wine Festival]

I think this cover it IMO.
They were trying to attract adults and provide quality food.

Now it has become somewhat generic...I tie that to the Disney Dining Plan (DDP).
For a variety of reason things have become a bit more standardized.. at one point every restaurant had a generic lamb shank served slightly different.
The only fish seemed to be salmon. Economy of scale...blah blah balh..profit profit profit..but you can go too far.
It's no longer a place I go every year - there was a time I went two or three times a year.
I am not alone - look at the people that have disappeared from this board ..I only pop up around the time of F&W and even that has become a bit generic IMO
I'm sure they have noticed this even if they have continued to increase attendance..they have to be aware..it it may only be a small group...but still you don't want to loose those people - even if it was only 5% of your base that could have made a difference this summer which according to all reports (not proven) attendance is down .

In addition the whole idea of booking rides 60 days in advance and meals 180 days in advance turns some people off.
Also if Disney puts anything to unusual on the menu you seem to get a lot of complainers..or things sent back to the kitchen because someone ordered the most expensive thing on the menu not knowing what it actually was since they were on DDP

So in the end there seems to be some very disgruntled people...I'm probably in that group - but Ill still be at F&W this year...but I will do very few sit down meals...and most will be at locations with bars and just having an app..and Ill be spending more time at universal

Anyway - if you have not been in several years I'm sure you'll enjoy it overall - but it seems things are priced to make the DDP seem like a better option.
If your plan is to eat one sit down a day you really are better off with that..I don't feel most location are worth paying out of pocket for so make sure you look into that. You need to calculate the difference between the room discount and free dining if it is available...free dining is not always the best option with 2 people.

This is someone that has no issue with $50 per person for a meal on a typical Saturday - but I Don't expect an Outback quality meal that is billed as gourmet.

Also just to be fair - just looking at some of the more recent menu changes they are improving.
They have head on shrimp at the Skippers Canteen - you really don't see that often.
I do look forward to trying Skippers Canteen just to support something different in Disney

Lastly - do consider universal - they have some really interesting restaurants and have come a long way in he last few years.
No matter how hard Disney tries to keep people on property I think people are splitting time more and more between the two decreasing the days they are at Disney.

I don't think the food quality has changed the last couple of years. I also don't agree with many reviews I read online. Hollywood and Vine seems to get the worst reviews of any restaurant, but I've always been happy with the food there. Just eat where you want and don't listen to the negativity.

True and it may have improved to be fair.

While I read reviews for a general idea of a restaurant I don't automatically pass up on a restaurant because someone didn't like it. We look at menus and if it looks appealing to us we go. There have been places that lots of people love that we didn't like and places that get lots of negative reviews that we really like! It's all pretty much a matter of personal taste/opinion.

Yeah - you really have to take reviews with a grain of salt and just use it to get a feel for the place. But if you see 20 reviews saying Tony's Town Square serves tastless pre-made frozen chicken parm and charges $26 then maybe you want to avoid it. Oh and I am sure we will get 5 people saying tony's was great to counter the 20 that say it was awful. Everyone is different but I have to assume these people don't live in an area where there are several upscale Italian restaurant (in the suburbs of a major city) that serve fresh Veal Parm for $22. Chicken is about $16 or $17.

 

[LovesTimone]

Happy Birthday to you..

Go & enjoy... People will gladly share a complaint...but not a complement... should be the other way around...It is what you make it, go with an open mind and let the magic in.

 

[GaryDis]

I'm on a number of Disney Facebook groups where the majority of the posters will tell you everything is "amazing." When you tell me something is amazing, I start thinking it was the best meal of your life.

I agree. I recently wrote in a different thread that people have lost the gradations of adjectives and everything is described in extreme. I think DISBoards ought to add the word "amazing" to the prohibited list for a month, just to force people to write with more creativity and subtlety.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

I am sorry but the food has gone downhill since the OPs last visit. Now you still may be fine, but the problem is some of us have been going and watching it go downhill which probably makes us overly critical.

For me, most of the food is no longer worth the "hassle" I am not getting up at the crack of dawn to book basic chain restaurant quality food 6 months in advance. I don't know today what I want to eat in December LOL!

I have started only having TS meals at those places NOT on DDP (Swan/Dolphin) or those places in DTD that are open table so I can cancel on the day of if I change my mind. I don't want to be doing something fun and have to leave because "it's time to eat that meal I booked 6 months ago or we have to pay".

 

[tony67]

I am sorry but the food has gone downhill since the OPs last visit. Now you still may be fine, but the problem is some of us have been going and watching it go downhill which probably makes us overly critical.

For me, most of the food is no longer worth the "hassle" I am not getting up at the crack of dawn to book basic chain restaurant quality food 6 months in advance. I don't know today what I want to eat in December LOL!

I have started only having TS meals at those places NOT on DDP (Swan/Dolphin) or those places in DTD that are open table so I can cancel on the day of if I change my mind. I don't want to be doing something fun and have to leave because "it's time to eat that meal I booked 6 months ago or we have to pay".

Yup - I really miss the days when you could just eat when you felt like it..and it was good.
I am hoping Disney Spring will be an improvement since it has to attract locals as well, but it will be a PITA to get to from the parks..you need to go to a resort or the TTC to get there..and that is a lot of wasted time

 

[ncc1701]

IMO the variety in the menus has decreased due to the Dinning plan. For example Rose and Crown used to have Prime Rib & Yorkshire Pudding (like a real pub) . Now it is a NY Strip Steak. Plus the "All Day " menu in park restaurants have stopped us from going to LeCellier & Chef's de France as the new menus are too dinner heavy .We have found that if a restaurant is in a park lunch much better than dinner. They aren't as backed up and the service seems better.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

Another vote for just enjoy and ignore the subjective reviews. You are on vacation.

 

[DisBuckMan]

I'm on a number of Disney Facebook groups where the majority of the posters will tell you everything is "amazing."

Yep. When I read someone talking about how "amazing" the pastries at BoG breakfast are, I just quit reading. I can't take anything else they say seriously. Either they don't have a Walmart in town where you can get the same quality pastry, or they get a whole barrel of pixie dust dumped on them when they enter the gates at WDW.

 

[keahgirl8]

Oh dear, 'Ohana! It has always been "just okay" for me, but my family loves that place.....until last August. Now it is going to be a while to recover from that one LOL!

Now I kind of want more details on this one! What happened in August?

 

[jillt2ph]

OP, as a solo diner the places I enjoy most are Sci Fi (being a hitchhiker!), 50s PTC (sit at the bar if you don't want to make and ADR - full menu available) and the Plaza.

 

[keahgirl8]

OP, as a solo diner the places I enjoy most are Sci Fi (being a hitchhiker!), 50s PTC (sit at the bar if you don't want to make and ADR - full menu available) and the Plaza.

I'm a solo traveler too. I love Sci Fi!

 

[GoBears 1980]

My opinion only (and everyone has them)...

Yes, the quality of food has decreased somewhat since 2002.

I'm also from Connecticut and know what you mean about prices. However, I do generally find that the quality is slightly less than I'd prefer to get for the cost and what I generally get in CT.

Variety has definitely decreased (both the variety of restaurants and the variety of food offered at most restaurants).

I remember a time when Disney was successfully making an active effort to attract foodies and make Disney a food destination (and I'm pretty sure 2002 was in that period). That is no longer the case and it shows. [For this, I mean with restaurants, not with the Food & Wine Festival]

That said, I really like eating at Disney World and have fun choosing restaurants! Once you figure out that you'll find bad reviews (and lots of them) for every restaurant in Disney, you start looking at other things like menu, style of food, atmosphere, location, and any patterns you may identify in reviews or comments on this board.

I agree wholeheartedly that the DDP has contributed mightily to the dumbing down of food at the Disney resort restaurants. We almost never eat at a sit down in the Magic Kingdom, never at the AK, only at the Brown Derby (for a real Cobb Salad) in HS. EPCOT is the only theme park we bother to eat in consistently and it is one of the major reasons we almost always stay at the Yacht or Beach Club.

Ignore the DISunplugged guys; they wouldn't know a good meal if it bit them in the keister.

All that being said, there are still a lot of very good places to eat at WDW. I just wish they'd let the executive chefs at each resort loose and no more One Disney garbage.

 

[Jennasis]

I don't read reviews. We pick places that we think will appeal to us and book. Been going to WDW since 1977 and have never had a BAD meal...except a burnt steak at Sci-first once a few years ago. Got an apology and had it removed from bill and enjoyed dessertinstead.

 

[Nancyg56]

Now I kind of want more details on this one! What happened in August?

It was a nightmare. We were seated next to the family from hades. Three adults and what seemed like a hoard of ill mannered brutes. The kids, maybe 6 of them, we're all over the place. In the aisles, up and down, clapping, chanting, etc. our poor server was hiding, they were running her ragged. The food was either cold or warm, the opposite of its intent. The meat was tough and stringy. I find think the noodles tasted okay, and the wings were good.
We had children with us, and used the behavior as a teaching tool. The parents were not oblivious, they were deliberatly ignoring the outrageous behavior. What made it worse was that a manager was leaning on a wall, and not once did he rescue the poor server.

I have an ADR booked but that was because my ddil mentioned wanting to go. It will be the first I trim, let me tell you.

 

[keahgirl8]

It was a nightmare. We were seated next to the family from hades. Three adults and what seemed like a hoard of ill mannered brutes. The kids, maybe 6 of them, we're all over the place. In the aisles, up and down, clapping, chanting, etc. our poor server was hiding, they were running her ragged. The food was either cold or warm, the opposite of its intent. The meat was tough and stringy. I find think the noodles tasted okay, and the wings were good.
We had children with us, and used the behavior as a teaching tool. The parents were not oblivious, they were deliberatly ignoring the outrageous behavior. What made it worse was that a manager was leaning on a wall, and not once did he rescue the poor server.

I have an ADR booked but that was because my ddil mentioned wanting to go. It will be the first I trim, let me tell you.

That sounds awful! I had the same issue with the meat. Some of it was so dry I could hardly chew it. The potstickers, noodles, and chicken were fine, but they weren't anything I couldn't get anything somewhere else (even the frozen section) for a lot less money. I LOVED the bread and the dessert.

 

[toolmanjan]

As previously posted there are still great meals to be had in WDW. We find that the once quiet meals at signature restaurants are no more due to the DDP. We had a late evening ADR at Citrico's back in November. We were amazed at the number of young children that were in the Restaurant at 8:30. Great food with the atmosphere of a grade school cafeteria. The once "mostly adult" restaurant was not nearly as enjoyable.

 

[TXAKDisneyFan]

I try to take some of the criticisms with a grain of salt. Every restaurant has off nights; and everything from food quality/quantity to service are subjective. Also, one person's negative experience, or even my own, don't necessarily turn me off to a restaurant forever. This applies to WDW and "real world" restaurants. I've gone to dinner with people who complained the whole time about the service and/or food (temperatures, etc), and I had no clue what they were talking about - it was as if we were dining at two totally different restaurants. I also have family who don't get why I don't like certain places.

The only WDW restaurants I've seen that seem to consistently receive more negative than positive reviews here on the Disboards are Hollywood and Vine, Chef Mickey's (particularly dinner), and Tony's - and even they don't get terrible overall reviews (think 3.5/5 stars or higher) on other popular travel/review sites.

I've personally never had a "terrible" meal at WDW. No one in our party has ever gotten sick from eating at any of the restaurants. We've never had "nightmare" service or "inedible" food. Our dining experiences have ranged from ok (typically for things like CS chicken tenders or hamburgers) - about what I'd expect from a fast food restaurant near where we live - to very good or surprisingly excellent (for instance, there was a salmon dish at Citricos that was honestly one of the best things I've ever eaten).

I do think price colors some people's opinions. I've lived all over the country (Alaska, Texas, NY, the Midwest, New England, CA), and WDW food prices are in line with what you'd pay in some of those places for similar fare, but WAY more than (two or three times) what prices are in other parts of the country. Additionally, some people are just funny about where they see value. For instance, to my dad, the higher the price, the worse the food (no matter how much food quality actually increases). To him, paying $10 for a (by most accounts) bad buffet would always better than paying $20 for Michelin-quality food (and not because of the actual funds he has available).

I know we all want our vacations to be magical from start to finish. And we all want to maximize value, especially since WDW is expensive for a lot of families. But sometimes it seems like people think one "average" or subpar meal will ruin their whole trip. It's just a meal. If you don't like something one trip, try something else next time.

 

[cgh]

since becoming an adult, we've been in May 2014 and January 2016 and really enjoyed all our food both times. I think people are more apt to complain then fawn. I also think prices are overall expensive which makes people a little more critical of the food.

 

[crazymomof4]

Since 1987 we've visited wdw 10x. I don't feel as if the food has gone "downhill" at all. Maybe we are just picking the right dishes at the right locations? Our immediate family and extended family on both sides, is full of good cooks so we tend to be particular. We enjoyed almost all of what we ate on our recent visits ('12, '14), and we have 5 traveling in our party. We've been on the dining plan so have had a CS and a TS each day. Looking over menus and esp the food pix do help us decide what eateries to try. The reviews are soooo mixed. It really comes down to a matter of taste.