Sunshine Seasons or stick w/ World Showcase

[FrankieDplus3]

My plan this year is to go to Via Napoli for lunch and get the same thing we got last year, a large pizza and a pitcher of beer (pop and water for the kiddies). The pizza was really good and the beer was ice cold, the perfect match to the sweltering heat.

But, the 1 meter pizza is now $41! So, I suggested to DW that we switch it up this year and head to Sunshine's for lunch instead. She's not into the "cafeteria style" eating and would rather grab a comfortable seat in Italy then have to meander through the crowds to find a table. (I'd rather not spend $60+ on pizza and beer.)

We've never been to SS for lunch and we are not familar with the crowds. We plan on going at the end of August (a Saturday) and would like to know what the are crowds like at SS? Does it tend to look and act like a mall food court?

Thanks,



<Edit: "large", I meant the one meter>

 

[minnie mum]

OK this is just my opinion, but for what it's worth you couldn't pay me to eat the take out pizza from Via Napoli, never mind asking me to pay that amount for a single large pizza!!

Now for Sunshine Seasons: one of my favourite CS places in Epcot. Not specifically because it is a food court. But it has some of the best quick service food available, and enough variety to suit just about every taste. Yes it's a food court. Yes it can be very busy if you go during the main rush.

But here's another consideration: It's sweltering hot outside. Sunshine Seasons (and all its seating) is inside in lovely A/C comfort. Maybe worthwhile?

 

[FrankieDplus3]

Thanks Minnie Mum.

(FYI: I've never eaten the the pizza outside of Via Napoli. When we were there last August, Via Napoli was quite new to the World and we ate inside. I've read here that the "take out pizza" at the window is definitely not the same as the pizza inside.)

 

[DisneyMamato4]

Where did you find that the large was now $41? We were just there and a large was still around $30, the meter was a little over $40 though.

We ate at Sunshine Seasons too and I wasn't all that overly thrilled with it. It was ok but not the food that everyone seems to rave about. For me it would be worth it to go back to Via Napoli.
And yes, SS was really crowded when we were there. There is alot of seating but with everyone milling around going to the rides and generally wanting to get inside out of the heat it felt crowded to me.

 

[POOHsie]

IMO, if you not anywhere near Sunshine Seasons when you want to eat, you should not do this. It is a heckuva long walk, in the August heat and sun. If you want to do Sunshine Seasons for lunch, be in the Futureworld area doing rides and such. If you are in the middle of World Showcase, look at the menus and come up with World Showcase choices. France is good, Morocco is very good, Norway and Mexico are good. Oh, heck. Any choice would be good!

SS is laid out with different food stations. More sophisticated than a mall food court. Not a cafeteria, either. We like it there. We enter Epcot in the am and go there for breakfast. There are choices from very light to meat and potatoes. Like I said, if you want to eat there, plan your day to be in that area at the time.

 

[minnie mum]

IMO, if you not anywhere near Sunshine Seasons when you want to eat, you should not do this. It is a heckuva long walk, in the August heat and sun. If you want to do Sunshine Seasons for lunch, be in the Futureworld area doing rides and such. If you are in the middle of World Showcase, look at the menus and come up with World Showcase choices. France is good, Morocco is very good, Norway and Mexico are good. Oh, heck. Any choice would be good!

SS is laid out with different food stations. More sophisticated than a mall food court. Not a cafeteria, either. We like it there. We enter Epcot in the am and go there for breakfast. There are choices from very light to meat and potatoes. Like I said, if you want to eat there, plan your day to be in that area at the time.

Very well stated!

 

[Pakey]

I think the only thing Sunshine Seasons has going for it is variety. I haven't found the overall taste of any particular meal there to be that great. I much prefer doing CS at one of the WS eateries. Morocco is my favorite but most of them are pretty good; they just don't have the variety of SS.

 

[2manydaves]

Depending on what time of day you go, you might have a problem finding a seat at Sunshine Seasons at lunchtime. I vote for pizza -- guaranteed seat in the ac, and you don't have to wander around figuring out what everyone in your family wants to eat.

 

[Agri]

TBH, as much as I hate to say it, at that price to feed more than two, its really a deal. If you buy two entrees someplace, they're going to average about $20 apiece.

I would personally much prefer Sunshine Seasons over most of the WS QS, but that is because I can get similar stuff locally that is just as good (if not better) at lower prices. And I really love the roasted beet and goat cheese salad. =p

 

[chartle]

OK this is just my opinion, but for what it's worth you couldn't pay me to eat the take out pizza from Via Napoli, never mind asking me to pay that amount for a single large pizza!!

Just so everyone knows, the pizza sold at the outside window at Via Napoli is not the same pizza that is sold inside. The stand is run by Disney and its the same pizza sold at all CS places.

There was a huge thread a week or so. Someone even contacted Via Napoli's parent company to tell them that there is some confusion and that people may never eat inside based on the pizza sold outside.

 

[Best Aunt]

I dislike Sunshine Seasons. My problem is not with the food, but with the atmosphere. It feels loud, humid and crowded -- and I go in the beginning of March. I'm fine in other large counter service restaurants at Disney World; I just find this one particuarly uncomfortable.

 

[DCDisney]

I'm pretty sure that you would spend close to $60 at Sunshine Seasons for what sounds like a family of 4 anyway unless you are specifically choosing the least expensive options. I know the bill for my daughter and myself was more than $30 but she did not get a kids meal and we shared a dessert.

 

[mountdew1]

In Futureworld, SS is hands down the best option. It stands above most of the CS at the other parks, showing just how much better the food options are in Epcot. I am a vegetarian and I like having several options to choose from instead of one (or none) at most of the other CS locations.
But if I am anywhere near WS, I will go for Tangerine Cafe in Morocco w/o a doubt. (I have even ventured over from DHS to eat there). My DW likes Kringla Bakeri og Cafe in Norway for the sandwiches, and has started to like the Yakitori House in Japan as well.
As a PP mentioned, feeding a family of 4 at SS (or any CS for that matter) can end up costing just as much. Figure ~$10 for an adult sized entree and $5-6.50 for the kids. Looking at at least $30 before drinks, so a $41 pizza that the whole family can share isn't that bad of a deal. I guess it would depend on where you will most likely be at the time (hiking from WS to SS or from FW to Italy), and if you want to spend the extra 30 minutes to do a TS meal.

 

[ThreeAngels]

I say stick with the World Showcase. We ate at Sunshine Seasons this past November and we all were pretty disappointed. We find anything at World Showcase a lot better. My and DH's favorite is Tangierine Cafe. YUM! My kids love the bratwurst at Sommerfest (DH and I do, too, but Tangierine Cafe always gets us!)

SS is too crowded seeming and chaotic. Much prefer the World Showcase.

 

[MickeyNicki]

I do not care for Sunshine Seasons for a few reasons, one being the noise level from Soarin and the Land. The other is the food is just like mall food and I can get that anywhere.

Would much rather go to WS and eat there, doesnt have to be a TS because there are some very good CS there too

 

[disneybliss2]

We love SS!!! We've tried several dishes there and all of have been delicious! There is a large variety to choose from that is quite different than the standard CS meals you find at the other parks. The portions are huge and every bite is so tasty!! Their dessert options are yum-o as well. While you have a tray like you would in a cafeteria, you choose which station (grill, sandwiches, pasta, etc.) you want to select your meal. Other than walking around with a tray carrying your food, it's nothing at all like a cafeteria. The only drawback of SS is the noise. There's a lot of seating to accommodate a huge crowd thus there's a lot of noise.

One suggestion you might consider is to go on allears.net to look up the menu of the places you're considering eating CS while at Epcot. You could get an idea of what meals you would order from each place and get a good idea of the cost the meal would be. Then you could compare the cost of each, and if price was a big factor, you could use that information to help determine which CS to choose whether it be SS, pizza, or some other CS location in World Showcase.