Talk me into or out of Blue Bayou!

[tiggeroo42]

Been there three or four times and LOVE the ambiance. The food is always just so-so to me. And honestly, I had no idea until reading this board recently that I could get the exact same Monte Cristo at Cafe Orleans! Is it a must-do for you, or should I spend my money on something else? I do love sitting and hearing the bayou sounds and seeing the boats go by, but it's gotten so expensive!

 

[skiingfast]

I think it's something to try for sure, and probably something to do every now and then. But it's good to try most dining in the parks, so if you haven't been to Cafe Orleans that may be the better option this time.

 

[Boo Bear]

mmm I want a chicken caesar salad from Cafe Orleans RIGHT NOW!!! (I'm 10 weeks pregnant and it just sounds so delicious right now)

 

[disneyrand]

Nothing wrong with going in and just ordering dessert, either.

 

[nerdboyrockstar]

I think once you've done it, you've done it... especially if you're not going for the food.

The only reason I even consider it is if we're taking someone who's never been... and even then, I'm pretty sure they'd shudder at the thought of paying those prices.

 

[stubby]

We have never done BB. On our last trip every time we rode Pirates we wanted to go because of the wonderful smell. We are going to go this trip. I agree with the previos poster...go for dessert.

 

[BARBARAL26]

We weren't impressed with the food, I do agree with the others go for desert,

 

[GrandBob]

Well, if you've already been several times, I'd think you'd have your own opinions. There's a wide diversity of opinions on these boards, as you know. Here's my own.

I like going to BB every 3rd or 4th trip. It's too expensive for every time, and spreading it out keeps it special. That said, I love it as a special treat.

I think that one mistake people make is trying to do it on the cheap. Lunch instead of dinner. Picking the cheapest entree. It's not cheap, and that should be accepted. Personally, I love the most expensive item on the dinner menu - they do a mean surf and turf. Filet mignon grilled to medium-rare perfection. Wonderful lobster tail dripping in butter. Personally, I'd much rather do it just once every few years, and do it all-out, rather than try to keep it cheap(er). When you do it that way, it is (IMNSHO) a wonderful dining experience.

-Bob

 

[granismith]

Have you ever done the split plate? For us it was plenty of food and saved us alot. You each get your own salad (which is huge) or Gumbo, your own potatoes & vegetables and the entree is large. We split the steak and I even gave part of mine to my husband. And there are rolls too! That is what I would do if I really wanted to go there but save a little money. Or like others have said, just get dessert!

But if you havn't been to Cafe Orleans then I think you should give that a try. It isn't cheap either though but we did alot of sharing also so we could try several things.

 

[Dexican]

They don't have much of a dessert menu.

 

[disneyrand]

They don't have much of a dessert menu.

They don't have much of a lunch or dinner menu, either. It's a limited variety of fare at BB. Honestly, it's not really about the food, anyway, it's about the atmosphere.

 

[Abbeys_mom]

OUT!

We just went this week, and I agree with your opinion that the food is just so so, at best. It is mass produced food, overly seasoned, and lacking in creativity. My steak was cooked and kept warm until I ordered it, the lobster tail was dried out, as though it had been cooked hours ago.

The service is lacking. We do a lot of fine dining, and for comparable menu prices, I have had stellar experiences. For $44 an entree, I expect that napkins are refolded, fingers are kept out of water glasses (ewwww!!!) and that if a fork drops, I don't have to ask for a replacement. There was a busser RIGHT THERE that made eye contact, looked at the fork, and walked away. I thought he was getting DD another, but he did not come back with one, even though he passed by us again. It is the little things. I hope it was just an off night, I know a lot of people on here rave about it.

For slightly higher prices, go to Napa Rose in the GCH. Much better experience! Or, just go in for dessert as others suggested.

 

[FlameGirl]

OUT!

We just went this week, and I agree with your opinion that the food is just so so, at best. It is mass produced food, overly seasoned, and lacking in creativity. My steak was cooked and kept warm until I ordered it, the lobster tail was dried out, as though it had been cooked hours ago.

The service is lacking. We do a lot of fine dining, and for comparable menu prices, I have had stellar experiences. For $44 an entree, I expect that napkins are refolded, fingers are kept out of water glasses (ewwww!!!) and that if a fork drops, I don't have to ask for a replacement. There was a busser RIGHT THERE that made eye contact, looked at the fork, and walked away. I thought he was getting DD another, but he did not come back with one, even though he passed by us again. It is the little things. I hope it was just an off night, I know a lot of people on here rave about it.

For slightly higher prices, go to Napa Rose in the GCH. Much better experience! Or, just go in for dessert as others suggested.

I agree with you 100%.

BB could be so much better with very little effort.

 

[bluegrizzlies1]

we like going to blue buyou everytime we go the food at disneyland is about the same everywhere really

 

[RuthieT]

We have never been to Blue Bayou and this will be our 3rd trip in 4yrs.. So.. I think we might try it... Maybe as someone mentioned just for desert time!

 

[amycarter]

Just an FYI, if you either don't like the food on the menu or just don't enjoy the prices, they will make you an adult size macaroni and cheese, which is on the kids menu. I believe it came with a salad and maybe someone else knows the price, but I remember it was significantly less than my Monte cristo. The ambience is nice at BB but we also ate at Cafe Orleans and loved sitting outside watching everyone walk by and enjoyed paying less. The fries are outstanding too!

 

[FlameGirl]

Just an FYI, if you either don't like the food on the menu or just don't enjoy the prices, they will make you an adult size macaroni and cheese, which is on the kids menu. I believe it came with a salad and maybe someone else knows the price, but I remember it was significantly less than my Monte cristo. The ambience is nice at BB but we also ate at Cafe Orleans and loved sitting outside watching everyone walk by and enjoyed paying less. The fries are outstanding too!

The adult mac and cheese is a double portion of the kid's and it's $16.

 

[Brer Cameron]

I've never experienced the problems people are talking about. I eat there every trip.

 

[tiggeroo42]

Thank you for your replies. I so enjoy getting input from other DISers vs. my husband who could care less about where we ate! I feel like I'm leaning towards skipping it this time, but I may change my mind when I'm floating past those tables on Pirates.

IMHO the problem with Blue Bayou is that if you have experienced fine dining, the service and food are just not up to par. My husband and I never have a problem splurging on good food, but the food and service at BB are just not that great in comparison to the expense. It's like a couple of others posted--you are paying mostly for the atmosphere. Usually that's worth the expense to me, but with a toddler this time I don't think I'll enjoy the atmosphere as much, leaving just the food. I think we're going to give Cafe Orleans a try instead!

 

[Jynxed]

We decided against it, there is only so much I am willing to pay for ambiance. I have not heard many good things about the food and the menus is not that appealing to me. Mac and cheese for 16 bucks... Nah i'll stick with my mac and cheese at home and eat somewhere good. We opted to go with Napa Rose for this trip since the majority of reviews are excellent for it.