Trip Report -- Musings of a Foodie, and Plan for Next Time

[jrtoastyman]

Just returned from a 10 day trip to Disney (and Universal), staying at the Polynesian while at Disney. Between my own past experiences (last trip was 2007) and some of the posts on here, I went in with fairly low expectations for the dining component of the trip. Ultimately, those expectations turned out to be pretty much justified, although there were a few nice surprises. That's changed our outlook on the plan of attack for dining at Disney, skip to the end for that.

First of all, in the interest of full disclosure, my wife and I are complete snobs when it comes to food. We eat out a lot, have taken trips that were specifically built around dining, and have therefore been very blessed to have dined at some of the nation's best and most interesting restaurants. That's our frame of reference when we're dining on vacation.

We were on the Standard Disney Dining Plan. While nice, I found this to limit our options somewhat and actually add some hassle to the trip. We had a large group (9), and it was tough to get table service reservations anywhere near where we wanted to be, even trying to book months in advance. The result was that we sometimes ended up well away from where we would have been to make sure we didn't waste a TS meal. Similarly, especially after developing a sense of what the TS dining was all about, we might have just skipped it and done QS rather than jumping through the hoops to do a TS meal.

Finally on the Dining Plan thing -- and this could be good or bad depending upon your viewpoint -- they give you a LOT of food. Particularly at the QS places, you'd get a full meal, plus dessert (which in some cases was a very large portion as well). In most instances, I probably wouldn't have felt like I needed dessert had it not come with the meal. Just something to consider when you're crunching the numbers to decide whether or not to do the DDP. Look at what is being offered and ask yourself whether it matches the way you actually intend to eat.

We ate at the following:

MK:
Pecos Bill's (QS)
Pinnochio's (QS)

Epcot:
Tutto Italia (TS)
Nine Dragons (TS)

AK
Flame Tree BBQ (QS)

HS
Commissary (QS)

AKL
The Mara (QS)

Poly:
Spirit of Aloha Luau (TSx2)
Cap'n Cooks (QS)
Kona Cafe (TS)

Contemporary:
Wave (TS)

Best meal overall probably goes to Flame Tree BBQ at AK. I had the ribs, which were perfectly smoked and served dry with the sauce on the side. The Mara over at AKL was also a nice surprise -- had a chicken pita with cous cous -- pretty tasty. Amongst the other QS places, they were basically nothing special -- good but not great -- with the exception of Pinnochio's place, which was really terrible and was panned by everyone in our crowd, foodies and non-foodies alike. Generally speaking, the simpler the food, the better. There was a yogurt parfait at Cap'n Cooks that I would assume you could find at most resort QS places that was very good, and worked well as my breakfast "snack."

The TS places are where we were actually a bit disappointed. Both the Italian and Chinese places at EPCOT delivered in the atmosphere and service department, but the food was very average (with the exception of the Italian desserts, which were spectacular). The term "Chef Boyardee" comes to mind when describing the Italian place, and the food at Nine Dragons wasn't any better than what I would get at my local strip mall Chinese take out joint.

At the Poly, the Spirit of Aloha show was great, but the food was extremely underwhelming. After the enormous hassle it was to get reservations at Kona Cafe, I was expecting something special, but it also underperformed. Nothing was bad, but you're really reminded that no matter what you're paying and how cool the environment, you are still eating food that is designed to be served to a broad audience, over and over again, day after day.

Of the TS places, Wave was probably my favorite. It at least demonstrated an attempt to do something a little more interesting with the food, and while it wasn't spectacular, it was pretty good.

With all of that said, we still had a great time because we knew going in that we were not likely to be wowed by the food, and look forward to our next trip to Disney. Moreover, for what it's worth, our admittedly less snobbish family absolutely loved just about everything that was put in front of them. Clearly, we're more finicky and that's part of the problem, but objectively, the food was just not great on the whole.

The new plan:
We joined DVC while we were down there, so we'll definitely be back soon, and I think we've developed new plan of attack from a dining standpoint. We'll skip the DDP and try to make whatever we can at our room rather than wasting time and money at the restaurants. When we do eat at the parks, we'll stick to QS places and keep it simple --burgers, dogs, etc. -- and then maybe supplement that with one or two really nice meals at some of the more "special" establishments. We ultimately concluded that most of the TS meals that we ate weren't better than something we could cook up ourselves, and definitely weren't worth the hassle associated with the ADR (and getting to them, in many instances) or cost, if we had been paying out of pocket. By way of example, we basically changed around our touring plan to be at EPCOT for a 2:45 lunch reservation at Tutto Italia because that was the only time they could accommodate our crowd. The food was OK, but it wasn't near good enough to justify upsetting our whole schedule. In hindsight, I'd rather have skipped that, done what we were originally going to do, and just eaten something quick somewhere or had a granola bar to get me by.

Feel free to send any questions my way!

 

[kaybird]

We are Foodies too, think you may have just had some unfortunate scheduling. Try Citricos next time, think you will find it more to your liking. I agree that many of the CS are just as good as some of the TS, especially the ones that share a kitchen!

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

I also see myself as a foodie, and I have to say the signatures are the way to go at WDW. I think you should save your special meals for places like Artist Point and Jiko, where the focus is primarily on the food. Artist Point in particular is my favorite - the crab salad with cucumber mint sorbet, seasonal risotto with pork belly, cedar plank salmon entree, and fresh berry cobbler are some of the best dishes I've had at WDW.

Not every signature has been great. Citricos and Yachtsman have especially underwhelmed me, but I plan on giving them another chance in August.

 

[jrtoastyman]

Thanks for the input, good to know there is some hope. Our options were limited somewhat by the group with which we were traveling -- when I booked us at Chefs de France and Kouzzina and was informed that French and Greek would be too "weird," I had a feeling I was going to be in for a bland week.

 

[aheaviside]

Thanks so much as this was VERY helpful to me. I am having the same debate that you seemed to have on your trip that we are in a city dominated by fine dining and are in the restaurant/wine business so we eat out alot and at really good and different places all the time. I'm getting ready to make our ADR's for Jan. and just don't think booking alot of table service restaurants is worth it if we are going to be underwhelmed plus always feeling like we are being controlled by our ADR schedule. I keep going back and forth on whether to just stick with QS or book several ADR's and give the restaurants a try. Unfortunately, we can't do signature places as our kids just won't sit a very long fine dinner so I"m not referring to those

Would you eat at the Wave and Kona again? We are staying at CR so those are both on my list for dinner right now so would love to hear more about those 2 if you have time.

 

[jrtoastyman]

Thanks so much as this was VERY helpful to me. I am having the same debate that you seemed to have on your trip that we are in a city dominated by fine dining and are in the restaurant/wine business so we eat out alot and at really good and different places all the time. I'm getting ready to make our ADR's for Jan. and just don't think booking alot of table service restaurants is worth it if we are going to be underwhelmed plus always feeling like we are being controlled by our ADR schedule. I keep going back and forth on whether to just stick with QS or book several ADR's and give the restaurants a try. Unfortunately, we can't do signature places as our kids just won't sit a very long fine dinner so I"m not referring to those

Would you eat at the Wave and Kona again? We are staying at CR so those are both on my list for dinner right now so would love to hear more about those 2 if you have time.

I'd eat at Wave and Kona again, particularly if I was staying somewhere on the monorail, but I don't think either would be worth a trip from one of the more far-flung resorts. I had the noodle bowl at Kona, and it was similar to pho tai, except that the meat appeared to have been marinated in terriyaki or something, which struck me as an odd and unnecessary extra step. It was not bad at all, and I'll offer some kudos for something approximating an authentic pho broth, but it wasn't as good as the bowl of pho I can get down the street from my house for a fifth of the price. The dessert, however, which was a banana creme brulee, was very good.

I had a pork dish at Wave that I really enjoyed, although my wife's flank steak was overcooked. It was easily the most creative meal we had, in terms of ingredients and preparation. If you're surrounded by fine dining at home, it's not going to knock your socks off, but as compared to some of the other places, it might be a welcome change. Dessert was also very good at Wave -- each dessert was actually three minis.

One side note: the wine lists at both Kona and Wave were pretty good for mid-range bottles -- Caymus' Conundrum, Belle Glos' Meiomi Pinot Noir, that sort of thing.

 

[DaisyMaisie]

It sounds like you treated this trip very differently than your usual foodie trips. I understand that the people you were with were a constraint, but going in, many of your choices have a mediocre reputation. It would be great if a generic chinese themed restaurant inside a theme park was spectacular but, not likely. I am guessing that when you go on your foodie trips you do some research before picking restaurants. Some of your choices were close to going to New York City and visiting the Olive Garden.

When you take your next trip you may want to save your special meals for places like Victoria and Alberts, bluezoo, Artist Point etc. You may still be disappointed but at least your could compare them to your usual fare.

Michelle

 

[TheNewMrsB]

As has been stated already, signature restaurants are probably the best for a foodie. I can't see a foodie being satisifed by plain QS and TS restaurants. I think you would have been happier with Artist Point, California Grill, etc. Don't give up hope!

 

[TheRustyScupper]

As has been stated already, signature restaurants are probably the best for a foodie. I can't see a foodie being satisifed by plain QS and TS restaurants. I think you would have been happier with Artist Point, California Grill, etc. Don't give up hope!

1) I disagree.
2) A "foodie" would have an even higher expectation for a signature.
3) Thus, a signature eatery could be a bigger disappointment than a TS.

NOTE:
However, I must agree with what the OP. Well put.

.

 

[jrtoastyman]

It sounds like you treated this trip very differently than your usual foodie trips. I understand that the people you were with were a constraint, but going in, many of your choices have a mediocre reputation. It would be great if a generic chinese themed restaurant inside a theme park was spectacular but, not likely. I am guessing that when you go on your foodie trips you do some research before picking restaurants. Some of your choices were close to going to New York City and visiting the Olive Garden.

When you take your next trip you may want to save your special meals for places like Victoria and Alberts, bluezoo, Artist Point etc. You may still be disappointed but at least your could compare them to your usual fare.

Spot on about going to NYC and eating at Olive Garden, lol, I felt that way myself. For what it's worth, I did do some research, but the group I was with was unwilling to do anything that wasn't "familiar," nor were they open to using more than one TS credit (except for the Luau, which was ironically the most disappointing of all of the TS meals, from a food standpoint), and they basically had me cancel all of the reservations I had made a week before our trip, so we were just left with what was available. Ultimately, it wasn't "our" trip and we kinda knew from past experiences that the food wasn't going to be great regardless, so we basically sucked it up and tried to grin and bear it.

The Italian place was a hoot. Our family we were traveling with had decreed it The Greatest Italian Restaurant They Had Ever Visited from their previous visit and insisted that we go, so we moved heaven and earth to make it happen. I may be a snob, but I'm not a jerk, so I basically sat there and pretended to love what was a thoroughly disappointing lasagna -- especially as compared to the hype -- to avoid bursting their bubbles as they gushed about every bite. And yes, I know how completely pompous that sounds, but it is what it is...

I guess this raises a question for our next trip, for the foodies on the board: are there places at Disney that would qualify as destination dining, where you can get a truly exceptional, one of a kind meal?

 

[EvilQueenT]

we noticed a big change in quality from our july 2007 trip compared to our december 2009 trip as well. personally, i think the free dining plans had a big part in what i call the decline in quality. i will add, however, imo some of the places have been trying to rally back namely citricos and flying fish, others have mentioned the same about the brown derby but i haven't eaten there myself. i know disney has put out in the media that they're basically trying to wean us off all the discounts now that the economy is starting to turn around so maybe things will get better in terms of meal quality as the money starts flowing more consistently...here's to hoping anyway.

 

[JimmyV]

I guess this raises a question for our next trip, for the foodies on the board: are there places at Disney that would qualify as destination dining, where you can get a truly exceptional, one of a kind meal?

Not if you are on the dining plan.
Victoria and Albert's is a spectacular restaurant by any measure. Not just a good "theme park restaurant". No other place really qualifies as a "destination restaurant", per se. But very good meals can be had at bluezoo, Bistro de Paris, Il Mulino, and Shula's, none of which are on the dining plan. And most of the signature restaurants (except Le Cellier, IMHO) have something going for them that make them worthwhile to visit, if you order the right things. Just adjust your expectations so that you do not go in thinking that dining at the Top 10 at WDW will be anything like dining at the Top 10 in New York or San Francisco.

 

[jrtoastyman]

Not if you are on the dining plan.
Victoria and Albert's is a spectacular restaurant by any measure. Not just a good "theme park restaurant". No other place really qualifies as a "destination restaurant", per se. But very good meals can be had at bluezoo, Bistro de Paris, Il Mulino, and Shula's, none of which are on the dining plan. And most of the signature restaurants (except Le Cellier, IMHO) have something going for them that make them worthwhile to visit, if you order the right things. Just adjust your expectations so that you do not go in thinking that dining at the Top 10 at WDW will be anything like dining at the Top 10 in New York or San Francisco.

I think we're done with the dining plan for the reasons noted above. If the TS restaurants that are part of the "normal" dining plan aren't going to be that good anyway, we'll just save ourselves the time, effort, and money and either cook for ourselves or grab something at a QS place for the bulk of our meals. Honestly, I wonder how much of the enjoyment of a place is wrapped up in how much of a pain it is to dine there. I can enjoy most anything if I'm just grabbing something quick to keep me going, but when you hunt for ADRs and then drag your family across a theme park in the summer sun for a $30-an-entree meal, it's a lot tougher to be satisfied with "not bad."

Have always been curious about V&A, may have to give it a go next time. Is it a tasting menu sort of experience everywhere, or just at the Chef's Table?

 

[brerrabbit]

I have had some exceptional meals in my life and some very good meals at Disney but would not classify many at WDW as exceptional. With that being said I must admit I was a little underwhelmed by where you did eat on your trip. We have never used the dinning plan and probably never will. DW and I just don't eat that much food and really don't eat that much when visiting during the summer like we do most years. That said there are places we enjoy each time we go. Couzinna's we found to be pretty good and really enjoyed our meal there. We also have enjoyed Raglan Road and Wolfgang Pucks in Downtown Disney. We do not care for Nine Dragons but have found Yak and Yeti to be a good lunch spot for us in AK. We like Rose and Crown and will be eating there this Sunday night.

The other thing we have found is that at just about every resturant we go to we always pay attention to the chef's specials because as you said the regular menu items are of a kind that can be reproduced time and time again while the specials are just that not always available and therefore don't become common. There are those who don't like Tony's at MK but I have had two wonderful meals there that were not on the menu. One was a Veal Chop with bone in served with mashed sweet potato's and a glaze sauce. It was assume. The other was Oso Bucca which at the time was not a regular but may have become. It was very good.

We are adventurous eaters and like to try different things so we tend to go to less crowded venues and try different things and have never really been terribly disappointed. It does not compare to 4 star places in New York or LA but then again that's not what we were expecting anyway.

 

[jrtoastyman]

With that being said I must admit I was a little underwhelmed by where you did eat on your trip.

You and me both, lol

 

[JimmyV]

Have always been curious about V&A, may have to give it a go next time. Is it a tasting menu sort of experience everywhere, or just at the Chef's Table?

The main dining room is a mulit-course prix fixe menu with usually a couple of upcharges for premium ingredients, like kobe or lobster. The Queen Victoria Room and Chef's Table are similar, but with more courses of smaller portion. More of what I would consider a "tasting menu". Wine pairings can be added, and corkage is $25.

 

[eliza61]

Just returned from a 10 day trip to Disney (and Universal), staying at the Polynesian while at Disney. Between my own past experiences (last trip was 2007) and some of the posts on here, I went in with fairly low expectations for the dining component of the trip. Ultimately, those expectations turned out to be pretty much justified, although there were a few nice surprises. That's changed our outlook on the plan of attack for dining at Disney, skip to the end for that.

Wave (TS)

Best meal overall probably goes to Flame Tree BBQ at AK. I had the ribs, which were perfectly smoked and served dry with the sauce on the side. The Mara over at AKL was also a nice surprise -- had a chicken pita with cous cous -- pretty tasty. Amongst the other QS places, they were basically nothing special -- good but not great -- with the exception of Pinnochio's place, which was really terrible and was panned by everyone in our crowd, foodies and non-foodies alike. Generally speaking, the simpler the food, the better. There was a yogurt parfait at Cap'n Cooks that I would assume you could find at most resort QS places that was very good, and worked well as my breakfast "snack."

The TS places are where we were actually a bit disappointed. Both the Italian and Chinese places at EPCOT delivered in the atmosphere and service department, but the food was very average (with the exception of the Italian desserts, which were spectacular). The term "Chef Boyardee" comes to mind when describing the Italian place, and the food at Nine Dragons wasn't any better than what I would get at my local strip mall Chinese take out joint.

!

Low expectations are the only way to go into a TS restaurant at WDW.

We never do the dining plan for the simply fact that we generally could not find 7 ts restaurants worth the money or the time.

Like others I pretty much stick to signature restaurants if I eat on site. I guess what disturbs me is that the basics at wdw show a decidely lack of caring. Really, you can't find a chef who can make a halfway decent marinara sauce?

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

I guess what disturbs me is that the basics at wdw show a decidely lack of caring. Really, you can't find a chef who can make a halfway decent marinara sauce?

And the fact that the menus are becoming more and more identical at almost all of them. "Which appetizer would you like - soup of the day or garden salad? How about for your entree - the strip steak with potato, chicken dish, pasta, or fish?"

 

[Pugmalion1]

I've always described the dining plan as being simultaneously too much and not enough, in that, for us, it offers too much food and not enough options or credits.

We like to eat at the signatures and we like to splurge. That doesn't mean we like to gorge ourselves. We often either order an appetizer or a dessert, rarely both, and we like to split these. Disney is no exception. We will also sometimes make a meal out of several appetizers. This worked out well in places like California Grill and Yak and Yeti. That kind of freedom isn't allowed within the parameters of the dining plan at any level. On top of that, some of the better restaurants on property, like Shula's, Bistro de Paris and bluezoo are not on the dining plan.

If I can be honest, I wouldn't let this trip turn you off of planning another trip around a dining plan. Frankly, and as a result of your company, it seems, you guys did it all wrong. Next time around, avoid the dining plan so that you can have a lot more freedom in where you dine and what you order, and book a few signature experiences like Jiko, Flying Fish or California Grill. You might even give Victoria and Albert's a try if you're feeling especially financially adventurous (it's one of the highest-rated restaurants in the state, but such quality comes at a hefty price tag). Don't shy away from the offerings at the Swan and Dolphin, either. There is some good food to be had there and none of it is on the dining plan.

 

[Micca]

JR, first of all Welcome to the Dis(looks like you haven't been here long), and
"Welcome Neighbor" from another DVC family

As a fellow foodie, I have come to the conclusion that WDW restaurants are very good...for a theme park. I think there is kind of an Applebees/Chili's quality to the food. Nothing really special, but if you're hungry it's hot(usually) and pretty tasty. Sure there are exceptions (V&A's for instance) but we've cut a pretty wide swath across the WDW eateries in our 30+ years of visits. We've had some really special meals at WDW, but it was probably more than 10 years ago. That doesn't mean "it all sucks" you just adjust your expectations accordingly.

As a DVC member you'll come to enjoy the luxury of some really tasty dishes prepared in your resort, but we'll save that for the DVC boards.