Ugh, this ADR stuff is for the birds. I swear. Blah.

[summermac]

I finally get confident enough to start actually working up my ADR plans/parks, etc and sure enough, another person makes a post about a restaurant and in comes the awful replies. Or I read about a restaurant we haven't picked with tons of good replies and I think about adding it and then I find bad reviews again. Sometimes I read about one I've chosen and everyone seems to like...whew - not often though. LOL!

I have to stay off this board, I think.

And in case you're wondering, I believe our choices to be (subject to change, of course)
Crystal Palace (breakfast)
1900 PF (dinner)
Le Cellier (dinner)
Ohana (breakfast or dinner, not sure yet)
50s PTC (dinner, maybe lunch)
Coral Reef vs. Garden Grill
One more still TBD

Man I miss the good old days when we just walked up, looked at the menu and if we liked what we saw, we ate there. I have never had a bad meal at WDW so why am I thinking about this so much? We only had bad service once while there and I believe it was at The Plaza. Granted we've only been to WDW twice so.......

But anyway...these ADRs are driving me nuts!!! Okay, continue on now.

 

[Tricia1972]

If it makes it any easier for you there is NO restaurant in Disney that everyone loves. (I've even seen bad things posted about Victoria & Albert's - even though I know it's impossible to get a bad meal there )

Your choices look good, go with YOUR gut and don't listen to the reviews. I had my worst meal ever eating where (and what) the majority here LOVE. It didn't taste good to start and in the end it made me very sick to my stomach, almost ruining my day at the MK. It was an item that didn't sound good to me, but got rave reviews so I figured I must be wrong. I got so hyped up about it, it was my most anticipated meal/item.

I feel your pain though, it's a great source for info here. Belive the best, don't listen to the worst, relax and have fun!!

 

[ancestry]

Sorry! I know how you feel.

The bottom line is that restaurants and foods really come down to each persons personal preference. For every positive review I've read on here I've also read a negative view (or at least it seems that way anyways). Ultimately we have picked our restaurants based on what is on the menus instead of what other people say. Just because someone LOVES a specific dish doesn't mean that I will like it -- our taste buds are different.

Good luck and I am sure you will enjoy whichever restaurants you select.

 

[summermac]

Yeah, I know. If the meal sucks, I guess we still have our snack credit left. LOL!

 

[lunapnp]

I've noticed (and I'm included in this sometimes, too) that people don't expect to have a bad meal at Disney...EVER! I understand that for their prices, the food should be fantastic! However, I feel like if you had a thread for say The Outback...The Olive Garden, etc., etc., you would see the same problems. All restaurants have their bad days, too. Unfortunately, no body likes to go on those bad days...but we've all been there. I say just go with your gut...ignore the reviews...judge for yourself! Having said all that...we have been to the Garden Grill a couple of years ago. The food was what I consider "normal" for Disney character meals! Basically, you're paying to see characters without waiting in line for them...and Disney "entertains" us while we are waiting by feeding us! If you're expecting a gourmet meal...don't do a character meal. Just my two cents worth! Either way...enjoy your trip and don't fret over your ADRs.

 

[summermac]

I'd like a gourmet meal but with 2 young kids...about the closest to gourmet we get these days is Bob Evans.

I think we have a nice mix of character meals & "nicer" meals for our party. I hope.

 

[2cats1kid]

If it's any comfort to you I feel the same way, and I go on the UK board too and get a whole different set of opinions!

And coincidentally we have settled on a similar set of ADRs. We have :
Tusker House (breakfast)
Tutto Italia (dinner)
Coral Reef (lunch)
Crystal Palace (lunch)
Ohana (dinner)
Le Cellier (dinner)
and 1 more, probably House of Blues.

I figure with all the conflicting reports, the only person who can ultimately say if it is good or not is me. Oh, and we've gone for a couple of lunches rather than the "must do dinner" received wisdom as we like a sit down out of the heat in the middle of the day so we are ready to crack on for another few hours.

 

[onelilspark]

As it's been stated, everyone has their likes and dislikes. I can tell you right now there are restaurants I don't like that people are crazy about. Just book some, if you don't like, don't go back

 

[JLS]

Don't stress! If you have never had a bad meal in 2 trips, chances are you are an easy to please type of person who is likely to be happy at the majority of restaurants. Choose restaurants where you like the type of food on the menu and that your family is excited about trying. If the menu choices sound really good to you, chances are you will like the restaurant. If not, one or two bad experiences at meals are not going to ruin your vacation... you will just know not to go back.

People just have such amazingly different taste and different expectations that sometimes dining reviews, while entertaining, tell you nothing about whether you are likely to enjoy the restaurant.

Have a great time

 

[buffettgirl]

I feel your pain. I try to remember that dining in WDW has two different reasons (or maybe 3)

#1 The restaurant experience isn't all about the food. Case in point 50's prime time, or Whispering Canyon or the character meals. I consider that if we get a decent meal we've had a successful dinner. If we get a GREAT meal then that's a bonus. But the point of these restaurants is to entertain you.

#2 The restaurant experience is about the food in a nice atmosphere. case in point, LeCellier or Boma and others like that. You expect to have a good meal because those restaurants are about the food.

#3 Counter service - the restaurant is simply about giving you food, quickly.

So I think sometimes that people go to #1 and expect the same food quality that they are getting at #2 (I read things like "oh the food at Ohana stunk - well, that's not what you went to ohana for, right?) or they go #2 and expect the same entertainment that they get at #1 ("Boma had a nice atmosphere but the kids were bored there) . Or even worse, they go to #3 and expect better than they'd get at their local mcDonalds or work cafeteria.

So, from my point of view, if you've got the right expectations for each of these scenarios then you're unlikely to be disappointed. Sure, everyone gets a bad meal once in a while, but chances are that you're going to be just fine.

 

[Tara922c]

I am in the same boat, and am worried about having a bad meal. My SO told me not to worry about it. He said if we go somewhere, and don't like it, and leave hungry we can grab a bite somewhere else. We made our ADRs, and I am having second thoughts about a few places. My SO told me we aren't changing a thing because he is sick of hearing about Disney resturants. (He yells at me whenever I get on the computer because he knows I am looking a Disney info)

 

[chefgirl96]

...the dining reviews over at allears.net. (Click the Rate & Review section at the top, then Walt Disney World Dining. Sorry I can't post a link because I don't have enough posts yet.) I like seeing an actual number rating for a restaurant as opposed to just reading what a bunch of people liked/disliked about them. Maybe that might shed some light on your possibilities!

 

[jimmiej]

OP, I've eaten at all the restaurants on your list. You'll be fine. Pick what looks good to you & your family & go with it. It's Disney World! You'll have fun no matter what.

BTW, have you looked here?

http://land.allears.net/reviewpost/showcat.php?cat=32

When I can't decide on a restaurant, I look there to gather more opinions.

 

[karajeboo]

If you're expecting a gourmet meal...don't do a character meal. Just my two cents worth! Either way...enjoy your trip and don't fret over your ADRs.

I think this is the best advice. If we want "fine" dining, we opt for Le Cellier or Tutto Italia, when we want characters, we know we're getting a buffet in most cases, and buffets are, well, buffets! You won't be blown away by the food but you'll have fun. With that being said, I do think 1900PF is one of the best buffets I've ever eaten (and I soooo do not like the whole buffet idea!). Your ADRs look good - go with your gut and stop reading the reviews!

 

[Sleepless Knight]

In the end, you have to go with what sounds good to you and your family. It's fairly tricky to figure out if a member of the DIS has similar food likes/disllikes as you do. Reviews can be helpful to give you an idea, but go with your gut reaction. You know your own tastes best. And if a place isn't great for you, then you don't have to go back.

Last Friday night, I ate at the Blue Bayou in Disneyland for the first time and loved it. My parents ate there a few years ago before the prices were raised and felt it was not very good food for what they paid. Maybe the food has improved, or maybe they just ordered a different item than I did, but either way we had a different experience.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I don't worry about the reviews. I look at the menu and go by the atmosphere and choose from there.

I've never had a bad meals at WDW but we also aren't picky eaters.

Here are our ADR's:

CRT lunch
LeCellier dinner
Crystal Palace dinner
Chef Mickey's breakfast
Ohana breakfast and dinner
1900 PF dinner
Akershus breakfast

 

[Vickis3js]

I finally get confident enough to start actually working up my ADR plans/parks, etc and sure enough, another person makes a post about a restaurant and in comes the awful replies. Or I read about a restaurant we haven't picked with tons of good replies and I think about adding it and then I find bad reviews again. Sometimes I read about one I've chosen and everyone seems to like...whew - not often though. LOL!

I have to stay off this board, I think.

And in case you're wondering, I believe our choices to be (subject to change, of course)
Crystal Palace (breakfast)
1900 PF (dinner)
Le Cellier (dinner)
Ohana (breakfast or dinner, not sure yet)
50s PTC (dinner, maybe lunch)
Coral Reef vs. Garden Grill
One more still TBD

Man I miss the good old days when we just walked up, looked at the menu and if we liked what we saw, we ate there. I have never had a bad meal at WDW so why am I thinking about this so much? We only had bad service once while there and I believe it was at The Plaza. Granted we've only been to WDW twice so.......

But anyway...these ADRs are driving me nuts!!! Okay, continue on now.

I so know what you mean. We went through that when I made my ADR's I second guessed everything. I was ready to cancel my O'hana diner ADR aftr seeing bad reviews and I can say I am so glad I didn't. Then LeCellier started getting horrible reviews and they changed the menu so I switched to Teppen Edo because everyone was raving about that and I still regret that decision.

We loved Crystal Palace's BF, O'hana we did both breakfast and diner and we loved both. 50's PT the food was good but we got a waiter who wasn't into it but there were many around us who were so we would actually go again. 1900 pf is worth it for the character interaction. The others we haven't tried. BUT look at menu's and try for yourself. Whats the worst that could happen you have a bad meal in Disney, I'd take that anyday!!!

 

[MAGGIED]

Any meal that i don't have to cook is a great meal!!!!

I have all of our ADRs for our upcoming trip in my PTR is you want to check it out....

 

[3boymthr]

I've stressed out and stressed out about choosing where to eat. I see lots of people complaining "not worth what I paid for it". I've finally come to the conclusion that a lot of the people on these boards who complain a lot go to these restaurants expecting gourmet food for the prices they are paying. Many, many of the "best" restaurants offer highly spiced, highly stylized food which is really what I don't like to eat. I'm not going to enjoy it if I don't like that kind of food so I have chosen to eat at the restaurants that offer the kind of food I like to eat and that offer convenience of location also. I'm not going out of my way to eat somewhere just because someone else recommends it. I'm not going to WDW because of the food, I'm going there for the parks and so I'm going to eat where it's convenient and where I can find foods I like. I know the food is overpriced but isn't it every where in any theme park or anywhere they have a captive audience. Actually when you think about it the is probably not even that overpriced compared to say the hot dog I had at the ski slope yesterday where I paid $5 for a hot dog on a cold bun with one packet of ketchup and one of mustard with no other fixings available.

 

[JerseyJanice]

I have to stay off this board, I think.

Please don't stay off the board! I enjoy your posts.

Want my opinion on your ADRs? Even if you don't, here goes:

Crystal Palace (breakfast) I loved the Crystal Palace at lunch and dinner. Good buffet food, beautiful atmosphere, fun and cute characters.

1900 PF (dinner) I had breakfast there in August. Loved it. Delicious food and the characters are a hoot! It's whole different experience interacting with face characters who talk. 1900 PF dinner, along with Coral Reef, are at the top of my list of meals to try next trip.

Le Cellier (dinner) Ate dinner there in 2000. Very good food. I didn't love the atmosphere or the service, but it's the hottest place on the board right now. I'd definitely want to go if I were never there.

Ohana (breakfast or dinner, not sure yet) Had both. Breakfast was in 1999 when it was Minnie and Chip & Dale. Didn't care for the BF food. However, I've had dinner there every time I've been to WDW in my adult life because we love it. Food is delicious, and atmosphere is great. It reminds me of the Polynesian-themed restaurants I ate at when I was a kid in the '70's. Honorable mention has to go to the bread-pudding with bananas Foster dessert. Truly one of the most--if not THE most--things I've ever put in my mouth.

50s PTC (dinner, maybe lunch) Never been. Neither the premise nor menu appeal to me.

Coral Reef vs. Garden Grill Did Garden Grill last trip. I liked the food a lot, but didn't for the atmosphere. Since we had six in our group, we were seated inside the ring and it was sort of blah and dreary to me. Never been to CR, plan to try it next trip.

Are you on the Dining Plan? If you are, you should book an extra ADR or two. Even with the best laid plans of a good Disney mouse, people need to make a few extra for insurance.