Victoria and Alberts

[nevertoo muchdisney]

Dining here solo in March! How was your experience? Did you feel the quality was worth the price? Was it worth the time or would you have chosen to do something else instead? I love food, but there are so many choices for things to do at Disney so I want to make sure its worth the money and time.

 

[DisMommyTX]

We were disappointed. I've enjoyed better dining experiences at a fraction of the cost. The wine pairings were the highlight. A few of the courses were excellent, but most we did not finish and would not choose to order again. Service was better than most Disney restaurants, but we spent far too much time waiting for our server to finish with other tables and get back around to us. If you've never been to a 5 star restaurant, it's worth trying--and Disney's version is more tourist-friendly than most. However, don't expect it to live up to the hype. I personally found the food and atmosphere at Narcoossee's much more enjoyable.

 

[OhThePain]

If you like fine dining, then it is worth doing at least once. It's better than most restaurants on property (we might prefer Shula's or bluezoo or some of the Signatures more). I find that the price is realistic, but food pricing is a complaint many have in general (coming from Long Island, we find that the prices at all restaurants are pretty much what we are used to, so the cost doesn't bother us). I wouldn't quite call it a disappointment, I would say it doesn't quite deserve all the hype it gets. With that being said, as good as it is, for comparison purposes we actually found Remy on the Disney Fantasy to be a better meal and experience.

If you have your heart set on trying it, try it, regardless of who might say what. Food is such a subjective topic that differs greatly from person to person.

 

[rwdavis2]

Dining at this level is highly subjective and only you can judge its value. I would not mind trying it but I don't want to pack a sport coat to Orlando. I have a bunch of choices of restaurants of that quality here at home so we don't bother.

 

[goofy4prez]

We were disappointed. I've enjoyed better dining experiences at a fraction of the cost. The wine pairings were the highlight. A few of the courses were excellent, but most we did not finish and would not choose to order again. Service was better than most Disney restaurants, but we spent far too much time waiting for our server to finish with other tables and get back around to us. If you've never been to a 5 star restaurant, it's worth trying--and Disney's version is more tourist-friendly than most. However, don't expect it to live up to the hype. I personally found the food and atmosphere at Narcoossee's much more enjoyable.

I don't want to come of as snarky so please don't take it that way. But please elaborate how V&A is more tourist-friendly? They have a dress code that is more strict than I find in just about any restaurant located where I am in the Cleveland/Akron/Canton Ohio area. Having to pack a jacket or suit to Disney (which I've done) is not very tourist friendly.

As for not living up to the hype. I appreciate your opinion on this, but it is just that, an opinion (as are my thoughts). Personally I think places like LeCellier, BOG, Via Napoli and Dole Whips fail to meet the hype they generate. I was completely blown away by the decor, service and most importantly the food when I dined there a couple of years ago in the Queen Victoria Room. It was expensive no doubt about it. Would I do it again? probable not, simple for the fact while I live a comfortable lifestyle I don't make a habit of spending $600-$700 on dinner for two. I have no regrets and to this day it was the most incredible dining experience I have ever had. Perhaps the menu may have been a bit too eccentric to your liking?

As for Narcoossee's. I'm a big Narcoossee fan ever since the first time I dined there in 2008 and every year thereafter that I've been to WDW. But for me comparing Narcoossee's food to Victoria and Albert's is like comparing a Ferrari (choose your model) to the Mustang Shelby GT350. They are both great in their own way, but the Ferrari blows the doors off the Mustang Shelby. That's how I would compare the two restaurants.

 

[gharter]

We have eaten there several times. Even as the prices have increased, there is nothing close to it. We've eaten at Citricos, Narcoossees, California Grill, Flying Fish and many others. While they were all good, Victoria and Alberts continues to rate as one of the best dining experiences.
I would consider Narcoossees as much more casual and family friendly and Victoria and Alberts as a fine dining experience.

 

[CinderellaDream]

Dining here solo in March! How was your experience? Did you feel the quality was worth the price? Was it worth the time or would you have chosen to do something else instead? I love food, but there are so many choices for things to do at Disney so I want to make sure its worth the money and time.

We just dined here on Monday night. It was wonderful and worth the time and money for a celebratory anniversary meal. I had the 7 course meal and my husband had the 10 course. I added the additional turbot fish option and he added the Miyazaki beef option. Each course is fairly small but by the end of the meal we were absolutely stuffed! Our favorite items were the langoustine lobster, the seared duck breast and the halibut. Our favorite part of the bread service was the second option. We both said in the future we would probably not add the additional food options but were glad we did this once.

It was a long meal. We were there for almost four hours but it was our arrival day and I didn’t feel that it took time away from anything else we wanted to do. We will definitely be back one day.

 

[sleepydog25]

Dining here solo in March! How was your experience? Did you feel the quality was worth the price? Was it worth the time or would you have chosen to do something else instead? I love food, but there are so many choices for things to do at Disney so I want to make sure its worth the money and time.

As another suggested, "worth" is a very subjective term. Is it expensive? Yes, by pretty much any standard. Does it take more time than a meal at Disney's signatures? Yes. It's a leisurely-paced meal as is the case with upscale dining establishments. Is the service exceptional? Yes. When I said leisurely before, I don't mean the service is lacking. The spacing between courses allows for enjoying the company of those at your table. In your case, it's a lone dining experience, so if long wait times don't bother you, then that aspect is a not important. Is the food superbly crafted, creative, and art on a plate? Yes. Are there some courses or dishes that might not appeal to someone? Certainly, but that doesn't mean the food was as designed and excellent. For example, my wife isn't a fan of foie gras, but that doesn't mean they didn't nail the dish (they did fwiw). However, food tastes and likes and desires are highly individual thus inevitably subjective. In conclusion, if fancy cuisine, with small portions, served over a deliberately paced time, and costing 4 times what a solid steak dinner at a local steakhouse would would be worth trying for you, then I say go for it. (And don't forget you'll pay above the norm for any alcohol, as well.) We love V & A's, and it's worth a try.

 

[DisMommyTX]

I don't want to come of as snarky so please don't take it that way. But please elaborate how V&A is more tourist-friendly? They have a dress code that is more strict than I find in just about any restaurant located where I am in the Cleveland/Akron/Canton Ohio area. Having to pack a jacket or suit to Disney (which I've done) is not very tourist friendly....

...I have no regrets and to this day it was the most incredible dining experience I have ever had. Perhaps the menu may have been a bit too eccentric to your liking?

While we live in an area where 'fancy' restaurants can be counted on one hand and nothing compares to that level of culinary experience, DH and I are fortunate enough to have experienced several superior dining opportunities on our travels. Occasionally, the staff and atmosphere have made us feel out-of-place in a way that I think most guests who rarely frequent 5-star dining establishments can relate. I said V&A was more 'tourist-friendly' because the staff were the opposite of that pretentious, condescension that some mistake for high-class. They were warm and welcoming, and I think even first-timers who consider Olive Garden fine dining would feel comfortable dining at V&A. Yes they have a dress code, but it is clearly communicated in advance so no one is caught off-guard. Unfortunately, our waitress was overworked and the rest of our service 'team' was hardly seen. We waited far too long for individual courses to be cleared, never received the proper utensils for one dish, had to ask for things we usually shouldn't need to, etc. It took an hour just to pay the bill after dessert was served, and by then we already had the credit card out on the table--yeah, I know it's uncouth, but it had been over 3 hours listening to loud conversations around us, and we were ready to be done. We've been married 18 years, I don't need a 4 hour dinner to talk to my husband. While I can see the value in other situations, I would have appreciated a bit of responsiveness to our obvious boredom.

My disappointment was not because the food was 'eccentric'. I can respect well-made dishes, even if they are foods I don't particularly enjoy. I appreciate that you can choose from options in each course and chose combinations I expected to love. Some were excellent, most were not. I loved 2 courses. My husband is a big eater and not at all picky, but even he chose not to finish half the courses. Also, I requested a modification to one course, and it apparently wasn't made--unfortunately I didn't realize it until it affected me later. Perhaps they were just having a bad night. I'm glad that others have loved V&A, but when people ask for opinions, there is more than one. In my opinion, V&A compares well to the Chef's Table experience on some of the major budget cruise lines, but since those are less than $100 pp it is hard to justify paying so much more. I have no problem paying $600 for a special dinner, but I expect it to be far superior to the experience we had. No regrets because if we hadn't tried it, I would still be wishing we had--now I don't have to worry about ever going back! That's four hours and $500 I get to enjoy spending on something else every trip.

 

[gharter]

I would have to say your experience is far from the norm, and its too bad you had a bad experience. We have eaten at many world class restaurants, and this ranks right up with the best of them. My wife had several changes that needed to be made to the food and they took care of everyone of them. Our staff was attentive to us and the tables around us.
From what you describe, you must have had them on a very bad night.
Having been on multiple cruises, I have never had a meal on a cruise ship, even at their exclusive restaurants close to V & A.

 

[sleepydog25]

I would have to say your experience is far from the norm, and its too bad you had a bad experience. We have eaten at many world class restaurants, and this ranks right up with the best of them. My wife had several changes that needed to be made to the food and they took care of everyone of them. Our staff was attentive to us and the tables around us.
From what you describe, you must have had them on a very bad night.
Having been on multiple cruises, I have never had a meal on a cruise ship, even at their exclusive restaurants close to V & A.

You hint at a good point--that any restaurant can have an off night, even V & A's. I don't discount DisMommy's take on the events at all. A place serving food along the lines of what they do at the price point they charge shouldn't have off nights; however, human imperfection is a fact of life. It's too bad the experience that night wasn't superior--it should have been. As for cruise dining, we've dined at Remy a few times, and our experiences there have been quite similar to those at V & A's--not quite as imaginative nor extensive a menu, but it's a comparison within the same ballpark: third base seats vs. behind home plate if you will. I digress a little to say that on one cruise, we were the only diners in Remy the entire evening. We had one of the first reservation times and were there well past the last seating. No one showed. That is an experience and memory that even V & A's can't top.

 

[LSUfan4444]

How was your experience?

The last time I went it was \tThe single greatest dining experience of my life, but it's been about 3 years since my last visit to V&A.

 

[Monykalyn]

V&A is still the best dining experience we've had. It was an incredible splurge at the time, and oh, so worth it. We have had opportunities to experience other very fine dining since and V&A still stands out. We haven't been in a few years though. Do they still give the individual menus in the folder with your name on them?

 

[auntfrannie]

I dined solo at V&A several years back for my 50th. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and I felt very welcome dining solo. The harpist came over at one point to wish me a happy birthday. I think my only minor quibble is that I really don't need a complete explanation on how every dish is prepared...just let me eat!

 

[arminnie]

I’ve eaten at the chef’s table twice and took my dh there for his 60th birthday. The food is fabulous as is the service, atmosphere, etc.

But I doubt if I will ever go back as it is just way too much food. We just had a taste of each item but really could not enjoy the last courses as we were so stuffed.

Plus living in New Orleans there are several restaurants of this caliber available to us. We eat at Commanders’s Palace on a regular basis - which is my favorite restaurant in the world.

 

[nevertoo muchdisney]

I dined solo at V&A several years back for my 50th. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and I felt very welcome dining solo. The harpist came over at one point to wish me a happy birthday. I think my only minor quibble is that I really don't need a complete explanation on how every dish is prepared...just let me eat!

I'm glad that you had a good time solo . I usually don't feel weird eating alone, but I was concerned this might be the exception and I might be uncomfortable because it is like all couples. I am going to be with a friend for half my birthday trip and alone for the second half. She is much pickier so I am doing V and A alone. I think I am sold on keeping it in my plans now for my relaxing last night!

 

[loves to dive]

My son and I ate there in August and really enjoyed it. We both had the 7 course meal and wine pairings and even my son who normally eats everything on his plate and finishes mine couldn't finish everything. It came to about $750 with tip for the both of us and worth it. Would we do it every trip, obviously not since we go to WDW at least twice a year but always do some experience that costs about that much at least once a year. We are both the type of people that are equally comfortable at a local BBQ joint that has a roll of paper towels on the table instead of napkins and the servers walk around with a pot of stew in their hands asking if you want more hon, as well as a 5 star establishment with two servers and where they brush off your table between each course.

 

[Pygoplites]

I have been to V&A a bunch of times and only two of those meals were NOT solo. There is so much interaction with the staff that I've never felt lonely.

Also, although any restaurant can have an "off" night, I have never personally experienced it at V&A. In fact, I have had a number of perfect meals there...flawless in that there was not one single food or service issue, even of the most minor sort. That is extremely rare. I can also say that the "worst" thing I have eaten there was still good (and the best things were absolutely transcendent).

 

[goofy4prez]

. I'm glad that others have loved V&A, but when people ask for opinions, there is more than one. In my opinion, V&A compares well to the Chef's Table experience on some of the major budget cruise lines, but since those are less than $100 pp it is hard to justify paying so much more. I have no problem paying $600 for a special dinner, but I expect it to be far superior to the experience we had. No regrets because if we hadn't tried it, I would still be wishing we had--now I don't have to worry about ever going back! That's four hours and $500 I get to enjoy spending on something else every trip.

I agree it is opinion and we all have different opinions; I did mention that in my post. I hope you don't feel I was attacking your opinion because it was different than mine. I asked if you would elaborate and you did. I appreciate that. It's just that so many people (not saying you) come on here and say this restaurant was terrible, the food was awful and etc. and never state why. I appreciate differing opinions when they share their reasoning behind why they like or dislike a place. You gave an excellent response... Thanks!