Why does it seem( at least to me) that Epcot WS TS places get more negative then posi

[stoudt6]

With San Angel and LeCellier leading the way. Other then Bistro De Paris and Princess character meal at Norway(ate when its was old style) Have eaten at all other WS TS within the last 2 years and can say I don't get what seems like a majority of negativity towards meals and experiences there. Is it the food?, Prices ?, Service?, Or is it not meeting people's (higher) expectations for them because its Epcot? Just wondering?

 

[BEASLYBOO]

Is it the food?, Prices ?, Service?, Or is it not meeting people's (higher) expectations for them because its Epcot?

For me, the problem is that I remember way back when (10 years ago), when the restaurants truly had good food that they made on-site. They had a variety of choices, much more than the packaged meals of today. The buffets had better cuts of meat. I looked forward to eating at those Disney restaurants, now I have to wander away to places like Todd's Blue Zoo or even out of Disney altogether to places like Timpano's Italian Chop House

For example, The Coral Reef offered Lobster tails that the were divine, San Angel was tasty, not as Americanized and cold like today. The original Italian restaurant, the name escapes me, was so much better than Tutto Italia. I personally didn't mind paying the premium to get a wonderful meal. Today, Disney charges the premium prices but they no longer deliver in quality and choice. Disney gave it up to make more money by removing choice and quality and replaced it with quantity and fewer selections that are emulated by each restaurant. I guess I need the Men in Black, red thingy to wipe my memory clear of the way it was!

 

[greengeen]

I love to eat at Epcot - my favorites are Tokyo Dining, Via Napoli, and Le Chefs de France. I think a lot of the kiosk food is pretty good, too. But I have to say, San Angel is absolutely wretched, and Le Cellier is grossly overrated. Nine Dragons and Marrakesh are also disapointments, with tiny portions and really boring, bland food. I think these all deserve to be dissed!

 

[SydneyFalco]

With San Angel and LeCellier leading the way. Other then Bistro De Paris and Princess character meal at Norway(ate when its was old style) Have eaten at all other WS TS within the last 2 years and can say I don't get what seems like a majority of negativity towards meals and experiences there. Is it the food?, Prices ?, Service?, Or is it not meeting people's (higher) expectations for them because its Epcot? Just wondering?

For the same reason that every movie is awful, every stranger you meet is a pervert, everybody with a political opinion is a nut, and every new trend is the most important thing ever...

... cause it's the internet.

 

[Pakey]

I agree; not what it once was. Now we walk over to the Swan and Dolphin to eat.

 

[ktjohn]

I researched restaurants SOOOO much when my DH were taking our 10yr anniversary trip, because I wanted to be sure we picked the right places (especially at Epcot). By the time I was done reading reviews, threads, posts, opinions, and on and on... my head was completely spinning. How could each restaurant be given an "OMG, best food EVER" review in one thread and a "This place serves swill" in another thread??!

After living in Myrtle Beach for 5 years (another tourist hot spot) and being part of a review forum, I've learned the answer is because reviews are very subjective to the personal preferences of the individual, the particular day they went (maybe the server is struggling that day), and a host of other reasons that cause people's opinions to vary so drastically.

After awhile, I gave up trying to base my decision on the reviews of others. I spent an entire evening looking at every restaurant's menu and chose our ADR's based on what looked good to us.

We ate out every night for 8 days, and we did not have a single bad meal. It was total food nirvana. We ate what we loved, and avoided places that served food we wouldn't normally enjoy.

That's my 2 cents nobody asked for!

 

[figment_jii]

I agree with the PP that the main reason the reviews vary so much is because they are based on personal opinion. What one person likes, maybe something that another does not. With professional food critics, the readers can generally get a sense of what this person likes or dislikes because there is enough of a body of reviews over a long period of time. For internet forums, like this, the readers generally do not have a sense of what the poster likes or dislikes. Restaurant reviews are best when, like movie reviews, you have a frame of reference for the reviewer.

I also think that part of the reason for the negative reviews are the costs associated with the food. Disney dining is expensive and most people equate cost to quality. So for the price they're paying, they expect high quality dining.

For ethnic food, like that found in WS, I also think people have a tendency to say "I lived in such-and-such country" and expect the food to be the same style/taste as that OR they think that the more Americanized-style is how the food should be (think like Olive Garden is Italian and PF Chang is Chinese).

(Edit: One additional thought - I think some of the imbalance on these boards is the tendency for people to post about things that they didn't like or that didn't go well. Human nature (it seems) tends to skew towards complaining more than complementing, especially on the Internet.)

As with others, I have eaten at several of the restaurants at WS and have gotten both good and bad meals at the same restaurant. It's like any restaurant - no two experiences are the same. I think the best bet is to read the menus and see what sounds good to you.

 

[wcpamotm]

I think most Epcot TS food is fine. Even when the food is disappointing, the setting, atmosphere, and sometimes entertainment and service usually make the meal a terrific experience for me.

Are they overpriced? Pretty much yes, but not too bad if you'll accept the likelihood of a resort premium that nearly every resort would charge. Has it been better? For the most part, yes, though places like Bistro might well be as good as they ever have been, and Via Napoli is a good addition. I am harboring hope for improvement, remembering that most of the restaurants didn't start out being as good as they used to be.

Most of the what the PPs have had to say have some truth to them, in particular...

After awhile, I gave up trying to base my decision on the reviews of others. I spent an entire evening looking at every restaurant's menu and chose our ADR's based on what looked good to us.