Am I the only person who does not like eating at the high end WDW restaurants?

[wpgminnie]

I have a very hard time understanding why people eat at high end WDW restaurants. I have
ate at most in 30+ trips to WDW, maybe one a trip. But that is not why I go to WDW!!! I am
happy with fruit and popcorn at AK for breakfast. A treat at France for lunch, and dinner with Sonny Eclipse (best floor show in
the world. I don't need to eat in "the cellar"
(it's a joke). There are many steak houses
across North America... but I do love riding
the rides and going to attractions! How about
you?

[A Big Kid]

My wife and I view the food options as an attraction much in the same vein as the Jungle Cruise or ToT.

[Tinkerbellfan]

We are a couple in our early 30s without kids. And, personally, dining at the high-end restaurants at WDW is one of the many highlights of our trip.

At home, we are less likely to go out for a $150 dinner with appetizers, main course, dessert and several cocktails.

We figure, at home, we can make a burger, hotdog or popcorn any day. But, we can't make the special dinners at Jikos, California Grille, Flying Fish Cafe and so on.

That's is one of the many wonderful things about WDW - there is food and a resort for everyone's tastes!

[Shugoondola]

I guess you have to do what you like the most at WDW, but I enjoy eating at the nice places just as much as going to the parks.

:mickey:

[Inkdrainer]

I don't go to WDW to eat, but it's certainly a huge part of my vacation, personally. I think people love eating at WDW because every restaurant (even most of the counter services) are themed. It's fun eating in a themed restaurant, whether it's an American 1770's colonial deal, a gothic-like wine cellar, or a 1950's household kitchen. At Epcot you can eat in front of a glowing pyramid and beautiful volcano! Disney goes all out when it comes to the dining atmospheres.

The food is great, but I really just love eating in the parks and enjoying the themes. My family and I get really hungry after walking all day and it's nice to sit down and enjoy a meal that you know will get you your money's worth. Disney could in fact just have restaurants throughout the parks without any true theme and people would still go -- it's them taking that extra step to make it what it is. I think a big part of the fun there for me is just taking advantage of these great places.

Plus, thanks to the dining plan we can enjoy these places. We don't go out to eat a lot as it is, so it's really a treat to do it at Disney. :mickey:

[Maleficent's Dad]

We enjoy finer dining - both at home and on vacation. One of the nice things about WDW is that we can eat at very nice places with our children in tow!

Whereas I find Le Cellier a very nice place to dine, and we have eaten here numerous times; I don't really consider it "fine dining," however. Now go to the Cali Grill, Flying Fish, V&A's, Narcoosee's, Bistro, and even the Brown Derby - those are more finer dining!

One of our kids favorite places is the Brown Derby. It's a great place for all of us to unwind and enjoy some rather fine food - together on vacation!

But hey, it's not a criticism, everyone does as they please on their vacations! :mickey:

[crazypoohbear]

Until last years free dining I'd never eaten at any of the "fine dining" restaurants. I have to say I did enjoy myself, but when it comes time to pay OOP again, HELLO Peco's Bills!
One trip we had ice cream for supper!:secret:

[dolphinmickey9170]

Now I thought we were the only ones who have had ice cream for supper:secret::secret::secret:, don't tell my mother. Anyway, my kids loved it. But we don't do the "fine dining" at home. Like a previous poster noted, we can make burgers, popcorn, etc at home. Wow, I love this place:cool:

[EmiB]

We usually much and snack our way through the parks...
unless we have reservations at Le Cellier or Mitsukoshi.
Those are my exceptions to the rule, haha, although many others are still good.
I just prefer to get a quick taste of everything!

[SurferStitch]

DH and I do plenty of fine dining on every WDW trip....Narcoossee's, Cali Grill, V&A, Flying Fish, Jiko, Le Cellier, Coral Reef....it's just part of the overall Disney experience for us. Like another poster said...we don't do many dinners that are $150 plus at home (maybe a few a year), so at WDW we splurge and do A LOT of them!

Now, if fine dining isn't for you....so be it. That's your choice. Some people really appreciate great food, others are happy with the basics. Great thing is, at WDW you can have ANYTHING you want.

Besides, getting ADR's is hard enough....I welcome anybody who isn't into dining at the finer restaurants! :thedolls:

[TennesseeTink]

Until last October we had never really eaten at any of the TS restaurants. But after a few trips, I just got tired of what the CS restaurants have to offer. You can only have so many burgers and chicken fingers before it gets really old. We enjoy the TS restaurants for variety, not to mention theming and an hour or so of relaxation after hours of walking throughout the parks.

With that said, we haven't made a single ADR for our upcoming trip. We're just going to play it by ear. Wherever we are, that's where we'll eat.:thumbsup:

[irish1967]

At home I get the pleasure of being (among other things) head chef, waitress and dishwasher. Vacation is for the ENTIRE family and as such, the adults all enjoy a chance to sit down after a long day in the parks, have a nice cold :marg: and eat really good food. We like it, we do it. To each his own.

We often choose not to go out to eat at other times in order to save up for dinners at Disney.

The beauty of WDW - something for everyone. I'm glad you found what works best for you!

[Sean Riley Taylor's Mom]

Until last years free dining I'd never eaten at any of the "fine dining" restaurants. I have to say I did enjoy myself, but when it comes time to pay OOP again, HELLO Peco's Bills!
One trip we had ice cream for supper!:secret:

That would be us. :thumbsup:

We were able to take advantage of the FD the last two years. We did not do any of the real fine dining places but, we did a lot of the character dining and TS we would not normally do.
Now, we are DVC members and can not get FD. We are considering purchasing the DP but are not sure. If we do not get it, it will be cooking back at the room (1 bed at SSR) and CS for us.

I wish we could do fine dining. I envy you that do. In between the added cost and cranky kids we choose not to. Some day. ;)

[GrmGrninGost]

I used to feel like you do. Now, some of our vacation highlights are the meals! I love WDW dining!:mickey:

[DawsonAR]

We go as much to eat as anything else. We don't go out a lot at home and we use vacation as a time to really relax and enjoy.

[dixielandings]

We also are 30-somethings with no kids - that along with DH's love of dining ensures that we will have plenty of great meals at WDW. For us, it's part of the experience. But I tell ya, there are many times I wish we could just snack our way through a Park one day. (I don't think I could ever get DH to go for that.:secret:)

I grew up going to a 6Flags park in Houston where dining in the park meant yucky fast food in a personality-free restaurant. The first meal I had at a Disney Park was at the French Market in DL, where they had real METAL silverware and plates that would actually break if you dropped them. I had spaghetti and marinara under the trees listening to a Dixieland trio. I'll never forget it and ever since then, Disney dining has been a central of every Disney trip!

[snifflesmcg]

For me, the dining is part of the relaxing treat I look forward to once a night in WDW. I cook almost every night at home and since I try to save money to go to the world, going out has been cut back. I love going in to the AC and having great food that I would normally have to pay and arm and a leg for (thanks DDP) and being waited on.

[DREAMADREAM93]

Now I thought we were the only ones who have had ice cream for supper:secret::secret::secret:, don't tell my mother. Anyway, my kids loved it. But we don't do the "fine dining" at home. Like a previous poster noted, we can make burgers, popcorn, etc at home. Wow, I love this place:cool:

ditto :]
we usually enjoy the high end meals.
They are a way to wind down at the end of the day and get you pumped for things like Wishes!, Spectromagic, Illuminations, Fantasmic, and Extra magic hours :]
And it saves us from spending on the fattening, sweet things like cottoncandy and popcorn.


JOrdan :]

[Spaceship Tigger]

As someone else said, the dining options are the same as attractions to us. And I think that the theme and atmosphere of the place is at least as important as the food itself. It would take something out of our WDW trips to think about our next meal coming from yet another CS place.

[Jen66]

We love the TS restaurants! Although we do not usually do the signature very often (one per trip) we do at least one nice TS per day. Since we have to go in the summer due to work, the restaurants are a great way to relax and get out of the heat.
We eat out a lot year round, and really enjoy it!

[kakn7294]

I don't mind eating CS either, but we also enjoy taking the time to relax and enjoy what the TS locations have to offer too. Plus, I love to plan and research and it adds another level of planning to my trip. For the last 2 trips and our upcoming trip, we've had the DDP which is wonderful as far as having the food paid for in advance (actually, twice it will be for free! :thumbsup:). If I didn't have the DDP, I would eat at far fewer TS locations myself.

[Bruegge]

My wife and I view the food options as an attraction much in the same vein as the Jungle Cruise or ToT.

big "ditto" here.... It's half the fun. Try and eat "high end" at seaworld or six flags... it just doesn''t exist

Scott

[Goes4FastPass]

I'm with the original poster 100% on this.

There isn't a meal anywhere at WDW that you can't get at your local mall - (OK, V&A is the exception).

We enjoy character dinners, sure, but this business of setting an alarm clock to try to be caller number 7 exactly 180 days before a WDW meal is ridiculous.

My wife once suggested to a chef/CM at Boma that the signs saying what each food item is include what countrry it's from, "Actually, ma'am, most of the recipes were developed here using African influences."

Really folks, can't we get nachos and steak and ribs and ssssscambled eggs everywhere?

Don't get me wrong, we always purchase the DDP and we book ADRs and have a swell time.

We like o'Hana. The coconut races are a hoot but the food ins't exceptional.

The Mac and Cheese served at LTT is the same brand that's in the frozen food section at Costco. I don't even dislike it -but it ain't POTC!

I just can't imagine skipping EE because we have ADR at the AK location of the Rainforest Cafe chain.

[Queen Stephanie]

Let's face it...Disney makes dining more than just dinner. The experience you get while eating at high-end restaurants on Disney property are as stimulating as some of the rides themselves. Our family splurges when we are at Disney and selecting a high-end Disney restaurant for each night we are on our vacation is very important to us...there just isn't enough days in our vacation to get them all in! :)

[Kairi_7378]

On our last trip, we decided to make two ADR's for signature dining experiences. (Brown Derby/ Fantasmic and CA Grill.) For the rest of our meals, we ate at CS places. There's so much variety of these that it hardly felt like theme park food at all. We chose to not make ADR's because we didn't want to be tied into a schedule too much. I think I'd follow the same plan next time... select one or two fancy meals and snack my way through the Showcase on other days.) I am lucky enough to live in Philadelphia and be close to New York City so I don't feel the need to eat super fancy meals while in WDW because we splurge when we are at home. The food is good at Disney and I can't blame some families for loving it as much as they do.
I'm so glad that other families eat ice cream for dinner! I felt silly because one night, we ate Dole Whips for dinner! :mickey:

[TBY2225]

I consider dining one of the attractions! The themeing and all is so different than any other places I have ever eaten. I enjoy getting to try new food and new resturants.

[SurferStitch]

There isn't a meal anywhere at WDW that you can't get at your local mall - (OK, V&A is the exception).

:silly:

Believe me, if I could get filet with tamarind sauce, goat cheese ravioli, a 3-lb. lobster stuffed with sea scallops and shrimp, diver scallops or seafood like grouper and char at my local mall, I'd never have to make dinner again!:thedolls:

I've only ever had equivalent filet in NYC at the Palm, and in King of Prussia at Morton's. The Palm also rivals the best seafood dishes I've had at WDW, but I still can't get the overall presentation and variety in meals like I can at WDW.

But, like I said before, there are those who appreciate fine dining (like me and DH), and dining is a huge part of our WDW trips. If someone can lump all red meat into the "Sizzler" category, and all seafood into the "Red Lobster" category, and say you can get those foods anywhere, then no...the full effect of the finer dining establishments at WDW will be lost on them.

[sillyolbear]

A huge reason Disney is such a draw is the option of dining in so many different ways. Whether you enjoy the signature restaurants as so many or love to snack your way around the world, nearly everyone can find a way to be pleased with a Disney vacation.

We are a couple of forty-somethings without children who love the signature restaurants but also look forward to an occasional lunch of a Dole Whip.

I think the variety is one of the things that makes Disney so appealing.

[Roo Girl]

I'm realizing more and more that part of the excitement I get planning my next WDW vacation is planning our meals- new ones (Jiko!) and old favorites (Le Cellier). Early on, while dating my new DH, we used to go to WDW on a budget, eat at Casey's or somewhere under $15 and we were thrilled just to be in the parks. Now that we're DVC members and blessed with the ability and time to visit the parks a couple times per year, we plan our meals at new restaurants in a similar vein to how we view riding a new attraction or ride- the Disney theming is still there, the service and hospitality and there. It just adds to or compliments the whole experience of WDW. That said, we still enjoy Casey's!! There will always be room for a quick turkey leg or hot dog at a counter service in the parks.

[grumpycajun]

Once each trip we go to a fine dining restaurant. It is one of the highlights for us.
DW and I both spent considerable time employed in the restaurant business, so we both appreciate the finer points of dining. Aside from that we like for our children to experience it with us. It gives them a change to practice their "fancy" manners. They actually enjoy it. DD turns into a little ham. You know, pinkie in the air and the whole bit.
DS just goes with the flow and really enjoys himself. He really loves to eat, as most 12 going on 13 year old boys do! This year we're going to Artist Point for the first time. Less than 4 weeks!:D

[Disney Doll]

I have to somewhat agree with the OP. We just aren't food people. There are some great dining choices at Disney, but I'd rather grab a quick bite and then hit another ride or show. We usually make a couple TS reservations each trip, but aside from that we mainly eat CS and snacks. We eat out enough at home so I'd rather spend my time at Disney having fun (everyone has their own idea of fun).

[Bruegge]

I'm with the original poster 100% on this.

There isn't a meal anywhere at WDW that you can't get at your local mall - (OK, V&A is the exception).

.

PLEASE,

Your NOT going to get sushi made by one the the top ten sushi chefs in the country (Yoshi at the California Grill) or perfectly flash fried oysters with 2 magnificient sauces (Thank you Sous chef Anthony Scott at Narcoosee's) at ANY mall where you live.

If it's cheese sticks and nachos your looking for .... fine... your right ..

I better stop


Scott

[rnin02]

:silly:

Believe me, if I could get filet with tamarind sauce, goat cheese ravioli, a 3-lb. lobster stuffed with sea scallops and shrimp, diver scallops or seafood like grouper and char at my local mall, I'd never have to make dinner again!:thedolls:

I've only ever had equivalent filet in NYC at the Palm, and in King of Prussia at Morton's. The Palm also rivals the best seafood dishes I've had at WDW, but I still can't get the overall presentation and variety in meals like I can at WDW.

But, like I said before, there are those who appreciate fine dining (like me and DH), and dining is a huge part of our WDW trips. If someone can lump all red meat into the "Sizzler" category, and all seafood into the "Red Lobster" category, and say you can get those foods anywhere, then no...the full effect of the finer dining establishments at WDW will be lost on them.

Well said! We can probably find some great food at home, but somehow I'd rather spend a ton of money at DIsney (or use the dining plan!!) then spend a ton of money at home on a great meal. I think the atmosphere of the restaurant plays such a huge part in the enjoyment of the food. Plus, at Disney, we don't have to worry about transportation, parking,etc.

[DrumTastik]

I'm with the original poster 100% on this.

There isn't a meal anywhere at WDW that you can't get at your local mall

Sorry 'Goes4FP', you're way off base on this one. I would say that the beauty of WDW is that you can find satisfaction for any palate. If high end dining isn't your thing, then Sonny Eclipse and Pecos Bill's will make your day. However, there are plenty of award winning culinary options for those who wish to pay a bit more for them. The OP enjoys themselves without having to expend too much energy on meal planning, fantastic! I enjoy trying as many different food options as I can discover while on vacation.

To me WDW dining is good eats... (cue Alton's theme music)

[TiggerRPh]

My wife and I view the food options as an attraction much in the same vein as the Jungle Cruise or ToT.

We feel the same way....going to the sit-down restaurants is part of the WDW experience for us.

[Natazu]

Show me the crab cakes, filet, and warm chocolate torte accompanied by first rate service and Johnny Blue.

[Stickey]

V&A and the signature TS restaurants could be considered to be in the fine dining category. It is incorrect to call ALL TS locations "fine dining." Most of these TS restaurants are good-excellent. Quality meals and character dining are a significant part of our WDW experience.

The filet at Jiko is the best that I have ever had. The maple filet at LeCellier is excellent. It is enjoyable to eat at the WS TS locations for a flavor of many different countries.
:beer::beer::wine::eat:

WDW offers many dining choices, thus offering something that appeals to almost every individual's tastes. There are plenty of snacks and CS locations to satisfy individuals that do not consider food an important part of the WDW experience.

[wire0monkey]

In a way, you're right. If you can't tell the difference between good food and mall food, you shouldn't spend your money on it.

I personally find a lot of good food at WDW, served in beautiful restaurants by helpful wait-people: California Grill, Artist Point, Flying Fish, Boma, Jiko, Brown Derby, Le Cellier, and Rose and Crown are a few of our favorites.

I also have small children. I used to go to a lot of restaurants and I don't get to that anymore. WDW is one of the few places with decent TS restaurants where my children are both expected and welcome.

[Bruegge]

I also have small children. I used to go to a lot of restaurants and I don't get to that anymore. WDW is one of the few places with decent TS restaurants where my children are both expected and welcome.

Ditto, BIG DITTO....

On our last trip this May,

My DD's 8,3 (due to poor timing by us the wonderful parents) were falling asleep at Narcoosee's when we arrived for our 7:00 ADR (too late for a nap and too soon for bed ..live and learn.)

After a nearly full day of disney they laid their little heads on the table and were just bushed.

The older guy who sat us( Charlie I think ... don't quote me) noticed the girls were toast and brought two tableclothes folded up like pillows for the girls to rest their heads on till their dinners arrived..

While napping, DW and I had the fried oyster appetizer and mentioned to our server how great it was (it was great BTW just cooked so you could taste the oyster, not rubbery .. almost the doneness of a Rockefeller).

He sent the Sous Chef over .... Anthony Scott said "so you liked the oysters" we added how much we liked them.

He handed me his card and said "give me a call next time you visit and I'll have some ready for you next dinner with us."


Class all the way, fabulous food and wine, great service (ask for Chevy.. yes, like the actor) he was great

not to mention Narcoosee's is a great place to watch the light water parade .. whatever it's called...lol

The Magic of Disney doesn't always happen in the park or at your hotel.... and you can bet it WON"T happen at the Mall...


Scott

[Vinny]

Up until my last few trips, I had rarely eaten at a high end restaurant in WDW. I usually take one trip a year with my father (both of us are adults) and we have started a new dining tradition. We pick one or two of the finer restaurants at WDW that we have never been to and book an ADR for them on our trip. Last November we went to the Hollywood Brown Derby and this June (2-8) we tried the Cape May Clambake and 'Ohana.

[Goes4FastPass]

In a way, you're right. If you can't tell the difference between good food and mall food, you shouldn't spend your money on it...
That's just it, I can tell the difference... and I repeatedly make the decision to enjoy mall quality food at the Happiest Place on Earth... I just don't think it's necessary to get all cloud-niney about it.

Two nights ago I had a very good poached cod entree at Akershus but I was my niece's reaction at her first glimpse of Ariel that made the meal special for me.

[SurferStitch]

That's just it, I can tell the difference... and I repeatedly make the decision to enjoy mall quality food at the Happiest Place on Earth... I just don't think it's necessary to get all cloud-niney about it.

Two nights ago I had a very good poached cod entree at Akershus but I was my niece's reaction at her first glimpse of Ariel that made the meal special for me.

Dude...I want to shop at YOUR mall! :thumbsup:

We only have Ruby Tuesday, Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Sizzler, Lonestar and some little Italian place. Further down the road we have Don Pablo's, Panera, and about 6 miles from that we have Red Robin, Applebee's and Jack Creek......lots of chain restaurants.

.....Ummmmmm......nope, can't say they have the same quality food as Cali Grill, Narcoossee's, Flying Fish, Citricos, Jiko, etc. :shrug:

Maybe you just need to order some fancier, less basic entrees? Cod isn't exactly "fine dining", but then again, neither is Akershus. It's nice, but not in the same class as some resort restaurants.

[Goes4FastPass]

The mall closest to our home has Morton's and McCormick and Schmidt and Ruth Chris etc.

The "signature" restuarants you list at WDW are all wonderful meals that I have happily paid for and enjoyed.

When I think of fine dining I don't usually first think of high chairs and ketchup and glow cubes - but these are all things I expect at a family resort. Actually, I once left a restaurant during a family dinner, dashed out and came back carrying a single order of ketchup from a sandwich shop down the street because a junior member of our group really wanted some ketchup. The whole party congratulated me on my "Dad skills".

I find myself right in the middle of this topic opinion-wise. When I hear someone say, "Disney means hot dogs." I say, "You haven't been to Jiko." but when a WDW fan says, "Disney dining offers the epitome of sophisticated sophistication." I think, "Somebody's been watching too many Disney advertisements."

It just doesn't make sense to me to be a snob either against Disney dining or in favor of it.

[mouseketeer mom]

Our meals in Disneyworld have been some highlights of our trips! The fun at Ohanas, whooping it up at Whisperiing Canyon, rotating at the Garden Grill, My kids doing the polka at the Biergarten, Almost wetting our pants as my husband attempts to speak french to the waitress at Le Chefs de France, Tons of Characters playing with us and picture taking with us at Chef Mickeys, CRT, LTT to name a few. I could go on and on. We make it a point to have new meal experiences each trip. This time we will try Marrakesh with the Belly dancers for the first time, and California Grill too! We eat a nice dinner almost every nite during our trips, saving Breakfast and Lunch for on the fly most of the time. We have tried almost every table service at Disneyworld. We love it!

[SurferStitch]

The mall closest to our home has Morton's and McCormick and Schmidt and Ruth Chris etc.

So, not your typical mall. :D

Morton's is awesome....we've dined at one in Philadelphia, but the Palm is better (IMO). We always eat there when we go to NYC. I've heard Ruth's Chris is really good, but I never made an effort to go there when I can go to Cali Grill and Narcoossee's in WDW once or twice a year.

[starflyer59]

I am a very picky eater. I like steak, almost anything fried, french fries, plain rice, plain macaroni. I don't like veggies, sauces, soups.

We get to make our ADR's on the 25th of June for our trip to Disney during Christmas and my wife and i spent hours going through the menus for all the eating places at Disney.

It's very hard to find anything that isn't smothered in something.

I want a big juicy steak with a little seasoning on it and some fries.

It's hard to find that at Disney. All the steaks are smothered in something and the fancy eating places do not have fries.

We are going to try and do some of the buffets and Ohana's. It looks like there will be something that I will eat.

[Natazu]

It's hard to find that at Disney. All the steaks are smothered in something and the fancy eating places do not have fries.
One of the benefits of eating at a fancy restaurant is you can tell them to leave all the stuff off and get a plain steak if you want one. Also, almost ALL Disney restaurants can serve fries upon request. Just tell the server what you want, no worries.

[starflyer59]

Thanks for the tip.:mickey:

We wanted to take advantage of the DDP this time because it is a steal. It's just a great deal for the amount of food you get and I can't get over how low the price is.

[wilshade]

Yeah, I like to try the high end restaurant, especially those with cuisines I am not that familliar with . . Jiko and Boma cases in point.

For me, dining at Disney, no matter upscale or not, is part of the adventure. A trip to Boma or Jiko's means an evening gazing at the animals in the savannah and at the incredible AKL itself.

But, a trip to Trail's End Buffet in Fort Wilderness gives me an excuse to stay for the Campfire program.

Oh . . and Pecos Bill's is great on its own merits too.

[tarjaybuff]

Everyday for lunch we do a big meal at places like Garden Grill, Liberty Tavern, Sci-Fi, 50s Prime Time, etc. Then we eat a light dinner.

However my top 3 economical places to eat are:

:thumbsup:Earl of Sandwhich in DTD
:secret:Chicken Fingers at POP Century
:)Bacon Cheeseburger at Pecos Bills or Cosmic Rays - MK

[AllDisney]

Part of our vacation IS eating out at the finer restaurants. Heck, it's part of THE vacation. Even before the DDP we always budgeted for a sit down meal every night.

We always have a big breakfast in the morning (Mickey waffles, bacon etc.). We grab a snack around 1:00ish and then by the time 5:00 comes around we ARE ready to sit down an be spoiled with a fantastic meal:mickey

If you consider popcorn & ice cream a meal, enjoy:party:

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . At home, we are less likely to go out for a $150 dinner with appetizers, main course, dessert and several cocktails . . .

1) Of course, at home, that $150 meal is only about $80.
2) Maybe that is the reason.

[wire0monkey]

I think I see your point.

Is Disney "Fine Dining" the best I've ever had? No.

Is it pretty good? Yes.

Do they tolerate my 4 year old and 2 year old at California Grill? Yes. Thank God. I thought I was never going to eat at a restaurant with cloth napkins again in my entire life.

(I don't get out much. We don't have much in the way of family or babysitting.)

[Hammer]

1) Of course, at home, that $150 meal is only about $80.
2) Maybe that is the reason.

Rusty, that depends on where your home is located. As I live in the Philadelphia area, I like to eat at the nicer restaurants in the Center City or Old City neighborhoods (Restaurants run by Steven Starr are my favorite). Eating at a upscale restaurant in Philadelphia or NYC could easily cost you $150 for a party of 2, when you include appetizers, entrees, desserts and several cocktails or glasses of wine or beer.

[Horizon93]

You are right Christine. Those Philly restaurants are great. We really like a little place called Matyson. But I digress. We just ate at Jiko last night. Our first time. Tremendous! The dinners are part of our vacation. We were at Rose & Crown tonight, San ANgel tomorrow and Chefs on Wed. We love the "fine" dining options at WDW. We are also trying to eat healthier, (real gae style) and have been pretty successful with staying on track here. The nicer dining locations don't hamper our Disney experience, they engane it. I think that the great thing is that whatever type of food you like and whatever type of dining experience you would like, there is an option at Disney.

[LovinWDW]

For us, eating in the nicer places is a big part of our vacation. We enjoy going to the parks for when they open, hitting the rides hard until 11:30 and grabbing lunch before the lunch crowd gets too heavy. After lunch we head back to the resort and swim or nap (kids) during the hottest part of the day. Shower up and go for a nice meal around 5:30. After dinner it's back to a park until closing. I don't know if I could do disney without a good sit down meal every night. that's half the fun.:thumbsup:

[Crow]

as a kid w my family, we were offsite and i was perfectly fine w cheaper places.
i went offsite w 1st wife
then i started onsite (not every trip since but most)
after awhile i went to some higher end places and liked them.
but buffets were fine also.
at home i never do fine dining..pizza etc is fine.
but its vacation, i dont go other places.
so ive tried Brown Derby, Artist Pt and CA Grill.
but i cant afford those every night of my trips, some w dining plan and free dining.
i dont like dressing up though

[DrumTastik]

I think the debate as to weather or not Disney operates dining establishments worthy of the moniker "fine dining" is simply summed up by two of the crown jewels in the Disney restaurant family.

Victoria and Albert's- The most elegant restaurant at Walt Disney World Resort, with a unique menu created nightly and an award-winning wine cellar. Victoria & Albert's is a seven-year recipient of AAA's prestigious Five Diamond award, currently the only Central Florida restaurant to receive the designation.

Napa Rose, specializing in California wine country cuisine, is under the direction of one of the California’s most talented young chefs, Andrew Sutton. Executive Chef Andrew Sutton comes to the Napa Rose from the renowned Auberge du Soleil in Napa Valley. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America with 20 years’ experience in classic French kitchens and award winning restaurants, his culinary talents have been recognized nationally and elevated the regional cuisine of Napa Rose to the forefront of contemporary dining.

Enough said. I'm not novice enough to believe that finer restaurants don't exist other places, but you can enjoy a world class experience at the WDW Resort and DL Resort.

[Maleficent's Dad]

Rusty, that depends on where your home is located. As I live in the Philadelphia area, I like to eat at the nicer restaurants in the Center City or Old City neighborhoods (Restaurants run by Steven Starr are my favorite). Eating at a upscale restaurant in Philadelphia or NYC could easily cost you $150 for a party of 2, when you include appetizers, entrees, desserts and several cocktails or glasses of wine or beer.
Christine,
I couldn't agree with you more! :thumbsup:
In fact, I'm probably in the minority here, but I find V&A's to be an absolute bargain for what you get for the price! Try having that meal in a major metropolis... You could easily spend close to $1000 for dinner for two (yes, 2 people) for that type of experience in NYC (complete with wine).

[DisneyJunkie]

My wife and I are a married couple (w/o children) in our 30's. We feel that we're spending enough (if well worth it) just for our hotel and park tickets. Eating at the higher end restaurants holds absolutely no appeal whatsoever, and really only would serve to rob us of money and of time better spent in the parks. Most of the time we're content to eat at the fast places like Cosmic Ray's in the Magic Kingdom, or running over to eat at the Roaring Forks Snack stop at the Wilderness Lodge. Food at WDW, to us, serves no real purpose other than to sustain us and energize us for getting back to business.....the rides!

[Goes4FastPass]

I think the Walt Disney Company correctly assumes everyone who plans a WDW vacation buys park tickets so emphasizing dining gives them an opportunity to sell more product.

It's like resort merchandise delivery. Is it convenient? Yes. Does WDW do it because like they used to say at the end of the Mickey Mouse Club, "Because we like you!" No, somebody made all the calculations to determine the cost would be offset by increased merchandise sales.

How does this relate to "fine dining"? My wife once observed, "(the) Disney (company) has thought of everything you might want... and how to add it to your room account charges." Some people are "park commandos" and want fast food. WDW provides variety and quality at, considering the setting, a reasonable price. Some people consider restaurant dining an integral part of their vacation. WDW, seeing that market, provides an ever increasing list of choices. If there was a market for "Magical Midnight Snack with Belle and Friends" WDW would provide it.

I personally feel like the attractions at WDW are world class and the food isn't. I like the California Grill but if I had to choose between cutting it or Expedition Everest from a WDW vacation there would be no contest. Happily, we've never had to cut either. I think WDW guests who plan every hour of their vacation around their ADRs are a little too restaurant obsessed but it's their vacation and their choice, isn't it?

[big blue and hairy]

It's all in what you like and what you're used to. If you like to sit down to a very nice meal at WDW you can. If you want to go counter service, you can get good counter service meal. It's all in your priorities, just like what level of hotel you're willing to pay for. Sometimes with us it varies from trip to trip. We've done a few trips where we have very few sitdowns, but usually there are several.

Hey, if you want to skip the sitdowns, skip them, it just makes it easier for us sitdown fans to get an ADR!! :eat:

:sulley:

[Marilyn Michetti]

We always ate at TS restaurants until the DDP made it so difficult. Now, we pick the "must do's", and just leave the rest to fate. I HATE being locked into a moment, when we might be somewhere else, or just plain not hungry. It's also an "age" thing - we're older, and can't eat that much and stay upright. I like buffet breakfast's before the park, then just mostly eat wherever, whenever, whatever. (With the exception of Boma's, Cape May Seafood Buffet, and LTT).:eat:

[LoriMistress]

Last time DH and I couldn't really afford to eat at a lot of restaurants. We had to limit our budget to what we could spend. This time we're eating at more restaurants. We figure since' we don't have kids, it's nice to relax and enjoy some good food at a nice TS restaurant.

[Donald Duck 224]

Eating might not be the main part of our trip, but it is important. We love the great food at WDW and with the meal plan we can get 3 courses of great food.

[Mickey'sGirl]

We've only eaten at one Signature restaurant (the California Grill) in all of our visits to the World....and it was a really lovely experience.

Other than that, yes, we do eat at a Table Service restaurant every day. I wouldn't necessarily call them high end, but there sure are some good ones (Kona and Marrakesh come to mind :eat: ) . We love the Buffets, because it introduces a bit of variety for our non-french fry/hot dog/chicken finger/macaroni and cheese children. We enjoy the time to sit down and catch our collective breath and talk about our day. I couldn't do grab and go for more than a day or two. :mickey:

[Kairi_7378]

I personally feel like the attractions at WDW are world class and the food isn't. I like the California Grill but if I had to choose between cutting it or Expedition Everest from a WDW vacation there would be no contest. Happily, we've never had to cut either. I think WDW guests who plan every hour of their vacation around their ADRs are a little too restaurant obsessed but it's their vacation and their choice, isn't it?

:ditto:

"Midnight Snack with Belle and Friends..." Priceless. LOL.

[Natazu]

In fact, I'm probably in the minority here, but I find V&A's to be an absolute bargain for what you get for the price! \
I'm right there with ya Frank.

[mook3y]

Fine dining is part of what we look for in our vacations.

Probably why our two favorite vacations are Disney and cruising. :cloud9:

[snifflesmcg]

[FONT=Arial If there was a market for "Magical Midnight Snack with Belle and Friends" WDW would provide itFONT]
Where can I sign up for this one??? :laughing:
Seriously though, I can't find anything past 10 or 11 at the latest to get an ADR (I'm a TOTAL night owl).

I live about 15 min from Allentown, PA and within a half hour radius from where I live, I can get just about ANY chain I want. However, I feel that WDW brings alot of different choices with alot of theming and charm that I can't get at my local chain restaurants.

[xipetotec]

I have a very hard time understanding why people eat at high end WDW restaurants. I have
ate at most in 30+ trips to WDW, maybe one a trip. But that is not why I go to WDW!!! I am
happy with fruit and popcorn at AK for breakfast. A treat at France for lunch, and dinner with Sonny Eclipse (best floor show in
the world. I don't need to eat in "the cellar"
(it's a joke). There are many steak houses
across North America... but I do love riding
the rides and going to attractions! How about
you?


Well we're mixed on this.
Although we are not very finicky and really love Pecos Bill or Cosmic Ray's. this usually constitutes lunch for us. We typically go in big crowds and split up during the day and like to meet up for a nice dinner.

We have thought about the fact that sit down dinners take time away from park hopping and attractions, but we do enjoy to have an everyone together meal in the nice THEMED restaurants Disney has to offer.

In a related story, one of my best friend had been to Disney a couple of times and complained that as much as he loved it there, "The food *****, it's all fast food and fried except for a couple of restaurants in Downtown Disney"... Then we went down at the same time as them, introduced them to World Showcase and the Boardwalk as well as OTHER restaurants in DD... They now see disney as a fine dining destination as well as a fun place to take the family.

[Becky'sMom]

DH and I love to eat at nice restaurants. We have never spent $400 on dinner for two, but since we spent our anniversary on a diet and haven't been eating out much at all, we've reserved an evening at V&A as a make-up for our anniversary dinner. My sister will be with us for 1 week of our stay and will watch our 4 year old. We've booked one or two TS meals during each day at WDW, 3 of them signature restaurants, 6 of them character and the others just nice places like Le Cellier and Boma.
There are many cuisines at WDW that we don't have near me, and of the ones that we can find by me....they simply aren't as good as the ones in Disney - even the nice restaurants by me aren't as good in any aspect......food quality, service or atmosphere.
Having said that, you are a lucky person if you can spend an entire day in the parks doing nothing but the rides - grabbing something to fill your stomach as you race for the next line.....not giving a second thought to the people sitting in that air conditioned restaurant - escpaing form the heat and crowd if only for 90 minutes or so to recoup and recharge. You are saving ALOT of money!