So much Disney food is terrible

[Smugpugmug]

I admit I'm truly amazed at how much inflation is crushing in America, and so many people feeling the pain, and yet despite the ridiculous prices, Disney parks seem as crowded as they ever were. That's from someone who goes every 3 months for the last 40+ years. I really expected to find empty park days, but somehow people keep on going to Disney World - I guess maybe cutting their expenses other ways like you mention with off-site food deliveries! I just never thought about that.

I feel like it's partially due to people having so much credit card debt. I see SO many posts on FB and Reddit from people who go into debt for a Disney vacation.

Going back on topic, I've personally cut down on the amount of table service dining I do. A lot of it is simply not worth it anymore.

 

[Instagramhusband]

I think it is more complicated than that. I think folks will look at cost and then compare that cost with a restaurant at home and more often than not, it is less expensive at home. The food may be comparable, but the cost is not, so there can be buyers remorse. With regards to "the best" I firmly believe that nostalgia plays a huge part in those responses.

I also think that personal taste enters into the conversation. There are restaurants that I simply don't like. I don't care if the theme in awesome (I am talking about you Coral Reef) the meals just are not great, and when you factor the cost in, the time commitment for that dining experience, I know I am going to choose to dine elsewhere.

I do think that one of the factors is expectation. I expect the meals I pay for in WDW to be decent. I look at reviews, prices and selection. I do not expect 5 star dining, and I do expect that I will pay more for everything than I would at home. For signature experiences, I know I am going to pay a premium, and if I book those restaurants, I know what my budget will be before I even enter. So far, I have never been disappointed. I will say that for us, even though we dine out often at home, we still enjoy dining in WDW. A lot. My husband and I are carried away with nostalgia so the memories impact our enjoyment, and my adult children and grandchildren are very much dining down memory lane as well. I think what happened to the OP is that the cost is very much factoring into the satisfaction.

Good synopsis.

I was 44 years old before I realized that Disney World was also for Adults. I hadn't been since I was 8 years old and I was taking my early 30's wife and my 5 year old so my expectations were low for my dining experience. They met my expectations and over the course of the next 4 years exceeded them. We became passholders and on average traveled to Disney 6-7 times a year. We dined pretty much everywhere we could. It was a good value for he price. This was Pre-Covid. I did notice post covid that certain things slipped.

I just can't attribute that all to Disney. I live in Charleston and for years enjoyed dining at all the foodie spots as well as the spots that the locals go to. Everything is not as good as it used to be and its twice as much now when you qualify the benefit vs the reward relatively. When my friends come into town now, I don't hype it up to eat out because you simply can't feel good about a $250 seafood tower..

 

[DisneyDillyDally]

Good ponts. We have been to WDW enough time to know where to avoid so we are rarely disappointed. Flying Fish was the last disappointment due to the cost. Regulars are Sanaa, Jiko, California Grill (haven't been since they went Prix Fixe), and Brown Derby. Fast food options are OK for a meal and we buy breakfast food on the way from the airport.

Might try Sanaa tomorrow - haven’t been in years.

 

[DisneyDillyDally]

I just can't attribute that all to Disney. … Everything is not as good as it used to be and its twice as much now when you qualify the benefit vs the reward relatively. When my friends come into town now, I don't hype it up to eat out because you simply can't feel good about a $250 seafood tower..

Agree completely with this - it’s not just Disney restaurants.

 

[Anthony1971]

When I stay at the Poly, I like to go to Gasparilla Grill for the bacon egg and cheese croissant sandwich with tater tots. Yummy! Captain cooks is one of my least favorite quick service places. I am happier, taking the monorail to Grand Floridian or Contemporary.

Years ago Cat Cook was good recent years (at least 6) and now it is not good. I love the Poly stayed at GF last year and staying there again this year really because I enjoyed sitting at Gasparilla for breakfast it is good.
TOPIC Disney Breakfast is not good unless it is fresh unfortunately most CS are not. Gasparilla and Mara at AKL (although its been a while) were always good BECAUSE it is made fresh. Every other deluxe CS we have eaten at has not been for breakfast. Some have decent lunch/Dinner however with Capt Cook still at the bottom only above the Beach Club.

 

[Nancyg56]

Good synopsis.

I was 44 years old before I realized that Disney World was also for Adults. I hadn't been since I was 8 years old and I was taking my early 30's wife and my 5 year old so my expectations were low for my dining experience. They met my expectations and over the course of the next 4 years exceeded them. We became passholders and on average traveled to Disney 6-7 times a year. We dined pretty much everywhere we could. It was a good value for he price. This was Pre-Covid. I did notice post covid that certain things slipped.

I just can't attribute that all to Disney. I live in Charleston and for years enjoyed dining at all the foodie spots as well as the spots that the locals go to. Everything is not as good as it used to be and its twice as much now when you qualify the benefit vs the reward relatively. When my friends come into town now, I don't hype it up to eat out because you simply can't feel good about a $250 seafood tower..

My husband just says "There must be a shortage" every time we are a tad surprised b the cost vs the entree size or quality. It is everywhere indeed. We tend to go to the places that serve quality items and we just deal with the prices. If the cost is not worth the experience, we dont go back.

Lets just say that Easter brunch in Mystic was an eye opener. over $500 with the tip for 5 of us, and it was just okay. Good thing I liked my mimosa.

 

[cruising spud]

I don't think it would be incorrect to say that most people who vacation at Disney, believe the trip is expensive. I also believe I would be correct in saying that even the people who can easily afford a Disney vacation believe the trip is expensive.

The OP mentioned food. I would agree that for the cost of a Disney meal, there is absolutely no "bang for your buck." AND, I don't believe this was always the case. I think that the dining plan led to a decline in variety and to a lesser degree, quality. Throw in huge increases in pricing over the past several years, and yes, I can see the OP's point. Although, I would not say the food is terrible, I would also not say the food, in your average Disney restaurant, is fabulous either.

BUT, you can also say the same thing for the Disney hotel experience. Compared to real world prices, none of the hotels are "worth the cost."

The same for souvenirs, and any other darn thing you find in Disney World.

So, when we go to Disney, I do my best to enjoy the experience and not think too much about the money. (Note-I TRY not to think about the money ).

 

[NYCgrrl]

Good ponts. We have been to WDW enough time to know where to avoid so we are rarely disappointed. Flying Fish was the last disappointment due to the cost. Regulars are Sanaa, Jiko, California Grill (haven't been since they went Prix Fixe), and Brown Derby. Fast food options are OK for a meal and we buy breakfast food on the way from the airport.

Sorry to hear that about FF and I realize that sometimes a venue can cross an imaginary line and it is what it is. That seems to be the current case for you but not for me; one of the best restaurants on property for me still and I don’t think the menu price differential between it and Brown Derby is that far apart.

Agree with your other choices wholeheartedly.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Lets just say that Easter brunch in Mystic was an eye opener. over $500 with the tip for 5 of us, and it was just okay. Good thing I liked my mimosa.

Just wondering where you dined in Mystic? Always looking for recommendations in that area.

 

[Instagramhusband]

BUT, you can also say the same thing for the Disney hotel experience. Compared to real world prices, none of the hotels are "worth the cost."

The same for souvenirs, and any other darn thing you find in Disney World.

So, when we go to Disney, I do my best to enjoy the experience and not think too much about the money. (Note-I TRY not to think about the money ).

I mean its all relative. IF you look at any of the top American tourist destinations, everything is out of whack. The social media hype game is ruining the bargains that used to exist. My wife and I used go to a little known town and stay at a great small hotel that was walking distance to boating, fishing, and great little restuarants. It was socheap, we made it an annual deal. Four years later the prices doubled on the hotel and the place is over run. By contrast, I went to Puerto Rico for a week and stayed a great resort property on the ocean for half of what I would spend to go to a comparable resort in Myrtle Beach.

 

[Nancyg56]

Just wondering where you dined in Mystic? Always looking for recommendations in that area.

We ate twice at the Jealous Monk. The girls really liked it. The food was good and a little different, and the atmosphere was fun. The prices were reasonable.

We got dessert at The Irons located in the Mystic Hilton. The cookie skillet was the best one of the three. So good! The wine was nice. Prices were hotel prices. I also ordered Mac and Cheese to go for one of the girls because she did not eat dinner, but she hated it. I think she was not hungry and did not want to tell me, so she said it was awful.

My granddaughter likes Charter One (I think that is what it is called) a lot. I can ask her where else she likes. She lives not too far away and likes the area.

We did not venture too far from the hotel. The weather was not nice so we explored the shops next door to the aquarium. The aquarium food was expensive. Next time I am packing enough to get us through the visit and then we are getting dinner o lunch out. I bought a grandparent pass because I can take the girls a few more times and maybe meet Kady.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Disney food, when you compare it to food at the ball park ($7.75 for a hot dog at a Padres game) or food at the fair, or food at tourist traps is reasonably priced. Of course it's more expensive than your average restaurant in Kalamazoo. But that's because it's in Disney rather than Kalamazoo. If you're truly looking for gourmet dining, you're not going to find it at Disney. V and As is about the best they offer. But why should you expect to? They have on average, over 150,000 mouths to feed a day. You're simply not going to logistically do that with exclusively 3 Michelin Star dining. But what you will find imo is decent to good food that compares imo favorably to other tourist traps.



$21 at a Dodger's game. HAHA.

 

[dreynolds1982]

I just can't attribute that all to Disney. I live in Charleston and for years enjoyed dining at all the foodie spots as well as the spots that the locals go to. Everything is not as good as it used to be and its twice as much now when you qualify the benefit vs the reward relatively. When my friends come into town now, I don't hype it up to eat out because you simply can't feel good about a $250 seafood tower..

I live in Charleston too and have now for going on 20+ years and yup, I agree 100%. Eating downtown is wildly expensive and the food is good but WAY overhyped (most of the time). We tend to stick to the places near us in Mt P and DT is a very occasional "treat." It's what I try to tell people when talking about how expensive Disney is. It ain't just Disney, believe me!

And back to the topic, the breakfast thing is probably our biggest trick for saving on food. If it's a long trip, we might do one "fun" breakfast on a non-park day. Like our trip coming up in May we're doing brunch at Olivia's and breakfast at Whispering Canyon. But the rest of the time, we pick up protein bars and bananas/yogurt or something similar pre-trip to have in the room before we head out. Not only does this save a TON of money, but time as well. And we're eating so much food the rest of the trip, we don't really miss it.

Also, for MK, it has the worst selection of food (especially QS) of all the parks IMO. So we'll leave the park, hop on the monorail, and go to somewhere like Kona Cafe or something similar for lunch. Nice break from the crowds, no more expensive, and better quality.

 

[GrumpyInPhilly]

Disney food, when you compare it to food at the ball park ($7.75 for a hot dog at a Padres game) or food at the fair, or food at tourist traps is reasonably priced. Of course it's more expensive than your average restaurant in Kalamazoo. But that's because it's in Disney rather than Kalamazoo. If you're truly looking for gourmet dining, you're not going to find it at Disney. V and As is about the best they offer. But why should you expect to? They have on average, over 150,000 mouths to feed a day. You're simply not going to logistically do that with exclusively 3 Michelin Star dining. But what you will find imo is decent to good food that compares imo favorably to other tourist traps.

View attachment 854488

$21 at a Dodger's game. HAHA.

Holy smokes!

 

[DisneyDillyDally]

View attachment 854488

$21 at a Dodger's game. HAHA.

yikes!

 

[skier_pete]

The irony is I think in 2024 is a better "value" food-wise than it was 5 years ago as prices have gone up massively elsewhere and in many entertainment environments. I am not saying their prices are GOOD, but in terms of what you get, they are better than prices in many major cities and in general in most other entertainment venues (I am thinking other amusement and entertainment venues.)

I also disagree that Disney food is wholly terrible. There are restaurants and meals that are bad for certain (And quite honestly they rake you over the coals for the buffets both in quality and price.), but each park has restaurants both QS and TS that are of good quality. Even MK. My biggest complaint of Disney foods out of the pandemic is the restaurant menus have lost a lot of variety with often the choices of entrees limited to maybe 6-8 items, such that some restaurants I won't bother with because of the menu limitations.

There's even options out there that aren't overly expensive if you look for them. We ended up last trip deciding on a last minute meal at Ale and Compass, and we all had delicious meals in the $25 per person price range which I think is more than reasonable for a entertainment resort meal.

 

[Pdollar88]

Why did I click this post? Nothing I contribute will change any opinions.

I’m literally centering my entire Disney vacation plans around where I’m eating.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Why did I click this post? Nothing I contribute will change any opinions.

I’m literally centering my entire Disney vacation plans around where I’m eating.

Enjoy your meals!!

 

[_19disnA]

Well unless this is someone's first ever trip to Disney, I guess I don't see what the issue is. If you have been there before and find that none of the food is what appeals to you, then it seems you wouldn't return. All of the menus and prices are posted on the official Disney website.

 

[lowlight]

Well unless this is someone's first ever trip to Disney, I guess I don't see what the issue is. If you have been there before and find that none of the food is what appeals to you, then it seems you wouldn't return. All of the menus and prices are posted on the official Disney website.

You heard em boys, close the Disboards down, we don’t need none of this deeescussion stuff!