Having a hard time staying excited after reading so many terrible reviews on here

While planning, I often find myself trying to find the absolute most perfect ADRs but eventually end up reminding myself that the places we've tried and loved are sometimes hated by other people. :confused3

When my kids were little, Chef Mickey was a must. The food was always fine and we saw Mickey without waiting in line. That's why we went. They're older now and not very interested in characters so the price sticks out way too much for us.

We like CRT because it's......the......castle! Food has always been good. Service was always fantastic.

We love BOG. In before the park opens, good food and it's a castle! Not much service to be had because it's not really needed but during our last trip, more than a couple cast members seemed annoyed to have people there so early. Won't stop us from going back!

Epcot:
We love the fish and chips stand but tried Rose and Crown this last time. Had the scotch egg appetizer and the fish and chips. So good! DH had a beer (Harp) and I had the Magical Star Cocktail. Love the atmosphere and the service was great. All other eating in Epcot is done while snacking around the world.
 
Try not to get too wrapped up in the experiences others have had and instead, look forward to your own! I just returned from a large group event an all-inclusive resort and I found that I was way better off not keeping up with the play-by-play others were offering in the event's FB group because I almost immediately applied it to my own experience and it sometimes made me question why I wasn't seeing things the same way. Instead, I decided to keep my own good vibes rolling!

Keeping an open mind to what may happen that isn't what you expect or isn't as ideal as it can be helps to roll with the punches and have a great trip even when things aren't perfect. Keep looking forward to what you planned, it's what YOU want to do!
 
If the menu and/ or experience appeal to you & your family go,ahead and give it a try. That is what we have done. There are places that get great reviews whose menus don't appeal to us so I don't book. I use other's reviews as a way to see if there is a place we are missing that we might like.
 
Honestly keep ur expectations realistic. Know that Disney feeds a lot of people therefore it is more like banquet wedding food than a small neighborhood restaurant. Food prices can be high compared to what u you get and what u are used to paying at home. Buffet food is just that and not something I am interested in at any price point. With that said i have enjoyed many meals. Go with an open mind and enjoy
 


We loved our stay at the Poly, and we stayed there in the middle of construction!! We will be there again this August, we honestly don't want to stay anywhere else. It's a beautiful, relaxing resort with wonderful staff.....you will love it! Like a few others said here, you have to experience it for yourself. Everyone has their own preferences and I'm always of the mind set not to expect absolute perfection, because no one and no experience is perfect. But I guess not everyone is that roll with the flow type either. We've also never had a bad experience at Ohana and it is our must do every trip.
 
I think that some people see a $30 entree and they think it will be fabulous. And sometimes it is, but most of the time it is not fabulous. BUT, as you mention, you are paying for more than the food. You are paying for the atmosphere and the convenience of being at a theme park (or near a theme park) and not wasting time going somewhere else.

We have eaten at San Angel and the atmosphere is wonderful and the convenience of being at Epcot is great. The kids' meals were a notch above the kids' meals at other WDW restaurants. I don't think the food was fabulous but it was good and we enjoyed it and would eat there again.
 
Just go enjoy yourself. Reviews can be helpful but they are not meant to be rules. I can personally tell you that I was on the fence about San Angel the first time we ate there but I wanted the atmosphere also. The food was just fine. Not my best steak meal but a perfectly good Mexican meal with the beautiful view that I wanted. Of course I have been there so now we will try the Hacienda instead this time. Oh I would love to get to stay at the Poly!! Have a wonderful trip!
 


Try not to read too much into reviews on here. It's so much about personal preference. I don't love BOG and so many others do, but I really like San Angel Inn and it gets a bad rap. i always go into ADR's with an open mind and honestly, kind of low expectations. The restaurants are feeding so many people, it's just not going to be a like a five star restaurant at home. I'm always hoping for a nice server and a decent food.
 
First: there's a lot of personal differences on here. For example, I've seen some people say Yachtsman Steakhouse isn't very good yet it's my favorite restaurant ever.

The food at CRT isn't bad in my opinion.

MK favorites: Liberty Tree Tavern (it's amazing.) BOG for lunch.

Epcot: Garden Grill, Rose & Crown (it's inexpensive too!)

Don't let all the negative reviews bother you - yes some of them are rooted in truth - but reviews are like advice, not the Gospel.

I ate at Chef Mickey's in December and it wasn't bad - it just wasn't as good as others, such as Cape May and 1900 PF. But it's great to meet the Fab 5.

Take a step back and Enjoy your trip! You're going to Disney!
 
Just when I'm super excited about getting some hard to get ADRs for our April trip, I keep coming across horrible rants about all of the restaurants and our resort (polynesian). It's hard to stay excited because no matter what I research it seems everyone says the food is horrid.

I don't care if the food at CRT is bad, we're there for the magic of the castle since it's our 6 yo dd's first time and she loves princesses. We're also doing Ohana dinner when we arrive at Poly, Chef Mickey which literally everyone on this board hates but it's fab 5 and super early breakfast so fits our schedule well and a trip on the monorail from poly to con. which will be fun for dd. Ohana best friends breakfast on departure day which people seem to think is ok.

But one dinner I was looking forward to was San Angel Inn (the atmosphere looks so cool) and the consensus here is that it's so so to terrible. We're on the dining plan and using 2 credits on CRT and spent the rest on Ohana dinner and breakfast and Chef Mickey so we don't have hundreds to spend on high priced dinners the rest of the time. It's just frustrating because since booking the Poly I'm having doubts there too because people are saying it's overdue for a renovation, worn down, not super clean, etc. We're spending so much money on this trip and I'm going to work hard on managing my expectations. I don't need incredible food, but don't want terrible food either (especially for the meals we will be paying out of pocket for like San Angel Inn). I'm trying to snag a BOG lunch via res finder.

I'm not a complainy person but it's annoying me that WDW is so expensive and has the know how to build such great rides, but they can't seem to get it right with their deluxe resorts (except maybe the floridian) and what seems to be 99% of their dining (and their MDE app is glitchy and sounds like their whole ADR ressie system sucks too). I mean, how hard can this all be for them? A deluxe resort at disney should be equal to a deluxe hotel in Chicago or NY. Disney has the money and resources to do it right, so why don't they?

This is what I need:
I LOVE good atmosphere, beautifully themed
Good service (doesn't have to be amazing but can't suck either)
Good food (doesn't have to be amazing but can't suck either)

What are your absolute faves in MK and Epcot for a family of 3 with a 6 yo daughter?
I was getting discouraged as well until I read other online reviews. Go to the typical review websites, and I promise you that you will find outstanding reviews for the very same restaurants being criticized profusely.
 
Don't worry! You will love some places, like some others and choose not to return to others, based on YOUR experience. We tried Mama Melrose (had the F! dinner). It was the absolute worst meal we have ever had at WDW. I have seen other posters list it as their must do for every trip. We either caught a really bad night or we just are used to very different Italian food. In the large scheme, it was one meal of TS for 8 days. I'm a decent cook and I know not everything I make would make everyone happy. Go into each meal planning for a good experience-whether the meal itself, the ambiance or the pleasure of spending a relaxing time with your family adding to your memories of the trip.
 
Just when I'm super excited about getting some hard to get ADRs for our April trip, I keep coming across horrible rants about all of the restaurants and our resort (polynesian). It's hard to stay excited because no matter what I research it seems everyone says the food is horrid.

I don't care if the food at CRT is bad, we're there for the magic of the castle since it's our 6 yo dd's first time and she loves princesses. We're also doing Ohana dinner when we arrive at Poly, Chef Mickey which literally everyone on this board hates but it's fab 5 and super early breakfast so fits our schedule well and a trip on the monorail from poly to con. which will be fun for dd. Ohana best friends breakfast on departure day which people seem to think is ok.

But one dinner I was looking forward to was San Angel Inn (the atmosphere looks so cool) and the consensus here is that it's so so to terrible. We're on the dining plan and using 2 credits on CRT and spent the rest on Ohana dinner and breakfast and Chef Mickey so we don't have hundreds to spend on high priced dinners the rest of the time. It's just frustrating because since booking the Poly I'm having doubts there too because people are saying it's overdue for a renovation, worn down, not super clean, etc. We're spending so much money on this trip and I'm going to work hard on managing my expectations. I don't need incredible food, but don't want terrible food either (especially for the meals we will be paying out of pocket for like San Angel Inn). I'm trying to snag a BOG lunch via res finder.

I'm not a complainy person but it's annoying me that WDW is so expensive and has the know how to build such great rides, but they can't seem to get it right with their deluxe resorts (except maybe the floridian) and what seems to be 99% of their dining (and their MDE app is glitchy and sounds like their whole ADR ressie system sucks. too). I mean, how hard can this all be for them? A deluxe resort at disney should be equal to a deluxe hotel in Chicago or NY. Disney has the money and resources to do it right, so why don't they?

This is what I need:
I LOVE good atmosphere, beautifully themed
Good service (doesn't have to be amazing but can't suck either)
Good food (doesn't have to be amazing but can't suck either)

What are your absolute faves in MK and Epcot for a family of 3 with a 6 yo daughter?
CRT is very nice. So is Ohana. We've enjoyed meals at San Angel Inn and Chef Mickey's. "Everyone on these boards" does not hate Chef Mickey's or look down on these other restaurants. A few vocal posters do. Ignore them.

I've never had a really bad meal at WDW.
 
ONe more thing about a deluxe experience at a deluxe hotel/restaurant in Chicago vs at WDW. There are 10s of thousands of people staying at Disney's hotels, 10s of thousands eating at Disney's restaurants, and 10s of thousands enjoying the parks *every day.* It's really not equivalent to a top hotel that may have only a fraction of Disney's guest at a time. Here are the number of rooms at each hotel. Walt Disney World Onsite Hotels - Number of Rooms - 30,843 Total. And, many units sleep 4-5, with some sleeping more than that. For example, Poly and villas have over 1200 rooms and they sleep 5. So, you can figure out how many people they are serving, not including those that go to enjoy the restaurants and bars.

I think a Disney does a great job given the volume. And we have always enjoyed the atmosphere, even in our last stay, when we went moderate.

https://touringplans.com/walt-disney-world/hotels/number-rooms
 
ONe more thing about a deluxe experience at a deluxe hotel/restaurant in Chicago vs at WDW. There are 10s of thousands of people staying at Disney's hotels, 10s of thousands eating at Disney's restaurants, and 10s of thousands enjoying the parks *every day.* It's really not equivalent to a top hotel that may have only a fraction of Disney's guest at a time. Here are the number of rooms at each hotel. Many units sleep 4-5, with some sleeping more than that. I think a Disney does a great job given the volume. And we have always enjoyed the atmosphere, even in our last stay, when we went moderate.

https://touringplans.com/walt-disney-world/hotels/number-rooms

This a good point. At the same time however, I feel like I should be able to expect a certain standard of quality and service for what we're all typically paying for, and it's not always the case. The last dinner I bought (for 2) at Disney, I payed $200+ for. The last lunch, $100+. If I can at all benefit from some of the experiences of others, it's something I appreciate. Typically, I pay less attention to what others might say is "good" or "bad", and more to actual descriptions of what they encountered.
 
I feel you on this. There isn't a guarantee for any of it and for the money most people spend we want that guarantee. We want to know what's consistently good. And because of that, when it's not perfect, you get a lot of complaints like we see here. If you go read Trip Advisor reports most of them are positive with the restaurants you named routinely getting 4 or 4.5 stars. Stay confident in your decisions. You're working hard to give you family a good trip, and it will be great!
 
Well my daughter loves San angel Inn. Seriously it is a not to be missed restaurant for her. I have never had a problem with my food there either although they did get rid of my favorite dish. This summer I will be trying something else there when we go. I wouldn’t worry about reviews. Everyone has different tastes plus on any given day at any given restaurant service or meals can suck even if it is fine most of the time. Eat where u want to eat. Have fun. Don’t worry.
 
Ok thank you SO much everyone, really. I feel 100% better and will heed all of your advice! I remember 7 years ago we stayed at the grand hotel on mackinac island and loved it so much. i had read similar scathing reviews on trip advisor of people complaining about it being in need of Reno, and the food being poor and we couldn't have disagreed more. It makes me so much better to hear this is probably going to be similar. Thank you!!! Back to being excited and grateful we get to make this happen. And thankful to you awesome peeps here ❤️
 
While I can't speak for CRT or Chef Mickey, I can speak for San Angel Inn. I LOVE the atmosphere (ask for a table by the water, if possible), and I love that it feels like you're eating outside but you're actually inside. That's a definite plus if you need a break from the heat or rain. My DH and I also thought the food was very good and filling (and I grew up in SoCal).

In my opinion, when it comes to CRT or Chef Mickey's, you're paying for the experience of dining there. So, if you think it's worth the money, then by all means, DO IT! It will make for wonderful memories.

As for the Poly, while I haven't stayed there, I have visited it, and found it to be very visually appealing, clean, and just an overall beauty of a hotel. The reason it looks dated is because many tv shows and movies featured Hawaii in the 1970s (Brady Bunch, lol) so perhaps that's what makes people think it looks outdated? I lived in Hawaii for two years, and can say that the Poly is very reminiscent of many of the authentic historical buildings.
 
I have some new ADRs this trip (BOG, Skipper Canteen, Coral Reef). Coral Reef is one of those that gets trashed frequently in reviews. Don’t care. I live in Iowa. I am not used to fabulous seafood nd think the place looks fun and the food will be good to me. Beef is another story. There’s fabulous beef here in the land of feedlots, so I avoid steakhouses in Disney. Doesn’t mean a lot of people don’t find them super tasty.

I ate in the castle once. The food was beautiful. The princesses were awesome. I don’t remember how the food tasted. Evidently, I had no complaints, but it wasn’t great enough to remember. Doesn’t matter. I was there for the experience, and I feel like I got a good value.

You’re going to have a wonderful time at the places you’ve selected.
 

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