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

We’ve eaten at all the restaurants you mentioned except Ohana and all were good. Not fine dining good. Not great place in major metropolitan area good but good enough. I think Chef Mickeys is good enough. The food was very hit or miss but the great thing about a buffet - go back and get more of the hits. We liked San Angel Inn and the location is great. We like the food at CRT (although found potion sizes were smaller last year). The places you mention have great characters or theming and decent food. I’m sure you’ll enjoy, if not all of them, at least some of them and they will be an experience.

We liked the Poly.

As for the accommodations being on par with Chicago for the price I don't think that is fair. The rides and attractions at WDW are better than the rides in Chicago. :)

Hey now! Navy Pier has a Ferris wheel! :duck:
 
We did San Angel Inn about a year ago. I enjoyed it. Loved the atmosphere and the food was good. We've also stayed at the Poly, it's a beautiful resort. We love 'Ohana's, it's a must do every trip. I've also been to CRT and Chef Mickey's. Love them both, can't tell you much about the food, it was fine, we ate, but the atmosphere with the characters and being in the castle puts it over the top for me. You'll be at Disney, it's all good.
 
don't relay on the postings on any forum. As pp have said any restaurant will be on a a list that is either the best or the worst. If you want some direction look at the reviews from google searches such as trip advisor or others. An ex is 1 commentator from the Disunplugged hates a number of dining locations but through tripadvisor it has 1000's that rate 3 or 4 stars. Go and try it yourself
 
I don't care if the food at CRT is bad,
If it helps i think most of the reviews i have heard/read/watched pretty much note that the food at CRT is good, BUT what you are paying the food isn't worth it. But in the eyes of your kids -- it will be a priceless experience. So yes do it once and then decide if it will be worth it for other trips.

San Angel Inn
The atmostphere in there is very unique, but that is one that i would be hesitant to book. Just as you noted food is expensive so i would actually just choose a QS and if you really want to dine in san angel maybe just do a drink and an app, but to spend all that money and have it be worse that "frozen dinner" (which is what it has been described as), I would walk out being very disappointed. You are also there during flower and garden -- there are so many amazing food options all around that we are choosing to cancel some Epcot reservations because we want to feast around the world.

don't have hundreds to spend on high priced dinners the rest of the time.
It is very expensive at WDW- really is so inflated from what we are usually accustom to.

What are your absolute faves in MK and Epcot for a family of 3 with a 6 yo daughter?
At MK Crystal palace is a great one with the pooh, tigger etc characters -- food is good as well as the characters. Pecos bill is a great QS location - you can order mexican style food and then they have a toppings bar so you can really enhance your meal.

At epcot garden grill was a cute character meal and the restaurant itself is neat as it turns around the Land ride.

Just try to relax, soak up this trip with your family,
 


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 ❤️
That needs a reno just because the decor is so ugly lol. Red and green Christmasy lobby? No thanks lol
 
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?

You have to take negative dining reviews with a grain of salt. Everyone has different tastes.

Chef Mickeys is definitely an experience everyone should try at least once. Is the food 5 star gourmet? Absolutely not. But it's not terrible either, and there should be something for everyone. You cannot beat having the opportunity to meet the Fab 5 all in one place without having to wait in a bunch of meet and greet lines.

I also have to take a moment to give a shout out to San Angel Inn, one of my favorite Epcot restaurants. The theming is so unique-it is completely worth the wait to request a table by the water. The service is wonderful everytime we go. I've had several different food there and all was good. Is it the best Mexican food I've ever had? No, but we had no complaints.

My favorite MK restaurants are:
Crystal Palace (breakfast or dinner)
Be Our Guest (lunch or dinner)
The Plaza

As for Epcot, I've honestly never had a bad meal there!
I guess I would say try for Akershus. We just took my 5 year old and 3 year old there and they loved it. I was very impressed with the character interaction. Food was absolutely delicious as well!
I would also suggest Garden Grill. Again food was great, and my kids loved the character interaction!Biergarten is fun if your kids like live music and dancing.
 
Ohana dinner is a must do for us, as is Be Our Guest lunch. We have also really enjoyed Crystal Palace breakfast and Garden Grill lunch/dinner. Akershus was also good. We had a nice meal at CRT, no complaints. If you're worried about San Angel, you could swap for Garden Grill or Akershus and eat quick service in Mexico. We had a great lunch there and would absolutely go back. In all our trips, I can't say that we've had a really terrible meal. We were a bit disappointed with The Wave in November. It was good, but it seems to get consistently good reviews, so I think I had higher expectations. For us, Ohana was the best food on property, hands down. Have an open mind, relax, and enjoy!
 


Stayed at the Poly in December and was genuinely sad when we had to pick up and move to AKL for the rest of our split stay, as far as I am concerned the resort is still magic. While we were there we ate at both Ohana and Kona and had great food and experiences at both.

At Ohana my nephew(5) loved the coconut races and they were also going to do hula lessons but we left before they did.

When we went in September we went to Chef Mickey's, I have to be honest and was absolutely dreading it because of everything I had read but I wanted to be able to do character dining and we were staying at CR so I made the reservation. We had a great time, my father who is not a disney person said it was the best meal of the whole trip, seeing my nephews so excited to see the fab 5, they asked all the characters what items of the buffet they cooked and each one told them something different. Was the food something I would rave about no but what I had was good, and the staff there was awesome.

We went to CRT during the December trip as well and it will go down as the best meal we have ever had on Disney property, the food was good, but the atmosphere the princesses and watching the fireworks out of the castle windows are the things that Disney dreams are made of.

We have had been to San Angel Inn a few times and have had decent meals there every time, however it has usually been for a smaller lunch and mainly cocktails. If you are looking at options for TS at Epcot with a 6 year old I would suggest Garden Grill or Coral Reef, both I have personally had great experiences with but has not been reviewed well here.

My personal Disney philosophy is to lead with kindness in all that I do and how I interact with everyone and to expect nothing good or bad because no 2 disney trips are the same ever. For example one of the QS restaurants that is always spoken highly of is Columbia harbour House and when we went in December I had the worst Disney dining experience I have ever had, and I once had an entire tray of milk spilled on me at the Plaza. Pick what look good to you based on the menu and the setting and go from there let your experience be your experience and don't let the reviews convince you otherwise.
 
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?

In MK, especially on a budget/paying OOP, we love the Plaza. We've had nothing but good food and service there, the portions are large enough to share, and the desserts are fabulous. It is nothing exotic or exciting, but it has a lovely small-town atmosphere that fits perfectly on Main Street.

Personally, I'd ditch CRT in favor of Akershus in Epcot to see the princesses. We've done both and even with the castle location going for it we didn't feel like CRT lived up to the hype or the signature status, but we all really enjoyed Akershus. Plus that would open up another credit to use elsewhere, since Akershus is one credit rather than two.

Also in Epcot, we adore Spice Road Table. The food is a little less Americanized than some of the restaurants, which is a plus in our book, and the location and decor are charming. For service, Teppan Edo is hard to beat but if you have good teppanyaki restaurants in your area the food is nothing special. We've always enjoyed it, but it ceased to be a must-do when we got a good Japanese restaurant nearby.

I'd also suggest taking reviews with a grain of salt across the board. People are far more vocal with complaints than with praise and tastes can vary widely, and with long-time Disney fans there's a certain aspect of comparing the current state of things to "glory days" of the past that shades pretty much everything with a touch of disappointment.

FWIW, we adored our stay at the Poly. It is the only deluxe we've tried that I'd really like to stay at again someday. Between the atmosphere, the unique dining options (you might want to check out Trader Sam's or the patio bar for an OOP meal), the hula lessons and live music and torch lighting, and the lush landscaping (and the view from the hot tub!), it really felt a notch above even the other deluxes we've stayed at. Would I put it on par with a 5-star resort in a major city? No. But that doesn't make it less beautiful or less relaxing.
 
Well I think the other posters pretty much have it covered.

This place can make you NUTS. I will tell you my other theory on it too... people who go very often are going to get more "misses" than people who don't go very much. A lot of complaints I see are how people go back to the same places year after year and it's just not as good anymore. I think things lose their luster from overuse personally. Disney restaurants ARE expensive for what you get foodwise so if you go too much I think the magic can start to fade a bit too.

one example is coral reef. It gets universally bad reviews on the DIS and is one of my old favorites. I never book it 2 trips in a row as there are other things I want to do but I always stress that it has gone WAY downhill and I always go and have a great meal. And I know people like to qualify their statements with the fact that they are a "foodie" as if that makes their opinion more valid. I love food, I love to cook and I have made some very complex and difficult dishes myself. But sometimes great atmosphere and tasty is just fine by me, every meal doesn't have to be earth shattering.

I also have San Angel Inn booked for my upcoming trip because my kid was begging to go there after Coco. The reviews are decent since that company that also runs the Hacienda de San Angel took over it and the quick service... both the cantina and the Inn now get a lot better reviews than they used to. Lunch has some cheaper options than dinner so maybe go then so it's not so much of an investment. I might just get an app and a margarita myself!
 
What anyone thinks is great food, a wonderful hotel or an amazing attraction is so subjective. Everyone has different tastes & preferences. I happen to personally think the Disney deluxe hotels are just great & the level of service is fine. I don't expect the concierge to get me into a booked restaurant. I know that's not how it works at Disney. And I know I am paying the premium price for location as much as service.

As for food, again, everyone likes different things. We are plain meat & potatoes people. Lots of people like Skipper Canteen but we won't even try it because I know we wouldn't like the food & seasonings. People here put down the food at Sci Fi all the time. We love the burgers & atmosphere.

I'd say pick what you think your family will like & stick with it. You will always find someone to agree with your opinion & someone who will disagree. You know your family & what they will enjoy best. Don't let other people's opinions effect your vacation. Have a great trip!
 
All of your choices sound great to me. If you take too much advice from this site on food, you'll end up driving around looking for a McDonalds. I ate at Ohana and San Angel last month and they are both still great IMO. Go in and expect mediocre theme park food and you'll probably be pleasantly surprised. I'm with you, It's more about atmosphere. PS I went to Chef Mickey's reluctantly because of reviews on here and in all honesty, it was as good as any other place I've eaten at Disney. Nothing at all made it stand out at horrible like everyone says.
 
We LOVED San Angel when we ate there in 2016. The atmosphere is beautiful & the food was terrific...and the green salsa? SO GOOD!!
You will get a ton of different opinions about EVERYTHING here...
Usually on the same thread.
OMG yes! The green salsa! I forgot about that! I would go just for that. I was soooo disappointed this trip because they took the Pollo ala rajas off the menu! That was my go to meal! The waitress said everyone was complaining about that. ugh!
 
we eat at Kona and Ohana every trip...you will be fine! I stopped reading the reviews a while ago. Both are great spots and a lot of fun.

Enjoy!!

We check into the poly on 1/20...our first night we are eating at Kona and last night we will be at Ohana!
 
Just remember, people are more likely to post the negative than the positive.
I made this mistake before our honeymoon, read a ton of review about our resort in Mexico and I was so nervous. But people complained about the silliest things! There was no air on the bus--ok that's normal in Mexico and didn't both us! There was a black cat outside of our room one night--ok, your point?
So take it all with a grain of salt. Your vacation will be what you make of it!
 
Just remember, people are more likely to post the negative than the positive.
I made this mistake before our honeymoon, read a ton of review about our resort in Mexico and I was so nervous. But people complained about the silliest things! There was no air on the bus--ok that's normal in Mexico and didn't both us! There was a black cat outside of our room one night--ok, your point?
So take it all with a grain of salt. Your vacation will be what you make of it!
OMG you just made me think of all of the reviews on Amazon! I WISH I had a dollar for every person that complained about the SMELL of a product when hey opened it. I can't for the life of me figure out how the smell of something new that has been in packaging and shipping affects the way it works? I get soooo irritated over that! People would actually give pillows and mattresses a lower star rating because of the smell of off gassing when unpackaged!!! These same people probably have a problem with new car smell as well.:rolleyes:
 
OMG you just made me think of all of the reviews on Amazon! I WISH I had a dollar for every person that complained about the SMELL of a product when hey opened it. I can't for the life of me figure out how the smell of something new that has been in packaging and shipping affects the way it works? I get soooo irritated over that! People would actually give pillows and mattresses a lower star rating because of the smell of off gassing when unpackaged!!! These same people probably have a problem with new car smell as well.:rolleyes:

lol EXACTLY. I think people just have very unrealistic expectations sometimes. I even have to laugh a little when people pick up on every little tear and chipping paint in some of the Disney resort rooms. I probably wouldn't even notice it, much less look for it. But that's just my personality. I have a friend who is very OCD and would likely notice all of those things and it would have a negative impact on her vacation.
My husband and I (as well as our kids) have always been very go with the flow type of people. Not much bothers us. That's probably a good thing when it comes to a WDW vacation!

I will say, the only thing that drives me batty is flying Southwest and the boarding process. Makes me crazy--I feel like they are herding cattle!
 
We stayed at the Poly last August OP and I have zero complaints about our stay.

As far as negative reviews, I have learned in my many years on these type of boards that everything is subjective and there isn’t a one size fits all for any aspect of a Disney vacation.

We have resigned ourselves to a try anything once attitude and decide for ourselves.
 
"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 just canceled our CRT adr and switched to Akershus to save a dining credit. Princesses are princesses and our granddaughter will be thrilled to meet them! We decided to save our 2 credit meal for something the adults actually want to experience! In this case, Yachtsman (the only signature we've never experienced). Now everyone is excited for their meal and the granddaughter won't know the difference! Is CRT more for you or a child? I understand spending the credits if it's something that YOU long to experience. We are very happy with our choice now that we will experience the signature meal that makes the adults in the party happy!
 
The fact that people are more willing to post scathing negative reviews than positive ones can't be stressed enough. We ate a CRT breakfast on our last trip. My wife and I have both eaten at a significant # of fine dining restaruants and shared the same opinion, food was good, service was great, atmosphere was fantastic. We enjoyed it enough that we are considering going back so I our DD3 can have the same experience that our now DD6 had previously. And as my wife would be happy to tell you, I am cheap and won't spend that kind of money on breakfast lightly.:tigger:
 

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