Originally Posted By smoaky I wanted to comment on Ariel's Grotto. It was the most terrible food experience I have ever had! EEEWWW the food was gross, my husband and I got the chicken pot pie and my kids got mac & cheese and chicken strips. We hardly ate anything. We did get all the princess autographs and pictures that we just couldn't seem to get inside Disneyland park, but boy, that was the one and only good thing I can say about that place. Plus, we had to wait an hour past our reservation time, because as the hostess said, "We only take priority seating, not reservations." Which I guess means we get seated before walk ups, but only if there is a table available. It was just a lousy time and the princesses were for sure assembly line! They ask your name, where you're from, can they sign your autograph book and do you want a picture. That's it. In my opinion, not worth the 87$ we spent there on dinner for 2 adults and 2 kids. Plus, they only serve meals that come with an appetizer, entree and dessert. No a la carte, which may not be a big deal for most people but my daughter didn't feel well and only wanted soup but I would have to pay the full dinner entree price for it (14$). That's an expensive cup of soup! My son only eats like a little bird and after a few bites of his soup appetizer, he was full but he still had two more courses to go! On the other hand, lunch at the Blue Bayou was wonderful! We got a waterfront table, but to be honest all the tables looked okay to me. My hubby had the short ribs and they were so tender and delicious! I had the monte cristo and it was good and all but, when all is said and done it's just a ham sandwich. But it was very cripsy and not greasy at all. The crab cake appetizer was out of this world! All in all we enjoyed it very much and it was only a few dollars more expensive than Ariel's Grotto, which made my husband very mad! He said he would have rather ate at Blue Bayou twice than waste money at Ariel's Grotto!
Originally Posted By cstephens I'm sorry to hear that you had a bad experience at Ariel's Grotto. I understand about paying for a full meal when your daughter only wanted soup, but some places do have a set menu without an a la carte option, so maybe you didn't know that before going there. Also, the price of the meal is also for the character experience, so maybe that's why they don't offer an a la carte option. Did you notify them that the food wasn't any good? That's always the best thing to do - if they don't know you're unhappy, there's nothing they can do to help you. /cs
Originally Posted By GoofBall Sorry about your bad experience smoaky. I hope you write a letter to DLR about it, I do think they appreciate any and all feedback. We've always had good luck at Ariels, through all the character changes and everything. We really like to sit outside and usually get seated right away. Yeah, its expensive but a dream for young girls who love those princesses and you can save time by getting them all in one place. I do think a menu change is well overdue here. Some new selections would be refreshing.
Originally Posted By dlkozy We ate at Ariel's once and that was enough for us too. I agree with you, Smoaky, I would rather eat at the BB too than waste my food $$ at Ariel's again!
Originally Posted By juicer "I had the monte cristo and it was good and all but, when all is said and done it's just a ham sandwich." I agree with you
Originally Posted By joeysmommy I'm so sad to hear about ariels's grotto. We have lunch ressies there our very first day. Maybe we should cancel? Does everyone in your group have to order? I would rather grab a quick bite elsewhere and let my kids order a kids meal.
Originally Posted By mamacita That's a bummer. We have always had really good luck at Ariel's but I have been reading some not so great reviews lately. We have done Ariel's the last 3 trips so we'll be skipping it this time. I agree, write a letter to the DLR.
Originally Posted By debtee Unfortunately we did not have nice food either at Ariel's when we were there at the beginning of this year. It was pretty bad! lol We just accepted the food wasn't great but went with the flow for the sake of getting autograph's and pix with the princess characters. They did spend a good amount of time with us talking and taking photo's, maybe they liked our Aussie accents? Ariel was Gorgeous and as she's Rachael's fav it was so worth seeing her face when meeting Ariel, Rach was speechless it was lovely, once Ariel knew she was the fav so to speak she spent even more time with us. As we were there at busy Christmastime, we think it was still better paying for a lousy lunch, then lining up for two or more of our precious hours in the park, I still believe we got more time with the characters at the lunch then in the park! I don't think we would do it again in the future, as we preferred the Lilo & Stitch breakfast and Goofy's kitchen!
Originally Posted By Inspector 57 <<I hope you write a letter to DLR about it, I do think they appreciate any and all feedback.>> As cstephens wrote, the more sensible thing would have been to notify them AT THE TIME that things were not acceptable. I'm sure they would have offered other dishes or corrected the bill. I also agree with cstephens that you're basically paying a "cover charge" for the entertainment in the room. It doesn't surprise or bother me that there's no way to get out of there without ordering a full meal. I've been there a couple times and had good food and fun with the characters each time. Expensive for what you get, yes, but... that's a character meal at a Disney Park. On the other hand, I totally agree with smoaky that the "priority seating" scam is outrageous. My last time at Ariel's we asked for a "reservation" and were given one. But when we returned and waited and waited and waited LONG past our reservation time, the hostess smilingly explained to us that we didn't REALLY have a reservation, we only had "priority seating." That policy is infuriating, dishonest, and definitely anti-magical. Now THAT, I think, is worth writing a letter about! I'm so glad your lunch at Blue Bayou was such a better experience, smoaky! (Then again, for $90-some for two adults and two kids, it should be good, eh?)
Originally Posted By liveforvacations I too was sorry to hear of your experience at Ariel's Grotto. We had the opposite experience the last time we were there. We really enjoyed our food at Ariels and love sitting outside by the water and found the princesses to be wonderful. On the other hand, we ate at the Blue Bayou for the first time and have to say we were disappointed. Our table was very close to the entrance so it really lacked the atmosphere. I didn't enjoy the Monte Cristo that I had looked so forward to after almost everyone raved about it and my husband said his Chicken Caesar was just a chicken caesar with a large price tag. We will return to Ariel's Grotto but probably not to the Blue Bayou! My understanding is that Disney only does "Priority Seating" and not reservations but we have been lucky everywhere but Goofy's Kitchen where we always have to wait at least 20 minutes. It just shows that each dining experience can be so different which is why it's so great to have these forums to get a good balance.
Originally Posted By mamacita It is so beautiful to sit outside when the sun starts to go down- if it's warm enough that is. I would much rather sit outside than inside.
Originally Posted By liveforvacations We have only been twice so I am certainly no expert but no one else has answered you so I figured I could tell you what our experience has been. We have always sat outside and I really like it as it is beautiful. The last time was in December and I did not find it cold. We however do not come from a warm climate like California. I did not notice that anyone inside got more interaction that people sitting outside. I did find that every princess there which included Ariel, Cinderella, Belle, Snow White and Jasmine and some royal handlers? came to our table once each and talked to our two children and took individual pictures with each of them and then a couple together. They did not seem rushed but we also were respectful of the other diners waiting and did not take too much of their time. To the best of my knowledge, Sleeping Beauty was not present in the restaurant while we were dining. It appeared to me that they did this with every table we could see. In contrast, at Goofy's Kitchen, not every character came to our table and we had to ask our server to get some of them to stop at our table which we found frustrating. We have been extremely satisfied with both of our experiences at Ariel's Grotto with regard to the atmosphere, food, character interaction, and service and plan to go again. Hope this is helpful!
Originally Posted By joeysmommy liveforvacations- Thanks so much! It sounds like inside or outside dining will work either way. I also have ressies (priority seating)at Goofy's kitchen for Wednesday morning next week. Hopefully we won't have the experience you had. If I'm paying $80 for breakfast I definitely want my character's worth! : )
Originally Posted By nemopoppins The princess visits during our visit at the end of July were very brief and impersonal. However, we did like the food. BUT, when we were at DLR again last weekend and my oldest daughter said she wanted to go to Ariel's Grotto, my youngest daughter (6) started crying, "I don't want to go there. The princesses are mean."
Originally Posted By juicer Wow...That's not good Talk about a truly honest review (you can't get any more frankly honest than from a 6 year old!)
Originally Posted By tlovesdis I'm with ya! TERRIBLE! We've been there twice, and I won't be going back. The food is gross and the service is awful! I'd rather stand in line and wait to get a Princesses autograph than pay $25 for a crappy meal!
Originally Posted By Liberty Belle >>In contrast, at Goofy's Kitchen, not every character came to our table<< I don't think I'll go back to Goofy's Kitchen. The food's a lot of fun and there's a great range of characters, but I've been there twice and had a bad experience each time. The first time, mum and I were there alone surrounded by lots of tables with kids. Only 2 characters came to our table the ENTIRE time we were there. Heaps of them walked right past our table to the ones with kids at them, even as we smiled or called out 'hello' to the characters. We couldn't believe it. I gave it another try on my last trip because I heard my experience was the exception, not the rule. This time was much better, but still a few characters bypassed us. As we were just about to finish eating, we saw Alice at a nearby table and decided to wait until she came up to us. We were sitting there for no more than 5 minutes after we'd finished eating and an older waitress came up to us and said "I hate to be rude, but if you've finished eating you're going to have to leave". A bit shocked, we explained that we'd only finished eating a few minutes earlier and now we were just waiting until Alice came around to us. She said that in this case they'd make an exception against the 'wait for them to come to you' policy and we could go up to Alice, as long as we left the table. So we went over near the other table and waited patiently while she finished up with the other family. As Alice turned towards us and gave us a big smile, the EXACT SAME waitress came up and snapped at us that people were not allowed to approach the characters and we had to leave. We were totally floored, and won't be going back. That was definitely not magical ... On the other hand, I've had a great experience at Ariel's Grotto both times I've been there. The rincesses talked to us for several minutes each and joked around with us. I also really liked the food! I don't even like soup, but I love their soup. Go figure. I always order the penne pasta and it's delicious as well, and the view from outside is beautiful.
Originally Posted By drawbridge ^^^ totally agree. My kids were devastated after our last Goofys visit. Very poor character interaction, not at all organized. We were placed in the very back by the 'break exit' which was torture for the kids to see the characters going in and out but never stopping at our table. It is important to give the resort feedback when this happens, they do want you to leave happy. We have never had a bad experience at Ariel's for characters or food. The atmosphere is much more relaxed.
