Originally Posted By drawbridge oh yeah, we always sit outside and still see all the characters w/o problem
Originally Posted By dlkozy It's sad that for the $$ that both places charge that both places are not consistently WONDERFUL!
Originally Posted By mamacita I agree dlkozy. For the amount of money it costs, it should always be really good. I have given up on Goofy's. Our first 2 visits were really nice; good food and character interactions. Our 3rd visit was awful; both the food and interaction but it was over a busy holiday and chalked it up to that. We gave it one last try and it was bad again so unless I read consistently good reviews, we won't be back.
Originally Posted By sweetpea70 I prefer Ariels to Goofys because you can sit and enjoy your food and be waited on after walking all day. I do wish they would change the menu to add more items such as ala carte choices. I understand the price would still be high but would appreciate the variety. To me Goofys is stressful because your kids dont want to leave to get food for fear of missing something. Last time at Goofys 2 out of 6 characters came to our table and my daughter was so sad it made my stomach hurt so I could not even enjoy the food anyway.
Originally Posted By joeysmommy We ate at BB last week on our trip to DL. I found the food to be ok, but you're really there for the ambiance. I would probably not eat there again as we all left a little hungry. The Monte Cristo was not as good as I expected but the short ribs were incredibly tender and tasty! $140 for lunch for 4 adults and 1 child. I've always wanted to eat there and now I can say that I have. It's the experience you're paying for I suppose.
Originally Posted By nk28 do you need to make reservations to go to ariel's grotto? what are the prices like there?
Originally Posted By liveforvacations All restaurants in the Disney resort which includes Disneyland, Disney's California Adventure, the three Disney hotels-Disneyland Hotel, Paradise Pier Hotel and the Grand Californian Hotel and a lot of the restaurants in Downtown Disney all have "Priority Seating". My understanding of "Priority Seating" is that they do not promise you that you will be sat at your given time but will be given priority over any and all people who just show up. We have never waited more than 20 minutes but I have read that some people have waited longer. However, you will be seated faster than just showing up. Priority Seating arrangements are made through Disney Dining at 714-781-3463 and can be made up to 60 days in advance. I believe their lines open at 8:00 AM Pacific Standard Time and remain open until 8:00 PM. I do not know this for certain and could not find their hours anywhere I looked. You can make all your reservations at the same time and they are very helpful. We have made over ten in one phone call and then called back to change five of them! LOL! The cost of dinner and or lunch at Ariel's Grotto is $13.99 for ages 3-11 and $20.99 for ages 12 and up. For this price you get a starter, an entree and a dessert. The menu for Ariel's Grotto, as well as the menus and prices for all other dining in the Disneyland Resorts and some restaurants off-site can be found at <a href="http://www.dlresortinfo.com" target="_blank">http://www.dlresortinfo.com</a> We personally have found this site very helpful! If you want information with regard to the venue or expected characters etc., you can try <a href="http://www.disneyland.com" target="_blank">http://www.disneyland.com</a> Input "Disney Dining" into the Search box in the top right hand corner and it will provide you with all kinds of links. We really like to plan most of our meals based on the information we get from these sites and then make Priority Seating arrangements. We have found that we eat better, not just hamburgers, french fries, etc. and we waste less time trying to decide where to eat and then standing in line. It is surprising how hard it can be to get food some times and how you end up eating something you do not want out of pure frustration! You can always cancel Priority Seating arrangements and they will give you this information when you make them. It surprised me that no one had answered you but I think it is because this section, "Disney Dining" is not that popular. As you are planning a trip, I suggest in the future that you post your questions in "DL Trip Planning". I have seen posts in that section related to dining so this question would be fine there. The "DL Trip Planning" seems to get a lot more attention than this section and there is a lot of members out there that know so much more than me!!! Hope I have been helpful!
Originally Posted By nk28 wow thanks for all the info...it was all very helpful. My girls and I will be visiting their sister this weekend so I'll have a chance to run all this by her mom while we're there so I'll definitely check into the links you provided
