Am I Missing Something Here.!

Two actually--Le Cellier and Hollywood Brown Derby. We went to lunch at Le Cellier and I was very underwhelmed with my steak. I thought it was just average. At that time, lunch was 1 TS credit and dinner was 2 TS credits, so we had the "lesser" of the two meals, but still it's the same restaurant with the same supply. There's no reason that it should be substandard at lunch. Brown Derby wasn't bad, but for a meal that would have cost us $100 out of pocket, salmon that was good, but not special, and the driest cake (that grapefruit cake that's supposed to be so fabulous?? sandpaper) I've ever eaten were not what I was expecting.

I liked Le Cellier as a regular TS, but wouldn't do it as a Signature.

Our head scratching TS was 50's Prime Time. Our waiter wasn't into it at all. Neither were any of the other servers. My poor husband wasn't sure what to order, so I told him everyone raves about the fried chicken. It wasn't good. He put it best when he said KFC has better chicken. Pot roast was good, but LTT does it better. It was a one and done for sure.

For me it's also 50s Prime Time. Now, I must confess that I've never actually eaten there. I read the rave reviews, I start planning my ADRs, I check the menu (again) and think, What the...? What's the big deal? So I don't book. Once I did book, took a second look at the menu posted outside the door, and canceled (back when you could cancel last-minute).

There's 2 places for us on the not to be repeated again list, Sci-Fi and Hollywood and Vile. Sci-Fi was a bit too dark, the beer was warm , and they didn't handle my ds's allergy well at all! It doesn't get rave reviews but they could have done much better (hoping it was just an off day) Now for Hollywood and Vile the fact that it gets any stars is surprising. My dh who considers dining one of the reasons he goes to Disney said fasting would be better than eating there. Considering all the Disney food we've eaten only 3 bad meals is not a bad record.

Same vote here and for the same reasons. Our waiter was a dud and the food was "meh". I MIGHT give it another try in the future though and see if it gets any better. I would hope that some of the servers enjoyed their job?

And my other vote I've spoken of a few times...California Grill. I just don't get it at all. Of the food we got (two apps, two meals, two desserts) the only things that were ok were my DH's Bison Steak and the creme brulee. Our seat had a TERRIBLE view (the rooftop and the air conditioners) and I was expecting way more of a "Wow" factor from watching the fireworks outside. They were so far away that they were teeny tiny. Maybe all the hype is what ruined it and made the expectations too high?

Don't shoot me but mine was yak & yeti.

I loved the food and it tasted good but it was not as great as I thought it would be, and I was in a very dark corner, I just did not 'get it' but would happily eat there again but have adjusted my expectations to 'nice' vs 'amazing'

We were underwhelmed at Marrakech the first time and haven't been back. We have had a split at Narcoossee's : first trip was awesome which drew us back on a second trip an it was . . . Meh. Same at Brown Derby. Too many people shoehorned in and it all begins to feel a bit like Applebee's. . .

I think ours would have been the Brown Derby and Sci-fi. We got the dining package for Brown Derby and Fantasmic. It took us hours to finish our meal because the service was remarkably slow. It took much too long for us to get our food and when we did get it, it wasn't great. Sci-fi was also much too dark, we could barely see our food. The experience was neat but the food was really greasy.

Ours was Whispering Canyon. We had our coaster turned up on the Green "We want to paricipate" side and not only did our waitress ignore that and not do anything fun at all, we were totally ignored, our meal took FOREVER (close to two hours), our unlimited milkshakes never got refilled a single time we were there (they were empty when food got brought and we still didn't get refills), the platter DH and my sisters ordered never got offered to be refilled, and my steak was almost all fat. Super big disappointment.

I was really not fond of Raglan Road when we were there in February. It could be because I was so worn out and stressed out during the entire trip, but I had gotten rave reviews and it was just kind of meh. I hated what I ordered, the service was lousy, it was super crowded, way too loud, and they were out of about 4 things that we wanted. Not a great experience, but I would give it another chance.

I agree. I liked it OK, but then again it was my very first introduction to Disney World ever. We arrived in the evening and had a reservation a couple hours after arriving. So anything would have been awesome because I was in "I'm in Disney World" heaven. I don't care for the food choices there and didn't like my meal at all. While I LOVED the dancing and music it was VERY loud, and we learned it was not the place to go if you're looking to have a decent conversation. My mom and I went there when we went but only for drinks and to watch the dancing and music. We enjoyed that much more (though don't look for the good tipsy feeling. The drinks were very weak and very expensive.)

I was not at all thrilled with The Yachtsman Steakhouse. We arrived on time (or possibly 5 minutes early) for our reservation. We were not seated until almost an hour later. Our bartender (I believe it was at the Crew's Cup Lounge) was great and kept checking when they expected to seat us. When we finally were seated, the hostess offered no apology nor explanation for the delay. Our server was competent, but not very friendly. I'm sure I ordered a steak of some sort (although I've been known to order seafood at a steakhouse on occasion), but it was so bland and boring I don't even remember what cut I ordered. The creme brulee for dessert was also forgettable. Very disappointing. I will not be returning, ever.

It's not TS, but I also don't get why people rave about Cosmic Ray's. Typical amusement park food. Nothing special at all.

It's very interesting how someone's absolutely favourite restaurant is someone else's miss. Just goes to show that if you want to try somewhere new, just go for it.

Mine would be Le Cellier. It's my friend's favorite and she was excited for me to try it. As soon as we walked in to get seated I was hit with a very strong fish smell (which is not my favorite smell in the world). My food was good but I didn't get the WOW factor.

To each their own, right? I guess I just need to make my ultimate goal to try every restaurant in WDW.

I was underwhelmed on my last trip to RR as well. For the same reasons as you, too loud, overcrowded and lousy service. We were on the DDP and I ordered the risotto and got the chicken with it (which was extra) the risotto was only like 18$ and the chicken was like 3$ more and we had to pay out of pocket for the chicken. Which is just absurd because there are meals on that menu that are 30$ that you can get with the DDP.

The article says the rumored changes are supposedly going to happen May 31st so we'll know soon enough if they're true.

Jan, trust me you should try it, yes it's just good old american foof but it's delicious and with the right server, it is a fun nostalgic meal. The formica tables, the black and white shows and your cousins(servers) and they have the best trio of food ever. The fried chicken and pot roast are awesome!!

To get back to the original question we have not eaten at LeCellier because of bad reviews and i'd rather spend my two table credits at the CA Grill.

The restaurant that didn't live up to the hype for me was Raglan Road. I was underwhelmed by the food and I'll eat almost anything. It just doesn't do it for me. I know lots of people swear by this place but I just don't get it.

Just expect less from the Disney Theme Park Industrial Food Complex. With mediocre expectations you won't be disappointed. Let's face it these restaurants don't thrive because of their wonderful food and great service like restaurants in the real world do. They succeed because they are either located in a theme park or in a Disney resort. They are almost guaranteed to succeed regardless of their food quality or the consistency of their meals. How bad does a meal have to be before someone will take time out of their busy and expensive WDW vacation to complain? It would have to be pretty bad. Mediocrity is overlooked completely. I don't think any WDW TS restaurant would survive outside of Disney World.

That's why I prefer the CS meals and less ambitious TS restaurants to the Brown Derbies and Monsieur Paul's of Disney World. You can get a nice greasy egg roll. You can get a juicy frank. You can get ribs slathered with BBQ sauce. You can get a huge burrito. You can get a decent burger or pizza. But unless you get lucky and all the stars align you will not get an authentic "dining" experience at the TS restaurants. Everything is dumbed down for the kids and tourists. But a hot dog with bacon, mac & cheese and allegedly truffle oil is not dumbed-down- it's brilliant. Beaches and Cream is so popular because it strives for less; a luncheonette with decent food and great ice cream. Same for EoS- just making decent sandwiches makes them crazy popular.

I have come to the realization, that if I expect mediocre food, I will not be disappointed and occasionally be pleasantly surprised.

Of course these are just my opinions. Your experiences may vary. Rant over. (Till next time)

Like I said, your experiences may vary. Yes, one of the benefits of big city life is lots of restaurants. But you may have fresher air, less traffic, less stress, prettier surroundings, etc.

You forgot the ample supply of holy water, Nessie and dear sweet Mrs Watchmaker

I agree with you to a point but seeing I do all the cooking in my house any meal out is a good one.

I love Raglan Road as an after-hours watering hole, but I also wasn't terribly impressed by dinner. We could only see the heads of the dancers (and not even that much half the time), the food was so heavy I couldn't finish it and it was only just okay, taste-wise (and I normally like British/Irish food), and it was crowded and noisy. On top of all that, our table had four normal legs, but was shoved up against a bench against the wall so I literally had to climb into my seat.

But seat me in front of the band later on and give me a cider or gin and tonic along with some of those awesome appetizers and I'm a very happy camper.

As for 50s Prime Time...okay, Dee, I'll give it yet another second thought. You want to meet us there in October 2016?

We've found over the years that we have been routinely disappointed with just about any TS restaurant. Whispering Canyon, Sci-Fi, 50s Prime Time, Liberty Tree Tavern, Yak & Yeti, Tusker House, and Grand Floridian Cafe have all been disappointments when it comes to the quality of the food. The only exceptions that come to mind are The Wave, Sanaa, and Boma - I'd return to any of these 3 willingly.

I'm happy to spring for a good meal at Signature Dining restaurants, and we've had great experiences at Jiko, Citricos, Brown Derby, Artist Point, Flying Fish, and Bluezoo. We've had the occasional experience with poor service, but I can forgive that much more quickly than I can overlook bad food.

We've finally reached the conclusion that if we can't swing a Signature restaurant, then we'll stick with a CS. I'll take Columbia Harbor House or Flame Tree BBQ over Yak & Yeti any day.

Exactly! Why is it that if you don't make it, it seems to taste better?

So far, we haven't had a bad experience at any restaurants in WDW (knock on wood!). The only one that was slightly meh overall was Les Chefs de France. We were shoehorned into a teeny-tiny little table smack dab in the middle (this did work out for seeing Remy, though), and it was unbelievably loud. Our server wasn't all that attentive, but I did chalk that up a bit to it being an "authentic" experience and she had the famous "gallic temperament" Our food was good, DH short ribs were a little on the fatty side, but other than that it was tasty. It certainly wasn't a bad experience, but compared to all of the other places we ate on that trip, and there were a LOT (18 TS restaurants over 8 days...we were trying to make the most of the Deluxe Dining Plan lol), it came in dead last when viewed overall. But, last place at Disney is better than first place at home.

I can definitely see where people might think that Le Cellier is overrated. We had an excellent meal there, and were lucky enough to be tucked back in a nice little corner booth, which saved us from feeling too uh, cozy, with our neighbors. The 2 dining credits and signature status are strictly a product of the popularity and praise the restaurant received in the past (this isn't a slam, Disney is the best at taking a positive for them and running with it, that's why the company is so successful). While I personally still book Le Cellier because I do love the food and the atmosphere....if asked, I'd recommend Yachtsman or Cali Grill LONG before I'd recommend Le Cellier because the service and food you receive at those restaurants truly reflect the signature experience, not just popularity.

I was pleasantly surprised at BOG. The service was excellent and the food good and the lifting of prohibition in MK didn't hurt either.