Food Drunk

UPbeekeeper

UPbeekeeper

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Please don't misinterpret this post...it's not meant to be negative in any way.

Why do you think we are so obsessive about our food choices on a WDW vacation? I can't think of any other vacation destination where anyone agonizes so much about what they will be eating on their trip. It's become a hobby of mine to read menus, make lists of restaurants I want to try, only to change the list again & again, and then read & reread the dining threads on this site. I get so excited when folks post pics of their food!

If this was a food based vacation experience, then I could understand it. But this is a theme park/ride/attraction/show based vacation experience, so why are we so centered on food?

I'm not saying this is a bad thing, just something I found myself wondering about. The only conclusion I could come up with is that there is such a huge amount of variety to choose from. For myself, maybe I'm like that proverbial kid in a candy shop with too many choices to make and I want a little of everything.

Anyone have any thoughts on this subject? Just curious...:)
 
ddbowdoin

ddbowdoin

Well-Known Member
UPbeekeeper said:
Please don't misinterpret this post...it's not meant to be negative in any way.

Why do you think we are so obsessive about our food choices on a WDW vacation? I can't think of any other vacation destination where anyone agonizes so much about what they will be eating on their trip. It's become a hobby of mine to read menus, make lists of restaurants I want to try, only to change the list again & again, and then read & reread the dining threads on this site. I get so excited when folks post pics of their food!

If this was a food based vacation experience, then I could understand it. But this is a theme park/ride/attraction/show based vacation experience, so why are we so centered on food?

I'm not saying this is a bad thing, just something I found myself wondering about. The only conclusion I could come up with is that there is such a huge amount of variety to choose from. For myself, maybe I'm like that proverbial kid in a candy shop with too many choices to make and I want a little of everything.

Anyone have any thoughts on this subject? Just curious...:)
Click to expand...

I think the reason why people do this is because since the Free Disney Dining came on board it's wicked hard to get ADR's. So, people want to avoid spending thousands on AIRFARE, RESORTS, PASSES, and then find themselves with the options of burgers and chicken fingers every night because all of the TS are slammed up.

I also think a lot of people live in the middle of nowhere, commonly eat at chains, so WDW is the only chance they have to eat "upscale" foods
 
CrazyDisneyLady

CrazyDisneyLady

Well-Known Member
I think it is part of the excitement..getting that feeling as you wait at your 180 days trying for that ever impossible reservation at your time. Reading the menus, getting the most out of free dining, having something you cannot get anywhere else also just the tradition of certain foods that keep you thinking of Disney all year round... I recreate foods at home trying to bring Disney into at home life.
 
psukardi

psukardi

Well-Known Member
ddbowdoin said:
I think the reason why people do this is because since the Free Disney Dining came on board it's wicked hard to get ADR's. So, people want to avoid spending thousands on AIRFARE, RESORTS, PASSES, and then find themselves with the options of burgers and chicken fingers every night because all of the TS are slammed up.

I also think a lot of people live in the middle of nowhere, commonly eat at chains, so WDW is the only chance they have to eat "upscale" foods
Click to expand...

Bingo, you get the lady from the news paper that does a food review on an Olive Garden and to some they think that's fine Italian dining. You get people that have never been to a Japanese Steakhouse or saw sushi being made or had the opportunity to eat food xyz.

Me - I'm just a foodie so I go crazy. But then again so are a lot of other people that book their trip to line up with the food & wine fest
 
ddbowdoin

ddbowdoin

Well-Known Member
psukardi said:
Bingo, you get the lady from the news paper that does a food review on an Olive Garden and to some they think that's fine Italian dining. You get people that have never been to a Japanese Steakhouse or saw sushi being made or had the opportunity to eat food xyz.

Me - I'm just a foodie so I go crazy. But then again so are a lot of other people that book their trip to line up with the food & wine fest
Click to expand...

I think I plan my ADR's at 180 days out so I'm not left eating junk night in and night out... I've said this 100 times before here, I'm from Boston... I don't go to WDW to eat food, mainly because I can get all here and it's better and cheaper.

But, for some people it is the only chance they get each year.

Olive Garden... what the hell is that? hahaha
 
crispy

crispy

Well-Known Member
Well, I am actually like this whenever we take a vacation, but not quite as bad. For example, last year we went to St. Louis for vacation. I not only reasearched the attractions we visited like The Arch, but I also researched local restaurants and foods. We ended up trying Ted Drewes frozen custard, eating St. Louis style pizza with provel cheese, and eating at a restaurant in The Hill which is an Italian neighborhood with awesome authentic Italian restaurants. We do eat at some chain restaurants when we visit somewhere, but we also like to get a flavor for the city even if it's at tourist-y places.

Disney does theme restaurants well, you get a chance to really experience the Disney magic at many of them. On top of that, there are so many restaurants that it takes time for me to narrow down which experiences I want to have during each vacation. Since we usually go for six days, I try to visit two new restaurants every trip. Since we usually go to Disney once a year, this give me an area to focus my planning since I don't really need a touring plan anymore.
 
tracyandalex

tracyandalex

Well-Known Member
ddbowdoin said:
I think the reason why people do this is because since the Free Disney Dining came on board it's wicked hard to get ADR's. So, people want to avoid spending thousands on AIRFARE, RESORTS, PASSES, and then find themselves with the options of burgers and chicken fingers every night because all of the TS are slammed up.

I also think a lot of people live in the middle of nowhere, commonly eat at chains, so WDW is the only chance they have to eat "upscale" foods
Click to expand...

That's mostly it for us. Tallahassee isn't really known for it's food scene. I'm from NJ (close to NYC) and DH is from Miami so we really enjoy the variety. Also, DH is a "I must have at least 1 TS per day" kind of person so making good choices is a must. We hate to spend $100 on a meal and feel like it was worth $40.
 
W

wiigirl

Well-Known Member
CrazyDisneyLady said:
I think it is part of the excitement..getting that feeling as you wait at your 180 days trying for that ever impossible reservation at your time. Reading the menus, getting the most out of free dining, having something you cannot get anywhere else also just the tradition of certain foods that keep you thinking of Disney all year round... I recreate foods at home trying to bring Disney into at home life.
Click to expand...

This...defiently part of the excitement, plus I love to eat! :P
75.gif
 
ShookieJones

ShookieJones

We need time for things to happen.
Me - I'm a foodie. I think most people that get pumped about ADRs and the planning etc. are foodies as well.

I'm from the northeast and there are a ton of great restaruants.
That by no means detracts from my enjoyment of eating at all the fine establishments around property.
I don't go to WDW to eat...but it's in top 3 or 4 reasons my WDW vacations are like no other.
We look forward to sitting down all worn out from the parks and sit down to an awesome Ohana or Yachtsman or Garden Grill, etc. meal, and talk about our day and what we're doing after supper.
 
rufio

rufio

Well-Known Member
ShookieJones said:
Me - I'm a foodie. I think most people that get pumped about ADRs and the planning etc. are foodies as well.

I'm from the northeast and there are a ton of great restaruants.
That by no means detracts from my enjoyment of eating at all the fine establishments around property.
I don't go to WDW to eat...but it's in top 3 or 4 reasons my WDW vacations are like no other.
We look forward to sitting down all worn out from the parks and sit down to an awesome Ohana or Yachtsman or Garden Grill, etc. meal, and talk about our day and what we're doing after supper.
Click to expand...

^ Yes.
 
HouCuseChickie

HouCuseChickie

Well-Known Member
To be considered a "Premier Vacation Destination" you have to offer top notch attractions, a wide array of secondary activities, great lodging, and dining to rave about (just to name a few things). i.e. the key has always been to recognize that their offerings need to reach well beyond the theme parks.

While I know dining on vacay is not important to everyone, when I was growing up and taking vacays with my parents, where we'd eat dinner each night was a huge deal. Quality of food and highly varied options was also major if we went for an all inclusive resort. Also, lots of people use vacays to splurge and indulge on rich foods - I know many of my friends and family are the same way - so it makes sense to obsess about dining options at WDW if you dine on vacay according to this splurging approach.

I think Disney is wise to this...i.e. lots of people expect tons of dining options if they're going to spend any length of time and $ staying on site and they know that lots of people will look at all of the food options and justify it by saying "hey- we're on vacation." The dining plans just allowed them to make this more like some of the all or semi inclusive options at other resort destinations. Now offering it for free is what makes it from obsessed to crazy chaotic...i.e. I was already going to splurge on vacay, but now you're telling me you're going to let me splurge for free!!! That's big if you're a person who does a lot of dining on vacay.
 
Crush Dude!

Crush Dude!

Back from WDW!Counting down to DLP in November!
ShookieJones said:
Me - I'm a foodie. I think most people that get pumped about ADRs and the planning etc. are foodies as well.

I'm from the northeast and there are a ton of great restaruants.
That by no means detracts from my enjoyment of eating at all the fine establishments around property.
I don't go to WDW to eat...but it's in top 3 or 4 reasons my WDW vacations are like no other.
We look forward to sitting down all worn out from the parks and sit down to an awesome Ohana or Yachtsman or Garden Grill, etc. meal, and talk about our day and what we're doing after supper.
Click to expand...

Im with Shook!

He hit the nail on the head!

:D
 
Dad 2 M & M

Dad 2 M & M

Well-Known Member
Crush Dude! said:
Im with Shook!

He hit the nail on the head!

:D
Click to expand...
I agree and would add that the food is just about the only thing we have left to do that we might not have experienced before. We have ridden the rides and taken in the shows, and although they may change, they are still the same. On the other hand, I doubt we have toured even half of the restaurants. Also love the challenge of getting the most out of our ressies, including hitting joints we never have!!
 
DisneyDelirious

DisneyDelirious

Super structures are my specialty!
Premium Member
Growing up my father would plan each day at home and each day of vacation around the meals. Didnt' matter where we were going. This was pre internet, somehow he just had it down. He always knew what the daily specials were, what the menu was, etc... Good or bad, he passed that on to me. I eat out too much, eat way over the recommended serving size, and gleefully engage in gogenous behavior every chance I get. Viva Lipitor!
 
D

DisneyDebNJ

Well-Known Member
Being a private caterer and a MAJOR foodie, I do the F&W every year, to us it IS about the food. For decades, we went for the attraction, rides, theme park aspect of Disney, lots of memories made and enjoy reliving every experience. To foodies, its about the food choices, however, I wouldn't say anyone anguishes over it. To alot of families, certain restaurants or dining experiences are something their children really look forward to, hence, Mom doing her best to get an ADR to make their child's vacation memorable,and do something the kids may have talked about since their last visit. There are alot of foods that people cant get anywhere else but Disney (tonga toast comes to mind, or the waffle sandwiches, or the bread pudding at Ohana) Some foods bring back wonderful memories (my DH proposed to me on the Poly beach, then we went to Captain Cooks for a bite to eat, so I associate Captain Cooks with our engagement) Does that make sense? In my very honest opinion, Disney is the only place that offers dining experiences mixed with a bit of nostalgia to a true Disney fan, and personally, I would rather eat at Disney and relive years gone by, than have a filet mignon at Old Homestead in NYC :)
 
DisDadWoz

DisDadWoz

Well-Known Member
We plan and obsess on dining whenever we go away, not just WDW so that's one part. The other part is while we don't always feel the food is 5 star we at least find that we can only eat in front of a huge aquarium at Coral Reef, or get a corny luau at Poly, etc. Trust me I love my steak and attitude from Gene and Georgetti up here so I'm not expecting much other than atmoshphere (and maple creme brulee') at Le Cellier so I obsess 180 out to get ressie there.
 

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