Is Victoria and Alberts ever coming back?

UNCgolf

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
It doesn't look bad, but as others have said... something feels off.

I just looked at pictures of the older scheme and it was better -- I think maybe the whites and blues highlight how small the space is? It's obviously the exact same space, but for some reason the new look makes everything feel small and cramped. I think it would work better if the room had more windows/natural light.
 
Last edited:
J

James Alucobond

Well-Known Member
UNCgolf said:
It doesn't look bad, but as others have said... something feels off.

I just looked at pictures of the older scheme and it was better -- I think maybe the whites and blues highlight how small the space is? It's obviously the exact same space, but for some reason the new look makes everything feel small and cramped. I think it would work better if the room had more windows/natural light.
Click to expand...
I don't think it's terribly common for a restaurant of this kind to be heavily, uh, windowed, if that's a word? I've honestly never been inside to get an actual sense of the space and how cramped it might feel in person, though.

I'm just not much of a fan of "whiter" lighting in general, which is what makes this feel a bit artificial to me, but apparently the general consensus is that traditional incandescent looks dingy. I don't have much of a problem with the decor in general. It feels like they're playing on the intricate lace, appliqués, brooches, and baubles Victoria herself was known to wear, much in the same way Cítricos now plays on Mary Poppins' fashion.
 
UNCgolf

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
James Alucobond said:
I don't think it's terribly common for a restaurant of this kind to be heavily, uh, windowed, if that's a word? I've honestly never been inside to get an actual sense of the space and how cramped it might feel in person, though.

I'm just not much of a fan of "whiter" lighting in general, which is what makes this feel a bit artificial to me, but apparently the general consensus is that traditional incandescent looks dingy. I don't have much of a problem with the decor in general. It feels like they're playing on the intricate lace, appliqués, brooches, and baubles Victoria herself was known to wear, much in the same way Cítricos now plays on Mary Poppins' fashion.
Click to expand...

Oh I agree -- my point was solely that the white/blue feels like it needs windows to work; not that I think the restaurant needs windows in general. The older color scheme/wood felt right without windows and seemed to convey the proper feeling in a way this doesn't.
 
larryz

larryz

I'm Just A Tourist!
Premium Member
1658201270279.png

I am particularly impressed by the huge cheese slicer on the right...
 
Club Cooloholic

Club Cooloholic

Well-Known Member
It looks a lot like a main dining room on a cruise ship. For a cruise ship that's ok, space is limited and so are windows. But I said main dining room not one of the speciality ones you pay extra for, which tend to look nicer. This being the most expensive restaurant on property, I was expecting....more?
 
SaucyBoy

SaucyBoy

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
I'll never likely set foot here so my opinion is moot but I like the color of the carpet!! Not sold on the greyish walls, a little to drab for me. But otherwise it looks upscale enough.
 
Benjamin_Nicholas

Benjamin_Nicholas

Well-Known Member
It's as if Disney wanted to overhaul it Four Seasons-style, but dropped the ball at some point.

It's not ugly. It's just... Bland. I can handle bland.

It is, however, a huge improvement on the previous design. That was hideous. It was 'rich looking' for people who knew nothing about having money, taste or design skill.

Ultimately, I don't give a twig about the dining room as long as the kitchen can still get the job done. Some of the best Michelin eateries in the world have very simple, very humble dining rooms.
 
UNCgolf

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
Benjamin_Nicholas said:
Is, however, a huge improvement on the previous design. That was hideous. It was 'rich looking' for people who knew nothing about having money, taste or design skill.
Click to expand...

It was not that -- it was not intended to be a modern luxury space. That's not to suggest it was a great, exceptionally well-designed space (it wasn't), but it was a better design than this iteration for the theme/purpose.

Like many other recent renovations, they've essentially quit trying to have any themed character (regardless of how well-executed it was) in favor of something that no longer really attempts anything at all. Theme is the whole reason to go to Disney -- I can go to bland "luxury" spaces anywhere.

All that said, V&A serves a different clientele than the standard Disney restaurant. If there's anywhere on property that makes sense to abandon theme, this is it. They went with bland faux luxury rather than something actually nice, though -- in fact, to me, this design actually feels more fitting to your statement about "rich looking" than the original design. It reminds me of the Enchanted Rose, which is just awful in person.

Unfortunately, I get the impression that Disney currently thinks "rich looking" for people who know nothing about it is the proper design for their customer base.
 
Last edited:
Disone

Disone

Well-Known Member
UNCgolf said:
It was not that -- it was not intended to be a modern luxury space. That's not to suggest it was a great, exceptionally well-designed space (it wasn't), but it was a better design than this iteration for the theme/purpose.

Like many other recent renovations, they've essentially quit trying to have any themed character (regardless of how well-executed it was) in favor of something that no longer really attempts anything at all.

Theme is the whole reason to go to Disney -- I can go to bland "luxury" spaces anywhere.

Admittedly this is serving a different clientele than the standard Disney restaurant, but I still imagine its customers are by and large Disney resort guests.
Click to expand...
There is some Disney inside but it hasn't been shown yet. It's not in your face but it is there.
 
erstwo

erstwo

Well-Known Member
mdcpr said:
What's with the 80s tacky nouveau-riche decor? This is how you do classy. View attachment 654205
Click to expand...
But does it still look like this? I thought they rebranded after they lost their Michelin star.
They were closed when I was there in early June. Although to be fair, I was calling in a Monday, so maybe they were just closed and I’m remembering wrong.
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom