Victoria And Alberts Worth the $$?

[Disneygal99]

My fiancee and I are Disney-aholics if you will and will be traveling to DisneyWorld next month. We have always wanted to eat at Victoria And Alberts but it is so expensive!! For all of you who are lucky enough to have eaten there before, do you think it is worth the money? We have reservations at California Grill which I think is pretty expensive as well. I would LOVE to hit up Victoria And Alberts but have heard mixed reviews on the place. How much does it really cost and is it worth the cash? Do you pretty much eat what the chef is cooking that night or do you actually order what you want? I appreciate your help!! Thanks in advance!! :wave:

 

[RonAnnArbor]

V & A is a four star restaurant (the only one in Orlando). You will find the opinions completely varied. (Do a search for "most romantic" and you will find that most of the post is arguing about V&A). For me, I have access to many 4-star restaurants in my travels across the country all the time, and I find V&A over-rated and too expensive. The food is good, but nothing better than what you get at California Grill (where at least you can watch the fireworks). I would not return. My partner and I spent 450.00 between the two of us for dinner and wine with each course. You could get away with a little less if you don't drink (although sampling the wines with the courses is part of the allure). The ambience is wonderful. The service is wonderful. We both agreed that we would not return there for another meal. There is a regular menu - although usually at 4-star restaurants, we prefer to go with the waiters suggestions. Our favorite remains Bistro de Paris in Epcot, where you get better food (although very inconsistent service) at half the price. If you haven't experienced a top-rated dining experience anywhere in the country, then V&A is as good as any other -- but if you have, you will find it overrated and definately not worth the money. Only my opinion of course, but I'm sticking to it.

 

[ToTBellHop]

I can't think of any meal really being worth $200...not even Victoria and Albert's. One meal or a 5-day Magic Your Way Pass? I'll take the 5-day pass.

 

[jmvd20]

V&A would be a really nice experience if you haven't been to a place like it before. I had great meal there and it gave some good memories. I however would not go back, money is the main reason. I would much rather have a good meal at another restaraunt and get tickets to Cirque. I just have trouble justifying the costs.

 

[Pippa]

Myself and DH ate there last November during our honeymoon and it was wonderful. Very pricey $330 plus the tip but for a special occasion we loved it. I ate things I would never have dreamed of eating and the service was great, all 7 courses were cooked to perfection, they left plenty of time in between each course so we didn't too stuffed by the end of it.

It was lovely to get dressed up to eat at WDW for a change too!

As a special meal I recommend it, they give you a personalised menu to keep and a rose for the ladies. We were also given chocolate as it was our honeymoon.

 

[Exblink182]

Only time Ive ever ate their was the one time we got to for free and I have to say even though we didnt even pay I really wasnt that Impressed for what it would of cost if we paid. Although getting to see the fireworks was very awesome.

 

[TwoTigersMom]

Ok maybe I was just wrapped up in a wonderful, romantic dinner, but I really don't remember being able to see fireworks from V&A's. I don't even recall any windows for that matter. Of course, we were sitting by the harpist so if there are windows they aren't on that side. We had a great experience there and we will deffinately be going back there next year. In 2004 we had to pay out of pocket for it, but now it's included in the platinum plan.

 

[imagineer99]

Ok maybe I was just wrapped up in a wonderful, romantic dinner, but I really don't remember being able t

I believe the previous poster was referring the the California Grill. You can't see fireworks from V&A.

I've never eaten at V&A, and I doubt I ever will. I've eaten at five-star restaurants before and have had incredible meals. To be honest, I don't see how Disney can compete with some place like The Greenbrier in terms of food service.

The problem with a place like V&A is the expectation of perfection. Considering the prices, if anything at ALL went wrong during the meal, I would feel let down. By charging so much, they are building up some type of precedent that really can't be kept.

And, although I love food, Disney's expensive, and it's hard to justify the cost when I'd rather use that money for something else (at least two other dinners somewhere else).

My suggestion for some upper echelon Dining experiences that happen to be less formal and cheaper (but still expensive) would be: Flying Fish and Jiko or even the California Grill

 

[barnum42]

Our favorite remains Bistro de Paris in Epcot, where you get better food (although very inconsistent service)

The inconsistent service shows how Disney pays attention to detail when getting that authentic Parisian dining experience

 

[RonAnnArbor]

LOL -- Oh there is no doubt there -- I lived in Paris for a few years and I have never ever had good service at ANY restaurant there --

Still, the food at Bistro de Paris is as good as it gets

 

[tiring_day]

If you have the money and time V&A's is a excellent place for a romantic meal. When myself and my dear lady went there for our anniversary it was a fantastic evening out.

The food was excellent, the service was second to none, never saw any fireworks tho, not sure where they were sitting.

Yes it is very expensive but I thought the money was very well spent.

I agree with some other posters saying "oh but you could get 10 meals elsewhere for the cost", but hey for the cost of a Disney Holiday I could go somewhere else 5 times, I just wouldn't want to.

Steve
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