lucienne78

I was thinking about going to Wilderness Lodge. What type of price is it?

LilMsFoodie

We were there in December and hands down the best restaurant we went to was Jiko at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. It has all the characteristics that make a good restaurant great.

1. It knows what it wants to be: in this case a restaurant that showcases African cuisine without being too "different" .

2. The interior of the restaurant is attractive, makes sense, doesn't sacrifice comfort for "impact". In this case the lighting designers have been very creative in giving the effect of a perpetual sunset. The colors convey the African theme but the look is contemporary and forward looking. African wants to be part of the New World.

3. The wines showcase South African wineries. Many wines are available no where else at this point and there is a good range of prices and varietals.

4. The service is warm, prompt and friendly without being too familiar. Many servers are representing their country and are proud of their job.

5. Although the expense of the meal may be high compared to other places, the cost of the presentation at Disney is much higher than almost anywhere else. Dinner is a good value here.

A second recommendation would be California Grill and we always sit at the bar at Wolfgang Puck in Downtown Disney and people watch and have sushi or graze on a bunch of appetizers. I prefer the bar area to upstairs.

busterla

Dolciana - Not only is the Victoria and Albert restaurant overpriced for what it is, so is the hotel. I stayed at the Grand Floridian a few years ago on business and found it very dull, mediocre service and too far from most of the parks.

As to restaurants, I would recommend getting out of the park and going into Orlando or Winter Haven for some good meals. I believe there is now a Zagat restaurant guide for Orlando -- check it out. I'm sure it includes restaurants in the park.

You are a captive audience at Disney and they know it. Friends of mine looking for an Orlando restaurant suggestion from their Disney concierge were directed only to Disney restaurants until the concierge admitted (sotto voce) that they were not ALLOWED to recommend off-site restaurants.

Bootman4U

You stayed at the Grand Floridian on BUSINESS?? How did THAT happen and how much did your clients pay?

Patrick

OK, I'll jump in here. Where are you from, Bootman4U? Have you never heard of conventions? That's called being at a hotel on business and it's done by thousands, perhaps millions of people every day in this country. If it weren't for business meetings and/or conventions major hotels wouldn't exist, including places like the Grand Floridian. So what's your point?

loangalsal

Flying Fish and the California Grill were our favorites...

lucienne78

Busterla,

You are actually the first person I ever heard say that you did not like the Grand Floridian. I don't think that it is that far away from the parks. You have the monorail in the hotel which is definitely a huge bonus, and makes the trip to the parks more enjoyable. I'll definitely get the Orlando Zagat. Thanks.

Birdie

We ate downstairs at Puck's in downtown Disney and liked it a lot. I have heard from a number of people that downstairs is better than upstairs. When we compared the menus, the downstairs one looked more interesting.