World of Color .... Dining Package...Worth it?? - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
PassPorter.com
Award-winning travel guidebooks

   guidebooks   |   news   |   podcasts   |   boards   |   blog   |   worksheets   |   photos   |   articles   |   updates   |   register   |   follow us on


Forums Closed
As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.

So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.

Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.

And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.

We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm​. You made it all happen.

There are other changes as well.

Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:

We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.

It's time to move on and move forward.

PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.

But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.

So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.

And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.

That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!

If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.

So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!

Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!

Go Back   PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums > PassPorter's Disneyland Resort California > DL: Planning Your Disneyland Adventure
Register


Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.

To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.

If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 04-02-2011, 12:14 PM   #1
cdnmickeyfan
Community Rank: Jetsetter
 
cdnmickeyfan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Ontario,Canada
Posts: 2,738

Post Thanks / Like
World of Color .... Dining Package...Worth it??

Can anyone please tell me if the dining package for World of Color is worth it or is a fast pass enough?? I figure we have to have dinner anyway and if we do it with the dining package, we get the preferred viewing area. This is our first time to Disneyland so I need a bit of help. Thanks!!!!
__________________
Angie
My Countdown Counting down to: Disney World - Port Orleans French Quarter - Dec 2017
Woohoo Another Disney Trip!!!!
My Previous TripsDisney has always been a part of vacations!!!
cdnmickeyfan is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2011, 03:24 PM   #2
disney_duke
Community Rank: Explorer
 
disney_duke's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Wisconsin
Concierge Level: 9
Posts: 11,022

Post Thanks / Like
While I can't comment on the sit-down service, my friend and I did the lunch picnic and rather enjoyed it. I liked the idea of not having to worry about getting a fastpass, and like you said- you gotta eat anyway, right?! I'd definitely recommend that again.

As far as the dinner, I just read an article from AllEars. Take a peak and maybe that will help you decide: Recent Disneyland Meals (Laura and Jeanine's Salute to All things Disney but Mostly Disneyland)

FWIW, no matter what you do, I think you still need to show up early to get good seats in your color section. We didn't (and neither did the writer in the article) and ended up towards the back. Still not a bad show, and I had no problem seeing it all from the back. But that may bother some other people. Personally, I thought it was OK to be in the back because that made for a much quicker exit at the end of the show!
__________________
Tanya
Every click helps feed .6 bowls of food to rescued animals. Give a quick click every day and help animals in shelters! www.theanimalrescuesite.com
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsVisited WDW 4 times while little from 1979 to 1990 ~ Jan. 1998, Doubletree ~ Nov. 1998, Disney Institute ~ Sept. 2000, E. Caribbean Disney Magic ~ July 2001, Courtyard Downtown Disney ~ March 2003, Comfort Inn ~ June 2004, POR ~ Jan. 2006, POFQ ~ May 2007, All Star Vacation home ~ Jan. 2008, POFQ Half Marathon ~ Sept. 2008, SSR ~ Nov. 2009, CBR ~ March 2010, AsMu Princess Half Marathon ~ Sept. 2010, Disneyland Half Marathon ~ Nov. 2010, CSR ~ Jan. 2011 WDW Marathon ~ Oct. 2011 Wine&Dine Half Marathon, POR ~ Jan. 2012 Relay Marathon, POP ~ May 2012 Expedition Everest Challenge, CBR Pirate room ~ Sept. 2012 Sheraton LBV ~ Nov. 2012 Wyndham Bonnet Creek ~ Jan. 2013 Goofy Challenge, POR Royal Room ~ Apr. 2013 POP ~ Sep 2013 DL DDD ~ Jan 2014, marathon volunteer ~ Oct. 2014, ToT 10 miler, ASSports ~ Jan. 2015 Dopey Challenge, Bonnet Creek ~ July 2015, CSR/Marriott ~ November 2015 DL Avengers ~ January 2017 Bonnet Creek ~
disney_duke is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2011, 03:37 PM   #3
GingerJ
PassPorter Guide Author

PassPorter Guide

Community Rank: Navigator
 
GingerJ's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Ohio & Florida
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 6,129

Post Thanks / Like
I did the dining package at Ariel's Grotto in late September last year, and it was awesome. I'd never done a dining package before, but I figured one table service meal on my own was justifiable (my husband was there for a conference, so I toured the parks alone for 2 1/2 days, lucky me).
I didn't like the menu options at the other restaurant...not really a big Italian food fan...but the tri-tip I had at Ariel's was wonderful. I sat outside, with a gorgeous view of Paradise Pier (roller coaster & carousel) at sunset.

The dessert was a plate with a lot of mini-desserts. Fortunately, I found the desserts more lovely than tasty, since I was alone and didn't need 2,000 calories in one meal!
Here's a picture of the dessert:
That "film strip" is white chocolate with the pictures imprinted on it. Yum!

Unfortunately, I didn't know where the best view would be when it came to getting a place in the viewing area, so I had to crane my head around the people ahead of me to get the best view. What I learned is that, if you have an unobstructed view of Mickey's head on the ferris wheel, you're in exactly the right place. Hope this helps...have fun!
Ginger

PS: I hope the pix aren't too big...I sized them using the guidelines but they still look kinda big to me.
__________________
GingerJ, Co-Author, PassPorter's Disneyland Resort and Southern California Attractions LIVE! Guide
& Guide for the Collecting, Scrapbooking, and More!, DL: Southern California Attractions, Technical Support, Using Your PassPorter, and Using Disney Tech forums
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsWDW visits: 1977, 1985, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, 3-2014, 9-2014, 11-2015 (birthday trip), 5-2016, 2-2017, 3-2017 x2, 6-2017, 8-2017, 10-2017x2, 11-2017x2, 12-2017. DISNEYLAND(no kids): 1984, 1993, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 6-2014 (DS19 & me!), 8-2014 (solo), 12-2015 (solo), 9-2016
GingerJ is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 04-03-2011, 05:37 AM   #4
cdnmickeyfan
Community Rank: Jetsetter
 
cdnmickeyfan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Ontario,Canada
Posts: 2,738

Post Thanks / Like
Thanks very much for your responses and the pictures Ginger. I think we are going to do the dining package. I got a little bit ansy because I read some bad reviews of Ariel's Grotto but I think we are going to go for it. Why not!!!!!!!!!

Again thanks for all of the great info. It really is invaluable!!!!!!!!!!
__________________
Angie
My Countdown Counting down to: Disney World - Port Orleans French Quarter - Dec 2017
Woohoo Another Disney Trip!!!!
My Previous TripsDisney has always been a part of vacations!!!
cdnmickeyfan is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 04-03-2011, 10:11 AM   #5
Colexis Mom
RED SOX NATION!!
PassPorter's Club Passholder


What's this?

PassPorter Guide

Community Rank:
Legend VIP
 
Colexis Mom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Connecticut
Concierge Level: 9
Posts: 136,854

Post Thanks / Like
We did the picnic dinner, and frankly I wasn't impressed. It also didn't leave us with that good of seats for the show either (but this was just a few weeks after it started.......hopefully the madness has died down a bit since then)! I would do the dinner package the next time we go!
__________________
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsAUG '16 - POFQ, APR '12 - POFQ, JUL '10 - DL, AUG '09 - DCL Western, AUG '08 - POFQ/BC, AUG '06 - AKL/BC/DisneyWonder/Poly, DEC '05 - AKL, APR '05 - AKL/BC, DEC '04 - AKL, MAY '04 - AKL/BC, MAY '03 - WL/BC, MAY '98 -offsite, MAY '94 - BC, AUG '85 - Poly, AUG '83 - Poly, AUG '81 - Poly, JUL '79 - World Inn, JUL '76 - World Inn
Colexis Mom is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 04-03-2011, 12:55 PM   #6
cdnmickeyfan
Community Rank: Jetsetter
 
cdnmickeyfan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Ontario,Canada
Posts: 2,738

Post Thanks / Like
Well I am sooooo excited again. I just purchased our Disney entrance tickets online and made our reservations for World of Color dining package. We will be having dinner at Ariel's Grotto for 7:30 pm and seeing the World of Color show at 10:15 pm on April 10. I can hardly contain myself I am so excited.....lol. And this is the first Disney trip without the kids. They will be staying home this time. I have to dance.....

:thewave :
__________________
Angie
My Countdown Counting down to: Disney World - Port Orleans French Quarter - Dec 2017
Woohoo Another Disney Trip!!!!
My Previous TripsDisney has always been a part of vacations!!!
cdnmickeyfan is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 04-03-2011, 12:56 PM   #7
Colexis Mom
RED SOX NATION!!
PassPorter's Club Passholder


What's this?

PassPorter Guide

Community Rank:
Legend VIP
 
Colexis Mom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Connecticut
Concierge Level: 9
Posts: 136,854

Post Thanks / Like
Congrats!
__________________
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsAUG '16 - POFQ, APR '12 - POFQ, JUL '10 - DL, AUG '09 - DCL Western, AUG '08 - POFQ/BC, AUG '06 - AKL/BC/DisneyWonder/Poly, DEC '05 - AKL, APR '05 - AKL/BC, DEC '04 - AKL, MAY '04 - AKL/BC, MAY '03 - WL/BC, MAY '98 -offsite, MAY '94 - BC, AUG '85 - Poly, AUG '83 - Poly, AUG '81 - Poly, JUL '79 - World Inn, JUL '76 - World Inn
Colexis Mom is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 04-03-2011, 12:59 PM   #8
cdnmickeyfan
Community Rank: Jetsetter
 
cdnmickeyfan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Ontario,Canada
Posts: 2,738

Post Thanks / Like
Thanks Marnie!!!!!!!!!!!
__________________
Angie
My Countdown Counting down to: Disney World - Port Orleans French Quarter - Dec 2017
Woohoo Another Disney Trip!!!!
My Previous TripsDisney has always been a part of vacations!!!
cdnmickeyfan is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 04-03-2011, 11:53 PM   #9
sarahbelle
Community Rank: Traveler
 
sarahbelle's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: CA
Posts: 294

Post Thanks / Like
I think you'll be happy with your choice! We ate at Ariel's Grotto for the World of Color package last August and didn't have any complaints. We both enjoyed our meals, and as we left the restaurant we walked over to the viewing area, got a great spot to watch and only waited about 20 minutes for the show to start. On our next trip, in May, we are going to try the dinner at Wine Country Trattoria.
__________________
Live every day to the fullest!
My Countdown Counting down to: Epic East Coast Trip-NY, DC, MD
See you soon!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsWDW June 2006, June 2005, August 2004, December 2002, DL/DCA Too many times to list
sarahbelle is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 04-04-2011, 02:24 AM   #10
cattayhi
Community Rank: Adventurer
 
cattayhi's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Hawaii
Concierge Level: 2
Posts: 510

Post Thanks / Like
We did the dining package at Wine Country Trattoria and honestly - we were unimpressed.
The food was not worth the money - the kids refused to eat their food. Dessert was okay - but we watched as those who had either fastpass or the picnic (not sure which) lined up while we ate. All the diners at Wine Country stayed in the area and we were escorted to our viewing area - which was actually very good. Unfortunately I am short (5'1") and there were tall people in front of our family so we did not see it as well as we could have. If we had stayed on the stairs and not gone down all the way we would have had a better view.
The show was AWESOME!
You will enjoy it very much - Have fun at Ariel's Grotto!
__________________

My Countdown Counting down to: Aulani - December 10 - 12, 2011
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsOff Property of DL & CA - Siblings trip - June 2011;Grand Californian Hotel (First trip for the grandchildren - 3 of them along with son and dil) Sep 2010; WDW (Contemporary Resort) Sep 2009; DLR ( Disneyland Hotel) Oct. 2008; DLR (Paradise Pier) Sep 2007; DLR (off site) Dec 2006; DLR (off site) Oct 2005; DLR (off site) 2004; DLR (Grand California) 2002
cattayhi is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 04-04-2011, 03:39 AM   #11
ilovedisney247
 
ilovedisney247's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: 15 Minutes from the House of Mouse!
Concierge Level: 1
Posts: 13,838

Post Thanks / Like
I can't wait to read your review! Congrats on booking the package--I'm thinnking about booking one for December, but I haven't decided which restaurant I want to eat at!
__________________
My Previous TripsWDW 1985 off property, WDW 1987 Contemporary, WDW 1989 Poly, WDW Sept. 2006 Pop, WDW Sept. 2007 CBR WDW Aug 2008 ASMu Dec 2008 SSR, May 2009 SSR, June 2009 SSR/VWL, Oct 2009 AKVC, Dec 2009 AKV, June 2010 SSR, Oct 2010 BWV, Nov 2010 CR, Dec 2010 ASp, April 2011 AKVC, June 2011 SSR/ASM, July 2011, ASp, Oct 2011 AKVC, Dec 2011 VGC
ilovedisney247 is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 04-04-2011, 11:42 AM   #12
cdnmickeyfan
Community Rank: Jetsetter
 
cdnmickeyfan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Ontario,Canada
Posts: 2,738

Post Thanks / Like
I am short as well, same as you, 5'1", so I was afraid I might not be able to see. What I really don't understand is that our dinner is at 7:30 pm and we only have 60 mins to eat. The CM told me that right on the phone when I booked. But the show isn't until 10:15 so I guess I get some sort of ticket and we go back. Im sure they will explain how it works. I am just finishing off some packing today. So excited and I will definitely give a trip report when I get back. Thanks to everyone for their tips and comments. As usual, it has been invaluable tips and opinions.!!!!!
__________________
Angie
My Countdown Counting down to: Disney World - Port Orleans French Quarter - Dec 2017
Woohoo Another Disney Trip!!!!
My Previous TripsDisney has always been a part of vacations!!!
cdnmickeyfan is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 04-06-2011, 04:57 PM   #13
ilovedisney0_0
Community Rank: Explorer
 
ilovedisney0_0's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: a mere few minutes from the Mouse! <3
Concierge Level: 2
Posts: 9,777

Post Thanks / Like
I thought the same as you - we have to eat anyway - so we did the sit down at Ariel's Grotto.

TOTALLY WORTH EVERY PENNY!!!!

Although the dining time was a little bit earlier than we would have liked, the meal was delicious! And we have eaten at Ariel's Grotto on many, many occasions, so I kind of knew what to expect, price-wise. The package was fairly comparable to the price of eating there on your own. Our viewing spot was AMAZING. My sister and nieces had gone to see it about a week before us, and didn't do a package, they only got FPs. She said their viewing spot was horrible and they could barely see. People were in front of them and the only thing they could see was if they looked directly up.

I will definitely book this package every single time to see WOC!!
__________________

Saturday, October 9, 2014 - Kaitlyn and I before the Happy Haunted 5K at ESPN Wide World of Sports

Amy
ilovedisney0_0 is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 04-06-2011, 05:02 PM   #14
cdnmickeyfan
Community Rank: Jetsetter
 
cdnmickeyfan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Ontario,Canada
Posts: 2,738

Post Thanks / Like
Thanks Amy. That makes me feel so much better!!!!!!!!!!
__________________
Angie
My Countdown Counting down to: Disney World - Port Orleans French Quarter - Dec 2017
Woohoo Another Disney Trip!!!!
My Previous TripsDisney has always been a part of vacations!!!
cdnmickeyfan is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 04-07-2011, 10:15 PM   #15
PixieMichele
PassPorter Guide

Community Rank: Trekker
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Michigan
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 1,841

Post Thanks / Like
We did the sit down at Ariel's Grotto our last trip (Get the Tri-Tip) and this time we're trying Wine Country Trattoria and now you have me nervous! We have some food snobs traveling with us and i'm nervous it's going to be a bust! Should we switch?! AAAH, i wanted to branch out and try something new, should we go for it or jump ship and swim back to the grotto?
__________________
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsWDW TRIPS: First trip in 1987 (I was 4 years old!) Sept. 2007-POR, Jan 2008-Poly, Engaged at the Castle (Nov 2009), Honeymooned on the Disney Magic (Sept. 2009), July 2009-CSR, September 2009-Poly, July 2010-CSR, Nov 2010-Poly, DL-Feb 2010 (DL Hotel) & April 2010. DCL Sept 2009 (Magic-Western Caribbean) Nov 2010 (Disney Wonder-Bahamian) February 2011 (Wonder-Mexican Riviera)
PixieMichele is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Reply




Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump














Please login or register to hide these ads -- it's free and easy!

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:47 PM.

-->

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Feedback Buttons provided by Advanced Post Thanks / Like v3.4.0 Patch Level 1 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
(c) 1998-2017 PassPorter Travel Press/MediaMarx, Inc.
Celebrating 19 Years of Making Dreams Come True
Ad Management plugin by RedTyger