World of Color .... Dining Package...Worth it?? - Page 3 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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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.
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I got back from Disneyland this past Tuesday. We did the Ariels Grotto WOC dining package.
The food was meh. We could have easily done without that. We got the antipesto appetizer and hated the grilled vegs because of the seasoning. We loved the cheeses and olives and the salad on the bottom layer was so-so. Three of us ordered the tri tip. That was ok. But 2 of us didn't like the vegs that came with it. My teenage son ordered the italian sausage pasta and hated it. We had to get him a hamburger when we left the restaurant - he refused to eat more than the first bite. The desserts were good but too rich for us. It was interesting to try but we'll never return to that restaurant.
At the end of the meal we were given special WOC tickets that told us when to go to the preferred dining WOC check in. We made sure to find it before it got dark so we wouldn't get lost.
At our appointed time, we went and checked in for WOC. We got a great spot on the stairs next to a teenage girl who was babysitting several young kids - I'd say the oldest was 7. I got to talking with them all and they were having a great time.
We loved the WOC and the spot on the stairs. We could easily see it and there was lots of available space in the area.
I would say for the spot we got, the preferred dining section for WOC was great but for the food, not so good.
If this is your only chance to see WOC (which most likely was for my kids until they are grownup and going themselves) it was worth it but if you know you'll see it more often, don't bother with the preferred dining meal.
Ill add that if you decide to go the fastpass route depending on time of year its best if you are staying at a disneyland resort hotel and obtain the pass during the early morning entry. If you get it after regular park openings the section seems to be further off to the side. Also with the fast pass option you might consider showing up fairly early to try to get closer to the front. Some people say right at the rail is best but you might want a poncho or rain coat as you will most likely get wet.
The dining options are lackluster for a common every day person with the exception of the picnic lunch option. Also Areils grotto is not always offered as a fast pass dining option such as for the trip we are taking in mid may. I have done the wine country tratoria and to be blunt id not feed that food to my dog, though some people like it. Even the deserts were nasty in my family's opinion. The wine was good and though we arent wine people the bartenders were very helpful in helping us select a wine to try. We are trying the carthay circle for our last trip, though to me even that menu looks ominous. But at the end of the day for us at least we are trying something new. If we dont like it thats ok as at least we steped out of our comfort zone and had a new experience and as we always have the dining plans its not as if we are hurting ourselves in fact we are getting every conceivable dollars worth out of the voucher. The vewing area that comes from the dining experience has always been good for us even during the week after christmas.
Personally if you are afraid of the meal options at the 3 available restraunts then the picnic lunch is not a bad way to go, though realize they are all served cold and you have to pay for them advance and they are only available online.
When we went in October 2011 over Halloween we used the fastpass system to see World Of Color. I too am short at only 5'2" not to mention our little kids. We opted to go to the late show because we knew it would be less crowded so we watched until the fastpasses were for the later show before we got one. We did line up about 30 minutes before they let us in to get our spot. We did not even really need to worry. We found a great spot right next to the railing along the top portion so there was nobody in front of us. There was also nobody behind us either. Maybe this was just an unusually crowded time of year?
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Planning a trip to WDW is like planning a wedding... If you expect things to be flawless, you will be sadly disappointed. If you know that there will be less than perfect times & decide to just laugh them off, then you will be excited when you find the magic all around you.
We did the WOC package at the Wine Country Trattoria in December and really appreciated the tickets and location for the WOC. We did get to our area a little early but it was right in front in the center. We had the best view although it was necessary to stay standing, as in the other parts of the viewing area.
Dinner was ok but the price of the meal was well worth the preferred viewing area.
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