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View Full Version : Ariel's Grotto - World of Color prix fixe dinner package



cstephens
05-25-2014, 11:51 AM
We went to Ariel's Grotto last night, and a friend had booked the World of Color dinner/viewing package. The price is $42, and AP discounts apply. The dinner includes a choice of soup or salad (they had a mixed green salad, blue crab clam chowder and butternut squash soup last night), a choice from among about 8 entrees, and dessert.

Among the entree choices are tri tip (http://twitpic.com/e4pso2), lobster and tri tip (http://twitpic.com/e4pspq), and shrimp pasta (http://twitpic.com/e4psr3). I also remember there were entree choices of sustainable fish, corn cakes, and a chicken dish that sounded good. Quite a number of us ordered the lobster and tri tip, and it was really good. I loved the accompaniments as well.

Dessert was a trio (http://twitpic.com/e4psst) - chocolate covered strawberry, smores and vanilla creme brulee. That was pretty tasty too. The smores was a favorite for a few of us.

Overall, the food was very good, and the service was ok. Our server wasn't quite as good as I would have liked, but our busser was really good, and he helped on a few things that were lacking in the server, but nothing was bad enough to detract from the good time we had.

We got viewing tickets for the second level up from the bottom, and it was a pretty good location. We arrived at about 9:30 for the 9:45 show and got a pretty good view of the show. From the signage, we were in the same section as those who dined at the Trattoria ("reserved dining section"), and it looked like the Carthay Circle people were in a separate section.

Overall, we had a very lovely evening.

tea4two
05-25-2014, 02:15 PM
Glad you enjoyed it! We like the tri-tip at Ariel's, too. Agree about the service being a bit lackluster. That's been true for a while, and I don't know why things don't seem to improve. We had our "event meal" at CCR -- yummy! By the way, the CCR menu is supposed to change next week, so go now for a last taste of any spring favorites. :)

Malcon10t
05-25-2014, 07:10 PM
Thanks for the post. We haven't been in a couple years. I think we might try it again.

MadasaHatter
05-27-2014, 09:53 AM
One word: management. One of the worst experiences I ever had at Disneyland was at Ariel's and I am glad to hear that it has improved. Whew. Our waiter was spread so thin that he was actually sweating and NO ONE and I mean NO ONE would help him at all. No bussers. No other waiters casually walking by. The table next to us was irate and complained to the manager and she brought out the food and apologized and walked right by our table with dirty dishes. The food at the table next to us was cold after she had left at which point the waiter took care of it.

Our dessert platter had actual OREOS on it. I guess the pastry chef forgot to come in that day. The other pastry was bland. I truly hoped that waiter never came back there to work. We had to go ask the manager for our check and she actually never came. I guess she just went to her office and hid. My one pal is an AP holder so she took her name and made an official complaint. I have never seen a co-worker thrown to the wolves so badly as that. Maybe in real life he is a horrid person and the rest of the staff wouldn't help.....it was so strange.... but making an entire section of diners miserable isn't the answer.

The next night we went to the Blue Bayou and had the polar opposite experience. The manager was lovely and she was calmly and gently surveying the whole restaurant and helping a busser here, chatting with guests and kept asking the wait staff "May I help with anything" The mood in the room is amazing when this happens. SO hopefully ARIEL'S is under new management....it would take time to fix it in my opinion so fingers crossed it is on the upswing. I also must say the room was very cavernous and banquet hall feeling and not very Disneylike.....It will be QUITE some time before I go back there. I will continue to read your posts.....

cstephens
05-27-2014, 10:05 AM
I don't have any evidence to suggest that the fault in the few problems we had were attributable to the management, so while that may have been the situation in your case, it was not so in mine. The management wasn't responsible for me having to repeat my order three times in order for the server to understand it. It's a prix fixe - there are only so many entrees to choose from, and I ordered the entree that he specifically pointed out. The management also wasn't responsible for the server forgetting to make an adjustment on the salad that someone else ordered. When we spoke with the busser, he brought out another salad pretty quickly.

DwarfPlanet
05-27-2014, 10:15 AM
I hear what your saying Mad, if management doesn't care then things won't change. I know I have been to some of the restaurants and things seemed to work alot more smoothly when a manager was on the floor helping and seeing how the guests impressions were.

MadasaHatter
05-27-2014, 10:57 AM
I still hold to my guns....if the management is bad good servers will not work there. Of course we will never know but after my experience (which was right when it opened) swimming up for air will take quite some time and of course we will never TRULY know but it is a pretty safe bet...... The old saying is if the PLAY is fantastic it is because of the actors and if it is bad it is because of the director. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge. Oh, and of course I am mad.

Pammer
05-30-2014, 11:34 AM
We went to Ariel's Grotto last night, and a friend had booked the World of Color dinner/viewing package. The price is $42, and AP discounts apply. The dinner includes a choice of soup or salad (they had a mixed green salad, blue crab clam chowder and butternut squash soup last night), a choice from among about 8 entrees, and dessert.

Among the entree choices are tri tip (http://twitpic.com/e4pso2), lobster and tri tip (http://twitpic.com/e4pspq), and shrimp pasta (http://twitpic.com/e4psr3). I also remember there were entree choices of sustainable fish, corn cakes, and a chicken dish that sounded good. Quite a number of us ordered the lobster and tri tip, and it was really good. I loved the accompaniments as well.

Dessert was a trio (http://twitpic.com/e4psst) - chocolate covered strawberry, smores and vanilla creme brulee. That was pretty tasty too. The smores was a favorite for a few of us.

Overall, the food was very good, and the service was ok. Our server wasn't quite as good as I would have liked, but our busser was really good, and he helped on a few things that were lacking in the server, but nothing was bad enough to detract from the good time we had.

We got viewing tickets for the second level up from the bottom, and it was a pretty good location. We arrived at about 9:30 for the 9:45 show and got a pretty good view of the show. From the signage, we were in the same section as those who dined at the Trattoria ("reserved dining section"), and it looked like the Carthay Circle people were in a separate section.

Overall, we had a very lovely evening. So glad to read this at this time! My friends want to do this package on our trip in June so I'm glad you were satisfied with it (I trust your opinion)! :D

MadasaHatter
05-30-2014, 11:12 PM
I have to re-iterate, that we were there the FIRST week they opened. I trust the managers have been relieved of their position and matters where taken into hand. I have seen many restaurants open and keep bad management and fail and I have seen many restaurants open and get rid of bad management and move on to success. I am very hopeful and happy to hear that it is going well. Out of all the meals we ate that weekend that was the least memorable and the room was the least memorable. It will take a long time for me to return. I keep a very close eye on all y'alls on here and look forward to everyone's critiques.

cstephens
05-31-2014, 05:01 PM
I have to re-iterate, that we were there the FIRST week they opened.

I think it's unfair to judge a restaurant based solely on eating there during their first week of operation. There's a lot that needs to be worked out, and that's not to say any of what happened to you should be excused, but I wouldn't hold it against them myself. That was multiple years ago, and even good managers and servers don't necessarily stay at a restaurant that long.

Malcon10t
05-31-2014, 06:26 PM
I think it's unfair to judge a restaurant based solely on eating there during their first week of operation. There's a lot that needs to be worked out, and that's not to say any of what happened to you should be excused, but I wouldn't hold it against them myself. That was multiple years ago, and even good managers and servers don't necessarily stay at a restaurant that long.Absolutely. I don't even want to eat at most restaurants the first they are open.

We did do Ariels probably the first month they opened and it was great.

MadasaHatter
05-31-2014, 10:01 PM
That is why I Re-iterated FIRST WEEK because it is unfair to judge a restaurant on the first week.....but hmmmmm I may be Mad but I think it had been opened for quite some time during the day? So it wasn't BRAND new....Plus I have been to many restaurants on the first week andI judged them to be quite good.

Also I have to say that the room felt like I was in a big banquet hall and all of the other DLR sit down full service restaurants are lovely or really super cool like CARTHAY and BLUE BAYOU...so that is another reason I personally will not be returning anytime soon. I am very glad to hear the good reviews and would one day reconsider returning but just not for a while....I will pop into the Cove Bar from time to time though....Now if only they would open up an afternoon tea service place!!!!!

cstephens
06-03-2014, 09:58 AM
That is why I Re-iterated FIRST WEEK because it is unfair to judge a restaurant on the first week.....but hmmmmm I may be Mad but I think it had been opened for quite some time during the day? So it wasn't BRAND new....

I'm sorry, I don't care how many hours they're open on their first day or week, the first week is still brand new. I can't imagine someone saying that an attraction isn't brand new anymore because it's been open for a whole week.



Also I have to say that the room felt like I was in a big banquet hall and all of the other DLR sit down full service restaurants are lovely or really super cool like CARTHAY and BLUE BAYOU...

I think Carthay Circle is gorgeous (I'm beginning to believe more and more that Blue Bayou is incredibly overrated because it has the benefit of sharing space with an attraction), but I love the decor of Ariel's Grotto as well. I actually took pictures of a few of the decor items on my recent visit.

In any case, I think people at least have varying points of view to make their own decisions about whether or not they want to visit this restaurant.

MadasaHatter
06-03-2014, 11:02 AM
I think you are all missing my point....I have heard IRATE rantings about every single restaurant in the DLR. As of last year I have currently dined in all of the table service restaurants at DLR save CLUB 33. One of my bestest and beloved Disney Pals, The Dude, hated the Napa Rose and it is my favorite restaurant. It didn't bust up our friendship and we continued going to DLR restaurants together.

I have only ever had one major negative experience at the DLR and that was at Ariel's Grotto. It wasn't WHAT happened there....it was HOW it was handled. Like I said.....I AM NOW SURE THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN HANDLED!!!!! How do I know??? Because of all of you lovely people writing on this wonderful forum and letting me know that the problem has been handled! I cannot express how much I love this forum and everyone's opinions. I was eagerly waiting to see what other folks thought and I felt that I should let everyone know what happened to me when I was there and thought that I was clear that I had hoped my experience was a fluke and that I gave enough facts. If I have misled anyone I am terribly sorry for any confusion I have caused.

I do not care for the room at all.

Ariel's Grotto has been serving lunch and breakfast for years as far as I know so in my Mad as a Hatter mind "Brand New" are not adjectives I would use to describe said restaurant. If a restaurant is open for business for years and starts serving dinner I think it is fair to say that it is indeed not brand new....again I apologize if I misled anyone. I have had brilliant experiences in a restaurant on opening week and I have had horrid meals at beloved restaurants that have been open for years so that is simply where I am coming from.

I also think very few of you take what I say with a grain of tea.....after all.....I am mad! Change cups! Change Cups! Move down move down! Don't let's be silly!

Malcon10t
06-03-2014, 03:07 PM
I'm sorry, I don't care how many hours they're open on their first day or week, the first week is still brand new. I can't imagine someone saying that an attraction isn't brand new anymore because it's been open for a whole week.
I think Carthay Circle is gorgeous (I'm beginning to believe more and more that Blue Bayou is incredibly overrated because it has the benefit of sharing space with an attraction), but I love the decor of Ariel's Grotto as well. I actually took pictures of a few of the decor items on my recent visit.

In any case, I think people at least have varying points of view to make their own decisions about whether or not they want to visit this restaurant.I agree. I enjoy Ariel's, it's setup is not unlike Steakhouse 55, except vastly differing decor. I agree Carthay is gorgeous. I *LOVED*the "Wishing Well" room (I think that was the name.)

I'm thinking about doing the WoC one night of my trip. Just thinking though.

MadasaHatter
06-04-2014, 02:28 PM
What is the WISHING WELL ROOM!? We ate in the Julie Andrews room and it was GORGEOUS........It had pictures of her on the Red Carpet at the Oscars and her with her Oscar for Mary Poppins.....so very very cool.

Malcon10t
06-04-2014, 07:36 PM
What is the WISHING WELL ROOM!? We ate in the Julie Andrews room and it was GORGEOUS........It had pictures of her on the Red Carpet at the Oscars and her with her Oscar for Mary Poppins.....so very very cool.The Wishing Well Room is between the Hyperion room and the Buena Vista room. It seats 12, and the table base is a replica of Snow White's wishing well. I haven't seen the "Julie Andrews" room. The Hollywood room is gorgeous also.

Malcon10t
06-04-2014, 07:58 PM
The Wishing Well Room
http://www.disneytouristblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/FM73143.jpg

http://land.allears.net/blogs/jdzgeek/2013/2013_10_05/IMG_2376.jpg

MadasaHatter
06-04-2014, 09:08 PM
Oh. My. Gosh. Thankyouthankyou for that pic M10!!! It is gorgeous. Maybe the "Julie Andrews" room IS the Hollywood room as I was just awestruck by the Julie Andrews pics.....It just is a small room with a table for six off to the side. I am not sure if those are called a ROOM. I only ate there once but have been into the bar for every trip. Love it. That is stunning.

Malcon10t
06-05-2014, 05:51 AM
Oh. My. Gosh. Thankyouthankyou for that pic M10!!! It is gorgeous. Maybe the "Julie Andrews" room IS the Hollywood room as I was just awestruck by the Julie Andrews pics.....It just is a small room with a table for six off to the side. I am not sure if those are called a ROOM. I only ate there once but have been into the bar for every trip. Love it. That is stunning.That would be either the Hyperion room or the Buena Vista room. The Hollywood room seats about 60 I was told.

Here is a pic of what the Buena Vista and Hyperion rooms look like:

http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/photo-4-17-468x625.jpg