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View Full Version : Ariel's Grotto, any good?



soccerlady16
07-23-2004, 01:32 PM
I've been wanting to try Ariel's Grotto over at DCA, do they have good food?What type of food and what are their prices? Thanks guys

Brian Noble
07-23-2004, 02:04 PM
I was pleasantly surprised by the salmon BLT. It was actually pretty good, and I thought the lunch prices were reasonable for a character meal.

Maus
07-23-2004, 02:36 PM
Ariel's is one of our favorite places to eat. Here's a link to the menus:


Ariel's Grotto - Lunch Menu 2004 (http://www.colddeadfish.net/dlrrests/arielsgrottolunchmenu.html)


Check out the reviews on MousePlanet:

MousePlanet Travel Reviews Ariel's Grotto (http://www.mouseplanet.com/cgi/reviews/do/display.cgi?product-sku=dcaavaloncove)

One of them is mine! :D

cstephens
07-23-2004, 02:39 PM
I've been wanting to try Ariel's Grotto over at DCA, do they have good food?What type of food and what are their prices? Thanks guys

I've only had lunch there, the last time in January of 2003, and I liked it. I've never had dinner there. Here's a link to the lunch menu (http://www.colddeadfish.net/dlrrests/arielsgrottolunchmenu.html) and here's a link to the dinner menu (http://www.colddeadfish.net/dlrrests/arielsgrottodinnermenu.html). Note that they're fixed menus, not a a la carte. And here's a link to my January 2003 lunch review (http://www.colddeadfish.net/dlrrests/arielsgrotto011903.html). Hope that helps.

etixnostalgia
07-23-2004, 05:21 PM
The character interaction is fabulous--some of the best at any of the restaurants. My children have been disappointed at our meals at Goofy's Kitchen due to the difficulty in getting character attention, but they love the level of interaction at Ariel's Grotto.

OTOH, I find the food to be resoundingly "OK." The selection is somewhat limited and many of the choices are pretty heavy. I've had the salmon BLT a couple of times, and it was pretty good. The food is not bad but it would not draw me back (at least not for the price) if not for the character dining.

Photographer
07-23-2004, 07:01 PM
It's one of the least expensive character dining places at DLR. Plus there's maybe 4-7 characters you could encounter in 1 meal. It's also cute that they wear nautical clothing - you won't find that elsewhere. The food is ok/good. Nothing to write home about but the character interaction and view from the outdoor seating is worth it.

Dlandmom
07-23-2004, 08:48 PM
I posted a review, too, so definitely go check that out.

I enjoyed my dinner there. It wasn't the best, but it wasn't bad. We had outdoor seating, and it was a lot of fun with all the characters there.

sleepyjeff
07-23-2004, 09:12 PM
Check out the reviews on MousePlanet:

MousePlanet Travel Reviews Ariel's Grotto (http://www.mouseplanet.com/cgi/reviews/do/display.cgi?product-sku=dcaavaloncove)

One of them is mine! :D

I have one there too ;)

Disneynut1955
07-24-2004, 06:18 AM
We ate at Ariels Grotto during our stay in May and thought it was the worst dining experience we have ever had at the Disneyland Resort. The character experience was great (if you have little ones) but the food was downright horrid. My frozen tv dinners at home were a great deal better than the fried shrimp we received at Ariels.

Simply my opinion, but if you are going for the character experience, well worth the money. For the food, a blatant rip-off. Taste-Pilots Grill and the Golden Vine Winery are my choices in DCA.

rentayenta
07-24-2004, 07:51 AM
I have never been there but the kids meal that's described as cut up hot dogs and mac and cheese tentacles with crackers sounds soooo gross. Bleh. My kids would never eat that.

If the character interaction is as good as it sounds maybe we'll give it a whirl this next trip.

Dlandmom
07-24-2004, 09:16 AM
I have never been there but the kids meal that's described as cut up hot dogs and mac and cheese tentacles with crackers sounds soooo gross. Bleh. My kids would never eat that.

My daugher loved it! It's just a BIG platter of mac and cheese, and on top they have a hot dog with the bottom 2/3 of it cut into 8 long strips. The top part, that's not cut, is obviously Ursula's "head" while the strips are the tentacles! It's a kid pleaser!

mw9955
07-24-2004, 09:45 AM
Do they still do the plate of cotton candy at the end? If so, for lunch and dinner? Thanks!

stitchlvr
07-24-2004, 10:02 AM
We've eaten there twice, omce for lunch and once for dinner. We've enjoyed both experiences, the food and the character interactions and it was not outrageously expensive. Yes, they still do the plate of cotton candy at the end (lunch and dinner), at least as of April, 2004.

sighlent faeri
07-24-2004, 04:32 PM
We ate there last week. *cries for a second because she just got back home and misses CA* The foods good, but like everyone else said, the characters are the best part of it all.(If you're looking for characters like Aladdin and Woody I dont think you'll find em, we just saw the basics like Chip and Dale and Minnie Mouse. Oh and Ariel of course :) Regular lunch was around 13 or 14 dollars I think? And with that you get a soup or salad, some bread, an entree and some complimentary cotton candy.

cstephens
07-24-2004, 09:26 PM
I have never been there but the kids meal that's described as cut up hot dogs and mac and cheese tentacles with crackers sounds soooo gross. Bleh. My kids would never eat that.

Actually, that sounded pretty good to me. When we had lunch there in January of 2003, we were told that the kids' menu items were available in adult sizes, so I was thinking of ordering the "Octa-dog" the next time I go.

rentayenta
07-25-2004, 07:44 AM
Actually, that sounded pretty good to me. When we had lunch there in January of 2003, we were told that the kids' menu items were available in adult sizes, so I was thinking of ordering the "Octa-dog" the next time I go.


I'm sure it's popular just not something that sounds appealing to me. My family doesn't enjoy casserole type dishes. My kids like Goofy's Kitchen because they can choose what they eat and it isn't all mixed together. They have pretty mature palates for little rugrats. I love junk so they must have gotten it from their daddy. Aside from the cotton candy plate I think they would prefer the chicken caesar salad or a pasta dish.

msgtc1
07-25-2004, 09:21 AM
I ate at Ariel's Grotto many times for dinner, only had one problem with the server and complained about it to the manager, never had a problem again. My family loves the food with the check comes sea foam (cotten candy) for my family it was fun.