PDA

View Full Version : Blue Bayou or Carnation Cafe?



klgtraveler
08-21-2006, 04:53 AM
Which is better? My brother really wants to go to Blue Bayou, but I've been hearing terrible things about it!

backsthepack
08-21-2006, 05:39 AM
I do not like the Blue Bayou. Everyone should eat there once, just for the experience though. But we always eat at the Carnation Cafe. Much better food!

cstephens
08-21-2006, 09:51 AM
Which is better? My brother really wants to go to Blue Bayou, but I've been hearing terrible things about it!

There's really no way to compare the two as their menus, price points and atmosphere are totally different. That's kinda like asking which is better, family diner or upscale restaurant. We thoroughly enjoyed our lunch at Blue Bayou, but it certainly doesn't come cheap. Carnation is much less expensive, but it doesn't have the atmosphere of Blue Bayou, and I personally hate what they've done to Carnation's menu and refuse to eat there now.

hlbtimes2
08-21-2006, 10:19 AM
Are you thinking of the Carnation cafe on main street or the newly changed Cafe Orleans in NOS? The Cafe Orleans would compare a little more, menu wise at least, to the Blue Bayou.

I do like breafast at Carnation cafe. We usally go around 10 am, then skip lunch.

JookyG
08-21-2006, 10:27 AM
Ditto on breakfast at Carnation Cafe. I haven't been there for lunch or dinner, but the breakfast rocks! They have Mickey waffles that are the most perfect waffles I've ever tasted: cakey and perfectly crisp, with deep pockets for butter and syrup. Yum!!!

But it's apples and oranges to compare Carnation and Blue Bayou. BB is a far more quintessential Disneyland experience, albeit expensive. If you're worried about BB cost or the food being sub-par, just go for dessert and coffee! It's the ambience, after all, that makes it such a magical experience.

klgtraveler
08-21-2006, 03:25 PM
I went ahead and made reservations at Blue Bayou, since my brother wanted to do that, and someone on here said I should try it at least once. But I AM going for lunch, so hopefully that will be better! Thanks kids!

cstephens
08-21-2006, 06:06 PM
In case you're interested, here's the review I posted of our lunch at Blue Bayou from mid-July. (http://www.colddeadfish.net/dlrrests/bluebayou071706.html)

Rockchalker
08-21-2006, 06:11 PM
I went ahead and made reservations at Blue Bayou, since my brother wanted to do that, and someone on here said I should try it at least once. But I AM going for lunch, so hopefully that will be better! Thanks kids!

If you are going to try it "at least once" than I would recommend asking for a table by the "river". Might have to wait a few minutes, but I think it is worth it.

annieb727
08-21-2006, 06:49 PM
If you are going to try it "at least once" than I would recommend asking for a table by the "river". Might have to wait a few minutes, but I think it is worth it.

the BEST way to get a table by the water quickest is to book lunch at 11:30 - it's the first seating. When I was there before, they told me that pretty much all the 11:30 reservations would get tables by the water.

I Heart Disneyland!
08-21-2006, 06:56 PM
They are so completely different and both have their own atmosphere. I used to love Blue Bayou food and atmosphere. I am scared now with the bad reviews about it, to waste my hard earned bucks there. Carnation Cafe has always been wonderful and for a LOT less money!

JookyG
08-21-2006, 07:12 PM
They are so completely different and both have their own atmosphere. I used to love Blue Bayou food and atmosphere. I am scared now with the bad reviews about it, to waste my hard earned bucks there. Carnation Cafe has always been wonderful and for a LOT less money!

It won't be a waste if you go in with a positive attitude and accept that not everything will be perfect every time.

DianeM
08-21-2006, 08:02 PM
That is exactly the problem - I go to DL once a year. If I eat at BB, it's likely to happen once, and it is going to be a very special occasion. If I eat a at a quality restaurant I expect it to be consistantly good, not sometimes good and sometimes so-so. I didn't like the higher prices at BB, but I was willing to dine there if they actually raised the quality of the experience. Apparently, they haven't. This is not a good thing for DL. I'm very loyal to the park, but at some point people who aren't so loyal are going to decide that it simply isn't worth the expense. And every time a customer leaves an expensive meal disappointed, it diminishes the value of the entire park experience.


It won't be a waste if you go in with a positive attitude and accept that not everything will be perfect every time.

3894
08-22-2006, 03:44 AM
the BEST way to get a table by the water quickest is to book lunch at 11:30 - it's the first seating. When I was there before, they told me that pretty much all the 11:30 reservations would get tables by the water.

Not sure if all the 11:30 reservations get tables by the water but if you arrive a little early for the 11:30 seating - say 11:15 - your chances seem to improve.

geoffa
08-22-2006, 04:03 AM
It won't be a waste if you go in with a positive attitude and accept that not everything will be perfect every time.

I just love the atmosphere and I can't imagine that the quality of the seafood dishes offered can be bad. Price - wise - it's what you pay in a fancy restaurant and, after all, isn't that what it's supposed to be. I'm not suggesting you eat there every day but as a treat.:)

JookyG
08-22-2006, 11:59 AM
Well anyway, I think folks who are undecided should ignore the complainers and try it for themselves.

Many people focus too much on the negative and don't enjoy the restaurant for what it is--an only-at-Disneyland experience, regardless of the cost or the quality of the food. Others get bad service because they don't know how to treat waitstaff--I've seen it happen often enough at tables around me, while I'm getting exellent service, because they treat the waiters like mere "help," instead of like human beings with the power to make or break a great dining experience. Still others will never be happy no matter what. Even if the food is bad, you can still have a great experience, and even if you never again feel it's worth it, you will have at least experienced dining inside the Pirates ride.

If you tell yourself you're doing it just for the experience and the ambience (like going to see a blockbuster summer movie just for the special effects), there's no way you'll be disappointed, because the ambience can't be beat. Heck, I'd pay good money just to sit there for a while and sip ice water! And there's always the dessert option (you'll find complainers for that too, LOL!).