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Dad and daughter eating Mickey Ice Cream

Food is half the fun of a Walt Disney World vacation. From mouth-watering culinary delights at Jiko: The Cooking Place or The Flying Fish to simple treats like the much-beloved Dole Whip float, there are plenty of tasty eats to explore and enjoy at The Most Magical Place on Earth.

However, wavering food quality throughout Walt Disney World remains a hot subject, and it seems every day reviews pour in that another Disney dining experience has gone sour. Most blame cost cutting measures and the ever-present spread of the Disney dining plan—after all, every dining plan covers food that a guest has already paid for, no matter the quality. Either way, it is no longer a sure thing that every dish ordered at Walt Disney World will stand up to the standard of Disney’s culinary golden age. Want to avoid some disappointment? Here are seven dishes we felt weren’t worth the dollars spent, as well as some much better alternatives.

1. The English trifle at The Rose and Crown Pub

English Trifle at Rose and Crown Pub

Image: Jett Farrell-Vega

I must preface this entry with an important point—Epcot’s Rose and Crown Pub is one of our favorite restaurants at Walt Disney World. Even as quality throughout much of the Most Magical Place on Earth has waned, The Rose and Crown has remained a steadfast beacon of quality Disney dining. However, we did discover one item on the menu that fell far below the standard expected at this establishment.

The English trifle is one of the sillier attempts at a quick buck we have seen at Walt Disney World. Perhaps it’s capitalizing on the fact that many visitors probably don’t know what a trifle is, but the Rose and Crown’s attempt to pawn off a paltry cup of pudding, graham cracker dust, a spoonful of mushed strawberry, and a few Mickey sprinkles as one is a sad mark on this restaurant’s fine reputation. We hope this poorly-contrived cake in a cup isn’t a harbinger of ill-changes to come at this Disney World mainstay. If you’ll be dining at the Rose and Crown, opt for the Sticky Toffee Pudding, Chocolate Nougat Bar, or Banoffee Tart instead. Sorry, fans of the trifle, but this one just didn’t make the cut for us.

2. The Pandoran Sunrise at Satul’i Canteen

Satul'i Canteen Interior

Image: Disney

We positively love The World of Pandora’s super-geeky quick service location, Satul’i Canteen. Our experience with the food has been consistently positive, especially since we like our eats on the zestier side and love the bowls.

One item we found particularly underwhelming, though, was the Pandoran Sunrise drink. It certainly looks cool in pictures with a pineapple slice and a souvenir flute cup. However, it doesn’t take long to realize that this fancified virgin cocktail is nothing more than juiced up Powerade. Yup, that’s it. It’s just colorful Powerade, and there really isn’t anything about it that makes it taste more exciting than that. We weren’t particularly impressed with any of the drinks in Pandora (even the Night Blossom punch), but the Pandoran Powerade was easily the least satisfying purchase of our visit. Save your hard-earned dollars and skip this one for a Dole Whip Float instead.

 
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