I took a quick trip to Walt Disney World last week and had the opportunity to experience several new technological initiatives related to Dining at Disney World.
I’ve written these up in several posts for DFB, and today we’ll cover the new iPad wine list that recently debuted at Victoria & Albert’s!
iPad Wine Menu at Victoria & Albert’s
During our trip, my husband and I dined at our favorite restaurant on the planet — Victoria & Albert’s at the Grand Floridian. Maitre d’Hotel Israel Perez was excited to show us that the venue’s wine list had recently been transferred to an interactive iPad format.
Our server, Al showing us the iPad wine menu.
The interactive features were quite helpful for guests like us who are not quite as wine savvy as we should be. And the system will also work well for wine experts who know what they’re looking for.
You could search by flavor, price, varietal, region, or by any keyword you chose to type.
Search by varietal.
Then options listed under each variety.
You can search by bottle or glass, and sort alphabetically or by price.
I’m relatively comfortable with technology and am an avid iPad user, so I found this system to be incredibly intuitive and easy to use. I liked it much better than a traditional paper wine list.
But Maitre d’ Israel was quick to point out that they also have a new larger font print wine list for guests who prefer to work with print.
Overall
Overall, I had a blast playing with all the new foodie technology that’s appearing at Walt Disney World. I’m excited to see it all fully integrated into the MyMagic+ guest experience and am looking forward to whatever they come up with next.
Erin Foster is the Disney Food for Families columnist and a behind-the-scenes guru here at Disney Food Blog! Check out more of her posts here.
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I used a similar ipad-based wine list at our local Flemings steakhouse. I loved it. I am just starting to get into wines, so it was very helpful to read full descriptions instead of judging by the name.
Ugh. I like the idea of this app, but not really at V&A’s.. it doesn’t have the sophisticated charm that I expect at V&A’s. Maybe they should replace the harpist with iTunes, and we can select out own music to hear at our table.
To me, this app is what the sommelier is for…
Blah… too much tech, especially in a location that is supposed to be set in “classic victorian elegance”. Israel Perez is an amazing Sommelier, the wait staff at Victoria & Albert’s is incredible… interacting with them is 100% part of the experience. This sounds like the beginning of the end for Sommeliers.
Hey, maybe we can save a few more bucks and get rid of the wait staff entirely, and just order from the iPad. “Siri, Braised Oxtail and Cherry Ravioli please. … Okay, you can pick that up at the window … Please swipe your MagicBand over the screen now”.
At the extreme opposite ends of the travel industry… large groups, and much smaller bed and breakfast experiences… the trend is in providing more and more immersive experiences for the guests. In moving in a contrary direction, Disney slowly seems to be normalizing all experiences until they are as mundane as the self checkout line at Walmart.
Nope, not for this patron. If I were lucky enough to have Israel Perez standing in front of me, I’d just tell him what I was going to order for dinner that night, and let him do his crazy cool Sommelier thing. I don’t want to touch anything but a glass. He’ll be more than glad to tell you what he’s selected and why… I want the story, the knowledge, and the wine… you can keep the iPad.
I think it’s good. I understand the ‘charm’ thing. Maybe they could change the form factor of the iPad into something like a red leather case with gold highlights.
It shouldn’t be a replacement for the a Sommelier any more than a printed menu.
I don’t see how this would be customer-unfriendly. It’s just the same wine list in another medium that lets you slice the data in more than one way. It’s not a replacement for the somm and I would hope people are still going to want to talk with someone to find the best choice for their tastes.
As my husband says “Cheap and cheesy.” Not what you’d expect from an upscale experience, unless it’s in one of those drab modern places aimed at 20-somethings looking to be so cool. Part of the fun of ordering wine is talking with the staff and considering the choices that are printed on, one hopes, very nice paper.
I will admit that there is nothing more frustrating than ordering off a wine list only to be told they are out of that wine… but, still.. doesn’t seem right at V&A’s.
Of course, I always order the wine pairings (and now beer and sake included) anyhow.
I don’t like this at V&A’s but I can see this being helpful in a restaurant without a sommelier. They should have, in the first screen, an option to choose by “entree being ordered”. I’m no wine drinker and that’s the help I need: I’m going to order this, tell me what goes with it.
Don’t knock it until you try it.
I’ve used iPad wine lists many times before and love ‘most’ of them. For a wine lover but not a professional, I love the amount of information they provide. I don’t see this replacing the sommelier but rather as an enhancement to him/her and the restaurant.
I’ve yet to dine at Victoria and Albert’s however I have dined at some top notch restaurants around the world and I’m well aware of the standards Victoria and Albert’s upholds. If they’ve chose to use this iPad wine list there, I’m going to trust that they know what they’re doing. (FYI, AAA Five Diamond doesn’t come easy and without the know-how of how to provide amazing food, wine, atmosphere, phenomenal service and much more.) If they believe in it, I believe in it!
Sandra…The Capital Grille and Norman’s… Both upscale establishments, both using iPad Wine Lists. “Cheap and Cheesy”… I think not.
Overall, I cant wait to experience an evening at Victoria and Albert’s and now with their wine list on an iPad, I’m sure it will just add to my expectations of a perfect evening!
Erin, great story and thanks for all the details. You made it sound like they were very easy to use there and I cant wait to give them a try.
It seems as if many of these comments are being made from people who have not actually been to dinner at V&A’s and tried the iPad wine list. My experience is that it enhances the experience. I agree that part of the experience at V&A’s is to have great wine service and if that gets passed off to an iPad it would not be good. However, that’s not what they are doing. My experience is that having more wine information really enhanced the experience. For example, a paper wine list just has the name, the vintage and the price – not much going on with that. My experience was that the iPads, especially being able to read the tasting notes, took the experience to a higher level. The staff was fully engaged – they were using the iPads as a tool to create an interaction. I felt more comfortable discussing the wines and I got more out of the dining experience. I’m not a wine expert, but I do know quite a bit about wines. V&A’s list is so extensive it can be intimidating. I really liked being able to engage with the staff at a level that I have not been able to engage at on previous visits. I’d encourage people to give it a try – it certainly does not diminish the experience – it’s a great amenity and what you would expect from a great restaurant like V&A’s.
This sounds like a wonderful pairing! (Yes, somewhat of a pun intended) I have dined at V&A’s several times before and it is always an amazing experience with a fabulous but extensive wine list. And I have dined at other restaurants that have already implemented the wine app on the iPad and it is so easy to use and informative. I think it is a wonderful blend that will allow you to navigate V&A’s wine list with the tasting notes more thoroughly and be able to interact with the staff. While I may know a thing or two about wine and have no issues talking with the staff others may not feel as comfortable. This way if you are somewhat of a novice or even an expert it gives you such an easy way to educate yourself further or look so polished in front of a tablemate, not that the staff would let you look anything but at V&A’s. Can’t wait until my holiday reservation to dine there with the iPad wine list and see the sommelier and have this experience.
We found the I-pad wine list more annoying than helpful. We much prefer to peruse a written wine list and don’t feel we need the guidance of navigational tools like “flavor”. (Not sure what that means with respect to wines anyway.)
We are well-versed in wines and know what we like and don’t like, so we didn’t really need the guidance a novice might find useful.
For our dinner in the Victoria Room, we struggled with the I-pad version for a while and then simply asked for written wine lists, which were readily available.