So Disappointed in Food

[Lucyrella]

We just returned home from and 8 day stay at CSR and had the dining plan. I have been the last 4 years, and this year overall the food was average to bad in most places. The food court at the Pepper Market was truly disappointing. The only flavorful meal we had was breakfast. I was right when thinking that there is no way that some of these restaurants are Disney restuarants, and it was confirmed by a manager of the hotel. In most places the service was slow to non, or just had severe attitudes when you asked for anything. We dined at Chef Mickey's where the selections have been slimmed down, we dined at Whispering Cafe which was one of the better ones for service, we dined at the 9 Dragons which started off strong but then ended in disappointment, and finished it at Le Cellar in Canada at Epcot. This server was totally in left field, we had 4 kids under the age of 10 and they bring there drinks in glass stemware, and we asked for cups with lids we got the rolling of the eyes and the sigh, of like are you kidding me? This meal was good, but I have had better. So is it just me or have others noticed the changes in the overall dining atmosphere? We are not in any hurry to go back even with there 45% off if you book your next stay while there deal. I hope they can improve on certain food aspects, especially when it comes to adding vegetables to the selections. It seemed to be meat, potatoes and dessert. Thoughts?

[disneyboundagain]

It seemed to be meat, potatoes and dessert.

:thumbsup::thumbsup::D

Sorry...

[Hammer]

Sorry for your disappointment, though it sounds like a lot of your disappointment was with the service. Pepper Market seems to be a hit or miss these days, though the quality of lunch was better in years passed and it was always not owned by Disney. We mostly ate breakfast there, though.

Regarding the issue with the glassware for your children, did you request cups with lids when you originally placed your drink order? I would think servers would not automatically make that assumption. Whenever I have dined with my friends with kids, they drink out of regular drinkware (without lids) from around 4 years onward. If you did make the request, then it was the wait staff's mistake.

[ElenitaB]

Our experience vis a vis cups w/lids was always that if my DS was ordering off the kid's menu, he got a cup with a lid. I'm surprised they don't do that anymore.

We found both food and service to be what it always has been when we visited in August (and we were on the dining plan). I'm very interested to see what our experience will be in January.

[Hammer]

Ellen's post proves that everyone has different experiences. Quite possible they have made the change that cups with lids are by request as a cost cutting measure and relayed it to the wait staff. Heaven forbid you get a free cup if you are paying $10.99 a day for the kid's dining plan. Giving away cups cuts into the profit margin :shake: .

[marylynne95]

I am here now and well, the food seems the same as it always has to me. We only have the counter service dining plan, but so far I have not been disappointed. We have ADR's for Le Cellier later this week, so I will see how that goes. I don't see why people get so crazed over the food, that is not the reason I come to Disney!! I am having a great time taking in all the Christmas/Disney Magic around me!! :mickey:

[lockedoutlogic]

Sorry for your disappointment, though it sounds like a lot of your disappointment was with the service. Pepper Market seems to be a hit or miss these days, though the quality of lunch was better in years passed and it was always not owned by Disney. We mostly ate breakfast there, though.

Regarding the issue with the glassware for your children, did you request cups with lids when you originally placed your drink order? I would think servers would not automatically make that assumption. Whenever I have dined with my friends with kids, they drink out of regular drinkware (without lids) from around 4 years onward. If you did make the request, then it was the wait staff's mistake.

I don't know....seems like the original poster has echoed alot of complaints that are becoming almost standard issue anymore...

Sure there are alot of "Everything was great!!" type comments coming from travelers....but i'm skeptical that either
A. many people have a reference point to compare the current food experience with past ones
B. They aren't just giddy to have just gotten home from a vacation

all seems to make pretty good sense:confused:

[Maleficent's Dad]

Carol Ann,
Sorry you had some (several) bad experiences. It wouldn't hurt to put your thoughts on paper and send them off to WDW. (Although admittedly, other than personal satisfaction, I'm not sure what you'll actually accomplish by doing so.)

In August we had several stellar meals.
Hopefully you just hit things at the wrong time & they'll improve for your next trip.

I don't see why people get so crazed over the food, that is not the reason I come to Disney!!
While not the only reason I travel, meals are an important part of our vacations. So yes, we are discerning and at times critical of our dining experiences. We work hard for our incomes, we spend lots in Central Florida, and we expect quality for what we dish out. I, for one, don't criticize Disney's prices for things like food, as long as they deliver a high quality product (which, thankfully, they usually do!). :mickey:

[Hammer]

I don't know....seems like the original poster has echoed alot of complaints that are becoming almost standard issue anymore...

Sure there are alot of "Everything was great!!" type comments coming from travelers....but i'm skeptical that either
A. many people have a reference point to compare the current food experience with past ones
B. They aren't just giddy to have just gotten home from a vacation

all seems to make pretty good sense:confused:

I just noted that a lot of her complaints were specifically about service. Never did I say that her complaints weren't valid. If you read my reviews from my trip during Food and Wine, you'll see I had some issues as well (lack of seasoning at Jiko, inept server at California Grill and our meal experience was saved by the chef). I'm hardly a Pollyanna. My second post in this thread eludes to my thoughts that Disney service and food are inconsistent.





While not the only reason I travel, meals are an important part of our vacations. So yes, we are discerning and at times critical of our dining experiences. We work hard for our incomes, we spend lots in Central Florida, and we expect quality for what we dish out. I, for one, don't criticize Disney's prices for things like food, as long as they deliver a high quality product (which, thankfully, they usually do!). :mickey:


I vacation similarly to Maleficent's Dad. Meals are part of our vacations no matter where we go. Has always been that way in my family. My parents were just here for Thanksgiving and we had a 45 minute discussion on where we would go for Sunday Brunch! While I understand those of you who do not emphasize food on your Disney vacation, it will always be an integral part of any vacation I take no matter the destination.

[TinksDH]

Regarding glassware versus cups with lids, we usually don't leave anything to chance when ordering just to ensure we get what we want. Sometimes the wait staff assumes that my 8 year old wants a cup with lid for her Shirley Temple, when she really wanted a "big girl glass" to sip her "cocktail" from, so we just make sure to tell them what we want BEFORE they bring it. And if they DO bring it in the "wrong" container because we forgot to specify, they've always switched it out no questions asked. Sorry they seemed put off; we've never had that experience, we've been going 2X - 3X a year since 2000, and we were just there in October. I seriously doubt that you didn't get cups/lids due to cost cutting :shake: Probably more like inattentive servers.

I too have had better meals than at Disney, but that would be at restaurants that charge $45 for a piece of steak, $10 for a side, $8 for a salad, and $10 for a martini.

[Hammer]

I seriously doubt that you didn't get cups/lids due to cost cutting :shake: Probably more like inattentive servers.

Oh, it could be a little bit of both. The way Disney is trying to get every penny they can out of its visitors, I put nothing past them.


I too have had better meals than at Disney, but that would be at restaurants that charge $45 for a piece of steak, $10 for a side, $8 for a salad, and $10 for a martini.

Agree with this comment, but loved to know where they only charge $10 for martinis :D . The type of restaurants you describe usually charge $14 for martinis around here ;) !

[TinksDH]

Agree with this comment, but loved to know where they only charge $10 for martinis :D . The type of restaurants you describe usually charge $14 for martinis around here ;) !

This was in Wisconsin, NOT NY/NJ. You can also get a good call martini in Chicago at say The Palm, Gibson's or Smith & Wollensky's for about $12...

I have had martinis on the rooftop bar in the Peninsula in Manhattan, and THOSE bad boys were $25 a pop. Of course, you were paying for that view as well. :cool:

[wildernesslady]

We were just there last week and stayed at CSR. We had one lunch there and thought it was pretty good. We do enjoy the dinning experiences at Disney and enjoyed all of our TS meals. We had dinner at Kouzzina, Tutto Italia, and Ohana. All had great service and food. It does seem to be hit or miss.

[Tinkermom]

This was in Wisconsin, NOT NY/NJ. You can also get a good call martini in Chicago at say The Palm, Gibson's or Smith & Wollensky's for about $12...

I have had martinis on the rooftop bar in the Peninsula in Manhattan, and THOSE bad boys were $25 a pop. Of course, you were paying for that view as well. :cool:

Must be nice to get to try martinis from all over the country! ;)

**This is my wonderful DH who travels a lot for his job for those of you who are wondering. Maybe someday he will take me to that rooftop bar and treat me to one! LOL! :) :) **

As you can tell, we have had mostly great experiences dining at WDW. Sure, we have hit an "off" night here and there but overall have been very pleased. I enjoy being able to try different foods and a different atmosphere just about daily while at WDW.

[Hammer]

Must be nice to get to try martinis from all over the country! ;)

**This is my wonderful DH who travels a lot for his job for those of you who are wondering. Maybe someday he will take be to that rooftop bar and treat me to one! LOL! :) :) **

Yes, Mike, you should be taking your wife on some of these trips. As she is now a Dining moderator, she needs to do research to make a fair comparison ;) .

[Lucyrella]

Thanks for the responses and input, the point I wanted to make is that the Disney Dining experience wasn't what I had encountered on the last 3 trips. I didn't let the food get to me, I was just curious if anyone else had noticed the below average quality from previous years? We had a great time, our hotel at CSR was amazing, the service by hotel staff 5 star, the park employees awesome. I just found the food to be a little different.

Thanks, and Happy Holidays to everyone!

[SBETigg]

This thread is not about the price of martinis, but as a fact-- a mini martini (mini, mind you) is $13 at Smith and Wollensky in Boston. So while it is possible that it's less in Chicago, that much less for a full size vs a mini seems a tad far-fetched. Sorry, Mike, but I think you're underestimating the price of martinis out there. Is it possible you're on expense account and not paying close attention? ;) By my estimate, the $14 martini estimate is closer to the truth of martinis in upscale eateries around the country. (I paid $17 for one in San Francisco...).

But the real point is-- Lucyrella, so sorry you were disappointed! I do think it's hit or miss lately. You see one review raving about the greatness, and then one that's just terrible, for the same place. Maybe that's just vacation dining. We 're there once or twice a year, or less, and we're always expecting the experience we had "last time" but it changes so from day to day.

[Seasonscraps]

Lucyrella, I am sorry you had such a disappointing dining experience. It is such a let down to spend so much time planning and anticipating something and have it be such a let down.

I agree with Maleficent's Dad and Hammer about wanting quality meals on vacation whether it is Disney or someplace else. Just because it is Disney does not mean it's ok to offer ok service for mediocre food. It's not so much the prices we mind but find we don't get what we pay for at Disney - some places are fine there are quite a few that fall short for us.



I too have had better meals than at Disney, but that would be at restaurants that charge $45 for a piece of steak, $10 for a side, $8 for a salad, and $10 for a martini.

I don't need to spend that kind of money to have a better tasting meal outside of Disney.

[Tinkermom]

Yes, Mike, you should be taking your wife on some of these trips. As she is now a Dining moderator, she needs to do research to make a fair comparison ;) .

:thumbsup:

[BluewaterBrad]

I would suggest stay off property and eat at establishments like Mortons Steakhouse, or Julia's. Yes, you will spend about 175 a person per meal, but your reviews will be more positive. Maybe it is time to find a new vacation destination.:mickey:

[Goes4FastPass]

I would suggest stay off property and eat at establishments like Mortons Steakhouse, or Julia's. Yes, you will spend about 175 a person per meal, but your reviews will be more positive. Maybe it is time to find a new vacation destination.:mickey:

Back to earth, please.

Is there ANYTHING in the OP that suggested she expected Morton's?

At least I'm glad this thread hasn't turned into another, DDP has destroyed WDW chorus.

My guess is kids drinks in glasses was a simple case of lots of tables and lots of hurry.

[DizneyRox]

At least I'm glad this thread hasn't turned into another, DDP has destroyed WDW chorus.
Reading between the lines I think that's what's being said.

Some I don't understand, but it's pretty clear they were expecting a high level of customer service they have recieved in years past. It wasn't there.

This has been echoed for years along with the changes brought on by the DDP. Putting one and one together I get two...

I really wish people would see through the DDP charade and stop buying into it. Only then can we hope to get Disney Dining back on track. There's no argument that dining in Disney is a far cry from what it used to be. Maybe the reasons are still debatable... Maybe...

[PixieDreams27]

All i can say is we just returned from our 10 day trip and cannot say anything bad about our food or service. I can truly say from our arrival at Kidani Villas ours was a magical adventure. Oh yeah, and i did i say we had eight in our group and no arguing. Planning our next trip already and just got home. The O'Hana , i can't say enough.:thumbsup:

[gueli]

Hi I am going to join the fray here...

It was hit & miss (our stay was early dec 2009).

Yes we were happy to be here. Some meals were better than others. Here is my take:

Coral Reef: slow service, indiffernt wait staff, appitizer for 2 was not bad, but portions were miniscule. the entree- grouper - was overcooked. the entire experience- thumbs down. Would not waste our time again.

The Land (counterservice area): crowded, but staff was OK. Asked lots of questions on dinning plan and they were quite helpful and quick. the food was good. Thumbs up

Tokyo dinning : good meal. the server disappeared for a while, but the manager came by noticed my empty cup, asked if the server was getting a refill, i explained I had not seen her- he apologized, got the drink and she showed up a few moments later. The food here was of a decent quality (had the combo tempora & sushi)- the tempora was very good, the sushi was decent (but I am spoiled with a fantastic place nearby). Thumbs UP

Sci-fy theatre : Slow service for a lunch. the DW commented on only 8 selections- I pointed out if they had any more how much slower the service would have been- as a note- not our server, who was quick to check on us, refill drinks, etc- seemed to be in the Kitchen. Due to SLOW service, decent food... Thumbs Down

Ashkerhous : Princess dinner. Quick service. The appitizer free for all was very good, but the meal I did not like (but that was me). Overall a thumbs up, but barely...

Crystal Palace : Character breakfast. Buffet food was OK. The omlet station was- a cut BELOW anything I have tasted. Thumbs down

Chef Mickeys : Character Dinner. Good service. Good buffet (nothing spectacular). Good waitstaff. Overall - Thumbs UP

2 not on the dinning plan:
T rex- DTD- wow, very different atmosphere. food quality is around the same as the rainforest cafe. Thumbs Up
Rainforest cafe (AK) - simple food at high prices. you pay for the atmosphere. overall, good staff, decent chain food (like applebees, Fridays or any other) - Thumbs up

Now I dont mean to imply that the food is bad around disney, but it never has been great. Lets face it a four star restaurant in NYC or paris is very different than what the top rated disney food can be.

So- in disney- the service can make up for some pedestrian food, but lack of service highlights what you eat, and truely the dinning experience is about 3 things- The food, the staff, and the atmosphere. with the atmopsphere getting the least attention (unless it is realy bad). Compitent waitstaff can make you feel good about paying a high price on an OK meal, and excellent food can make you overlook an indifferent waitstaff, but bad service can make you never want to eat somewhere again, and bad food will certainly ruin your night. disney has decent food most of the time. so much of it realy depends on the waitstaff. In disney, they can make or break a dinning experience.
:mickey:
Gueli

[swampfox28]

Maybe we're easily impressed (!!!), but we LOVE eating at WDW and have enjoyed our DDP on the past 2 trips. (Yes, I know the argument is that it's awful, it's not a good deal, etc., but I disagree!)

We always throw in Wolfgang Puck's Express (this past trip we ate there twice!) STELLAR food AND only a *COUNTER SERVICE CREDIT* I always feel like I'm getting away with something when we eat there. The food is SO good and both times we would have spent around $75 before the tip had we not used counter service credits.

LeCellier gets such mixed reviews I didn't know what to expect, but my filet minon with mushroom risotto was so good I almost picked up the plate and licked it (ALMOST!!)

Princess Breakfst = awesome! We saw all the princesses we wanted to (Ariel isn't always there but she was, which made DD's day!) I highly reccomend the little raspberry muffins; I ate about 4 of them...MMmMMmM!

1900 Park Fare - fun and tasty dinner (and a show!) Busy, yes, but good food and a good time, too!

Yak and Yeti - so good we ate there twice. My son got a Kobe beef hamburger. It's not on the menu, but our server told us about it. The thing was so heavenly - OMG. Not that my steak and shrimp were bad, heavens no! But that burger - I'm still dreaming about that burger!!!!!! And dessert were fried cream cheese wontons with grilled pineapple. YUMM-O!

All in all if we hadn't walked about 8 miles a day (!!) we would have gained about 300 lbs each on the trip - we LOVE WDW food. Not all of it, mind you, but if you pick and choose some great restaurants and are lucky enough to get good servers, too, then it's DE-VINE (pun kind of intended!!)

-Sarah

[swampfox28]

I meant to add that on past trips we have eaten at (and enjoyed)

O'hana's character breakfast. REALLY good food (and juice!) and you get Micky, Pluto, Lilo, and Stitch. SOoOoO much fun!

Cape May breakfast. Beach theme with Donald, Mickey, Minnie, Pluto and we also had Chip and Dale, too. GREAT buffet (but similiar to all the other breakfast buffets) and beautiful atmosphere.

The restaurant in Germany in Epcot (something haus... It's on the TIP of my tongue, but I can't remember!) Anyway, it was fun. Loud, too, but lots of fun. Good food, not just sausage and beer (though the sausage was REALLY terrific!)

Whispering Canyon (though we liked it MORE the last time we ate there, but it was still good this past trip in 11/09.) Lots of food; good, rich, home-style cookin' in yet another AMAZING Disney hotel.

Boma in AKL. Personally I don't need to go back, but if we had family or friends with us that hadn't been, I think I'd take them. It's definately different with LOTS of interesting food. It's a really cool place to look around before you eat (outside and in the hotel), while you eat (the place itself) and after (whatever you missed before you ate!) Neat-o.


I think that's it; we also loved the Concourse Steakhouse, but it doesn't exist anymore, so does it matter?! It was great, too. I swear, I'm so happy to be in WDW you'd think that if they fed me gruel I'd eat it and smile, but honestly we really DO love eating there and SO look forward to our table service meals; there's just hardly been any "misses" when we've tried new things!

-Sarah

[Gator]

It's hard to say what would make most people happy. Some folks want a big dinner as fast as possible so they can get to the next show or ride. Others like to sit down and take it easy. If you like to hurry, then don't get the DDP. Skip the Table Service places, and you'll never get bogged down.

Now, I'm really suprised at your complaints of the Pepper Market. Especially since you're on the DDP. It counts as only a CS credit, but you can get ribeye steaks or some other large portion of food. The service can be slow, but it's kindof a self serve place, other than drinks. I thought it was great considering the cost of a CS.

[ToashaF]

I have to say that I agree that Disney food is not as good as it used to be. I do think the Dining Plan is still a good deal if you plan on doing buffets (EXPENSIVE) and more highly priced menu items. I don't think that the service is the same either. I have been going to Disney every year since about 2001, but before that I lived in Orlando and went all the time. The service and the food HAS changed. You can still have wonderful food and excellent service, but it is not the Disney I fell in love with. I do think that Disney still has magic, but wow is the service different. I have had increasing encounters with rude CMs and rude park visitors. People just don't act as "happy" to be there as they used to. It makes me sad because I LOVE Disney .

[Lelandmm]

I just got back on 12/12.
I was not impressed with the food either.

We only did lunch and snacks in the park since we were staying at a time share with a full kitchen.

The only thing consistently good in each park, was the turkey legs.

The sandwiches we frequently cold, or hard.

The best lunch we had was actually at McDonalds!

[Stu29573]

We went in June and ate at:

El Pirate- good for fast food tacos- had TONS of cheese (which I like)

Les Chefs- Fantastic- fantastic steak and fish- Seeing Illuminations through our window while eating a big plus.

Tony's- Pretty good- I'd give it a strong average. Probably the least impressive of teh table service places.

Coral Reef- Good- Very good food, average waiter.

Brown Derby- Fantastic- Probably the best meal we had. Food and wait staff out of this world.

Sci-Fi- Pretty Darn Good- We had shakes and spinach dip. Easily the best spinach dip I've ever had. Movies were fun.

Yak & Yetti- Fantastic- Great food and wait-staff.

Yorkshire Fish- Good- Solid effort on counter service fish and chips.

Cantina de San Angel- Good. Just had nachos, but they were tasty

Norway counter service place that I can't remember the name of- Fantastic- easily the best counter service we had- large portions, fantastic staff, great food.

So, overall, we couldn't have been happier. Of course this was in peak season, so maybe the quality suffers in off-peak? (it's hard to imagine it being THAT different, though). Sometimes I think people are going to a different WDW than I am...:confused:

[CaptSmee]

over the years we have found our favs, and one's we avoid. they are all not equal even if owned by Disney they are all run invidvidually, and there's always going to be poor service out of the 1,000's of cast members that attend to you. you just make the best of the experience that you are at and enjoy the best.

[big blue and hairy]

DW and I eat at WDW restaurants fairly regularly and much more often than not we are happy. One exception, going back to the OP is The Pepper Market. With the exception of breakfast as the OP said, I have never had a meal at PM that was any good. Three strikes and you are out. If the rumor is true about it becoming a buffet restaurant, I'll try it again, otherwise no go.

:sulley:

[lighteningqueen]

Why is it we cannot voice our opinions on here without some back lash. The food was sub par no matter where we were We went Dec 7-16 and really I think our counter service food had more flavor. Teppon Edo was probably our best meal all 10 days. This is our third year and honestly the flavor was wonderful the first year in 2007, 2008 dropped about a third in flavor and this year. You had to ask for salt and pepper and some places my husband had to get something else after we left that restaurant. Very small servings for men. he is 6'2 and only about 200# so he is not a huge man. Breakfast is the best value on all the properties. It cost too much but at least you can get full and they cannot mess up breakfast items. And NO eating off property is not an option and should not have to be. It should be good consistantly all the time wait staff and all. Not coming back because you think she is bummed about it is not a very good response. Paying over 12.00 for a lunch and 30 for a dinner while on vacation is just too high. if they would lower those prices we would all have more to spend on other items. We noticed that in all the shops this year the cash register would hardly have anyone at it. They did not run sales this year like last Dec same time. Disney has to make some changes and soon. I see more and more on here everyday giving it a rest and who knows how long they stay away. it will start hurting so now is the time for park and food improvement not free days and food.to get us there.

[jonahbear2006]

We had the same experience in September. We went Sept 08 and loved all of the food and Feb 08 and dining plan was the way to go. We really wrote home about it. This year we went for two weeks in September so we tried a substantial amount of restaurants and most of the food was downright nasty. We were so disappointed and even ditched a few table services and rebooked the ones we were happy with because we were so sick of having to pay a tip for horrible food and mediocre services. Rose and Crown, Le Cellier, Grand Floridan Cafe, and Teppan Edo were the only restaurants that held up to my expectations and let's get real here folks, Disney can offer great food. They always have in the past so why change it now. Let's call it what it is; economy is low, they are giving away a lot of free dining, and when it's given away things get dumbed down to save money. I hope this does not continue. We returned a lot, in december, to same counter services over and over to avoid being disappointed. This shouldn't have to be.

[Goes4FastPass]

[quote=lighteningqueen;1995421]Why is it we cannot voice our opinions on here without some back lash...quote]

I don't think there is any backlash going on here. There are often a lot of different opinions in this forum and I like that a lot.

I think opinions in either extreme are "unfortunate". If a posted writes, "I ordered steak and got fish... and it took forever... and was cold..." Some people respond, "I'm sorry your vacation was ruined." (Ruined??) while others reply, "Just close your eyes and keep beweeving in the Magic"

We enjoy the restaurants at WDW but it's still a business transaction. If something needs to be fixed we try to "talk to the lead" right then and it is usually fixed.

[big blue and hairy]

We enjoy the restaurants at WDW but it's still a business transaction. If something needs to be fixed we try to "talk to the lead" right then and it is usually fixed.

I agree completely. This is not pointed at the OP... What drive me nuts is someone who gets something wrong, and never speaks up during dinner, but complains about it afterward. You are paying for the meal, you are buying it. Would you not speak up if you were given the wrong thing at a store? Same thing.

:sulley:

[disneykid@hrt]

I'll take a martini in a cup with a lid- and a rooftop view...