Just returned from a week long trip, Disney Dining let down

[PittPantherfan]

I think Disney does has not only gotten a little rusty with superior service skills (which they were famous for) but also on their service recovery skills. When things were humming very little need for service recovery - maybe both skill sets need a little work.

 

[Grasshopper2016]

The fact that you now have to take 90 minutes out of your expensive and precious park day just to get to your sit down restaurant — without including the interminable delays throughout the meal — is a major fail on Disney’s part. That part is not the restaurant’s fault. But it is definitely Disney’s fault.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The fact that you now have to take 90 minutes

That's not new, been that way for years. It's just Disney's recommendation because they want you to leave enough time. You can find plenty of posts in the Boards talking about that. I've only been here since 2015 but it's been talked about ever since I joined, I know it was there before that.

It takes a while to use the monorail and buses and the Skyliner gets packed, the ferry can fill up, etc.

 

[Grasshopper2016]

And the airlines have been telling us to arrive two hours early for a flight for years . . .

My point is that, in the past, it never really took 90 minutes to get from one park to another—or from your resort to your restaurant. If that’s how long it actually takes now, I view that as a serious problem.

 

[Griffchard]

Thank you for sharing your experience

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

And the airlines have been telling us to arrive two hours early for a flight for years . . .

My point is that, in the past, it never really took 90 minutes to get from one park to another—or from your resort to your restaurant. If that’s how long it actually takes now, I view that as a serious problem.

There have been plenty of stories about just that in the past..meaning people who didn't leave enough time (according to Disney's suggestion when using their transportation). Why do you think this topic comes up and people even mention the 90min suggestion? Because time and time again people didn't leave enough time. It's nothing new. I did say that the majority of the time it's usually overkill. But that doesn't mean it isn't every time, clearly by the amount of posts over time.

My only point in bringing it up was to mention Disney's suggestion on time, which has been the case for years. And understand that this is one person's story, how can you make an assertation that it's suddenly a serious problem when it is one person sharing their story who didn't actually leave the amount of time recommend? If I heard of story after story of people saying they left 90 mins and boy they barely made it, yes I'd see that as a pattern.

As far as your airport thing, it's varied from airport to airport (meaning some were arrive 90mins some 2 hours) and from time to time (sometimes it was this time other times it was that). If you're late to your flight (due to traffic, TSA, parking lot shuttles, checking in of luggage, etc) because you didn't use their recommendation the airline did advise you. Now I'd give a wide pass for the time (pre covid) when suddenly MCO was like 4 or 5 hours and people were missing their flights because that is abnormal.

You're obviously free to disagree and sounds like you do. Enjoy your day

 

[alohamom]

I really appreciate your post @miss0033

Our family has never really focused on the dining aspect in the parks for a few reasons, including one very picky eater, the cost and the timeout of the park day it takes to do a sit down meal.
Having said that, most of the ones we have done have been memorable family times and basically worth it for the theming and unique experience.

It is always a struggle to figure out what to do.
Sometimes, it is worth the respite for my feet alone to take a "break" from a park by sitting down for a meal. I really enjoy Sci Fi Drive in because it gives me just that. Even though it is just a burger and fries, I always feel like I have had a reset after this kind of thing.
I just cannot handle the stress of booking ressies waaay ahead of time, planning the park day around them and rushing to get to said ressie, only to find out that I am going to wait for a mediocore meal that costs me 4 times what it should.

Sooo bottom line for me is that I will take your feedback and use it to temper my expectations so that when and if I do end up at a table service meal in the future I will have a realistic view of what could happen.

Thanks for posting!

 

[Hubie]

I'm surprised and sorry to hear of your poor experience at Tattoria. I too would have been very upset. But we had a great breakfast there and excellent service just this past December. In fact, we had great service and meals at all of our TS restaurants: Raglan Road, Boathouse, Grand Floridian Cafe, Mama Melrose, Ale & Compass, Kona Cafe, Boma, Tattoria El Forno, Jock Lindsay's Hanger Bar. Riva Bar and Trail's End at the Wilderness.

 

[snikki]

This is one of the reasons I'm really limiting our TS meals this next trip. I'm doing it to offset the G+/ILL costs but also the food just isn't great for the price. Then add in so so service (although we've never experienced a bad server) it's just not worth it. I don't mind paying for good food and service but $200+ for a just ok meal and bad service isn't cool. We also want to keep our days/evenings open since we don't know what time our LL's will be (which is the biggest reason to limit ADRs). No more planning around FP+.

 

[Minniesgal]

Frankly I would have walked away at scolded for being late

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

Overall, had a wonderful trip in the parks. It was my almost 5 year old's first trip and she had a blast. So I am skipping over a lot of good things, and concentrating on a couple bad things... Like most things on the internet...

This was our first on-property stay in over 10 years, and first stay that wasn't a value resort.

We stayed at the Boardwalk on (rented) DVC points.
- Do all Disney resorts have extremely hard water? The water in the shower beaded up on my skin better than my car does after 2 coats of carnauba wax.
- My wife thought her hair was going to just fall out from the hot water, and used up 2 tubes of conditioner herself. I used 1 as well. We requested a 4th and it never came.
- Also, I thought all resorts had gone to the bulk dispensers for body wash, shampoo, etc. We still had individual containers...
- They picked up trash on day 2. On day 4 we got some extra towels. I cannot confirm, but I don't think housekeeping ever came again, as we never got more
towels and trash wasn't picked up again. At no point during our stay did we get new sheets. I thought day 4 was a full housekeeping when staying on points. Does that not include new sheets?
This is also the first time we have done more than one Table Service meal during a trip.
- There is no way to contact a restaurant to tell them you are running 10 minutes late because your Disney Bus is stopping at 2 resorts (Yacht, then Beach) and unloading an ECV at one, and Reloading an ECV at the next. Then being scolded for being late isn't really that fun.
- We had reserved 6 table service Dinners, and 1 character breakfast; we were never seated earlier than 20 minutes after our reservation time, even when we made a point to show up 10-15 minutes early.

Our first meal at Hacienda San Angel was really good. Service was a little slow, but good overall and the food was fantastic. Sadly it went downhill from there. We had previously eaten at Jiko, Sanna, Le Cellier, and Kona great service and great food each time that we remember, but only one per trip. So we hoped for a few meals that were hopefully as good as those, or at least came close.

At Via Napoli the Chicken Pharm, which was the server's recommendation, is quite possibly the worst example of the dish I have ever had; way too much cheese, flavorless chicken and almost no sauce on the chicken or the 7 spaghetti noodles on the side. The burger at Ale & Compass was only marginally better than the in-park quick service burgers, even ordering it medium it was dry and over-cooked. I was frustrated with those 2 meals taking over an hour an a half, and costing $120+ after tax and tip while being only marginally better than the in-park quick service food that was half that or less.

At Trattoria Al Forno, in particular, we waited almost 45 minutes for a table after being scolded about being 10 minutes late due to the busses (listed above). The dinner itself took almost 2 hours...
It took about 20 minutes for a server to come by and we ordered our beverages and meals. I asked to substitute real beef for the "impossible meat" on the Rigatoni Bolognese, our server said no problem. My wife ordered a side salad as a starter and the lasagna. We asked for a kids cheese pizza for my daughter. 15-20 minutes later our server brought bread, and said it would be a $9 up-charge for the beef instead of the plant-based "impossible meat". I laughed and said I have seen that go the other way, but never that way and said to just make it how it is on the menu. Wondering why it took 20 minutes to figure that out. After another 15 minutes, we flag down the server and ask if she could bring the kids meal ASAP as our daughter was getting hungry. (Yeah, I probably should've brought a snack or something). Was told no problem. So almost an hour from sitting down, (close to 2 hours from original reservation time) and we only have bread and drinks.

Shortly after my wife was bought a large dinner salad, not a side salad. And no kids meal early whatever, we will get by. Shortly there after our meals came out, but still no kids meal. My meal also had mushrooms on it, which weren't listed as an ingredient on the menu. I inquired, and was told it was part of the plant-based meat dish. Ugh, I hate mushrooms but also hate sending food back (no idea they were included) and am starving. We asked for the kids pizza to be brought out ASAP. I picked out mushrooms and we both shared parts of our dish with our daughter, who wasn't interested in what we ordered but was starving. The server never checked in and the kids meal didn't show up until we were both done eating.

A person dressed differently than the servers brought our daughter's meal out. We asked if they were the manager, which they said yes. As we started to explain, the manager said they would be right back after they checked on something "real quick". Our daughter picked at her cold pizza with a burnt underside and we never saw the manager again. The server came back and we asked for included kids meal gelato and the check. Those 2 items came quickly and I about lost it... We were charged for a full dinner salad that we didn't order (but did receive). I was charged the $9 "fennel sausage" upgrade but had told them to make it with the impossible meat, which I was told I received (mushrooms and all). We were charged full price for the kids meal and gelato. A) the gelato was supposed to be included. B) When I worked at a restaurant and you repeatedly forgot a meal, ESPECIALLY a kids meal, that took that long to deliver to a table, you comped it. My wife took our daughter back to the room and I asked for the manager. I waited about 20 minutes, at this point is well after 9:00 and my patience is GONE. The manager never came, and the server was avoiding my table completely. I went to the front desk and paid our full bill, and still left a 10% tip. When I got back to the room I cancelled our remaining table service dinners. I was worried I might get charged for it, but we weren't (at least yet).

Is this typical right now? We both said next time we go, we wouldn't bother with sit down meals, and just do quick service for half the price, or ever less. Not to mention I don't need or want to spend over an hour and a half at a restaurant. The brisket sandwich at Woody's Lunch Box - surprisingly really good. The pulled pork at Regal Eagle Smokehouse - delicious. Burgers and chicken tenders in the park - pretty standard. Casey's Corner Hot Dog and Chili Cheese fries - exactly what you expect. Overall, no complaints about the quick-service food.

We had a great trip in the parks, my daughter loved most of the rides had a blast at the shows and meeting the characters. Her parents loved seeing her joy! We were just let down by the dining experience overall.

The Character Breakfast at Toppolino's was good. Service was excellent, food was good, character experience was great. Yeah it was pricey, but we got characters and a good breakfast. Sadly, that was the exception and not the norm for our trip.

Wow- you definitely had someone testing you at the restaurants. The experience at Tratoria would have made me lose my mind! And to not even comp their screw ups. That's pretty bad. I also worked as a server during college and most times, when you comp'd a meal, most people would still tip more since they know it's not the servers fault. That's just bad bad service/management.

As others have mentioned, since the parks reopened in 2020, TS has been hit or miss for sure. You could dine at all these restaurants today and have zero issues but tomorrow if you come back, it could be a hot mess. Unfortunately, that's the nature of the hospitality industry right now given most folks are new/newer and have little experience and the ever evolving issue with keeping/recruiting employees. It's hard to get anyone to want to work in hospitality when they're is higher pay and less headache elsewhere. However, all that to say, you were just dealt the bad hand and you're extremely patient and lack of team members doesn't give a restaurant a license to have crap food/service either.

Since G+ started, we've done less and less TS restaurants unless it's a check in/check out or resort only day since we just don't know what the day will hold with Genie. I do hope that this is temporary and as WDW is slowly getting back to normal, they'll have more staff in place especially now that we're headed in to summer and we'll have more college kids back at Disney.

As far as the water, yes, central FL water is def different. I'm from S Florida and feel like Orlando water is like being sand blasted. As far as the toiletries, I believe most deluxe resorts still have individual toiletries and not refillable ones yet. We've not rented DVC points so I have no idea what the housekeeping schedule is for renting DVC but we've stayed at BWV booked direct with Disney and for a 4 day stay had no housekeeping but were able to get trash collected, get fresh towels, coffee and more H20+ products.

 

[a1tinkfans]

We mostly do breakfast table service now due to it being cheaper and quicker service. Yak n Yeti has been our go to take service at AK service always great and fast. But other than that we stick to qs.

yak is the best!

 

[Disney Freak Numero Uno]

We just returned from a quick trip. We’ve decided if we ever return to WDW, we will rent a car and eat at restaurants outside of the parks and resorts. We’ve always included Boma for dinner during our trips. Food was ok, butternut squash soup was cold. The appetizers didn’t look all that appetizing. Service was the worst. I ordered the captains mai tai and asked the waitress for a little ice. I got an entire glass of ice and a little fruit juice and no rum. For $14 I think. She didnt clear plates and never brought water. She did manage to drop two glasses of water down the back of a woman sitting next to us. I know, accidents happen.

we also ate at Flying Fish. We were seated at a table right next to a waiters station where the waiters stopped to get glasses, water, etc. there were at times, 3 or 4 waiters inches behind my husband’s chair. Clearly there wasn’t supposed to be a table there but they wanted to squeeze more people in, My steak which I asked to be cooked medium was raw. The waiter did notice and brought me one that was done correctly. Overall the food was good but overpriced.

where to begin with the boardwalk bakery. Limited options and nothing was good,

On a brighter note, Yachtsman was good and service at Beaches and Cream was excellent.

I could write a book about our experience at the boardwalk villas but that’s for the resorts board.

 

[lowlight]

I could write a book about our experience at the boardwalk villas but that’s for the resorts board.

Not what I want to hear with an upcoming stay there. That bad?

 

[Disney Freak Numero Uno]

Not what I want to hear with an upcoming stay there. That bad?

We have always had a good experience there so this trip prob seemed worse than it was.

first, my husband can’t walk far so I asked for a room close to the elevator. we were given room 3001, the farthest from the elecator
The bed was very uncomfortable. I considered calling and asking for a new mattress.

They posted a sign saying on 5/12, until 5 am there would be no cold water. At 7 we found that there was no hot water. Had we known that we would have showered the night before. When I mentioned this to the cast member at the front desk, he got all indignant saying that things happen and he could only offer a $100 credit. I didn’t ask for anything! I just feel that if something isn’t right, the hotel would want to know about it. They did send a box of candy later with an apology note. Again, I never asked for anything.

Lastly, because our room was so far from the elevator, I asked how woukd could rent an ECV. A front desk cast member gave me a card for a company that woukd deliver. I called then and they had no availability. The next day, we saw that we could rent one on the boardwalk. How could the front desk not be aware of this?

We‘ve been coming to WDW since 1987 making multiple trips per year. Disney‘s customer service was so much better in the past. Also, loyalty to frequent guests is non-existent.

 

[EilonwyWanderer]

We had good service at most TS restaurants we went to but I found the food to be mostly not worth the cost. It's just funny to read this review because we've avoided Trattoria since we had a terrible experience at the old italian restaurant that preceded it--I had ordered I think an appetizer alfredo and it came out super fast and it was HUGE! I was very impressed. I took one bite and it was good. I was about to take a second bite when the waitress came over, did a double take, then snapped, "That's not for you!" and TOOK THE FORK FROM MY HAND with one hand and swept the plate away with the other and disappeared into the restaurant.

I was so stunned I didn't even know what to do.

There was an older couple at the table beside us who was just as shocked and said, "Did she just take the fork OUT OF YOUR HAND?" And I was like YES!!!

We then waited about 45 minutes for our entrees, the waitress never spent more than two seconds at our table to drop food and run, the 'right' appetizers never appeared, and when the bill came we'd still been charged for them and in the end I went to get a drink while my husband spoke to the manager. I think all he managed to do was comp the appetizers, but I STILL hold a grudge even though it's a new place!

 

[nw6675]

We just returned from a week as well. I can't agree more on how poor the TS was this trip. Yachtsman and CRT had ok service, but the food was pretty bad to downright awful. Beaches and Cream and GFC were honestly the best food and service. We canceled CG, BOG, Le Cellier, and H&V due to the experiences at the start of the trip.

The food has always been a highlight, but not this trip. My 10 year old said - did you really pay $50 for my overcooked porkchop

Best food this week - we stayed in a 2 br villa the last half and I had a catered dinner and breakfast delivered from a furloughed Disney chef. Aahhhhmazing.

 

[MMazeo]

I'll be honest...I let out a sigh of disappointment when you paid the check at Trattoria.

 

[DKNHM]

Oh, wow! Trattoria sounded like a trainwreck! I am so sorry your dining experiences were so "meh" to downright horrible! I hope Disney straightens up the team at Trattoria. I personally found Via Napoli underwhelming - the expensive fish was good (albeit a skinny portion) but where were the carbohydrates?! I ended up giving my husband all the crust from my slices of (second) pizza. The first pizza that was brought out turned into a wet noodle mess when I tried to plate a slice for my daughter. I normally do not complain or send food back but that pizza was $45! The second pizza did not fall apart but I was so underwhelmed by the whole experience. I want to try Via Napoli one more time because it has such great reviews but I also want to hang tight to my $100 because I left feeling like the experience was nothing special. I think I will just spend my $100 at the food booths instead.

 

[maryp]

OP you sound like a great Dad. You gave me a big smile when you described your exit after the fireworks, brought back a lot of memories for this Grandma. I hope you can return again soon, you are right, children grow up way too fast!
Better luck with food next time!!