Tim G
Well-Known Member
I'm really mad about that too...
-
Welcome to the WDWMAGIC.COM Forums!
Please take a look around, and feel free to sign up and join the community.
Dining Plan dropping food quality??
- Thread starter Pumbas Nakasak
- Start date
Figments Friend
Well-Known Member
Hi Gang...
I just returned from a week in the World and thought i would share my observatons and experiences with the recent Dining Plan offer.
In a nutshell for those who don't want to read all the details: To me personally, i think i had a better experience with it last year then i did this time around. It was obvious that things were trimmed a bit ( streamlined would be a better "Disney-esque" term i guess) and one was left with the impression that ones' money was not going as far as it had in the previous year. To be fair, that is true i suppose for everything money related to the Parks ( admission, etc.) as prices do tend to go up every year which is to be expected...but my Free Dining Plan 06' experience left me thinking the service has been "cheapened". Then again, i should point out that it was FREE...so what's not to be happy with? Ha ha!! No really...most of what i experienced was nice, but i did notice changes.
First off, as reported already, the food courts at the All Star Resorts ( and a assume Pop as well) no longer stock pre-made sandwiches and the like. Also, most other items that were once considered to be "Sides" are now plainly labeled as "Snack" items. Sorry if this is old news......but this time around people who are expecting to get as much as they did last year ( at the food courts at least) will notice the difference.
An example: Last year i was able to get a breakfast platter or Mickey waffle, etc. along with a bottled drink AND a "side" such as grits, toast, pastry, etc. This year however i discovered this is no longer so...as i now had to give up two credits for the same meal. The platter/waffle/etc. and drink are covered by the "counter service" credit, while the side items is now counted seperately as a "snack". So this was a bit of a dissapointment, as this meant the snack credits had to be used towards breakfast instead of in the parks as previously. Again, i'm not complaining folks..i am just pointing out the differences from the previous year so those about to go to the Parks can be informed!
Once in the Parks, i found most of the resturants to not be that busy. I was visiting from Sept 12th thru the 17th and in only one resturant was it very busy which was the Sci-Fi Dine In. They actually were turning everyone away who did not have a PS reservation. I luckily had one, even though they did not seem to have record of it, but after a 5 minute wait or so i was seated regardless. Good thing i had my reservation # with me, as i'm sure otherwise i may have been turned away too. Someone from the Disney Travel Company had phoned me about 2 weeks before my trip to ask if i would like to make PS reservations since the DP had been causing some Guests some issues. I made them, but found in the end i did'nt really need them in most cases. It's better to be safe then sorry though. If you want to eat at Sci Fi be sure to get one though!
At all the sit downs i went to, it seemed that they became busy around 6:30 and 7. I was surprised at this, as one would assume the busiest times would be the usually 4 thru 6. Not so the days i was there. I guess these people assumed the same thing, and made there reservations in accordance. They did'nt expect to create a rush while they were trying to avoid one! :lol: So basically, even though i had heeded the precautions and made PS arrangements, at only one of the 6 table service resturants did i really need them. The places were not overly bursting with business..things were quiet actually in general as it usually is Off-Season...but i did notice people waiting when i would leave after eating around 7/7:30.
Now to the actual experience in the sit-downs.....In general, i found the quality of service and food to be a step down from last year. The exceptions are the Rose and Crown, Marrekesh, and the 50's Prime Time. These three were EXCELLENT in both service ( very high marks from me) and food. I highly recommend both places for those with DDP! At two places i had to pass on dessert as i was too full...and all three had fantastic waitstaff who were full of enthusiasim and great interaction ( 50's exspecially). Again, i highly recommend these places.
Those places i visited on DDP and had poor experiences were Alfredo's ( very surprised at this actually) and Nine Dragons. In both expereinces i felt rushed and unwelcome in a small way. I find it hard to say that about a Disney resturant on property....but this is the impression i came away with. The food was ok....but nothing too out of the ordinary that would convince me to return any time soon. The exception is the famed pasta at Alfredos ( which i cannot remember how to spell, so won't attempt!) which was excellent and very filling. Nine Dragons was not at all what i was expecting. It was very dissapointing and i will probably not bother to return there.
Also i noticed how limited the menus were. Even the Sci-Fi seems to have eliminated many on the things i enjoyed previously ( like the Catish dinner! Argh! I was so bummed!) Oh well...i know sometimes things need to be streamlined...but variety is the spice of life! :slurp:
So again, i noticed the "streamlined" menu offereings, suttle changes ( like at the food court offereings), and experienced my first negative dining experiences at WDW. On the POSITIVE though...it was technically all free anyway ( in a sense...lol) so there is nothing i can really "complain" about now is there? Hee hee....
Well, i hope my notes will help those going to the World soon.
I just returned from a week in the World and thought i would share my observatons and experiences with the recent Dining Plan offer.
In a nutshell for those who don't want to read all the details: To me personally, i think i had a better experience with it last year then i did this time around. It was obvious that things were trimmed a bit ( streamlined would be a better "Disney-esque" term i guess) and one was left with the impression that ones' money was not going as far as it had in the previous year. To be fair, that is true i suppose for everything money related to the Parks ( admission, etc.) as prices do tend to go up every year which is to be expected...but my Free Dining Plan 06' experience left me thinking the service has been "cheapened". Then again, i should point out that it was FREE...so what's not to be happy with? Ha ha!! No really...most of what i experienced was nice, but i did notice changes.
First off, as reported already, the food courts at the All Star Resorts ( and a assume Pop as well) no longer stock pre-made sandwiches and the like. Also, most other items that were once considered to be "Sides" are now plainly labeled as "Snack" items. Sorry if this is old news......but this time around people who are expecting to get as much as they did last year ( at the food courts at least) will notice the difference.
An example: Last year i was able to get a breakfast platter or Mickey waffle, etc. along with a bottled drink AND a "side" such as grits, toast, pastry, etc. This year however i discovered this is no longer so...as i now had to give up two credits for the same meal. The platter/waffle/etc. and drink are covered by the "counter service" credit, while the side items is now counted seperately as a "snack". So this was a bit of a dissapointment, as this meant the snack credits had to be used towards breakfast instead of in the parks as previously. Again, i'm not complaining folks..i am just pointing out the differences from the previous year so those about to go to the Parks can be informed!
Once in the Parks, i found most of the resturants to not be that busy. I was visiting from Sept 12th thru the 17th and in only one resturant was it very busy which was the Sci-Fi Dine In. They actually were turning everyone away who did not have a PS reservation. I luckily had one, even though they did not seem to have record of it, but after a 5 minute wait or so i was seated regardless. Good thing i had my reservation # with me, as i'm sure otherwise i may have been turned away too. Someone from the Disney Travel Company had phoned me about 2 weeks before my trip to ask if i would like to make PS reservations since the DP had been causing some Guests some issues. I made them, but found in the end i did'nt really need them in most cases. It's better to be safe then sorry though. If you want to eat at Sci Fi be sure to get one though!
At all the sit downs i went to, it seemed that they became busy around 6:30 and 7. I was surprised at this, as one would assume the busiest times would be the usually 4 thru 6. Not so the days i was there. I guess these people assumed the same thing, and made there reservations in accordance. They did'nt expect to create a rush while they were trying to avoid one! :lol: So basically, even though i had heeded the precautions and made PS arrangements, at only one of the 6 table service resturants did i really need them. The places were not overly bursting with business..things were quiet actually in general as it usually is Off-Season...but i did notice people waiting when i would leave after eating around 7/7:30.
Now to the actual experience in the sit-downs.....In general, i found the quality of service and food to be a step down from last year. The exceptions are the Rose and Crown, Marrekesh, and the 50's Prime Time. These three were EXCELLENT in both service ( very high marks from me) and food. I highly recommend both places for those with DDP! At two places i had to pass on dessert as i was too full...and all three had fantastic waitstaff who were full of enthusiasim and great interaction ( 50's exspecially). Again, i highly recommend these places.
Those places i visited on DDP and had poor experiences were Alfredo's ( very surprised at this actually) and Nine Dragons. In both expereinces i felt rushed and unwelcome in a small way. I find it hard to say that about a Disney resturant on property....but this is the impression i came away with. The food was ok....but nothing too out of the ordinary that would convince me to return any time soon. The exception is the famed pasta at Alfredos ( which i cannot remember how to spell, so won't attempt!) which was excellent and very filling. Nine Dragons was not at all what i was expecting. It was very dissapointing and i will probably not bother to return there.
Also i noticed how limited the menus were. Even the Sci-Fi seems to have eliminated many on the things i enjoyed previously ( like the Catish dinner! Argh! I was so bummed!) Oh well...i know sometimes things need to be streamlined...but variety is the spice of life! :slurp:
So again, i noticed the "streamlined" menu offereings, suttle changes ( like at the food court offereings), and experienced my first negative dining experiences at WDW. On the POSITIVE though...it was technically all free anyway ( in a sense...lol) so there is nothing i can really "complain" about now is there? Hee hee....
Well, i hope my notes will help those going to the World soon.
PhotoDave219
Well-Known Member
Honestly, i have noticed menus going downhill in variety and portion size. I eat at disney resturants several times a month and noticed this over the summer. It's discouraged me from eating at some places i used to.
But what totally makes me go batty is that i can't get in anywhere i want to eat. I'm venturing to off-property and operating participant resturants.... not because i want to skip out on Disney, but because I can't eat where i want to.
But what totally makes me go batty is that i can't get in anywhere i want to eat. I'm venturing to off-property and operating participant resturants.... not because i want to skip out on Disney, but because I can't eat where i want to.