.

[disneysteve]

Veggie bar at Pecos Bills is gone! No more mushrooms!

Pecos Bill's no longer has mushrooms because they got an all new menu. It is now Tex-Mex and in place of those mushrooms, there is now quite good guacomole. I'm really surprised they give that out for no added charge (ignore that comment Disney). You can still get your mushrooms at Cosmic Ray's, however.

As for bacon or cheese on things, all you need to do is ask for the item without the bacon or cheese. They will always do that for you - and you'll pay less too!

We'll have to agree to disagree here. I think Disney has many healthier options, far more than they used to. I also travel with a vegetarian daughter so I feel your pain there. Her problem is that she's too picky, not that Disney doesn't have plenty of good choices.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Pecos Bill's no longer has mushrooms because they got an all new menu. It is now Tex-Mex and in place of those mushrooms, there is now quite good guacomole. I'm really surprised they give that out for no added charge (ignore that comment Disney). You can still get your mushrooms at Cosmic Ray's, however.

As for bacon or cheese on things, all you need to do is ask for the item without the bacon or cheese. They will always do that for you - and you'll pay less too!

We'll have to agree to disagree here. I think Disney has many healthier options, far more than they used to. I also travel with a vegetarian daughter so I feel your pain there. Her problem is that she's too picky, not that Disney doesn't have plenty of good choices.

1. Yes, I understand. Still, we were surprised to see no tomato. They also added back (cheese)burgers to the menu. I'd happily put mushrooms on my fajita! This isn't the first time they've tried to take away the mushrooms, by the way. Previous attempts lead to many complaints!

2. I crave the day WDW adds a Chipotle-style QS! Where it is easy for QS places to offer a host of custom cheese/bacon/meat-free options with ease!

Here's my suggestion- go to the DISabilities section of the DIS, and find the thread that talks about Chef TJ. Find his location and your daughter will be in for a treat!

One more tidbit...I previously listed the ABC Commissary salad. After I posted, I remember that I've had that salad. Not surprisingly, it comes with fried flour noodles! Ugh! Even the salads at WDW are covered with unhealthy garbage! I just can't imagine topping every meal with cheese, bacon, and ranch dressing and feeling well. Guests might not immediately make the connection, but eventually guests who feel ill after all that garbage are going to make an association; WDW makes me feel sick.

Getting back to the original topic, I'd love to see WDW adopt a kind of dining fastpass - except more modeled on old FP than new FP. Keep the ADR model for places like Cindy's Castle, and special F&W events. Let guests get in a virtual line when they want to eat, and give them an ARIVVIAL window instead of a fixed TIME. A more open time window would solve SO much frustration where the unreliable aspects of WDW are concerned (standby lines, transportation woes, etc.)

First though, Disney needs to continue to address the woeful lack of dining, especially in MK! The higher ups have been focused WAY too much on keeping TS tables occupied a full 16 hours of every day, instead of providing enough tables so guests can actually eat good food when they are hungry.

Unhappy guests are forced to choose between QS and eating when/what they don't want to eat because those are the only options available. ADR's are insults when guests are not seated on time.

If the demand for 'Ohana grossly exceeds capacity, then Disney needs to add more 'Ohana-like experiences! Guests who can't eat are unhappy guests. Unhappy guests pick alternate destinations.

 

[Tom P.]

Here's my challenge find entrees that don't come with:
1. Fried
2. bacon and other cuts of fatty pork (like lardons)
3. Cheese and cream/butter/mayo/greasy sauces and similar

On vacation, I wouldn't *want* to eat by those three rules. I say that not to disparage your attempts to eat healthy, but because I think my attitude may be similar to a great many vacationers and Disney knows it.

For me, going on vacation means not thinking at all about whether I'm eating healthy, or sticking to a diet, or whatever. I just want to eat what tastes good and not think about it any deeper than that. And I find plenty of meals at Disney that meet that criteria.

If a majority of people are coming to WDW with that same attitude, Disney is clearly going to cater to that. I have to think that if a significant percentage of visitors were demanding more healthy choices, Disney would be offering them.

 

[loves to dive]

I sorely disagree. Before the recession food quality was WAY better!

I've been to WDW with a vegetarian for a number of years. In the low 2000's finding healthy options was easy. CSR's Pepper Market had a whole station devoted to fresh fruit/fresh veggies! Gone! QS property-wide sold fresh strawberries. Gone! Veggie bar at Pecos Bills is gone! No more mushrooms! One of the few places in all of WDW that served mushrooms (except paying extra at high end steak places).

Here's my challenge find entrees that don't come with:
1. Fried
2. bacon and other cuts of fatty pork (like lardons)
3. Cheese and cream/butter/mayo/greasy sauces and similar

Here's what I get when sampling:
The Wave: 1 of 9 dinner entrees. (vegetarian soup)
Pepper Market: 2 salads (if no dressing), 1pasta (if no alfredo) of 24 options.
Rainforest: 2 of 34 (only IF you pick the healthy side and avoid fries/mashed) And I'm giving the benefit of the doubt on both: a meatless burger and pot roast. The sauce of pot roast might be full fat gravy.
Sci-Fi Dine-In - 0 of 11! All the sandwiches smothered in bacon and/or melted cheese!

ABC: 2 (one is salad- if no dressing) of 7 entrees
Catalina Eddies: 0 of 4 (unless you get Caesar salad w/out dressing)
Fairfaxe - 1 0f 5 (and that's ignoring the mayo on the coleslaw of the chicken, and heavy sugar of baked beans)
electric Umbrella - 0 of 7
Liberty Inn - 1 of 10 (vegetarian "chick'n, though I can't tell if it comes with fries, all other burgers do.)
Boulangerie- 1 of 14 (giving benefit of the doubt to Nicoise Salad, which probably comes dressed +mayo on the tuna)
Shutters - 0 of 10 entrees (ALL have cheese, gravy, cream, fried!)
Cap't Cook's: Ooh 3 of 17! ( coconut meatballs?, pho soup, fish tacos covered with slaw that probably has mayo)


In most cases, what I'm calling the healthy option - actually violate my 3 rules because they come with mayo coated coleslaw or you really have to specify that want no dressing, and to avoid the default of French fries as your side.

It is scary to me, the percentage of entrees that come with cheese. It is on practically everything! Every burger, every sandwich, every salad.

Universal is slightly better. This past trip I was absolutely thrilled to find the corned beef boil platter. Corned beef is just about the least healthy protein, but at least the veggies arrived blessedly plain!

Sci-Fi has a veggie burger without cheese and you can have lettuce, tomatoe and onion on it and not have any kind of sauce, I had it and added mustard and it was pretty good.
There was a QS at HS that had a veggie sandwich, I think it was backlot express which is closing but I swear I've seen one somewhere else.
You can ask for a salad anywhere that serves them without cheese, bacon or croutons, I do it all the time.
Morocco at Epcot has a couscous salad, tabbouleh and I think baba ganoush.
Most of the kids meals now can be ordered with grapes or carrots, I ofen get a turkey sandwich and grapes and the sandwich comes with no spread of any kind.

 

[disneysteve]

I'd happily put mushrooms on my fajita!

That may be but mushrooms are certainly not a typical fajita topping so it would be pretty out of place to have them there.

salad. Not surprisingly, it comes with fried flour noodles! Ugh! Even the salads at WDW are covered with unhealthy garbage! I just can't imagine topping every meal with cheese, bacon, and ranch dressing and feeling well.

So ask for the salad without the toppings you don't want. The fantastic thing about Disney is they will customize virtually anything. Leave off the sauce. No bacon. Skip the creamy dressing. No cheese. Grapes instead of fries. I think many guests think they are stuck ordering the food exactly the way it appears on the menu.

Again, we'll have to agree to disagree here. I just happen to think the options at Disney are far better than anywhere else I've ever been - amusement park, mall, sports arena, etc. There are many healthy and tasty choices available and at reasonable prices.

 

[GreatLakes]

I'm all for them going away, at least for the in-park restaurants. I rarely make ADRs and that is especially true for days I will be in a park. I normally travel during non-peak times, don't mind eating at non-standard hours, and don't care if I have to go with a second or third choice if my first has too long of a wait. I think the narrative of "having to make ADRs right when you window opens or you won't eat anywhere" is completely blown out of proportion.

 

[EricInPA]

So ask for the salad without the toppings you don't want. The fantastic thing about Disney is they will customize virtually anything.

And I'll say, with certainty, that the Disney restaurants will go above and beyond your requests. Especially easy ones like "hold the bacon".

 

[SorcererHeidi]

And I'll say, with certainty, that the Disney restaurants will go above and beyond your requests. Especially easy ones like "hold the bacon".

As will most places, especially these days, with more and more trying to eat healthier, even while on vacation. Not saying whether the choice to continue lifestyle changes while on vacation is right, wrong, or indifferent, it's a personal CHOICE of the guest, and especially to leave off something that's not already included IN something, is EASY, and "customer friendly", therefore is just plain "good business", and morally right as well. Case in point - got a sandwich today @ lunch at small local chain steakhouse-type-place which came with fries. I subbed (at no additional cost, which would not have been an issue, but just mentioning it) with steamed veggies. Was also offered cous cous or sweet potato fries, both at no additional cost. Just had to ask, was not a problem.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

That may be but mushrooms are certainly not a typical fajita topping so it would be pretty out of place to have them there.

Except they still serve burgers. burgers + mushrooms =

Look, generally, I welcome efforts to modernize the parks, especially when they enhance the guest experience. I love that WDW is adding a Jungle Cruise view restaurant.

*****

Special request dining is a big challenge! Ask anyone who has a food allergy! Mistakes are extremely common ordering custom foods! Getting custom foods is almost always time consuming.

Recently, (non WDW) we had to wait half an hour for a dish to be remade! Plus, I've worked in kitchens. Chefs aren't often happy when they are asked to remake dishes. Simply having a healthy item on every menu would be SO much easier.

We actually have found a partial go around of sorts- staying club level. CL lounges offer healthy breakfasts, healthy salads, and some ability to customize. Guests help themselves to the offerings.

Funny thing is, many CL guests share our pov. They use CL to escape unhealthy options. Children tend to pick healthy options when they are served platters of fresh fruit, fresh veggies, and beautiful salads!

A very young girl summed it up beautifully in a food court one morning. She looked at Froot Loops and said, "Mommy, am I allowed to have the candy colored cereal?"

 

[JimmyV]

I'm all for them going away, at least for the in-park restaurants.

I think that people are quick to forget that this is what the line for lunch at a popular in-park restaurant looked like before they added a FP for it. And the line started forming at or before 10:00 a.m.

It would be great if we could all walk up to a podium at 6:00 and get seated for dinner at 6:15. But that will never happen. If BoG did not take ADRs, people would start lining up at 3:30 or 4:00 for dinner. Would that really be an efficient use of park time?

 

[mickeyluv'r]

We were just at MK right before NYE and there was NO WAIT for the new TS restaurant at all! So I refute the idea that all in-park dining automatically = long waits.

BOG had a long line because it was highly promoted as the NEW CASTLE dining experience.

That said, I whole heartedly agree a new kind of dining FP is a super way to go!

I also agree that Magic Kingdom is sorely lacking in FUN dining options. The popularity of BOG strongly demonstrates that demand exists for FUN in-park meals!

I can say for certain we only begrudgingly ever eat in HS, because nothing there excites us. I'm sure a Star Wars themed 'Ohana-quality/style option would be very popular!

 

[JimmyV]

We were just at MK right before NYE and there was NO WAIT for the new TS restaurant at all! So I refute the idea that all in-park dining automatically = long waits.

It has been discussed to death that one of the reasons that the new restaurant has no wait is in part because it is the only one that does not take ADRs. People who want to dine in a TS restaurant are making ADRs elsewhere and not willing to give them up or incur no-show charges to dine at the new place.

Just do the math. The average attendance at the MK nowadays is around 50,000 people. If even one quarter of those people want to dine at a TS restaurant for dinner, that is 12,500 people. There is no way they can all be accommodated. At least with an ADR system, you will learn of your failure to secure a table well in advance and can formulate a backup plan. If you show up at a podium at 6:00 and are told that the wait is now 2 hours for a table and you have no backup plan, what then? When the Dining Plan has people pre-paying for a TS meal each day, those people are going to be really, really angry when they can't get in to a TS restaurant. Quite simply, the Dining Plan coupled with current attendance figures mandates a pre-booking system. Just imagine a really popular restaurant in the "real world" that does not take reservations, such as The Cheesecake Factory. No imagine that you have pre-paid for a meal there on a Friday night, no refunds allowed. Now imagine showing up at 6:30 and being told that they are booked solid for the rest of the night, or that the wait is two hours. You'd be demanding a refund, no? That is what the world of no ADRs would look like in the parks where there are insufficient TS seats for the number of guests who want to dine (except, perhaps, for Epcot, and even that is pushing it).

 

[SoCalTrojanSkip]

yeah, same here - and even sure where I would put something that big

I like the 3 rum flight mugs but a little bummed they don't come with the flight board/base

I've been trying to figure out a way to display those in my office without looking like...well, someone that displays rum mugs.

 

[GreatLakes]

I think that people are quick to forget that this is what the line for lunch at a popular in-park restaurant looked like before they added a FP for it. And the line started forming at or before 10:00 a.m.

It would be great if we could all walk up to a podium at 6:00 and get seated for dinner at 6:15. But that will never happen. If BoG did not take ADRs, people would start lining up at 3:30 or 4:00 for dinner. Would that really be an efficient use of park time?

I could happily live the rest of my life never eating at another TS restaurant inside the MK. If people want to wait 5 hours for BoG that is great by me. Less people doing the things I do want to do.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

If you show up at a podium at 6:00 and are told that the wait is now 2 hours for a table and you have no backup plan, what then?

Um, you create a back-up plan on the fly. My family has done do exactly that for years. There are many easy solutions:

A. ) visit a quick serve dining location (use TS credits later)
B.) call (or look online) to find an alternate location with availability.
C. ) find one of the few places that doesn't take/require ADR's.
D.) hop in a taxi or rental car, and eat at one of the MANY offsite dining locations.
E.) Maybe tell yourself it isn't smart to buy non-refundable prepaid meal plans?

It would appear you are ignoring the 1,000's of business guests who visit WDW's convention spaces every day and manage to eat without making 180 day ADR's. How do they do it?

Truth be told, I have many extended family visits under my belt, and we did use DDP when it was a good deal. If ever we found ourselves with a credit overage, it was easyto add an extra TS breakfast/lunch on our last day or swap a regular TS for a Signature meal.

There's almost always availability at: The Wave, Olivia's, GF Café, the Swan, the Dolphin, Captain's Grille, some place in the W Showcase, the BWK Brewpub, etc.

 

[JimmyV]

Um, you create a back-up plan on the fly.

That is an oxymoron. Plan ahead...spontaneously!

 

[DisneyDreamer26]

After today's podcast it would be fun to poll our little community and see what you guys think...

I would be sad to see them go. I'm a planner and part of the fun for me is to see what popular restaurants I can get at 180 days out. I also like to have somewhat of a plan for going to the parks and my meal schedules give me that.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Um, you create a back-up plan on the fly. My family has done do exactly that for years. There are many easy solutions:

A. ) visit a quick serve dining location (use TS credits later)
B.) call (or look online) to find an alternate location with availability.
C. ) find one of the few places that doesn't take/require ADR's.
D.) hop in a taxi or rental car, and eat at one of the MANY offsite dining locations.
E.) Maybe tell yourself it isn't smart to buy non-refundable prepaid meal plans?

It would appear you are ignoring the 1,000's of business guests who visit WDW's convention spaces every day and manage to eat without making 180 day ADR's. How do they do it?

Truth be told, I have many extended family visits under my belt, and we did use DDP when it was a good deal. If ever we found ourselves with a credit overage, it was easyto add an extra TS breakfast/lunch on our last day or swap a regular TS for a Signature meal.

There's almost always availability at: The Wave, Olivia's, GF Café, the Swan, the Dolphin, Captain's Grille, some place in the W Showcase, the BWK Brewpub, etc.

I would like it if the app would show you wait time for tables then so at least you could avoid walking over to another TS and be told it is 2 ours there too, and then try a third, etc.

 

[pjweaver]

Um, you create a back-up plan on the fly. My family has done do exactly that for years. There are many easy solutions:

A. ) visit a quick serve dining location (use TS credits later)
B.) call (or look online) to find an alternate location with availability.
C. ) find one of the few places that doesn't take/require ADR's.
D.) hop in a taxi or rental car, and eat at one of the MANY offsite dining locations.
E.) Maybe tell yourself it isn't smart to buy non-refundable prepaid meal plans?

It would appear you are ignoring the 1,000's of business guests who visit WDW's convention spaces every day and manage to eat without making 180 day ADR's. How do they do it?

Truth be told, I have many extended family visits under my belt, and we did use DDP when it was a good deal. If ever we found ourselves with a credit overage, it was easyto add an extra TS breakfast/lunch on our last day or swap a regular TS for a Signature meal.

There's almost always availability at: The Wave, Olivia's, GF Café, the Swan, the Dolphin, Captain's Grille, some place in the W Showcase, the BWK Brewpub, etc.

Let me break this up one by one for my families vacation:
A. ) visit a quick serve dining location (use TS credits later)
By this logic I would never use a TS and always be looking for a QS. When i run out of credits for chicken finger I should waste TS credits on more burgers. I book ADRs for what I want to eat rather than settling for Pecos Bob and his SOS on a taco.

B.) call (or look online) to find an alternate location with availability.
This is what they call ADRs; true I make some well in advance, but many are made the day before or the day of. An hour round trip to Olivia's plus the wait for a table is far more costly, in terms of park time lost to me at least, than planning a few weeks or days in advance. Try to go from AKV to OKW sometime.

C. ) find one of the few places that doesn't take/require ADR's.
I assume you mean the one TS in MK that serves food I don't care for and am not able to have food that meets special dietary needs. They need a heads up if you can't have certain things.

D.) hop in a taxi or rental car, and eat at one of the MANY offsite dining locations.
While I enjoy Waffle House, factoring in a $45 cab round trip, getting an ADR for BH or CRP trumps this, plus the time lost spent trying to get to offsite locations. I have an Outback 3 miles from my house... should i rent a car to take me to I Drive for the same crap?

E.) Maybe tell yourself it isn't smart to buy non-refundable prepaid meal plans?
I need to eat, I like to eat, and that is a part of my vacation. It isn't smart to go to WDW without a plan, it is a privilege and a painful waste of money for many. When we get to go we want the best we can get, and we plan accordingly. This thread isn't about the DDP, it's about ADRs.

All of us that visit WDW have fed this beast. You can no longer walk up to 97.8% of TS and ask to be seated. It has evolved much as cell phones and wifi have come into the parks. I am not using DDP this trip, but made ADRs for the five locations I know we want to eat at. I will have my lamb shank while you eat a boiled hamburger. For me this trip is a vacation where I will enjoy myself. I know today that I want to eat at Via Napoli for lunch ay 1:00 on Tuesday. To others it is a race to get as many rides in and complain when there is a wait at Cosmic Rays. To each their own.

 

[SamSam]

I would love WDW to go back to the 'way it was' before everyone had ADR's for every meal. We used to be able to make same day reservations, or just walk up and get in any place we wanted.