Buffets/Food Quality

[tiggershan]

Just back from OKW 8 great nights in a Grand Villa. We all used the DDP for the first time. Not to thrilled about that either.... discussion for another time. My question is: Have people noticed that the Quality and Quantity of food available at Buffets such as Chef Mickey`s Crystal Palace and Cape May been downgraded over the past year or so. Not sure what cut of meat they were serving as Roast Beef but it is no longer Prime Rib as it has been in the past. I remember Pork Loin and a nice Ham in the past as well,no where to be found. It seems the amount of different items at these buffets have been lessened quite a bit.

Thanks

 

[TDC Nala]

I haven't eaten at any of those in a long time - and I have never eaten at Crystal Palace at all - but I was at Biergarten on Saturday. A lot of the food was pretty good, but the chicken schnitzel was too dry, which is not something I was used to from Biergarten.

 

[ElizabethB]

We ate at Chef Mickey's about a year ago. The prime rib (or whatever it was) was inedible. Some of the other buffet items were pretty good. It was rib night and the ribs were quite good, much better than the ones at HDDR. I recall quite a few tasty dessert options.

Ultimately, we're simply not buffet people and wouldn't do it again. We did it for my 4-year-old niece and she was afraid of the characters anyway.

 

[scard192]

We loved the food at CP (lunch); flank steak and pork loin were so good! But then I don't like prime rib. CM was just so-so, desserts were wonderful.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

Yes we've noticed! These undesireable changes I believe are the product of the DDP and Free dining. We've taken to exploring Orlando's fine restaurants rather than spend a fortune on mediocre food offerings that start to all taste and look the same after a few days. For many years Disney had poor dining then a whole world of restaurants opened and it was really a joy to pick a restaurant knowing the quality and choices you would receive. The DDP and free dining changed all that!

 

[TDC Nala]

I can't lay it all at the feet of the dining plan and/or free dining, although that is a component. It's due to the changed business philosophy of Disney, which is "most guests are fine with okay food, they don't need great food, so we don't need to provide it everywhere." Disneyland has no equivalent dining plan (they do have one but it's a voucher-based prepayment plan with little to no discount component, nothing like the credit-based system WDW has) and no free dining, yet their restaurants, with a couple of exceptions, are showing the same sort of streamlining and standardization of menus as WDW. Of course, in Disneyland it's much easier to go offsite to eat - no car required.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

I can't lay it all at the feet of the dining plan and/or free dining, although that is a component. It's due to the changed business philosophy of Disney, which is "most guests are fine with okay food, they don't need great food, so we don't need to provide it everywhere."

I agree, the all mighty pocket often rules!

 

[MickeyNicki]

I can tell ya that we have eaten at every single buffet place for dinner, except Tusker House, and the only places we enjoy are Cape May Clambake and Beirgarten...the rest of them are just gross. I think the quality of the food is not the greatest and the salt levels are so high!

Now for breakfast we dont have any issues with Chef Mickeys, Boma, Cape May, Crystal Palace...they are fantastic!

 

[KatMark]

I can tell ya that we have eaten at every single buffet place for dinner, except Tusker House, and the only places we enjoy are Cape May Clambake and Beirgarten...the rest of them are just gross. I think the quality of the food is not the greatest and the salt levels are so high!

Now for breakfast we dont have any issues with Chef Mickeys, Boma, Cape May, Crystal Palace...they are fantastic!

I totally agree with Nicki; over the past couple of years, we have had terrible lunch/dinner buffets at Disney (Chef Mickey's -- so-so; H&V -- AWFUL). We only do the buffets at Cape May and Biergarten and have always had very good food; breakfast is another story--we've never been disappointed with Cape May, Crystal Palace or Boma--they are keepers for us.

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

That was supposed to be Prime Rib on the buffet at CP? Yeah and I'm Cinderella.
Overall we loved many of the buffetts (espically CP) but I did notice a few inedible overcook, picked over and dried out dishes, we also noticed on our last trip that the quality of the meats at Ohana and thier sides has noticeably nosedived. So much we won't be eating there next trip and it was formerly DH's favorite.

 

[summerlady]

We loved the Biergarten buffet last November, skip the chicken schnitzel though, it tasted like old cardboard. Ick. Everything else was yummy though, very good selection.

 

[ms_missy66]

Biergarten has definitely held it's own, but CP and CM are just pretty dreadful for dinner. Thank goodness my kids aren't into characters and we can skip them without protest. I'm also with the pp who mentioned 'Ohana going downhill. You are absolutely right and that's so disappointing because it was also one of our favorites. This past time the sides were cold and the meat charred beyond edibility.

 

[natalielongstaff]

i agree that the buffets at breakfast are better than at lunch or dinner

 

[tiggershan]

Thanks for all the replies, I did forget to add in that Tusker House at AK was by far the best buffet that we tried. We were very reluctant to try it at first after viewing the menu on-line,however once we arrived and viewed the entire menu we were impressed. I certainly agree that since Disney implemented the DP and all the free and low cost incentives to the general public to draw more interest for tourists eating in the parks they would have to have a cost savings initiative and that unfortunatly is passed along in the quality and quanity of food.

 

[Kathy Z]

We just ate dinner at Boma Sunday night for our second time this year (the first time was in May.) It was just as wonderful our second time as it was the first. There was excellent beef being carved near the beginning of the line (I popped a couple of falafels into my mouth while waiting for my beef - yum.) The chicken, pork and salmon were also great. I choose the carrot ginger soup from the 3 or 4 soups that were offered and found it a bit sweet but devine. I also enjoyed numerous sides (only place I've ever eaten fufu) and salads and those yummy mealie bread tiny muffins. Our waitress was able to get us the butternut squash soup from the kitchen upon request. But I actually liked the carrot ginger ginger soup better. After all of that I was only able to completely finish 2 of the 7 desserts I tried. I liked all but one of them. Yes, I pigged out that night - it was the most I ate of any night on our trip. There were EMH at DHS Sunday so we took the bus there after dinner at Boma and walked some of it off while enjoying the Osborne Festival of Dancing Lights.

 

[arielmomma]

We at ate Chef Mickey's and Crystal Palace in September for free dining and my family actually felt that the food was better this year than it was last year at the same time. We eat at CP every trip and while I have been disappointed that they have changed the menu a couple of times, I have always been pleased with the quality and quantity. To each his own!

 

[luvmarypoppins]

At the world now and so far have done:
Crystal Palace lunch
Tusker House Lunch
Cape May Buffet dinner
Hollywood and Vine dinner.

Hollywood and vine desserts were pathetic, good crab legs at cape may, crystal palace was acceptable and tusker house was ok.

 

[DeniseinNS]

We have a few buffets booked for our first trip March, I'm hoping they'll be good.

 

[Planogirl]

We like Cape May for dinner and CP for breakfast and Boma for both. I never did understand why so many raved about Chef Mickey's to be honest.