My first time at Chef Mickeys and my HM cake - both were disasters -UPDATED CAKE PICS

[jenniferma]

I just wanted to say sorry about your cake! You are better than me, I think I am with the rest of the people here that would have refused to pay for that cake-- wow, it was pretty ugly!

Sorry again and hope they do something nice for you.
Jen

 

[Sandy321]

Walt Disney World Guest Communications
P.O. Box 10,400
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

wdw.guest.communications@disneyworld.com


I will say, I too felt a HUGE disappointment in a cake - but since we were still on property - and we were celebrating 2 birthdays (my mom's and my daughters - on their days) I called to cancel the 2nd cake because of the horrid experience, the horrid cake (it had been pre frozen, NOT a podium cake $65 ) I knew it was pre frozen, because when they served it the icing was falling off, and the middle was still frozen! and it was at LTT - and they didnt or wouldnt give us the dessert that came with the meal!!

I was appreciative of their help - and thought from then on we'd order from a place with a bakery -

but the prices and the attitude of our last cake, which did not live up to its promise has made me say - never again...

and yet when I read the thread I think "hmmm maybe"...

 

[marehoodlum]

We went to MNSSHP on the 13th and tonight (15th) and we rode the HM 5 times......every time we talked about the wallpaper and the photo frame that you pass by while on the ride. Its right there in front of you....and the wallpaper is everywhere. I finally told my son what happened with the cake. he was very understanding and told me not to feel bad about it......and that we could get the cake "next year when he is 17".

This was my first trip with my boys.....no husband, no boyfriend, ......just me and my boys and my mother. I wont lie that it did make me want to cry at one point......I know that sounds lame......but it did.

When Disney tells me they can make my trip magical if I pay the $$$.....and I agree to pay the $$$$....then I want them to hold up to their end of the bargain.

I don't want anything from Disney at this point. I'm just so dissappointed in how this all turned out. I feel silly because its just a cake....but surely some of you moms understand.

And for the person who asked me what more I wanted from the manager........she could not give me what I wanted....my cake.....so the least she could have done was offer a sincere apology before going into the "well what do you want?" tirade.

Wow, what a story

As a mom, my heart broke just reading it. And of course your son was fine with it, but that is not the point. Kudos to you for keeping your cool, I"m not sure if i could have done as well LOL

I would definitely send a letter....it was handled unprofessionally from the original order down to the manager asking you "well what do you want"?

This is DISNEY. They are supposed to be the gold standard.

 

[Mrs D]

To Disneyliscious, My heart goes out to you. As a Mom I completely understand what you are feeling. And I agree age doesn't matter - it was important to you and you wanted (and would have paid for) something specific. It would have different if you showed up that day and said "I want a cake with HM on it". That was not the case. You gave them multiple chances to get it right; they failed each time!

When the bakery manager repeated "What do you want?" my reply (or at least afterwards as I replayed it in my head one million times) would have been "For you to acknowledge the error, to apologize, at make an attempt to rectify the situtaion (although they could not produce the cake you ordered at that moment - perhaps they could have the next day at another location if that would have worked for your schedule) and to not pay more than a standard cake (is it $25).

The person who REALLY takes the blame in this situation is the bakery manager. Shame on her for responding to you like that. No, it wasn't her mistake, but it was her job to correct the situation. Shame on her to make you feel like that!

I would have cried. I did cry in a similar situation for our 1st wedding anniversary. I worked SO hard to make sure everything went right. When we went to a VERY expensive, Very fancy restaurant which I had called in advance to tell them of our anniversary, that it was surprise to DH and to pre-order champagne and dessert - we were seated at a table that the kitchen door hit each time a server came out (we asked to move tables but there wasn't another available), didn't see our waiter for 20 minutes much less have our champagne brought to us and there was something wrong with the food, can't recall what. Then because of the slow service we missed the complimentary shuttle to the theater we were going to (oh, it was a specific pre-theater dinner our time frame was noted in the reservation) and I just lost it. Right in the middle of the restaurant I was a puddle of tears. The restaurant ended up comping the entire meal (over $200) gave us a voucher for a comp meal and paid for a cab to the theater. We NEVER used the comp voucher and I told them I wouldn't and whenever someone mentions that restaurant I feel required to share my experience. That being said the restaurant did the right thing in trying to make amends.

 

[connie1042]

I ordered a cake at Narcoossee's in Sept. It was okay. It looked very nice, but I don't think I would do it again. It was just to much cake for 2 people. Plus we were on the dinning plan. To much food in general. I think for some of us, reading these boards, we feel our trip will not be prefect if we don't get a cake or do gift baskets, or plan a extra something. I learned after our last trip that less would have been a lot nicer. Going to Disney World is special enough.

 

[LockShockBarrel]

I didn't even happen to me and I'm still fired up after reading this! I just really can't believe at such a customer service driven place that an employee would handle a situation like that. Long days and bad moods aside, you can't take it out on a customer. I just have to say where I work, which is at a grocery store in the Northeast, if we made a mistake on a special order, such as a cheese tray or a birthday cake order, and there's proof of the error (like writing "happy anniversary" on a cake when the order form said "happy birthday") and not just someone "well I don't like the way you cut these cheese cubes!", it's almost always comped and redone before the customer can even suggest it, and we are by no means at Disney's level. I just think that would have been my immediate reaction had I been the manager you talked to, is to say "There's no charge, what else can I do to help fix this?"

 

[Pumbaa_]

I ordered a cake at Narcoossee's in Sept. It was okay. It looked very nice, but I don't think I would do it again. It was just to much cake for 2 people. Plus we were on the dinning plan. To much food in general. I think for some of us, reading these boards, we feel our trip will not be prefect if we don't get a cake or do gift baskets, or plan a extra something. I learned after our last trip that less would have been a lot nicer. Going to Disney World is special enough.

(bolding mine)

 

[Disneyliscious]

......and what is wrong with the entire left half of the cake? It looks like the entire white part of the cake is missing??????? Who cuts a cake that way? Was that your server? What was wrong with her?

My 8 year old cut the cake......once I saw it....I didn't care if it stayed pretty or not....lol. We just let him play in it. To me, it wasnt pretty anyway.

I have decided to write a letter. I do not want, nor will I ask for anything. My sole purpose is to try to alert someone, above the bakery manager, so that this does not happen to another family down the road.

I hope that Im not frowned upon by whoever receives my letter. I know some of us DIS'ers go a little overboard in our Disney hopes and planning, but normal or abnormal, we still are willing to pay the $$$ to make our craziness become reality.

Sandy.....thanks so much for the contact info! I will let you all know how it turns out and I'll post a copy of my letter on this thread when Im done writing it.
Now that we are home and friends and family are seeing the cake pics, everyone is ooohhhhhh'ing and ahhhh'ing over the cake....and Im thinking......IF you only knew.....

 

[gogo]

That is really too bad about the cake. Wow, $45 for that cake was ridiculous. They should have given it to you for free or a very minimum price. Maybe less mistakes would happen if Disney had to pay for them instead of the people who didn't get what they ordered. Clearly, mistakes can happen anytime but you should not have to pay for it.

 

[Cupcake2008]

I feel so bad that you received that horrible cake instead of the one you ordered. I'm also amazed at how they handled the situation. First, the person who decorated your cake clearly knew they were creating something that was far from what was expected. Did they think they were actually going to pass that off to you and that you weren't going to notice? It's so insulting that the bakery manager did not contact you ahead of time to let you know they had messed up the order, and that they would not be able to create the cake you ordered. Someone should have called you and asked what else they could have done at that point in time to make it up to you, or to give you a chance to cancel the entire order. To try and pass that monstrosity off is just insulting and mean to do considering it was a child's birthday. Maybe someday you guys will be able to laugh at the absurdity of the situation.

 

[Mrs. Charming]

I'm sorry about your cake... you should submit it to cakewrecks!

I just had to edit this to add that it's one thing when something doesn't go your way when it's something for yourself--- but when something doesn't go your way like that when it's for your KID, it just breaks your heart.

 

[Disneyliscious]

That is really too bad about the cake. Wow, $45 for that cake was ridiculous. They should have given it to you for free or a very minimum price. Maybe less mistakes would happen if Disney had to pay for them instead of the people who didn't get what they ordered. Clearly, mistakes can happen anytime but you should not have to pay for it.

You know what hit me today? She said that she would knock $20 off since the cake I got didnt have the decorations on top......WHY was the $20 ever added on in the first place? Did they think that if they left the price the same that I wouldn't notice it was a different cake?...lol. If the cake is $45 and the decorations are $20.....when the decorator didn't put any decorations on.....that alone should have alerted him/her that either the cake or the price was wrong....

And for the record....I was not required to pay for the cake at all.....however, I would have been left with no cake at all.

 

[arcticdisneylovers]

Wow, after seeing that ugly subsitute for what you ordered I've decided to skip the Anniversery cake I wanted to order on our next trip. that is one of the ugliest cakes I've ever seen. Certainly nothing anyone would willingly order. I would definately have tried to skip a big scene about it since it was too late to really "fix" the problem. But, I would have made it clear that I was extremely disappointed and I would not have paid a dime for that horrible cake. I definately think you should follow up with a polite letter explaining the mix-up and requesting a full refund for that cake. Good luck!

 

[gogo]

You know what hit me today? She said that she would knock $20 off since the cake I got didnt have the decorations on top......WHY was the $20 ever added on in the first place? Did they think that if they left the price the same that I wouldn't notice it was a different cake?...lol. If the cake is $45 and the decorations are $20.....when the decorator didn't put any decorations on.....that alone should have alerted him/her that either the cake or the price was wrong....

And for the record....I was not required to pay for the cake at all.....however, I would have been left with no cake at all.

When you say you were not required to pay for the cake do you mean they offered to take it back? What were they going to do with it? When I said minimum price, I meant very minimum but really it should have been free. Sometimes we're made to feel like we are looking for something for nothing when we complain and that is not right. When we pay for dinner, and in your case, a cake for your child, we expect to get what we ordered. And, when it is not delivered as promised the responsibility lies with the provider.

It's almost like you were being punnished for informing them that they got the order wrong. I don't blame you for keeping the cake. Like you said, it was for your son and it was the only cake he would have for his birthday.

I hope you and your faimily had other nice moments for his birthday

 

[carrie6466]

We had a similarly disappointing occurence in Coral Reef last year. We ordered a Nemo cake for DH's bd and I even made my dd a Nemo dress to match. I ask about the cake before dinner and was told it wasn't a problem. We finish dinner. No cake. I ask the waiter, he can't find it. We get the manager, no Nemo cake.

They gave us the plain white one with nothing written on it and said "oh don't worry it's on us." As if they were doing me a favor. By doing what? Not having what I pre=ordered 20 days before my trip?

 

[cchev]

I love both places but you really can't compare the food quality if you're looking for a great meal. Go with Boma

 

[Halloweenqueen]

Sorry about your cake, OP.


We went to WDW Oct. 2-11th. We had three cake celebrations during our Grand Gathering. It took me hours of research, planning, and calling just to order. All three unfortunately were disasters.

First was my parent's 45th anniversary cake at 1900 Park Faire. I reminded the hostess at the podium (this was supposed to be a surprise). We were stalling at the end of our meal, hoping that the cake would appear. I sent my daughter to the podium to remind them again. She came back and said they were very rude and told her if we had a situation that we should address it with our server. (not much of a surprise) Plus our server was nonexisted during our meal.

I finally had to walk up to one of the people who must be in charge of seating. 20 minutes later the server comes with the cake. She starts going on about how they didn't put it on her slip, etc. Not the conversation you want to have during a surprise. 1900 was a total disappointment. Never again.

Second cake was for my son's 12th birthday at HDDR. No one had evidence of the order and the show was about over when they came and asked if we wanted a generic cake. We said no thanks. No apology or anything.

Third cake was for my sister's 30th birthday. We were at Tusker House and it was supposed to be a surprise. Stalling again, I finally cornered the waiter and asked for the cake. It came completely frozen. They made a makeshift box for us to bring back to our room. It was pitched later because we had no means to cut and serve it.

I think it is terrible that so many people are having trouble with their celebration cakes. Why have a huge theme and inquire about your celebrations if they just become frutstrating episodes during our meals?

We decided to never order cakes again.

 

[4HppyCamprs]

Op...I am so sorry about your cake. As a mom I know how much we want the best for our kiddos even if they dont care as much as we do. The cake was pretty ugly and honestly I can say my local grocery store does better. The cake you thought you were getting is beautiful! You did handle it much better than I would have. KUDOS!! That said I agree with the last poster why make such a big deal of celebrations if they are not going to follow through....In August we were there celebrating our anniversay and our first trip....What bothered me was a small thing but still the thing my mind flits too...I saw the note that the waiter had and on it in big bold black letters it said CELEBRATE!..other people were sang too and got celebrations but not us. I would not have thought twice about it if I hadnt actually seen the note. If they dont want to celebrate then dont ask what we are celebrating!. Sigh. I really hope the family has a good rest of the trip!!!

 

[gretchenohar@hotmail]

I'm so sorry for you, Disneylicious!
I had the exact opposite experience - yet just as disastrous - from the illustrious Disney Cake Dept/ Disney Florist.
My grandson was celebrating his 7th birthday when we were at WDW last May. I ordered a PLAIN yellow cake - sans frosting - and called back twice - weeks later to verify the order. I was assured that since I called months in advance, that our unusual request would be honored. I was more than willing to pay top dollar for an unadorned cake, as this is what my grandson wanted. (Had also made arrangements for the room to be decorated with balloons, streamers, birthday signs, a special present for my grandson from Mickey + another small present for our granddaughter -that I pre-paid, etc.) This was all to be delivered to our room while we were in the park.
Needless to say, there was no cake, or anything else upon our arrival back to our room on his birthday. The concierge desk finally brought up some ghastly tasting cardboard filled cake with some type of synthetic frosting! (Can anyone say Sara Lee-after being petrified?)
"They" did leave some things in our room the next day, but we never rec'd all we ordered/paid for.
I don't blame the concierge dept for this - they went above and beyond the call of duty to try and make things right.
I will NEVER again order anything from ANY WDW bakery - nor by extention - the Disney Florist, etc.
Frankly, I think you should have been compensated for your fiasco - perhaps as a previous poster suggested - the cake you ordered delivered to your resort or restaurant on a subsequent day - with NO charge for the poor substitute you received.
I'm so happy to hear that both you and your son handled the situation so gracefully. Disney could learn a thing or two from you...
Wishing you better luck with your WDW endeavors in the future. (And I must admit - we've generally had only the highest praise for the services we've received at WDW. It's just the cake dept/Disney Florist that seem to consistently fall short. And it's the fact that they fall SO FAR SHORT of the mark that makes it so disappointing!)
Whew - sorry this is such a negative post! Guess I must still have some issues with this! I originally just meant to commiserate with you!
OK - time for a hot bath and a glass of wine (or is that whine?)...

 

[mrsksomeday]

Did you ever send a letter and if so did you get a reply? I read about your experience on the Cake Gallery thread and I felt so bad for you. I would have been so disappointed. I was thinking about ordering an anniversary cake for our trip in December and I don't think I will now .