WORST DISNEY DINING EXPERIENCE

[disneysteve]

It is really about the characters more than the food.

A lot of people say this, and I kind of get it, but I think it's a sad statement, and it didn't use to be true.

We used to love eating at Crystal Palace. Yes, we liked taking pictures with Pooh and friends, but we used to really enjoy the food. It was one of our favorite meals on property. We would have gone there with or without the characters. We haven't been there for a long time (due to the price) but it sounds like the quality has gone down since those days which is unfortunate. For what they are charging, they can certainly afford to provide a good quality meal.

 

[Redheaded Sunshine]

I so agree about being very mindful of the menus of the places you plan to dine! I'm a little bit of a foodie so I probably spend more time examining menus than anything else! A couple years ago my DP and I could generally choose whatever we wanted (as long as we included Whispering Canyon, in spite of the one poor experience we really like going and it's the kids' favorite). Now DS is a Disney "adult," and a very picky one at that. So he has to check out the menus with us when we're making any ADRs. I did put my foot down one year and we went to Chefs de France bc it's one of my favorites. Our waitress was kind enough to let him order from the kids menu bc there was absolutely nothing he wanted to eat on the menu. I think he was more being stubborn but it worked out nicely all the same.

 

[disneysteve]

Our waitress was kind enough to let him order from the kids menu bc there was absolutely nothing he wanted to eat on the menu.

This is one thing that always annoys me. Get rid of the kids menus. Just list what you serve and let whoever wants it order it. If you want to give the kids a smaller portion at a lower price, that's great, but don't tell adults they can't have certain items. Many times at Disney and elsewhere, the menu item one of us wants most is on the kids menu. We always get it, but it's sometimes a bit of a hassle.

 

[maxiesmom]

A lot of people say this, and I kind of get it, but I think it's a sad statement, and it didn't use to be true.

We used to love eating at Crystal Palace. Yes, we liked taking pictures with Pooh and friends, but we used to really enjoy the food. It was one of our favorite meals on property. We would have gone there with or without the characters. We haven't been there for a long time (due to the price) but it sounds like the quality has gone down since those days which is unfortunate. For what they are charging, they can certainly afford to provide a good quality meal.

I had breakfast at the Crystal Palace in October, and the food was still very good. In fact, it is one the ADRs I was told by my adult nephew to make for our next trip in May.

 

[Anesthesia Fine]

CP breakfast really was very good, which was only a surprise because we had the last breakfast seating. I'm easy to please with breakfast, though.

The only meal we weren't pleased with last time was PVH, but, well. We were hungry, it was there, it got us through the evening.

 

[disneysteve]

I had breakfast at the Crystal Palace in October, and the food was still very good.

Good to hear. We never went for breakfast, only lunch. Hopefully that is still good too. Not that we ever plan to return since lunch would cost us over $100 for the 3 of us which is ridiculous.

 

[Ozzygirl]

How would you like to go to dinner at 'OHana and being told the had no silverware. It isn't fun trying to eat salad with your hands! Not even an apology.

wait..what??? You're joking right..early April Fools???

 

[MomBird]

I've spent another 30 minutes on the phone w/Disney IT today (still on hold). It's an alternating loop for me. They fix my MDE account and add my info back in and then it disconnects my DVCMember account from My Disney Experience. This must have been an overlooked item in testing.

 

[L&Lfan]

That's what I meant when I wrote some of this dining tales are downright bizarre!

 

[bsbrady]

Our worst experience was at Chefs de France. The servers were so rude, but that may have been because they were really french, lol. But it was a bad experience, the food was not that good, we sat for 20 minutes before someone even came to us to ask for drinks or if we knew what we wanted, and the restaurant was half empty. I have never been back since.

 

[limpy]

This is one thing that always annoys me. Get rid of the kids menus. Just list what you serve and let whoever wants it order it. If you want to give the kids a smaller portion at a lower price, that's great, but don't tell adults they can't have certain items. Many times at Disney and elsewhere, the menu item one of us wants most is on the kids menu. We always get it, but it's sometimes a bit of a hassle.

Adults can't order off the kid's menus? Is this a Disney dining plan issue or does it apply to OOP as well?

 

[disneysteve]

Adults can't order off the kid's menus? Is this a Disney dining plan issue or does it apply to OOP as well?

I have no idea how the dining plan works - never had it, never will. It's no problem at counter service. Not sure about table service because we never do that. We did have one time years ago at CRT when my mom wanted to order off the kids menu and the server hassled her a bit but did end up giving it to her.

I just hate the whole concept of kids menus anywhere, not just at Disney.

 

[L&Lfan]

I have a problem with kids menus too but it's because I think kids should eat adult food, not adults eating kid food. But perhaps that's more of a cultural bias. We are naturalized Americans where, in our custom (Italian), the children eat what the adults are having with the portions, of course, being smaller. We weren't accustomed to children having their own separate menus until we came to the USA. Very different indeed!

 

[wdwfan1]

wait..what??? You're joking right..early April Fools???

No. It really happened. If we ever go back I will be sure to have plastic knives and forks with me.

 

[pooh2001]

Only bad meal was a late diner at O'hana - my DH waited 30 minutes for coffee, the food came out fast and left our table fast - we felt really rushed and the CM's were just hanging around talking.

We love Tony's and CA Grill - we also like Harbor House CS.

 

[tasha99]

I have a problem with kids menus too but it's because I think kids should eat adult food, not adults eating kid food. But perhaps that's more of a cultural bias. We are naturalized Americans where, in our custom (Italian), the children eat what the adults are having with the portions, of course, being smaller. We weren't accustomed to children having their own separate menus until we came to the USA. Very different indeed!

It's a cultural thing, and not even all Americans push child type food. We went to WDW when DS was one year under their "adult" age. I asked a CM if we could list him as a year older and pay for adult tickets so his dining plan would be adult, and she said "sure." A meal or two of chicken nuggets would have been a treat, but it would have gotten old fast.

 

[Longisland5]

It's a cultural thing, and not even all Americans push child type food. We went to WDW when DS was one year under their "adult" age. I asked a CM if we could list him as a year older and pay for adult tickets so his dining plan would be adult, and she said "sure." A meal or two of chicken nuggets would have been a treat, but it would have gotten old fast.

 

[disneysteve]

I have a problem with kids menus too but it's because I think kids should eat adult food, not adults eating kid food.

It isn't even about "kid" food or "adult" food. Many times, what is on the "kid" menu is perfectly normal food that everyone eats. I see no reason to restrict it to the kids menu.

Perfect example is the new breakfast menu at Be Our Guest. Perfectly normal breakfast foods like oatmeal, scrambled eggs, french toast, and cereal are on the menu - but the kids menu, not the adult menu. I eat oatmeal for breakfast all the time but apparently at BOG they consider that "kid" food.

 

[Longisland5]

The quality of all the restaurants has suffered in recent years. WDW has pushed more and more travelers into using the Disney Dining Plan. With this huge number of guests seeking sit down meals all day everyday, the quality has dropped. The sit down restaurants are pumping out incredible numbers everyday. During peak times, these restaurants are sold out from open to close. This puts enormous strain on resources. WDW calls these places fine dining establishments but they are really dedicated to high volume. Lets face it, the food was never truly fine dining (limited menu choices, prepared in large quantity but at least the overall experience was good (atmosphere, characters). But with the huge crowds, the experience has suffered. Long wait times, rushed service. Over stressed wait staff.

 

[North of Mouse]

I know now there is a thing they place on the table that lets the servers know if you would like to participate in the antics or not.

Good to know, but probably a little late for us. We knew nothing of the 'antics' when we dined a few years ago, and were harassed to the point that we were ready to walk out, and no, we never asked for Ketchup, or otherwise invited attention. We just wanted to enjoy our meal, but our waitress would not take the hint. Everyone is different, and the waiters should be able to tell after a try or two of being rebuffed that we weren't 'into' it!