WORST DISNEY DINING EXPERIENCE

[Eastern]

Cape May Cafe breakfast - we were placed in a room to the side...with just a few tables, weird florescent lights, no windows and felt like a church basement. Food was ok, but was a lot of $$$$$ for a church basement feeling. They shouldn't be allowed to place people there. We felt like we were cast aside. Dinner was nice, when we were seated in the actual dining room.

They have tried to put me there a couple of times, I just asked for another table. Now when I check in there, I say, "not the side room, please".

 

[leebee]

Put us on the "NO CHEF MICKEY" list, too! I remember, once upon a time back in the 1990s, when it was actually a lovely experience. Great character interaction, reasonably good food for a buffet, and basically a fun time. Now? The place is a mess (I attribute this to too many parents who let their kids serve themselves from the buffet and too few members of the custodial staff), the food is poorly prepared and usually tepid enough to make me wonder if they really are holding it at the appropriate temperatures, and the character interaction is now frantic and uneven (with other kids crowding instead of waiting their turns). CM's used to be our first-night dinner- what better way to start a trip to WDW than visiting the Fab 5, right? Not anymore. Fortunately, DD is now old enough (21) that the whole character M&G is no longer necessary.

Worst food? Kona Cafe in October 2014. We used to love eating there- the coconut chicken w/strawberry salad was incredible- but over the past 5 years or so we've felt the quality slipping with every visit. After our experience in october, we won't go back. DD21 had the scallops, I had the duck, DH had the chicken (I can't remember how they are preparing it now, but the waitress said that every time they get a new head chef, he's allowed to put his own flair to certain dishes, which is why the coconut chicken is no longer served). DH's chicken was inedible. It was so overcooked and dry that he couldn't swallow it, and the sauce had a skin on it and had dried onto the plate around the edges (obviously had sat under the heat lamps for too long). I tried a bite and it was pretty much like chewing on a cotton ball- so overcooked that not only was it dry, but the entire texture was changed; that's not from the heat lamp! He changed his dinner for the scallops. I tried his scallops and they were OK- a tad more cooked than I would expect, but OK. DD's, however, were very overcooked and chewy. She likes them pretty well-done (she has a texture issue and soft scallops make her gag) so she was fine, but if I'd ordered them, they would have been sent back. My duck was flavorful, but it, too, was overcooked. I didn't send it back because it was edible and tasted OK, but as duck is fattier than chicken it didn't have that sawdusty texture that DH's chicken had, so I ate it. SO… we had three different entrees that were very mediocre, each overcooked by varying degrees. When she saw how much leftover food we had, the waitress asked about the meal (she'd been pretty attentive after replacing DH's chicken) overall and we told her we found it disappointing, especially based on our prior visits. She was apologetic, but we were not looking to "get" anything… just letting an interested employee know how we felt. When I looked at the bill I was surprised to discover that we were only charged for our drinks and appetizers. I talked to the waitress and she said she was happy to take the meal charge off the bill as clearly the kitchen hadn't performed well that evening. I was pleased to not be paying for those entrees, but it still won't get me back to Kona Cafe!

 

[Violet Parr]

We have had some great meals and some not-so-great. We usually don't get the dining plan anymore for various reasons, so when we dine, we dine OOP. I think my standards are higher when dining OOP. Anyway, we choose our Disney Dining experiences carefully now because we have had enough "it was okay" experiences that we paid "it was the best meal ever" prices for, and that's just not good enough for us. We love WDW, but we've found that the best way to get good value for our spending is to visit during the Epcot festivals (F&W and F&G, which now has as much food as F&W I think!) and let everyone in the family try whatever they want there. Some items there are good, some are great, some are not so good, but the price point is much more tolerable, and the kids get to be adventurous without the risk of ordering something they don't like and then not having lunch or dinner that day. Then we stick with a few solid favorites for a few TS meals. We also know our favorite QS. Wolfgang Puck's in the Marketplace is a favorite. Something for everyone, relatively cheap, and food is fresh. Honestly, I have spent $100 on food for 5 there that was just as good as, if not far, far better than what we spent $210+ for at CM and CRT.

If I were to pick a worst, I would say Sci Fi. Our kids really loved the atmosphere, and I was sure the food couldn't be THAT bad, but it really was. I remember telling my husband, "We will just get hot dogs, burgers and milkshakes. How badly can they screw that up?" Pretty badly. It's a shame, because it was a fun place to cool off. Server was good, too.

I honestly enjoyed my meal at Tony's and so did our kids (but I was starving and hunger is the best sauce) but my husband thought it was subpar.

 

[LadyKayla]

I had a not so great time a few years back at The Wave in Contemporary. We were basically forgotten about for an hour and then the food was a waste. Nothing tasted much like anything. One of my friends I was dining with asked for ketchup which showed up thirty minutes later after asking two servers.

Oh and it was also my birthday. But oh well! As soon as we could we got out of there and had a lovely day at Magic Kingdom. I didn't let it hold down my fun for the day, but I'm definitely not rushing back for another meal there, lol.

But to brighten up my post a little, my fiancee's favorite Disney meal that's never been bad for him is the pepperoni pizza at Pizza-fari at AK. He like raves about this pizza all the time. All the time.

 

[DisOrBust]

Went to Spice road table and waitress spilled a tray of 4 water glasses and a beer in my lap! It was in the forty's that night so I was miserable. She was apologetic and I was not angry, we all have had accidents. But what ruined the night not even an acknowledgment from the manager, and we cleaned it up ourselves and no nothing was comped on our bill.

 

[PatMcDuck]

Chef Mickeys dinner. It USED to be so good, the food I mean. But other times characters skip our table, we had to wait 10+ minutes after we were done eating to meet them; after informing the staff that we were waiting for them. (They even used to serve PRIME RIB here, not joking, as one of the selections.) Now the food is pretty bad overall. Never again.

And we are not picky, and never had an issue at Whispering Canyon, we eat there every trip for lunch.

 

[PatMcDuck]

I forgot about the ABC commissary. It was packed, but we were desperate. Huge line just to order, in a long queue. DS is in a wheelchair. NO tables, I had my food and was trying to balance that with pushing DS. FINALLY sat with another family. Food was ok, cannot remember really, but when we left we took our tray and trash and LITERALLY every single garbage can was completely overflowing onto the ground. Stuff stacked on the floor, I have never seen such a thing. And I DID flight my way thru the crowds, with the WC, ask for a manager, and informed him of the trash problem.

 

[BalooFan]

I don't travel to Disney World at busy times of the year. My poor server experiences were in May and early December.

 

[Shells9]

For us I believe it has been Yachtsman. I know it has a huge following and is highly thought of by some, but our experience was lacking. The highlight was the table we had (right by the window) and the garlic butter. The steaks were overcooked and not tender and the sides were barely warm and lacked flavor. We have considered giving it another try, to see if we were just there on an off night or if it is just not the place for us.

 

[skatalite]

Bongos. Even though I like the place a lot. It was once so bad it was funny. I was there with a date and another couple. The waitress came over did some small talk. Turned her back to my guest the whole time. Then told me what time she was getting out of work and was I interested in coming back. It was very loud and hard to hear as the band was playing but I could tell that when taking the order of my guest that the waitress told her several times that they were out of that dish. Finally when the food came they brought out for 3 and did not bring the dish out for my date. She noticed that I had what the waitress told her they were out of. When asked, the waitress told her that they had it for him, but none for her. (this is all true) Finally, her dish arrived and it was a dish of off the children's menu lol. It went down hill from there. It was so strange and odd the whole thing that it was funny. We laughed the whole way through.

The worst experience my wife and I have ever had was in June 2012 at Hollywood & Vine. Atrocious food, but the server was great and attentive even though it was incredibly busy.

#NeverAgain

 

[jgs75]

We have had very few bad experiences with Disney dining. The worst was Sanaa. We were so excited to dine there. We LOVE Boma. But the food at Sanaa was unappealing and small portions and our server was terribly rude. It was hard to find something for my grandkids to eat!

We also had a bad experience at Yak and Yeti. Very rude service and unimpressive food.

 

[k5thbeatle]

Been going to Disney for more years than I'd care to admit. Having a "worst dining experience" was rare, really rare. Now in the last...oh...5-7 years I can think of several places where this has happened. In fact, I am almost now of the mindset that when we go to WDW I don't wonder if we'll have a bad experience but rather which restaurant it will be this time?

 

[North of Mouse]

We dined at Whispering Canyon Café recently for lunch and was less than enchanted with our service. My family visited the restaurant for a special event and was less than impressed Our server had limited ability to communicate in English and was not understanding the concept of the restaurant. She was not friendly and definitely had no pixie dust. Will knock this place off our list of places to visit.

Love these type posts!! Reading through them, most, if not all, have been the 'worst' for some people! Every place is not for everybody!

 

[Meldev]

Yes someone's worst may be someone else's favorite!
Hands down our favorite meal last trip was Mama Melrose by far!! The salmon in a tomato based sauce over gnocchi - out of this world, DH and I both thoroughly enjoyed it!
On the flip side, we'll be hard pressed to ever get DH back to The Crystal Palace.

 

[Meldev]

Yes someone's worst may be someone else's favorite!
Hands down our favorite meal last trip was Mama Melrose by far!! The salmon in a tomato based sauce over gnocchi - out of this world, DH and I both thoroughly enjoyed it!
On the flip side, we'll be hard pressed to ever get DH back to The Crystal Palace.

 

[longrf01]

Good lord! Did they at least apologize after you had the reaction?!

No, but in their defense, after I had the "poison" I left my family to finish dinner while I went to First Aid to get some Benedryl. By the time I got there I needed much more than just a few pink pills.

 

[sedaniel]

We have been really lucky and have not had any bad food or service really. The worst thing that happened to us in terms of a "dining experience" was on New Years Eve 2014 we had dinner reservations at Hollywood & Vine. We showed up 10 minutes early to our reservation time and were told they were a little behind and that they were out of the "buzzers" they give people to let you know when your table is ready, so my fiancé's family found some seats a little way down the road and and my fiancé and I sat on the ground close to the podium so we could hear when they called our name. Except there is no way they called our name and when we went up there 20 minutes after our reservation time had passed they claimed that they had called it. If they HAD called it, it must have been a whisper, because we were paying attention the whole time (it was a mad house because it was NYE so we wanted to make sure we heard them). We complained three times and were seated over 45 minutes after our reservation time. I get that its NYE. I get that they're busy. I even get that they overbook tables (although I'd say NYE is NOT the day to be overbooking tables). But I just thought there was no excuse for how they handled that situation. Luckily the food was okay (dessert was so good) and our waitress was very nice!

 

[Jenny Sanders]

Worst food San Angel Inn
Worst service Coral Reef

We were very excited to try these eateries as the atmosphere is beautiful. We had terrible experiences at both and do not want to go back.

San Angel Inn had the worst service I have ever had at a restaurant in my entire 45 years of life on this planet, and the food was worse than going to a Denny's.

Other than that, dining at Disney has been a delight, from from food courts to fine dining, and everything in between.

 

[luckyman_apd]

Chef Mickey's appears to be a very "popular" restaurant to hate. Honestly, I was never impressed with it, and we always did the latest breakfast time we could get. That always gave us extra time with the characters.......and as far as buffets go, usually you can't go wrong with breakfast. My parents took the kids their for dinner about 18 months ago and they said the food was awful. They only enjoyed it because they got to see the kids with the characters. I would recommend Tusker house over it....but you have to have admission to AK. There are other character meals with better food than Chef Mickey's.

Coral Reef has been scratched off our list long ago. TERRIBLE service....and that doesn't mean a bad server. Meal cook times took forever. Server wasn't great, but it was the LONGEST time at the table and that just amplified everything. The view of the aquarium was nice, but never again.

My wife has sworn of Tusker house because A) she's not a fan of AK park, but the day we had a reservation they were running so far behind that it took us an hour to be seated. The meal was fantastic, the characters were great, but that wait experience has made my wife say never again. I'd try it again, but we have started to avoid park restaurants. I'd rather not pay a ton for admission, only to have our park time wasted by long times in the restaurant. We save our sit down meals for resort days.

I REALLY liked our Be Our Guest dinner. We were seated in the East wing (just luck where you get seated). It was quiet and secluded (unlike the ballroom). Our server was excellent and the food was fabulous. (yes I a straight man just said fabulous). Not sure we will go back as it was such a great experience, I'd hate to be let down the next time.

Eating inside the Mexico restaurant (the one in the Temple, not outside) was TERRIBLE. Long wait for food, just bleh at best for taste. The only good part was sitting on the water by the ride, but we sat so long even that got old. I forget which hacienda that is.

 

[DisDreamsAshley]

We've had a ton of fantastic dinning experiences at Disney, but here are some of the less than good times and why we don't eat at these places.

Coral Reef - wait to get the table was outrageous. The hostess was extremely rude. This was our first visit back in 2010, and we had bought the Candle Light Processional package. When we expresses concern about missing the show she told us to wait more, and that the show didn't matter. Once we were seated our waiter told us that we had a long wait because they didn't want to sit a couple at a 4 top. The wait for our food was super long as well, and when it did come out it was cold and incorrect. We ended up getting our package refunded, but we spent over 3 hours there. We haven't been back since.

Nine Dragons - Despite reading reviews on this place we wanted to try it for ourselves. We did lunch here one day, and I was really excited because it looked so nice inside and everyone was super friendly. Our apps came out and the server spilled a dish of soy sauce and my appetizer all over the table and my lap. My brand new camera was on the table as well. She apologized, grabbed some napkins from the other table, and ran off. We only saw her again when she brought our entrees and bill. While I understand she was embarrassed, we had basically no service the rest of the meal. As far as the food, I would have rather had take out Chinese, and later our stomachs were quite upset....not saying food poisoning, just saying it didn't sit well with us.

Tuskar House - Super long wait despite having reservations. When we did get seated, our server was basically nonexistent. I had read tons of great reviews about this place, with the food and the character interactions. The food was fine, but it wasn't anything special. The buffet was a little messy and not all of the food that was meant to be hot was warm. The characters basically ignored us. We don't have kids, so we usually get short interactions, and we are completely fine with that. But I mean, they skirted around our table. I think we only ended up getting a picture with one of them, and just one of us did. The rest bypassed us completely. While I wouldn't mind trying the buffet again, we don't want to pay for a character meal when the characters ignored us!