A bad review does not equal complaining.

[MSLRAC]

There's nothing wrong with expressing your opinion about an experience you've had be it good or bad. However, unless you bring those feelings to the attention of the people in a position of changing that experience for the future, yourself and for others, then you're just whining, and seeing the glass half-empty, and generally a negative person who takes a masochistic joy out of hoping others receive the same poor experience as you.

If you check into a hotel and the valet is rude, your room toilet doesn't flush, there are construction noises day and night, and housekeeping fails to service your room, notify the manager immediately so that they can make it right or else forfeit any right you have to compensation and resolution. To wait until checkout, or even worse, once you've returned home, to notify the business or hem and haw about it online, at which point nothing can be done about making your stay better, then you deserved what happened to you and you deserve to eat the cost of a failed vacation. Nothing in this world is perfect, no, not even WDW. To expect it to be the case is immaturity on your part, not the business.

The one thing I love about the Disboards is that whenever somebody has a bad experience at WDW, and comes on these boards to complain, a dozen others will quickly come to the rescue and say: "I'm so sorry you had such a bad time." I've never understood why complete strangers feel the need to apologize on behalf of a billion-dollar multimedia conglomerate. But most people are passive by nature, and so it goes on...

That's was pretty harsh. Did you even read the OP's review of Ohana? The OP did ask to speak the manger and finally after giving up on getting an edible meal, got to speak to the manager. Sharing that experience on here is not whining. And I don't think that the OP deserved to have a bad meal...no one does, especially as Disney prices!

 

[HunnyJar]

My issue with some reviews is the "I had the absolute worst meal in the world at x and we will NEVER eat there again and no one else should either" or the "all the fill in the blanks at such and such resort are terrible and no one should ever stay there". You know, the drama filled type that aren't necessarily based on facts, but one one person's opinion one day at one restaurant usually about one incident. I've had great, good, mediocre, but never a bad experience at any WDW restaurant, but that doesn't mean I won't ever. It also doesn't mean that someone else's experience should influence mine to the point that I never go.
Reviews are just people's opinions and if I based my vacation, restaurant choices, grocery store preferences, etc on what one or two people said, then there's pretty much nowhere I could vacation, shop, eat out,etc.

I read the OP's review and their experience was bad, but that doesn't mean that's how everyone's will be. It also doesn't mean their issues aren't valid.

I agree with this 100%! This is why I don't read a lot of negative reviews. If someone starts off saying, "This restaurant was GROSS!" I'm probably not going to read it. (I am not saying this is was the OP said.) Everyone has different tastes, likes and dislikes. If I read all of the reviews on Boma, I might not go. So often if someone is not familiar with a type of food and doesn't like it, it will get a negative review. And that's fine, but I'm probably not going to give it a lot of thought. Does it make it a bad restaurant? No. Does it make the reviewer wrong? No.

On the flipside if someone has a really awesome review on something, I'm not thinking I'm going to get the same experience. All restaurants have good days and bad. Same for the servers.

 

[skater]

The one thing I love about the Disboards is that whenever somebody has a bad experience at WDW, and comes on these boards to complain, a dozen others will quickly come to the rescue and say: "I'm so sorry you had such a bad time." I've never understood why complete strangers feel the need to apologize on behalf of a billion-dollar multimedia conglomerate. But most people are passive by nature, and so it goes on...

This "complete stranger" says sorry you had a bad time because I can empathize with other people's experiences.

 

[skater]

There's nothing wrong with expressing your opinion about an experience you've had be it good or bad. However, unless you bring those feelings to the attention of the people in a position of changing that experience for the future, yourself and for others, then you're just whining, and seeing the glass half-empty, and generally a negative person who takes a masochistic joy out of hoping others receive the same poor experience as you.

Posting on a discussion forum is simply discussing experiences. It doesn't mean someone is a negative person. One year I had a series of issues at POR. I didn't choose to interrupt our vacation to complain and I didn't expect anything from Disney. I posted about my experience on here - not to make others hate POR - but just to discuss and inform. I'm definately not a negative person.

Last year, we tried POR again and had a super experience. I also posted about that and compared it to our previous visit.

We're all adults here and I think we're capable of reading a negative review and deciding if we want to alter our plans or not. I personally like to read the good, the bad, and the ugly because I like information - if I just wanted a restaurant description, I would go elsewhere.

 

[crimsontide27]

I dont have an issue with any of the reviews, it just "irks" me when people feel the need to exaggerate their experience to gain sympathy or credibilty.

All it takes at any restaurant at Disney or any other place is to simply speak up at the time of the incident to get it rectified.

There is no way I can believe you sat at Ohanas for 95 minutes and only got to broccoli and noodles. As the case in most places , people exaggerate the amount of time they have waited for anything. I see it happen everyday...6 days a week. Guests come to my store and complain that they have been waiting 1 hr for their food, yet I look at the computer and they havent even been sat for 15 minutes.

The main problem with speaking up at the time of the incident...is usually that there is no incident in the first place. When people wait to the end to complain, it seems that they are just out to get compensated and make a big issue of nothing that can be corrected at the point.

I see this happen 60 hours a week.

You have your experiences and I have mine. Nothing wrong with either side posting their experience.

 

[HunnyJar]

Posting on a discussion forum is simply discussing experiences. It doesn't mean someone is a negative person. One year I had a series of issues at POR. I didn't choose to interrupt our vacation to complain and I didn't expect anything from Disney. I posted about my experience on here - not to make others hate POR - but just to discuss and inform. I'm definitely not a negative person.

Last year, we tried POR again and had a super experience. I also posted about that and compared it to our previous visit.

We're all adults here and I think we're capable of reading a negative review and deciding if we want to alter our plans or not. I personally like to read the good, the bad, and the ugly because I like information - if I just wanted a restaurant description, I would go elsewhere.

For the most part, I do agree. However, a lot of new guests read the forums and are basing their future trip on other people's reports. And while so many people can read a review and just form their own opinion, some people are basing their dining choices solely off the reviews they read. I feel badly because if I had just followed what so many reviews were saying about we might have missed out on an amazing experience last year at Garden Grill. Not only was our food delicious, we had a fantastic server that really made our daughter's 1st birthday that much more amazing.

 

[HunnyJar]

I dont have an issue with any of the reviews, it just "irks" me when people feel the need to exaggerate their experience to gain sympathy or credibilty.
All it takes at any restaurant at Disney or any other place is to simply speak up at the time of the incident to get it rectified.

There is no way I can believe you sat at Ohanas for 95 minutes and only got to broccoli and noodles. As the case in most places , people exaggerate the amount of time they have waited for anything. I see it happen everyday...6 days a week. Guests come to my store and complain that they have been waiting 1 hr for their food, yet I look at the computer and they havent even been sat for 15 minutes.

The main problem with speaking up at the time of the incident...is usually that there is no incident in the first place. When people wait to the end to complain, it seems that they are just out to get compensated and make a big issue of nothing that can be corrected at the point.

I see this happen 60 hours a week.

You have your experiences and I have mine. Nothing wrong with either side posting their experience.

You hit the nail on the head, CrimsonTide.

 

[MSLRAC]

I dont have an issue with any of the reviews, it just "irks" me when people feel the need to exaggerate their experience to gain sympathy or credibilty.

All it takes at any restaurant at Disney or any other place is to simply speak up at the time of the incident to get it rectified.

There is no way I can believe you sat at Ohanas for 95 minutes and only got to broccoli and noodles. As the case in most places , people exaggerate the amount of time they have waited for anything. I see it happen everyday...6 days a week. Guests come to my store and complain that they have been waiting 1 hr for their food, yet I look at the computer and they havent even been sat for 15 minutes.

The main problem with speaking up at the time of the incident...is usually that there is no incident in the first place. When people wait to the end to complain, it seems that they are just out to get compensated and make a big issue of nothing that can be corrected at the point.

I see this happen 60 hours a week.

You have your experiences and I have mine. Nothing wrong with either side posting their experience.

Even if the OP's time was off by 30-35 minutes, her meal was still unacceptable. Heck, if they brought all the food out within 5 minutes, if it was cold like the OP's states then it was unacceptable. The OP took the time to speak to the manger at the time it happened so I tend to believe that there was in fact and incident.

I too work with the public and I know that many people do have a tendency to exaggerate the issue at hand but I also know that many times, they are telling the God's honest truth about the problem. So unless you were sharing dinner with the OP, then you really can't judge.

 

[Kay1]

I love honest reviews and spend a lot of my spare time on Trip Advisor. I know some people get a little carried away but that's okay, too. My only complaint is with reviewers who complain about something they should have known before hand.

For example, some complain about the chickens at Blue Heaven in Key West. Had they spent five minutes reading the reviews they would know that the chickens are a big part of the charm. It's like complaining there are snail in the escargots, or that you have to eat in cars at the Sci-Fi.

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

Happy Labor Day!

I love ----------> "ed" Ohana's. And I love the fun atmosphere and my children had a blast here. The servers were very friendly and kind.

As for the the food, it simply was not good and it was not fresh. I would have rather had the cold food vs the gross tepid temperature food we had. In all honesty, it felt like leftovers from some other table. The salad was lukewarm and limp and the bread hard and stale. The noodles were greasy and slimy. The wings were like rubber and the meats were dry and overcooked.

I value my time and I do whatever I please with my time. I know my worth and when on vacation -- I do not bother to exert energy into things that I feel are not beneficial to me and/or if I feel it is a hopeless cause. If I felt like this was something that could be remedied in addition to having a desire to return, I would then speak with the manager.

When I am disgusted there is nothing you can do for me at that point -- nothing. And it is about me and how I choose to spend my vacation. At least I acknowledge this and I am not going to waste anyone's time including my own when I know how I am. Once I write something off, its pretty much done. And this goes for hotels, dining, transportation, whatever. Our flight was over 3 hours late and missing luggage which was found. I complained to Delta, it took me six days, two states and six different people before they comped our entire airfare and gave me 400 in Delta Dollars, this is worth my time.

I try to be more selective in choosing venues that pride themselves on providing exceptional quality and service. I expect hot fresh food from McDonald's. Sometimes this doesn't work out, when it doesn't I leave and I don't come back, this is what makes ME happy. I don't care about what feedback the people at Ohana's need, that's my money going into their pocket whether I am pleased or not. I just need to remove myself from the situation as quickly as possible and plan for the next. I love sharing my experiences with people to let them know they are not alone, its not just them and I feel good knowing its just not me.

I don't owe anyone anything. We payed for our meal, we left a nice tip and we chose to get up and walk right out the door. And I'll do it again. I speak with my presence and my wallet as both were MIA for 2011 and not in my plans for 2012. As for the "not a special snowflake" comment, well that's quite evident, which is why I wont waste my time. There isn't enough incentive as Disney has a captive audience even more so with the dining plan, which we were on. I wish I would spend my evening arguing over dining credits that I wont be able to use again anyway, when I could be at Wishes.

Some of our best memories at Disney were from Ohana's, that will never change. However, that era has come and gone for our family.

 

[Karlzmom]

If there is one thing about DIS board forum you must remember, a general rule, not everyone, but in general...........................

This forum is very sensitive, non-controversial, nice, anti-conflict type group.

I've noticed.....for whatever reason..... ANY negative comment, shoot or even just an opposite opinion, on here is seen as an ATTACK!!!!!

Two big reasons............I think people are emotionally attached to Disney. (as am I) AND, you also,can't read tone into words on here.

Too funny...as any opinon opens up the can of hyper-sensitive, sarcastic, up-the-ante *and your little dog too* pig-pile of nastiness.....its like all the nice people work out their latent aggressions in their pro-Disney alter egos!

 

[dansyr2514]

I haven't read your review but I appreciate all reviews that give reasons why you did or didn't like something. As many do I find the issues that are important to me. Someone may hate Boma ...if it's for the flavors of the food, I can weed through that and say well that's ok..I like those flavors. So I am not flaming, I am appreciating that you took the time to post a review so most of can you use it as a tool to make decisions.

 

[Pumbaa_]

Everyone has an opinion, positive negative and everything in between

the nice thing about the DIS is you can share your experience

No one has to love everything and for us, there is no way on God's green earth I am going to spend part of my vacation complaining. Nope, not gonna happen. I will instead take my dining $$ elsewhere.

Thank you everyone for sharing your opinions. Just like anything else, you may or may not care for an opinion, and that's what makes it great, you don't have to