Am I The Only One Mad At Disney Dining?

[Colleen27]

I'm kind of a gourmet foodie, and I'm very picky about making sure I'm getting a quality meal.
I usually pick the places I know will provide, but I've been let down a couple of times. Nothing major at all, especially when you compare the food at WDW to the food at Cedar Point, which is right down the road from me. CP's food is overpriced, and not near the quality of WDW.

That's the comparison that's always in the back of my mind too. CP's food is even more expensive than Disney and terrible to boot!

I understand that there are those upset that Disney has shifted focus in their dining program, from authentic and high quality/gourmet foods to more Americanized, good-but-not-gourmet menus that have broader appeal, but from a business standpoint that's a smart decision. And at this point, some of the threads about what Disney dining used to be have taken on the same tone my grandfather had when he talked about dollar tickets and nickle hot dogs at Detroit Tigers games.

 

[Colleen27]

Of course, if you're on the DDP, then you don't really care what the cost of the dishes are because you'll just think about what a great deal you're getting by not having to pay for that $24 lasagna. However, if you aren't there on a DDP, then you might take notice.

I read that, and I have to wonder what restaurant was used for comparison. Tutto's lasagna is $5 more than the lasagna at a comparable (in terms of atmosphere and food quality) Italian restaurant we go to here at home. That's really not bad as far as location-markup goes. Sure, it is 85% more than lasagna at Olive Garden or some place like that, but it is a LOT better too.

 

[Tiger926]

Lots of interesting replies on this thread.

As a WDW veteran and DVC member, we only eat on-site. Has the food and service gone down in quality over the years? Yes. So has it at a lot of other places that I frequent. I see it as a general trend. Coming from a restaurant family, I must say that the food isn't all that bad. I've had some very good meals on Disney property and some not so good meals. Such is life. There are certain restaurants that I just won't go back to, and that is the answer for our family. Eating off-site is not the answer - dealing with traffic and long lines of other tourists waiting in line to eat at Ponderosa or Olive Garden doesn't do it for me as we just don't find value in that.

I guess if OP doesn't want to eat on-site, then it leaves more available times and tables for those who do. I would highly suggest that OP write Disney a letter about this, as there is not much that any of us can do here.

As an aside, I find it funny that people always talk about value when dining, but not in regards to actual park attractions. When buying multi-day passes or APs, the price to be entertained by Disney is very low. When you extrapolate the prices for things such as: movies, Cedar Point or golf for instance, Disney becomes even more of a bargain, so people need to remember that it's a trade off. For what we get at Disney, I think they should charge more at the gate, so, think of it is a trade off in regards to Dining. Remember too, that transportation to the parks is also included - last time I checked, I had to drive myself to the movies, so a couple of dollars more for a steak at Disney as opposed to Outback, is not that big of a deal considering the venue that it's being served at.

Just something to think about when discussing 'value' at Disney.

Happy eating to all and best of luck to those people who think they are going to eat every meal off-site. Wow! That's a lot of wasted time and energy in a day that park tickets have been paid for.

Tiger

 

[Colleen27]

Honestly it's not that big of an inconvenience to leave the property. If you and I left the Magic Kingdom to go and eat, you by bus and me by car, I bet I'll have my food at about the same time you do. (as for the Hess gas station, it's located about 1 minute from the Tree House Villas). I don't think the time factor is that important, atleast not to us since we take an afternoon break anyways. Now, if we were commando at the parks for 12 hours straight, then eating on-site in the park is most important.

Eating off site is certainly easier if you have a car, but I don't think it could compare to the travel time involved in dining on property by the time you figure leaving the park, finding the car, driving to the restaurant, eating, driving back to the park, finding a parking spot, etc. For those of us who would have to rent a car to do that, there's not likely to be any savings in it either.

 

[Colleen27]

This is valid only if paying out of pocket, but lets say a family of 5 goes to Carraba's and saves $40 in one meal. If they are at WDW for 5 days and save roughly the same each day, that's $200. Not a bad difference is it?

If they already have a car, that is, and if you assign no value to the time they take out of their vacation to do so. For my family of 5, saving that $200 would take spending $200+ on renting a car and it would take quite a bit of time out of a rather expensive vacation. It would also negate one of our favorite aspects of dining at Disney - using WDW transportation and having a glass of wine together at dinner, rather than deciding who will abstain to drive!

 

[Colleen27]

It doesn't take hours outside the world to go and eat. It's not like we have to trek to downtown Orlando to find food. There are places within 5 minutes of the Tree House Villas. The sports bar that Kevin form the Dis Podcast recommends is close by.... and cheap. Of course for convenience nothing beats eating in the park you are touring. However, as soon as you eating in one of the hotels, it's a different story. Imagine going from MK to Boma at AKL, you're looking at 45-60 minutes using disney transportation.

But other than first-timers who don't realize how big Disney is, you don't really find people booking Boma on their MK day. Common sense dictates a planner books Kona when they're at Magic Kingdom and Boma for a day touring Animal Kingdom. We've done the standard dining plan twice and the deluxe plan once, eaten at restaurants at every deluxe resort, and have never spent that kind of time traveling for a meal!

 

[patsal]

I am really surprised that free dining this year is the TS/CS plan and not the QS plan. I'd be perfectly happy with the QS plan if I was able to use two QS credits for a character buffet.

Then, the folks who want to upgrade to the TS plan can do so and there won't be a problem with ADRs.

I generally have no problem with the food at WDW - they are theme parks after all! Some of the resort restaurants are nicer and that's also a good thing.

But you can't use 2QS for a character buffet so you wouldn't have been happy with it.

I think the bigger picture here is that "its ok for theme park food" was never the way Disney used to do things. If that is the way they want to then fine, but it really isn't the same and there is a lot they could do about it. Disney doesn't want to and since its free for many, who is really going to complain or really be listened to. If I'm getting Applebees quality I am going to pay Applebees prices. I am not going to pay extra for some faked out "holiday pricing" and I'm not going to tip on the inflated prices, thus I choose to not patronize what I dislike. Besides if I need to leave an hour for transportation on both sides of the spectrum, going off site doesn't take me anywhere near 2 hours in round trip travel time.

 

[Colleen27]

If I'm getting Applebees quality I am going to pay Applebees prices.

That's an overly simplistic POV, though. Location has a lot to do with pricing when it comes to dining. McDs in NYC isn't better than McDs in small town Michigan, but that Big Mac is sure going to cost you more at the former than the latter!

 

[mickeyluv'r]

But other than first-timers who don't realize how big Disney is, you don't really find people booking Boma on their MK day. Common sense dictates a planner books Kona when they're at Magic Kingdom and Boma for a day touring Animal Kingdom. We've done the standard dining plan twice and the deluxe plan once, eaten at restaurants at every deluxe resort, and have never spent that kind of time traveling for a meal!

On a number of trips, I have eaten offsite (usually when staying offsite) or made a grocery store run. I'm always amazed at how long it takes to drive off property. Also, somehow I always find it confusing driving around WDW and the immediate vacinity. I've done it many times, so it's not like I don't have a good mental map of the area. Roads and turns are marked, but turns are easy to miss and the way you go in one direction, may not be the way you go in the reverse direction. Miss one small sign and you may have to loop the whole property. (World Drive, I thikn it's called). I've even had bus drivers make wrong turns- and that's saying something!

I've also done Boma on a MK day. (but I didn't go back ot MK after dining there) Travel around WDW via bus can take a while - esp if you are heading to the evening emh park around dinner time or in the middle of the day. I still think drving offsite is going to take longer and be impractical, since you have to drive both ways, unless you are already staying offsite.

I'll also add, many of the places in the WDW vacinity aren't that inexpensive, nor are many of them especially good. You find expensive chains, expensive I-Drive places, and bad,cheap chains like: Golden Corral, Waffle House, TGIFriday's, and Denny's. Many of the chains offered are ones I have locally, so I really dislike going all the way to Orlando to hit a bad branch of a place I could go up the road from my house. There are a few okay places, but then often those change from year to year...

 

[PrincessTrisha]

I see the OP's point about certain things being taken off menus -- for example, Coral Reef no longer has their king crab legs , and Captain Jack's no longer has their twin lobster tails . I would guess the reason for this is that a lot of people on the dining plan order these, making them not-cost-effective to offer. Then those paying OOP can no longer select these items, either. I think Boma now has a sirloin cut instead of their prime rib, as well.

This version of the dining plan began in 2005 and the lobster tails at Captn Jacks were removed in 2008 - I doubt it took 3 years for Disney to see that too many people were ordering the lobster tails at this restaurant using the DDP - I'm guessing it was quality / availability issues instead.

And as for the crab legs at Coral Reef - this is the funny one - they were not on the menu in 2005 or 2006 - they were added to the menu sometime in 2007 I believe - so they are not a victim of the DDP - they are were added and removed well after the implementation of this plan.

Prime Rib has been removed from buffets in WDW and replaced with strip loin which has less fat and is easier to cook and cut and is a more consistent cut of meat.

 

[Colleen27]

I KWYM, as a person who pays OOP for all my meals (we have the TIW card) it bugs me that the menus are getting "dumbed down." I understand WDW needs to control costs, and because some people will order filet or lobster everyday if the can then the only solution WDW has is to nix them off the menu. SOOO, people like me can't get the upscale fare at any price....

I don't think that's really the case. Yes, the dining plan gives a discount on higher-end menu items, but at the same time it brings people into the restaurants who are generating revenue in other ways. Sure, my meal at Coral Reef cost me a few bucks less than full menu price because I was on the DDP, but I also spent more than a few bucks on a high-markup mixed drink to accompany my meal. Getting butts in the seats at TS restaurants is the whole point, because once they're there, they'll order that OOP appetizer or alcoholic drink or extra side dish in addition to their DDP entitlements.

 

[maggiew]

It is also my contention that I can get better quality food for a better price outside WDW and therefore that is what I'll be doing in August. Let me give you an example. On Sunday the 16th, for my mothers birthday I will take her (actually there will be 8 of us) to Texas De Brazil rather than going to O'hana at the Poly. The idea is similar between the two restaurants as servers go around the room with skewers of meats and it's all you can eat. However here is the difference, there is a much larger selection of meats to choose from at Texas, including quality choice cuts of steak (filet). Also, there is a 50 item salad bar. Pricing for the two places is actually very similar, around $27 per person. However, I can get coupons for Texas that are going to reduce my cost per person down to $15 per person. Now spread that over 8 people and you're looking at a $96 savings, for one meal only.

Where did you get the coupons? Thanks. That sounds like a good deal!

And thanks for the tip about the Hess pizza.

Maggie

 

[Colleen27]

This version of the dining plan began in 2005 and the lobster tails at Captn Jacks were removed in 2008 - I doubt it took 3 years for Disney to see that too many people were ordering the lobster tails at this restaurant using the DDP - I'm guessing it was quality / availability issues instead.

And as for the crab legs at Coral Reef - this is the funny one - they were not on the menu in 2005 or 2006 - they were added to the menu sometime in 2007 I believe - so they are not a victim of the DDP - they are were added and removed well after the implementation of this plan.

Prime Rib has been removed from buffets in WDW and replaced with strip loin which has less fat and is easier to cook and cut and is a more consistent cut of meat.

I've suspected all along that the crab at Coral Reef was an issue of quality rather than cost... Neither meal was nearly as good as I'd expect. The crab legs in particular seemed to be inferior quality from the start - thin and not especially meaty and just sort of anemic compared to what I've had even in lower-end chain seafood places like Joes Crab Shack or Red Lobster. But I know it isn't easy to find good crab legs at times - the ones we can get at the grocery are pretty sad too. It doesn't surprise me that Disney would eliminate the dish rather than serve a high-end menu item of uneven quality.

Am I the only one who remembers when lamb suddenly disappeared from menus all over WDW? Of course the outcry was that it was a DDP related cut, though there were some people who said they spoke with CMs who indicated a supplier problem. I guess the latter must have been correct, because the DDP still exists and yet lamb is all over the menus I'm browsing for our upcoming trip!

The DDP is an easy scapegoat, but I think the changes in Disney dining have far more to do with overall corporate direction when it comes to Disney dining options.

 

[lugnut33]

Lots of interesting replies on this thread.

As a WDW veteran and DVC member, we only eat on-site. Has the food and service gone down in quality over the years? Yes. So has it at a lot of other places that I frequent. I see it as a general trend. Coming from a restaurant family, I must say that the food isn't all that bad. I've had some very good meals on Disney property and some not so good meals. Such is life. There are certain restaurants that I just won't go back to, and that is the answer for our family. Eating off-site is not the answer - dealing with traffic and long lines of other tourists waiting in line to eat at Ponderosa or Olive Garden doesn't do it for me as we just don't find value in that.

I guess if OP doesn't want to eat on-site, then it leaves more available times and tables for those who do. I would highly suggest that OP write Disney a letter about this, as there is not much that any of us can do here.

As an aside, I find it funny that people always talk about value when dining, but not in regards to actual park attractions. When buying multi-day passes or APs, the price to be entertained by Disney is very low. When you extrapolate the prices for things such as: movies, Cedar Point or golf for instance, Disney becomes even more of a bargain, so people need to remember that it's a trade off. For what we get at Disney, I think they should charge more at the gate, so, think of it is a trade off in regards to Dining. Remember too, that transportation to the parks is also included - last time I checked, I had to drive myself to the movies, so a couple of dollars more for a steak at Disney as opposed to Outback, is not that big of a deal considering the venue that it's being served at.

Just something to think about when discussing 'value' at Disney.

Happy eating to all and best of luck to those people who think they are going to eat every meal off-site. Wow! That's a lot of wasted time and energy in a day that park tickets have been paid for.

Tiger

This is a forum, where people express their opinions, so it seems right for me to write my opinion here. As long as we respect others' opinions then it's all good.

And I do respect your opinion. Perceived value of what we are eating is going to be based on several factors including, quality, service, taste and PRICE. Yes, price is important.

As for leaving the park, is there something wrong with leaving in the afternoon for a break? Spending 8 hours in a park is enough for me. And going and eating will take place during those breaks. I fail to see this "big waste of energy".

 

[lugnut33]

That's an overly simplistic POV, though. Location has a lot to do with pricing when it comes to dining. McDs in NYC isn't better than McDs in small town Michigan, but that Big Mac is sure going to cost you more at the former than the latter!

LOL, speaking of oversimplification.

And yeah, I'm a car renter. If you Disney Transportation then you are stuck at Disney and a captive audience. I did the DT thing and did not like being in control of when and where I can go. Last two trips I've had rentals and it's great.

 

[lugnut33]

Where did you get the coupons? Thanks. That sounds like a good deal!

And thanks for the tip about the Hess pizza.

Maggie

It's not really a coupon. It's a dining/charity card you purchase that gives you 1/2 off a total of 12 meals at Texas De Brazil. It will work perfect for our 8 member party. Just go to the Texas De Brazil homepage and it's right on the front page. Be sure to read all the rules as it's good through November and not valid for meals on Saturdays. Other than that it's good.

 

[Tiger926]

This is a forum, where people express their opinions, so it seems right for me to write my opinion here. As long as we respect others' opinions then it's all good.

I didn't say you weren't free to express your opinion at all - I merely suggested and would encourage you to write to Disney. I'm known as a consumer advocate and contact companies all of the time for positive praise and concerns/questions, so I was merely suggesting that you do the same as Disney does value guest feedback.

And I do respect your opinion. Perceived value of what we are eating is going to be based on several factors including, quality, service, taste and PRICE. Yes, price is important.

Absolutely, but for many of us, price is not the only thing. I'm sure there are many off-site or CS meals that are much cheaper, yet for us, we don't find value in them as they may not be to our liking, so we pay extra for TS meals. You are right in suggesting that many things make up value, but unfortunately, many times it comes down to price, and I'm not one of those people who believes that it should all be based on price alone.

As for leaving the park, is there something wrong with leaving in the afternoon for a break? Spending 8 hours in a park is enough for me. And going and eating will take place during those breaks. I fail to see this "big waste of energy".

There is absolutely nothing wrong with leaving the park - that isn't for me to determine. If you have a rental car or your own car, then this will be much easier, but have you actually done it yet? I've planned hundreds of trips for people who have the notion that it will be so easy for them to leave the parks (sometimes multiple times per day) to dine off-site or in their condo, yet once they do it the first time (this is if you have a car, because you can't really do it if you are relying on off-site hotel shuttles), they realize it's a very hard scenario to work out and it does waste an awful lot of energy and time. If you can make it work for you and your family, that's great, but most of us who have been to Disney many times know that the amount of effort that goes into leaving the parks and returning back to the parks is very tedious. Now, if you are leaving the parks and not returning, then that is another scenario altogether. Driving around WDW can be very tricky, not to mention dangerous as I-4, I Drive and SR535 are the scene of many accidents and traffic jams due to huge amounts of tourists trying to get to and fro. I wish you luck and safety in doing this!

Best of luck for a great vacation! Tiger

 

[yrdlyprincess]

I didn't read all 7 pages (wow) but I am a little miffed since they took off the appetizer & tip --I don't really need the dessert (it is good) last time we were down it was great food,service & appetizer & tip (if we didn't have room from dessert we could take it home. I am wondering if we should pay for the dining plan this or just have a few key sit down meals-don't know yet.

 

[angelmav]

This version of the dining plan began in 2005 and the lobster tails at Captn Jacks were removed in 2008 - I doubt it took 3 years for Disney to see that too many people were ordering the lobster tails at this restaurant using the DDP - I'm guessing it was quality / availability issues instead.

And as for the crab legs at Coral Reef - this is the funny one - they were not on the menu in 2005 or 2006 - they were added to the menu sometime in 2007 I believe - so they are not a victim of the DDP - they are were added and removed well after the implementation of this plan.

Prime Rib has been removed from buffets in WDW and replaced with strip loin which has less fat and is easier to cook and cut and is a more consistent cut of meat.

You could work for Disney corporate with that spin! There is an overabundance of crab and lobster supply and the prices have actually dropped! To make the excuse that Disney cant get quality crab legs or lobster, especially in this economic environment with their buying power in a coastal state, but cheap chains like Joes crab shack can is inexcusable excuse making.

Replacing the Prime Rib with inferior cuts of meat and justifying it as a health issue or being a more consistent cut of meat...Really? NY strip is a much fattier cut of meat than Prime Rib, its also easier to overcook an can be tough at times, but its also a cheaper cut, relatively speaking (there is nothing inherently wrong with a good NY Strip steak!) There can be no other justification, there is no supply shortage of Beef, and the Prime Rib is the better cut of meat.

The real reason is that everyone on the DDP was ordering the lobster tails at Capn Jacks and the Prime Rib where offered. That probably messed up their food supply and they wanted to balance out what would be ordered on the menu. By adding items that are much closer in value, diners are less apt to go for the most expensive everytime. Lobster and Prime Rib are splurge items in most restaurants in the real world, so its easy to see how they became so popular within the grasp of anyone with a DDP credit.

 

[Dreamfinder2]

I guess one possible solution would be to vote with our feet, and our wallets, and vacation somewhere else.