Depressing.

[DawnCt1]

There was a time that if you wanted an excellent steak dinner on property, the Yachtsman Steak House was the place to go. They stopped serving prime years ago. Now you need to go to Shula's.

 

[arminnie]

I lived in San Francisco and New Orleans for the past 20+ years so I don't have really high expectations from WDW restaurants. Just some decent edible food. I don't expect haute cuisine. I can get all of that I want at home.

Now I did eat at the V&A chef's table twice and that was great. But other than that the food is just good at best not great.

 

[GeorgeG]

Just curious...

How many just want good food as opposed to those who want gourmet dining? That could apply to everything from counter service to table service to so-called "signature" restaurants.

 

[arminnie]

I am perfectly happy with just "good" food. I don't go to WDW for gourmet dining. Shoot - I can do better than WDW even when I am in Little Rock.

 

[cluvsdisney]

Just curious...

How many just want good food as opposed to those who want gourmet dining? That could apply to everything from counter service to table service to so-called "signature" restaurants.

I don't need gourmet dining at all. I just want good food.

 

[Planogirl]

I just want good food. My biggest issues are the prices and lack of availability. It's too hard and often too expensive to eat at WDW but then I don't like having to get up early to make ADR's months in advance for just OK food. It's disappointing.

 

[PaulaSB12]

Could be worse we could be eating here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anwy2MPT5RE

 

[GeorgeG]

What I'm seeing is some people want or expect gourmet dining, even on the free dining plan, some just care about characters or some "special" setting regardless of food quality, but most people simply want good food at a reasonable price. Seems simple enough, doesn't it?

I was thinking back to when WDW started expanding beyond the Magic Kingdom and Epcot as well as the handful or original/early handful of resorts. I believe that was the beginning of the end because they were growing too fast. That's when live entertainment began a subtle decline, good restaurants started closing or changing, and themes started changing. It was all very subtle and gradual, but has picked up steam in more recent years. I will join others in blaming free dining, but I also feel that was a by-product of an even bigger change. In his later years, Roy Disney was at odds with Eisner and the board. Perhaps if they had held to original values, the company would have still prospered, but with a few less multi-millionaires. As far as "give the people what they want" goes, if they really want cheap thrills and lousy food they can always go to any amusement park or carnival. Regarding the quality of food, we see over on the restaurant board that one person's great meal is another's slop. We all have different expectations when it comes to food. I can only hope WDW can swing back to providing more that's acceptable for everyone.

 

[Dancemom03]

I suppose comparing the "new" Disney to the "old" Disney is lost on those who either haven't been going for as long as some of us or for whom the table service restaurants might be a new experience. Same with the upkeep, or lack of, around the resorts and parks. Perhaps we're being unfair to compare things with times gone by. I can appreciate that WDW is a business and any business needs to make a profit, but quality control should be a major issue for any good company. It's not just about profits.

We have dinner reservations for Christmas Day and, as an afterthought, decided it might be nice to stay overnight. Realizing we were not going to get any AP or resident discounts, we expected to pay more for a room, but the best they could do is an All Star (VALUE?) for over $300 for one night! Uh, we'll drive the hour to get home...

The bottom line is that while discounts, dining plans and vacation packages are great for many people who could not otherwise have a WDW vacation, many others are expected to underwrite the cost of those and nobody is getting the WDW experience that made it special some years ago. Everybody loses except Disney, and this could be the beginning of the end for them, too!

This says it all... I used to joke that I went to wdw to hear the phrase "what can I do to kiss your bahookie today, Mrs Dancemom?" as I walked into the lobby each morning b/c it was the only place the staff expected me to feel pampered. Of course - before I get flamed by the newest wdw cheerleader recruits - it was only in jest, and I've never expected anyone to kiss my bahookie or do anything unreasonable to accomodate our family - either here or on vacation.

The thing is though, the level of service and... well, courtesy... experienced now vs that of even ten years ago is so huge that IMO it just defies logic. It's not only that each trip costs astoundingly more but the place is not as welcoming, and it can be downright rough when you have an issue. It's evident throughout the world - in the resorts, the parks, the shops, and the restraurants. Anyone who has had reason to need assistance from guest services once inside a park will surely see a difference in what may be offered to make your visit magical these days also. Apparently "Magical" is now more open to intrepetation than an ebay description claiming that widget is in "good" preowned condition.

The quality of the food and menu choices has decreased significantly, while the relatively-assured 18%+ tip of the dining plan and stress of fitting so many more guests into the restraurants has, in some cases, led to less incentive by servers to earn that twenty percent gratuity be providing the exceptional service once routinuely offered in that same setting.

We still enjoy our trips to the world. We just don't use them as the standard of excellence that we once did. At the risk of sounding like an old-fogey, boy I sure do miss the good old days...

 

[Dancemom03]

A previous poster said becoming upset over paint chips is a little extreme- however-what I loved about Disney was that attention to detail. Please note the past tense. I loved looking at the Boardwalk and seeing each light lit. Now- there are often burnt out lights. That is what Disney was renowned for- the attention to details. And like Pakey, I lament that that attention to detail is disappearing.
Will it stop me from going to Disney- No. Will I sell my DVC- No. It just makes me a little sad.

Once upon a time, it used to be hard to throw popcorn to the ducks or birds in MK. It seemed as though the moment a piece of anything hit the pavement there'd be a street sweeper right behind you sucking it up.

Not only was the paint not peeling but the place was beyond clean. If we could have hidden from the custodial staff long enough, I'm sure I could probably have eaten off those streets. Now I have to resist the urge to pick up all those bits and pieces of papers that taunt me as I walk up main street or enter the studios...