dumbing down of menues is Disney making you eat of site

[paulh]

more and more the menus are coming less and less varied will this make you eat more of site yes or no or thinking about it
Paul

 

[dvcHammer]

there are very few places left that are special to eat in. the company I am with makes them good meals.

 

[Brian Noble]

If I'm in a park when I am hungry, I will find something in that park to eat. I might go off for something special up in the Dr. Phillips area, but most of WDW is surrounded by chains as far as the eye can see---really not much better than what's onsite.

 

[bedogged]

more and more the menus are coming less and less varied will this make you eat more of site yes or no or thinking about it
Paul

Maybe you should have had another choice? Upgrading to the Deluxe Dinning Plan. In order to have better and wider choices we now purchase the DDX plan.

 

[dunbarfamily]

I would say the QS places are all basically the same, with exception noted at Epcot by Soarin'. What the heck is that called? Sunshine gardens? Four seasons?? My brain isn't working!

As for TS, I think there is still some variety, especially in resorts.

 

[TDC Nala]

Eating offsite requires a car. No, I won't get a car. Don't see how the deluxe plan is the answer either. Not all restaurants are "dumbed down." I tend not to get the dining plan so I can go to some of the restaurants that are not (which don't take the dining plan). I don't do the buffets anymore but there are signatures and a good number of the non signatures I still like.

 

[minniebride]

It's not worth it to me to waste 2 hours out of my day to leave the parks for a meal. Food just is not that important to me. I also am very happy with the meals I have had in WDW-no complaints here. I've really never had a bad meal.

 

[Krissalee]

Nope! I don't have a car when I am at WDW and so I eat all my meals on property.

I don't do any of the dining plans, because I don't eat the way the dining plan is set up. I get the TiW card, and find it to be a great value.

I have breakfast in my room and have continued to find a lot of dining options in the parks (table and counter service) and the signature restaurants at the resorts that really appeal to me and I don't feel are lacking in selection, quality, or creativity.

 

[deakam]

There are a lot of things that are making me think off site---not just dining. Last May I stayed at the Wilderness Lodge. It was nice and is now my favorite resort but truth be told, the service was no better than any other resorts I have stayed at and the cost far exceeded any amenities.

The counter service desserts are a joke. I refuse to even consider a rice krispies treat in the shape of mickey as dessert. Especially when it is something I can buy at Walgreens for 1/4th the price. And the person that invented " cake in a plastic cup" should be sued by cake bakers everywhere.

Everything seems to be moving toward pre-packaged. I know they have to feed a lot of people but they used to do a much better job. Two years ago we had dinner at Tony's the night of our MNSSHP. We did not even get the regular Tony's menu. It was a piece of paper with maybe 4 entrees and 3 desserts. Our table ordered one of each and they all appeared to be mass produced, and just thrown on a plate. Needless to say the next year we did not eat at Tony's.

In fact the trip we are taking the end of September will determine if we ever go back. The past 3 trips have been somewhat disappointing. Filthy bathrooms, bad food, grumpy sales people, late buses, no buses, wait persons strongly suggesting tip amounts while providing no service or rushing you out the door, and the absolute worst, they were there on the last 2 trips, are the extremely rude south American teens that travel in packs and run over unsuspecting children. CM's will tell you there is nothing they can do about them. They link arms and push thier way through crowds.

Prices keep rising and service and quality keeps falling.

 

[cymbaldiva]

While the dumbing down or lowering of quality does not have me considering going off property to eat, it has definitely changed how I eat in the parks.

Now, when I get hungry I grab CS - the bulk of the TS eateries just aren't special enough anymore to waste valuable park time on anymore.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Going offsite is just too inconvenient to justify. For us, the signatures are still perfectly fine dinner options (even if things have changed over the years), and we're looking forward to trying some of the fine dining restaurants at Swan & Dolphin (Il Mulino and Bluezoo).

 

[2Tiggies]

there are very few places left that are special to eat in. the company I am with makes them good meals.

Absolutely!

 

[SCDisneyMom]

No...we stay on property so we don't have to drive anywhere. We always have a car, but once we check it at our resort, it sits in the parking lot until the day we leave. NOT driving is an appealing part of the vacation for us.

We have never had a bad meal at Disney either, whether it be QS or TS. I mean, I've certainly had better meals in my life, but food isn't the reason we go to Disney. We have certain restaurants that we continue to visit year after year, and we enjoy trying new ones as well. If we don't particularly care for a restaurant, then we won't eat there again. I think there is plenty of variety. We have never had a problem finding meals/restaurants that appeal to our family.

 

[Jennasis]

Not even if the meal was free.

 

[WTP]

No...we stay on property so we don't have to drive anywhere. We always have a car, but once we check it at our resort, it sits in the parking lot until the day we leave. NOT driving is an appealing part of the vacation for us.

We have never had a bad meal at Disney either, whether it be QS or TS. I mean, I've certainly had better meals in my life, but food isn't the reason we go to Disney. We have certain restaurants that we continue to visit year after year, and we enjoy trying new ones as well. If we don't particularly care for a restaurant, then we won't eat there again. I think there is plenty of variety. We have never had a problem finding meals/restaurants that appeal to our family.

This, exactly.

I keep in mind that the price at Disney is akin to eating at an airport, sporting event, or other amusement park, and then I am always satisfied. Anywhere else, I'd be disappointed in the quality for the price I'm paying--but at Disney, in general, I've never been disappointed with any of the food I've eaten, price aside.

My normal weeks are not filled with filet mignon every other day, buffets, special desserts with each meal, and normally I don't even eat a hot breakfast! I've had 5-star dining, but I don't expect that when I go to a buffet so I come away very happy, full, and glad not to have to wash dishes. I wouldn't consider driving around Orlando to look for more than that. The Disney atmosphere is enough.

 

[jenrose66]

more and more the menus are coming less and less varied will this make you eat more of site yes or no or thinking about it
Paul

I always stay on Disney property and I don't have a car while there so I will not eat offsite. However, I do not care to have the dining plan nor do I eat sit down dinners anymore. It's just too expensive for a rushed dining experience with little variation. I feel like a cattle at the feed lot and I did not feel that way before the dining plan...or even the first year on the dining plan....

Usually we will eat at Earl or Sandwich and I'd like to try Wolfgang Puck's quick service place. Other than that we do a lot of snacking and nibbling. I get tired of eating the same cheeseburgers, etc.. for six days, though I usually throw in some salads too...

The way I look at it is if the restaurants have little variation and the quick service also has little variation, I'd rather pay less money for food and just stick to counter service.

 

[paulh]

Maybe you should have had another choice? Upgrading to the Deluxe Dinning Plan. In order to have better and wider choices we now purchase the DDX plan.

I always stay on Disney property and I don't have a car while there so I will not eat offsite. However, I do not care to have the dining plan nor do I eat sit down dinners anymore. It's just too expensive for a rushed dining experience with little variation. I feel like a cattle at the feed lot and I did not feel that way before the dining plan...or even the first year on the dining plan....

Usually we will eat at Earl or Sandwich and I'd like to try Wolfgang Puck's quick service place. Other than that we do a lot of snacking and nibbling. I get tired of eating the same cheeseburgers, etc.. for six days, though I usually throw in some salads too...

The way I look at it is if the restaurants have little variation and the quick service also has little variation, I'd rather pay less money for food and just stick to counter service.

For us we tend to stay for 14 or 21 nights (European thing) so were never rushed to do the parks heck this year we only have 2 days set aside for theme parks.We will only have a car for a week in the middle this year as going to Vero for a few nights.
But even without a car we would walk to the crossroads and are doing so this time where there are plenty of eating places.TGIF,Olive garden, Orlando ale house, Chiles to name a few within walking distance lot more within 10 min taxi ride from DTD.
We like to walk as we like a nice stroll in the evening before a meal.
As for putting the DDP in the mix as we wont have it didnt put it in the mix
Paul

 

[kecmouse]

The first year I went to disney world I have to admit for the prices of food I was dissapointed in the quick service selections. But, then I reminded myself what do I have for lunch on a daily basis. I NEVER get yummy ribs, baked beans, a soda, and cake for a lunch entree at my house, followed for dinner an african selection of foods. I love gourmet foods and I think that disney definitely exceeds my expectations. Yes, I have tried Mexico's yucky nachos but how many times can I eat at 14 different restaurants in my area and never have a bad entree. Rarely does that happen. When I have watched Food Network the restaurants that are good tend to have a good size menu, not something too big or the foods just wouldn't be done in time. I think the menu sizes are often reasonable. Maybe I am crazy?

 

[Colleen27]

We have never had a hard time finding enjoyable meals at Disney without going offsite, and certainly haven't had enough bad/disappointing experiences with Disney dining to justify the time, cost, and inconvenience of going offsite to eat.

Besides, as Brian Noble pointed out most of what you find offsite in the immediate area are the same chains you'd find near practically any mall anywhere in America, and we don't do chain restaurants on vacation. Part of the fun of any destination is the dining options unique to that place.

 

[cajunprincess]

I think it's just a matter of doing your homework. There are a lot of QS restaurants that are the same, but if you do enough research, the TS ones vary. I don't mind eating the same thing for QS if I get something different at night.