Have the menus changed because of free dining?

[lugnut33]

Here's my experience and hence my opinion:

First year we did the DDP and had a wonderful experience. Loved the sit down meals so much we did it the next year. The plan had changed a bit that year and we didn't find the food quite as good. The third year we decided to forego the DDP and pay out of pocket. I noticed a big difference and felt I was not really getting value for my money. This year we ate all our meals off-site except for some lunches at counter services mainly because of the value and I didn't want to compete against all the free dining people for ressies. I hate having to call in exactly 90 days out right at 7 if you want any change at getting a ressie. To heck with that.

Honestly, the CS meals we had were terrible. The cheeseburgers were not good at all. Disney found a way to screwup the cheeseburger.

However, the meals we ate off-site were pretty darn good. My favorite place we ate at was Sweet Tomotoes located at the Cross Roads Shopping center about 2 minutes from DTD. Absolutely delicious salad and soup buffet for $12 per person total (includes drink). It was so good we ate there twice. The quality of the food for the price just absolutely blew away anything Disney is serving.

So, going forward we'll eat all our meals off-site and nobody from Disney will care because there are plenty of people who will be pefectly fine with what is being served and the tables will be full. I voted with my wallet, but it will have no effect whatsoever because what's the difference if you make 1 billion 1.4 billion a quarter?

 

[Colleen27]

Just a note on one of the common menu change topics - There is a new review that mentions the prime rib at Boma, so it is apparently still available as of the early days of free dining 2009.

 

[DisMN]

Count me in the camp of menus getting dumbed down by the DDP (DDP, not necessarily free dining). As the DDP became popular and promoted, we saw many restaurants remove expensive items and go to ordinary choices.

Coral Reef - no more Dover Sole or interesting fish choices. Now it's Mahi Mahi and Salmon.

Teppan Edo - 3 years ago removed lobster and seafood combinations from menu (Nihon-Kai). Basic steak, chicken, shrimp. Scallops are the best item left. No salad served any longer.

Narcoosee's - removed their signature dish, lobster. Then added it back by becoming a signature (2 credit) restaurant. Note nothing else on their menu is worth 2 TS credits.

I firmly agree that Disney is throwing away the dining reputation they worked so hard to build. Many of us who visit year after year do in fact come for the resorts and restaurants more than the park attractions.

So far this trip we enjoyed Chefs de France, Biergarten and Kouzzina's, but were disappointed by Teppan Edo (but good show) and Princess Breakfast in Norway (unbelievably expensive for blah food.)

Teppan Edo used to serve the Kobe Beef Tenderloin but after the first year of the DDP they changed it to regular old tenderloin.......which yes, it's good but the Kobe Beef was a different *cow* altogether, ya know? LOL

The menus at WDW are no longer as interesting, the foods as tasty and as well prepared as they used to be, and the products served are of a lesser quality then they used to be. It's 100% due to the *free* dining plans.

 

[MarkinNM]

Here's my experience and hence my opinion:

My favorite place we ate at was Sweet Tomotoes located at the Cross Roads Shopping center about 2 minutes from DTD. Absolutely delicious salad and soup buffet for $12 per person total (includes drink). It was so good we ate there twice. The quality of the food for the price just absolutely blew away anything Disney is serving.

WHAT??!!!???



Come on now, to say ST blows away anything Disney serves is just silly....

 

[Planogirl]

WHAT??!!!???



Come on now, to say ST blows away anything Disney serves is just silly....

I read it as the value blows away the value of anything Disney offers. In other words, the food is good particularly for the price.

My interest is piqued by this post. I've never been to a Sweet Tomatoes.

 

[MarkinNM]

I read it as the value blows away the value of anything Disney offers. In other words, the food is good particularly for the price.

My interest is piqued by this post. I've never been to a Sweet Tomatoes.

I understand that but come on now............

Sweet Tomatoes, ugm............


Its a stinken salad bar.......................

 

[Planogirl]

I understand that but come on now............

Sweet Tomatoes, ugm............


Its a stinken salad bar.......................

Some of us like salad bars. Disney has a few good ones.

 

[MarkinNM]

Some of us like salad bars. Disney has a few good ones.

You silly wabit...................


One needs FOOD when on vacation not various cuts of lettuce.....

 

[Planogirl]

Actually, a restaurant that was dumbed down some time back is Akershus. I don't think that it was due to DDP though but likely because of the low crowds and plans to turn it into a Princess destination. It saddened me though and made me wonder what other places might be dumbed down too.

I guess that I know now.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Actually, a restaurant that was dumbed down some time back is Akershus. I don't think that it was due to DDP though but likely because of the low crowds and plans to turn it into a Princess destination. It saddened me though and made me wonder what other places might be dumbed down too.

I guess that I know now.

I'm sorry but dumbed down is too much of an understatement. It was stupided down. (I know that no such word exists, but...)

 

[BEASLYBOO]

Just a note on one of the common menu change topics - There is a new review that mentions the prime rib at Boma, so it is apparently still available as of the early days of free dining 2009.

No, I don't think so. They removed the Prime Rib from the buffet in 2008 and as of Jun 2009 it was still not on the buffet. They replaced it with a leaner, most probably cheaper cut of beef which they slice paper thin. It's very good but it's not Prime Rib.

Some of the menu changes have been subtle, some not so subtle. It's amazing when you read the descriptions of certain dishes, the creativity that goes into the descriptions. For DDP & FD, you see a lot of smaller, less expensive cuts of steak, it all starts to look and taste the same.

 

[fantayzya]

It's been a few years since I've had the luxury of visiting WDW and I'm looking forward to celebrating our 10th Anniversary there in a month. It's hubby and I only this trip and we have decided to get the DxDDP and make our meals part of the adventure for us.

In regard to folks just going for the most expensive items just because, I can't say I won't ever do that, but it will be more because this is a chance to make choices I wouldn't under normal circumstances at home. I do know what mussels are and while they're not a favorite, they're okay. Would I possibly be one of those people who orders something not really knowing what it is? Yep, that could happen too as I plan on using this opportunity to try as many new things as I can. Oh I may ask what it is when ordering, but I might opt to just go for it for the full experience ya know? I may like it I may not. What I won't do is send it back just because I don't like it. If I ordered it it's my oops, not theirs.

As far as quality, years ago, when it was just the MK, it was basically amusement park fare for the most part. Then they started to make adjustments and the dining became part of the experience which was amazing. Odds are they've had to make adjustments due to the economy, all the places around here have too, even the chains. I know lots of places are offering 'free dining' too. Usually it's in the form of Kids eat free or Buy one entre get a second. Same song different tune. Why in the world would anyone expect Disney to be immune to the cuts most are feeling?

IMO even with a few menu cuts it won't be as bad as the food I've had at places like Six Flags or Cedar Point. I'll still be eating it in a magical place with my darling hubby. I'm sure not going to go looking for reasons to be disappointed, I'm going to have my rose colored lenses put in my specs before I leave home. While it may not be AS good, it sure sounds pretty doggone good to me.

 

[jcemom]

We have only one report that a DDP user at Tony's Town Square was handed what appeared to be a specifically prepared menu and given a standard dessert (was not permitted a choice of desserts) last week. That's all I've seen.

I still have not read any reports -- other than that one -- of similar incidents. Someone did post to that thread that Tony's has, in the past, during free DDP, done the same thing. I never read any reports of that either though. But to be fair Tony's isn't on my to-dine list so I don't seek out any information about it. I could have missed something.

Hasn't that always been true of character meals? Chef Mickey's isn't a hot ticket ADR for the food!

Personally, I don't go into a buffet that serves thousands of people in any given meal period expecting great food. I go expecting food on par with Golden Corral or Ponderosa and the experience of meeting a bunch of characters without waiting in a bunch of meet & greet lines. We don't leave hungry and are often surprised by some particular stand-out on the buffet, but the food is secondary to the characters.

Yes, that's it exactly. A few really good items, a few pretty bad items, mostly mediocre items.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

Why in the world would anyone expect Disney to be immune to the cuts most are feeling?

While it may not be AS good, it sure sounds pretty doggone good to me.

I agree w/ most of your post, however I don't do the DDP (to much food) and I don't travel during free dining (kids in school) so therefore I'm left paying OOP (outragous prices) for sub par food as compared to a few years ago. Also because Disney wants the big bucks and a "butt" in every seat their mass production of food for DDP & FD has resulted in many upper end items previously offered getting dropped from the menus and thus not available to those of us paying OOP.

That's my gripe, I don't care that people get free dining, or the dining plans but I am not happy w/ the current offerings and the menu changes. Of course it makes financial sense for Disney to reduce the menus and mass produce meals, by the same token I've now chosen to often go off-site for fine dining and not play Disney's Monopoly Game!

 

[bangzoom6877]

I agree w/ most of your post, however I don't do the DDP (to much food) and I don't travel during free dining (kids in school) so therefore I'm left paying OOP (outragous prices) for sub par food as compared to a few years ago. Also because Disney wants the big bucks and a "butt" in every seat their mass production of food for DDP & FD has resulted in many upper end items previously offered getting dropped from the menus and thus not available to those of us paying OOP.

That's my gripe, I don't care that people get free dining, or the dining plans but I am not happy w/ the current offerings and the menu changes. Of course it makes financial sense for Disney to reduce the menus and mass produce meals, by the same token I've now chosen to often go off-site for fine dining and not play Disney's Monopoly Game!

Excellent points, and you are doing what you feel is best for your situation. If the DDP or the FD time is not a good fit for your party and you feel you are getting a better dining experience going to off-site restaurants, then by all means, do it! Things are what they are and Disney does not force people to eat in their restaurants! There are certainly plenty of restaurants in Orlando, and also a variety of restaurants that are not on the dining plan but are on property (for those without a car) to choose from. This is, IMO, the way it is at any popular tourist destination, and think for a second just how popular Disney World is! Of course they have no choice but to mass produce at some restaurants.

 

[copperbrick]

So, if things have changed, even if you cannot remember exactly what on the menu is different yet you just know it is not the same experience -- which of the dining establishments at WDW that are on the dining plan are STILL WORTH it and why?

From our experience last year, Sunshine Seasons is still a wonderful counter service restaurant. The food was fresh and very tasty. I'm looking forward to going there again.

 

[southern_belle21]

It's been a few years since I've had the luxury of visiting WDW and I'm looking forward to celebrating our 10th Anniversary there in a month. It's hubby and I only this trip and we have decided to get the DxDDP and make our meals part of the adventure for us.

In regard to folks just going for the most expensive items just because, I can't say I won't ever do that, but it will be more because this is a chance to make choices I wouldn't under normal circumstances at home. I do know what mussels are and while they're not a favorite, they're okay. Would I possibly be one of those people who orders something not really knowing what it is? Yep, that could happen too as I plan on using this opportunity to try as many new things as I can. Oh I may ask what it is when ordering, but I might opt to just go for it for the full experience ya know? I may like it I may not. What I won't do is send it back just because I don't like it. If I ordered it it's my oops, not theirs.

As far as quality, years ago, when it was just the MK, it was basically amusement park fare for the most part. Then they started to make adjustments and the dining became part of the experience which was amazing. Odds are they've had to make adjustments due to the economy, all the places around here have too, even the chains. I know lots of places are offering 'free dining' too. Usually it's in the form of Kids eat free or Buy one entre get a second. Same song different tune. Why in the world would anyone expect Disney to be immune to the cuts most are feeling?

IMO even with a few menu cuts it won't be as bad as the food I've had at places like Six Flags or Cedar Point. I'll still be eating it in a magical place with my darling hubby. I'm sure not going to go looking for reasons to be disappointed, I'm going to have my rose colored lenses put in my specs before I leave home. While it may not be AS good, it sure sounds pretty doggone good to me.

Too bad this isn't like Facebook so I can click on the "like" button

After reading some of the posts in this thread it almost makes me rethink doing the DDP for our upcoming trip. We are going through a DVC member, so we will have to pay OOP for the DDP this time, although we will be there during the FD. It's just DH and myself (no kids yet), and we were there last year in Sept during FD, which we found to be yet again, another great Disney Dining experience. We love going to WDW for so many reasons, food being one of them. As I have read through some of the posts on this thread, it makes me feel as though maybe we fit into one of those "dumbed down" categories... just because I have always found something I liked at most every restaurant we have been to at my favorite place in the world to be.

DH and I were just talking about how excited we are to go and couldn't wait to book our ADRs for this trip, as we went over the menus and started narrowing down where we would like to eat. Like I said, we're paying OOP for the DDP this time during free dining, but until I read this thread, I didn't think twice about not getting the good quality of food at WDW that we are used to. I have been going to WDW since I was 14 (in 95') and then finally convinced my DH to go for our anniversary in 06', and he LOVED it. Especially the dining.

I remember when you could buy a Disney's Food and Fun Card, and what the food was like back then ( I still remember just about every meal I had my first trip, it was that good). After telling my DH about how great the food is at WDW, he seemed very impressed with our dining during our first trip together (in 06'), and we have never been disappointed in the dining choices we've made since (06, 07, 08). Maybe it's just us. Perhaps we have just made good choices at WDW restaurants. Whatever it is, I still want us to be able to look forward to eating at our favorite WDW restaurants, and trying some new ones on our upcoming trip. We'll be there celebrating DH's bday and this is our Christmas present to each other. I consider us both to have pretty decent tastes in our dining choices (we love to eat at many of the local causal restaurants in our downtown area here at home, which tend to run a little pricey sometimes), so I hope we are not truly in the "dumbed down" category. Guess we'll take our chances and pay for the DDP during free dining...

 

[BEASLYBOO]

From our experience last year, Sunshine Seasons is still a wonderful counter service restaurant. The food was fresh and very tasty.

The changes have less to do with counter service IMO and more w/ sit down restaurant meals. We love Sunshine Season also, Tangerine Cafe, Columbia House, and I think that many of the counter serv., choices still hold up both in quality and value.

 

[athomemom20646]

Just wanted to chime in here. I haven't been to Disney a ton of times but my DH went once a year growing up. One of his favorite places to eat was CRT (way before it was a character dining experience). When I first went with him in 92 I had to agree that they had the best meal. Again in 97 we went and it was awesome. Even in 03 it was really good. Our trip last Dec we went to CRT for the first time since it had been changed to a character meal and the food wasn't that good.

I have noticed a huge decline in the quality of food at Disney in the past few years. Going to Disney for us wasn't just about the character experience but also the food experiences we had. We used to have reservations for every night we went. We typically go for 10-14 days each trip so that is a lot of places. Last year when we went it wasn't during free dining (in fact we've never been during free dining) and the quality of food was such that we weren't happy many of the places that we ate at and didn't really enjoy our experience.

We used to love Crystal Palace for breakfast and found the last trip that the food wasn't that great. Marrakesh used to be awesome but is terrible now. We haven't eaten at Italy's restaurant (used to be Alfredo's) in years because it went down hill years ago. Our best meals the last trip were Teppan Edo and Kona Cafe for breakfast (always been a good meal).

With all that said we are going to be there during free dining (not participating) and don't have many reservations because we weren't thrilled with the food in December.

 

[yolie912]

So far we have only Tony's confirmed that there is actually a menu change....
Anywhere else???