I'm Boycotting WCC

[Ronald Duck]

We leave tomorrow -- it's really all about the milkshakes for us!

I'll be sure to report!

I'll look forward to it...have a great time and great shakes

 

[suzannews]

I was told a few fascinating things by a CM who was a server at WCC until rather recently:
-Apparently there has been an unusually high turnover of CM servers recently. This person's opinion is that "many of the servers [are] not extremely good as wait staff--but just at yelling."

Thats very interesting to me.

 

[DISNEYFAMILYOFFOUR]

We leave tomorrow -- it's really all about the milkshakes for us!

I'll be sure to report!

They are very good.

 

[safetymom]

We were there last night for dinner. It was very subdued compared to prior dinners. They did one pony walk around, one napkin twirling, a few ketchup gags. They were very slow in bringing out seconds on the food. They did do a gag with the birthday cake that was priceless.

I asked for a lively server. It was my sons 21st birthday and we wanted a little fun with dinner. We didn't get it.

I don't think I will go back unless it gets lively again. I thought Ohana's was much better.

 

[camlace]

I work at WCC with Bobby and showed him this post earlier at work. He couldn't believe how much was written. I will wait and see if he replies himself before I say anything else.

Suzanne,

Can you confirm/deny any of the posts regarding what the cast members have been directed to do/not do? I understand if you're not allowed to discuss specifics or even discuss it at all on an open forum.

Thanks

 

[rileyroosmom]

I was at WCC on 6/2 - same night as DelsWife, I saw her crew as we were leaving. This was our 4th visit there and I thought there were all the same antics. There was a pony race while I was there and the napkins were twirlled. The men were called up for the "buttercup dance". There was plenty of ketchup and crayon antics. Lots of yelling about soda too. (my son did get a large soda, although it wasn't in the same container from a few years ago). The OP is right about the cowboy napkins, we didn't have one but I could swear I saw another table wearing the hats. I saw Bobby - he was DelsWife's server. I thought is was just as loud and crazy as ever.

I do believe the servers have everything to do with the experience. If you get an "off" one, then your experience will be "off".

 

[just another guy]

-Apparently there has been an unusually high turnover of CM servers recently. This person's opinion is that "many of the servers [are] not extremely good as wait staff--but just at yelling."

I know for a fact thats true. lets just say I'm a cast member in the fort area. Disney as a whole is lacking like 8,000 cast members. My location is low as well as WC. We have had 4 or 5 new cast members trained in the last 2 weeks. I can't say EXACTLY for WC, but talking to a server there, they said there were several new servers. I've waited tables at many chain restaurants in the past, and you are never "at home" with your job until you have been there a bit. You have to get use to the restaurant, as well as who you work with. Plus at WC, you have to be an actor on top of that. If they really did just get several new cast members, give them some time to get warmed up.

Also, you can somewhat blaim Disney for the turnover of CM servers. First off disney no longer hires full times servers because they would then get benefits. Instead of one full time server, they hire two or three part time servers. Then they limit the numbers of hours you can work. So if they find a great server, they can barely work the server until that server gets in trouble for working to many hours.

 

[LSUDis]

This place creates priceless memories.

Where else can my child see me wearing on my head (while eating steak) a bandanna with knots on both sides and straws sticking out of it everywhere like some demented creature from a two-bit Western?

Where else can my children see me try to finish a gallon of soda?

What other place can make us tense up, look at each other meaningfully, and burst out laughing when asking for ketchup....at ANY restaurant for years afterward?--even now when my kids want ketchup at home, they shout, "Ketttccchhhuuupppppppppp!"

If you are at Disney, LIGHTEN up and have fun with your children. These memories are what you'll take with you. These ARE the "good ole days" that your kids will talk about with YOUR grandkids.

Surely no waiter is deliberately trying to embarrass a child! If so, they need to be retrained or fired.

To Disney, don't throw out the baby with the bathwater. This place is apparently popular (look at how long it takes to get in even with an ADR), but resort guests deserve quiet when they are tired, too. Like someone else said, enclose the area and add some soundproofing....shouldn't be hard for the Imagineers. The restaurant and quiet guest rooms can co-exist with Disney magic!

Another fabulous idea someone had is to put the same kind of restaurant, with the wild servers, in the Diamond Horseshoe in MK. With so many people on the dining plan and tourism up, Disney needs more table-service restaurants, anyway. The noise would even pull in people from the street to dine there--perfect setting, too.

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

Going to cancel my resercvation today I think. We loved the antics and without them it really is a complete waste of time. I will go with Ohanas.

 

[just another guy]

Another problem is table time. I was talking to another server there a couple days ago. She was telling me there have been times when she's had a table done eating, ready to go, and they just sit there for another 20-30 minutes watching other tables near them. If a server can't turn their tables quick, they will not make good money.

 

[CarolB]

Going to cancel my resercvation today I think. We loved the antics and without them it really is a complete waste of time. I will go with Ohanas.

We just got back today from a week at WL - and every time I walked through the lobby something fun was happening at WCC. I saw numerous pony races (the day of check in, while waiting in the lobby for our room to be ready, we even saw someone sent to the lobby to ride the stick pony around, after not singing Happy Birthday loudly enough in the restaurant), Hokey Pokey song, If you're Happy and you know it song, screaming, yelling, chasing, Happy birthday, swinging of napkins in the air, etc. I know they aren't doing the napkin hats anymore, but honestly, I saw plenty of fun things happening.

My group of 8 had breakfast there yesterday. Our server Maverick ("Jeff") was great - throwing straws, bringing a large water after one of us kept asking for too many refills, screaming for ketchup, doing card tricks for us. Reminding us we weren't his only table. The other servers were busy doing things with there tables, too. Pony races, coloring contests, birthday celebrations, etc. I didn't see a reduction in the fun times at all and this was our third trip in as many years.

Too each there own and of course there are some servers who don't get into the antics, but let me tell you some days when walking to the elevators (on the higher floors, not lobby level), you could hear WCC - so I don't think quiet would be a word I would use to describe it.

Just my opinion of course, not disputing what others were told. Just relaying what I saw, heard and experienced myself 6/12-6/18.

 

[Corinne]

You form an opinion based on first visit and I have formed mine to not return.

Well, I typically do the same thing, but I am going back to WCC for lunch in August despite our first meal there 8 years ago. I am only going back because I want to visit the Lodge, have not been there in a long while and we wanted a sit down meal while there.

Zurgswife~I understand where you are coming from when it comes to changes. When you visit WDW as often as we do, you have your favorite attractions, meals, snacks, people! It is such a disappointment when things change, I honestly do understand!

 

[holcomb-mania]

Good! Now nothing will slow my complete DOMINATION of that skillet!

 

[Nanabug02]

Any word yet on where Bobby the Kid went?

 

[kcashner]

In May 2006, the atmosphere was the best part. DD didn't like the milkshake at all, and I thought the food was pretty awful.

They did ketchup calls, pony races, etc.

 

[goofydiz]

subscribing

 

[Diznenut]

If Bobby gets to read this thread again -

Please know that you are one of our favorite memories of Disney. My daughter (then 8 years old) still talks about you 7 months after our visit. She can't tell you what she ate that night, but she can recall in very vivid detail every thrown straw, shower of napkins and you taking time to draw a picture in her autograph book. That night, she gave you a card to thank you for making her night so memorable and you gave her back a handful of straws, pens and markers that you had in your pocket. She still has those pens and won't let anyone use them.

You have a gift for entertaining and we absolutley loved our time there.

Thank you, Bobby, for making magic!

 

[newdisneynana]

We were at WCC last Thursday, the 22nd and had a great time, it was our first time there. There was napkin twirling, straw throwing, ketcup, lots of ketcup, my granddaughter 7 loved that part, she was laughing so hard, they brought about 20 bottles to our table. They did the pony races and my daughter 30 ask for a little more tea and she got just that a little more tea in a 2 inch glass with a straw that was about 2 foot long. We all enjoyed the fun and the food. They even did the spoon thing with a spoon that is about 3 feet tall and the large jars of drink. Everthing was great and I would recommend it to everyone.

 

[DaisyD]

We were at WCC last week. It was just as crazy as ever. There were plenty of folks wearing napking hats with straws sticking out. Pony races were done. Ketchup screaming was going on. Making guests sing happened. Nothing has changed at the WCC. I don't understand why the OP was told of these changes when none have happened. Are they going to happen eventually?

 

[Harvest02]

We were at WCC on June 9th, and it was our first time there. I had an ADR here, and was afraid to go after reading all the posts on how there are no longer antics at the restaurant. Am I glad we kept the reservation!!! The server threw our napkins and straws on the table, and the ketchup antics were going on also. My sons loved this part! At one point we had 36 bottles of ketchup on our table!! Also, after we finished our meal, our server asked me "Don't you ever feed your hubby? He finished his whole meal!!". Our server, Allison, was so funny! I will definitely go here on our next trip! Was a blast!!!