Is Disney at fault for disappointment?

[lugnut33]

Thinking about this today, I have to wonder...how many people are disappointed? Or disappointed to the point that they have a bad vacation?

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Just for the fun of it I looked at Yelp and there are 689 reviews of Walt Disney World with an average star rating of 4 out of 5. I'd consider that a pretty darn good rating. Here's an interesting bit of advice somebody posted:

My only advise as a parent is for the next time I come I will personally pay the extra for the fast pass and avoid all those long lines. It is very unfair to wait 60-80 minutes waiting on a ride or to meet Ana, or Mickey mouse.

Apparently he didn't get the memo.

 

[Nigel Channing]

I have no problem planning for a vacation and I actually enjoy doing it. That being said, the 180 day ADR and 60 day FP windows are ridiculous. I had to do more planning for my Disney trip than I did for a trip to Brazil.

 

[NYHeel]

I often see people freaking out about ADRs here. Is it that big of a deal? I've never eaten at a table restaurant in Disney so I don't exactly get it but can't you just eat at a quick service place? Doesn't seem like the end of the world.

Full disclosure, I only eat Kosher food. I'm thrilled that Disney even offers kosher airplane style food in one quick service restaurant. Though I've heard they can run out of food during the Jewish school vacation week in late January. I'm so used to just bringing food into the park for lunch and or dinner. Being able to eat something in the parks besides for ice cream is a huge thrill and planning relief.

 

[cleopenn]

I have no problem planning for a vacation and I actually enjoy doing it. That being said, the 180 day ADR and 60 day FP windows are ridiculous. I had to do more planning for my Disney trip than I did for a trip to Brazil.

I am new to the board as we planned a sort of last night trip to WDW last month, travelling next month.

I couldn't agree more with Nigel's post. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to plan but this upcoming trip is blowing my mind and not in a good way. We have done a lot of travelling for work and pleasure, to all sorts of destinations (some rather challenging) and nothing was as time consuming (and honestly, frustrating) as our WDW trip.

We have a good attitude about it and are excited for the things we have planned. This is going to come out wrong but I am so glad our son isn't "into" the characters or meet and greets. If he was, I probably would be weeping with the stress of making sure he didn't miss out on too much. As it is, he is just happy to be going.

I have spent my entire career analyzing businesses and business models in one way or another and Disney fascinates me. I don't know of another company that has created something (a service or product or experience) that has so much demand (ADR scarcity alone defies logic) at such a high price point. I was talking to a friend last week and she mentioned her normally frugal husband, for all purposes, is totally free spending at WDW in a way that is completely out of character for him. Does Disney pump something into the air?

For example, I saw availability for Victoria & Albert's (both Chef's table and regular) right after we booked our trip. I didn't book it because the cost gave me pause and also because I didn't know if my husband wanted to travel with dress clothing. Well, in the hour or so it took me to ask him his opinion, all the slots were booked. Given the cost, I am shocked the reservations went so quickly.

Anyway, I am learning a ton from this board and thanks to all who are sharing their knowledge!

 

[DaniMoon]

I see a couple of things going on here:

1. People who expected to just "show up" at Disney, wander around and have an amazing time have generally always been disappointed unless they happened to luck into an incredibly low-crowds week. I feel like this has been the case for at least 10 years.
2. What I seem to be noticing now (and what concerns me) is that it seems that people who are in the know and are hip to the planning strategies are having a disappointing experience more often than they used to the past.

Personally when I hear people way "We'll never go back," I make a sympathetic noise, but inside I'm like "SCORE!!" It's vacation-planning Darwinism.

With #2, I see people who are so rigid in their plans that any unexpected thing sets them into a funk - a change in park hours, a parade taping, unable to get that ONE ADR -- and before they even get there they are disappointed and expecting the worst.

 

[cleopenn]

I often see people freaking out about ADRs here. Is it that big of a deal? I've never eaten at a table restaurant in Disney so I don't exactly get it but can't you just eat at a quick service place? Doesn't seem like the end of the world.

Full disclosure, I only eat Kosher food. I'm thrilled that Disney even offers kosher airplane style food in one quick service restaurant. Though I've heard they can run out of food during the Jewish school vacation week in late January. I'm so used to just bringing food into the park for lunch and or dinner. Being able to eat something in the parks besides for ice cream is a huge thrill and planning relief.

For us it is a big deal. We are probably not the norm but if I told my family (most DH) that dinner was at a quick service place, I would have a revolt on my hands and a call for a taxi to eat off property. It is our habit to sit down for a relaxing meal at the end of the day, which is part of the reason I panicked when I saw we were shut out of nearly every table service restaurant. Since then, I have been able to book evening meals and will continue to try for better choices.

 

[Ngwira]

I am thinking of taking the family to our first Super Bowl this year, but I'd really like it to be a spontaneous experience. Figured we'd just head to Santa Clara the night before and find a nice hotel near the stadium, then run down to the box office and grab four tickets. Should be fun!

lol..soo funny...

 

[eliza61]

I often see people freaking out about ADRs here. Is it that big of a deal? I've never eaten at a table restaurant in Disney so I don't exactly get it but can't you just eat at a quick service place? Doesn't seem like the end of the world.
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You'll get a variety of answers here.

For me,it's no big deal at all. There is not one restaurant on site that I would say was Excellent. not one. the vast majority of popular ones I find to be mediocre and expensive and you are paying for the atmosphere. for example. BOG. now since I've been to disney many times and want a little more than just "atmosphere" when I dine, I'm not stressing if I don't get an adr.

I've also been going to wdw since the 90's so I see the nose dive in food quality where as a first timer would not notice. We like to eat TS because we enjoy the break in our day but as I said most imo are cheesecake factory quality especially in the parks. There maybe one or two exceptions and they usually are signature dining so adr's are a lot easier to get.

Some are down right nasty and always have opening.

Also I think the stress is not so much about getting some place to eat but getting some place that everyone says you should dine at.

I have been to the world almost every season except July and christmas. never, ever have I run into a situation where every single ts on site is booked. If someone is flexible one can find a number of places to eat.

I went on line just to check, there are 115 ts restaurants with opening for tonight. that's about as last minute as you can get. times range from 3:15-8:30.

 

[NYHeel]

For us it is a big deal. We are probably not the norm but if I told my family (most DH) that dinner was at a quick service place, I would have a revolt on my hands and a call for a taxi to eat off property. It is our habit to sit down for a relaxing meal at the end of the day, which is part of the reason I panicked when I saw we were shut out of nearly every table service restaurant. Since then, I have been able to book evening meals and will continue to try for better choices.

Certainly understandable.

Personally, I often find that it's more relaxing having meals with kids in a fast food/quick service environment than with table service at a "real" restaurant. When I'm with my kids, I like having all of our food at once and being able to get stuff myself as opposed to dealing with the whole waiter song and dance.

 

[smiths02]

You'll get a variety of answers here.

For me,it's no big deal at all. There is not one restaurant on site that I would say was Excellent. not one. the vast majority of popular ones I find to be mediocre and expensive and you are paying for the atmosphere. for example. BOG. now since I've been to disney many times and want a little more than just "atmosphere" when I dine, I'm not stressing if I don't get an adr.

I've also been going to wdw since the 90's so I see the nose dive in food quality where as a first timer would not notice. We like to eat TS because we enjoy the break in our day but as I said most imo are cheesecake factory quality especially in the parks. There maybe one or two exceptions and they usually are signature dining so adr's are a lot easier to get.

Some are down right nasty and always have opening.

Off topic...but I'd be thrilled if we got Cheesecake Factory quality at WDW. I was looking at a review of Restaurant Marrakesh earlier and all I could think to myself was that the local Lebanese place looks sooooo much better! Then I thought about all our ADRs last trip, and really, if I tried, I could find a better place within 20-30 minutes of my house. (The exception would be Yachtsman, I'd have to go downtown to Ruth's Chris or something, but that's maybe 40 minutes away.) Most places I'd put at lower end chains like Applebee's quality with a few higher-end chains like Cheesecake Factory.

Character meals, while fun, are hectic and the food is just okay to pretty good, nothing great.

 

[anniemae]

Off topic...but I'd be thrilled if we got Cheesecake Factory quality at WDW. I was looking at a review of Restaurant Marrakesh earlier and all I could think to myself was that the local Lebanese place looks sooooo much better! Then I thought about all our ADRs last trip, and really, if I tried, I could find a better place within 20-30 minutes of my house. (The exception would be Yachtsman, I'd have to go downtown to Ruth's Chris or something, but that's maybe 40 minutes away.) Most places I'd put at lower end chains like Applebee's quality with a few higher-end chains like Cheesecake Factory.

Character meals, while fun, are hectic and the food is just okay to pretty good, nothing great.

Yeah, dining used to be a big part of our Disney trips. As a PP said, the food quality had declined greatly over the years. I don't know what the reason is, maybe because it is so crowded now and there are so many people to feed it has become more like banquet/or cafeteria type food, like they are just trying to keep up with demand and they have to take shortcuts or something. We used to really look forward to dinners, and the food and service was impeccable. Now, not so much.

 

[smiths02]

Back on topic...what are people expecting? People that I know who don't know Disney are expecting to suffer it for their kids. They are expecting to wait in lines in heat to ride some rides, meet Mickey Mouse, and maybe eat with a character (from the commercials), and eat fast food meals. In other words, I think most people I know who have no experience really expect something like Six Flags.
Disney delivers magic better than Six Flags even with no planning.

 

[cleopenn]

Also I think the stress is not so much about getting some place to eat but getting some place that everyone says you should dine at.

Yep, I fell into this stress trap. We heard from a number of people that Ohana (sp?) was a must do. Even my husband came home from an appointment and said to make sure to reserve it because whoever he was with that day raved about it as an absolute must do. (I booked the trip after the 60 day window opened....)

After days and nights to working the site, I was at wits end. Then I found a post about the style and service at Ohana and it became a definitely no for us. DH was fully expecting to be able to order from a menu type of meal, not a set menu, family style meal.

I am still stalking a V&A dinner reservation......

 

[cleopenn]

Back on topic...what are people expecting? People that I know who don't know Disney are expecting to suffer it for their kids. They are expecting to wait in lines in heat to ride some rides, meet Mickey Mouse, and maybe eat with a character (from the commercials), and eat fast food meals. In other words, I think most people I know who have no experience really expect something like Six Flags.
Disney delivers magic better than Six Flags even with no planning.

You accurately described my DH! In fact, I know a couple of moms who said their DH's were the same way and within hours became absolutely smitten with Disney. I am actively keeping my DH's expectations low (not intentionally, I am just not talking it up too much) in the hopes he will be pleasantly surprised.

 

[Baklava]

For us it is a big deal. We are probably not the norm but if I told my family (most DH) that dinner was at a quick service place, I would have a revolt on my hands and a call for a taxi to eat off property. It is our habit to sit down for a relaxing meal at the end of the day, which is part of the reason I panicked when I saw we were shut out of nearly every table service restaurant. Since then, I have been able to book evening meals and will continue to try for better choices.

It's a big deal for us too. One strategy I had as a back up plan (and did not need) was that if I could not get what I *wanted*, to simply enter the time and day into the system, look at the choices and there'd likely be something good that I might otherwise have missed. I made the super plan but I was prepared to fall back on "pick from what's there." (I threw a wedding that way too. Instead of requiring the precise perfect shade of rose, I told the woman doing flowers what the budget was, what I'm allergic to and had her pick what looked good the day she went shopping.)

You *must* plan a lot to get your perfect, first choice, all-the-details-in-place WDW vacation. You can plan a little and still have a wonderful time. If you refuse to plan at all, you have to be way more open minded about what constitutes a good time, but that kind of trip has its own appeal. I imagine if we went every year we might someday decide to do a "see what comes our way" trip just to surprise ourselves with new experiences.

 

[Happy_2_B]

There is not one restaurant on site that I would say was Excellent. not one.

Sorry, but have to disagree. Victoria and Albert's Chef's Table is one of the best dining experiences I have ever had. Worked for one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world for quite a long time- and travelled with the owners on business frequently- so have had the opportunity to experience many, many 4 and 5 star restaurants. V&A's Chef's Table isn't at the top of the list- but it's top 5 easily. The food and service is on par with any world class restaurant I have had the privilege to dine in. There are several other 'on property' restaurants that are very good to outstanding as well. Guess it boils down to personal taste- and the extent of restaurants one has tried. Having been to WDW 27 times, I have tried most of them- and my experiences don't mesh with your observations.

 

[sharona]

Off topic...but I'd be thrilled if we got Cheesecake Factory quality at WDW. I was looking at a review of Restaurant Marrakesh earlier and all I could think to myself was that the local Lebanese place looks sooooo much better! Then I thought about all our ADRs last trip, and really, if I tried, I could find a better place within 20-30 minutes of my house. (The exception would be Yachtsman, I'd have to go downtown to Ruth's Chris or something, but that's maybe 40 minutes away.) Most places I'd put at lower end chains like Applebee's quality with a few higher-end chains like Cheesecake Factory.

Character meals, while fun, are hectic and the food is just okay to pretty good, nothing great.

Agree 100%. We would be thrilled to get Cheesecake Factory quality and menu options at WDW. I can't think of more than 2 meals we had at WDW that were better than ChF and also had enough of a variety of menu items to please a diverse family. For the record those 2 were Tusker House and Le Cellier.

 

[Hibiscus]

Sorry, but have to disagree. Victoria and Albert's Chef's Table is one of the best dining experiences I have ever had. Worked for a family that owned one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world for quite a long time- and travelled with them on business frequently so have had the opportunity to experience many, many 4 and 5 star restaurants. V&A's Chef's Table isn't at the top of the list- but it's top 5 easily. The food and service is on par with any world class restaurant I have had the privilege to dine in. There are several other 'on property' restaurants that are very good to outstanding as well. Guess it boils down to personal taste- and the extent of restaurants one has tried. Having been to WDW 27 times, I have tried most of them- and my experiences don't mesh with your observations.

V&A is the one and only WDW restaurant that I consider to be "fine dining."

 

[chicagogrl]

My friend didn't plan a thing. They went a few weeks ago.
I don't think they went on a lot of rides but enjoyed it. First time there.

I think it is your expectations. On our recent trip I planned but as we were walking around MK at 8:30 am there were rides my husband didn't want to go on so plans changed. It rained too and that changed plans!
I needed to chill out and just enjoy our time there and not so strict on trying to do everything. Needed a slower pace I guess for this trip!

 

[DisneyIslandGirl]

Disappointment occurs when the experience doesn't meet expectations. So, did the experience fall short, or were the expectations not appropriately set? One might be Disney's fault, but, more likely, it's all on the individual.

This is excellent. I am going to use this whenever I have a complaint or someone complains to me.