Just back - June 30th- July 4th

[Astylla]

We are heading home today after one of the mist relaxing trips we've had in years.

The good : Stayed at HOJO the first time and really enjoyed it. We arrived after midnight and still were greeting happily and assisted us in locating the ECV that Deckerts delivered.

The room was spacious and very comftorable and the beds , OMG the beds are the best!! We took advantage of the pool area a few days and it was very enjoyable. There are pool towels provided that were always stocked.

The crowds were so light we couldn't believe it. We kept waiting for them to get busy but it never happened , even though foot traffic was heavier on July 4th( we left by 3:30pm) it wasn't wall to wall as expected though tonight might change. We had no issues with my ECV and all the CM's were very helpful.

WOC dessert party is worth every penny. I can't say enough great things. I'm vertically challenged at 5'2

The bad : Really the only slight sour note of our hotel stay was that the last night a very rambunctious family checked in above us so around 3pm-5pm it sounded like a herd of elephants were running up and down constantly. I tried to take a nap but it was just too much even with the tv turned up. As we were going to dinner later I didn't worry about it.

We also had to report that day around 3pm to the front desk as the hallway of our room was the distinguishable smell of marijuana . When we left around 4:30 the smell was gone and never returned so the issue was resolved regardless of how it came to be.

I was looking forward to our Steakhouse 55 reservation as we've been there many times and enjoyed it very much. We were so disappointed this trip I doubt I'll return. Service was very hit or miss , and the food was good but not great as I recall nor anything to write home about.
I'm actually debating writing guest services just to chime in about our past expectations versus now.

We had a few questionable guest interactions that left us scratching our heads like saying excuse me 5-10 times and the family getting mad at us for asking them to move aside when blocking a ride exit. Unfortunately they found it okay to belittle me including calling me names as wewalked away as well as having the entitled can" we will stand wherever we want" attitude.

It definitely left a sour taste in my mouth as I was already anxiety ridden using an ECV for an injury but a treat from Jolly Holiday helped.

Crowds were much lower than anticipated and it was a fantastic trip overall.

 

[5forMickey]

Sounds like you had a great trip for the most part.....makes me excited for our next trip.

 

[DisneylandDarling]

Sounds like a fabulous trip! That's wonderful to hear about the crowds, I would expect heavy crowds at this point in the summer.

Sorry about the snots at the exit. I guess they weren't having as magical of a time as you were. Those are the times when you turn around as you're leaving, look them straight in the eye and with a sweet tone say, "Bless your heart!" and give them a wink. lol I learned that in the south, this is a phrase that means just the opposite!

 

[Kender]

We had a few questionable guest interactions that left us scratching our heads like saying excuse me 5-10 times and the family getting mad at us for asking them to move aside when blocking a ride exit. Unfortunately they found it okay to belittle me including calling me names as wewalked away as well as having the entitled can" we will stand wherever we want" attitude.

Ugh. I feel you. A few trips ago myself and a friend were standing in line at the Starbucks in DCA. We asked these (looked in their 20s) girls which line they were standing in. No malice. Just a question so we knew which line was actually available (they were standing in the middle between the two lines in one giant group). This older gentlemen starts berating us for harassing the group and says "they're just teenagers".

My friend and I may have gotten a little snippy and stated something along the lines that "then they should be mature enough to state which line they've picked to stand in".

Note that the "teenagers" were by themselves until this gentleman walked up to harass my friend and me (but he was with their group) and they did answer our question by moving to one line. Friend and I went in the other and were done and gone before they even got to order. It was a nice bit of karma.

I truly do not get rude people. I always feel awful if I'm standing in someone's way. I totally feel you about it leaving a sour taste .

 

[theluckyrabbit]

...I was looking forward to our Steakhouse 55 reservation as we've been there many times and enjoyed it very much. We were so disappointed this trip I doubt I'll return. Service was very hit or miss , and the food was good but not great as I recall nor anything to write home about.
I'm actually debating writing guest services just to chime in about our past expectations versus now...

Glad to hear that overall your trip was great. Regarding S55, please do contact Guest Services about your experience. We've noticed the drop in service (at dinner, not at breakfast or tea), too. From what we gather from CMs, this has been an ongoing problem since Chef Marcel took over the kitchen. There have been staff changes and issues building his kitchen team. We make sure to let the host/ess know at check in that we've had some problems in the past and that we don't want a repeat. Then we have to be super detailed about how we want our food prepared and how we want it paced. (Pacing has been an issue the last few times.) Again, none of these issues happen at breakfast, but the breakfast team is totally different from the dinner team. Management needs to be aware that these problems exist and that they are ongoing.

 

[Astylla]

Glad to hear that overall your trip was great. Regarding S55, please do contact Guest Services about your experience. We've noticed the drop in service (at dinner, not at breakfast or tea), too. From what we gather from CMs, this has been an ongoing problem since Chef Marcel took over the kitchen. There have been staff changes and issues building his kitchen team. We make sure to let the host/ess know at check in that we've had some problems in the past and that we don't want a repeat. Then we have to be super detailed about how we want our food prepared and how we want it paced. (Pacing has been an issue the last few times.) Again, none of these issues happen at breakfast, but the breakfast team is totally different from the dinner team. Management needs to be aware that these problems exist and that they are ongoing.

Yeah I emailed today on lunch because it really started to bother me. I did comment also how wonderful the WOC dessert party staff was and how everyone went out of their way. The service was very attentive and they offered multiple times to take photos for guests to ensure they were happy. I do not complain often but the more I thought about it the more it bummed me out.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

There are constructive complaints and then there's whining. Constructive complaints are necessary so that management can make changes and fixes as needed. If no one says anything, management will never know what needs fixing. Let us know if Guest Services responds. Last time we commented on our problems at S55, someone called to discuss it with me.

 

[5forMickey]

I thought it was just me with steak house. It was unbelievable good the first time we went, not so good the second, and kind of horrible this last time. I thought maybe I had just remembered it better than it really was. Not glad you didn't have a great time, but glad to know it wasn't just me.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

I thought it was just me with steak house. It was unbelievable good the first time we went, not so good the second, and kind of horrible this last time. I thought maybe I had just remembered it better than it really was. Not glad you didn't have a great time, but glad to know it wasn't just me.

Definitely write to Disney to let them know about this. Make sure you detail the downward progression of your visits. They really need to know that there's a ongoing problem there.

 

[Astylla]

There are constructive complaints and then there's whining. Constructive complaints are necessary so that management can make changes and fixes as needed. If no one says anything, management will never know what needs fixing. Let us know if Guest Services responds. Last time we commented on our problems at S55, someone called to discuss it with me.

Oh definitely , having worked in restaurants and food service many years before it often takes ALOT for me to say something. I was just in shock really

I thought it was just me with steak house. It was unbelievable good the first time we went, not so good the second, and kind of horrible this last time. I thought maybe I had just remembered it better than it really was. Not glad you didn't have a great time, but glad to know it wasn't just me.

It's so sad to me because we had the most magical meal there for our anniversary and with good friends a few years ago. The entire experience was just meh.

Definitely write to Disney to let them know about this. Make sure you detail the downward progression of your visits. They really need to know that there's a ongoing problem there.

I agree and it's why I finally gave in and emailed today explaining details too. A problem can't be fixed if it's not brought to attention.

I think for sure we'll stick to Napa Rose for future special meals. We've done chefs counter and regular settings and loved everything. It's dissaointing they changed so much from the bread service to the quality of staff to the food preparations.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

What changed about the bread service? And about the other food preparations? We haven't been to S55 since last year and the bread was the same as we remembered at that time.

 

[Nonsuch]

...Regarding S55, please do contact Guest Services about your experience. We've noticed the drop in service (at dinner, not at breakfast or tea), too. From what we gather from CMs, this has been an ongoing problem since Chef Marcel took over the kitchen. There have been staff changes and issues building his kitchen team. We make sure to let the host/ess know at check in that we've had some problems in the past and that we don't want a repeat. Then we have to be super detailed about how we want our food prepared and how we want it paced. (Pacing has been an issue the last few times.) Again, none of these issues happen at breakfast, but the breakfast team is totally different from the dinner team. Management needs to be aware that these problems exist and that they are ongoing.

Chef Marcel took over Steakhouse 55 over 2 years ago, issues with his kitchen team should have been resolved long ago.

 

[Astylla]

What changed about the bread service? And about the other food preparations? We haven't been to S55 since last year and the bread was the same as we remembered at that time.

I wish I had photos from over 3/4 years ago but it was a more round loaf , cut into pieces more evenly and not as browned. The butter provided was much larger with sea salt on top and other accompaniments.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Yeah I emailed today on lunch because it really started to bother me. I did comment also how wonderful the WOC dessert party staff was and how everyone went out of their way. The service was very attentive and they offered multiple times to take photos for guests to ensure they were happy. I do not complain often but the more I thought about it the more it bummed me out.

Glad you wrote. I've been surprised how responsive Guest Services has been the 2 times I've written, although in my experience it can take a couple weeks to hear back. Interesting about the crowds being lighter than expected, always a nice surprise! I like the Jolly Holiday solution to rude guest encounters. As someone prone to run my mouth instead of just walking away this sounds like a far superior solution! Just walk away- to the Jolly Holiday!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Chef Marcel took over Steakhouse 55 over 2 years ago, issues with his kitchen team should have been resolved long ago.

i agree. The issues should have been resolved long ago, but according to CMs who work at S55, the issues, whatever they are, continue. There is a very noticeable difference (e.g. attitude, efficiency, attentiveness, etc. with both servers and managers) between the breakfast staff and the dinner staff. When we've asked about it, CMs have consistently said that the problems affect the dinner team only and started at the time of the changeover.

 

[hootey]

Congrats on a Great trip except for a couple of minor events!. Sorry about the rude people but, you get those everywhere nowadays. Glad to see you had a nice visit.

 

[carisa81]

We just got back too. June 29~2nd. Crowds were really light compared with other summers. It was wonderful!!