Narcoosee's: a huge disappointment

[kamgen]

DH and I decided to go to Narcoosee's this past weekend on our trip. We didn't have the kids with us on this trip, so it was nice to have an adult evening. We were on the dining plan, so it was even nicer as we saved tremendously. Still, with all this...Narcoosee's was a huge disappointment. First, the service was slow and the server, while she seemed nice, was not very attentive or helpful. Also, the food was just okay. Dh had the calamari which he said was good and I had the pumpkin-ginger soup, which was not warm enough and had an oily taste to it. For entree we both had the Surf and Turf. While the potatoes were AWESOME, the filet was just okay. Not by any means the best we have had, and doesnt come close to being as good as LeCellier (which, mind you, is only one TS credit). The lobster was good (for those who like lobster) but not enough to make us return. For dessert we had the almond cheescake, good but dry, and the key lime creme brulee, which was tasty. All in all the food was but not by any means worth 2TS credits. As for atmosphere, it was just ordinary....the view was wonderful and the fireworks great, but not by any means as good as CG or just sitting on the beach at the Poly.
The final thing, and the one that just ruined it for us, was the fact that we were charged double gratuity. Now, I know that the gratuity is included in the dining plan at 18% and we usually tip additional on good service. With our dinner we each had one glass of wine (which is also WAY overpriced at this location in comparison to other WDW locales). When the bill came, we had been charged 18% on the wine as well.....automatically. It was something that really made us mad. I mean, just because we had to seperate the checks for the dining plan and non-dining plan doesnt mean you should be charged double gratuity automatically. I know that parties of 8 or more are always charged gratuity automatically, but we were shocked to see this on a party of two! Oh well, there is my vent......just wanted to share our experience and say we will not be returning to Narcoosee's any time soon. Funny...it is the only establishment on property that we wont return to....so far!

 

[punkin413]

sorry you had a bad experience at narcoosee's. my DH and i just absolutely love it there and we had almost the same thing you guys had! goes to show you everyone's different. we had the calamari and the crab cakes for appies....the crab cakes were unbelievable. we both got the surf and turf and i personally thought my filet was better than le cellier...but again, we are all different when it comes to opinions on food! did your filet come with the green peppercorn sauce? if not, i think that's what MADE our filets. my husband is dying to get the recipe for that sauce! we didn't get wine so i can't comment on the price of wine. we did have mixed drinks though and i don't remember them charging gratuity automatically for that (but we were there back in may - might've changed since then), although i did tip our server more than the 18% that was on the bill because she did such an outstanding job. and finally wishes was just awesome for us. but it WAS the first time ever seeing it live for both of us.....so that probably had something to do with it being a great experience. again, sorry you had a bad experience there. in my opinion it was totally worth 2 TSs, but that's because we had totally different experiences!

 

[Vemnox]

Most menu's indicate, albeit in very small print, that gratuity is automatically included on alcoholic beverages.

 

[kaytieeldr]

When the bill came, we had been charged 18% on the wine as well.....automatically. It was something that really made us mad. I mean, just because we had to seperate the checks for the dining plan and non-dining plan doesnt mean you should be charged double gratuity automatically.

But you're not being charged double gratuity - Disney is paying the gratuity on the food you order that's included in the DDP; the Guest is responsible for any items ordered that are not covered by the plan, i.e. for which the Guest is paying out of pocket. You were charged an 18% gratuity for the wine, NOT for the entire meal - ergo, you were not charged double gratuity.

The practice has been in effect for over a year. I can't tell you when it started, could have been the beginning of 2006, but Disney has been adding an automatic 18% gratuity to any items purchased by Guests paying for their meal with Dining Plan credits. I remember reading warnings about this here, in the summer of 2006.

While no official explanation has been provided, it's surmised that the policy was instituted because Guests on the DDP were not tipping for additional (purchased) food/alcohol.

 

[Pakey]

We feel the same way about Narcoosie's although it seems to get great reviews here for some reason. Out of all the signature dining at WDW, we feel Citricos and Narcoosie's are not at the same level as the others. We have eaten at both of these 3 times as we didn't want to base our impressions on what could possibly be one bad night.

We do not do the DDP so wasn't aware of the tipping on alcohol. I wonder how many other people aren't aware of that?

Hopefully all of your other experiences were great.

 

[Mickiethepooh]

Almost all restaurants charge a gratuity on any drinks ordered. this is nothing exclusive to Disney. also on more then 6 people some are 8 Disney is now 6.

 

[CarolMN]

The automatic gratuity on alcoholic beverages must only apply to those guests on the Dining Plan.

My DH & I ate at Narcooses last Thursday evening (11/1). Beautiful location.

We were not on the Disney Dining Plan and I did not tell the waiter we were using the DDE until the check came. There was no gratutity added to the bill for either the meal or the alcoholic drinks we had. When the modified bill was returned to us, there was still no auto gratutity added. Since the service was very good, we left more than 18% (of the original bill). Would not have left more if the gratutity had already been added, though.

I had the crab cakes and through they were very good. My DH had the pear and Endive salad which he also thought very good. He had a chicken entree which he said was a "poor choice". I had the Chef's recommendation - a bass dish which was very good. For dessert, I had the warm chocolate almond gateau. My DH passed on dessert. Although the gateau was good, it was no where near as good as the chocolate dessert we had at the 10/28 Sweet Sunday event. I would also rank the choclate dessert at the CG higher.

All in all, a very good meal for me and one not so great for DH. CG is still our favorite as far as food goes.

 

[chip 'n dale rule]

But you're not being charged double gratuity - Disney is paying the gratuity on the food you order that's included in the DDP; the Guest is responsible for any items ordered that are not covered by the plan, i.e. for which the Guest is paying out of pocket. You were charged an 18% gratuity for the wine, NOT for the entire meal - ergo, you were not charged double gratuity.

The practice has been in effect for over a year. I can't tell you when it started, could have been the beginning of 2006, but Disney has been adding an automatic 18% gratuity to any items purchased by Guests paying for their meal with Dining Plan credits. I remember reading warnings about this here, in the summer of 2006.

While no official explanation has been provided, it's surmised that the policy was instituted because Guests on the DDP were not tipping for additional (purchased) food/alcohol.

This is exactly what I was going to say. You were charged 18% for your dinner and 18% for your drinks; that is not a double gratuity. I can understand why they do this because I can see people not adding an extra tip for things they paid for OOP because they figure the server is already getting a tip automatically through the dining plan.

 

[2infinityandbeyond]

Almost all restaurants charge a gratuity on any drinks ordered.

I've never seen or heard of such a policy, and I've eaten at restaurants of all levels all over the country.

 

[DisneyAngel83]

I'm sorry you did not enjoy your dinner. We ate there recently in mid-October. I had the pumpkin soup and I really enjoyed it! The oily taste you speak of is probably because of the oil they add to it (it is mentioned in the description on the menu), but I understand that might not be for everyone. I had the surf and turf as well. The steak was the best steak I think I have had yet and we have been to Narcoosees about 5 times now and also went to Le Cellier on this trip. They cooked the steak to a perfect medium and it practically melted in my mouth it was so good. I did think the lobster was only ok though. The cheesecake was ok in my opinion. But I don't think they excel in the dessert arena anyways. I had a far better dessert at Liberty Tree Tavern at lunch.

I guess it depends on what your expectations are and if you enjoy the way the chef prepares the food. Everyone likes things differently!

 

[MulanMom]

I'm sorry to hear of your negative experience. We tried Narcoosee's for the first time back in July and were impressed with both the food and the service we received. The charges for wine and alcohol did not strike us as being out of line with other WDW dining locations. However, we've been going to WDW long enough to know that dining experiences can change at the same restaurant over time. I'm hoping your experience was a fluke or just a matter of personal preference as we are looking forward to visiting Narcoosee's in the future.

 

[kamgen]

Thanks for all the comments. I do understand what some of you are saying about not being charged double gratuity. DH and I have dined in many places and have never seen auto gratuity added to the alcohol tab. When we dine at LeCellier and Rose and Crown, we always get beer or wine on the DDP and have never been charged a gratuity automatically on that tab. We do tip based on our service, but it seems extreme to us to have it automatically added.
As for the food, while we did think it was good and have no complaints really about it, it did not meet our expectations. To each his own. Thanks again!

 

[DisOrBust]

I also have never had it automatic for drinks anywhere but europe. We were also only charged when on the DDP.

 

[cdtommie]

My wife and I have been to Narcoosee's a few times and we believe it is the weakest of all the Disney signature restaurants - we have never been impressed with the food here.