RobDoc
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Aug 14, 1998
- Messages
- 34,195
We tried the DDP for the first time this week. We arrived ay OKW 10 days ago and had a 1BR for 3 nights before our DD and 2 grandkids (7,5) joined us last Sat staying in a 2BR at OKW. We were able to stay in the same 1BR and just add the adjoining Studio and the resort was able to accommodate that request which was really nice.
We do have APs and have also had the DDE card (now TIW) for years now and have enjoyed that program. We decided to try the DDP this trip mostly because of the 2 children and the convenience of the program.
DW and I never order dessert, but will usually have a salad or soup as an appetizer. We will also often have a glass of wine with our meals. We typically dine in a table service restaurant about every other day of each stay and usually will have counter serve on the other days. Obviously, our usual dining pattern was altered for this trip - with a counter serve and table service meal each day. From a value point of view, the DP was fine. We spent more for the two of us than we would normally spend, but with 3 extra diners it was about a break even on this trip.
We dined at Olivia's (I'll give a review of that later), Coral Reef, Liberty Tree, HollyWood & Vine, Sci-Fi, Wolfgang Puck's Cafe and CA Grille tonite (another where I'll comment later). For the most part (with a couple of exceptions) the meals were fine without problems.
Our biggest complaint about the program in general was that we ate waaay too much - just due to the deviation from the way we usually dine. The menus were fine, food was generally OK and the service was all right with a couple of exceptions. Most of our servers were wonderful and made the experience the same - with attentive service as well as kind treatment of the children. Our best dining experiencess this trip were at Coral Reef and Wolfgang Puck's - both were a great value the meals were well prepared and with excellent service. We enjoyed counter serve at Earl of Sandwich, Columbia House, Cosmic Rays, Pizzafari and Good's Food-to-Go at OKW. All were fine with good selection for everyone's tastes.
We would consider using the DP in the future when grandchildren are with us, but never again when we are here by ourselves. We will be bringing our other DD and 3 grandkids next spring and will likely get the DDP for them and just use the TIW for ourselves since we will have separate villas for that trip.
Now, for the two exceptions to our usually good dining experiences - last Sat. our family arrived at 6:30 pm. We had ADR for 8pm, but went over a little early (7:15) since everyone was hungry. Olivia's was not busy and they seated us about 7:25. We had ordered by 7:30 and drinks and bread were brought right away. About 8:05 our server came to the table and told us our meals were delayed (no kidding!) and it would be another 10 minutes with some excuse about the kitchen needing to prepare a special meal for someone with an allergy. At 8:20 the manager on duty came by and told us our meals would be anotrher 10 minutes and we were finally served at 8:30. By this time, the children were beginning to eat the crayons. I had ordered the Mahi-Mahi which was burned on the bottom, very dry and "crunchy". I ate about 2 bites and when the server finally stopped at the table 10 minutes later she asked if everything was all right. I shared my opinion of the fish and she did offer to let me order something else - which I declined since I did not have another hour to wait for more poor service. The kids ordered their desserts and that took another 10 minutes to arrive. We finally finished at 9:10. The manager offered to comp my DDP credit, which was fine except that it was paid for anyway and we already had ADRs for all of our other table serve meals. (We are leaving with one TS credit remaining as well as 24 snack credits - and DME picks us up at 5:20am in the morning.)
We have dined at the restaurant atop the CR since it was the "Top of the World" and had the Broadway style dinner review. It has been a favorite for years and we traditionally dine there on our final evening. We have several favorite servers and have always looked forward to our next experience at this signature restaurant. On this trip we ate there the night before the kids arrived last week and again tonite. Last week we were not on the DP and had a wonderful meal.
We usually have a reservation for 5:30 and go up to the lounge when it opens at 5:00. We usually get a window table in the lounge and often keep that table for dinner. We have been doing this for years - 5-6 times per year. The lounge hasa always been first-come-first-served - or at least that's what we've always been told and have never had a problem in the past.
With our grandkids along this time, we hoped to get a window table in the lounge area and arrived about 4:30 to check-in for our ADR. We were in the first elevator to the CA Grille when the lounge opened at 5:00, first off the elevator and went immediately to the table we hoped to get. No one was seated yet in the restaurant, but when we approached the empty table a server called out to us that the table was reserved. I asked if this was a new policy and she said no, but another party had "called ahead" from the downstairs podium. We were then told that there are no window tables for a party of five (except for that one). My DW commented about the situation to another server who had the manager come talk with us. Greg (manager) explained that he had "bumped into" this couple downstairs and had arranged for them to have the lounge table - but that the lounge was definitely first-come-first-served. I explained to him that if that were really the case, there wouldn't be any problem. Had we arrived at 5:15 to see that this table was already filled, I would have completely understood - but when I was first to arrive in the restaurant, first to arrive at the table and then be told it was "reserved" for someone else, they certainly were not honoring the first-come-first-served policy. He then explained that these were guests who dine there monthly and always sit at that table - which earned a repeat of my earlier comment about how "first-come-first-served" is usually interpreted by the rest of the world.
We have usually had wonderful treatment at CA Grille in the past. Last Friday, we had a server who knew the party seated at the table next to us and she spent a significant amount of time chatting with that group to the detriment of her other guests. Strangely enough, she was the one who turned us away from the lounge table. We were seated near a window (not AT the window) and our server was fine although he neglected to offer crayons and Disney coloring pages to our kids while children at all of the table around us had theirs. We finally asked about it when he took dessert orders and he did bring them at that time.
We did not ask for anything except what we were entitled to under the DDP. Nothing was expected except good service and good food.
At least the food was good.
We do have APs and have also had the DDE card (now TIW) for years now and have enjoyed that program. We decided to try the DDP this trip mostly because of the 2 children and the convenience of the program.
DW and I never order dessert, but will usually have a salad or soup as an appetizer. We will also often have a glass of wine with our meals. We typically dine in a table service restaurant about every other day of each stay and usually will have counter serve on the other days. Obviously, our usual dining pattern was altered for this trip - with a counter serve and table service meal each day. From a value point of view, the DP was fine. We spent more for the two of us than we would normally spend, but with 3 extra diners it was about a break even on this trip.
We dined at Olivia's (I'll give a review of that later), Coral Reef, Liberty Tree, HollyWood & Vine, Sci-Fi, Wolfgang Puck's Cafe and CA Grille tonite (another where I'll comment later). For the most part (with a couple of exceptions) the meals were fine without problems.
Our biggest complaint about the program in general was that we ate waaay too much - just due to the deviation from the way we usually dine. The menus were fine, food was generally OK and the service was all right with a couple of exceptions. Most of our servers were wonderful and made the experience the same - with attentive service as well as kind treatment of the children. Our best dining experiencess this trip were at Coral Reef and Wolfgang Puck's - both were a great value the meals were well prepared and with excellent service. We enjoyed counter serve at Earl of Sandwich, Columbia House, Cosmic Rays, Pizzafari and Good's Food-to-Go at OKW. All were fine with good selection for everyone's tastes.
We would consider using the DP in the future when grandchildren are with us, but never again when we are here by ourselves. We will be bringing our other DD and 3 grandkids next spring and will likely get the DDP for them and just use the TIW for ourselves since we will have separate villas for that trip.
Now, for the two exceptions to our usually good dining experiences - last Sat. our family arrived at 6:30 pm. We had ADR for 8pm, but went over a little early (7:15) since everyone was hungry. Olivia's was not busy and they seated us about 7:25. We had ordered by 7:30 and drinks and bread were brought right away. About 8:05 our server came to the table and told us our meals were delayed (no kidding!) and it would be another 10 minutes with some excuse about the kitchen needing to prepare a special meal for someone with an allergy. At 8:20 the manager on duty came by and told us our meals would be anotrher 10 minutes and we were finally served at 8:30. By this time, the children were beginning to eat the crayons. I had ordered the Mahi-Mahi which was burned on the bottom, very dry and "crunchy". I ate about 2 bites and when the server finally stopped at the table 10 minutes later she asked if everything was all right. I shared my opinion of the fish and she did offer to let me order something else - which I declined since I did not have another hour to wait for more poor service. The kids ordered their desserts and that took another 10 minutes to arrive. We finally finished at 9:10. The manager offered to comp my DDP credit, which was fine except that it was paid for anyway and we already had ADRs for all of our other table serve meals. (We are leaving with one TS credit remaining as well as 24 snack credits - and DME picks us up at 5:20am in the morning.)
We have dined at the restaurant atop the CR since it was the "Top of the World" and had the Broadway style dinner review. It has been a favorite for years and we traditionally dine there on our final evening. We have several favorite servers and have always looked forward to our next experience at this signature restaurant. On this trip we ate there the night before the kids arrived last week and again tonite. Last week we were not on the DP and had a wonderful meal.
We usually have a reservation for 5:30 and go up to the lounge when it opens at 5:00. We usually get a window table in the lounge and often keep that table for dinner. We have been doing this for years - 5-6 times per year. The lounge hasa always been first-come-first-served - or at least that's what we've always been told and have never had a problem in the past.
With our grandkids along this time, we hoped to get a window table in the lounge area and arrived about 4:30 to check-in for our ADR. We were in the first elevator to the CA Grille when the lounge opened at 5:00, first off the elevator and went immediately to the table we hoped to get. No one was seated yet in the restaurant, but when we approached the empty table a server called out to us that the table was reserved. I asked if this was a new policy and she said no, but another party had "called ahead" from the downstairs podium. We were then told that there are no window tables for a party of five (except for that one). My DW commented about the situation to another server who had the manager come talk with us. Greg (manager) explained that he had "bumped into" this couple downstairs and had arranged for them to have the lounge table - but that the lounge was definitely first-come-first-served. I explained to him that if that were really the case, there wouldn't be any problem. Had we arrived at 5:15 to see that this table was already filled, I would have completely understood - but when I was first to arrive in the restaurant, first to arrive at the table and then be told it was "reserved" for someone else, they certainly were not honoring the first-come-first-served policy. He then explained that these were guests who dine there monthly and always sit at that table - which earned a repeat of my earlier comment about how "first-come-first-served" is usually interpreted by the rest of the world.
We have usually had wonderful treatment at CA Grille in the past. Last Friday, we had a server who knew the party seated at the table next to us and she spent a significant amount of time chatting with that group to the detriment of her other guests. Strangely enough, she was the one who turned us away from the lounge table. We were seated near a window (not AT the window) and our server was fine although he neglected to offer crayons and Disney coloring pages to our kids while children at all of the table around us had theirs. We finally asked about it when he took dessert orders and he did bring them at that time.
We did not ask for anything except what we were entitled to under the DDP. Nothing was expected except good service and good food.
At least the food was good.
- Do you remember when there wasn't even fast pass? and still we managed(Although I always utilize FP when possible)
