Terrible Experience at Topolino’s

[Missingmypooh]

Like I already said above, I don’t see why mopping the drink off the floor is beyond the pale. The mess did not stop at the table or chair or child. There was a puddle on the floor. We didn’t want it to sit there under our shoes and are not the kind of people to find a server to direct them to clean up our mess. The point is that if you do see a customer cleaning their spill off the floor, it’s good service to not breeze on by without offering a napkin or a check on us to see if anything is needed.

As I’ve said repeatedly in this thread, perhaps I am not explaining it well, so I think I’ll stop trying.

I’ll leave the thread up in case it is helpful for someone else like me who doesn’t know it’s okay to demand a different table at Disney. I disagree with the other criticism in this thread but that information, at least, is helpful.

FWIW Disney customer service is usually great. They might call you to get a better understanding- which is what they did the two times I’ve had to email.

I’m a type A go getter and I had a problem similar to yours at grand flo Cafe pre covid. I shed tears because I was so angry I wanted to yell right there at Disney- but decided to immediately leave after paying without discussing with a manager because I know I would not have been polite.

other times I’ve done the suggestions here, talked to servers, grabbed my own napkins, etc.

At Topolinos in March my aunt spilled a hot chocolate on my 2 yr old right in front of Mickey. It was horrific. But the staff took care of us and Mickey came back by. Kind cast members can rearrange for pictures, especially in the case of kids that need a Mickey fix.

OP I hope you get a resolution, and this experience (both at Topolinos and disboards) doesn’t sour your night. It’s ok to not be an “in your face” go getter like some posters would have you believe!

 

[DisneyJade]

FWIW Disney customer service is usually great. They might call you to get a better understanding- which is what they did the two times I’ve had to email.

I’m a type A go getter and I had a problem similar to yours at grand flo Cafe pre covid. I shed tears because I was so angry I wanted to yell right there at Disney- but decided to immediately leave after paying without discussing with a manager because I know I would not have been polite.

other times I’ve done the suggestions here, talked to servers, grabbed my own napkins, etc.

At Topolinos in March my aunt spilled a hot chocolate on my 2 yr old right in front of Mickey. It was horrific. But the staff took care of us and Mickey came back by. Kind cast members can rearrange for pictures, especially in the case of kids that need a Mickey fix.

OP I hope you get a resolution, and this experience (both at Topolinos and disboards) doesn’t sour your night. It’s ok to not be an “in your face” go getter like some posters would have you believe!

Thank you so much for these kind words and shared experience! I appreciate the empathy and am so sorry to hear about your hot chocolate spill!

 

[bakerworld]

When we were new to traveling I would just accept where ever they sat us but I try not to do that anymore. Notice I use the word 'try' because it is an effort to battle my own nature to just accept. Just this past November we were sat right at the servers station and I really dislike that but we were with another couple so I didn't say anything. Disney is so expensive that I just really dislike 'settling'. At BOG I asked and waited for the West Room and the hostess still tried to sit us in the ballroom. When I saw where she was heading I told her we had waited to sit in the West Room and she immediately took us to another table. So Odd - why do they do this?

 

[Aimeedyan]

Interestingly, we had a fantastic breakfast there this morning and were seated not too far from the weird side room and after they seated a family there, I told my DH that I would have refused the table as they were completely hidden!

To be fair, the characters did interact with that table quite a bit - they were seated at the table right inside the sliding doors - including Donald playing peek a boo with the doors. But I still would have felt completely isolated, especially during the little parade.

I'm fairly assertive and would have had no issue requesting a different table or going to the host stand and requesting assistance with the spill, if needed, but I understand some are uncomfortable with that. My DH is one of those No way would I have been mopping up liquid off carpet in a restaurant (that room is carpeted too, right???)! Carpet in a restaurant completely grosses me out as it is

I'm sorry you had such a disappointing end to your trip.

 

[havoc315]

I’ll be honest. It sounds like a less than great experience, for sure. Sounds like the staff wasn’t proactive enough.
But getting a bad table.. and getting overlooked by the staff for 5 minutes...

Definitely not a great meal. But doesn’t sound like a “I’d never go there again” experience either.

 

[StageTek]

I don’t know. Seems the consensus here is that it’s my fault and that nothing is wrong with what we experienced.

I'm sorry you feel this way. And I'm sorry that you will never go to that restaurant again because of this one experience.

I hope Disney acknowledgment that this was not up to their standards. I do not think this is your fault.

 

[becauseimnew]

I’m sorry this happened to you. None of this was your fault, how were you supposed to know that being sat in that area meant less character interaction. I’ve seen plenty of videos where the characters interact from 6 feet away, they don’t just wave so I would be disappointed like you.
And I was a server for 6 years, and I would cleanup the spilled drinks, those people that say otherwise her never been serves. Our job is to make sure customers don’t do any cleaning, people don’t go out to eat to clean, and of course I try to clean some of the mess my kids make but as a server I never expected my customers to do it, I did like those that would help.

 

[DisneyJade]

Interestingly, we had a fantastic breakfast there this morning and were seated not too far from the weird side room and after they seated a family there, I told my DH that I would have refused the table as they were completely hidden!

To be fair, the characters did interact with that table quite a bit - they were seated at the table right inside the sliding doors - including Donald playing peek a boo with the doors. But I still would have felt completely isolated, especially during the little parade.

I'm fairly assertive and would have had no issue requesting a different table or going to the host stand and requesting assistance with the spill, if needed, but I understand some are uncomfortable with that. My DH is one of those No way would I have been mopping up liquid off carpet in a restaurant (that room is carpeted too, right???)! Carpet in a restaurant completely grosses me out as it is

I'm sorry you had such a disappointing end to your trip.

I'm sorry you feel this way. And I'm sorry that you will never go to that restaurant again because of this one experience.

I hope Disney acknowledgment that this was not up to their standards. I do not think this is your fault.

I’m sorry this happened to you. None of this was your fault, how were you supposed to know that being sat in that area meant less character interaction. I’ve seen plenty of videos where the characters interact from 6 feet away, they don’t just wave so I would be disappointed like you.
And I was a server for 6 years, and I would cleanup the spilled drinks, those people that say otherwise her never been serves. Our job is to make sure customers don’t do any cleaning, people don’t go out to eat to clean, and of course I try to clean some of the mess my kids make but as a server I never expected my customers to do it, I did like those that would help.

Thank you, all, for the kind words!

 

[BlackTea]

You might need to be more vocal about your table location, but for the spill, I am with you. It is an incident, help should be offered without asking, you could decline but still, they should have basic awareness of what is going on with their customers. While on the other hand, when they fail a little, again, you could fix it by being a little more vocal, just call your waiter to help. I did that a lot when kids made a mess, “sorry we screwed up!” They normally were very happy to help, then I added some more dollars to the tip.
Anyway, cheer up! That is almost our favorite restaurant, not worthy it not going again because of this!

 

[gatour]

I do wish I had spoken to a manager about the whole situation at some point, but as I said, I did not want to seem like I was trying to "get" something and also wanted to sleep on it, in case I was just emotional and tired at the end of the week. In the future, though, I'll definitely speak up if I don't like my table!

Having worked in restaurants in college, I definitely recommend asking to speak to the manager. They generally want to know if there were problems so they can address them. They do not think you are are to "get something". I remember one time Artist Point service was slow and I could not see any reason why, like the server was triple sat, so I asked to speak to a manager. I think they comped me a dessert, but I wasn't expecting anything.

Conversely, I also ask to speak to managers when I get really good service.

Also if you don't like a table location, definitely bring it up. The restaurant may not be able to accommodate you at another table, but if you don't ask you will never know.

 

[loves to dive]

Sorry you had a bad experience. My family has been in the restaurant business my entire life, from my Grandmother who owned a number of them to brother's who have managed and/or owned them to my mother waiting tables in my Grandmother's restaurant and myself being hostess in my brother's. As such, I'm a tad more and tad less picky as a customer. I understand how hard it is for manager's, staff and kitchen staff. I also understand the concept that the customer is #1. I never send things back to the kitchen, seen what happens in the kitchen when you do, and I rarely complain. I've actually been at a restaurant my brother was managing and got bad service, the wait staff all knew I was the sister of the manager. I let the server do a bad job and when my brother stopped by the table as we were leaving simply told him that the service was slow and we didn't get what we ordered, he told us the server was new and thanks for not making a big deal about it and he would talk to him. I was actually kind of amused since normally in such a situation they drive you crazy and won't leave you alone.

The one time we at at Topolino's (pre-Covid) we actually had pretty slow service. The server was nice and did a good job when he came to the table but we were seated a little to the side and he had a huge table next to us with very picky people that he was also dealing with. We sat in the bar at a table for a while before our table was ready and my son (adult) actually had to go to the bar to order our drinks because the wait staff wouldn't stop at our table to take the order.

We have found a lot of the time at WDW if it's a table for two you don't seem to get as good service as the larger tables. When I'm solo they tend to give me too much service, drives me crazy. Watch my table, if I need a refill bring it, if I put my fork down, ask if I'm done and if I need anything else. Bring my check as soon as I say I don't need anything else, don't make me sit there and wait for it, otherwise leave me alone. My brother always told his waitstaff, never let a customer's glass be empty, never make them wait to order and never make them wait to pay the bill. All the meals he served were cooked fresh at the time of the order and we always told people that and that it might take a little longer to be served but glasses were watched and bread was watched, by everyone at every table, no matter whose table it was.

 

[Jmljasmine]

Noted, on the table thing. I don’t know why I thought this was pretty rigid at Disney, especially during COVID. If I could rewind, as I said, I 100% would have declined the table!

You make a good point about some people appreciating a private table during COVID.

Disagree about the drink though. It wasn’t a refill on a drink that had been drunk. It was a refill on a drink that had been spilled.

I don’t know. Seems the consensus here is that it’s my fault and that nothing is wrong with what we experienced. I work in public relations, and as part of my work, I design and provide training on customer service. Normally that makes me much more forgiving about service, since I understand the other side. So maybe I’m just not explaining this well. Which is kind of bemusing because my job also requires expertise in communications.

I'm with you on this. Not sure why so many people are blaming you. Then again we have also been told that declining a table would result in a long wait at one Disney restaurant and with hungry littles, that isn't a good option so like you, I thought requesting a different table at Disney wasn't really an option. I also think at an expensive restaurant, an offer of a refill for a spilled drink or help cleaning when you are on the floor would not be strange. Disney use to be known for being helpful so I'd think that would be the norm and they would want your letter so they can retrain. Even at my local IHOP, they are more helpful. I also can't imagine the suggestion that you just sit there and search for a waiter to clean it up. Don't they want to keep people in their seats as much as possible with COVID? And man would that be uncomfortable not helping clean up my kids mess.

 

[DisneyJade]

I'm with you on this. Not sure why so many people are blaming you. Then again we have also been told that declining a table would result in a long wait at one Disney restaurant and with hungry littles, that isn't a good option so like you, I thought requesting a different table at Disney wasn't really an option. I also think at an expensive restaurant, an offer of a refill for a spilled drink or help cleaning when you are on the floor would not be strange. Disney use to be known for being helpful so I'd think that would be the norm and they would want your letter so they can retrain. Even at my local IHOP, they are more helpful. I also can't imagine the suggestion that you just sit there and search for a waiter to clean it up. Don't they want to keep people in their seats as much as possible with COVID? And man would that be uncomfortable not helping clean up my kids mess.

Thank you for understanding!

 

[cgattis]

Sorry you keep getting told how you should’ve known better....how would you know you wouldn’t see the characters in the same way from that spot? And even if you’d spoken up right away about it, you might not have gotten moved. Our first trip to WCC, they sat us on the “back porch.” Having never been there, we had no idea we were away from all the antics. Once we realized that and said we’d hoped to be closer to the action, our server literally said “oh” and walked away. Period. (Ironically on our only visit there since, we were seated at the exact same table for Thanksgiving lunch...they must’ve put a note in our file LOL) And yeah, I’ve never dined with anyone who just sits and looks at a spill and waits for a server—although after having one look at me and do nothing, I likely would’ve walked over to a station and asked for some towels, just so a manager would see me having to do it myself. I totally understand how you get soured on something when you pay so much and have a bad experience, but sadly the hallmark of Disney restaurants is inconsistency, so if you go back, you’d probably have a lovely time. Hope you do get contacted.

 

[MonkeyDishwasher]

If it makes you feel any better as far as not desiring to return to the restaurant, my friends and I had an *awful* experience with our server at Chef Mickey's 10 years ago. I still refuse to set foot in that place and when people ask for recommendations I fully discourage them from going because of it.

I know its petty but I just will not do that one again. I know the chances of having that server again are slim to none but that doesn't matter. It just left an incredibly bad taste in my mouth.

 

[rj9555]

Sorry you had a bad experience. My family has been in the restaurant business my entire life, from my Grandmother who owned a number of them to brother's who have managed and/or owned them to my mother waiting tables in my Grandmother's restaurant and myself being hostess in my brother's. As such, I'm a tad more and tad less picky as a customer. I understand how hard it is for manager's, staff and kitchen staff. I also understand the concept that the customer is #1. I never send things back to the kitchen, seen what happens in the kitchen when you do, and I rarely complain. I've actually been at a restaurant my brother was managing and got bad service, the wait staff all knew I was the sister of the manager. I let the server do a bad job and when my brother stopped by the table as we were leaving simply told him that the service was slow and we didn't get what we ordered, he told us the server was new and thanks for not making a big deal about it and he would talk to him. I was actually kind of amused since normally in such a situation they drive you crazy and won't leave you alone.

The one time we at at Topolino's (pre-Covid) we actually had pretty slow service. The server was nice and did a good job when he came to the table but we were seated a little to the side and he had a huge table next to us with very picky people that he was also dealing with. We sat in the bar at a table for a while before our table was ready and my son (adult) actually had to go to the bar to order our drinks because the wait staff wouldn't stop at our table to take the order.

We have found a lot of the time at WDW if it's a table for two you don't seem to get as good service as the larger tables. When I'm solo they tend to give me too much service, drives me crazy. Watch my table, if I need a refill bring it, if I put my fork down, ask if I'm done and if I need anything else. Bring my check as soon as I say I don't need anything else, don't make me sit there and wait for it, otherwise leave me alone. My brother always told his waitstaff, never let a customer's glass be empty, never make them wait to order and never make them wait to pay the bill. All the meals he served were cooked fresh at the time of the order and we always told people that and that it might take a little longer to be served but glasses were watched and bread was watched, by everyone at every table, no matter whose table it was.

What happens in the kitchen when you send food back?

 

[loves to dive]

What happens in the kitchen when you send food back?

Depends on the chef and his/her mood that day. Also depends on why you sent it back. For example: if you send a steak back because it isn't done enough they are supposed to trash that one and start a new one. Some will, some will just put the one you sent back under a heat lamp and cook it a little more. While most chef's will tell you they want the customer to enjoy their food and will do whatever it takes to make it right, that is not always the case, some of them will get upset you sent it back. They are very moody people.

 

[Naglejen]

I’m sorry that happened. It sounds like the perfect storm of bad circumstances added up to make it feel like a disaster. Please update when they get back to you - I’m curious about what they say.

 

[DKNHM]

I'm sorry you had such a disappointing experience. Disney prices are obscene and I would have wanted to cry, too. Hopefully Disney will relay your email to the manager who can then better prepare her/his staff so that another guest will not leave disappointed because of the lack of service.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

OP there was no way for you to know that the room wasn’t going to get character interaction. I would’ve been upset too. I know people on these boards believe you should spend hours a day researching every aspect of your Disney trip but that’s just not possible. Who would research rooms at a character dining experience? Also once you’re eating and realize you’re in a bad room who wants to move then, especially with kids. The hostess should ask if that area is good. I’ve been asked that at restaurants before.