The decline of Disney Service

[TiggerBouncy]

So I just got back from our 7 day October trip (including the 50th). Of course, these boards are recently ripe with reports of the service declining, so wanted to give my experience.

The night we arrived, we had a reservation to eat at Steakhouse 71. Steakhouse 71 had been opened now for 10 days, so I would expect they are still shaking things out and was ready to have to give them a bit of a pass. We checked in, and first I have to say - I was expecting to not enjoy the décor. However, I found I liked it! In any event, we were kept waiting for a ridiculous 5 minutes before we were seated at our table. But our terrible experience there was just beginning.

Now, DW really wanted the fish, but did not want the veggie it came with. She asked if she could get a substitute. Our waiter, Joseph, said he would have to check with the chef. He came back and told us that the fish comes pre-packaged in a steam bag with the veggie. I was prepared for the next statement- that he would suggest they bring the fish and add the extra veggie as a side. But NO. They had the audacity to state that the chef suggested he could make her a unique Fish dish with her suggested veggie, but he would have to sear it since it would take too long to steam. HOW DARE HE? And being open 10 days, I am sure it was hectic back there and no one knew what they were doing. ABSURD!

Okay... I can't keep up pretending to be mad.... Sorry. They were terrific. It was amazing to me that the chef would be willing to do that - especially during a new opening. It would have been more than reasonable to just give her a side... Hats off to the chef and our waiter Joseph for going above and beyond. (Most places I have eaten would have just given her a side). It was also delicious if you are wondering. Also, the bacon and eggs was a truly religious experience. All in all, it was a terrific meal. Joseph also was able to accurately describe every dish and drink on the menu. It was clear he had actually tasted them all and was not just speaking from a menu. He also gave me a great menu recommendation - different than what I thought I wanted, but he was right.

Let's see.... We ate at Le Cellier later in the trip. DW has injured her knee just before the trip and was unable to walk, so I was pushing her in a wheelchair. Me being a stupid, idiotic man - did not drink enough. Our waitress (who's name escapes me) was very insistent that I drink, and drink, and drink some more. She watched me and monitored. She gave me time for my stomach to settle before bringing the food. She brought us extra bread as well. The kicker though was when the front desk lady came back to see us and told us she was getting off her shift and wanted to check and make sure DW would be able to make it back up the ramp to her wheelchair or if she could get us some assistance before she left. The chef came out and asked how we enjoyed our meal; which was very nice of him.

I can give you a dozen more stories this past week. Suffice it to say that EVERYONE without reproach was terrific. There was only one issue we had which I will save for another thread and that was with a manager who never came out to talk to us. However, the manager I DID talk to was visibly frustrated that we experienced the issue and made a lot of calls to make sure to bring it up to the people above him and went above and beyond in making sure our remaining stay was uneventful. I have reported that issue to Disney. But overall, every CM that we had contact with was wonderful beyond words -including the staff at Chef Mickey's. Ohana, security staff, resort staff, and merchandise.

If there is a decline in Disney service, I feel for those of you who have experienced it... but it did not happen to me this trip.

 

[What-r-ya Goofy?]

Thanks for posting...very refreshing to read. Glad you had a nice trip!

 

[Sandisw]

Thank you! I have been 5 times since last year and we have experienced great things too.

I am looking forward to Steakhouse 71 next Sunday for dinner!

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Thank you! I have been 5 times since last year and we have experienced great things too.

I am looking forward to Steakhouse 71 next Sunday for dinner!

have the bacon and eggs. It was truly one of the best things I ever tasted.

 

[minie_meese]

We have been having a very positive experience as well. At Boma the waiter asked about allergies. My daughter-in-law has a mild allergy to cocoanut which is in a lot of things these days. Our waiter gave my daughter-in-law a card that showed everything with tree nuts to give her an idea of things that might have cocoanut and then had the chef come over to talk with her. We ate at a few other restaurants and had similar experiences. Some of the areas were short staffed but everyone seemed to us to be working really hard to make sure we had a positive experience. Just about every cast member we encountered said hi and many asked how our day was. One thing we did miss was the cast members from different countries at EPCOT World showcase. There are a few. A few other thoughts showing things are coming back, but slowly. Some gift shops were closed, others had minimal merchandise. Restaurants did not seem filled to capacity. The crowds were significantly more than we expected but we got to do just about everything we wanted. All in all it has been a terrific 12 days after a 2 years.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

One thing we did miss was the cast members from different countries at EPCOT World showcase. There are a few. A few other thoughts showing things are coming back, but slowly. Some gift shops were closed, others had minimal merchandise.

I have missed this since the Pandemic started. When I was there a year ago, our waiter at Le Cellier was a manager from Mousegears serving as a waiter since that was what he had to do. The food was very off, and he was very apologetic and explained (reasonably) that since the boarders were closed, they could not get people from Canada.

When we were there last week, our waitress was from Thailand. However, she told us that the waiters in the striped red shirts were from Canada. The ones in white shirts were not (you could tell them apart by clothing). They were working very hard to get people from the host countries, but a lot of them had gone home and gotten other jobs, so staff was slowly tricking in. She said every week there would be one less white shirt. You will know when they are done where there are no more white shirts.

Regardless of where she was from, she did a great job and we appreciated her and tipped her very well. But I do miss having people from the host countries. A year ago it was worse, but they are slowly improving in that area and it does show.

 

[Nappy1380]

I thoroughly appreciate this level of trolling. Well done!

 

[Dizzydizney]

Thanks for posting and giving me a smile. We’ve also been back a number of times....and have had the same experiences as you. Our rooms have been sparkling.....my only gripe is it has been taking a long time to get the room ready text. We’ve been lucky with early ones though so I can’t realky complain. It’s just that when you have something planned you get stressed because you can’t take a good shower after a hot sweaty day at the park or pool. First world problems...

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Thanks for posting and giving me a smile. We’ve also been back a number of times....and have had the same experiences as you. Our rooms have been sparkling.....my only gripe is it has been taking a long time to get the room ready text. We’ve been lucky with early ones though so I can’t realky complain. It’s just that when you have something planned you get stressed because you can’t take a good shower after a hot sweaty day at the park or pool. First world problems...

That is always frustrating to me. This stay our flight was earlier then we had anticipated due to a schedule change with Southwest. But Disney was on the ball and we had our room number by 4:00 - just before we arrived at the hotel (original arrival was 6:00, so I was concerned). We just waved at the front desk and they have a cheery welcome home and a smile. Our magic bands from a previous trip worked seamlessly to access our room, and bell hop was very gracious and fun when they lent us a cart.

 

[Dizzydizney]

That is always frustrating to me. This stay our flight was earlier then we had anticipated due to a schedule change with Southwest. But Disney was on the ball and we had our room number by 4:00 - just before we arrived at the hotel (original arrival was 6:00, so I was concerned). We just waved at the front desk and they have a cheery welcome home and a smile. Our magic bands from a previous trip worked seamlessly to access our room, and bell hop was very gracious and fun when they lent us a cart.

Haha....we love being able to use the luggage carts now....since it was not permitted for a couple of decades. We feel like high school kids getting away with something. Wonder how long this will last (I think they are permitting it due to people not wanting someone touching their things....but if they came thru an airport....). The problem is some people are just leaving the carts in the parking lot or wherever. Very inconsiderate. Never realized how much stuff you can put on those carts!

 

[Forevermarypoppins]

So I just got back from our 7 day October trip (including the 50th). Of course, these boards are recently ripe with reports of the service declining, so wanted to give my experience.

The night we arrived, we had a reservation to eat at Steakhouse 71. Steakhouse 71 had been opened now for 10 days, so I would expect they are still shaking things out and was ready to have to give them a bit of a pass. We checked in, and first I have to say - I was expecting to not enjoy the décor. However, I found I liked it! In any event, we were kept waiting for a ridiculous 5 minutes before we were seated at our table. But our terrible experience there was just beginning.

Now, DW really wanted the fish, but did not want the veggie it came with. She asked if she could get a substitute. Our waiter, Joseph, said he would have to check with the chef. He came back and told us that the fish comes pre-packaged in a steam bag with the veggie. I was prepared for the next statement- that he would suggest they bring the fish and add the extra veggie as a side. But NO. They had the audacity to state that the chef suggested he could make her a unique Fish dish with her suggested veggie, but he would have to sear it since it would take too long to steam. HOW DARE HE? And being open 10 days, I am sure it was hectic back there and no one knew what they were doing. ABSURD!

Okay... I can't keep up pretending to be mad.... Sorry. They were terrific. It was amazing to me that the chef would be willing to do that - especially during a new opening. It would have been more than reasonable to just give her a side... Hats off to the chef and our waiter Joseph for going above and beyond. (Most places I have eaten would have just given her a side). It was also delicious if you are wondering. Also, the steak and eggs was a truly religious experience. All in all, it was a terrific meal. Joseph also was able to accurately describe every dish and drink on the menu. It was clear he had actually tasted them all and was not just speaking from a menu. He also gave me a great menu recommendation - different than what I thought I wanted, but he was right.

Let's see.... We ate at Le Cellier later in the trip. DW has injured her knee just before the trip and was unable to walk, so I was pushing her in a wheelchair. Me being a stupid, idiotic man - did not drink enough. Our waitress (who's name escapes me) was very insistent that I drink, and drink, and drink some more. She watched me and monitored. She gave me time for my stomach to settle before bringing the food. She brought us extra bread as well. The kicker though was when the front desk lady came back to see us and told us she was getting off her shift and wanted to check and make sure DW would be able to make it back up the ramp to her wheelchair or if she could get us some assistance before she left. The chef came out and asked how we enjoyed our meal; which was very nice of him.

I can give you a dozen more stories this past week. Suffice it to say that EVERYONE without reproach was terrific. There was only one issue we had which I will save for another thread and that was with a manager who never came out to talk to us. However, the manager I DID talk to was visibly frustrated that we experienced the issue and made a lot of calls to make sure to bring it up to the people above him and went above and beyond in making sure our remaining stay was uneventful. I have reported that issue to Disney. But overall, every CM that we had contact with was wonderful beyond words -including the staff at Chef Mickey's. Ohana, security staff, resort staff, and merchandise.

If there is a decline in Disney service, I feel for those of you who have experienced it... but it did not happen to me this trip.

Thank you so much for sharing a great example of wonderful service!!!

 

[hhisc16]

Glad to hear of the experience!
We have had 3 excellent Disney experiences at HHI this year with the cast members.

 

[AlanBradley]

Well done.

The tantrum posts about declining service have been a little too frequent... Nice to hear you had a positive experience.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

I have never had issues with the front line cast members as far as service goes. Always a pleasurable experience with them.
It’s the general cutbacks from upper management that I take issue with.

One of numerous examples… Remember when Main St had individual stores with unique items??

 

[AlanBradley]

I have never had issues with the front line cast members as far as service goes. Always a pleasurable experience with them.
It’s the general cutbacks from upper management that I take issue with.

One of numerous examples… Remember when Main St had individual stores with unique items??

Can we not have one thread that doesn't spiral into the endless abyss of "remember when"........

 

[hhisc16]

Can we not have one thread that doesn't spiral into the endless abyss of "remember when"........

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Can we not have one thread that doesn't spiral into the endless abyss of "remember when"........

And here I thought I gave a supportive, positive post about CM customer service.

I can’t win

 

[sethschroeder]

Eh I would think newer resturants with fresh staff would be good.

Sure it will remain great but the staff is riding the high of being in a new restaurant.

There will always be a wide variety of service levels and expectations though when it comes to Disney.

As Disney continues to raise prices expect more and more negative threads and feedback arise as the bar rises for expectations as well.

 

[Wakey]

So the fish at Steak House 71 is a ’ready meal’?

 

[bsmcneil]

Funny; and, isn't one of the rules of DisBoards no sarcasm? lol