Very disappointed in Poly food review.

[hookedonears]

I think it would be a great idea if we'd all start an e-mail writing campagn to Disney when glaring problems are found and not corrected. Problems like food quality at the Poly, Cinderella's Royal Table, San Angels, Whispering Canyon, etc. I believe it was Keven who suggested that we could write to '''w.guest.communications@disneyworld.com''' It might not do any good, but not doing anything hasn't done a whole lot of good either.

 

[SamIAm21]

Yes, I'm disappointed too, but not surprised because this is about the same food quality I received at my April 2007 visit to O'Hana for breakfast. The character interaction was a bit better, but the food was about the same. The only thing I really loved was the cinnamon and pineapple bread they brought to the table before breakfast was served. The waffles were tepid at best, the meats were cold and eggs were bland.

And the line to see Lilo was a really bummer. Why couldn't she visit the tables like Stitch did??

 

[hookedonears]

As long as numbers in the restaurants are good, Disney is going to push the envelope to see how little they can do and spend and still keep the tables full. Disney wont do a thing until the tables start to become empty. Disney restaurant managers are getting paid bonuses that are dependent on the profitability of the restaurants. If you have a built in business like Cinderell'a Royal Table, it pays for the manager to cut the cost as much as possible.

 

[nikjd68]

We did free dining in 2007 and did the Ohana character breakfast. The two main reasons were that we were staying at the Poly and Lilo and Stitch were my DS4's favorite Disney characters, at the time.

It was the worst meal we had at WDW and the character interaction was also sub-par. We had other character experiences (Chef Mickey's for b-fast, CRT for lunch and Liberty Tree for dinner) which were much better.

For the record, Chef Mickey's was the best atmosphere and food, Liberty Tree had good food and character interaction and CRT had mediocre food but the castle experience and all the princesses leaving lipstick on my DS4's face from their kisses was priceless.

 

[LilGMom]

I was a little saddened to hear the review on Kona. We ate dinner there in May and it was by far our best meal. I swear I've been having dreams of that Kona bread and that honey macadamia nut butter since we got home. Hopefully it was just lunch that Pete was talking about.

 

[WaltD4Me]

I was a little saddened to hear the review on Kona. We ate dinner there in May and it was by far our best meal. I swear I've been having dreams of that Kona bread and that honey macadamia nut butter since we got home. Hopefully it was just lunch that Pete was talking about.

I was too, I love Kona Cafe, I've never had a bad meal there.

And don't forget, as Kevin has said many times, a review is only a snapshot.
And people's tastes and expectations are different. I am not a huge foodie though either. I think I'm one of the few who don't go to WDW for the food.
I love a good meal of course and I definitely don't want to be served swill, but I'm not into very fine dining and I'm not all that adventerous food wise. Give me a good filet and I'm pretty happy. Oh wait.........

 

[simonkodousek]

It's sad to hear about the ever declining food and overall restaurant quality at the Polynesian. We stayed at the Poly in July '07 and trust me when I say that Captain Cook's is DIS-GUST-ING!!! Not only was the food mediocre, but the restaurant itself was a total mess. Every time we ate there, we had to clean off and wipe down the table ourselves, and when we asked the CM's to please keep the restaurant a bit more tidy, they simply shrugged and walked away. It seemed as if they were being paid to do nothing! One day the garbage can was so full, refuse was falling on to the floor. There were 2 or 3 CM's just standing around talking, not even making an effort to clean out the garbage. Another thing I noticed was that most of the CM's that worked at the check out area did not speak fluent English, and the CM's that worked at the grill did. Not only did this cause confusion when purchasing your food, but also made the wait obscenely long and some guests, very angry. The management at the Polynesian REALLY needs to address and rethink the dining options, because when you are paying $440 per night for a standard room, you would expect a decent meal no matter where you are staying and at which resort.

~Simon

 

[WickedWench]

I was very confused by Kevin's comments about Kona. He said he's never had a good meal at the Poly, and agreed with Pete that Kona was mediocre. Just yesterday I listened to Kevin's Kona review in a 'Best of' broadcast from 2007, and he gave it a very positive review.

 

[lugnut33]

Rent a car and eat off property!! That'll force them to get better.

 

[disneyholic family]

Rent a car and eat off property!! That'll force them to get better.

no need to get that extreme - walk over to the GF and eat at citricos or narcossees.....
citricos is our favorite onsite restaurant and it's only a stroll away from the poly....(or monorail ride, if you're lazy)...

 

[WickedWench]

Rent a car and eat off property!! That'll force them to get better.

We did that several times on our last trip, although it was mostly due to having to pick our ADR's months in advance and then not feeling like the restaurant we'd chosen when the day rolled around.

 

[ADP]

I was very confused by Kevin's comments about Kona. He said he's never had a good meal at the Poly, and agreed with Pete that Kona was mediocre. Just yesterday I listened to Kevin's Kona review in a 'Best of' broadcast from 2007, and he gave it a very positive review.

I believe the words of the review were inconsistent; which led to the mediocrety. That would lead me to believe there were some very good and not so good experiences. Kevin's was very good, but Pete and Walter's not so good.

That is how I took the comments.

 

[cmash95]

I know people who stay at the poly just to eat the tonga toast at kona cafe. as far as ohana's goes, maybe they should just not have a character breakfast and either not serve breakfast at all or just have a regular menu. DOn't serve it family style. There are two very good character breakfasts at gf and Contemporary as well as the crystal palace in MK. IT's ashame really that a very popular resort can't offer consistently good service and food.

 

[DisneyKevin]

I guess consistency is the key.

My family goes to Outback occasionally. It's very close to where we live and it fits with the way we eat. It's a bit like our "neighborhood joint".

You can eat in the Outback near our house at any time of the day and without regard to the crowd level and it's always the same. It's consistent.

Whether you like Outback or not.....it's consistent and you know what you are going to get

I could say the same thing about Benihana. My family visits the Benihana in the Disney Hilton quite frequently. We bypass the hibachi tables for a quieter space in the sushi bar area, but everyone loved Benihana food

In all of our visits we have only ever had one example of things not being concistently great. They had a prolem ith a piece of kitchen equipment and whens asked, offered us a free meal on our nexy visit.

I am all for trying new and exotic restaurants and foods, but there is something comforting and relaxing about returning someplce that just know will be good.

Read any of the DIS Boards and you will see disappointment when something isnt as good as you remembered it.

 

[checkwriter]

I think it would be a great idea if we'd all start an e-mail writing campagn to Disney when glaring problems are found and not corrected. Problems like food quality at the Poly, Cinderella's Royal Table, San Angels, Whispering Canyon, etc. I believe it was Keven who suggested that we could write to '''w.guest.communications@disneyworld.com''' It might not do any good, but not doing anything hasn't done a whole lot of good either.

Feedback is important, and may help change things, though I don't see stroller prices coming down . . .

For feedback about a restaurant (as opposed to a policy) to be taken seriously, I think it needs to be based on personal experience (instead of "Kevin says your food stinks and your lead singer looks like a drag queen!"), and it should cover both the bad and good points (if any) about the restaurant.

 

[NWOhioAngela]

For feedback about a restaurant (as opposed to a policy) to be taken seriously, I think it needs to be based on personal experience (instead of "Kevin says your food stinks and your lead singer looks like a drag queen!"), and it should cover both the bad and good points (if any) about the restaurant.

EXCELLENT advice

 

[WickedWench]

I believe the words of the review were inconsistent; which led to the mediocrety. That would lead me to believe there were some very good and not so good experiences. Kevin's was very good, but Pete and Walter's not so good.

That is how I took the comments.

No, Kevin actually said he'd never had a good meal there, but that contradicted his earlier review of Kona. Maybe Pete's rant was just contagious? :> I also thought it odd that Pete praised the room service, when the room service comes from Kona. *shrug*

Anyway, I've never had anything but good meals at Kona, so it won't change my opinion of it.

 

[disneyholic family]

I guess consistency is the key.

My family goes to Outback occasionally. It's very close to where we live and it fits with the way we eat. It's a bit like our "neighborhood joint".

You can eat in the Outback near our house at any time of the day and without regard to the crowd level and it's always the same. It's consistent.

Whether you like Outback or not.....it's consistent and you know what you are going to get

I could say the same thing about Benihana. My family visits the Benihana in the Disney Hilton quite frequently. We bypass the hibachi tables for a quieter space in the sushi bar area, but everyone loved Benihana food

In all of our visits we have only ever had one example of things not being concistently great. They had a prolem ith a piece of kitchen equipment and whens asked, offered us a free meal on our nexy visit.

I am all for trying new and exotic restaurants and foods, but there is something comforting and relaxing about returning someplce that just know will be good.

Read any of the DIS Boards and you will see disappointment when something isnt as good as you remembered it.

that's true - it's the consistency - at whatever level it's at...

i haven't really been disappointed in any restaurants at WDW (i've never eaten at the Poly)....oh wait...that's wrong.....we HATED the california grill...how could i forget that?????

i was also seriously disappointed by a restaurant in disneyland...

i ate at the blue bayou as a teenager and remember it as one of the most wonderful restaurants i'd ever eaten at...
when i returned with my family a few years ago, it was crowded, noisy and the food was just ok....not the restaurant i remembered....

 

[simonkodousek]

I for one have never had a horrible meal at Kona. There were two instances where our experience was less than perfect (very slow service, dry french fries) but it has never been so bad that we will not return. It is a convenience for people staying at the Poly to eat at Kona, thus the main reason we frequent that restaurant when staying there. There are better places to eat in WDW, but if you don't want to pay signature prices or leave the resort, Kona is just fine in my opinion. Captain Cook's on the other hand...

For consistency, we go to Applebees and our local Chinese restaurant. When we dine there, we know exactly the quality of food to expect. I think a lot of people are expecting more from Disney restaurants because of their high prices. Just like a Sony TV or a Land Rover, you are paying for the name, not the quality of the product. If you want a decent meal at a reasonable price, I would recommend going offsite to a "locals" restaurant, be it Outback or Benihana's.

 

[DisneyKevin]

No, Kevin actually said he'd never had a good meal there, but that contradicted his earlier review of Kona. Maybe Pete's rant was just contagious? :> I also thought it odd that Pete praised the room service, when the room service comes from Kona. *shrug*

Anyway, I've never had anything but good meals at Kona, so it won't change my opinion of it.

Reviews are opinions.

The reviews I do are "snap shots" of a particular meal, day, time, event etc. They are not scientific in any way shape or form and express an opinion, with which you are welcome to agree or disagre. It's an opinion and not fact.

I have always suggested that each and every person go and make their own judgements.

I apologize if I confused you by contradicting something I said a year ago.