VWL Groupies & Lovers Thread (Special Collectors Edition 2.5) updated 2 February 2025

In keeping with Kathy's desire to keep us higher on the Resorts forum, I'll update you on the latest from the great Artist Point Disappointment Caper. For those who missed it, our two visits there in 2015 seemed to indicate AP had come out of its three-year funk of inconsistent food and service as both times we had a very good meal, especially last September. Fast forward to 1 Jan, and while the experience wasn't awful, once again the food and service were mediocre which shouldn't be the case when your average entree alone costs $45, much less adding in wine, appetizers/salads, dessert, and coffee. There was a lot of gristle in the buffalo; the sides were plain, boring, and in one case, nearly raw. Service started well but tailed off halfway through the meal to where I'd rate the second half as poor.

We contacted the manager when we returned home (we tend to not make a big issue of meals while dining unless it's absolutely horrific), and we told him of our experience from the standpoint of constructive criticism. He was quite responsive and had one of his area managers call us. We discussed our concerns and mentioned that we were so disappointed that we had cancelled our February ADR. She then asked if we would reconsider and eat with them again on their dime. Honestly, we weren't convinced that we wanted to do so and asked if we could mull over the offer. We did, and yesterday we opted to take them up on their offer (the manager already made the reservation and gave us the confirm #). In the end, it's a gratis meal at the restaurant most sentimental to us which is why we agreed. We're a bit hesitant because a) we're generally not comfortable with getting anything free, especially since we don't want to be seen as complainers; b) we'll expect this meal to be very good which it should be because they're expecting us so is that a fair judge of AP?; and c) if it isn't a good experience, we'll be even more reluctant to come back. Stay tuned!
Sleepy...thanks for the update. I would have exactly the same concerns as you outlined. But if you look at it from the manager's view, he has an unsatisfied customer for his restaurant which means he could lose your business as well as any word-of-mouth (or internet) loss of business. So I think you may want to give them another try on their nickel. I know it will not be a "blind test" of AP quality and service as they should jump through some hoops. But from their viewpoint, it is their chance to woo back a loyal customer which is the heartbeat of any restaurant business, even at WDW. And yes, if they blow it when they know it is a comp meal for a previous bad experience, then the fact is they are just mismanaged and probably should be eliminated from future plans until you hear of concrete signs of improvement.
 
Sleepy, I feel your experience is an example of why many families opt out of signature restaurant dining all together. It's one thing if you're paying $20 or so/plate and the overall experience is less than stellar, but totally another if you're paying $50 and up, chance it to bad service, questionable food quality and add to that the uncertainty of the kiddo's preference of the day and you'll have families leaving feeling as though they've been sucker punched in the wallet.

I will do one extra special meal per trip in addition to a few of our regular haunts. This last trip it was to the Grand Floridian Tea Room with my daughter. Anyone who loves tea should try it, I recommend the Mad Hatter ;)
 
Sleepy, I feel your experience is an example of why many families opt out of signature restaurant dining all together. It's one thing if you're paying $20 or so/plate and the overall experience is less than stellar, but totally another if you're paying $50 and up, chance it to bad service, questionable food quality and add to that the uncertainty of the kiddo's preference of the day and you'll have families leaving feeling as though they've been sucker punched in the wallet.

I will do one extra special meal per trip in addition to a few of our regular haunts. This last trip it was to the Grand Floridian Tea Room with my daughter. Anyone who loves tea should try it, I recommend the Mad Hatter ;)
Would love to try tea at the GF! My one and only experience with a tea was in Bath in England at The Pump Room. Man, that collated cream was something to behold:love:It was like Hillbilly come to town for me but very good indeed
 
In keeping with Kathy's desire to keep us higher on the Resorts forum, I'll update you on the latest from the great Artist Point Disappointment Caper. For those who missed it, our two visits there in 2015 seemed to indicate AP had come out of its three-year funk of inconsistent food and service as both times we had a very good meal, especially last September. Fast forward to 1 Jan, and while the experience wasn't awful, once again the food and service were mediocre which shouldn't be the case when your average entree alone costs $45, much less adding in wine, appetizers/salads, dessert, and coffee. There was a lot of gristle in the buffalo; the sides were plain, boring, and in one case, nearly raw. Service started well but tailed off halfway through the meal to where I'd rate the second half as poor.

We contacted the manager when we returned home (we tend to not make a big issue of meals while dining unless it's absolutely horrific), and we told him of our experience from the standpoint of constructive criticism. He was quite responsive and had one of his area managers call us. We discussed our concerns and mentioned that we were so disappointed that we had cancelled our February ADR. She then asked if we would reconsider and eat with them again on their dime. Honestly, we weren't convinced that we wanted to do so and asked if we could mull over the offer. We did, and yesterday we opted to take them up on their offer (the manager already made the reservation and gave us the confirm #). In the end, it's a gratis meal at the restaurant most sentimental to us which is why we agreed. We're a bit hesitant because a) we're generally not comfortable with getting anything free, especially since we don't want to be seen as complainers; b) we'll expect this meal to be very good which it should be because they're expecting us so is that a fair judge of AP?; and c) if it isn't a good experience, we'll be even more reluctant to come back. Stay tuned!
I think you should give it another try. Disney does try to make amends and they offered it to you, you did not ask for it. I hope you enjoy your meal and that they have fixed some of the problems. I seem to have hit or miss meals. Some places we had a great meal and went back and it was awful and vice versa.
 

Sleepy, I feel your experience is an example of why many families opt out of signature restaurant dining all together. . . . . . . . . . . .

I Agree. DiznyDi & I have cut WAY BACK on signature restaurant ADRs due to just that. It really made us ask ourselves what it was we were looking to get out of the signature experience. For AP, it was really just the soup. Once we found out it could be ordered in The Territory Lounge, we haven't been back to AP. We do miss the adventure and experience, but we don't miss the disappointment.

. . . . . It was like Hillbilly come to town for me . . . . . . .

Another quote I may use latter!
 
I think you should give it another try. Disney does try to make amends and they offered it to you, you did not ask for it. I hope you enjoy your meal and that they have fixed some of the problems. I seem to have hit or miss meals. Some places we had a great meal and went back and it was awful and vice versa.
Thanks for your, and everyone else's, advice. It solidifies our decision to return. As Granny mentions, the job of the management is to ensure they get--and keep--as many satisfied patrons as they can. If it weren't for the fact that it's our sentimental favorite, chances are we'd have given up on AP a couple of years ago. Of course, I'm the stubborn sort who will likely order the buffalo loin again just to see if the screw it up. :rotfl:
 
Sitting in my car waiting for client to arrive for appointment. The inter web tells me that Glenn Frey passed away. It is sad news. Saw him in grant park downtown Chicago one summer day. The heat is on rocked. Hotel California wasn't bad either!

Sleepy when you get there ask them the window seat they would not give to ottawagreg. No resentment here. >:(
 
Sitting in my car waiting for client to arrive for appointment. The inter web tells me that Glenn Frey passed away. It is sad news. Saw him in grant park downtown Chicago one summer day. The heat is on rocked. Hotel California wasn't bad either!

Sleepy when you get there ask them the window seat they would not give to ottawagreg. No resentment here. >:(
Greg...yes, it is sad that so many of the people I grew up going to see at the movies or listening to their music are now in their golden years and passing away all too rapidly. Glen Frey was part of one of the most successful groups ever (I think "Eagles Greatest Hits" might still the the best all time selling album). I guess even more amazing is how many of these groups from the 60's and 70's are still touring!

And I had to laugh at the window seat comment. :) Glad you could come here to the Groupies therapy couch and release some concerns about past treatment. I know it helped me to vent about the Rams departure. :sad2:
 
Greg...yes, it is sad that so many of the people I grew up going to see at the movies or listening to their music are now in their golden years and passing away all too rapidly. Glen Frey was part of one of the most successful groups ever (I think "Eagles Greatest Hits" might still the the best all time selling album). I guess even more amazing is how many of these groups from the 60's and 70's are still touring!

And I had to laugh at the window seat comment. :) Glad you could come here to the Groupies therapy couch and release some concerns about past treatment. I know it helped me to vent about the Rams departure. :sad2:

LOL try being an Eagles fan Granny.

Thanks for your, and everyone else's, advice. It solidifies our decision to return. As Granny mentions, the job of the management is to ensure they get--and keep--as many satisfied patrons as they can. If it weren't for the fact that it's our sentimental favorite, chances are we'd have given up on AP a couple of years ago. Of course, I'm the stubborn sort who will likely order the buffalo loin again just to see if the screw it up. :rotfl:

Glad you are returning sleep and glad you wrote the manager. "Useless information of the day". LOl, I grew up in a restaurant. My grandfather and great uncle had a pretty successful soul food joint in NYC and back in the good ole days before child labor laws :rolleyes1 all the kiddies in my family were pretty much indentured servants, we couldn't say we were slaves as my dad would remind us that food, housing and clothing were included in the deal. Anyhoo, restaurants really do want to hear constructive criticism and an establish eatery will not dismiss "word of mouth". I can tell you for certain, most would rather you complain and give them a second chance, then let a bad impression stew.

Wishing you luck. I love AP and I love the experience of eating at Disney.
 
. .. . . . . . . . . I grew up in a restaurant. My grandfather and great uncle had a pretty successful soul food joint in NYC and back in the good ole days before child labor laws :rolleyes1 all the kiddies in my family were pretty much indentured servants, . . . . . . . . . .

"Back in the good ole days" . . . I, too, worked in the family business, starting at 7 or 8 years old, cleaning out chip bins and lathe pans in the family's machine shop. Although I did get paid cash from Dad's pocket, Mom was always there to meet me at the door when home with hand outstretched for the money, "to be put in my bank account for college". I think it went back into Dad's pocket, but all that is for another story. Interesting enough, it didn't kill me and gave me a great background for my future endeavors; even though the whining at the time must have sounded like a cat with its tail caught under the rocker. Eliza - Like me, I'd bet you wouldn't trade those memories and experience for anything now; and agree that it is so much harder for parents to give their children such an experience today without being turned in to someone, somewhere, someplace.

Old guys love to mention that the summers were hotter, winters were colder, the snow was deeper, and it was up hill to school and back home again. One thing IS true though; my girlfriend was far prettier than the girls are today (except for DD, of course).
 
Sleepy when you get there ask them the window seat they would not give to ottawagreg. No resentment here. >:(
Yep, that's our favorite seat. I won't tell you we get one of those coveted tables nearly every time. :duck: Then again, we often go early so they're less crowded. Like Granny says, though, this is a great forum for venting. Lord knows I do it often enough.

eliza: I agree. From a business person's POV (which I once was), I'd much rather someone let me know if there was an issue than continually harp to others about what went wrong. Constructive critiques and criticism should always be welcome. The tone in my email was disappointment and sadness vice haranguing and being indignant, and I'm fairly confident the manager thought so, as well. Truly, what we want is AP to just be consistent again, though in this age of cost-cutting, I'm not sure how possible that is.
 
This is what I call Florida weather, because when you're in this weather, you wish you were in Florida. And it's going to get worse.
Getting a light coating today/tonight. Nothing tomorrow but Friday and Saturday we're supposed to get whacked. Upstate NY, Minnesota, et. al., would consider our "whacking" to be du jour, but we aren't used to several inches of snow.
 
I too was exposed to work early in life. As much as anything, I think Dad took me to work to get me out of Moms hair, but those days are invaluable to me as well. We have been in construction forever, and the 1st thing I remember is Dad handing me a broom and made me sweep up after the workers. He always kept a tidy work area, and it made getting the job complete happen a lot sooner.

But starting out early also lent me the ability to cut with saws, learn how to use the tools, and what each would do, and gave me knowledge that gave me the confidence at 21 to step out behind my Dads shadow to take on side jobs, that in turn lead to us being able to afford DVC eventually and all the wonderful trips we have had. Goes to show, anything worth having is worth working and waiting for!

Capt.D(Casey) is working with us, and much like me, went to work early on, I think for the same reason, get him out of Moms hair:tilt:And he has followed a similar path, and been successful. I think its good for kids to be exposed to work early on, gives them a less shock factor when the real world smacks em in the rear:rolleyes1
 
Well, well, well. It's snowing. Who knew it was coming? I am shocked, shocked I tell you. :rolleyes1 Yep, we sit in the bottom, left hand pocket of the winter storm that is barreling up the East Coast and Mid-Atlantic areas. Over the next two days, they're calling for us to get between 12 to 18 inches of snow. That's not unusual for many areas (upstate NY from where Luv originally hails, for example), but that's a bunch o' snow 'round here. I don't have to work today, but unfortunately, my lovely wife is expected to be at her job. It's a 20-minute :drive: in good weather, much less lots of snow which, since it's barely light, might not even be plowed on the main roads. Our subdivision definitely won't be plowed, so we shall see. In about 30 minutes, I'm bundling up and going out to take stock of the situation. Hopefully, we'll only get snow unlike others (JT comes to mind) who are facing possible ice accumulations. :crazy2:
 
Here's to wishing that all of you in the wake of the "historic snow storm" have plenty of water, lots of snacks, no loss of electricity, no fallen trees, and that snow falls everywhere but on your driveway or sidewalk.

Keep us informed; we do care.
 
Reporting in...Started snowing around 4am but sleeting now. Freezing rain expected later today then changing back to snow later overnight. Going to work in a few so we can stay caught up. Fortunately, once the worst hits, we can work in my shop on some things hanging in balance without having to drive there. Sleepy and Luv, stay safe and best wishes for the minimal rather than the max where accumulations are concerned, and for all others affected by the storm, praying for your safety as well
Like Dad says, we care. Thats a reason to hang out here:-)
 
Reporting in...Started snowing around 4am but sleeting now. Freezing rain expected later today then changing back to snow later overnight. Going to work in a few so we can stay caught up. Fortunately, once the worst hits, we can work in my shop on some things hanging in balance without having to drive there. Sleepy and Luv, stay safe and best wishes for the minimal rather than the max where accumulations are concerned, and for all others affected by the storm, praying for your safety as well
Like Dad says, we care. Thats a reason to hang out here:-)
Six inches here in only 5+ hours, but I'm happy to report that Luv made it safely in to work. I used my new snow blower to get her a path down the driveway and about a 150-foot head start on our subdivision street and off she went. Last spring, we bought her a Subaru Legacy 3.6R for days like today, and though the 2.5-mile connecting county road (to a plowed highway) had not yet been plowed, in her words, the Subaru "is the Boss!" Up hills, down hills, through minor drifts--no issues. Whew! Thanks for all the kind thoughts and words. While the snow ain't listening, Dad, we can deal with that. Let's hope your other words of invocation do come true. :thumbsup2
 
Stay safe groupies in the path of the storm! Thankfully we're missing the brunt of it. I still have nightmares about last winter. :scared:
 



















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