Where to send a complaint/concern to WDW foodservice?

[TheDisneyBunch]

Wow, I got a warning about my siggy pic from posting on this thread.. guess I should learn not to complain. LOL

 

[seven dwarfs]

bicker:
I was wondering what you think about the kids meals. On a personal level. Do you think it is strange to offer a nice dessert at every CS meal for an adult and jello for kids at every single meal? What do you think of the changes. The lack of selections. Just wondering what you think. Taking out the price and Disney having the right to do whatever. Just curious what you think.

 

[seven dwarfs]

TheDisneyBunch:

I think for us it was so bad because we know what it was. The choices were so great. It has changed for the worse and it is hard to explain that to the kids. Good value or not, it stinks. At least for my family. Some families may love it.

 

[jeannief]

I just recently found out about the changes. We went at this time last year and picked restaurants where the kids could get adult appies if possible as our kids like our food versus the normal "kid" meals. For our next trip the dining was free so we just booked a lot of buffets based on the new (bland, imo) menus. We wouldn't book the dining plan again based on the menus, it wouldn't work for our family. We'd be better off (food wise, not price wise) ordering 1 adult meal and splitting it between the kids. As it stands I know at the TS non-buffet meals we have booked that the kids will be eating my appetizers.... ds loves his calimari.

 

[bicker]

I was wondering what you think about the kids meals. On a personal level.

I think they're not "strange" at all given how inexpensive they are.

Taking out the price and Disney having the right to do whatever.

How can you take out the price, and then make a value judgment? Especially when you can pay more to get exactly what you want.

 

[Nancyg56]

Trust me, the whole affordability factor is a huge thing for us. We are a young family and LOVE going to Disney more than anything! I am just so bothered by the changes b/c they were so nice the past 2 years we have been. We are not foodies..quite picky meat/potato and junk food people actually..lol My son loved the grilled chicken at some of the ts places and and the cookies and things and cs places. Not to mention he was so excited over the cool deserts at places like Le Cellier such as the Moose and Smores. I am sad he will not get any of those this year. I have a picky child and these options are just not things he will eat much less enjoy and there just are not any other options other than loosing the dining credits for him and buying him adult meals.

Again, I just really hope they make changes before September. I don't expect fine cuisine but at least give more choices for picky kids and dress up the deserts a little..they look foward to that.

I wondered how the changes were going to affect us because we had a GD on the plan. We were fine because there really is a lot on the TS selection for children to choose from. I don't remember any issues so if there were they were minimal. If you really check out the menus there are a lot of restaurant specific items offered at TS. As to the CS options, I will never understand the SF jello, but again, there is so much food that we always could share dessert if we needed to.

Now I understand that that is not what you are saying, but when we priced the child's plan, it was well worth the $11 even if we paid OOP for something else for her. The snack credit would get a dessert at a CS if there are none available that your child would like on the child menu.

I think that Disney is trying to balance price and quality so that the majority of guests interested in the DDP will be able to afford it for their family. If you use the plan, the TS and the snack pay for the day, and the CS is a bonus. I think that it will not work for every family, it is offered as a choice if you want to purchase it. It does not work for families who enjoy CS and do not like to spend the time needed for TS meals, and may not be the best value for families who use BF or lunch as the main meal of the day.


The options on the children's menu had been tweaked by the time we were there in January, so Disney does listen to their guests. If you feel strongly let Disney know. As to my opinion after our visit, we had no complaints. there was more food available than my family could eat and we ended up splitting CS meals as a method of portion control. We used them at breakfast and lunch, splitting them and snacks for a light breakfast. My DD ordered off the main menu for her DD once or twice when there was something there she preferred and we still had many CS credits left over. We had more desserts than we could eat, and as a family we like our sweets, DH asked me to stop trying to bring them back to our room there was just too much.

 

[PlutoLuvr]

I'm not a big fan of artificial sweeteners myself, but come on, people. It's WDW. There is no shortage of junk food, sweets, candy, ice cream and churros there.

I mean, I realize that a dessert comes with the DDP, and some kids might not go for that one particular dessert. Walk 12 feet into a candy store or over to an ice cream cart if they need a sugar fix.

 

[curiouser]

Not to mention he was so excited over the cool deserts at places like Le Cellier such as the Moose and Smores. I am sad he will not get any of those this year.

He can still have an ice cream sundae. Menu's change. It happens. Even the adult ones change! I really wanted a certain dessert that used to be on the menu at California Grill, but its not there anymore. You live and you learn and you find another options.

 

[Tam1067]

If you do not want to feed your kids sugar free jello or unsweetened applesauce, yet you believe he needs a dessert with every single CS meal he has, then you can certainly use a snack credit or pay OOP for a regular dessert.

The CS adult desserts are mostly pretty dreadful, too, and not worth the calories, if you ask me. We threw most of ours away.

It's funny because before the jell-o thing, lots of people were complaining here about how the kids meals were so unhealthy, nothing but fries and the like. So now, Disney has responded to those complaints, and people are still upset!

 

[TheDisneyBunch]

I do not mean to sound rude but what some people are not seeming to understand here is that we will not be paying out of pocket for food. We are on the dining plan. We expect that to cover all of our food, not some and then still have to run get some things out of pocket or use snack credits when we want those for drinks during the day. We are not made of money around here and if we toss money around out of pocket for things that should already have been covered in the dining plan then we would not be able to afford the yearly trip in the first place.

IF Disney wants to toss in some healthy choices for kids fine..but why on earth can the parents not have the choice to get the kids a simple cookie for desert as well? I am not a health freak! I do not let my 4 year old drink soda or anything but I do not say when we are on vacation in Disney you can not even have a cookie with your meal either. That is crazy.

I just simply think there should be more options. A cookie is better for my son then aspartame any day! I do not see why Disney does not get that.

Yes I do know that all menus change and I just work around that but when I look at these places and the kids menus are almost identical at every place that is crazy. My kid does not want the same ole thing every day. The desert menu has changed on the adult end at Le Cellier too and I was not here to complain about that but most certainly I am not happy about it. I am not a foody. I am a very picky eater. I do not like ONE SINGLE thing on the desert menu at Le Cellier now which sucks b/c last year I had 2 things there that I loved.. the choc whisky cake and the blueberry thing... now they took off both. I do not eat creme brulee and sorbet and stuff so I am really bummed over that.

Anyways, not trying to argue with anyone. I know we all have our opinions. We will still go and enjoy our trip but I too just wanted to voice my opinion of the changes they had made on the kids end.

 

[bicker]

I do not mean to sound rude but what some people are not seeming to understand here is that we will not be paying out of pocket for food. We are on the dining plan. We expect that to cover all of our food

And you should expect to select among the choices available through the Dining Plan, rather than expect to have your pick of choices without limitation. The point is that you are choosing to pay less, for either child meals or for the young child Dining Plan (it doesn't matter which approach you're taking) so it is essential that you understand that by electing to pay less, you are electing more limited choices.

I just simply think there should be more options.

I think everyone understands that you would like to see more options. For as little money as they're charging, though, why would you think that they should provide more options?

 

[PlutoLuvr]

Disneybunch, I completely understand you're on the DDP. But you must have realized that to even qualify for that DDP, you're paying rack rates on your WDW hotel room and don't qualify for any discounted park tickets.

I'm frugal, a penny-pincher and am having a rough financial year thanks to tort reform in my state, so I completely understand not being made of money. And because of that, I won't do the DDP. I can save much more money by staying offsite at a reasonably priced hotel or timeshare, pay for dining, snacks and drinks OOP and take full advantage of any current discounts on park tix.

I guess I just don't understand folks who are able to pay for WDW hotels at rack rates, full price on park tix, pay for a meal plan -- yet say they don't have enough money to buy their kid a Mickey cookie at the candy shop because they turned their nose up at the preplated dessert selection on the meal plan

If you don't like the choices on the plan, don't get the plan! Get discounts on your room instead. Take the cash you saved on your room and head to the cookie shop for the child!

 

[TheDisneyBunch]

I think everyone understands that you would like to see more options. For as little money as they're charging, though, why would you think that they should provide more options?

Um, b/c they have for the past 2 years??

 

[TheDisneyBunch]

Disneybunch, I completely understand you're on the DDP. But you must have realized that to even qualify for that DDP, you're paying rack rates on your WDW hotel room and don't qualify for any discounted park tickets.

I'm frugal, a penny-pincher and am having a rough financial year thanks to tort reform in my state, so I completely understand not being made of money. And because of that, I won't do the DDP. I can save much more money by staying offsite at a reasonably priced hotel or timeshare, pay for dining, snacks and drinks OOP and take full advantage of any current discounts on park tix.

I guess I just don't understand folks who are able to pay for WDW hotels at rack rates, full price on park tix, pay for a meal plan -- yet say they don't have enough money to buy their kid a Mickey cookie at the candy shop because they turned their nose up at the preplated dessert selection on the meal plan

If you don't like the choices on the plan, don't get the plan! Get discounts on your room instead. Take the cash you saved on your room and head to the cookie shop for the child![/QUOTE]


Maybe I am not as lucky as some of you guys but we do not get any discounted room rates around here... I have never once been offered a room at discount rate.. and yes I am too much of a snob to stay offsite.

 

[Tam1067]

No offense, but if money is that tight for you, instead of getting the DDP, you should eat CS meals your entire time. That would be cheaper than paying for the DDP.

It seems like you want Disney to do what you want instead of just accepting the deal you're offered. If you can't afford that option, you need to move down. I would love to stay MK view concierge level at the Polynesian every year. But we can't afford it, so we don't. I would love to buy a bigger house, but right now, we can't afford it, so we're staying put.

If you don't believe the DDP is a good value for your family, or if buying your kids a cookie or ice cream is too much for your budget, then you should rethink your travel plans instead of blaming Disney for changing menu offerings.

And I do not believe the DDP is meant to be a complete meal plan. It's one CS and one TS a day. It's not all-inclusive like on a cruise, so if you're trying to make it fit the 3 meals a day, you're actually not using it as it's intended to be used.

 

[TheDisneyBunch]

Look guys, not sure why everyone seems to be jumping my case over all of this. I am only stating my opinions.

I THINK that Disney was crappy to limit the childrens choices SO MUCH all of a sudden. It is not just the deserts which is what you all keep bringing up. The plates of food are limited.. Like I said he loved the grilled chicken he got at Spoodles and WCC last year but now those are gone. My son is not a fruit and veggie lover and I just wish that like the previous 2 years he could pick other things besides salads and such that he will not like.

Trust me, if I could buy him the adult dining plan I would do it. I called and asked..they said no. However the dining plan offers the option of not having to keep track of what we have spent on food during the trip and we love that. They charged the same thing the past 2 years for the dining plan for children as they charge now but in the past 2 years we got so much more for him.. This is where my problem comes in. They get you used to one thing then bump it down considerably and expect us to be happy..

You all are saying we should just buy adult plates for the kids to give them more choices.. well my 4 year old could never eat an adult SIZED meal. We need scaled down version of the adult meals for kids. You all are doing what Disney wants..giving them more money. By them offering limited choices parents may be tempted to buy adult meals for them and skip the cheaper child meals JUST to get the kids a better plate of food that half of will be wasted. No thank you!

Like I said, we will still go and enjoy our trip and not love going any less..but I still will always feel the same way about the crummy kids choices they suddenly have choose to give.

 

[TheDisneyBunch]

No offense, but if money is that tight for you, instead of getting the DDP, you should eat CS meals your entire time. That would be cheaper than paying for the DDP.

It seems like you want Disney to do what you want instead of just accepting the deal you're offered. If you can't afford that option, you need to move down. I would love to stay MK view concierge level at the Polynesian every year. But we can't afford it, so we don't. I would love to buy a bigger house, but right now, we can't afford it, so we're staying put.

If you don't believe the DDP is a good value for your family, or if buying your kids a cookie or ice cream is too much for your budget, then you should rethink your travel plans instead of blaming Disney for changing menu offerings.

And I do not believe the DDP is meant to be a complete meal plan. It's one CS and one TS a day. It's not all-inclusive like on a cruise, so if you're trying to make it fit the 3 meals a day, you're actually not using it as it's intended to be used.

Nothing you say will change my opinion on this matter so your being rude is just not called for..nor is it called for you to judge what my family can or can not afford.

 

[bicker]

Um, b/c they have for the past 2 years??

I think some will disagree with you about there being additional choices in past years (indeed, there are more choices now than there were earlier this year). Also, offerings will change year-to-year. Regardless: The prices have not gone up for 2007, and they didn't go up for 2006 either, so now we're looking at three years in a row at the same price, despite 3% inflation each year, which has been a boon to young families on tight budgets. Given that, why would you think that they should provide more options than they're providing now?

 

[bicker]

Look guys, not sure why everyone seems to be jumping my case over all of this. I am only stating my opinions.

For myself, please understand that I'm in no way "jumping on your case" but rather responding to what you've said, as part of the on-going discussion, and doing so as politely as practicable. I think Tam1067 said it well: If we want better, then we pay more. If we are unsatisfied with the offering, then we don't purchase it. And as I mentioned earlier, the real distinction here is between what we might "want" and what they "should do" (and I'll be the first to "jump on" anyone who tells you that you shouldn't want what you want!!!).

I think the fundamental point, here, though, is that folks should not buy something that they feel isn't a good value.

You all are saying we should just buy adult plates for the kids to give them more choices.. well my 4 year old could never eat an adult SIZED meal.

Surely there is no requirement, by anyone of any age, to finish the meals they're served. Restaurants serve people with a variety of dietary preferences, and it is easier to serve everyone the same size portion, but people's preferences in terms of how much food they want to eat at a meal will vary, not only from person to person, but from meal to meal: Sometimes I want a lot, sometimes I want a little. I eat what I want and leave the rest.

And Tam said nothing rude. Tam might have explained things that you would wish would rather not be true, but did so politely and accurately.

 

[Poppinsme]

Look guys, not sure why everyone seems to be jumping my case over all of this. I am only stating my opinions.

I THINK that Disney was crappy to limit the childrens choices SO MUCH all of a sudden. It is not just the deserts which is what you all keep bringing up. The plates of food are limited.. Like I said he loved the grilled chicken he got at Spoodles and WCC last year but now those are gone. My son is not a fruit and veggie lover and I just wish that like the previous 2 years he could pick other things besides salads and such that he will not like.

Trust me, if I could buy him the adult dining plan I would do it. I called and asked..they said no. However the dining plan offers the option of not having to keep track of what we have spent on food during the trip and we love that. They charged the same thing the past 2 years for the dining plan for children as they charge now but in the past 2 years we got so much more for him.. This is where my problem comes in. They get you used to one thing then bump it down considerably and expect us to be happy..

You all are saying we should just buy adult plates for the kids to give them more choices.. well my 4 year old could never eat an adult SIZED meal. We need scaled down version of the adult meals for kids. You all are doing what Disney wants..giving them more money. By them offering limited choices parents may be tempted to buy adult meals for them and skip the cheaper child meals JUST to get the kids a better plate of food that half of will be wasted. No thank you!

Like I said, we will still go and enjoy our trip and not love going any less..but I still will always feel the same way about the crummy kids choices they suddenly have choose to give.

Can I voice a solution? Why not order a desert both you and DS would enjoy and share it together? One of my happiest memories is sharing deserts with my mother. Just a thought.