WORST DISNEY DINING EXPERIENCE

[prudence64]

I keep seeing people compare mama Melrose's to Olive Garden. I'm not sure what's wrong with that. I like the food at Olive Garden and we liked the food at Mama melrose as well. Not super memorable, but nothing we'd complain about either.

I didn't care for pecos bill's personally.

 

[MolonLabe]

I keep seeing people compare mama Melrose's to Olive Garden. I'm not sure what's wrong with that. I like the food at Olive Garden and we liked the food at Mama melrose as well. Not super memorable, but nothing we'd complain about either.

I didn't care for pecos bill's personally.

Obviously some people like some things, Olive Garden (or white castle) wouldn't be in business if people didn't eat there.

So when you hear someone say Mama Melrose is like Olive garden it's because Olive Garden is the bottom of the barrel type of Italian joint and are making an apples to apples comparison. The ONLY thing they cook at olive garden is the steak. Everything else is premade and reheated, even the pasta noodles are pre cooked and reheated after being shipped to the store.

Olive garden is "ok" but I could easily get the same food from the frozen food section at the local Meijer or Publix.

When I compare Mama Melrose to Olive Garden I say it's "Olive Garden if it were run/owned by White Castle". I.e. medicore meets nasty.

 

[Collin WK]

We dined at Whispering Canyon Café recently for lunch and was less than enchanted with our service. My family visited the restaurant for a special event and was less than impressed Our server had limited ability to communicate in English and was not understanding the concept of the restaurant. She was not friendly and definitely had no pixie dust. Will knock this place off our list of places to visit.

This is somewhat surprising to me. Whispering Canyon has been one of my family favorites for years and we have never had a bad experience. I have however experienced the delay in seating many have talked about and that is very frustrating. The longest I have waited is actually only about 15 minutes. I believe the wait is often surprisingly because families do no wish to leave because they are enjoying the food and having a great time. Our servers have always been great here especially our last server named Jenny (nicknamed "sunshine" for her personality) and she was wonderful and personable. She was the best server we have ever had on disney property and actually knew one of my sisters friends who had recently been on the college program. Part of the reason these servers here tend to get frustrated is that they get paid very little except through tips. In her example, while we where there in a span of an hour or so she had two tables not tip at all and one of those tables ordered only one entree and water for there drinks. She was at that table just as much as ours and gave similar service so there was no excuse. In addition the other table she had left no tip and stole both the salt and the pepper shakers. After this happened she looked frustrated and we asked why nicely and she explained it happens all the time. So, despite some peoples bad experiences here, they are doing their best considering many of them are working hard with very little motivation. Yes, this is no excuse for them to be rude but it does take away the incentive for disney magic sometimes.

As for my personal worst experience, it was at 50's prime time. Servers were fine and in character, but the food was just terrible and the atmosphere was just not our style and we learned this the hard way. I feel this is the same experience many have at whispering canyon with the servers and atmosphere. Part of their role as servers at this restaurant is to poke fun in a way similar to a dicks last resort restaurant, but at a family level that is not near as harsh or rude. Many people take this personally and have issues with the servers. All restaurants have off food days (which they shouldn't) , but I have never had a bad experience there. As for certain servers such as sunshine and a man named Jethro (who had a blue name tag... google that for more info) they have gone above and beyond for us, but a strange experience last Friday (our most recent trip there) has me understanding the complaints to a certain extent and make me wonder about the future of the restaurant. As we looked around we started to notice many of the faces we had seen in the past at the restaurant that were the best servers we have ever had including Jethro were not there. In there place were many new faces which seemed very unexperienced and less exciting to be served by. One of the new guys seemed to be training, and had a great joke he pulled on us which was funny, but not quite the same as in the past. The family atmosphere the servers had with one another had seemed to fall apart and there was very little excitement. It was a good meal none the less, but just not the same experience as in the past. Part of this could have been that we were the last lunch seating for the day and half the restaurant was empty to get set up for dinner, but it was a little disappointing.

 

[Jennasis]

I thought server positions were highly sought after amongst CM's as they are the best paid?

 

[Ev Johnson]

Worst experience was Sci-Fi Dine-In. The server was bad; it was almost 30 minutes from the time we got our drinks until the time we got our food. After I finally flagged down our waiter to get a refill, he just swung by and grabbed my plate and rushed it off. I tried to tell him to stop, but it was really loud in there. I had only eaten a small part of my meal. When he came back to pick up the rest of the plates I informed him I was still eating. His only reply was "oops." The food I ate wasn't bad, but it was so dark I could barely see what I was eating.

 

[disneysteve]

The server was bad; it was almost 30 minutes from the time we got our drinks until the time we got our food.

This may not have been the server's fault but rather the kitchen's fault. The server can't bring you your food unless it is cooked and ready to serve. I find that many people blame the server - and often reflect that with a lower tip - when the problem really lies elsewhere.

That said, a top-notch server would stop by and let you know there will be a delay and that he/she will get you your food as soon as it is ready.

 

[Ev Johnson]

This may not have been the server's fault but rather the kitchen's fault. The server can't bring you your food unless it is cooked and ready to serve. I find that many people blame the server - and often reflect that with a lower tip - when the problem really lies elsewhere.

My complaint is not about the time it took to get our food, but the lack of something to drink. I had no problem with waiting for my food. The issue was he never come back for drink refills or to see if we needed anything, and that IS a problem with the server. He also took my food, which I had only partially eaten, and that IS ALSO a problem with the server. Had the restaurant been pack I might have cut him more slack, but is was not a busy time and we were his only table at the time.

 

[L&Lfan]

Would it have killed him to simply ask "may I take your plate? " or even "are you finished? " but no, people will excuse this by saying "maybe they were having a bad night ". Sheesh, folks!

 

[disneysteve]

I had no problem with waiting for my food. The issue was he never come back for drink refills or to see if we needed anything, and that IS a problem with the server. He also took my food, which I had only partially eaten, and that IS ALSO a problem with the server.

Absolutely! I agree with all of that. We had the same problem at Pepper Market. Server never came back after seating us. Never refilled drinks. Couldn't be found to replace a dropped fork. Those are definitely server problems.

I was only commenting on the long wait for the food. That's a kitchen problem.

 

[rwdavis2]

C'mon and let's be real.....if I'm at an Outback and they screw up my steak/meal sure, I can understand they're having a bad night. But at Yachtsman Steakhouse where I'm paying $50 plus for a NY strip and they can't even grill it at the temperature I requested????? Or the server at California Grill who disappears every time we'd like something from the bar or a refill of iced tea???? At Olive Garden, ok, they're "having a bad night". But at the top restaurant at the Contemporary Resort where the final bill is gonna set my partner and me back $300 ????? Sorry, I have to disagree on this one!

Agreed. The problem is Disney greed shoving through as many people as they can get away with. Given that, we've never had a bad experience yet. But our expectations are very high either. 90% of the food at WDW is just not that spectacular.

Although I've never read a bad review of Victoria and Albert's. For that price there should never be a mistake. Have you read the reviews of California Grill after it reopened after the big refurb? The place was a mess for which there is no excuse. It seemed like they took staff from Cosmic Ray's and left to fend for them selves at CA Grill.

 

[limpy]

Yes Grace is her Serene Highness Princess Grace--not of Monaco but a Princess none the less. In our Disney Princess experience we have never encountered a Princess that did not ask the child's name and interact in some way, until we had breakfast at CRT last September. I hope that clarifies things and you can finally "get it". I also hope that you have a better day today so you do not feel the need to come to the dis boards and be snarky.

We did two princess meals where my daughter was dressed like cinderella and aurora. Not one princess or anyone else at the meals asked my daughter's name.

 

[VillianDiva]

Worst Food - 'Ohana and Coral Reef

I've never had a bad dining experience. I've been lucky to have great wait staff at every restaurant!

 

[deakam]

We did two princess meals where my daughter was dressed like cinderella and aurora. Not one princess or anyone else at the meals asked my daughter's name.

That is so sad. I am sorry your daughter did not get to experience that. I have to admitted before our experience at CRT last September it had been a few years since we did a Princess meal. The previous one was at Akershus and the princesses were very engaging. When Jasmine asked our Grace her name Grace was upset that she did not remember her from the day before. Looking to me behind Grace I mouthed her name and Jasmine took over from there talking about how she did remember her but was confused because she remembered her in different clothes. And how today she looked sooo much like her friend Ariel, which of course was the Princess dress Grace was wearing that day. Maybe in order to move them through the dining hall faster they have stopped the interaction. I sure hope not because the food is definitely not a reason to do any character meal with the possible exception of Tusker House and the Garden Grill.

 

[limpy]

That is so sad. I am sorry your daughter did not get to experience that. I have to admitted before our experience at CRT last September it had been a few years since we did a Princess meal. The previous one was at Akershus and the princesses were very engaging. When Jasmine asked our Grace her name Grace was upset that she did not remember her from the day before. Looking to me behind Grace I mouthed her name and Jasmine took over from there talking about how she did remember her but was confused because she remembered her in different clothes. And how today she looked sooo much like her friend Ariel, which of course was the Princess dress Grace was wearing that day. Maybe in order to move them through the dining hall faster they have stopped the interaction. I sure hope not because the food is definitely not a reason to do any character meal with the possible exception of Tusker House and the Garden Grill.

We had lots of great interaction with the characters. I am not sure why it would be "sad" that they didn't call her by name. She had a great time!

 

[Momma_Lanier]

We have two small children so we do mostly character meals with the exception of Coral Reef which was amazing! The service was wonderful and the food was great! It's a must do every trip for us.

We had a bad experience at Crystal Palace for dinner. Our server was awesome and did everything he could to make it a good experience. He sang happy birthday to my daughter which was so sweet. The food was gross. We didn't like it at all. We were there for dinner. The character interaction was so rushed. We were done eating and waited for about 20 minutes to see Eeyore and he never came. Our waiter went to find him and we met Eeyore before he started doing his rounds. Another server was telling me we couldn't do that and standing in front of me as I was trying to take photos of my daughter.
Chef Mickeys for dinner - the service was terrible and the food was horrible. The characters were slow moving and we didn't even get to meet Minnie.

We are planning our next trip and will do both meals again. It doesn't warrant a 'never going back.'

On a positive note, we did CRT and the food and character interaction was incredible! We also did Akershus for lunch and it was our favorite place by far! We loved it so much, we went twice within a couple days. The princess interaction is outstanding! Ariel remembered my little girl from seeing her the day before at CRT. We will do both of these on our next trip!!

 

[Annchristine65]

We have two small children so we do mostly character meals with the exception of Coral Reef which was amazing! The service was wonderful and the food was great! It's a must do every trip for us.

We had a bad experience at Crystal Palace for dinner. Our server was awesome and did everything he could to make it a good experience. He sang happy birthday to my daughter which was so sweet. The food was gross. We didn't like it at all. We were there for dinner. The character interaction was so rushed. We were done eating and waited for about 20 minutes to see Eeyore and he never came. Our waiter went to find him and we met Eeyore before he started doing his rounds. Another server was telling me we couldn't do that and standing in front of me as I was trying to take photos of my daughter.
Chef Mickeys for dinner - the service was terrible and the food was horrible. The characters were slow moving and we didn't even get to meet Minnie.

We are planning our next trip and will do both meals again. It doesn't warrant a 'never going back.'

On a positive note, we did CRT and the food and character interaction was incredible! We also did Akershus for lunch and it was our favorite place by far! We loved it so much, we went twice within a couple days. The princess interaction is outstanding! Ariel remembered my little girl from seeing her the day before at CRT. We will do both of these on our next trip!!

Chef Mickeys- the service was terrible, the food was horrible and the characters were slow moving but it doesn't warrant a never going back? Why would you go back? Just wondering.

 

[Nebula]

I've had some truly awful food at Disney, but there was always something awesome in the same meal to make up for it. We had some really terrible service at Cape May Cafe. Our plates would pile up, and the waiter would walk right by. We'd put the dirty plates at an empty table next to us and THEN he'd take them, but not once was a dirty plate taken from OUR table. He did come over to our table to give my uncle a refill on his drink, but completely ignored that the rest of us had empty glasses as well. He was gone like a flash before any of us could even say anything! It's a shame, because the food was excellent.

 

[Momma_Lanier]

Chef Mickeys- the service was terrible, the food was horrible and the characters were slow moving but it doesn't warrant a never going back? Why would you go back? Just wondering.

I don't completely write off a Disney restaurant unless the experience is just beyond terrible. Even though the service, food and characters weren't up to par, I would give it a second chance only because we love the fab 5. Now, if the second time is terrible then we won't go back. But we would probably do a breakfast since you can't really go wrong with breakfast.

 

[sweetnjmom]

I think people have amazingly high expectation for Disney restaurants, possibly due to the high prices. We've seen both positive and negative reviews of each restaurant we have eaten at and are planning to. Some people HATE Coral Reef, but we had a very nice meal there last trip. Perhaps not the best seafood I'd ever had, but enjoyable and my son liked the fish tanks even sitting rather far away from them. We had the best meal of our trip at Le Cellier, which is another place that people find over-rated. This trip we're trying 4 new places: 50's Primetime Cafe, Hollywood & Vine (breakfast), Yak & Yeti and The Plaza Restaurant. Hopefully the food will be tasty -- and as for buffets we only do breakfast (also going to Tusker House for our 2nd time ever).

I've had more disappointment with QS restaurants... I truly dislike the ABC Commissary (have eaten there twice and will not go back for a 3rd time). I didn't care for Cosmic Ray's and found it too chaotic and we won't go back there either, even though people love it. I'd guess those are the two I dislike the most. And I didn't like the way Sunshine Seasons is set up, though the food was good.

We will have two QS dinners this trip -- one in EPCOT and one in MK. Despite the mixed reviews, we'll likely hit Liberty Inn in the US Pavilion for dinner at EPCOT for my son's palate and we'll go to Columbia Harbour House at MK, which I really liked for lunch and hope it's OK for dinner.

 

[disneysteve]

I didn't care for Cosmic Ray's and found it too chaotic and we won't go back there either, even though people love it. I'd guess those are the two I dislike the most. And I didn't like the way Sunshine Seasons is set up, though the food was good.

We always go to Cosmic Ray's because we like the food and toppings bar but I agree about the chaos. I don't like how you have to stand in 3 different lines depending on what you want to eat.
We like Sunshine Seasons much better though. Being able to go to the different stations and the grab and go cases and then all meet up to pay together is a much better way of doing it. That's one of our favorite places to eat on property.