Opinions of dining quality in recent years About This Page:

[Princessdreamer]

Originally Posted by wendybell

My personal opinion is that Disney could do more to give kids under 10 real choices. My daughter was so tired of the same menu by the end of our 9 days in WDW, most of the time she couldn't even get a lousey burger! Luckily, i'm not a big eater and was able to share many of my entrees. We got much more out of the dining plan before the appetizer and tip were removed but still consider it a good value... i think we pretty much break even but not having to shell out that money every day makes it "feel" less expensive, does that make sense?

In short; the food quality is still pretty good, service is spotty and portions are still huge but kids meals need a major over-haul.

I totally agree!!! My husband and I enjoy our meals, but our kids meals are boring and not really all that good. Especially for picky kids, my son will not eat cheese pizza well alone with chicken on it, he just wants pepperoni pizza, and why can they not they not get a good dessert, there are only so many chocolate chip cookies you can eat, and pudding. They deserve good dessert too!

I know Disney is trying to be health conscience but we are on vacation and the kids are too, and with all the walking we do we always lose weight on our WDW trips.

[MMMD]

I think in the last 2 years Disney's TS restaurants have gone downhill. In both quality and selection. But I do feel the CS food is getting better tasting and with more choices. I did see the slide coming with the popularity of the dining plans, which I wholeheartedly use because of the savings.

As for children's selections, there is no excuse. Too many people complained that there was no healthy alternatives on the menus and then Disney went the other way and made too many healthy choices and not enough chicken fingers and mac n cheese. Kids 9 and under are a wide range of eaters. I don't see what is wrong with offering a small steak, piece of chicken, a fish entree, AND one crappy food choice like fried chicken fingers, hot dog, or mac n cheese. My daughters usually pick a semi-healthy choice but every once in awhile hot dog and fries for dinner is a hit.

[disneydreamer33]

My girls love steak and there are not very many TS that serve it to kids. My youngest DD could live off of mac n cheese and chicken strips, so I don't worry about her, but my oldest DD has a very good taste for food and likes to try lots of things. I don't see why they can't offer smaller portions of some of the entrees for kids.
Our complaint hasn't been with the quality of the food as it has been with the service on past trips. We have done the DP and it was before they took the tip off. I think that had a lot to do with the service. I think they treated the OOP customers and the DP customers different. They get a tip regardless of how the service is for the DP customer, but they don't get their tip in cash, it has to go with their hourly paycheck and they have to pay taxes on it. I think now that the tip is no longer included they will have to work for their tip and service "should" be better. (I used to be a waitress, so I have high expectations for waitstaff)

[julieb]

We've had a variety of experiences, but overall I've been pleased. We've eaten at many signature restaurants, and had wonderful meals and service at Jiko, Narcoosee's, California Grill, Flying Fish Cafe, etc. The very worst food we had in 3 years was at Cinderella's Royal Table. We barely ate, but we weren't really there for the food, I guess. I did notice that there were more healthy options on the kids menus this past December, which was great.

[jimmymac]

I totally agree. Signature meals are being replaced because of the Dining Plans. To keep costs low, Disney is homogenizing the offerings at all the restaurants. We had almost the exact same meu offerings at CRT as we did the previous night at Boatwright's but at a lot higher price. It's sad, because for years the food at WDW was a joke, and then they spent the bucks, brought in the peopla and Voila! Now the dining plans are just another way to separate you from your money.

[HeatherD]

I can see what people are saying and I think it is "because" of the DDP and having to meet the demand. So many people are so excited about this plan, no wonder they branched out to 3 different versions!

We used it on our last trip (when tip was still included), but I really felt we didn't save money. If we were the type to always order appetizers and desserts, it would have saved us money, but since we aren't, then it all evened out. We didn't pay more, but we didn't save money.

So, we've decided to stay off of the plan this trip. There are so many CS choices that offer a variety and quality, that we'll stick mainly with those with the occasional TS thrown in (only 2 this time).

[happyhedgehogs]

Originally Posted by Caldercup

I do wish that kids had more options, but... well... many kids do eat chicken fingers and hot dogs and hamburgers. But there are others who would eat a small steak, so why can't they have the option of getting a 1/2 "adult" order?

That's a great idea! They should let kids get a child-sized meal from the adult selections, like a 2- or 3-oz steak and one small side item. They could still have the kids' menus with the chicken tenders and mac-and-cheese, but then kids could have the alternate option of choosing the more adult foods. My kids do like kid foods, but they get bored with them when they eat the same things over and over (just like I would!) They like the same foods we eat, plus some I don't eat--for example, DD5 is crazy about barbecue ribs!! It would just be nice to have those options for them, and it wouldn't really cost Disney anything extra, I don't think...

[doctorhead]

Originally Posted by wvugrrrl

There was a time when TS at Disney was kind of looked down upon. Overpriced meals in restaurants that couldn't even compete with Orlando's offerings off-property led a lot of guests to say, "No thanks, I'll eat hotdogs and hamburgers for a week." Then, a massive overhaul in the restaurants led to fresher ingredients, real "Chefs," and creative menus, but they were still rather pricey, and families just weren't biting. Then came the dining plan... (cue the "Duhm, duhm, duhm" music)

I'm another that agrees with you. We've done the dining plan every year since it really started getting a big push (when Disney got rid of the Silver, Gold, and Platinum plans that were waaaay overpriced). Back in 2004, a TS meal included appetizer, entree, dessert, and tip, and the price of the plan was around $36. It was a great deal. And the restaurants still had "complete" menus - that is, they were real, plastic covered menus, and if there were daily specials, they were included on an insert. There were some items on menus that were off-limits or had special regulations; for example, I remember the Cobb Salad appetizer at HBD was to be split between two people, so 2 appetizers were used...also, I think the same went for a sushi platter at Wolfgang Puck's. Certain steaks were also not included, but I'm ok with that.

Now, the price of the DDP keeps going up and appetizers were taken off, as was the included tip. Because of the increasing popularity of the DDP, restaurants are now cutting their menus down - even the Signature restaurants - we were at the Yachtsman this December, and were handed a paper menu! I understand a paper menu if you're a restaurant that relies on completely fresh ingredients that are ever-changing, but we're at a steakhouse - you're serving the same cuts of steak that you've always served; the only thing that should be changing seasonally are the side dishes, and you can train a waiter to know those daily. Give me a leather-bound MENU!

Furthermore, each restaurant is essentially serving the same menu with slight variations. There's 2 seafood dishes, at least 1 pasta, a few steak choices (filet, prime rib, and NY strip), and a chicken entree. So, like happyhedgehogs said,
So too can an adult get tired of seeing the exact same menu replicated everywhere you go; the only exceptions being different sides dressing up the lackluster. Almost all menus are non-exclusionary to the DDP now; too bad they're just not very interesting.

And speaking of prime rib - good luck getting it on a buffet now; according to the Orlando Sentinel, Disney's removing it from all their buffets, and replacing it with strip loin, supposedly for "aesthetic" reasons, but to me, it smacks of "financial" reasons.

I don't necessarily think that the TASTE of the food has changed - we've been very happy with the taste of meals that we've eaten recently; it's just that, IMHO, the DDP was a GREAT deal initially (maybe even too good of one), that really motivated people to try dinner at WDW, which, in turn created a monster. Overwhelmed kitchens, wait staff, 180-day reservations (when was the last time you were able to walk up and be seated at a TS with relatively little wait, let alone being turned away altogether? When was the last time - other than planning a trip to WDW - that you made a reservation for a meal 6 MONTHS IN ADVANCE?!), etc. Now, we're paying more money on the DDP for a generic, scaled-down menu, sub-par ingredients, cranky servers, and a little loss of the personal spontanaeity to say, "Hey - I'm in France. Maybe I'd like to eat here today - oh wait; they're completely booked for the next 6 evenings."

Soooo...whew! That was the most "deep thinking" I've done in a week. In a nutshell, I know DH & I came to the conclusion towards the end of our last trip that we'd be rethinking the Dining Plan for next time, because we didn't feel like we were really getting our money's worth.
Annnnndddd...I'm finished! (putting away my soapbox until next year! )

prime example would be when we went to the Hollywood Brown Derby. this used to be my favorite meal while visiting WDW. i typically would get the filet on top of some sort of mashed potatoes and a vegetable side. they have removed the filet from their menu and replaced it with a strip and a side of red potatoes. i hate fatty steak. strip steak is almost 30% fat. this made my meal disappointing because i couldn't enjoy the steak, but instead had to surgically carve off all the marbling. this is the first time that i won't be planning on going back to the HBD.

[HeatherD]

They should let kids get a child-sized meal from the adult selections, like a 2- or 3-oz steak and one small side item. They could still have the kids' menus with the chicken tenders and mac-and-cheese, but then kids could have the alternate option of choosing the more adult foods.

Every time I've looked at a menu, I've seen something like this. Perhaps not a mini-adult option, but I usually see one or two standards (hamburger, hot dog, mac 'n cheese) and then one or two themed to that restaurant (Asian option at Yak & Yeti's, etc).

I think, because everyone's family is so different, there will be no pleasing everyone. So, they have to go for the commonality, the one that MOST kids would want to order. And if that's not a good option, then it is probably a good idea to go OOP for the trip, so the child will have the option of ordering adult or kids. Not perfect, by any means, but then - no restaurant is when it comes to children's portions, whether in WDW or Small Town, USA.

[HollyH]

We found that the children's menus really need some reworking. The TS wasn't too bad (but we had scheduled several buffets) but the CS kids meals were sorely lacking in variety. That is one of the main reasons why we are not going to choose the DP this trip.

[Mary_Maas]

I agree, SOME of the establishments meals have been better in past years, however, buffet meals like Chef Mickeys, Boma and Cape May are outstanding for buffet meals. Hoop De Due hasn't changed in quality in my opinion.

The thing my husband and I notice the most is the quality of counter service food. We used to love the pizza and pasta salad from the Electric Umbrella. We can't find decent pizza anywhere anymore.

Also, the burgers and fries are terrible now. They used to be flame broiled things that were so juicy and delicious. Now, the burgers are those filler-type things that sit in a steamer.

[anangel21]

I have to say that in 2003 when we went on our Honeymoon was the one of the best years for dining. It was either the first or second year for the dining plan and they were still trying to make that work. Ever since then we have always done the dining plan, but some of our favorite restaurants to visit are no longer our favorites. As they have been chaning the dining plan the service seems to be changing also.

[njsmama]

While I am happy with the adult menus, (I had some REALLY good food at Coral Reef, San Angel Inn, and esp. California Grill) my children are usually unhappy with the kids selection. They especially dislike only being offered things like: Chilled chicken, beans and franks, or PB&J at Pecos Bills (where are the burgers?).
My opinion is if you are eating at a burger joint..offer the kids a kid sized burger as a choice, or if you are eating at a fish place...offer fish on the kids menu. My kids want what we want generally, it would be nice if the kids menus mirrored the adult menus to some degree.
The only places I have been disappointed with as of late are Sci-fi and Chefs de France..which we have always loved. The service has been terrible and the food just so so. But for the rest, we notice no decline.

[yalibrarian]

We normally eat CS at all meals, although this year we splurged on Boma. Excellent selection, great soups, fairly good service from friendly people. But we are unlikely to spend more than $120 for a meal for three again soon. Not in our budget, even if it were superb on all issues.

We do agree that there is very little variety, even for adults, at CS. If you are eating CS, how many burgers and chicken things can you eat? Our son never tires of mac and cheese, chicken fingers/nuggets and cheeseburgers. But we miss having the Noodle Terrace at MK open, for example, when we go in December. We tried the CS in Asia in AK this year and were disappointed in the quality of the food (sticky, sickeningly sweet sauce, tough flavorless meat). One of my favorite CS places is Sunshine Seasons food court in Epcot, because of the wide variety of foods for all ages. Very noisy though! We also enjoyed our meal at the CS in Morocco; although the portions were somewhat small, the coffee and pastries made up for it. I definitely would vote for more vegetarian options at all places, counter service or otherwise.

[Kynna]

I guess we have been lucky. We chose mostly buffets or family style (request additional adult meal and decline the chicken fingers)TS so our kids ate what we ate. Including the number of desserts. The CS meals were a bit lacking in variety for them but we would find enough to get through without repeating meals. We also used some of their CS credits for breakfast and let them use snack credits or share with us for lunch. DD is used to a big breakfast and a small lunch. I guess we spend too much time at theme parks though because outside of at the deluxe hotels and Epcot I really don't expect world class meals so we are always pleasantly surprised.