Overall, had a wonderful trip in the parks. It was my almost 5 year old's first trip and she had a blast. So I am skipping over a lot of good things, and concentrating on a couple bad things... Like most things on the internet...
This was our first on-property stay in over 10 years, and first stay that wasn't a value resort.
We stayed at the Boardwalk on (rented) DVC points.
- Do all Disney resorts have extremely hard water? The water in the shower beaded up on my skin better than my car does after 2 coats of carnauba wax.
- My wife thought her hair was going to just fall out from the hot water, and used up 2 tubes of conditioner herself. I used 1 as well. We requested a 4th and it never came.
- Also, I thought all resorts had gone to the bulk dispensers for body wash, shampoo, etc. We still had individual containers...
- They picked up trash on day 2. On day 4 we got some extra towels. I cannot confirm, but I don't think housekeeping ever came again, as we never got more
towels and trash wasn't picked up again. At no point during our stay did we get new sheets. I thought day 4 was a full housekeeping when staying on points. Does that not include new sheets?
This is also the first time we have done more than one Table Service meal during a trip.
- There is no way to contact a restaurant to tell them you are running 10 minutes late because your Disney Bus is stopping at 2 resorts (Yacht, then Beach) and unloading an ECV at one, and Reloading an ECV at the next. Then being scolded for being late isn't really that fun.
- We had reserved 6 table service Dinners, and 1 character breakfast; we were never seated earlier than 20 minutes after our reservation time, even when we made a point to show up 10-15 minutes early.
Our first meal at Hacienda San Angel was really good. Service was a little slow, but good overall and the food was fantastic. Sadly it went downhill from there. We had previously eaten at Jiko, Sanna, Le Cellier, and Kona great service and great food each time that we remember, but only one per trip. So we hoped for a few meals that were hopefully as good as those, or at least came close.
At Via Napoli the Chicken Pharm, which was the server's recommendation, is quite possibly the worst example of the dish I have ever had; way too much cheese, flavorless chicken and almost no sauce on the chicken or the 7 spaghetti noodles on the side. The burger at Ale & Compass was only marginally better than the in-park quick service burgers, even ordering it medium it was dry and over-cooked. I was frustrated with those 2 meals taking over an hour an a half, and costing $120+ after tax and tip while being only marginally better than the in-park quick service food that was half that or less.
At Trattoria Al Forno, in particular, we waited almost 45 minutes for a table after being scolded about being 10 minutes late due to the busses (listed above). The dinner itself took almost 2 hours...
It took about 20 minutes for a server to come by and we ordered our beverages and meals. I asked to substitute real beef for the "impossible meat" on the Rigatoni Bolognese, our server said no problem. My wife ordered a side salad as a starter and the lasagna. We asked for a kids cheese pizza for my daughter. 15-20 minutes later our server brought bread, and said it would be a $9 up-charge for the beef instead of the plant-based "impossible meat". I laughed and said I have seen that go the other way, but never that way and said to just make it how it is on the menu. Wondering why it took 20 minutes to figure that out. After another 15 minutes, we flag down the server and ask if she could bring the kids meal ASAP as our daughter was getting hungry. (Yeah, I probably should've brought a snack or something). Was told no problem. So almost an hour from sitting down, (close to 2 hours from original reservation time) and we only have bread and drinks.
Shortly after my wife was bought a large dinner salad, not a side salad. And no kids meal early whatever, we will get by. Shortly there after our meals came out, but still no kids meal. My meal also had mushrooms on it, which weren't listed as an ingredient on the menu. I inquired, and was told it was part of the plant-based meat dish. Ugh, I hate mushrooms but also hate sending food back (no idea they were included) and am starving. We asked for the kids pizza to be brought out ASAP. I picked out mushrooms and we both shared parts of our dish with our daughter, who wasn't interested in what we ordered but was starving. The server never checked in and the kids meal didn't show up until we were both done eating.
A person dressed differently than the servers brought our daughter's meal out. We asked if they were the manager, which they said yes. As we started to explain, the manager said they would be right back after they checked on something "real quick". Our daughter picked at her cold pizza with a burnt underside and we never saw the manager again. The server came back and we asked for included kids meal gelato and the check. Those 2 items came quickly and I about lost it... We were charged for a full dinner salad that we didn't order (but did receive). I was charged the $9 "fennel sausage" upgrade but had told them to make it with the impossible meat, which I was told I received (mushrooms and all). We were charged full price for the kids meal and gelato. A) the gelato was supposed to be included. B) When I worked at a restaurant and you repeatedly forgot a meal, ESPECIALLY a kids meal, that took that long to deliver to a table, you comped it. My wife took our daughter back to the room and I asked for the manager. I waited about 20 minutes, at this point is well after 9:00 and my patience is GONE. The manager never came, and the server was avoiding my table completely. I went to the front desk and paid our full bill, and still left a 10% tip. When I got back to the room I cancelled our remaining table service dinners. I was worried I might get charged for it, but we weren't (at least yet).
Is this typical right now? We both said next time we go, we wouldn't bother with sit down meals, and just do quick service for half the price, or ever less. Not to mention I don't need or want to spend over an hour and a half at a restaurant. The brisket sandwich at Woody's Lunch Box - surprisingly really good. The pulled pork at Regal Eagle Smokehouse - delicious. Burgers and chicken tenders in the park - pretty standard. Casey's Corner Hot Dog and Chili Cheese fries - exactly what you expect. Overall, no complaints about the quick-service food.
We had a great trip in the parks, my daughter loved most of the rides had a blast at the shows and meeting the characters. Her parents loved seeing her joy! We were just let down by the dining experience overall.
The Character Breakfast at Toppolino's was good. Service was excellent, food was good, character experience was great. Yeah it was pricey, but we got characters and a good breakfast. Sadly, that was the exception and not the norm for our trip.