No more shenanigans at Whispering Canyon Café!

Well, I’ll take the minority opinion, we went once, probably 10 years ago, and was not a fan of the antics and such. (I’ve got a couple shy people in the group and they were pretty mortified when attention was called on them for not participating. Come for the ribs, stay for the social anxiety!) we didn’t complain or anything, just said “hey, this is not our bag” and didn’t return, despite staying at WL several times.
I considered going back when I read you could opt out of the experience, but it never worked out. We will be back in Sept and may try it again now.
We have been owners at BRV for 7 years now and not once ate at Whispering Canyon. The loud antics are really a deterrent as well as the menu. We welcome a change all around at this restaurant .
 
I put this in the news thread because I hadn't seen this one yet. Anyway...

I didn't mind WCC, but as someone who stays at FW, it's about the easiest sit down restaurant to get an ADR at around. That probably tells us something. I also agree that the antics are fun now and then, but it is in the wrong spot with that beautiful, stately, open lobby. You can hear them yelling about ketchup from one end of the hotel to the other. I think it's a cool concept, but I think it was in the wrong place. It needs a more enclosed environment.

I have eaten there twice, and both times I felt that the whole ketchup routine was a bit much. I'm all for some fun and games...but I don't need the loud yelling and having all eyes on me when I'm literally just trying to get some ketchup.
 
Theres dozens and dozens of restaurants at WDW that have no shennanigans. There are two that do. Why take away one that does? The other option (50’s Prime Time) is even more expensive and not nearly as much fun. Those who want a normal meal have plenty of options. Not so for those of us who want a fun meal.

If the resort guests are complaining and they’re trying to increase attendance from within the resort, then put some kind of card or something on the table for guests to indicate whether they want shennanigans. That’s a compromise that could work.
 
When they sang to me happy birthday I loved how ridiculous it was. And asking for a straw and getting like 5 was pretty funny. I actually enjoyed it. I can understand the Ketchup was overkill but the subtle ones were fun. Considering the location is the lobby could be a deterrent and hearing it in the lobby after a long day would frustrate me as well
 


I wonder if they could have been having staffing problems or were struggling to get higher-quality servers to bid full-time there because they didn't want to "animate"? Or they don't have enough servers that have passed training and their "animation" evaluation?

I know we all like to think that every Disney CM would relish the opportunity to serve in a capacity like this, but it definitely takes a special person to fill this niche role - and with people mentioning servers not being "into it" lately makes me think that staffing has more to do with the change than complaints. :confused3
 
Wilderness Lodge is mostly DVC now, right? They’re also selling some really expensive cabins with points. Maybe DVC members had something to do with it? I don’t know how many people go out to see their exact DVC before they buy in. When I took the tour they showed me the ones in their tour center. I had to seek out Cooper Creek on my own.

I do wonder how much of it will eventually become DVC.
 


I wonder if they could have been having staffing problems or were struggling to get higher-quality servers to bid full-time there because they didn't want to "animate"? Or they don't have enough servers that have passed training and their "animation" evaluation?

I know we all like to think that every Disney CM would relish the opportunity to serve in a capacity like this, but it definitely takes a special person to fill this niche role - and with people mentioning servers not being "into it" lately makes me think that staffing has more to do with the change than complaints. :confused3
Amen, posts like these make me appreciate this community, not the ones that try to detract Disney over finances with incoherent arguments. It’s not that bad here but reading the wdwnt comments as a guilty pleasure, my goodness they make no sense are only there to rant I swear. The first page made me scared this was going to turn into that.

Anywho this is why I hibernate after every trip from this site, reading this day to day and then actually being there makes me realize “ok now what. Going back is as if your trip wasn’t good enough, and also makes you miss it even more”
 
Amen, posts like these make me appreciate this community, not the ones that try to detract Disney over finances with incoherent arguments. It’s not that bad here but reading the wdwnt comments as a guilty pleasure, my goodness they make no sense are only there to rant I swear. The first page made me scared this was going to turn into that.

Anywho this is why I hibernate after every trip from this site, reading this day to day and then actually being there makes me realize “ok now what. Going back is as if your trip wasn’t good enough, and also makes you miss it even more”

I mean, there are some things that are obviously due to finances - but that's glaringly obvious to me. Yes, Disney is a business and if Walt were still alive, I guarantee one of his Top 3 priorities would be making money. And I think we see so much handwringing over changes that WE perceive as earth-shattering because this is a Disney message board (or WDWNT is a Disney blog) and we care deeply about more of these memories than the general public or the casual fan. We care enough to create an account, read this board daily and participate in discussions ...

But not EVERYTHING is financially motivated. With the labor force in Orlando being so slim on bodies to fill available full-time positions (just look at the job postings on the Disney jobs site - they're offering signing bonuses for many positions ... bus drivers, housekeeping, even all manner of back-house positions in dining), it's definitely an employment climate that favors the individual over the company. And with Disney not yet willing to offer a more competitive wage over minimum to attract new hires, they're forced to rely more on "rotational" staffing - College Program, Seasonal Hires, etc. And it just makes it very difficult to keep staffing at a consistent, optimum level when a large portion of your workforce changes over entirely every nine months or so.

And even on top of that, Disney still wants that workforce to provide the highest level of service - so, that involves lengthy training periods and the ability to pass "tests" to be approved into positions. Just like not every student passes a class, not every employee passes the required evaluation to fill the position they are hired for.

One of my most favorite bartenders - she works at Yacht Club - was granted a transfer to the Polynesian back in January. Even though she was going to be doing almost all of her hours exclusively at the pool bar or Tambu Lounge, she was required (like all bartenders at the Polynesian) to train out at every available bartending position available at the Polynesian, in the event that she needed to cover a shift, so that included passing a "animation" exam at Trader Sam's. Unfortunately, while guest service is definitely her strongest suit (along with making OUTSTANDING drinks), her ability to "animate" up to the standards required to pass training at Trader Sam's was not good enough. So even though the likelihood of her ever working a single hour at Trader Sam's was slim-to-none, she didn't pass Poly training and is back at the Yacht Club. And after talking to her again in April, and talking to other bartenders and servers I've made friends with, this happens WAY more often than people would think. Selfishly, I'm happy she's back at YC because that where I always stay and hang out, but I know she wanted to work at Poly more than anything and would've been a wonderful addition to their staff.

Another server at Disney Springs that I've become friends with wants nothing more than to work in a position that allows him a chance to make "memorable moments" for guests - any kind of pixie dust he can create. Right now, the easiest way for him to get to a restaurant position like that is to spend another bid season cocktail waiting at Disney Springs to earn status/seniority so he can transfer to a resort restaurant - but even then, some of the restaurants require either special training OR are not available to be bid as a full-time employee.

Now, I have no insider knowledge if any of these reasons could be behind the change at WCC - but having worked at Disney in the past myself, having so many friends that still work at Disney now and making so many new friends across different areas at WDW, it really helps to look at all sides of the picture.

Personally, I think Walt would want guest-facing things to be done to almost absolute perfection or not done at all - I think he'd rather have the shenanigans at WCC canceled entirely than to have guests not all get the same magical experience 100-percent consistently across the board. It definitely sounds like the guest experience at WCC recently definitely fell into the realm of "Bad Show" for a lot of people.
 
I mean, there are some things that are obviously due to finances - but that's glaringly obvious to me. Yes, Disney is a business and if Walt were still alive, I guarantee one of his Top 3 priorities would be making money. And I think we see so much handwringing over changes that WE perceive as earth-shattering because this is a Disney message board (or WDWNT is a Disney blog) and we care deeply about more of these memories than the general public or the casual fan. We care enough to create an account, read this board daily and participate in discussions ...

But not EVERYTHING is financially motivated. With the labor force in Orlando being so slim on bodies to fill available full-time positions (just look at the job postings on the Disney jobs site - they're offering signing bonuses for many positions ... bus drivers, housekeeping, even all manner of back-house positions in dining), it's definitely an employment climate that favors the individual over the company. And with Disney not yet willing to offer a more competitive wage over minimum to attract new hires, they're forced to rely more on "rotational" staffing - College Program, Seasonal Hires, etc. And it just makes it very difficult to keep staffing at a consistent, optimum level when a large portion of your workforce changes over entirely every nine months or so.

And even on top of that, Disney still wants that workforce to provide the highest level of service - so, that involves lengthy training periods and the ability to pass "tests" to be approved into positions. Just like not every student passes a class, not every employee passes the required evaluation to fill the position they are hired for.

One of my most favorite bartenders - she works at Yacht Club - was granted a transfer to the Polynesian back in January. Even though she was going to be doing almost all of her hours exclusively at the pool bar or Tambu Lounge, she was required (like all bartenders at the Polynesian) to train out at every available bartending position available at the Polynesian, in the event that she needed to cover a shift, so that included passing a "animation" exam at Trader Sam's. Unfortunately, while guest service is definitely her strongest suit (along with making OUTSTANDING drinks), her ability to "animate" up to the standards required to pass training at Trader Sam's was not good enough. So even though the likelihood of her ever working a single hour at Trader Sam's was slim-to-none, she didn't pass Poly training and is back at the Yacht Club. And after talking to her again in April, and talking to other bartenders and servers I've made friends with, this happens WAY more often than people would think. Selfishly, I'm happy she's back at YC because that where I always stay and hang out, but I know she wanted to work at Poly more than anything and would've been a wonderful addition to their staff.

Another server at Disney Springs that I've become friends with wants nothing more than to work in a position that allows him a chance to make "memorable moments" for guests - any kind of pixie dust he can create. Right now, the easiest way for him to get to a restaurant position like that is to spend another bid season cocktail waiting at Disney Springs to earn status/seniority so he can transfer to a resort restaurant - but even then, some of the restaurants require either special training OR are not available to be bid as a full-time employee.

Now, I have no insider knowledge if any of these reasons could be behind the change at WCC - but having worked at Disney in the past myself, having so many friends that still work at Disney now and making so many new friends across different areas at WDW, it really helps to look at all sides of the picture.

Personally, I think Walt would want guest-facing things to be done to almost absolute perfection or not done at all - I think he'd rather have the shenanigans at WCC canceled entirely than to have guests not all get the same magical experience 100-percent consistently across the board. It definitely sounds like the guest experience at WCC recently definitely fell into the realm of "Bad Show" for a lot of people.

That’s really interesting that you bring up that stuff about having to be trained at all positions as you stated. I really had no idea.

I’m also 100% in agreement that this isn’t financially motivated in the traditional sense. And that it has more to do with guest complaints and changing up the restaurant experience. As far as I know they’ve had the same schtick at whispering canyon since it first opened, so while I’m not a fan of the change, I’m understanding of some of the reasons they’d want to make it
 
I didn’t realize it, but I did eat there in January. There were no antics that I can recall. I just wanted to check it out because I was considering a Cooper Creek DVC and it’s one of their table service restaurants.

Did the antics only take place at breakfast time or something?
 
That’s really interesting that you bring up that stuff about having to be trained at all positions as you stated. I really had no idea.

I really had no idea either! She'd held off for a while on requesting the transfer until she felt comfortable about attempting the animation exam. But, like all things that are important in life, she's going to spend this bid year trying to become more comfortable with the silliness that it involves and will try for a transfer again in January.

I know servers at the AKL restaurants are crossed trained, so I imagine servers at most resorts have to be available to cover any shift resort-wide. In-park restaurants (which are usually the most desirable serving locations), you're only really responsible for shift hours there. For hee-haws, if anyone eats at CRT or HBD soon - just check name tags of servers for service-year pins ... you'll see many 10 & 20-year CMs at those two establishments.
 
I really had no idea either! She'd held off for a while on requesting the transfer until she felt comfortable about attempting the animation exam. But, like all things that are important in life, she's going to spend this bid year trying to become more comfortable with the silliness that it involves and will try for a transfer again in January.

I know servers at the AKL restaurants are crossed trained, so I imagine servers at most resorts have to be available to cover any shift resort-wide. In-park restaurants (which are usually the most desirable serving locations), you're only really responsible for shift hours there. For hee-haws, if anyone eats at CRT or HBD soon - just check name tags of servers for service-year pins ... you'll see many 10 & 20-year CMs at those two establishments.
In most cases it makes sense to cross train, just not when you have establishments like WCC or trader sams where it’s such an in the role experience. As you said it hurts both the guest experience and puts the cast in awkward positions
 
Theres dozens and dozens of restaurants at WDW that have no shennanigans. There are two that do. Why take away one that does? The other option (50’s Prime Time) is even more expensive and not nearly as much fun. Those who want a normal meal have plenty of options. Not so for those of us who want a fun meal.

If the resort guests are complaining and they’re trying to increase attendance from within the resort, then put some kind of card or something on the table for guests to indicate whether they want shennanigans. That’s a compromise that could work.

They do antics at Skipper's Canteen as well - though maybe not as consistently.

When we were there at guy at another table joked to his server that it was so hot out he could go for 2 glasses of water ... well, she brought out 6 and then another server brought another, and then another, and then another - until there were like 12 glasses on his table. Then a server came by and said they were concerned with how much calories he was taking in so the brought a "Diet water" - which was an empty glass. Then they brought "river water" (which was some weird concoction). Then other servers came by with sticks that had various paper animals stuck to it and said "we heard there was a watering hole over here." It was all great and my kids were laughing so hard.

So, just another place to consider if you like that sort of thing
 
And there are a ton of other restaurants that don’t have the antics.

I don’t think it’s a bad thing to have a few locations like this.
Agreed, but maybe not in a hotel lobby. When we choose a resort we want some great food options, particularly those we don't need to go outdoors to get to ( we often have bad weather). This is a big turn off for us at WL.
 

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