Originally Posted By vbdad55 mainly because the dumbing down in many cases has taken some of the better items ( and ones you would expect) from the menu's and severly limited options for groups of 4 or say 8 where people have different tastes. For instance, being an OKW DVC'ers- how can you have a Key West restaurant and remove conch fritters - a signature item - from the menu ? How can you have a seafood restaurant like Coral Reef - where one expects high end seafood and have NO lobster on the menu ? And the worst part - the dumbing has also brought with it, menu copying. So if you go to that restaurant next door as you suggest, a few of the 6 options just might be the same or very similar. I visit WDW twice a year for 7 - 10 days each time. I use the DDE card - and we usually are a party of 4, sometimes 8. We really enjoy the dining options at WDW, and eat 2 sit down meals each day. Always dinner and either breakfast or lunch. I do not want the very good restaurants there to become like choosing between Appleby's / Chili's / TGIF / Bennigans etc...basically same stuff at any of these, and none of them very good.
Originally Posted By mrichmondj ^^ That sort of commentary makes sense to me. Much better than just complaining about a reduced menu in general. I'm not much of a fan of lobster, most of it that I have been served in restaurants is horribly bland, so no loss to me if it's not on the menu. I'm also not much of a food guy, either. I am always counting my protein grams and fat, usually stick to chicken and turkey entrees, and don't do appetizers. Maybe I'm not one to be a restaurant critic anyway, LOL. Maybe I should restrict my comments to the workout facilities at the resorts for the post-meal calorie burn-off.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 ^^^^^^^^ the facilities where I need to spend MORE time while I am eating my way thru WDW --LOL ! add to the above list of concerns on dumbing down the fact that now the kids menu at many of these restaurants is becoming EXACTLY the same. Mac and cheese , hamburger, chicken fingers -- instead of smaller portions of specialties of the restaurant..... My kids are now 21 and 12 so that is not have as much effect on me, but half the time we travel with my Sis and BOL - and my two nieces who are 5 and 8, and are not wanting to eat the same items for 10 days straight. btw, most of this starting with the Dining your way options and all the nightmares it has caused from seating arrangements to less food options... glad I could add some detail to the discussion --
Originally Posted By CMM1 So once Disney began to push dining as a perk then they changed the dining options and/or menus?
Originally Posted By danyoung ^^ That appears to be the case. It's my opinion, based on just my observations, that there are many people who are taking advantage of the fine dining for the first time, now that it's free (or at least cheap). They're complaining about the menu items, so Disney is putting things like a cheeseburger on the Chefs de France menu. They're also simplifying their menus, as the vast majority of diners these days don't have the culinary experience to appreciate the real thing. It's very sad from a fine dining point of view, but it always makes sense for a business to cater to their customer base. I just wish they could keep the masses happy at the same time as providing more unique dining experiences for those of us who can appreciate it.
Originally Posted By hopemax It's been my observation that people on the dining plan are just as upset about the changes as the rest of us. They're chalking it up to budget crunching. If the full price of the plan is $38 per person, Disney isn't going to want people eating the equivalent of $50 of food just from their dinner (not even counting the counter service). And there are wonderings of how the restaurants are credited for dining plan eaters. Is it a flat rate, or is the exact amount per diner? The former would amplify the need for restaurants to put their meal costs on a diet to maintain their margins. It's not just unfamiliar cuisine that's being eliminated. Sci-fi has cut back all their fancy desserts, for example. As finicky as people may be, I don't think caramel, strawberries and candy bits on their hot fudge sundaes falls into the category.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 It's just a vicious cycle. Typical Disney menu: six entrees. Steak (NY Strip or filet), chicken, salmon, pasta (with or withot chicken/shrimp), veggie, entree salad of some kind. Repeat over and over across property. Fine restaurants don't offer a handful of choices. Hell, the Olive Garden doesn't offer just a handful. Dining Plan has definitely made the situation worse than ever, but the dumbing down began in the mid-90s when consultants (and I know some of them personally) told Disney it could save XXX dollars by getting rid of all those items in the kitchen. It's only gotten worse now. I wonder if those consultants would find one entree they really liked at Spoodles or Narcoosee's or Chefs de France now.
Originally Posted By koobar in the 2007 frommer's guide they mention that spain is in consideration with toledo, madrid, and barcelona to be represented.
