A Grumptastic Restaurant Review: Victoria and Albert's Chef's Table

  Have you ever wanted to eat at Victoria & Albert's but were a bit concerned about the quiet and library-like atmosphere of the restaurant?  Well, there is an alternative that can provide a very unique and different Victoria & Albert's dining experience but comes with a bit of a price.

Awhile back, I did a review of Victoria and Albert's.  I also mentioned that it was a piece on the Travel Channel about the Chef's Table at Victoria and Albert's that prompted us eating there in the first place.

During our stay at Walt Disney World in September 2006, my wife and I had the fortuitous opportunity to dine at Victoria and Albert's not once, but twice.  Our first meal was the one I wrote about previously.  Our second time was The Chef's Table.

There are a couple things of note in regards to dining at The Chef's Table at Victoria and Albert's:

• Nabbing a reservation at The Chef's Table is harder than getting tickets to a Hannah Montana concert.
• The same dress code applies, but you will have a totally different dining experience

Just like most restaurants at Walt Disney World, the Chef's Table starts accepting reservation requests 180 days in advance.  In order to have a chance of getting a seating, you need to be on the phone calling Victoria and Albert's (we called the restaurant directly) as soon as the open for the day that you are calling.  Make sure you do your math correctly.  If you are even 1 day off, you probably are not going to get a reservation. 

But, don't despair, there is a waiting list.  Granted, the odds of people canceling are slim, but it is still a hope.  The phone number to be put on the Victoria & Albert's wait-list is:  (407) 824-1893. 

When we called, we asked for any available openings for the entire time of our stay.  Then we planned our other meals around that. 

When our concierge at the Animal Kingdom Lodge saw that we were eating at both Victoria and Albert's and the Chef's Table, we were quickly told that we must've gotten very lucky.  Apparently, according to a few cast members in reservations that we spoke to, there are people who decide when to take their trip to Walt Disney World based on when they could get a reservation at The Chef's Table.

Our seating at the Chef's Table was the night of the first Monday of our stay (September 11, 2006).  My wife got all dressed up in the second dress she had bought for this trip.  I put on my suit again, but this time changed the shirt to coordinate with the dress.

We, once again, took a taxi over to the Grand Floridian because the idea of wearing a dress and heels on Disney Public Transportation wasn't a loveable idea for my wife.  I personally don't see what the big deal is, but I am not a woman so I cannot possibly know what it's like to walk around Disney in such attire.

When we arrived, we walked up to the host stand and informed the Cast Member on duty that we were here for our seating at the Chef's Table (there is only one seating).  They immediately knew our names and what we were celebrating (my birthday and our honeymoon).

They weren't ready for us at that time, so they walked us to a little seating area near Citricos and brought us each a glass of Champagne (or Sparkling Wine, I'm not sure if was really Champagne). 

We probably sat there for 15 or 20 minutes and someone from the restaurant constantly made sure we were alright.

Quickly, we were told it was time to go into the restaurant.  It turns out the gentleman who was ensuring our comfort while we were waiting in the lobby area, was one of the two gentlemen who were taking care of us for the entire evening.

You are brought into the restaurant just as if you were eating in the traditional sense at Victoria and Albert's.  The difference was that you pass right by the dining room and into a place that most patrons don't go.....the wait station!

At this point, you are taught the first rule of dining at the Chef's Table.......

You don't talk about The Chef's Table...... Just Kidding....haha

The wait station marks a buffer zone between the kitchen and the dining room.  There are doors to the dining room and a door into the kitchen.   Whenever entering the dining room, you make sure the kitchen door is completely shut before opening the door into the Dining Room.  This was a very important rule because it was critical to not spoil the dining experience for those in the dining room.

We didn't have to wait long to find out why this was important.  The kitchen is loud.  Not rowdy family holiday dinner loud, but organized chaos loud. 

We were now brought into the inner sanctum of Victoria and Albert's.  As some people say, "Where the magic happens". 

My wife and I have both done several tours of duty as employees of restaurants.  I worked as a waiter in a fine dining establishment and I would occasionally moonlight in the same restaurant's kitchen (the chef apparently liked me).  My wife worked in the kitchen of a family-style restaurant.

This kitchen wasn't anything out of the ordinary when it comes to a restaurant except there is a gigantic niche in the back of the restaurant containing a very large dining room table that you might see in a residential home containing a large family.

There was lots of wood everywhere in the area that we would be eating at.  Plus, the walls were decorated with various articles and awards for the Chef's Table.

At this point, we found out another bit of information they don't tell you in the literature.  You aren't guaranteed to have Chef Scott Hunnel be your Chef for the evening.  In our case, we were taken care of by Chef Amy (I think that's her name, the curse of time is making that detail a tad fuzzy).

She was fantastic and very confident and you could tell she loved being the head of that kitchen.

In addition to interacting with your Chef, you are completely free to interact with anyone in the kitchen.  You don't have to work that hard to get their attention.  Many of them would walk by and ask us if we had any questions about what they were doing.  I don't know if our obvious youth and unpolished social graces promoted this openness.

We also got to witness how the kitchen handles unexpected hiccups in the evening.  During our meal we found out  a party had shown up with several extra diners that weren't on the original reservation and one of the new bodies had very exacting dietary needs.

Apparently, the kitchen is very detail oriented and they pretty much have an idea what everyone is having for dinner that evening and when people show up that aren't accounted for, they must scramble.  The Chef doesn't really like to have too much duplication of the menus at the table and an unplanned extra participant can throw a wrench into the plan.  It would be like finding out that a member of your wedding party is bringing as their guest someone who wasn't well liked by someone else at the table you planned on seating them at.  You must scramble and rearrange.

Because of this, we had a brief period where we didn't get to interact with our Chef as she took care of the current emergency.

Here is another tip we picked up during our time at the Chef's Table.  If you have dined there before, make sure to let them know the date when make your reservation (either regular dining room or Chef's Table).  Chef Amy told us that it was very informative to know we had eaten there a couple days prior because she was able to pull up our menu and make sure we didn't get anything to eat that we had the previous trip.

The food is just like you would get in the restaurant except you get many, many more courses than in the regular dining room.

When each course comes out, Chef Amy would tell us what we were eating and any interesting details about the preparation.  We did get to experience Kobe-style beef (which is an extra cost in the regular dining room) and got to find out why it's called Kobe-style beef.

At the Chef's Table there is actually a Chocolate Course.  This precedes the dessert course and is as the name  states......just Chocolate!

Our two waiters were vigilant in their desire to make sure we weren't left wanting of anything.  It really was a small taste of what I guess it feels like to be royalty.  These two gentlemen obviously loved their job.

At the end of the meal, they brought us a little take-away bag that had two greeting cards made out of chocolate wishing me a happy birthday and both of us a happy honeymoon.  We also got our menus with our names on them.  Plus, my wife got another rose.

At one point in the evening we were asked if there was anything we wanted to see in regards to the kitchen.  My wife said she'd love to see where the desserts were made.

At the end of the meal, we were taken to the little nook where the dessert chef worked her magic.  It was at this point we learned a little bit of trivia.  There is a head dessert Chef for all of the restaurants at Walt Disney World.  He designs everything we eat for dessert at sit-down establishments. 

The chefs at each restaurant pretty much picks from a menu of what desserts they want on their menu.  There are minor variations that can be made to the desserts, but for all practical purposes they are the same.  For example, I had a gigantic pyramid of chocolate at Victoria & Albert's and later saw the same dessert at the Luau at the Polynesian Resort but it was much, much smaller.

There was one thing that the restaurants had a little say in.  That is the ice cream and sorbets.  So, this dessert chef was letting us sample some sorbets she was concocting for Victoria and Albert's.  She was combining flavors to try and come up with something tasty yet unique for the dining experience.

When it was time to leave, I think it was midnight and we were exhausted and very, very stuffed.  Who would've thought that a bunch of courses of tiny quantities of food would fill you up that much.

We have yet to get another seating at the Chef's Table and once again failed for our trip we are planning for the Summer of 2008 (we are 5th on the waiting list).  We will get there again if it kills us. 

It is an experience that I strongly suggest anyone who has the financial means to experience.  To help you decide if you have the financial means to experience it, it cost my wife and me $384.50 to dine at the Chef's Table.  This price is including Florida Sales Tax and Tip, but is does not include any alcohol.  So, if you want to do the wine paring, expect to pay more.

Technorati Tags: Grump's Opinion, Victoria and Albert's, Chef's Table, Review

The Grump's Opinion: Proposed Dining Changes for 2008 Part III

I didn't think I'd be writing another post about the 2008 Dining Plan at Walt Disney World until I got to partake of it in 2008. But, I was doing my daily reading of the posts on Lou Mongello's Disney World Trivia forums and found the post entitled provided by a poster who goes by the screen name of ultramm:

Upgraded Disney Dining Experience Process & New Tip Policy at WDW

The poster provided the contents of an e-mail sent to them from The Disney Dining Experience Team.

For those who are not familiar, locals and Annual Passholders can apply for the Disney Dining Experience (DDE) card which will allow you to get a 20% discount at an extensive list of restaurants for parties up to 6. The discount applies to alcohol as well. Which is nice for those people who like to sample the various alcoholic libations that are scattered all over EPCOT's World Pavilion (Can I get a here-here for the fabulous Guinness Stout as the Rose & Crown)

I'm not sure how affiliated the Disney Dining Experience team is with the people who control the Disney Dining Plan but the e-mail provided two interesting bits of information.

The first is related to applying for the Disney Dining Experience Card:

You asked and we listened! Effective November 11, 2007, you will no longer have to wait 3 - 6 weeks to receive your permanent membership card(s).

Guest Relations locations at Epcot., MAGIC KINGDOM. Park, DISNEY'S ANIMAL KINGDOM. Theme Park, Disney-MGM Studios, DOWNTOWN DISNEY. West Side, and DOWNTOWN DISNEY. Marketplace will now be able to print permanent Disney Dining Experience membership cards for immediate use. This service is designed for existing and new members. Cards produced at the Guest Relations locations will be printed on paper stock similar to the annual pass tickets.
The Disney Dining Experience office will still be available to take applications for current and new members, via the phone, fax or mail for those who do not want to take advantage of the in-park service. Membership cards ordered through the Disney Dining Experience office will be received within 2 - 3 weeks of purchase.
All Guests who have ordered their Disney Dining Experience membership cards prior to November 11, 2007 date will have to pickup their temporary cards at the main entrance Epcot. Guest Relations. Your permanent card will be sent through the mail and arrive in 3-4 weeks from the date of purchase.

For people, like me, that want a Disney Dining Experience (DDE) card but keep forgetting to apply, this is great news. I like the idea of being able to get a Disney Dining Experience (DDE) Card as easily as I can get an Annual Pass.

Since my wife and I are going to MouseFest sans Dining Plan, the extra 20% will come in handy with all those counter-service meals we'll be reviewing...er...enjoying.  [Ed Note:  A commenter (we love them) pointed out to me that the Disney Dining Experience card is good only at Table Service establishments unless the park has no Table Service establishments]

I did notice quite a bit of weird typos in the information that was copied and pasted. I hope it's related to quirks that come from copying and pasting from an HTML e-mail (Disney likes to send HTML formatted e-mails and I'd assume this one came the same way). If that's not the case, then Disney Geek George needs to go to their office with his big red pen and do some editing.

I'm not questioning the validity of the e-mail at this point, because I've seen others post parts of this e-mail on other forums and it's also posted here on AllEarsNet.

Now the second bit of the e-mail is the part that prompted this post.

We would also like to inform you that the Walt Disney World. Resort will be implementing an across property policy change regarding gratuity at all food and beverage locations. Effective January 1, 2008, 18% gratuity will be added to all transactions, regardless of party size. Thank you for your continued support.

The way I read this (and the forum poster), is that in 2008, even though they have removed the gratuity as part of the pre-paid portion of your meal, you are still going to be locked into paying a 18% gratuity.

I know that many, many, many people have argued that the major problem with the current Disney Dining Plan is that the gratuity is included AND guaranteed at 18%. I have also been on record in my previous posts about the Disney Dining Plan in saying that I don't agree.

But, if there were any truth to that belief (and I could be persuaded with the write proof), this is not going to help that. The difference, this time, will be that instead of Disney forking over that 18% to the various waiters and waitresses, it will be the park guests.

If they aren't happy with the service and are feeling like they are having a gun put to their head to pay an extra 18% on service they felt they could get better at their local Applebee's, they will stop partaking in the Disney Dining Plan.

The one thing that isn't clear is who this policy change applies to. Is it just for Disney Dining Experience (DDE) Cardholders? Is it for participants of the Disney Dining Plan? Is it for everyone regardless of payment method?

Since the Disney Dining Experience (DDE) Card is usually beloved by those who pay for their meals out-of-pocket, I'm starting to wonder if the new policy is to charge ALL in-park diners the 18% regardless of their participation in the Disney Dining Plan.

According to AllEarsNet, they are getting conflicting information about those questions. Some are saying that it's for Disney Dining Experience card users only, others are saying it's across the board.

I'm going to have to sit back and wait to see if we get any additional information from more "reliable" and/or "official" Disney Sources.

Maybe Lou Mongello, Mike Scopa, Mike Newell, Matt Hochberg, or Len Testa can shed some light on this subject. In the case of the WDW Today boys, you answer these kind of questions almost every day on your podcast and various blogs and forums, and Lou does it weekly on his very informative WDW Radio Show podcast.

Now, if this is an across-the-board change, it could be part of a much grander plan on part of The Mouse.

I have talked to a few people about the crowded situations at the various restaurants and how that most likely plans a major role in the declining quality of service. It has been said that if you could get less people to go to the restaurants, then you would probably see an increase in service quality and maybe a return to the more diverse menus.

Forcing people to pay 18% gratuity for what they feel is sub-par service, might, just might thin out the hordes in the restaurants a bit and, in turn, increase quality of service. It could spell a return to counter-service meal for dinner crowd.

If this is just for Disney Dining Experience (DDE) cardholders, then the impact will most likely be smaller than the other scenario. It just means that your 20% discount is going to be negated by the mandatory 18% gratuity.

Only time will tell. I just found this very, very interesting.

If it is a global change, I don't want to even get into the financial implications on this. My brain hurts and I don't want to do the math....haha

ADDED:  11/10/2007

John Frost at The Disney Blog has posted that this automatic 18% is for users of the Disney Dining Experience (DDE) card only.  I would like to hear it from one more reliable source to be absolutely assured, but hearing it on John's blog makes me feel a little better.  Even with a mandatory 18% you'll still be saving about 2%.  So, it would be like not tipping and paying face value.

Technorati Tags: Disney Dining, Grump's Opinion

A Grumptastic Restaurant Review: Victoria and Albert's

Victoria and Albert's was a restaurant we got to enjoy in our September 2006 trip to Disney World.  We were first turned onto Victoria & Albert's when  it was showcased on Undiscovered Walt Disney on the Travel Channel.  Well, actually, it was the Chef's Table at Victoria and Albert's that was showcased, but the restaurant caught our attention none-the-less [ed. note:  We plan on doing a review of the Chef's Table in a future post].

My wife really salivated (no pun intended) at the idea of dining at this establishment.  Because Victoria and Albert's has a strict dress code that meant that I had to be wearing a suit (in actuality I was only required to be in a coat but the wife's wishes prevailed), and my wife needed to sport a dress.

What this translates to is a very long shopping expedition to look for the perfect dress, shoes and purse.  Plus, she needed to get me suited up.

We chose to dine at Victoria and Albert's on our first night at Walt Disney World.  This date also corresponded with my 35th birthday. 

Since my wife and I weren't allowed to take a Honeymoon after getting married and my job kept us from having a decent vacation afterwards, we decided that this trip would also count as our Honeymoon.

When my wife made the reservation she let the people know that we were celebrating my birthday and our Honeymoon. 

As rumored, we were contacted prior to our trip to Disney World by someone at Victoria and Albert's to determine our food allergies or any other foods that we just don't like to eat.  My wife told them that we would prefer to not have caviar, sweetbreads, nor corn. 

At this time the representative from the restaurant verified that we are indeed celebrating my birthday and honeymoon.

For all you men out there that are reading my blog, let me give you one bit of advice......

If you are lucky enough to be going to Victoria and Albert's and you aren't going it alone, please build in enough time for getting ready. 

I have found that it takes a lot more time to get ready to eat at a fancy restaurant than it does to get ready for any of the more "casual"  restaurants gracing "The World".

Another bit of advice I can pass on is that no matter how much you try to convince your wife, she isn't going to get on the Disney Bus System in a nice cocktail dress and heels.  That means that we needed to plan to take a taxi to the Grand Floridian.

If you think stepping in the Magic Kingdom is like stepping into another world of Fantasy, then be prepared to slip even further into the "rabbit hole" when you cross through the threshold of Victoria and Albert's.

It will become immediately apparent that you "aren't in Kansas anymore" as soon as you get in there.

My mother once told me that there is a difference between eating and dining.  A meal at Victoria and Albert's is definitely one that falls under the "dining" category.  Be prepared for a very long dining experience.  We had a 9PM seating and we weren't out of there until almost midnight.

A meal at Victoria and Albert's definitely substitutes for any parade and firework shows for the evening.

The first thing my wife and I observed was the quiet in the dining room.  I remember leaning over to my wife and whispering to her that it felt like we were having our dinner in the resource section of a  library.  You know that section of the library that all the uber research geeks like to hang out.  Where you most likely would find Disney Geek George if he wasn't tied to his duties as a Librarian.

The other thing you'll notice is that the restaurant isn't setup to hold a lot of people.  The room we were in was really only designed to hold about 12 people and there were only a couple other rooms of tables.

Dining at Victoria and Albert's is not an appetizer, entree, and dessert type of establishment.  You are going to have many, many courses.  I went into this dining experience knowing that, but the portion size is still very deceptive.

As you can see from the photos, the portions are deceptively small by American super-sized standards. 

When the wait staff sets down the first course you are sure you are going to breeze through this meal and leave needing to stop off somewhere and eat another meal.

The other thing you'll notice is that the china changes with each course.  Both the style and patterns changed. 

Now, I'm sure you are wondering what I thought of the food.

Well, I'm known to be pretty honest with you all, so I'm not going to start lying now.  There were things that I thought were awesome (anything categorized as red meat) and there were other things that weren't so awesome.  So I ended up taking a "no thank you" taste and left it relatively untouched.  My mother always told me to try everything and eat enough to show that you cared even if you didn't like it.

The thing that I thought I would absolutely love, but found that I really didn't was the cheese course.  I am a big lover of cheese (one of my few vices) but these weren't your usual cheeses.  They were exotic cheeses and they didn't taste anything like what I've ever had before.  I did try them all, but they were very pungent cheeses and now I know I don't like them.

The thing that I thought I would love and actually did was the  dessert.  Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate was the  final course and I have two words to describe it....Grump-Tastic!

There were a lot of lovely touches in this restaurant.  We all dined to tunes provided by a very talented harpist.  I must say that I've never heard Elvis on a harp until that night.

Albert (our waiter), provided my wife with a nifty device that hangs off the table that holds her purse.  The walls had what seemed like cloth-based wall paper.

Victoria and Albert went out of there way to keep us happy.  Our glasses never got empty.  When each course was provided we were given plenty of information about what we were eating.  Plus, when the entree was presented we got the whole metal dome treatment.  From my time as a fine dining waiter, I knew this was a French style service.  It is always fun to see.  Also, in the french style of service, the bread was served one roll at a time from a basket the wait staff carries.  This help prevent you from filling up on bread which is a big problem of mine. 

We did try to get plenty of pictures of our food, but I had a poor camera for the job and felt like I was committing some kind of federal crime by doing so.  A crime like taking flash pictures in a dark ride or heckling the Jungle Cruise Skipper. 

Our wait staff tried to reassure us that it was alright to take the pictures and that other people did it, but it still felt odd.  Granted, this meal was way before I even thought to start blogging about my experiences with Disney.  So, at the time, my memories were only worthy of our Disney scrapbook and photo albums. 

Next time, the Nikon D80 is coming out and I'm taking better notes about my thoughts and impressions.  Hopefully, I'll have a good flash with a diffuser on it to help prevent the blowing out of the whites that compose most of the dinnerware.

On our way out, Victoria took our picture in front of the large floral arrangement in the center of the restaurant.  Plus, we were given our copy of the menu that was customized to each of us.

Plus, to top off the evening, every lady leaves with a fresh cut long-stem red rose.

You definitely saw a different sub-set of tourist at this restaurant.  You just don't expect to see a bunch of finely dressed people when you are at Disney World.

I have heard many people state that they think Victoria and Albert's is the most romantic restaurant on property.  I can say that up to this point, I haven't found a restaurant to refute that claim.

My wife and I are definitely including this restaurant on our list of places we'll be going to again in the future.  Unfortunately, with a price tag of $253 (not including alcohol), I doubt it will be anytime soon that we'll be going back (unless they add it as a Premium dining establishment on the Deluxe Dining Plan in 2008).

Below, you'll see copies of the menus that we were given to take home.  You'll need to click on them to see a much larger copy which will be more legible.

Technorati Tags: Grump's Opinion, Victoria and Albert's, Review

The Grump's Opinion: Proposed Dining Changes for 2008 (Addendum)

For those who may pay attention to time and date stamps of posting, they will have noticed that my last post was thrown up in the early hours of this morning.  Well, as sleep usually does, another idea hit me while in the throws of counting those preverbal sheep.

Another possible solution that can better accommodate my desire for less impact on my pocket book and less impact on my dining spontaneity is possible, in my grumptastic opinion.

I'm sure, in the minds of the Walt Disney Accounting Department, they have already assigned some kind of monetary value to the snack, counter-service, and table-service credits we all get under the old and new dining plans.

I have proposed this idea on the ExploreTheMagic.com forums in the past.

My friend and Disney Geek, George, has stated that he would really not care for the table service credits on the Dining Plan.  More so due to the ever so scrutinizing palette of his geeks-in-training.  It really isn't very cost effective to dine at a table-service establishment when members of your party are very picky eaters, or worse, eat like birds.

My proposed idea is to assign a value to each credit type:

• Snack
• Counter-Service
• Table Service
• Signature Dining

Then let people pick how many they want of each and charge them accordingly.  So, if someone want a Signature Dining option each night, a table service for each lunch and nothing else they could.  You could make any combination you wanted and Disney could get different amounts of money depending on the tastes of their guests.

I would suspect that many Dining Plan participants would chose a more counter service laden option if they could.  This would free up the ADRs, and more importantly reduce the crowds, in the table service establishments.  Right now, guests have no choice about table service vs counter service.  But, I have a feeling a majority of families with younger kids face the same dilemma as George.

I think everyone could win with this kind of option.  I'm still perplexed though on how the Mouse makes money off the dining plan in any of it's current or proposed future renditions.  Is it like gym memberships where they bank of you not using it to it's fullest (a majority of gym memberships go unused)?  I know they are watering down the menus to increase profit margins, but that cannot be enough to really make a buck?

If we knew how Disney was making money off the Dining Plans, it might help give insight to their thought process when it comes to changes to the plan.  As much as I love Disney, my personal observations is that very few changes are really made strictly for the altruistic benefit of making the guest happier (to "plus it" as Walt would say).  There is something in it for them. 

I just hope something fixes it soon.  What we definitely don't want is a time where people are left holding unused credits because they could never get into places they wanted to eat.  It should never be a situation where you are forced to eat somewhere because you had no other choice.  Nothing make a vacation worse than being forced to eat food you don't like.  As a kid, that's called being at home and eating what mom made for you.

Technorati Tags: Grump's Opinion, Disney Dining

The Grump's Opinion: Proposed Dining Changes for 2008

This information was originally conveyed to me through listening to the WDW Today podcast, but was solidified in my brain through reading it on MouseSavers.com.

The following is courtesy of MouseSavers.com:

The other big changes for 2008 are related to the Dining Plan options:

1. The price of the regular Dining Plan has been reduced by $1 per person per night, meaning the 2008 plan costs $37.99/adult and $9.99/child per night. However, it no longer includes gratuities or appetizers (but tax is still included). This is effectively a 15%-20% decrease in value. However, the Dining Plan remains a good deal for many people.

2. A new Deluxe Dining Plan is available for $69.99/adult and $19.99/child per night. With this new plan, each guest receives 3 meals and 2 snacks per night . You can choose from table service or counter service for each meal (so if you can eat that much food, you might as well eat all table service meals). The table service meals include appetizer, entrée, dessert and non-alcoholic beverage. "Signature Restaurants" still count as 2 table service meals with this plan.You also receive a refillable mug per person, to be used at your resort.

3. A "Wine & Dine" Plan can be added on to any package that includes dining for $39.99 per night. This allows you to enjoy one bottle of wine per night from a selected list. Click here to see the brochure for this option.

I, personally, will most likely be using the #2 item, otherwise known as the Deluxe Dining Plan. 

Enchanted Rose and myself love to eat, current diet non-withstanding.  When on a dining plan, I am not the biggest fan of the counter-service dining experience.  Now, if I'm forced to pay for each and every meal that crosses my lips, my Scrooge McDuck side of me comes out and I will forgo a delectable sit-down dining experience at such places as Narcoossee's, Yachtsman Steakhouse, and Victoria & Albert's for the quick and dirty stylings of Cosmic Ray's, La Cantina De San Angel, or the ABC Commissary (Editor's Note:  Victoria & Albert's is only on the dining plan that comes with the Magic Your Way Platinum Plan).

But, as the title of this blog entry states, this is supposed to be opinionated :)

Just like I said in my posting about the $1.2 Billion windfall to Disney's California Adventure, this is all fine and dandy, but there are some serious problems that need to be addressed or everyone will continue to ignore the elephant standing in the middle of the room.

Currently, it isn't hard to locate complaints about the Dining Plan in its current incarnation.  There are many people who feel that this problem is associated with the fact that the 18% gratuity is included, and therefore any incentive by the wait staff to excel is thusly eliminated.

To this I say bull!  Do I believe there are slackers in the employ of the Mouse who come to work every day and think, "I really don't have to work hard today because I have 18% coming my way", yes they exist.  Do I think that a majority of the staff working a shift thinks this way...no way!

My theory, based on several years of providing fine dining wait service in a AAA 4 Diamond Restaurant in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is that volume is the problem.

I don't care how astute, attentive, cheerful, dutiful and clairvoyant you are as a wait person.  You cannot maintain your "A" game for an entire shift if the patrons are flooding your particular section of the restaurant like they were the valiant soldiers storming the Beaches of Normandy. 

The onslaught is never ending, you don't get a chance to catch your breath.  I have been there, I know how it feels.  The only reassurance you have that you are not able to give your guests the undying attention you want to give them is that your tip is guaranteed.

Disney created this problem.  They created a Dining Plan that is extremely cheap and therefore highly popular.  This popularity fills up the restaurants which taxes the wait staff. 

As the plan stands now, I can only think of one ways to make it better:

Raise the price so that it wasn't so attractive to large quantities of people.  Maybe eliminate the regular dining plan and just going with what they are now calling the Deluxe Dining Plan.  I know I'm suggesting that Disney alienate people by making something more expensive to the point of pricing some people out, but they are raising the price of admission to a point that competes with the price of one lift ticket at Aspen, Colorado.  So, why would doing the same thing to the dining plan be any different.

Instead, Disney, in their infinite wisdom has decided to drop the tip and make it a tad cheaper.  Plus, offer a deluxe plan which is likely to entice quite a few new customers who were taken aback by the mandated use of Counter Service establishments on the old plan.

So, this is what I see will happen.....

With gratuity excluded you are going to have a lot of people who don't tip.  At first, ignorance is going to be the excuse, but ultimately you are going to see that it's just the plain inconvenience of it or the fact that people don't want to pay extra on top of something they feel they already paid for (the dining plan itself).  If they do tip, I have a feeling that a 10% average will be the norm.  Thus, the wait staff will be making considerably less which is a bit disconcerting when you were making 18%.  If I made a 8% drop in income, I'd have a hard time sucking it up and improving my quality of work.

Ultimately, my opinion is this......

I shouldn't have to be sitting by the phone, like I did on Drop/Add day in college, waiting for 8AM EST to make my reservations to restaurants 180 days out for a vacation that I have hardly decided what I want to do.  If Disney could find a way to allow me to not have to book so far out, it would be more enjoyable.  The spontaneity of Dining at WDW is gone.  It needs to come back.  I really miss when I went in 1985 and my parents could look in our Unofficial Guide, pick a restaurant and go there.

But, if I went by what I learned in ECON 101, economy is driven by supply and demand.  Demand for the Dining Plan is high, supply of seats is low.  This means, price should be high!  Maybe the bean-counters missed that day in ECON 101.

But, if I had my choice, the best solution would be the one that didn't impact my pocket book, but made it easier for me to eat where I want, when I want but with little pre-planning.

What's the point of having this great Dining Plan if I cannot eat where I want (ahem Le Cellier).

EDITOR'S NOTE:

Before posting this I discussed with a certain photographer friend of mine who felt that a big part of the problem is the current ADR system.  I had to agree with him that the system does play a role in the chaos known as Disney Dining.

The current ADR (Advanced Dining Reservation) system is too loosy-goosy.  I could very easily call up right now and make an ADR for the same time in a restaurant in every park (or several restaurants).  Logic will state that I will only eat in one of those restaurants, but someone may be denied eating in every one of the other restaurants I made ADRs in because I locked them up with my gratuitous hoarding.  Tighten this up.  Prevent me from doing this.  If you want to make an ADR that conflict with an existing one, make me cancel one.  They should also be cognizant of people making reservations in different time blocks for the same meal (i.e. 6, 7, 8 and 9 PM). 

I understand this doesn't address the current state of affairs in the restaurants where they are bustling from open to close, but it does address the problem of getting the coveted dining slots.

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