Before last week I would have told you that it was our absolute favorite CS lunch at WDW and one of our absolute favorite dinner services. Last week changed all that. Lunch is currently FP+ only- in other words no standby line at all- if you don't have a FP+, you don't eat there. I got the E-mail from WDW that I was eligible, immediately got on the website and they were already all gone for our dates. In the past we have gone at absolute peak lunch time and never waited more than 15 or 20 minutes to get in. I didn't worry much about it because we had a dinner ADR there and I figured we could always do lunch standby if we really wanted lunch there.
We get to WDW and discover that lunch is now FP+ only. Again, no big deal since we have a dinner ADR, but dinner turns into a disaster. On our past trips, the only rooms open at dinner were the ballroom and the west wing- the good rooms. This trip, they were using the library/rose gallery as an overflow room. Not only that, but they had a bunch of big brown industrial type carts parked in a corner of the room (not the small dessert/service carts). DD had been taking about being back at BOG for dinner for months. The minute they walked us into the "back" room, DD's face fell. She tried to stop the tears from coming, but couldn't. It was not a fit, it was total disappointment, at being stuck in the half full room that felt like a cafeteria. One of those where she was trying not to cry, but the big silent tears were running down her face. I walked her around the other rooms so she could at least experience them, but that just made the tears run down her face harder and made the fact we weren't sitting in either of the "real" dinner rooms worse. There is no switching rooms, or waiting for a table in the other rooms. If you are unlucky enough to be stuck in overflow, that is where you stay. The overflow room was never more than 1/2 full. We were near the entrance, and watched several people come in and be disappointed at where they were being taken. I took her to the bathroom to wash her hands and clean up her face, and someone had just thrown up in the sink- a lot- and a poor CM was trying to clean it up. We went back to the table and our food arrived, although DD and I had totally lost our appetite between us seeing the large amount of puke, her being sad that she was not in the Ballroom or west wing- but got stuck in the room that used to be for lunch only- and me feeling so bad about how sad she was. The only bright side of the meal was that at dinner you get to have a meet and greet with the Beast as you leave the restaurant.
After that, I really wanted to take her to lunch there later in the week so she could sit in the ballroom or the west wing, and I could make the miserable evening up to her. Not possible. We were not able to get a FP+ (which I had not been able to since the outset), were not able to pick up a cancellation, and there was no standby line allowed, as it is currently FP+ only.
So-- I would say don't go into it with high expectations. We had high expectations based on our past experiences there, and WDW's recent changes ruined them and made for big disappointment. That said (and my need to vent aside- sorry it is still just a really sore spot from our trip), the place is beautiful and definitely worth seeing. If you can get a FP+ for lunch, grab it. Also, if you can get a dinner ADR, I would still try it, especially if you have never seen it before- or if you want to meet the Beast as a dinner ADR is the only way to do that. The place is impressive. In our past experiences the food was good too. As you have not been there before, maybe it will not make a difference to you if you get stuck in in the overflow room at dinner instead of one of the two main rooms. You are allowed to walk around and tour the other rooms- and they encourage you to do so- so at least you would get to do that.
Very excited to try the dinner experience as well!
