Whispering Canyon

PrincessWithABlaster

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jan 1, 2016
So I have not been paying attention to WDW things in the last few months. I know there was talk that WC was no longer going to encourage silliness and antics. Did that happen? Has anyone been since? DH and I are thinking of taking the kids there but part of the appeal is a fun atmosphere. If it's no longer fun we may consider a different option. Thoughts from people who have been recently?
 
My review is not that recent. We ate there in June, the 1st thing I noticed was the place was 2.3rds empty and the waiter said we could yell for ketchup but he was not allowed. The place was deathly quiet and without the antics we would eat there if staying in the hotel but I will not make a special trip to go there.
 
Always looking for the latest update so I can cancel my reservation if necessary............
 
We ate there last week. My kids did pony rides, our waitress had attitude, people yelled for ketchup, and we saw and heard a lot of laughing. I had never been there before so I have nothing to compare to but we enjoyed it.
 


We ate there last week. My kids did pony rides, our waitress had attitude, people yelled for ketchup, and we saw and heard a lot of laughing. I had never been there before so I have nothing to compare to but we enjoyed it.

This was our experience in late August.
As far as crowded it depends some times we were there it was fairly empty other times it was crowded.
 
My review is not that recent. We ate there in June, the 1st thing I noticed was the place was 2.3rds empty and the waiter said we could yell for ketchup but he was not allowed. The place was deathly quiet and without the antics we would eat there if staying in the hotel but I will not make a special trip to go there.

Maybe they went overboard. I heard it was going to change in May so maybe in June they were strictly enforcing a no antics rule but have since relaxed that to allow more fun.

Or at least I hope that's the case based on other people's recent experiences. o_O
 
We also went in August. We noticed no change in antics. The server did say when asked that they can't yell as much.
 


We were there in August and it was better than our prior trip, last December (which was our first time and really won us over!). Crowds were about the same for lunch - really not that busy (which we like, less noise, more attention), and there were many calls for ketchup. Our waitress was spectacular! We could not stop laughing, she was fully into the antics, on par or even above our waiter from the year before. I say go and give it a try! It was a last minute addition (literally the day of) in December, a place I always wanted to try but other places always won out. Now it is a must for every trip, even over Ohana and, for the rest of my family besides myself, Hoop Dee Doo (I love me some HDDMR, too!).
 
My family does not like WCC however I would suggest that if you want to give it a try, just keep your ADR> Changes are happening at WL, and while you may think you want the "old" antics, you may like how the CM's are handling the adjustments in noise levels. It was freaking LOUD the time we went, and by the time we left, my head was screaming. WE had not anticipated the noise level when we were there, just the "fun."

Give it a try, and see for yourself what YOU like.
 
I've been a patron of WCC for almost 20 years and have experienced some really wild and woolly meals and some rather tame ones. I always did feel some sympathy for those who wandered in unaware expecting a traditional sitdown dining experience and ended up with "cowboys at the chuckwagon" instead. I've dined a time or two since the supposed "change" and didn't really find it to be all that serene and it was still fun. But even before the change, as I said, we would occasionally have a few toned down meals so it may just depend on who's working at any particular time. Some of the servers are definitely more "into it" than others.
 
@jarestel
Did any of you go during lunch? If so, did the do the pony races then? Thanks!
We do breakfast or dinner because we're usually out and about during the lunch hours. Lunch does seem to be the quietest time at WCC from what I've observed over the years. Typically not a lot is happening and the restaurant isn't that crowded during lunch time. I suppose they would do pony races, even if just for your group, if you asked.
 
We did dinner so can’t help with your question

We do breakfast or dinner because we're usually out and about during the lunch hours. Lunch does seem to be the quietest time at WCC from what I've observed over the years. Typically not a lot is happening and the restaurant isn't that crowded during lunch time. I suppose they would do pony races, even if just for your group, if you asked.

We did lunch both times, and I don’t recall the pony rides.

Thanks for your responses!
 
We were there in August and our servers antics were definitely a bit more subdued but they still have pony rides and yelling for ketchup!
 
I love this and was looking to see if they still did the hobby horse round the restraunt. It has been 15 years since we’ve been there so a lot can change in that time. We loved shouting for ketchup as a teen then everyone running over with it from there tables.
 
We were there in late August and still doing the same antics. We were one of the first dinner seatings though, so it was quieter because the restaurant wasn't even a 1/4 full. It's better if you get an ADR an hour or so after opening so the place gets a chance to fill up.

I wasn't overly impressed with the food this time and for that reason I'm thinking of taking this restaurant out of our usual rotation.
 
1) By DIRECT instruction of manager, the antics are to be downplayed.
2)- To many people who stay off the atrium complained.
30 There are some minor comic antics, but nothing like in the past.

NOTE:
The new Wilderness Lodge / Fort Wilderness General Manager said in a formal management meeting that she did not like Artist Point or Whispering Canyon.
Hence, the new pricing where Whispering prices went up overt 20% without a menu change, and the character dinner change at Artist Point.
 
I’ve noticed the gradual toning-down of Whispering Canyon over the years.

1. When it first open, in addition to asking for ketchup, if you were caught “stealing” the ketchup, you would be sent to “jail” and made to eat your meal “behind bars.”

2. They also took away the “cowboy handkerchief” napkins and replaced them with generic dinner napkins after everyone took home the cowboy ones as souvenirs.

3. The last couple of years, I’ve noticed the servers handing out little discs to say whether or not you wanted to participate in the antics. I can understand if someone has noise sensitivity, but if you don’t, then YOU BETTER PARTICIPATE OR EAT SOMEWHERE ELSE!

4. Eventually, they’re getting rid of the “fun” servers and replacing them with the servers that only take your order. You’d be lucky if they’d throw napkins or straws at your dining party. (Although with the latter, I fear that will soon be coming to an end with the looming straw ban.)

5. The most noticeable thing that I’ve noticed would be with the pony races around the restaurant.

When they first started doing the pony races, they would reward first, second and third places with something (e.g. a free dessert of the kid’s menu, a free toy, etc.), but then it started to get competitive and kids, (and sometimes the parents “helping” the younger kids.) would shove the other children out of the way so that their kid would be first. In order to combat that, the wait staff now has a strict rule of “No Running” and the free dessert/toy reward was removed.

Since there was no incentive for kids to do the pony races, the higher ups introduced a “Certificate of Participation” that would be awarded to each kid that was in the race, followed by the “State Your Name” Speech that was said by an ACTUAL WAITER instead of it being a prerecorded message.


Last couple of years, I didn’t hear the “State Your Name” speech or anything else (except for the “Participation Discs”.) Are they killing the fun of these types of restaurants?
 

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