Disney Guest Warns Others to ‘Do Your Research’ Before Booking Dining

Did you know that there are more than 400 dining options at the Walt Disney World Resort? Yes, you read that correctly — more than FOUR HUNDRED places to grab a bite to eat. Disney offers everything from snacks like mini corn dogs, pretzels, and pepperoni pizza spring rolls to quick service meals including cheeseburger steam pods.

And for those guests who wish to splurge, there are many amazing table service options, including meals that offer dining with some of your favorite Disney characters!

Related: Has Dining at Disney Finally Gotten Too Expensive? Guests Shocked at Extensive Availability

A Walt Disney World Resort vacation requires extensive planning, especially when determining where your group wants to eat and making subsequent reservations.

But one Redditor thinks guests aren’t doing enough research, especially about the experiences at various sit-down dining establishments.

Whispering Canyon Café is a popular table-service restaurant located in Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. The cast members there really get into the theme and have a lot of fun interacting with guests in a silly way. They’ll eat birthday cupcakes, play pass the ketchup, give out way too many straws, and fun things like that.

However, when Reddit user BonesMello dined there recently, he noticed that one group was not having as much fun as everyone else. In fact, they seemed downright annoyed by the playfulness of the cast members.

That led the OP (Original Poster) to believe that the family had not researched what dining at Whispering Canyon was like. So, they took to Reddit to ask others to please do more research before making a Disney dining reservation.

This is not a complaint—just a friendly reminder to know what you’re getting into when making a dining reservation.

Last night, on a whim, my wife and I scored a last-minute reservation at Whispering Canyon Café (Wilderness Lodge), one of our favorites.

To keep it short if you are unaware: Whispering Canyon does not whisper, and the staff love messing with guests. Some of the tomfoolery includes (but is not limited to): loudly singing “HOW’S IT GOING” to the tune of the Hallelujah Chorus, bringing oversized mason jars of soda with 4-foot straw chains when you ask for too many refills, and making guests move 8 or 9 bottles of ketchup around the restaurant. My wife and I love it.

However, we had front-row seats to a party of eight middle to older-aged adults who clearly were not ready for the shenanigans. It started when (I assume) the matriarch literally clutched her pearls for a good 30 seconds after their server unceremoniously tossed a pile of 20 straws onto the table. Then came the loud scoffing at the ketchup bit, calling it “rude” and “unnecessary”… all while making jeering remarks about the “stupidity” of the wait staff. They made zero effort to hide any of this, and while I was close, I still heard everything clearly.

Look, I get that this kind of experience is not for everyone. But this restaurant has been doing this for 20 years—a simple internet search would have told you to book Ale & Compass instead… or asked the host to inform your server that you were not interested in the hijinks.

Just my 2¢.

PSA: Do your research when making dining reservations!
byu/BonesMello inWaltDisneyWorld

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Many commenters pointed out that had the guests just asked, the cast members would not have included them in the zaniness while dining there. Disney cast members want everyone to have a great time, but they do not want to bother guests who are just there to enjoy a delicious meal before they continue on with their day.

We had a waiter there who picked up that we weren’t too in to the schtick and she toned it down a bit. We knew what we were getting in to but we do enjoy the food a lot. I also like the giant mason jar of soda for a refill. I got a tiny one when I asked for a Diet Coke and that was funny.

Of course, the guests would have had to know what would happen in order to ask for it not to happen. But other commenters agreed with OP, a simple Google search would have solved everything.

Related: The Upstairs Dining Locations at Disney No One Talks About

The upset guests could have also learned that dining at Whispering Canyon Café is not a typical dining experience by simply visiting the Walt Disney World Resort website. The website says that there will be “shenanigans” and full of “good eatin’ served with attitude,” and “Cast Members who have a reputation for sassing customers.”

If they did not fully understand what that description meant, the party could have reached out to Disney and asked for more details. After being informed about what dining at Whispering Canyon was like, they would have been able to determine whether it was the right place for them.

If you are ever unsure or have questions about a particular dining spot at Disney, you are encouraged to contact Disney, who can provide all the details you need to know. Dedicated cast members can also help you make reservations and even make suggestions about what restaurants might be perfect for you and your party.

Have you ever dined at Whispering Canyon Café? Did you love the experience? Do you think guests need to do more research before making dining reservations? Share your thoughts in the comments!