by: guide4wdw – Collin
Whispering Canyon – What’s Changed and What Hasn’t? – A First Hand Report
As many of you likely saw on our Facebook page, last week we got the chance to stop by Whispering Canyon and see what’s changed at the dining location since changes were somewhat officially announced by Disney in comments on social media a few weeks ago. A week or so ago, I shared a few thoughts in a post I called Whispering Canyon Cafe Changes – A Few Thoughts About the Location’s Future. While I do continue to stand behind my predictions for that location in the coming months and years, at this point I can confirm from my experience that very little has changed.
Now, in all reality, I can only confirm these things for the breakfast meal time as of June 10th of 2018. However, there are a few changes, but albeit minor changes more that anything else.
First off, I can’t say that I noticed any decrease in noise level and what is heard from the lobby area overflowing from the restaurant and the “antics” of the cast. You could still hear the cast interacting with guests, and for the most part it was still (as always in my opinion) a pleasant lobby area experience. Is there a noticeable decrease in noise? Not at all.
Once we were seated there were a couple things that I noticed right off the bat. The coasters that were on the table off and on for a period of time were gone, straws were still humorously strewn across the table, and there were a lot of familiar faces still in the lineup of waiters and waitresses of the cast. The coasters were originally an idea introduced to allow guests to choose if they wanted to “sit on the fence” and watch the antics, or if they wanted to participate in them. Truthfully, the choice of the guest was usually glanced over and the experienced changes very little despite what you chose in my opinion.
Another question many guests had were in reference to the giant drinks and off hand funny remarks of the cast. I think I can sum that up pretty easily. The first thing our server did was take our drink order for the table. We all ordered water and as a slight joke, the server brought us each a water but also brought one giant water promptly stating that it came straight from Bay Lake! It wasn’t necessarily the classic way they would have brought out the big glass for those who were getting multiple refills with 5 plus straws jammed together making a spectacle of it, but it still remained rather humorous just in a lighter way.
Now, for the big question and a better answer. Do they still yell for Ketchup?? Yes, they absolutely do. While we were there the table behind us ended up with 32+ bottles of ketchup and it was a pretty humorous spectacle as always!
Lastly, the stick horse races for kids are still a thing, and while the overall atmosphere may have been a touch less exaggerated with yelling or blatantly drawing attention to guests (which I used to love), very little else had changed. Truthfully, if nobody would have made a big deal about the changes on social media and such, I probably never would have noticed a difference in the experience.
“What do I make of this?” This was the exact same question I asked myself when I left the restaurant. Truthfully, at this point, I think this could have been a chance for Disney to test the waters and see how the guest response would shake out in a round about way. Sure, changes may be coming, but my best guess is that the social media outcry could have played a slight role in the overall dampening of the changes. I will say though, that in my opinion this still signals upcoming changes of some type. Disney’s going to find a way to make this location more profitable and finding ways to fill more reservations is going to be a pinnacle concern going forward. The restaurant has been too stagnant for too long in regards to filling all of their reservations. When these changes will take place, I’m not entirely sure, but don’t be surprised if changes are still on their way. For now though, go enjoy the meal because very little has changed!
If you’re looking for a review of our breakfast here, check back in the coming days because it was and continues to be one of our top hidden gem breakfasts on Disney property.
Your Thoughts
As always, if you have thoughts, concerns, questions, or even some tips of your own to share, don’t hesitate to reach out to us on Facebook or your favorite social media platform. Give us a follow while you’re there, and we’ll keep the conversation going in the future. We’re not the largest Disney community, but we’re one that’s here and one that listens. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day wherever you are! My email is always open, so don’t hesitate to send a question or feedback my way! – guide4wdw@gmail.com
Ready to Plan?
Last but certainly not least, if you’re starting the planning process, a great place to start are with some of our top planning articles! Looking for dining? Check out Disney World Dining Tips For 2018. Want to start with some more tips? 44 Excellent Disney World Tips for 2018 or Disney World Planning Guide and Tips For 2018 are a great place to begin! Looking to save money on tickets? Check out our friends over at The Official Ticket Center for great deals that even made it into our 2018 Discount Disney World Ticket selections and another great way to help us create more content through your contributions at no additional cost to you! You’ll probably even save money along the way.
