Overall decline in quality at DRM
Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2018 12:35 pm
Just returning from our umteenth trip to DRM. (Have also been to Pearl and Cabo [RIP] in the past.) For the first time in over 10 years going to Desire, we feel we saw a real decline in the resort, especially the food. I know, I know, no one goes to Desire for the food. Sahlo and Suki were up to past standards (tho still kinda slow and drawn out), but the main buffet and the lunch buffet were in decline IMO. Other friends who were there just ahead of our trip dates have written us and reported the same. We had lobster several times, which was perfect on a couple occasions and not so on the others. The flounder, salmon, and shrimp "curry" were great (tho we and others with us didn't taste any curry).
Breakfast is still awesome as far as Matilda's omelets and the variety of fresh fruits, and how can anyone f*ckup bacon, but the majority of buffet items were lacking in quality. Most of these buffet items were not kept hot enough on the serving table (which should be a concern) and some items appeared to be left-over food from the previous night, which is OK and obviously cost-effective, but it shouldn't seem old and dried out.
Such was the case with the lunch buffet items too. Worst of all---- they have quit serving made-in-house guacamole. The pre-packaged stuff (confirmed by staff members who seemed embarrassed about it) is like you'd get in a low-end Mexican chain restaurant in the States. The sliced beef, pork, and chicken dishes in gravies or sauces would be rejected by McDonalds as too tough to grind for burger. I saw fresh tuna being offered one time, which I think was on Caribbean Night in the main buffet. (The last time we were at Temptation two years ago, there was fresh tuna and salmon every day for lunch.) We were told there has been a rotation in chefs and I suspect it's to improve/boost things at Pearl, which seems to be "floundering". (We say we've been to Pearl twice -- first time and last time.) NONE of this is deal-breaker. We LOVE Desire. It is, however, a "concern".
I think this is the highest turn-over in staff that we've seen. We were just there in August, and while the bartender staff seemed consistent, many of the waiters are new. Leo is still there of course, and the absolute best. This man is OCD. It's a challenge to get your coffee cup empty and the 1/2 pack of sugar from the last cup disappears before the refill as Leo whisks it away when you're not looking. He should definitely be training the new staff.
ALL but TWO of the entertainment crew members are new. Anna has been there 2 years, and Didi is now there 1 year. This is obviously hard work and subject to burnout. They are getting more time off (1 full day and 2 additional nights) which is helping morale, but we have seen some incredible entertainment people move on and hopefully it was for better opportunities rather than poor pay or working conditions at Desire. We customarily have not tipped the entertainment crew, but this year we decided we should start doing so. They are an important part in making our trips special.
This is the first time we have seen shot glasses used in making drinks (just on our last few days on site). We got the impression this is a new policy. It wasn't new, inexperienced bartenders. Perhaps someone can confirm if it is still the case? Is this to make drinks consistent? Or, has it been implemented for cost-cutting purposes? We've never had any complaint about the drink quality or the booze selection. Still don't. Just curious about this.
Again, nothing that is a deal-breaker, but enough to cause us to raise eyebrows. We were booked for Desire Cabo when it closed "overnight". Lots of folks got "burned" on their airfare when that happened, even though they were offered to move their reservations to Cancun. We also were fans of Superclubs (Jamaica) -- Hedo III, GLBraco, BreezesRB (Hedo Lite) -- and saw them all close within about a year. These are some of the things that prevented me from "investing" in the membership program for over 10 years and over a dozen trips to Desire. It is definitely a concern in my decision in not "upgrading" and dropping (investing) another $20K. We see lots more sales people for the membership sales pitch, and we see many more guests with gold armbands. We sat for the upgrade spiel and it was said that there might be some changes in policy towards the "old" membership. THAT was a big concern as we have already felt that some things are not as was promised in our original presentation. (Yes, read the fine print.)
An annual Disney World trip for the grandkids seems to be crowding out one of our Desire trips lately, but we will without doubt be booking for next December to see all of our Desire Friends again, and most likely at least one other trip prior to that. We'll be watching to see if this trend (that we think we see) continues or if Management fixes any problems that there are. Very curious if we are in the minority in this observation, or if other frequent Desire guests see it too?
Breakfast is still awesome as far as Matilda's omelets and the variety of fresh fruits, and how can anyone f*ckup bacon, but the majority of buffet items were lacking in quality. Most of these buffet items were not kept hot enough on the serving table (which should be a concern) and some items appeared to be left-over food from the previous night, which is OK and obviously cost-effective, but it shouldn't seem old and dried out.
Such was the case with the lunch buffet items too. Worst of all---- they have quit serving made-in-house guacamole. The pre-packaged stuff (confirmed by staff members who seemed embarrassed about it) is like you'd get in a low-end Mexican chain restaurant in the States. The sliced beef, pork, and chicken dishes in gravies or sauces would be rejected by McDonalds as too tough to grind for burger. I saw fresh tuna being offered one time, which I think was on Caribbean Night in the main buffet. (The last time we were at Temptation two years ago, there was fresh tuna and salmon every day for lunch.) We were told there has been a rotation in chefs and I suspect it's to improve/boost things at Pearl, which seems to be "floundering". (We say we've been to Pearl twice -- first time and last time.) NONE of this is deal-breaker. We LOVE Desire. It is, however, a "concern".
I think this is the highest turn-over in staff that we've seen. We were just there in August, and while the bartender staff seemed consistent, many of the waiters are new. Leo is still there of course, and the absolute best. This man is OCD. It's a challenge to get your coffee cup empty and the 1/2 pack of sugar from the last cup disappears before the refill as Leo whisks it away when you're not looking. He should definitely be training the new staff.
ALL but TWO of the entertainment crew members are new. Anna has been there 2 years, and Didi is now there 1 year. This is obviously hard work and subject to burnout. They are getting more time off (1 full day and 2 additional nights) which is helping morale, but we have seen some incredible entertainment people move on and hopefully it was for better opportunities rather than poor pay or working conditions at Desire. We customarily have not tipped the entertainment crew, but this year we decided we should start doing so. They are an important part in making our trips special.
This is the first time we have seen shot glasses used in making drinks (just on our last few days on site). We got the impression this is a new policy. It wasn't new, inexperienced bartenders. Perhaps someone can confirm if it is still the case? Is this to make drinks consistent? Or, has it been implemented for cost-cutting purposes? We've never had any complaint about the drink quality or the booze selection. Still don't. Just curious about this.
Again, nothing that is a deal-breaker, but enough to cause us to raise eyebrows. We were booked for Desire Cabo when it closed "overnight". Lots of folks got "burned" on their airfare when that happened, even though they were offered to move their reservations to Cancun. We also were fans of Superclubs (Jamaica) -- Hedo III, GLBraco, BreezesRB (Hedo Lite) -- and saw them all close within about a year. These are some of the things that prevented me from "investing" in the membership program for over 10 years and over a dozen trips to Desire. It is definitely a concern in my decision in not "upgrading" and dropping (investing) another $20K. We see lots more sales people for the membership sales pitch, and we see many more guests with gold armbands. We sat for the upgrade spiel and it was said that there might be some changes in policy towards the "old" membership. THAT was a big concern as we have already felt that some things are not as was promised in our original presentation. (Yes, read the fine print.)
An annual Disney World trip for the grandkids seems to be crowding out one of our Desire trips lately, but we will without doubt be booking for next December to see all of our Desire Friends again, and most likely at least one other trip prior to that. We'll be watching to see if this trend (that we think we see) continues or if Management fixes any problems that there are. Very curious if we are in the minority in this observation, or if other frequent Desire guests see it too?