I've stayed at the GF at least half a dozen times and it has been great each time. I love the classic look and feel of the resort and the overall design. The rooms are well appointed and offer everything you need, and lets face it - its a place to shower and sleep. The evening hours are really nice with the band playing relaxing tunes that are always enjoyed, especially with a cocktail of your choosing from Mizner's. The GF is one of my favorite places to just unwind and take in all the beauty. Id recommend it to anybody looking to add little bit of polish to their stay.
We finally had the chance to stay the week of November 1, 2015. And I have to say we will be back. Thankfully we were allowed an early check in 11am! Now this is a BIG hotel so it did take a day to get our bearings but anyways we were in the garden wing and near the very end and I'm thinking wow this is a long walk however when I opened the curtains there was Bay Lake! Pool is a lot of fun, well maintained by life guards and they had activities which my son loved. We ate at the sand bar a couple of times and it's a busy place. Hotel itself was spotlessly clean, I had two minor issues with the room (I used to run a small hotel, I'm very picky) but it had nothing to do with it being clean. Housekeeper tried her hardest and kept the room very nice. We used the pull out bed for my son and he said it was comfortable. Plenty of room for 2 adults and two teens, actually I found it much roomier than the GF. It's a busy hotel so if your looking for a laid back place this is not it, but the convenience of walking to MK is a tremendous bonus especially if you want to go to other resorts you can catch there bus from there. They did provide buses to Epcot which honestly was convenient as you didn't have to switch at the monorail station. We enjoyed the coffee shop and we met some of the nicest CM's there, well maintained with supervisor pitching in to keep things running smoothly. Front desk staff again, proving Disney customer service is top notch. I found them friendly and very helpful. Really enjoyed meeting CM's. The Contemporary really has something for everyone I will definitely stay again.
We've been dining at Artist Point for many years, and there was a period of time where it lost its luster, but I have to say, it's back! Had a lovely dinner there on Tuesday, Nov. 10. Started out with the Smoky Portobello Soup for me (a must-do!) and the Land Greens Salad for my husband; we were told that all of the greens are grown at The Land, and each leaf is hand painted with vinaigrette, so it takes 15-20 minutes to produce. My hubby said it was well worth the wait, as it was delicious (and quite pretty, too). For our entrees, he had the Cedar Plank Salmon and I had the Pork Tenderloin. He enjoyed his salmon very much, and I found the pork to be extraordinarily tasty. It was complemented nicely with the apple, and the goat cheese polenta was perfect with just the right amount of tanginess. One thing that has never disappointed at Artist Point is the service. The waitstaff are extremely knowledgeable about the menu and the wine list. Our waiter, Sean, was top-notch and made sure our meal was memorable.
This ride will always be a favorite of mine but the upgrade this year took away a few things that are missed. I know it needed an overhaul to include newer movies, and that is great. My biggest disappointment was the grand finale. First, the cars stop closer to the big screen and (no matter where you are sitting) that takes away from your ability to see everything. The music and movie clips including actors delivering their most famous lines isn't nearly as good or entertaining. And I don't know why the final scene of "flying over hollywood" when the cars are exiting was done away with. Now the ride ends with a plug to watch TMC. Love the ride, love Disney, but in my opinion this change was a mistake.
The bus took 20 mins to arrive and an hour to actually depart. Even though I arrived at Orlando at 10 pm...I will arrive around 1 am to my room at Old Key West.
Beautiful space. Starters and Dim Sum very good. Peking Duck very good but could be a bit warmer. Desserts uninspiring. Service needs polishing.
Had the pleasure of having breakfast at Sci-fi. It was a nice experience. The food is far better than your average Disney counter service breakfast and the atmosphere is much better than one of the character breakfasts. You get a pastry assortment (chocolate chocolate chip mini muffin, croissant, orange glazed cinnamon roll), appetizer of either a yogurt and berry (about 3 raspberries) parfait or fresh fruit (mostly mellon with a few pineapple chunks some blueberries and a few grapes). I had the egg white omelet referred to on the menu as "healthy choice". It was fine for what it was and as I said it's miles better than the counter service garbage bounty platter thing.
Morimoto Asia is a stunning looking restaurant. The interior transports you to NYC or LA you forget that your in the heart of WDW, yet its still family friendly. I'm not really into Asian food, I enjoy it but it's not my favorite. My favorite part of the meal was the dim sum (egg rolls and dumplings). I'm not a sushi expert but had the spicy salmon roll and enjoyed it. For an entree I had the beef short rib and was a bit disappointed in it. It wasn't bad it just wasn't particularly exciting. I have the feeling its on the menu as a "safe" item for people that don't want the more traditionally asian food. If short rib is on the menu I order it this is just not the best short rib at Disney. I wish I had gotten the kung pao chicken! The chocolate cream crunch dessert with tempura oreos was killer! The service was outstanding. This is a hit for Disney Springs for sure. If you're a big fan of Asian food this should be a must do.
We just returned from WDW and Port Orleans - Riverside. We stayed in a Royal Room and it was fantastic. The detail in the room was great and we would find new things each day. The resort grounds were beautiful and our location in Parterre Place was fairly close to the main lobby, bus stop and dining hall. The main pool was nice and big and the water slide was a great addition. The kids loved it! I had a blast on it too. Our usual go-to resort is Pop Century (Value Resort) but we have stayed in other moderates before. This is a great resort and we will be back. I would have given this resort 5 stars if only the bus pick-up/drop-off was better. That's one of the things we loved about Pop Century. The buses were numerous and they only made one stop. The main lobby bus stop at Riverside is the last stop/pick-up. It seems like it should be the first. We waited for at least 45 minutes for a bus to arrive for Animal Kingdom and it's usually publicized that buses run every 15-20 minutes. I can say that the 15-20 minutes were broken every time we rode the bus. We also waited quite a while for pick-up at the parks.
I stayed here in April, with my maid of honor as a gift to her. I let her pick the resort, and this was the one she wanted out of the choices. I read mixed reviews online, so I wasn't sure what to expect. When we checked in, the CM was very friendly, and they have a huge lobby! We were put in "Ranchos 6B". We had a car, so getting around wasn't an issue, but we did notice that they had a lot of bus stops in the resort. We had a room that wasn't facing a pathway, but the whole resort seemed very quiet, which was very nice! The room was super clean, and we loved the upscale, business feeling. The pool was very nice and relaxing :) I'll be staying here again!
We stayed here for part of our honeymoon, in a royal bedroom, (my husband said since I am a princess, I needed a princess room). It was wonderful! When we arrived our room wasn't ready, but thanks to a wonderful CM, she changed our room so we could get settled in :) We got a letter from Tiana when we checked in, saying that she was so happy we were there. It was a cute touch. The room itself was very pretty, clean, and cozy. The sinks were like genies lamp, and the shower curtain was Little Mermaid themed. The fireworks on the headboard were fun to watch but they didn't stay on very long. Our room had a river view (we didn't request that, but it was very pretty) and we could walk to the main building. It's a beautiful resort, and the CMs were very helpful. We used the Magical Express when we left because we flew to the rest of our honeymoon from Orlando International. It was really easy to get there from our room, and the whole system was really well done. I would stay here again and again!
Read many reviews and was nervous the food well everyone can find SOMETHING to eat, and hey with all you can eat mickey ice cream bars and wine I was all set! But the fun is fantastic! It's like going to a wedding with disney characters! Don't plan on sitting! We had so much fun dancing it was worth ever penny even without the food if you and your kids aren't shy this is the place we definitely will be back it was SOOOO much fun! And a unique experience
I had the pleasure of dinning at the Boathouse Resturant for lunch and dinner on October 20, 2015. The food was great & the drinks were delicious. The atmosphere and staff was fun & friendly. I enjoyed dinning in a 5-star waterfront environment. The Amphicar Ride was awesome!!! Be sure to check out the Ship Store for great gifts. Their is something for everyone!!! Thanks to: Nicole Kent & her staff for making our visit remarkable.
This is without a doubt (at least for me) the best ride at Disney! I ride orange and would do it over and over if I could! Kudos to Disney. This ride is one of the reasons that there is absolutely no place on earth like Disney!
Came in mid October hoping to miss the big crowds. Didn't happen . Wall to wall crush with double strollers, wait times at 75 minutes. Fast pass reservations all gone until late in the day. Streets were not well lit at night. People tripping over each other. Fireworks partially blocked by trees. Mickey has gotten very greedy.
We have stayed in the villas a few times through our DVC membership. The rooms are very nice, a special perk that I enjoy is having our own building, with a private pool and athletic center and large private lobby with chess boards, rocking chairs, and a wood fire. We have done a few different types of rooms in there and they were very nice and convenient. Easy travel to MK, via a boat or bus.
I stayed in a one bedroom villa and thought it was amazing. The details they put into the room are amazing and even the views from the cheaper side were amazing as well. The one problem I had with it was the soundproofing of the walls. I heard everything that happened outside of the hotel and it was not pleasant. Would highly recommend this resort and I am glad that I bought into this resort.
Have stayed at the Villas at the Wilderness Lodge several times. Soundproofing is excellent, rooms very clean, mouse-keeping staff very friendly and helpful if extras of anything needed. Rooms are spacious and relaxing. Walk to the Lodge is covered and the theme of the facilities are well integrated. Don't know how it will be during the expansion in 2016 as they add bungalows along Bay Lake since they will be closing the Villa's pool and hot tubs (which are also being expanded). Hopefully they won't remove too many trees - but the slash and clear crew seems to go overboard when construction is taking place.
Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa is our DVC home resort and we have never had a bad experience there. I have stayed in a deluxe studio, a one bedroom Villa, a two bedroom Villa, a three bedroom Grand Villa and a Treehouse Villa. All of them were of very high quality, comfortable, quiet and well appointed. The proximity to Disney Springs is very nice as it is a short walk to a bus stop from there that will take you to the Carriage House and then a scenic walk back to your room. The landscaping is top notch and is constantly being maintained. The staff is very friendly and helpful. The resort is less "themed" than others, and all rooms open to the outdoors (unlike the hotel rooms that open to the lobby / central courtyard or a hallway). The more time I spend here, the more I appreciate those things. There is "theming" a plenty EVERYWHERE on property, so the 'less is more' affect at Saratoga Springs is refreshing to me. As I spend time in other resorts at restaurants or shops or sightseeing, the more grateful I am for the sense of calm and lack of noise (screaming children, clatter and auditory chaos...). The resort truly is a calm and beautiful oasis amidst a World full of sensory overload. Buses come at least every 20 minutes, sometimes more often. I like that there are multiple stops throughout the property and that you can hop on a bus to get to the Carriage House or to the restaurants and shops if you don't feel like hoofing it. Even the walk to the Treehouse from The Springs bus stop wasn't too bad (walking seemed to get us there quicker than the bus connection). Eating at the Artist's Palette has always been fun and tasty. The menus are varied and the food is fresh. A nice selection of groceries and beverages, as well. If you're looking to be in the thick of the excitement, the hustle, the bustle, the noise and the mayhem of Walt Disney World, I suggest you find somewhere else to stay. Saratoga Springs is relaxing, easy, lovely and full of friendly and helpful cast members. Plus, you can almost always get a reservation there (within reason)!
Fruity drinks, tacos and wings on the water- what's better?! Hangar bar is a great addition to the future Disney Springs. The food is typical bar food but elevated, very tasty and nicely presented. The drinks are good and not watered down. Inside is kinda dark and a bit chaotic (it was opening day though). We much preferred being outside by the water. There was a nice breeze and it was comfortable despite the 90 degree temp out in the sun. This is a great place to sit and relax with a drink and share some snacks or have a light lunch - we'll be back!
Tusker House is first and foremost a character dining experience, and in this regard it delivers. Mickey, Daisy, Donald and Goofy are all at the restaurant, and travel around the restaurant to meet your party at the table. For a typical family, they will see all four characters at least once, and more than likely twice. The food is buffet style, and can be considered a watered down version of Boma. The food isn't as adventurous, or as well prepared. The care and attention to the food that make Boma the best buffet on property is just not there at Tusker House. You will frequently find food being slow to be replaced on the buffet at Tusker. Having said that, what is there is on par with other in-park buffets, such as Crystal Palace at the Magic Kingdom. All of the bases are covered, and there should be something for everyone to enjoy. My favorites were the Salmon and Strip Loin, along with pretty much all the desserts. As you would expect from a character location, there are a lot of young children running around, and there is celebration every 30 minutes or so which adds to the already high noise level in the restaurant. There are two seating areas, one in the main dining room, and one in a small room to the side, called the School Room. The small room is extremely noisy and echoey, and not very attractive in comparison to the main dining room. I would avoid being seated in that location. Dining at Tusker House isn't cheap, with adults costing around $45 each including tip. A family of four can expect to pay nearly $200 for a 2 hour experience. To sum up, Tusker House isn't somewhere I would go just for the food - for that, go to Boma. I would go back for the combined food and character experience with young ones in the party, and it is the best table service option at Disney's Animal Kingdom.
This was our first time eating here. We really enjoyed the short movies . I ordered the ribs and they were good but messy. My oldest daughter loved her chicken pasta. My youngest daughter got the cheeseburger and had to take it back with us because she was to full to finish it. My husband ordered the steak and thought it was ok.
My Husband and I stayed here for Star wars weekends in May. We were in the Casitas section and only had a short walk to the buses and main building. The food court was decent and I was surprised to food that matched the Mexican theme. The room was clean and comfortable but I wish there was a night stand on both sides of the bed. The grounds were very beautiful!! We didn't swim in the pool but it looked like a lot of fun. There are random hammocks to lay in around the pond and it was very relaxing and quiet.
My husband and I stayed here last January in a Little Mermaid king bed room. The theming is fantastic and it really is larger than life. Check-in was a breeze, the food court delicious and they had a great gift shop. The room was clean and a good size. The only complaint I have is that the Little Mermaid rooms are a far walk from the main building and buses.
The Osborne light show has been a tradition in my family for years. I am sad to hear Disney is going to be discontinuing it after this year. I know everything changes and progress and imagineers must continue to dream more ideas to excite disney fans, but to remove so much of the Christmas vibe in order to put in more toy story or star wars is just not what this disney fan desires. I wish they could imagine a way to keep the Osborne light show and expand the rides they desire to expand. Change is good but so is tradition....I don't want to lose the "Christmas celebration feeling" that Disney has done so well for so many years.
If you are scared for the drop, it goes by in two seconds. If you are really scared, just close your eyes and breathe out slow, you won't even feel it. Second of all, it is a great thrill, great theming, a great queue and a great story all in one attraction! A MUST DO EVERY TIME! :)
We just returned 8/25 from a 6 day stay at the Club Level with a theme park view. What an amazing experience. The convienance of the monorail cannot be understand and having the concierge made it our most memorable stay. The rooms are well themed and spacious and the nice folks at the concierge do everything they can to take of you. I would recommend the poly to anyone.
We stayed at CBR for a few nights in January of 2015. It was great. Before you get too caught up in the "disappointed" reviews, know this: many (possibly all?) rooms have now been nicely renovated and there is nothing to worry about. I did some research before going, and found out which buildings had been renovated up to that point. Based on other reviews I read, we chose to stay in the "Aruba" section, and were very happy with that choice. When you do your online check-in, you may request which section you want at that time. There's actually a multiple-choice question and you just click the one you prefer. That is not a guarantee, but it makes your request known. Our preference was granted, and the rooms were brand new and really nice. We also requested a room near the bus stop, which it definitely was. We figured it was more important to get to the bus stop quickly than to the food court quickly. Plus, avoid all the food court crowds and noise. (Your priorities may vary!) Aruba was not the closest nor the furthest "island" from the central area with the food court/restaurant/main pool. If anybody of average health tells you it's a "long walk" from Aruba, I don't know what to tell you. It's not. We are in our 40's with minor back issues and it was always a nice little walk. We figured we could use a little exercise with all the extra eating! Which brings me to the food court: it's not huge, but it reminds me more of a mall food court - where you have different cuisines at different stations, with typically made-to-order food, and some grab-n-go sections. I don't know why everyone complains about this food court. Nothing was bad, it's convenient, and not terribly overpriced. I actually particularly enjoyed a pulled pork sandwich with some kind of sweet relish/slaw on it that was fantastic. (I got a similar sandwich one day for lunch at Whispering Canyon Cafe, and did not think it was as good as the one from the food court.) Shutters, the restaurant, was also better than expected. I read a lot of "mediocre" reviews, so maybe my expectations were low. We were very happy with everything we ordered. (They are only open for dinner, btw.) The server was an absolute sweetheart and the banana cocktail was fab-u-lous! ...which brings me to Banana Cabana, the pool bar. Very friendly bartenders, we had some nice conversations, and typically ended our nights there. I liked that relaxed atmosphere better than some of the indoor bars at other resorts. For perspective, we have also stayed at 2 other moderate resorts: the Coronado and POR. We like them all for different reasons, but we agree we had the most fun time at the Caribbean Beach Resort, and that is why we chose to book it again for our upcoming trip in just 2 days. (I seriously can't wait to get another one of those pulled pork sandwiches!) Should anything be different this time, we'll post an update or another review. The only downsides for us, I will agree with other reviewers, would be the bus system and also the odd check-in procedure. You have to go to a completely separate building, not exactly that close to the actual resort, in order to just check-in and do nothing else. Whereas, with most hotels you would do this in the lobby. Since it was our first time there, we didn't realize we could have walked from there (but that actually IS kind of a long, meandering walk) and so we waited for the in-resort bus to take us from the check-in building to our building area. On the night we left, we kind of forgot about that part LOL. We made a reservation at Shutters for the last night, thinking that would make it easier to get the Magic Express, rather than trying to rush back from a park or other resort. When we were almost done with dinner, we realized we had to get back to that other building (quickly) to get the Magic Express. Our waitress explained how to walk there, but it was not a direct route and we could have easily gone the wrong way LOL. And the buses to the parks...there can be a decent wait, and many stops before you leave the resort. Once we waited a very long time to go from one of the parks back to the resort. The reason that is not bothering me for our upcoming trip is we are driving up, so no buses, no worries about the other check-in building (in fact hoping we will get the morning text with our room number and can skip that building altogether - that would be awesome.) But honestly, I think if we were flying (and therefore subject to the bus) and assuming all pricing for other moderates were comparable, we'd stay at one of the other resorts for that reason alone. (We like to try all different ones anyway.) When we drive up, CBR is the way to go. Recommended without hesitation.
We have eaten here for lunch on 2 occasions, and thoroughly enjoyed it. However, the dinner was far less than expected. We had reservations and did the normal check in. From there the buzzer buzzed and we were called to stand in the hot August sun. I figured, thats fine, it will be quick. Well, 20 minutes later they told us that it buzzed accidentally and they didnt have our table. Luckily, the nice young lady working outside was pressuring the inside to get a table for us. Several minutes later we were brought in. The ambiance is lovely, but the service we awful (20 minutes for the waitress to even come to the table) and the food was average at best. It was good to try once for dinner, but wouldn't do it again.
I've been going to Downtown Disney's Earl of Sandwich since it opened, but based on my last visit this past weekend, I might not be back. Pricing has recently gone up, with the Club Sandwich now costing $6.99. The filling was very thin, and did not go to the ends of the sandwich. Even in the middle, it was so thin - a cross section of the sandwich is 95% bread. There was hardly any tomato and lettuce, just a few very thin slices of cheap deli meat, and some kind of sauce to make the bread a soggy mess. The kids sandwiches are very low quality - the turkey and swiss was 99% bread with just a few tiny strips of low-end processed turkey - not something that you want to feed a child. It is very difficult to find a seat inside, so you will more than likely be outside. The ordering process is hectic - something which I used to overlook when the food was good. Sadly my go-to quick service at Downtown Disney is no more.
Our family absolutely loves Raglan Road. We tried it many years ago only because I couldn't get a reservation anywhere else. Some glad we did! The music and the dancers are wonderful, and the food always amazing. Please please please try the "it ain't bleedin chowder" one of the best dishes at Disney world. You will not be disappointed.
Our lunchtime experience was decent, with prompt service and decent food, though our table was right next to the kitchen doors, so there was a lot of activity around us. It's not a place I would try to get back to, but it was a good place to just sit and eat decent food.
The food was good, the service was prompt, and the ambiance was well-themed and comfortable. It made for a nice break from the energy of the park, and the portions were generous without ending up bogging us down for the rest of the day.
We tried Via Napoli based on some great reviews. We each ordered our own pizza; mine arrived slightly burnt and quite uneven in toppings and overall shape. My wife's was a little better. Our server was incredibly over-the-top animated, and was a bit of a distraction for us to be able to sit and enjoy our meal.
For such a highly themed restaurant, I really didn't find the food appealing or the booths we sat in, which was surprising to me since I love 50's Primetime Cafe. The kids seemed to enjoy it, though.
We had lunch at Yak and Yeti and enjoyed the food, but felt that the service and experience was a little rushed and a little cramped. We were located upstairs at a smallish table, so that probably tainted our impressions of the experience. Food was tasty and interesting, which is a good thing.
The restaurants theming is spectacular, but other then that there is nothing special about it. The foods average as well as the service. However, after visiting animal kingdom the decor is fitting and a good way to complete your day.
This ride is truly breathtaking, and is by far my favorite attraction in Epcot. It's so realistic and is probably the closest thing to hang gliding I'll ever do. However, I highly recommend getting a fastpass unless that is you want to wait in a 100 minute ride. This is a must do attraction that you are not going to want to miss. I'm so excited to take my son on it this fall as he now meets the night requirement of 40 inches :)))
I've eaten here three times. The atmosphere is truly breathtaking, however during dinner the ballroom can get pretty loud. The food was great and the service as well. Hoping to take the little ones to eat here on September 5th, but not sure if we'll be able to get in:(
Just came back from Orlando yesterday. Me and my husband wanted to stay at Shades Of Green ever since the first time we discovered it years ago on another Disney vacation. We are sooooo disappointed, the resort was not what we expected, the outside looks pretty and the lobby is big and fancy, but that's about it. The rooms are not cleaned, towels were smelly like they never wash them, the bathtub dirty and lots of things and handles broken. Two huge cockaroaches appeared from inside the TV furniture. People weren't friendly not helpful. I wouldn't recommend it.
Well worth the wait. Lines dont move fast but still worth it.
Love this restaurant - when our sons were small - this was their favorite place to go. Now that they are adults, it is still their favorite place. The hamburgers are wonderful and the milkshakes superb. Ice cream sundaes are to die for - made with such care; they are done perfectly. Every time we go there, we look for our favorite waitress - Herilina. She is like a family member. Such a hard worker, kind and compassionate about her job. All the servers are great but Herilina is always there for us. Always a smile and hug. We would not miss going there to enjoy the great food and the wonderful service.
I want to let everyone know what a fantastic place this is to eat. Not only is the Breakfast buffet excellent but the service there is superb. From the hosts/hostesses to the servers and the manager, this place is amazing. It is our favorite place to eat breakfast and whenever we are at Disney, we make sure we have reservations to the Captain's Grille. The servers are like family to us - friendly, helpful and conscientious. The manager, Frank, is very nice and enjoys talking with the customers. The host Franklin is always friendly and helpful. Every server is amazing but Alba, Paul, Robert, Mura(from Morocco) are names I will not forget as they are so very wonderful to me and my family. Excellent place to dine - don't miss it.......
I've been going to WDW since 1973, and on my first visit to Disney/MGM Studios in 1990 I found this restaurant to be interesting, funny, and different... and surprisingly good food for a reasonable price. I've been back again and again, most recently in 2013 to enjoy the ambiance and the food. A great place.
We have an ADR for this restaurant during every trip. During our last trip service was poor but the food was still good so we figured it was just an odd thing. During our most recent trip the service was poor and the food was just okay. The ribeye that we all loved is not boneless (takes away a lot of the flavor :( ). The potatoes served with the ribeye were very underdone almost not cooked. When I inquired I was told that was how they are served now (find that very hard to believe). My husband and I ordered the maple creme brûlée and it was horrible. The top was inedible!! The creme tasted like nothing but plain think pudding. Needless to say we were quite disappointed and even years of eating here we are truly not planning on returning. Far too many better restaurants on property to experience and enjoy!
We have stayed at Wilderness Lodge every trip but always walked past Artist Point without batting an eye and going to Whispering Canyon (great food and fun!), must say what a fabulous meal we were missing. Yesterday a storm moved in as we were relaxing in our room checking for dinner reservations and thought why not let's try Artist Point (which is 2 credits). Oh my goodness, one of the BEST meals ever on property (surely now in our top five). We loved it so much that we even switched our plans and returned this evening. I must say our waiter Martin was FABLOUS and we even asked to return to his section this evening. He was the best service on property this entire trip and some of the best service anywhere. I must recommend the fresh donuts for dessert! But you can't go wrong with anything on the menu.
We were quite underwhelmed by our experience at The Boathouse. For a signature, 2 credit, restaurant you would except excellent food and service. We ordered the lobster bisque for our apps and it was warm almost on the cold side. My husband and I ordered the filet minion, this was our least favorite filet anywhere within Disney Springs or on Disney property. We did however order a side of the new truffle fries (all items are ala carte) which were quite good. For dessert my son and I ordered the key lime pie which presentation wise was quite unique but the taste was that of heavy artificial lime flavoring, close to being not edible. The service was just that okay nothing wonderful. The tables are placed VERY close together making it difficult for customers and services to move around. Being a new restaurant, they appear to have quite a bit to work on.
Worked flawlessly in every aspect. Enabled us to enter our park of choice each day with a plan that fit our wants and needs. Greatly reduced our wait times (as well as time and effort spent criss-crossing the park pulling tickets and returning later) thereby enabling us to take afternoon breaks and slow down our pace without sacrificing any attractions, shows or dining experiences. Could not have been happier to get rid of the time-consuming, antiquated paper ticket system! Still feel Uni has an advantage with their Express system, as scheduling, tiering, and limits don't apply there, but the new system is a huge step in the right direction to providing a more customer focused system. From the bands - which eliminated having to keep track of room keys, park tickets and Fastpasses - to the app and advance scheduling, we were all very pleased and felt it was a great enhancement. Reasons for 4 Stars instead of 5: - At the time of our visit (July 2014) additional same day, in park FP's had to be requested via kiosks. If that cannot yet be done within the app, that's something they need to implement asap. Kiosk locations were very limited and an unnecessary inconvenience to the guest. - Tiering - Limiting on-site resort guests to only 3 in advance, especially at Magic Kingdom
We ate here back when the place had first opened and the restaurant left us feeling somewhat underwhelmed and satisfied at the same time which is just weird. First of all the setup is confusing. We had a lunch reservation so there were no problems getting in and were seated right away but I did not like how we had to pick what we wanted to eat when we set up the reservation. I also did not like how the food came out in carts and it also seemed like it took a while to get our drinks and food. I had the French Onion Soup and the Strawberry Cupcake and my husband had the Braised Pork. Both were good but I felt like they were small portions for what you pay. Once we got our food our "waiter" was non-existant for drink refills and so forth. That's bad. The theme of the restaurant is beautiful and thank goodness we were seated in the ballroom because we went to go look at the "rose" at some point and it was way too dark to me to be able to enjoy eating in that room. I felt for the people seated in there. But the whole experience was just blah to me. It's like the place is trying to be something is isn't with everything pretty much. I feel that if they serve the food regularly at dinnertime then it needs to be done at lunch as well. The "dark room" needs to have some more lamps on the tables or something so people eating in there can see what they're doing, since I've read numerous reviews that this was a problem. There might need to be less tables in the ballroom as it was just too crowded and loud also. We've been to DW twice since this trip and never bothered to eat here again so that tells you something...there are better places in MK to eat at.
I know that there will always be some bad experiences, but I must say that I am amazed at how well the Disney Bus System works. Of course, they can be crowded, a little bumpy, and some of them make frequent stops. On the other hand, I have never been on a Disney Bus where the driver yelled or seemed not to like his/her job. If anyone is ever rude, it would be other guests who don't give up seats for those needing them. I am not saying this from just one or two trips. I have been around 15 times over the last 10 years and have stayed in all levels of resorts. While I may have had to wait for a bus 20-30 minutes, the waits are usually less than 10-15 minutes. Overall, Disney Transportation does an "A+" job.
My family and I moved to Orlando this past February and purchased Disney annual passes for the first time. Although we love all the parks and have been enjoying them immensely, our favorite activity this summer has been going to see the Sounds Like Summer shows at the Epcot theatre. Apparently we are late to the game…we have met hundreds of annual pass holders who frequent these shows and are probably more qualified to give reviews, but I guess as new participants we can offer a fresh perspective. I think the fact that we have met so many people who love these shows and still come to nearly ALL of them for years says a lot. From my perspective, finding a "family" of rock fans who enjoy this music as much as we do is a gift in and of itself, especially since just moving here and not knowing anyone. We have loved meeting these wonderful people and enjoyed seeing them throughout these last two months. My husband and I both work, but we have come to see each of the bands this summer for at least one night, mostly on the weekends. Our favorites were the Boston, Billy Joel, and Eagles tribute shows. We liked the Journey show also, especially since it was the first show we saw there so it was really exciting, but by comparison it felt a little frantic…maybe they were just nervous and trying a bit too hard. The Boston group is not one of the locals favorites, but musically we thought they sounded really great! The Billy Joel tribute was outstanding on every level, and I'm not really even a Billy Joel fan, but I know a great show when I see and hear one. Apparently the local's favorite is the Eagles show which was the last one of the season. My husband and I are huge fans of the real Eagles, have been to 14 live concerts, and have a very discerning and critical ear when it comes to their music, so even with all the hype we didn't expect much. All I can say is WOW! We went to see them their opening night on Sunday, and went back every day. I didn't think it was possible, but these guys actually sound better than the real thing! We'll still go to see the real Eagles of course whenever they tour because they are rock icons and wrote all that amazing music we love so much, but to hear it in this smaller and more intimate theatre performed with such energy and attention to musical detail was absolutely wonderful. In addition, the friendly locals were kind enough to introduce us to these guys, as if they were family! They have made a lot of friends at Epcot, and apparently everywhere they go, many people follow them on their tours. It was a pleasure to meet them and get to know them better over the week, and they couldn't have been nicer guys…humble and kind. Just walk right up to them after the show, they are happy to meet you and great with the kids too. So Sounds Like Summer is now over for the season, and we miss it already! For those of you holding season or annual passes who haven't gone to these shows before, we highly recommend them. And to those visiting Disney World on vacation, take at least one day to go to Epcot and see one of these groups…it's definitely worth it. Even though we felt some of the groups were better than others, they ALL were great fun and entertainment, and the theatre is beautiful, has amazing sound for those of you who have a critical ear, and is a perfect place to relax and enjoy a show after a long day in the parks. Be sure to stay for the last show and watch the sun set in the distance while you listen to some of the best rock music of all time. Thank you Disney and Epcot for this unexpected PLUS with our passes! SOUNDS LIKE SUMMER TRULY ROCKS!
I did orange team as I rarely get motion sickness, so I thought I'd be fine. I am in good health but I do have anxiety. This ride was cool at first but I quickly felt sick and I felt sick for the rest of the day. I could barely walk without being overwhelmed with nausea. One time on this was enough for me.
I make a point of seeing this nearly every time I'm at EPCOT. The storyline and claymation are not amazing, but Michael's performance is outstanding. It's easy to forget the less exciting aspects of the show when watching a legend of dance at work. My advice to viewers is to be more open to appreciating that sort of thing. As a side note, I really prefer seeing performance/innovation-centric attractions to the careless meet and greets Disney keeps putting up.
I know I did a review of the great movie ride before. That was before the updates they had this year. And I have to say, what a great improvement! I'm glad that the Tour Guide still gets to say something instead of having him or her mute. I was on a mini trip couple weeks ago and the tour guide I had was funny. And the acting between the tour guide in the gangster was excellent. So like I said, great improvements for a great ride!
My husband and I are both seniors and go to WDW once a year. We have stayed at Port Orleans Riverside 4 times and are staying there again this November! We love the atmosphere at Riverside. We always stay in Alligator Bayou. We love the secluded tropical pathways with little bridges and surprises at each twist and turn. There are beautiful quiet pools tucked away in each area. They are never crowded and just beautiful and peaceful. We have never felt the need to visit the main pool, though it looks like a lot of fun for someone younger:) The rooms are nice and have never had a problem with housekeeping. We are always able to walk to our bus stop without problems. No matter which building we stay in, we always feel secluded and surrounded by wilderness and the tropics! The Mill has a great selection of counter service food. We always eat there several times. It has a quaint setting with the huge water wheel cranking the huge beam in the main area. We especially like the make your own pasta bowl and salad bowl that they have. You can just wander down the hallway past the "Roost" lounge to the main entrance, registration, arcade, and the general store. I love browsing around their well stocked Disney general store for treats and gifts. I am going to surprise my husband with a carriage ride this time, as it looks like so much fun. We always take the boat to DTD several times. It's a beautiful ride in the evening with the lights and gentle breezes. It's a nice alternative to the buses to DTD. We have never stayed in the Mansions, but they look absolutely stunning and elegant. So, if you like the elegant look of the Mansions or the tropical laid back look of the Bayou, this resort is for you. The bus system at POR gets slammed frequently on Disney sites. However, we have ridden the buses at all hours of day and night for several trips, and have never had to wait over 10 or 15 minutes for a bus. The wait usually was under 10 minutes. One night upon returning from HS after fantasmic, we had to wait for a bus back to the resort for 30 minutes, but so did all the other resorts. It was just slow getting out of there. For us, POR is our home away from home. I know I'm "on vacation" when I step off the ME and enter the main building! Yes, the fun has begun! I would recommend this resort to anyone. It is a huge resort, so if you don't want to walk a lot, it may not be for you. We both have mobility issues so we always request and get a room close to everything.
This last May the Fam and I decided to visit the aforementioned Whispering Canyon for dinner. I am happy to say I was not only pleasantly surprised, but was completely blown away! Starting with the service. The gentleman’s name escapes me, but his attention to detail, and playful banter with my children, has yet to fade from memory. From asking for “Ketchup” to quickly righting the ship after a beverage spill super server was more than happy to help! Now the food… I ordered the All You Care To Enjoy platter. The ribs were some of the best, outside of a BBQ restaurant, I have ever "Cared to Enjoy". The pulled pork and sausage were also standouts but those ribs!!!! The kids meals were the standard fair…and the nuggets and mac and cheese looked to be tasty - no complaints lodge “pun intended” and everything was eaten! However, I cannot recommend this enough, order the Wagon Wheel Chocolate S'mores. Trust me here, order it…and a very large glass of ice water! It was a complete package…great service, wonderful food and solid atmosphere. A wonderful dining experience and would suggest to anyone looking for a goodtime with great food!
Rainforest Cafe is as close as you will get to a neighborhood chain restaurant at Walt Disney World - think Chili's, TGI and Applebees. The menu is large, covering all the bases from chicken, pasta, steaks, ribs, burgers, salads, sandwiches and huge desserts. The food isn't gourmet by any stretch, but it's a safe option with something for everyone in the party, especially for the not-so-adventurous eaters. Watch out for high priced speciality drinks with no price on the menu - there is a definite hint of being a tourist trap here. The servers push huge appetizers, $15 non-alochoclic drinks, and large desserts - be warned. The decor is different and interesting - lots to look at and listen to, great for kids. The restaurant is loud and noisy, and quite dark in places. The restaurant has two entrances, one from inside the park, and one from outside the park - so admission to the park is not required to eat here. If there is a wait for your table, a very large gift shop and aquariums can help pass the time. Overall, I can recommend Rainforest Cafe if it meets your needs - large capacity, air conditioning, lots to see, and a varied menu of reasonable quality.
This is one of our favorite dining spots in all of Disneyworld. We have been there many times and have never been disappointed here. The only thing missing is Ratatouille the rat who was brought out to entertain guests. That was a fantastic addition to the dining experience. Sadly a waiter told us some people complained that it scared them. Well Boo Hoo. That's whats fun about Disney...... surprises! If you can't stand a mechanical small friendly rat then go somewhere else for vacation. It was great.
This ride was amazing!! It wasn't all that scary.. More unexpected!! It was a thrill and there were PLENTY of signs warning parents how "scary" it would be. Not Disney's fault people don't listen!! Hopefully they will bring it back..HOPE! HOPE! HOPE!!!
We ate there in March 2015 and had a great experience. Our food was delicious (ordered the carne asada), atmosphere was cool, and waitstaff very friendly. We had family ranging in age from 8 to 70 and no complaints. Would eat there again!
Our family loves coming to WL. We have stayed at pretty much every resort on property and this is our favorite place. The ambiance of the place when you first walk in is phenomenal. Not to mention being right on the lake give you the option to take the boat over to the Magic Kingdom (still wished the monorail would come here). We have never been disappointed in any of ours stays here and will being staying at WL our next trip in September. If you love log structures this place is a must stay. The people are great and it is one of those places that makes us feel special from the moment we walk in.
Not a huge fan of French food, but this was excellent. So much so, that we are going again on our trip back home in August. The ambiance and service were top notch, and the food was out of this world Highly recommended.
Im 14, and this is my favorite ride in Disney. kind of surprising isn't it? This ride makes me emotional and I love figment with channing. There are never any waits and its just good to sit back and enjoy it
This was our 3rd visit to the park over the years, and somehow it starts out good but turns bitter during the day. The park closed at 5 pm, we managed to enter just before 10 am and it was jammed packed. The carnival rides in Dinoland are terrible. My back is still sore from riding the time machine roller coaster, it had very hard stops and sharp turns. At dinosaur, the sign said 45 minute wait but took us longer than 1:15 to ride it. There were tons of people with fastpasses and personal guide tours that were allowed in before us in the stand by line. The only positive was the safari, which had a short wait. We did not get to ride anything else because of the long wait times, even though we were there until closing.
I have always found (with only a couple of exceptions) that the Disney Transportation System was very efficient. I often find that it is being monitored, and that buses are being redirected to the resorts or parks of greatest need. There are often transportation supervisors at major busing hubs, monitoring line ups and wait times. They are followed through global positioning, and Disney has a pretty good idea where any of their buses are at any given moment. That is the good news. The bad news is that there are high traffic times, and things do get backed up.... ie after fireworks, special events, or park closings. No bus line on the planet is able to handle those peaks of travellers the way we might like. It's at these times that I congratulate their bus system for doing as well as it does. Sure we are tired, our kids may be cranky, and the buses are packed to the rafters. But the drivers and the systems do their very best to get us back home safely. I find that the vast majority of people who complain, are the people who would never take a bus when they are back "home". These people are comparing bus travel to the family car trip, not to the constraints or challenges of bus travel in general. Take a bus to a ball game or concert, then see what it is like when everyone gets out at the same time. It will be packed, and likely much more inefficient than Disney. I personally congratulate Disney!
I would never ride Orange, but people should definitely ride the Green team side. It's really not bad. For a comparison, it's just like Star Tours for its movement. Very well themed throughout.
I feel like a lot of people skip this hotel just because it's not owned by disney and that means you get nothing- but honestly, the only things you dont get here are the dining plan and Magical Express (which never applies to me since I fly in at Sanford.) This hotel has great location for sure, and while it is more business related, you can't really tell, the theming is charming yet sophisticated and there's plenty of fun things for the kids (The grotto pool is a must-see!) There are a lot of weird fees at times, they charge for parking -_- but still a great hotel. The best thing though, is the price- deluxe digs at moderate prices, with flight/hotel bundles most of the time to sweeten the deal. You just can't beat that :D
Stayed for the day a few years back with my Florida relatives - theme is super consistent, hotel is big, spacious and beautiful, pool's a bunch of fun, restaurants are all delicious- need I say more? From the glimpse i got of the rooms, the beds were super comfy and it was top notch. Even if you can't afford to stay for too long (because it's quite expensive!!) check it out for the day and you'll have a great time :D
As many other reviewers mentioned, getting reservations is a real challenge. After speaking to member services availability even in dvc resorts is limited especially during peak seasons. Disney has the right to keep a certain number of rooms for themselves to book at any time. I have also noticed that while my annual maint. Fees have been going up yet the quality of the rooms is going down. On my last trip there was severe water damage to the rug in my room,refrigerator was caked with rust on the inside and out, latches on the doors were broken or falling off and the hvac system door was covered in dust. Member services of course offered a sincere apology but that doesn't make me feel better about the money 8 send in every year.
Have been to Be Our Guest several times. Have never had an issue at this theme restaurant. We always were able to get the dining area we wanted (west wing) have always had polite wait staff and have never had an issue with the food. Granted the "lunch" time seatings are vastly different from the main dining times but one should know that going in and choosing lunch over dinner. The longest we have waited past our "reservation time" was about 5 minutes. I do not agree with the bad reviews of this dining theme area.
Kali is old. That is the long and short of it. Having gone to Disney 35 plus times over the years the ride was great in its day but its time for a change. Is it worth a 2 hour wait? No. Is it something one should do? Yes especially if its your first time to a Disney park. Get a fast pass for it. The queue line is wonderful though as a lot of thought was put into that part. Fact of the matter is it needs upgrading and made longer with a few more drops and thrills. Not an easy thing to do for sure but if it can be done Disney can do it. Again in its time is was the ride to be on of this type. Now is has at the bottom of the heap of this type of ride simply due to age. I have heard or read nothing however that any kind of upgrade is in the plans for this ride. One thing is for sure though. You will not make it through this ride without getting wet!
Disney has the money, space, and imagination to do much better than this. When they start putting rides like this, Stitch's Great Escape and that awful Jack Sparrow "ride"into the patks, I wonder who is running the show and why they have not had their head examined.
My fiancé and I were so excited when we got in. We ordered our food from a computer and it seemed pretty cool until we went into the dining room. First, why do I have to make a reservation for an overpriced cafeteria? You have to find your own table. You also have to grab your utensils, napkins, drinks and condiments. After that fun, we sat down. Our food was brought to us and it did not look anything like the food on the menu. I got the tuna steak with salad. The portion of the tuna was half what it showed on the screen and it was cold. The salad was a joke. It was horrible, it was mostly olives. I don't like olives and I knew it had some but half my salad was olives. I picked them out and had a handful. My fiancés was a glorified grilled sandwich. I left hungry and disappointed. We will never bother eating there again. There's so many better restaurants in the park. This was the only one to disappoint which was a shame since Beauty and the Beast is my fiancés favourite movie. The restaurant is cool and worth seeing. But I would just make a reservation to see it and take pictures then leave. The desserts were good but still overrated. Especially the grey stuff. It was just grey coloured whipped cream. Don't waste your money or time here. I hope they eventually improve this restaurant.
Dinosaur combines lots of elements to make it what it is: a truly fun ride. It has a plot, great theming, fantastic animatronics, a great, forboding preshow, thrill, humor, etc. For those concerned, it really is not that scary, even when you scream they soon turn to laughs. Be warned, it is fairly jarring, but for the scare factor, people make it up to be scarier than it is. Enjoy!
We got a FP+ reservation for lunch at BOG and the kids and wife were very excited. This was one the one place they absolutely wanted to try. I was disappointed in seeing the snaking line outside and the CM telling us, that line is the FP+ line. They were not accepting walk-ins at that time. After waiting what seemed like an eternity, we were greeted with kiosks to select our meals, which seemed odd. My wife didn't appreciate the long wait and then having to use a computer to select her lunch. I nor the kids didn't mind. The place is huge and full of people, but we found a nice table. The meal itself was up to par with disney's food. It was good and the kids enjoyed the meals. Overall what put us off was for a QS type meal, the process of getting the food was rather long and disappointing.
This waterpark is the best by far, a fabulous day out with the kids, very enjoyable! One of my fave parks at WDW would recommend this one out of the 2 waterparks!
Harambe Market is an amazingly immersive environment. The authenticity is there, and it transports you to another place. Hard to believe it is brand new - the theming work is wonderful. The food is good, reminds me of Food and Wine Festival at Epcot, but with larger portions. The only problem is the place gets extremely crowded. There are lines at each of the windows, and then there are problems getting a seat. Like a lot of Disney's Animal Kingdom, the place is wonderful when it is not busy, but a crowded mess when it's busy. My tip, eat here off-peak and you'll enjoy it.
This was the most unacceptable and completely unsafe part of our trip. It was horrendous. We stayed at Riverside. There was no rhyme nor reason nor schedule to how the busses came and went, nor which stops they picked up or dropped off at first. Sometimes we went to the lobby and the one bus was already full from stopping previously. At the destinations, for the return trip our stop was always full and we watched as numerous busses passed us going to empty stops. I mean numerous. Often times, bus drivers were changing shifts mid stop, which caused delays after waiting long times already. We were packed and I mean packed into these busses, grossly overloaded. Often times I stood holding my 4 year old or she had to stand herself. The drivers should be forced to enforce the women and specifically children sit first rule. There were more than a reasonable share of grown men who claimed seats over children. Additionally, I think representatives should be monitoring the stops to better direct busses to where they need to be based on volume. This is an extremely unsafe transit system and I feel Disney or whoever runs it should be ashamed of themselves. Atrocious.
There is nothing good to say about the bus service in Disney World. Everyone on here is right. The staff at your resort and even when you're making your reservation will tell you it's 15 minutes to get to the parks what it's really about an hour and sometimes longer. The bus drivers are incredibly rude. My husband and I had two little ones under the age of three with two carriages and bags. If it wasn't for the kindness of complete strangers I don't know what we would've done. Everyone is standing up -- your packed in like sardines -- multiple times we had to hold on for dear life while holding our 15 month old. It was borderline scary! And the bus drivers clearly hate their job. They are yelling at you to hurry up, etc. On some occasions it was impossible without the kindness of strangers. But the good news is you will find many of them at the happiest place on earth!
We had my ds 3rd birthday party here because he loves Mickey. We dined here in June 2015. I had hopes for a wonderful dinner with fresh vegetables, but not what we got :( Most of the food, tasted pre-made (frozen and reheated). This seems to be increasingly common at Disney now, which is quite disappointing. Here's is what we were served: Macaroni/cheese (not bad, lots of sauce, topped with 3 gold fish crackers) Broccoli (boiled) Sweet potato fries (lots of cinnamon- too much for me and I love cinnamon) Cupcake cone (tasted fresh baked and was probably one of the best things served) Turkey (good, but dry) Stuffing (good/pre-made, but dry) Fish (didn't try it, hubby didn't like it and he usually loves fish, he said it had an 'off' taste) Mashed poatoes (definitely NOT fresh made) Roast beef (needed an extra set of teeth for this) Rolls (not fresh made, standard supermarket style) served with butter that was drizzled with orange blossom honey Salad (not bad, but nothing special- basically lettuce mix, topped with TWO grape tomatoes 1/2 hard boiled egg and very lightly dressed with ranch dressing) Berry cobbler (best part of the meal- not overly sweet, it was mixed berry cobbler topped with an oatmeal streusel and whipped cream) The service was good and the waiter was friendly. My son loved all the characters of course, but no one stayed more than 15-20 seconds except Chip, especially disappointing since we were celebrating his birthday. The restaurant wasn't busy. We dined at 5 pm on a Friday in June and there were empty tables. Also, since my son turned 3 that day, they made me buy his dinner (which was $25) and he ate NOTHING. The only thing he ate was 3 bites of the birthday cake I had ordered from the cake department to be delivered with the meal. Overall, I've had better food at Disney, but also worse. I would go here again (with someone who insisted), but it won't be my first choice.
This bus system is atrocious. They are never on time and they take absolutely forever to get to their destination. The rides are very bumpy and there are never seats. Also, the bus stops at a million other stops, just lengthening the lines. We were late to two of our dinner reservations in Downtown Disney because the bus didn't get us there on time, even though we got on the bus over an hour before that. The rides are terrible, but they can only occur if the bus ever comes. The busses sometimes have 40 minute waits, just making an already terrible system even worse. The drivers are alright, but they sometimes have to switch drivers, which takes forever. The absolute worst thing that happened was when one of the busses we were on literally stopped working and took five noisy minutes to reboot and to get us out of the stop. This bus system needs some serious help and I would not recommend it to anyone.
I have always rented a car for my many trips to Disney World (been coming here since the late 70s). This time I stayed at Port Orleans Riverside and the concierge highly recommend taking the bus so I gathered my family of 4 and took the water taxi to Downtown Disney with the knowledge that I would have to take the bus home due to the limited water taxi hours. It took a full hour and a lot of complaining to the Downtown Disney dispatcher to finally get my bus. The most frustrating part of this experience was seeing busses come and go for other hotels while I waited and practically begged each bus that came close to my stop (5A) to pick my up. This was my very first and very last experience with Disney busses. Live and learn.
I saw where the overview said this restaurant is not kid friendly, we did not get that impression. Our waiter went out of his way for our Disney daughter. He actually got another waiter to come over and entertain her, too. That second waiter even fed her! She's four so she looked at him like he was nuts; however, she did eat an entire flat iron steak. This restaurant is the only restaurant my husband remembers and said on our next visit we cannot skip ( btw the only time he used the phrase " the next time we go...."lol)!
I've stayed here twice and will be staying a third time for our upcoming trip. This place is a peaceful little gem right on the river. I love the theming and grounds. The big plus about this resort is that it is very small. It takes not even ten minutes to get from pretty much any building to the main lobby, food court, etc. Being right on the river gives it extra charm and the boat rides to DTD are very nice. Sure, people might grumble that there's only a food court here and no sit-down restaurant (you can actually walk over to Riverside for that), but everything else makes up for that! Every time I've stayed there, my room was very clean upon arrival and housekeeping was great. Staff have always been nothing but nice. I'm really looking forward to my upcoming stay there, and I can't wait to see the refurbished rooms!
OK Frozen was a success but its time to move on. There is way to much frozen stuff happening all over the Disney Parks. There really is life after Frozen. While the project at Norway seems like it will be a good fit, the over the top gaudy promotion of the Frozen franchise at Hollywood Studios is over kill. The show and the stage that blocks an otherwise great view of the park from the entrance is just a terrible looking jumble of scaffolding and light grids and a worn out run of the mill show just like so many others that it takes away form the Hollywood experience and that park can hardly afford that any more since more and more empty spaces are showing up there. Hollywood needs something to kick start it but Frozen is not the answer.
Great counter service choice! The mac and cheese hot dog was very tasty. While my daughters kids meal was standard, PB &J with 2 sides, it came in a sand pail with a shovel. Very cute & a nice surprise. We would definitely go here again!
We had an 8am, first seating ADR here in December. It was myself, husband and our almost 4 year old daughter. This ended up being our favorite table service meal of our entire trip! The first seating was a wonderful choice as the restaurant was not completely full, we got a great table, right on the aisle where the characters do the dance parties, and the food was hot and fresh. The breakfast choices, while standard, are delicious and plentiful. Our server was amazingly attentive, always refilling our coffees, making friendly conversation with our daughter, and offering us all juices to go before we left. The character interaction was some of the best we experienced all week. Each character took their time at our table, offering our daughter lots of hugs and picture opportunities. Our table was right at the front of the section so every time they walked past us to get to another table, they would tap her on the shoulder, wave or give her an extra squeeze. The dance parties were a wonderful feature, adding even more character interaction time. As we were leaving, my daughter desperately wanted to say goodbye to Doc McStuffins so our server actually went and found her for us. Overall, 5+ stars and we would return here without any hesitation.
We ate here for breakfast, 8:15 am ADR, in December. It was myself, husband and almost 4 year old. I would describe our experience as rushed and chaotic. Our 4 year old however was in princess heaven. It is very loud inside, each princess was announced however, it was all mumble jumble to us. They also announce some sort wishing star/wave your magic wand thing however, we couldn't hear that either. The princesses come through rapid fire, posing for a quick picture and then rushing off to the next table. Most times we were still wiping the syrup off my daughters face as they were quickly rushing through. Speaking of syrup, while the adult breakfast choices are fine, not so much for kids. There were only 2 choices on the kids menu, a vegetable fritatta, and a platter consisting of scrambled eggs, sausage and french toast sticks. My daughter does not like eggs, and did not want sausage that day, so we paid $35 for some french toast sticks. As adults, it was an underwhelming experience, glad we experienced it once, but never again. Our 4 year old loved it though, so that's what matters.
We ate here in December as part of the Candlelight Processional package. My husband and I were pleasantly surprised with the quality of the food. Many choices, all delicious. The interior decor is gorgeous, but LOUD. Don't expect to be able to talk while the band is playing. Our biggest disappointment was the lack of food for our 4 year old. There is no separate buffet for children. After going through the whole buffet, my daughter had a roll and some cheese & crackers on her plate. When I asked a CM about children's choices, we were told kids usually like the roasted chicken or the potato and pasta gratin. I looked at a few different menus online before booking here and all always listed mini hot dogs and mac and cheese. Neither were available that day. In conclusion, wonderful, delicious choices for adults. No choices for children.
I don't have anything bad to say about the food, but the service is really bad. The waiters were not very friendly, and they seemed to be in a rush, they were hurrying us up, even to the point that when we wanted to check the menu for desserts they literally didn't give us more than one minute to read the menu and they came back saying that the kitchen was closing so we needed to order right away. Needless to say, we left without dessert. I like to enjoy my meal from beginning to end, especially if I'm on vacations AND at Disney. I'm never going back.
We tried this on our last Disney vacation. We checked into our room, swam and then headed for dinner. The wait staff was kind and helpful. We all enjoyed our meal and found our meals flavorful. We are looking forward to returning to Boatwright's on our next visit as we all loved the menu and can not wait to try more of it.
We have eaten here on all three of our Disney vacations. We love everything the atmosphere, characters and the food. I can not say enough about the food, the meal changes but it is always top notch. We always talk about the wonderful quality of the food afterwards. We like the outside booths the best so you can enjoy the rotating scene.
Last time I went to Disney World I ended up in this place not by choice but because it was late and we didn't know where else to go. And I'm glad I did! The burger was so good! And that garlic mayo is unbelievable! I had never even heard of it before. After the first experience I went back this time by choice and I tried the chicken sandwich, which was also pretty good. The only thing I requested both times was no tomato chutney, but that's just me (I really don't like that). Also, he staff was very attentive to us. I don't give it five stars cause they should keep the place a bit cleaner in my opinion.
I'm surprised by all the negative reviews so I wanted to right our experience. The restaurant was fairly empty but it was a late night reservation. Our waitress was the best we had our whole vacation. I had the prime rib and it was superb. Unfortunately I can't remember what the rest of my family had but everyone left happy and full. I did try the "glo-tini" and I didn't care for it but I'm not much of a drinker and wanted to try something.
The menu constantly rotates so it's almost impossible to comment on specific menu items. Just know the food is amazing as is the service! The waitstaff is there for your every need, My wife was offered a shall by the hostess in cases she was cold. Your menu is tailored to what you like, A week before our trip, V&A called to confirm our reservation and ask if there were any food preferences or restrictions, my then pregnant wife's meal was tailored to her needs. I'm not a fish person, but I took a risk and wasn't disappointed. The down side to V&A is that the room is stuffy, despite being on being on Seven Sea Lagoon there are no windows and the lighting is dim. Ambient music is not provided by a cd but by a live harpest who adds to the ambiance. Price makes this meal a one in a lifetime event two of us spent $400 with tip. Overall if I had one meal to eat before I died I would make it at Victoria and Alberts.
Frozen Summer Fun is back for a second year, in a slightly watered down version. No merchandise bonanza with Wondering Oakens, and no ice skating rink. The mini-parade is slightly improved over last year, as are the fireworks. The nightly fireworks show is without question the highlight, and is a must see at Walt Disney World for this summer.
I've never had any major issues with the service. Its free so you can't really complain. The staff always has been extremely friendly and helpful when we arrived. And there's nothing more magical then when you officially pass onto the official WDW property. However I would suggest packing a bag with the stuff you'll be needing for that day because the luggage takes forever to get to your room. So if your gonna go swimming at your hotel pack a swimsuit in an extra bag.
This is one of the best themed resorts on the property. I spent an afternoon and evening exploring Riverside and French Quarter. There is boat service between the two resorts and Downtown and the skippers are always great. The food courts are typical WDW quality. The food court CMs were great. I almost choked on the powdered sugar on the FQ beignets (that's a good thing if you've ever been to the real New Orleans). My room was spacious with an unusually large bathroom. The theming was fun, with old-time shipping crates as furniture. The resort itself is very quiet and peaceful. They even have a fishing hole but I did hear someone who was fishing ask a CM if anyone actually caught any fish there. The bus service on this trip was very good to all parks and they even had a screen with estimated wait times at my stop. Here are my very minor complaints: Like most hotel chains, Disney has a problem with sinks. The stopper was non-functional and the sink was very shallow. Almost useless for shaving. There was no separate power switch for the very loud bathroom fan so it couldn't be turned off. I used the 'go right to your room' option and my old runDisney MagicBand opened the front door. But there was no welcome packet in the room. A map would have been nice. In spite of those minor complaints I highly recommend Riverside.
We stayed in the garden wing facing the main building for 14 nights. The only drawback was the long walk from the lobby to the room but this was a small price to pay as we were adjacent to the pool and stepped out of the room to see the electrical water pageant .there were 5 of us and we felt there was enough room , the bathroom was huge with 2 sinks and a separate wc . Although not cheap, to be with in walking distance of the Magic Kingdom was worth its weight in gold .
One of the worst restaurants in Disney. Sure there are some fast food options that aren't so great ether, but in comparison to the high price Cat Cora charges you for food, it's was a complete let down. The restaurant is beautiful, but thats about it. The "chefs" made food that was about as nasty as you get, and the worst part was they were using good ingredients, they just have no idea how to cook! Everything tasted like pure salt and pepper, the service was really bad, and the food was expensive. That pretty much sums it all up
Ever since our first visit to AKL in 2012, we have vowed never to stay anywhere else on property. It simply can't be beat. There is no greater pleasure than rising early in the morning, strolling down to the Mara for some breakfast, and eating it at a leisurely pace whilst overlooking the savannah. Sanaa is the best non-signature table service restaurant on property, and Jiko is consistently rated highly amongst the signatures. Theming is impeccable and immersive, the first time you walk into the lobby will take your breath away. We have never had troubles with cleaning, after staying a total of 56 nights there!
We've staying at CBR four times over the years and it never disappoints! The tranquil atmosphere is so nice after a busy day in the parks and despite traveling at busier times, we've always felt like the resort was quiet (Old Port Royale and feature pool excluded). My kids adore the pool and the food court with all its options. They also love to shop in the gift shop and walk around listening to the steel drum music piped in around the walking trails. Many people complain about its size, but we've never found it to be a big problem even when we've booked standard roooms.
After staying at the Poly a couple of times as a child, we we lucky enough to stay there again in the club level building. To me, it is the quintessential Disney I remember growing up and the close proximity to MK and being able to walk to the Ticket & Transportation Center for the Epcot monorail make it perfect! There are plenty of food options and shops and the tranquil, laid-back vibe makes it perfect for our family. We'll be returning in November for another CL stay and can't wait!
We were really looking forward to our meal at Brown Derby, and were severely disappointed. Our starters just simply did not taste good, however we were willing to put this down to it just being an off day for the restaurant until the main courses came. Two of them had quite clearly been cooked hours before and had been sitting on hot plates since that time (the plate was warm but the food was stone cold), considering that the meal was meat-based we did not find this very hygienic and requested a refund, which we were not given. We then ordered dessert despite evidence suggesting that it would be sub-par, and although they were not bad, they did not excuse the terrible food that came before them
We recently stayed here on our honeymoon with our grandchildren ages 12, 11, and 6 & we had a wonderful time. The walk from our cars suite was a tad bit long but with all the scenery it was nice. Every morning we would look out the window to see the Mickey Mouse drawn in the rocks, when I asked about this the concierge merely replied with a smile "that's the magic of Disney". The only thing I would like to see added is to better clarify which food were quick service meals and which were snacks, other than this I couldn't find anything wrong with this resort, I would definitely stay there again!
This May was our first visit to Ohana for dinner. I must say that the food was very good and the came quickly and often and the wait staff was very accomodating. What really ruined my whole meal was the the entertainment. There was a woman playing the ukelele and singing that was incredibly annoying. First, she couldn't sing on key if her life depended on it and her voice was like nails on a chalkboard. She also was far to loud. It was like a very very very very intentionally bad Vegas lounge act. If she had been a bit campy, maybe it would have worked, but it was just painful. I would only return if she was not going to be there.
Missing the HAT. Its an icon ever associated with this park. The replacement stage is awful and blocks what would be a great view of the Great Movie Ride Theater. This park still has the best coaster (Rock n Rollercoaster) and great thrill ride in Tower of Terror. Fantasmic show is wonderful as well. Toy Story still as popular as ever and with a third track being added the lines should get shorter. New Starbucks on main corner in square with a nice selection is welcome addition. Star Wars seem to be taking up more and more space and it is very popular and a major thrill ride would be great for that area in a Star Wars theme. However there is a lot of closed and empty space now in the park with no signs of activity at all. Lots or rumored attractions coming on but none that any cast member would confirm. Hollywood needs a major update and some type of new thrill ride. This park can easily come back to the top with some major improvements. Some sort of ride or tour to explain "the movie making process" needs to take the place of the back stage tour. So we will wait and see what happens with this park that has huge potential.
Was there no room at the Seas With Nemo and Friends pavilion over at EPCOT for this show? Anyway, the one problem this show has is a very rushed script. It could benefit from a lot more original jokes, like the Aladdin musical at Disneyland. I counted ONE. A funny one, but ONE. And most of the characters tend to have extremely annoying voices (especially Dory, ugh). At least two of the songs (the sharks' song and the Tank Gang's song) were pretty catchy, at least.
Simple - I placed the order for an appetizer and it never came. When dinner was served 40 minutes later, I asked the waiter to make sure to remove the appetizer from the bill. Instead, he brought it out in the middle of diner and said the chef was providing the item free. Then the manager came over and asked what was wrong. When I explained the appetizer never arrived he explained the waiter did not hear the order - THAT WAS A LIE! - Either the manager Louis was covering up or the waiter was lying. I explained to Louis that I clearly pointed to the item and the waiter acknowledged the order. What I witnessed for 40 minutes was this waiter bringing out very little food. It was as if he had nothing to do. He was clearly out of his league and probably should get out of food service. The diner was very good. It was just the waiter and the managers condescending, patronizing, un-apologetic tone, that really set me off. I asked the waiter to skip it. I would have left a tip if they just all moved on. However, the manager, Louis, had to stop by and be a snob - OMG! Disney does not take complaints or suggestions? I searched online for somewhere to let Disney know the service was less than expected at one of their 4 star dining facilities but apparently guest are not allowed to do that. The meals were very good, overpriced, but I thought that was to pay for over the top service - "Be our guest" - apparently not here. We ate at several in parks establishments this trip. I make big allowances and tradeoffs on the limited menus in return for the table service. However, the table service best be exceptional and it usually is. Disney does not serve bad meals, it is just the people that need to be checked from time to time. Suggestions: 1) Don't bring out the appetizer after the meal is served. Just admit failure, offer a small token, and move on. 2) Don't cover up for failing wait staff. Offer a sincere apology, and at least look like you are running a dining facility.
My 1st stay right after it opened was with 6 staying in Finding Nemo. We love nemo and the room everything about the experience was great. My 2nd stay was with 12, staying in 2 lion king rooms. Again I cannot think of one thing to complain about. Even though the walk to to pool, dining, and busses was a little further, still really wasn't a problem for us, I mean really, do you not expect to walk a little at disney, especially at lower rate resorts? While on that trip another brother and his wife got a Little Mermaid room while we were there. I loved the room and was glad they were there with the other 12. Knowing all that, we are returning June 2015, with a group of 6 and loved the suits so much we are staying there again. Lion King here we come.
Port Orleans Riverside has been our "Resort of Choice" going all the way back to when it was known as Dixie Landings. To me it has a Deluxe Resort feel in the Moderate price range. The buses don't seem as crowded as some of the other resorts and the boat to Downtown Disney is very convenient as well as a pleasant ride with great views. The Ol' Man River pool is lots of fun for the kids and there are a few quiet pools for the adults to enjoy. The food court is a perfect place to get some breakfast before a long day at the parks, or for lunch or a late supper after the parks. The resort also has a restaurant for those nights you want to just relax and enjoy an "evening in". Also, for entertainment, “Ye Haa” Bob puts on a must-see show on the piano which is great and gets the audience involved. While the resort is massive and walking to the pool/food court can be tedious, there are certain areas that are centrally located close to the bus stops and also to the food court to cut down on the walking. Overall I would recommend this resort for anyone looking for a beautiful resort with Deluxe-style amenities at a fairly affordable price.
Absolutely wonderful moderate resort. Main dining area and pool are within walking distance of every room. Bus service was great.
Oh wow. Wow, wow wow. I was wary of the threat this ride posed prior to going to Epcot, having read all the negative press 2.0's been getting, but I did not see it being this bad in real life. How on Earth was a project like this green-lighted? Okay, let's look at a few 'criteria' this refurbishment needed to pass: 1 - Educational. After all, Epcot's primary function is to serve as an informative park, with attractions that provide you with information on concepts of society today. 2.0 feels like it's TRYING to convey some kind of technological advancement, but it's hardly explained and most guests are just left wondering what the hell they just endured. Maybe if they flash their fancy Tron lights at you some more you'll learn something. VERDICT: 3/10, Fail 2 - Engaging. Part of what made the old version so brilliant was its relatable story that never got boring. I mean, who doesn't want to be in the heart of a car-testing facility and effectively put in the position of a crash dummy?! Every section felt like it really was part of what cars are put through. 2.0's storyline sees a car's test being 'simulated' in some kind of digital facility called 'On-Star', with our role as riders unclear: are we Sims in a SimCar? Older audiences can't possibly relate to the high-tech over-the-top digital referencing that consequently loses most of the audience. Maybe Disney wanted to keep little ones happy on this thrill ride...The less said about the completely uninspired showroom queue (almost like the queue area was put in what used to be the back section you walked out through) the better. VERDICT: 4/10, Fail 3 - Timeless. This one's a bit dubious, but surely any 'update' on a ride in Future World will need to last a while. That's partly why the old version's demise is so hard to understand: what was wrong with it? Why did Disney feel the need for the upgrade; were people really that bored of it? 2.0 already seems dated for Christ's sake, with Tron already a timeworn enterprise. MK's Tomorrowland, for example, Imagineers knew the whole area was looking dated, but they reimagined it as 'a view of the future from the 40s and 50s'. Old TT didn't show a sign of ageing yet, as car-testing is very much prominent today. SimCars and neon lights? Sigh. VERDICT: 4/10, Fail 4 - Disneyesque. Future World already has little in way of Disney-like ambiance; so making a ride so beyond anything like the magic of MK and traditional rides does little to help that. Okay that probably isn't a priority, but the old version did at least have some occasional Disneyesque humour like in the briefing room and testing scenes in the queue. However, one can argue that Walt himself was a visionary of the future, and so maybe he himself would have approved this upgrade, seeing it as progress. VERDICT: 5/10, Pass. Just. 5 - Believable. It isn't. Sorry but it just isn't. The design studio is neat and fun for kids but the reality is that none of us will ever see those kind of vehicles on the road in our lifetimes. Moreover the whole concept is so underwhelming, so unexplained, that you just come out of it thinking "was that supposed to be what car-testing is like?" I sure as heck hope car testing hasn't been reduced to computerised simulations, or I'm never getting in a car anytime soon. Not a Chevy anyway. VERDICT: 1/10, Fail. So, sorry 2.0, but you just don't cut it. Maybe some of us are just being harsh on you because you used to be such an awesome and unique ride, maybe your design was so rushed due to popular demand for your return, or maybe it's because you're actually the worst piece of rubbish I've seen Disney produce in a long time. What a shame, big loss for Epcot.
I stayed here with my adult daughter for four nights starting 4/30/15. We were in the Ranchos 6B. The room was worn out and depressing. We were given misinformation at the front desk regarding a package which we had shipped to our room. The ice machine on our floor was never working, but the ground floor ice machine was working. We saw a roach in our bathroom. The towels were very worn out. Housekeeping had left a bag of dirty linens and a bag of trash in the breezeway, and in the middle of the night we were awakened by animals going through it. In the morning there was trash scattered all over. I've stayed in WDW over ten times, in Deluxe, Moderate, and Value resorts, and until now I've never been anything but delighted. I've never had an experience like this. Very disappointing. The bus service was great. We did visit the gift shop and it was very nice. We didn't use the pool or any of the restaurants.
We use the service at least from the resort back to MCO every time (I don't want the hassle of driving, returning a car, and checking my bags) and when we go straight to WDW. Our trip this year will be our 6th time on the ME, and while we've had waits, it sure beats the irritation of the above mentioned items. If you want to park your car at home and not drive again until you return, use the service and expect potential delays. If you don't, grab your bags from the baggage merry-go-round..get in line for the rental car..find your car..figure out how to get off the airport..figure out how to get to WDW..AND then reverse the process on your return (oh you'll probably be tired and grumpy at that time). I'm glad they offer the service and plan to continue using it!
We stayed in the little mermaid room. The room was nothing special but the worse thing was the walk to get to the main pool,the restaurant and the shuttle buses. It was ridiculous to have to walk that far for a cup of coffee in the morning and the exhausting walk back at night after getting off the shuttle. The pool was nice but again the long walk to go back to our room just ruined it. We spent more time walking than enjoying. Would not stay there again unless the room was in a closer building.
I have never regretted buying into the DVC. Have shares at Beach Club and Bay Lake and all are now paid off. Its true that at times it can be hard to get what you want but the trick is to plan what you want in advance and then go for it. Only once in 12 years and 30 plus visits was I unable to get what I wanted and when I wanted it. Most recent trip was last week and when I got to bay lake I was upgraded to park view for free and did not even ask for it. Simple answer think about what you are doing and look at everything on line AND talk to DVC cast member on the phone and don't be afraid to talk to your personal DVC sales person. All can help you get what you want and when you want it. One thing that needs to change is DVC members should be offered the free meal plans like anyone else. OR in place of that have a special plan for DVC members. Just a thought!
A terrible first impression for the WDW customer service. I would suggest making other travel arrangements from the airport unless you don't mind completely wasting the first several hours of your vacation. The wait for the bus to leave was over an hour and then 30 plus minutes to your resort depending upon which one you are staying at. Just plain awful....
I am frequent visitor to Disneyworld. Most recent visit this past week. used bus, boats and monorail for transportation. Started with Magic Express. Have used this service often with no problems ever. However they need to update the tapes they show on the way to and from resorts. They are talking about old outdated information. They need an upgrade. Regular buses on time and frequent with polite drivers and no issues. BUT we always go off season so they are rarely full. Monorail still the quickest way to get to EPCOT if you are staying in MK area or MK resorts. The walk to transfer from one to the other at Transportation center still is awkward, but there appears to be construction at that transfer point that may change that. Hard to tell. Still the best way to get around unless you are the impatient demanding type, but at $20.00 a day to park a car it makes sense to use the transportation. DTD transportation is somewhat congested due to construction there but from what it looks like once they are done with construction at DTD this will no longer be an issue.
Had reservations for 7:20pm and didn't get seated till 7:50pm. Good food, but way over priced and not worth the hype.
I spent Sunday, April 19th through Tuesday, April 21st in the Downtown Disney area for business (at the Hilton across the street), and was amazed by the great new changes that have occurred there! I've been an Orlando resident most of my life, and frequented Downtown Disney as a great place to spend a day off. Everything that was wrong with the 'old' Downtown Disney: HORRIBLE parking; not many good food options; and occasional severe crowding... is all being addressed with the new Disney Springs. The parking garage alone was a marvel to use! It made parking - something that was once an actual headache! - into something fun and unique!! I loved it! We ate at the VERY newly opened Boathouse, and enjoyed every bite of it. If you go, please try the mac-and-cheese, it was heaven in a bowl. After walking around a bit, we enjoyed the outdoor entertainment at House of Blues, and then settled in for some drinks at the waterside bar behind the new Boathouse. It was a great visit, and I can't WAIT to see the rest of the updates and additions! WELL DONE DISNEY!! And THANK YOU!!
So we just returned back home to the world back in February of 2015. It was a bit of a last minute trip, and sports was all that we could get. Our past experiences in the world have been nothing short of amazing.. we've stayed at Pop, All Star Movies, & Coronado. The CM at the front desk was very friendly, actually probably the highlight of the resort... he had waived the fee of a cot for my brother to sleep in. So our stay had been off to a great start. We had went to are room, and everything was as expected! However just coming from a Hampton Inn the previous night, (paying the same price per night we did here) we wish the beds would have been semi more comfortable. The room was very small. Our mousekeeper was amazing, she would leave huge amounts of little soaps just by request and a small tip. We were very pleased with the service! This resort in particular was very crowded. Many family we're stressed out, running around as if they were being chased.. it took away from the vacation/magical part of disney. We noticed a different crowd at previous resorts we've visited/stayed at. Maybe it was just the time of year, who knows. I am a disney nut myself, and have had great experiences every time I have been to the world. But I could not stay here again.
The past two years have been stressful when trying to get reservation. There are never any availability when I look to take trip we live one hour away so we are flexible but still anytime I pick dates no matter how far out there is no availability. I feel disney has over sold their timeshare program The points are basically worthless this year I couldn't get reservation for the last six months so had to lose my points. I also feel the hotels treat you like second best once they know you are DVC member the paying hotel guest get late checkout or accommodations that are much cleaner. Save your money just book hotel when you want to go a lot less aggravation and probably at a savings We will be selling our points because of all this
We have owned DVC points for over 10 years. We bought them when the kids were little since we were going there at least once a year. Our home resort is Saratoga Springs and we love it. We have brought friends and family with us and it has been a great experience. We thought that once the kids got older, they wouldn't want to go to Disney anymore at Christmas but they still love it (the youngest is 20!). We now go 3-4 times a year because our daughter works for DVC now! She interned at Disney (which is a great program for college students) and was offered a full-time job there. To be honest, it is embarassing to hear how some of the members treat the people who work at DVC. They feel they are intitled to everything from fast passes to having their rooms comped. We feel that the price of our membership has been paid multiple times because of what it would cost us to book a room there. I agree that it is harder to get a room at other resorts with the 7 month booking but Saratoga is fine for us when we can't get Bay Lake.
Honestly had no problems. Knew it was gonna be an hour ride and prepared for our luggage being there late. It's called pack some emergency clothes in a carry on. Got to our hotel at 10 am our room was ready. Went to the room, dropped off carry on, and headed to the parks for fun. Came back at midnight and luggage was there. It's free so you can't expect much right? Its all part of the vacation experience and story. I actually say to my gf, enjoy your hour ride time on the DME on the way from the airport because before you know it it'll be heading back to the airport.
This was one of the most bizarre things that I have ever seen in my life!! I cannot believe that something like this is at Disney World, and cannot believe that they consider this an attraction!! Horrible acting, creepy characters, and not sure what the plot was, if there was one. Very disappointing and the absolute worst thing at Disney World by far!!!
We stayed at the Yacht Club resort and wanted to go to Typhoon Lagoon ... the trip takes 90 MINUTES! They stop at 4 other hotels and then Disney Marketplace and Pleasure Island (where they sometimes change drivers for an extra 15 min delay). For the rest of our stay we took a cab ... with the amount of money it costs to be there I could not waste time taking the Disney bus service. For $20 we took a cab and were there in 10 minutes. The bus drivers are courteous and I don't blame them, but the service is a huge disappointment ... count on wasting several hours of your valuable vacation time.
First, we are not a Deluxe lifestyle family. However, when a deal comes around, we take it. We received a 7-night 1BR pool view villa through a rental site for $1,200. It was only $200 more than Pop Century so we jumped on it. As always, the Deluxe resorts are excellent. Seeing several of the old Penny Arcade movie things that use to be on Main Street there was nastolgic. Our room was ready later that afternoon. There is SO much space compared to the typical studios we stay in at Pop Century and Moderates. The separated bathroom and vanity area makes getting ready much easier. Having a kitchen, full fridge and freezer, washer and dryer allows for saving time and money. A quick grocery trip for breakfasts and snacks can save a ton. Who wants to cook on vacation? Some may not, but those that want to save $100s a day will. You can start a crockpot when you leave and dinner is ready when you get back (you have to bring one yourself). The full fridge helps to keep adult beverages as well. After my first $5 beer at the pool, the walk over to Hess to pick up a 12-pack for $8 was well worth it. You can do so much here it is not even funny. First, Epcot and DHS are walking distances. It is about a 10 minute walk to each. Walking is optional because there are boats to both. We only used buses for MK and DTD. We drove to AK. The activities at the resort are a blast as well. It has some very good dining and bar options on the Boardwalk. Big River Grill had some excellent burgers. The price is inline with a Chili's, maybe $2 more per entre. Great beer here as well. ESPN bar was excellent for the Superbowl and for some fun sports action. Add in the street performers and you have entertainment for everyone. The only minor thing I wish they did is have more variety of street performers. There were a total of 5 different acts. The acts are always the same. It would be better if they had a larger group that they can bring in different nights. It is minor, but a good thought for WDW to think about. We will definitely stay here again when we get great rates through DVC rental people. I would never pay the Disney room rates.
If I could take away stars I would. The bus from Saratoga Springs to the Orlando airport was 30 minutes late, the driver was extremely curt and cranky. Instead if going straight to the airport he was called to pick up passengers from two other resorts. Even though I was booked to leave the resort 3 hours before my flight, the bus picked me up late, made additional stops, and it was an hour before we got on the freeway. I missed my flight - and the driver had the nerve to tell me I should have left earlier. I come here annually but I will never use the buses to get to the airport again.
Bought into the membership in 2012 at Saratoga Springs. Seemed like a great deal. First 2 years, we were able to score rooms, (without transferring rooms mid trip), at the 7 month non-home resort date. We honestly had felt it was the very best decision we ever made for us and our 2 little kids. Fast forward to present day, tried to book 2 deluxe studios this morning at the 7 month mark for a non-home resort. We were able to get one room booked online at 7 am central time, and then within 2 minutes, days for the week we needed were gone that fast. So, we had to hurry, because you cannot plan ahead with a plan B as you never know what dates are going to change while your booking. (We know this because we were watching it for the last week at all dvc villas). We took the first opening we saw for the first 4 nights of our trip. Now, what do we do about the last 3 days? If all else fails, one of the lesser desired villas should be available, right - even our Home Resort, right? Wrong. So, we either switch resorts 3 times during the trip, or, I don't even know how I could make it less complicated. And don't say, "Oh, you can book a regular Disney hotel." Nope, I'm not paying the $90 it costs just to open the option, then 39 points a night, when it is only costing us 18 points a night for a DVC villa. I don't even have the points available for that including borrowed points. Here's your breakdown: You are going to average paying $1200 a year - this is including annual dues at a lesser desired villa if you buy in to that one and the breakdown of your flat cost divided by the years you buy into. (When we first started - this was around $1,000). NOTE THIS: You are not allowed to take advantage of the free dining when it's offered. And, you are not only competing for rooms with other DVC Members, you are competing for a % of rooms at each resort as the rooms that haven't been "sold" are allowed to be placed in the open cash market by the developer. Which could only mean, they must "sell" each room, multiple times if there are still rooms available to be bought by the NON DVC guests. And if you think they will accommodate you if you need just one room and it isn't DVC available, think again. We had to actually pay cash for a room at another resort because the DVC staff wouldn't let us use our points. (FYI, when we got to the resort - tons of open rooms - and I know cause I asked). B.S. You need to factor it all before making the investment. Your annual dues will continue to rise, ours already have. The points haven't increased much though. And, if you want a cruise out of it, you better be buying around 300 points to start so that you can bank points. You will undoubtedly be facing frustration every time you go to book at a non-home resort. I hope this helps.
The show was good but my 3 yr old loves Sully and was beyond sad when he was nowhere in the show......bad choice on leaving him out.......and Boo for that matter.......
By noon, fast passes were gone. All day the wait time was 100 to 135 minutes. We finally got in line at 6:48 pm. You would not believe how slow the line was. Our wait was close to 120 minutes. Lots of fast passers kept merging in, slowing down the line. The fast pass line should be shut down at 8pm, given the huge wait we had. It was a good show but not worth the wait.
First time in this hotel absolutely loved it. Friendly staff, great environment, kids can be kids and adults can also enjoy the Magic of Disney. Can't wait to go back.
We arrived when the park opened, loved the fast passes and got on everything we wanted to but at 6:00. The bar closed, all shows were over and we had ridden everything. We then roamed around I until the 8:00 Fantasmic Show. It was like the park closed at 6 and was just waiting for dark for the show, very disapointed.
Best thrill in the park! If you have the guts to push yourself down!!!
We LOVE Disney and staying at the Fort Wilderness campground was on our bucket list. We first came for our honeymoon 40 years ago and I have been hooked on anything Disney ever since. However, we were very disappointed in the campground. Because the campground was at Disney and we have NEVER paid this much for a single night in our 40 years of camping/RVing, we expected more. We stayed in the 1600's and had equal access to two restrooms. 1. In the ladies room there was a shower out of order and one of the restroom stalls was missing a door. 2.) In the mens restroom there was a urinal out of order. 3.) No hot water at the sinks in either restroom. My husband was not able to shave in the bathroom. No hot water available for washing hands in the restroom. 4.) Took a shower at 6 am. It took 10 minutes to get hot water in the shower. I got into the habit of turning on the shower water, then making a restroom stop, brushing my teeth, before returning to the shower. Still had to wait. A sad waste of water. It was the same in both bathrooms. 5.) Sand is used at the campsite where there is no pavement. Sand all over the camper. It rained the day before we left and the morning of pickup there was sand all over the electrical cord and water hose. 6.) We were on the yellow bus line and almost without fail the other lines came first and we were the last ones left at the stop. A number of times we waited 20 minutes for the bus from the boat are. It appeared to us that the ratio for the other lines was 2 of them to one of the yellow. 7.) No wi-fi. It was very nice to see the specific recycle bins, campsite was clean, nice to have lower sinks and paper towel holders for the kids, and sharps box for insulin needle disposal. I must say that I am very driven to complain because of the high price we paid. I feel very monetarily cheated. Suffice it to say that if the cost of this campground was a third or a fourth of what we paid I would be far more accepting of the bathroom and bus situation
Grand Floridian Cafe is, by far, one of our favorite place for a quiet breakfast and terrific food. The eggs benedict w/key lime hollandaise sauce is my fav eggs bennie on Disney World property. They also offer huge mickey waffles (malted or multi grain) served with butter and syrup, but you can asked for strawberries and whipped cream instead :) The lobster eggs benedict was outstanding as well, as was the sirloin steak and eggs, ham and cheese omelette and sirloin steak and eggs. Being so close to the monorail, makes GFC easy to get to! Our service was wonderful, coffee very good! (even the decaf was good!) Also offering a full lunch and dinner menus, they're known for their surf and turf burger; butter poached lobster on a hamburger. I HIGHLY recommend GFC for breakfast, lunch and dinner!
This ride is probably about half as long as the one at universal with lines that double universal. There is no noticeable drops or anything. You basically just slowly spin in a circle for about a minute and if your lucky get wet. I was dry at the end. At universal, no one is ever dry. I hope you read these comments disney. Your fans and customers deserve world class attractions for the money we spend. I know you. An afford it.
Years before Le Cellier went to Signature status, this was a yearly must do for us. For a few years, our meals weren't as good as they were in the past. We decided to give Le Cellier another try last Fall. I am happy to say, all of our expectations were met, food wonderful, service, although our *Chocolate Mousse* no longer had a red tongue. I'm sorry, I still miss the mashed potatoes and the lobster macaroni that Le Cellier offered in days gone by. The scallop appetizer, was the only let down; well seasoned, but just a bit undercooked to our liking. The martini flight, as always, was fabulous, as was the cheddar cheese soup. (of course, paired with pretzel bread!) Still one of our favs. Overall, we're happy to say, Le Cellier, we will see you this Fall!
As we walked into Via Napoli, my husband said "we're from New Jersey, how much better can this pizza be than what we get at home??" Well, the answer to that is "LOTS" He will NEVER doubt Via Napoli again! As a matter of fact, he asked me to make three ADRs for him during our next visit in the Fall!! Starting our meal with a pitcher of Sangria and ending with Chocolate Gelato, everything was off the charts! WOW was the pizza OUTSTANDING!!!! Pizza is a food group as far as my husband is concerned, LOL, and he still can't get the sausage pizza out of his head! What impressed me more than anything, was how the pepperoni pizza or the sausage pizza, wasn't oily. That means top notch meats! The arancini was the best we've ever had. ( wish they had this in an entree size!) I'm telling you, Via Napoli is THAT good! Do yourself a favor, order a large, bring the rest back to your resort for a late night snack!!
We must have walked passed Nine Dragon a hundred times, and in the past, made ADRs here, only to change them for another restaurant. Not only were we seated quickly and received spectacular service, the food was a pleasant surprise! I have read several negative reviews, and shyed away, but had to try this restaurant for myself. We absolutely loved it. I have read some reviewers say the portions were small. Not in our experience. Yes, we did get the sesame chicken :) although very good, I think a bit of chili flakes would have cut down the sweetness a little bit. (And.... yes, if you ask your server for chili flakes, he/she will bring you some!) A bit crowed, I will admit, but ask for a table near one of the windows overlooking World Showcase, it doesnt seem so bad. Definately give Nine Dragons a try!!!
For years, we said we would try Chefs de France, only to reneg to a more familiar restaurant in Epcot. What were we thinking?? We finally gave in during our last Disney vacation, and LOVED it! From the wines to dessert, were fabulous! My son, not an adventurous eater, ordered the filet of beef and really enjoyed it. Proclaimed it one of the better filets he's had. The tables are a tad close together, and the restaurant can get a little noisy, but the food is definately worth a visit. The wine pairings with the entrees are on point. We will definately visit Chefs de France during our next trip!
Went on a girls trip for the Princess Half Marathon weekend, to run the races and see DW for the first time. For the duration of our stay we pondered if this "resort" was the red headed step child of Disney Resorts, or was some of the "ways" of the SOG because it was indeed special just for our service members. At the end of our stay I am very sad to report that you indeed get what you pay for, or in this case you get less. As mentioned in previous reviews, even cheaper hotels give free continental breakfast and have a microwave. Do not boast of a microwave and then not have one. Thermostat did not really work at all, and thankfully we came at a time when it was not too hot, though cold was a problem. I can speak well of one of the ladies at the front desk, as she was very pleasant and worked hard to get me my extra room back and was overall the way you would expect a person on Disney Property to serve. Food was pretty good everywhere in the resort, though wait time for dinner to come to table in Manginos was a little long. There were several servers that we really liked. The buses not running more than every hr is crazy, so thank goodness we can walk over to Polynesian to get a boat or monorail. For the race experience, other resorts had things available for runners, like bananas, bagels and other treats. SOG had a café that served bagels only until a certain time and its hidden in bus area. If you don't ask for help then you wont get any that's for sure. The guy that worked it was very nice however and we paid for 6 bagels which he promptly made and we picked up for the following morning. So in these cases there was ways around the inconveniences if you were willing to work them out. Overall it was ok, but not impressive as it really should be for Disney and for the troops. I chose to add my review primarily because of the final issue- I realized shortly after leaving that I left my precious running bib in the room under a tray to keep it flat. I called hotel several times and left several messages. The front desk refused to do anything for me except transfer me back and forth to housekeeping and lost and found. Not a soul showed even a little concern for my trouble and when I talked to Lost and found I was told to call back and that she wasn't sure she could even help me. I did as was told and of course no answer so I left yet another message. After 2 days of the same thing, I called back again and was told they looked and didn't find anything. That's it? I located the link on the website to report a lost item this morning on my own. That was NEVER mentioned by anyone. I am beyond upset with how this was handled. Having worked in a true resort (Gaylord Opryland) when I was younger, I can tell you that I worked very hard in Guest Services to make sure guests had a great stay and were pleased when they left. SOG made very little effort to do much of anything for us the whole time we were there and luckily we are just pretty self sufficient and able to laugh off the fire alarm going off at 2am for 20 min and having to evacuate the building in our pjs- there was NO apology or anything concerning that incident either. SOG is less than a resort and I have had much better stays at Hampton Inn. I will never stay there again. If you want a real Disney Experience then try any other resort on property, I am more than sure it will be worth the extra $$!
This was the absolute worst experience I have ever had at Disney. I will be fair and give you the positives about it first. The bathrooms are very clean and comfortable as well as heated. I was pleased with that. The campfire/sing-a-long is very fun as well. Just be prepared that it is a HUGE affair and there are hundreds of people there. Now for the rest of it...which is BAD! First off, the "convenient" drive thru check in is a nightmare. It takes about 20-25 minutes per person to check in. So after driving however many hours it takes you to get there, you will sit and wait 25 minutes PER VEHICLE in front of you plus your own 20 minutes. Sitting in the car for another HOUR waiting to check in after a 9 hour drive was miserable. I had our magic bands sent there and the guy was too lazy to go inside to look for them and wanted to just issue us new ones in gray with no names. I told him that I had taken the time to personalize all of ours, there were 7 of us...and I wanted the ones I ordered. Another worker FINALLY went inside to look for them after I had to get ugly about it and insist on it...and of course she found them. So we almost had to forfeit our personalized bands because someone didn't want to go inside to get them. The layout of the grounds is EXHAUSTING. Renting a golf cart really wasn't an option for us since we had more people than would fit...6 kids and 1 adult. You do not have buses to the parks that come around to various stops like you have at EVERY OTHER Disney property...Here, you have to take a bus to a certain point and then transfer to another bus or to a boat. You have to take a bus to the "settlement" and then transfer to another one just to go to the pool as well. TWO bus rides just to take your kids to the pool! It's idiotic! They do not run to Downtown Disney or to Typhoon Lagoon after 2 pm from this place either. So if you want to go to either of those places you either have to go between 10 am and 2pm or you have to take a bus all the way to Epcot and then transfer buses from there. It takes LITERALLY about 2 hours to go ANYWHERE from this place. I have stayed at multiple Disney properties and this is NOTHING like any of them. I realize it is a campground and is less expensive for camping...BUT there are also cabins in there that people pay over $300 a night to be in, so they should DEFINITELY have the same ammenities as other resorts. The ONLY reason we did the campground was because my kids wanted to bring friends and we could have more people per reservation there. It was only $19 cheaper than the Allstar resorts! I cannot even begin to tell you how miserable we all were...we must have walked a total of 20 miles trying to get around, taking buses to catch buses...couldn't get to the pool, the store or anything without planning an hour worth of travel. Do yourself a monumental favor and don't even think about staying here!
My driver was Ginny (white short hair). I'm a fellow cast member and enjoyed my Safari ride greatly. It was my first time on the Safari and I don't think I could have gotten a better driver.
We have stayed here 3 times and never had any complaints. From the staff at check in to check out, house keeping and wait staff everything has been just fine. I like this resort because I like to get up in the morning and walk and the walk around the lagoon is a great way to start my day while at Disney. Each cluster of buildings has their own pool, if you don't want to use the one at the Town Square. I look forward to my next stay.
We will be staying at Pop Century again this year for Spring Break. Had looked in to staying at AOA, just to be different. I do not need a suite and was booking a Little Mermaid room. Then I received a PIN offer in the mail and found that the discount would not apply to the Mermaid room. Also, I had noticed that the Mermaid rooms looked a little far on the resort map from the main building and transportation. So I switched to Pop. We have stayed at All Star Movies, Riverside (moderate) and Pop. Pop has been our favorite. Always warmly welcomed. Seems like they have honored room requests. I have to disagree with the article at the top. We ended up with a 90's room last year. It was facing the 90's parking lot. When we left the front lobby to go to the room initially, we were told to go a round about way, out the back of the main building. We soon figured out that we could just cut across the 90's parking lot and head straight to the buses! Continuing on, we entered the main building w/gift shop, dining, etc. Not the most picturesque part of the resort, but very convenient. And of course you can always take a stroll around to enjoy the rest of the decor. I plan on going across Generation Gap bridge this time and checking out AOA. Oh, one year I did pay for a preferred room. Seems like it turned out to be right by the 60's pool. Oddly it was a handicapped room. The shower was odd, like it was made to accomodate a wheelchair. So from my experience, no need to pay for a preferred. I will see how it goes this year. I have requested: close to transportation, 1st floor and 90's. Definitely give Pop a thumbs up!! And yes, they do print your boarding pass for you when you turn in your luggage for airline check in at the resort. Super convenient. I did not know this before and went to the concierge desk late at night and they printed it up for me. No need, it will be given to you in the morning when you turn in your bags. Love Disney.
We just returned yesterday from a 5 day stay at AKL with a sunset savanna room. It is a very nice resort, and the view was great, but our previous stay at CR was superior. A couple of things stuck out. We paid extra for the savanna view and had to call and have the room change the first day we arrived since there were 4 support beams attached to our balcony and no animals. Now, to their credit, they moved us to a great room (3283) but it took several calls to accomplish this. There was no envelope left for us on the door the night before check out, which caused a little issue at check out and return with the DME. It all worked out, but was still a bit of a hassle. The biggest issue was that when we booked, we had advised them that it was our DD's birthday and they promised the "character phone call". They didnt deliver. It took a phone call from my DW to get it the day after. On the positive side, the commute is not nearly as bad as people think and the resort is absolutely beautiful. Would we stay there again, probably with a good deal.
Hoo boy... What can I say about this ride? How about the tiny little fact that it looks like the Imagineers blew all of their money on the audio-animatronics and had to make due with what little they had left for the rest of the ride. How else would you explain the finale sequence being represented by a cardboard cutout and a screen?
Just returned from a quick Disney trip with the hubby! One of the goals on my "list of things to do" was have dinner at Be Our Guest. The place was amazing! The atmosphere was breath taking. It had been raining so we were wet when we arrived so I had the French Onion Soup an an appetizer - YUM - hit the spot and warmed me up..:) For our main course I had the Shrimp and Scallops in Puff Pastry - another good choice. My husband had the Braised Pork and said it was in his Top 10 meals..and that's sayin something! Saved room for dessert and had the lemon one.. it was good but was wishing I had ventured out and tried the "grey stuff"... but overall our waitress was fantastic, food was good, and the place was awesome! A great "date night" out!
Wait time 110 mins, entry music was on loop made the wait time feel twice as long, not what i would call inovative... ride was ok, it was fun to see your competition scores at the end of each test. The fast part was exhilarating but felt too short. Overall i would never wait more than 30 mins to ride it, and i have no desire to ride it again.
We've stayed at the Beach Club Resort twice and will be going back again this summer. I have an emotional connection to the Polynesian Resort, and it's definitely got a better theme/feel. But the BCR feels like a beach resort and provides much more in the way of a resort experience. From the amazing and best-Disney-has-to-offer pool, to Hurricane Hannah's and Beaches and Cream dining options right at the pool, to the games and movies available on or near the beach, you can stay at the BCR and never go to a park and you'll still have a great vacation. But the best part of staying at the BCR in terms of being at WDW is the walk to EPCOT. Yes, you are really close for the attractions. But think of the amazing dining options at your doorstep! So many great restaurants available. We always walk over, grab a glass of wine at the little shop in France, and then stroll along the water to our dinner. And if we want to see fireworks, we can hang there in EPCOT or walk to the entrance and hop on the monorail to the Magic Kingdom. The rooms are fine -- not great, but if you're planning to be out and about, who cares? Beds are comfortable, showers are great. Walks from many rooms to the main part of the hotel are a little long. But it's a small price to pay for such a great location.
Its definitely a blast to the past and very cheese but I love it. Go Michael!!
Decent but not the "signature" dining experience it is cracked up to be. Artist Point, Jiko's or California Grille is a much better choice. Nothing bad about my experience on 1/20/15 but nothing that stands out from the food, atmosphere to the service.
This Band is outstanding with the awesome current trumpet players. Very entertaining and incredibly talented musicians!
I have been to Disney multiple times and have stayed at Saratoga every time! The resort itself is very pretty, and they have great walking trails, along with a really nice pool area. There is great mousekeeping and one the first day our towels are on our beds in a Mickey shape! The only frustrating thing my family and I have encountered is being far away from the pool and Downtown Disney. There are other small pools around the resort, but if you are not by the big pool, it can be around a 20 minute walk. Last time I went, we had rooms right by Downtown Disney and were able to walk there in 5 minutes!
I have no idea how or why, but this cart has the best Eggrolls I've ever had in my entire life (Yes, even better than the ones at Yak and Yeti). It was certainly unexpected the first time I had them, years ago. Now, it's a must-get every time I go to Magic Kingdom. (As long as the cart is open, of course) Trust me, everyone I've come to Disney with has echoed the same thoughts. Best Pork Eggrolls in the world.
My mom and I had an awesome experience at the all star sports resort. The food was excellent and so was the customer service. The price was affordable and recommend this to any of you. We will definitely come back again. Thank you all star sports resorts for an awesome experience during our stay there.
This is my favorite resort of all time. Great location and beautiful. If you can do this one, do it.
Pop Century is an excellent choice if you are looking to do disney on a budget. I cannot justify spending so much more just to stay somewhere with a few extra amenities, especially since most of your day you'll be in the parks. Pop has everything you need. My family has stayed here on five separate stays over the last 7 years, with the most recent being September 2014. The rooms have always been clean, mousekeeping has been wonderful, bus transportation good. The pools are fun, the kids loved the pool games they do each afternoon. Food court is average, however an advantage to Pop is that you can walk to the AOA food court for a little more variety. Pop is my favorite of the values. While I loved staying at AOA, the suite prices are too expensive and the standard rooms are the furthest away and rarely offer discounts. That is why I prefer to stay at Pop.
My family and I made the mistake of getting on this ride as soon as we got to the park. We don't normally get sick from things like this, but oh my gosh we were barely able to enjoy the rest of our time there. We felt so sick. So if you still wanna try it out, I recommend saving it for the end of your visit.
I have stayed here twice in the past two years and have thoroughly enjoyed each stay. I had previously stayed at All Star Movies and found it to be a miserable experience, causing me to swear off Disney Value Resorts until I was encouraged to try Pop by a friend. I really like the place and here is why... Theming The the theming of the resort is not bad at all. The buildings are done up in a particular decade (50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, and 90's) with giant icons and logos form that era. It is bright and colorful. I will be the first to admit it is a little over the top, but I think kids seem to really like it because it is very accessible to them. They also, have fun games and photo ops places throughout. Layout While this resort has a lot of rooms, it has a pretty good layout. It does not take very long to walk from one end to the other. The only exception to this might be the 80's and 90's sections, that are sort of tucked in a corner. (More in my room recommendations below) Rooms The rooms are a standard design in the entire resort, which is more or less equivalent with your standard Hampton Inn. The only thing that is unique is a framed piece of art on the wall, that shows what Disney stuff came out in that decade. They have a single sink and vanity, and the the shower and tub in the actual bathroom. All rooms have refrigerators, so you can keep snacks and drinks cold. Standard flat screen TV. They have the updated thermostat, as well as a lock and key wall safe. The safe is not big enough for a laptop (you might be able to get an 11 inch in there). I never put stuff in there because I didn't use housekeeping and I was never really concerned with someone breaking in. But there is more than enough room for spare cards, tickets, and cash. My room was well cleaned and maintained, and I had no issues with noise. Food Court I cannot say a ton about the food court. I never had breakfast there (one because I wanted to get to the parks early and, two because mass produced breakfast food isn't really ever good). But they have a good mix of options including sandwiches, pasta, ice cream and deserts. I really liked the salmon burger, but that was really the only meal, I had there. I had ice cream on a few occasions and spent the rest of my meals elsewhere. One complaint I have is that the whole thing shuts down at midnight, which is kinda crazy since the parks are often open later than this. The gift shop is contained within this area as well and as such closes at the same time. That means if you get back from the parks and want a late night snack or drink you are more or less out of luck. KIDS I am going to put this carefully, but when I stayed at All Star Movies/Music, I found that there were far to many kids and not near enough adults (as in mom and dad sent the kid to Disney World with X club/team which had too few chaperones) I like don't mind kids (if I didn't why would I go to Disney World?) but I know, as well as anyone what happens when you put a ton of kids into a hotel with not enough parental supervision. (No really I do, that was a wild student council conference.) Pop however was a very nice mix adults and families and kids, so this doesn't seem to be a problem. Once again, kids are great...but they need supervision. Pools Pools are very nice, I used both of the secondary pools (Bowling pin and Computer) with the computer pool being my favorite. The main pool (hippie dippie) is nice as well, they have kids activities going most of the day so there is a lot for the kids to do there, although it does get a little loud. They also have a pool bar right there as well. I found that at both of the quiet pools finding a spot to sit is very easy, and when I walked by the main pool there were usually plenty of seats as well. I went at the hight of spring break season, and usually there were not very many people at the pools. This was nice compared to when I have been at Beach Club in the past and you have to get to the pool right at opening to get a decent spot. I will say that the pools are not overly exciting, no watersides or anything like that, but the main pool does have some fun water features for the kids. Bus Service I have stayed at of the resorts of varying price points and this is by far the best in the way of bus service to the parks. My longest wait was probably 25 minutes, with most being shorter. Pop is one of the larger hotels (by room count) so they do not share buses with any other resorts. Even at many of the deluxe resorts there is bus sharing which makes getting to the parks much slower. A comment on the "preferred rooms" I would personally not do it. The resort isn't really spread out enough to make it worth the extra money. The preferred rooms are all of the 60's. Maybe my opinion of this would be different if I had gotten stuck in the 80's or 90's. What people don't realize it that while the rooms in the 50s look like they are close to the main building, but the food court and bus station are on the opposite side of the main building, they are still better than the 80's and 90's which are in the middle of nowhere. I wouldn't be terribly upset with any room except for the 80's and 90s. I have always requested a room in the 70s, facing the lake and got it both times. Not a lot of noise and short walk to the buses.
I've stayed at the Dolphin three times and the Swan once. The room rates are good for Disney, and the restaurants are excellent. I like having everything in the same building. Some Disney resorts are spread out over hundreds of acres. The lack of the "rah rah Disney" feel is fine with me. I don't like my meals interrupted by Chip, Dale, Goofy, Pluto and the rest of the gang. The only shortcoming is checking in. I've tried different hours of the day, but there's always a traffic jam at the entrance with no one seemingly in charge. If you don't specifically grab a valet and say very firmly that you're checking in, you will be ignored. On this visit (I'm still here), a valet first ignored me, then later told me he had asked if I needed help, and I had told him no! Really? Are there visitors who have just driven across Florida who take some kind of weird pleasure in turning down offers of help? I will stay at the Swan in the future. It's much better organized and more professional.
My family loves Shades of Green! We have been 3 times so far and have a wonderful time everytime! You can't beat the prices and the staff is nice and need to stay that way. We have run into a disgruntled employee, I think twice, but that didn't ruin our experience. It has also been clean everytime we have gone. We went in April 2014 and had a horrible experience with a cast member in Downtown Disney right when we arrived. Well that evening we ate at Mangino's, we had a wonderful waitress, and everytime we went back she remembered our kids names. Our service there really helped me relax and enjoy the rest of our trip. Thank you very much for making the prices reasonable, where military can go and enjoy themselves!