Most Recent Reviews
Review of Bay Lake Tower (Disney Vacation Club)
Reviewed by Eean Review Date: 10/17/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
We recently joined the DVC, and we stayed for the first time in Bay Lake Tower in August 2014. We are a family of five, with three school aged children, so we stayed in a one bedroom room with a lake view. After several trips of staying in a cramped one room hotel room on property, we felt that our stay at bay lake tower was absolutely wonderful! The full-size kitchen and the laundry room made it worth the extra cost. The master bathroom was beautiful too. The resort itself has a very calming atmosphere, which is very important when you're staying at Disney World. we absolutely loved going up to the lounge on the 16th floor, and then viewing the fireworks from there afterwards. It certainly beats having to watch the fireworks amongst all the crowds at the Magic Kingdom. It will be hard for us to stay anywhere else next time especially since it is only a 10 minute walk to the Magic Kingdom. My kids say that they loved staying here, and I would recommend this resort to anyone!
Pros:
Location; rooms were a good sizeCons:
NoneReview of California Grill
Reviewed by Eean Review Date: 10/16/2014
Rating: (5) Recommended
My husband and I originally ate at the California Grill back in the summer of 2010. Since then, we had been itching to go back. We had a memorable and delicious meal. We went to Disney World in the summer of 2013, but the restaurant was closed for refurbishment. Consequently, I was very anxious when we booked our trip for August 2014 to make a dinner reservation at the California Grill. This time we had our three kids in tow with us. We have boys ranging in age from 6 to 12 years old. First of all, we were very impressed with the refurbished decor, and of course you can't beat the view! Although our table wasn't quite ready, we ordered a bottle of wine from a server in the bar area named Justin. He was very friendly, and he set the tone for what we thought would be a wonderful evening. However, our service once we were seated at our table wasn't quite what we were expecting. Although our server was efficient, she was less than friendly. Unfortunately her attitude put a damper on our evening.The food was fine, but I definitely remember it being better when we dined there before. Our kids actually didn't even like their meals. It's hard to justify spending two credits on a meal that was just so-so. Next time, I'm tempted just to go to the bar, order a glass of wine and maybe some sushi -and of course enjoy the view!
Pros:
Beautiful view and interior decor; great wine listCons:
ServiceReview of Jiko - The Cooking Place - Jambo House
Reviewed by Eean Review Date: 10/16/2014
Rating: (8) Recommended
We ate dinner at Jiko on August 14, 2014. We are family of five, with three boys ages ranging from 12 to 6.we had never eaten at Jiko before, but I wanted to try a restaurant at the Animal kingdom lodge. We usually eat at the California Grill, since we like to stay at the contemporary resort. After a hot and tiring day at the animal Kingdom park, the ambience at Jiko was very relaxing. Our server's name was Alfredo, and he couldn't have been friendlier. We started with the taste of Africa appetizer, which all of my boys thought was interesting. For my entrée, I ordered the monkfish. Although I usually like fish, this was not my favorite. My kids and my husband all ordered the filet with the mac & cheese. Two of my boys are still raving about their meal. They said hands-down this was their favorite restaurant at Disney. My husband's secretary went there last month and we recommended Jiko to her and her husband. She agreed that this was also their favorite restaurant. Even though I wasn't the biggest fan of the monkfish, the attentive service and the quiet atmosphere made this a winner in my book! It was even better this year than the California Grill. My kids have asked if we could go there again next time, and I will definitely try the filet.
Pros:
Quiet ambience; attentive serviceCons:
Expensive- 2 credits on DDPReviewed by megla791 Review Date: 10/16/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
My husband and I stayed at the French quarter for our honeymoon on 10\12 to 10/16. When we arrived on the magical express, we were surprised to see a hotel staff holding an iPad with our names on it. She checked us in and everything was very quick. She gave us the happily ever after pin. Our room was in building 6, ground floor, corner room, facing the river. It was beautiful. Mickey and Minnie even left us a message saying congrats on getting married.
This is where everything started going down hill. We left the hotel to go to Hollywood studios. The lady never activated our park tickets so we had to wait in a long line at guest services. Their systems were down, so things took forever but it was finally fixed. Until we went to use the meal plan. The lady never had us set up a pin number. We had to pay for food and were told the hotel would pay us back. When we left the park and went to get everything solved we were told the computers were down we would have to wait for our money, but they could set up our pin number. We then received a credit on our account for all our problems.
Thought things couldn't go worse, but once we got to our room, we had another family's luggage and ours weren't there. We had to go back to guest services. They gave us another credit. So even though there were a lot of problems, the hotel did try to fix things for us.
The buses here are horrible. We waited over an hour one night for a down town Disney bus and half an hour another night for Epcot. Also, because they also service river side, it gets crowded.
Aside from all of that, we had a wonderful stay. The pool was great and unlike other Disney hotels I've stayed at, it wasn't over crowded. The people were friendly and the food court had good selections. The store was limited in the souvenir department, but that isn't a big deal. Everything was very clean, and we loved the marshmallows they have at the fire every night!
Pros:
pool, sizeCons:
busesReview of 'Ohana Best Friends Character Breakfast
Reviewed by Rosebud Review Date: 10/16/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
I have always loved Ohana and have been there before for a character meal as well as regular dining. For some reason, Lilo and Stitch is not as exciting as characters from the past. However, this breakfast was the morning after the day we arrived, so the kids definitely enjoyed the experience. Our server was excellent and attentive.
In my opinion, the Poly has two of the best restaurants in all of WDW!
Pros:
Food, serviceCons:
Not a lot of character interactionReview of Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Cafe
Reviewed by Rosebud Review Date: 10/15/2014
Rating: (7) Recommended
The thing with this counter service restaurant is that it's huge and open decent hours. The food was OK. It's kind of an adventure to find seats, but they are there.
Pros:
Seating goes on and on, place is huge. Food was decentCons:
A bit chaotic with long lines.Review of Kona Cafe Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by Rosebud Review Date: 10/15/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
Visited Disney in August and arrived around 11:00. Check-in was quick since we had club level.
We were all pretty hungry (5 adults, 4 kids) and took a chance that we could get in to Kona, which we did. Of course for the rest of our 10 days, it was impossible, so I would caution everyone - reservations are a must for both Kona and Ohana. With only two table restaurants, the Poly is touch and go. I wish they would reopen Tangaroa Terrace.
Anyway, food was very good, drinks same. The desserts were incredible. I highly recommend this restaurant.
Pros:
Food, dessert, waitstaffCons:
NoneReview of Grand Floridian Cafe Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by Rosebud Review Date: 10/15/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
Was at Disney in August at the Poly. Some of the "adults" decided to try a GF restaurant. We had no reservations but there was no problem for late lunch whatsoever. We also went for late dinner and this was maybe a 15 minute wait. Both meals were very good and we liked the desert offerings and how they can be mixed and matched. We would definitely go back here.
Pros:
Food, atmosphere, serviceCons:
NoneReview of Pop Century Resort (Value Resort)
Reviewed by carsmom Review Date: 10/15/2014
Rating: (5) Recommended
This was our first visit to Pop Century. We have stayed at many other Disney resorts but my son has always wanted to stay here...so we gave it a shot. We did online check-in which went smooth. Our room was ready when we arrived shortly after noon. Our room was clean and met our needs. The grounds were well kept. The food court was good. However, in the future, I will probably return to a deluxe hotel...more for the convenience to the parks. Also, the noise level was more than I expected. As stated in other posts...yes, you can hear the toilets around you being flushed all night long. I was disappointed in the poor wi-fi service. It was also very hard to get any reception on my cell phone. I had to stand outside my room to place a phone call...that may not be a resort issue. Overall, we had a nice stay at Pop. But I think I will return to a deluxe resort next year.
Pros:
bus service, food court, room was cleanCons:
various things "out of order", crowd, poor wifi, poor cell service,noise levelReview of Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue
Reviewed by Rosebud Review Date: 10/15/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
I've seen this show several times and have always enjoyed, so when 9 of us (4 grandkids included) decided to go to Disney I knew this was a must. Food, service, entertainment fantastic. If I go to Disney again, I won't miss this experience.
