Most Recent Reviews
Reviewed by mmfan Review Date: 10/06/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
We attended the Halloween party 10/02/14. We had attended the party several years ago, and again were pleased with our experience! We feel it is imperative that you get to the park early. Although the party starts at 7 PM, entrance to the Magic Kingdom is allowed at 4PM for those with party tickets. It was a warm night, but thankfully no rain! So many people were dressed in costumes, making the atmosphere very festive. We had planned an early dinner at 4 PM as we did not want to take party time to eat a meal. The case members were very diligent this year about making sure guests had wrist bands, they even checked for them when we entered the restrooms! We saw several groups of people without tickets being escorted out, It was a busy night but not overally crowded. It was congested at parade and fireworks time, but the crowds dispersed quickly afterwards. The parade and fireworks are not to be missed. Lines looked very short for rides, we made a special effort to visit the Haunted Mansion because what is a Halloween party if you don't visit the ghosts! Madame Leota sitting outside the Mansion was amazing, the cast members went above and beyond to portray their roles that night - so much fun! We did not spend time riding other rides as we wanted to focus on the Halloween offerings. Trick or treat lines were short and fun, the character greeting lines looked manageable except for the Seven Dwarves, that looked very long all night. We also enjoyed special pumpkin waffles and candy corn ice cream-yum! The lighting was great, the music fun. A very festive atmosphere throughout the park! It just seemed to go too fast though, so much to do in one night! We thoroughly enjoyed our night.
Pros:
lots of fun, everyone in costumeCons:
difficult to do it all in one night!Review of General Exhibits and Experiences
Reviewed by dcdeb Review Date: 10/05/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
I went to the Mixology session, which is held in the Vineyard area of Epcot's Festival Center, on Saturday, September 20, the second day the session on gin was offered. The format for these Mixology sessions hasn't changed since the program's inception three years ago -- and that's not a complaint. As they say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it! And this format works. The presenter tells you a little bit about the background of the spirit, in this case gin, and of course about his/her particular company. Interpersed with the history lessons, the Mixologist shows the audience how to prepare three different cocktails using the spirit, while sharing "insider" tips and tricks for preparing the best cocktails possible. And then of course there is what is arguably the "best" portion of the event: the audience is treated to samples of the mixed drinks themselves. You can read the rest of my review of this Mixology session here:
http://allears.net/tp/ep/fw14/2014-epcot-food-and-wine-festival-mixology-gin.htm
Pros:
Fun atmosphere, chance to try 3 cocktails and learn tips from a mixologistCons:
Interferes with dinner hour a bitReview of Food & Wine Food Booths
Reviewed by dcdeb Review Date: 10/05/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
I found the foods at the 2014 International Marketplaces to be of overall very good quality. Some of my favorites: the Berliner (donut) at the Germany marketplace; the Grilled Lamb Chop in Australia; the Gratin de crozet de savoie in France, along with the Sea Salt Caramel Creme Brulee. My least favorites were at the Italian booth -- both the ravioli and chicken were overpriced and rather blah. I would definitely recommend trying everything, though. You never know what you're going to like until to try it! See what others have rated the foods in our annual survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/results/SM-MGP8GTJL/
Or rate for yourself here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZKZV6MK
Pros:
Chance to sample foods from all over the worldCons:
Some items a bit pricey, or small portionsReviewed by dcdeb Review Date: 10/05/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
Returning to the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival this year is the Parisian Breakfast, a program designed to showcase the goodies produced by the France pavilion's beloved bakery, Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie. I reviewed this special ticketed offering last year, and I'm happy to report that nothing much has changed! It's still a delightful and delicious way to start your day in Epcot, with an abundance of fantastic French pastries, strong French coffee, rich hot chocolate, and -- I must not forget to mention -- unlimited orange juice and champagne Mimosas! You can read my review of this year's Parisian Breakfast here: http://allears.net/tp/ep/fw14/2014-epcot-food-and-wine-festival-parisian-breakfast.htm
Pros:
Good value for money; terrific pastriesCons:
NoneReviewed by jluck Review Date: 10/04/2014
Rating: (4) Not Recommended
Visited end of September 2014.
I really wanted to like this place. We came after a full day at Animal Kingdom and had been told by the dining reservation lady that we could use the time until our 7pm res. to explore the resort. We walked out, saw the pool, found an "overlook" and saw giraffes in the very far distance, looked at flamingos, found a little playground that we used (not sure if we were allowed or not) then went back to the lobby to wait. And wait.
Finally time for our res. so we went down. The restuarant was PACKED. The buffet lines are so poorly planned. You get in line for meats and when you reach the end of those stations, you can't just merge over to side dishes because that is a completly separate line and if you do merge, you will be cutting in line. So this means Multiple trips to the buffet just to get to all the stations.
The choices were not great. I know we were going to experience international cuisine, but I expected plenty of American style choices as well. There really wasn't much except a large roast beef. The ribs were coated in an extremely spicy paste, the chicken was marinated in spices that while good, were not for anyone looking for American flavors. About the only foods for picky/non-adventurous eaters was pasta and sauce. So, if you have a child over the age of 9 who just wants plain food, you get to pay $40 for them to eat a plate of pasta.
Even for those of the party who wanted to explore the different foods and flavors, it was difficult. The signs marking the food were not up to date. You go up and get something and it was yummy so you want more, and when you return, the sign is still there but the dish is totally different.
I was very disappointed in the whole experience and to pay well over $200 for a meal that was not enjoyable is really unfortunate.
Pros:
some interesting foodsCons:
incredibly crowded, not worth the priceReview of Crystal Palace Breakfast
Reviewed by jluck Review Date: 10/04/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
My favorite character meal! Visited September 2014. Had our reservation marked "celebration" for our sons birthday.The waitress brought him a cupcake and birthday card signed by herself and all the characters--that is scrapbook worthy!
The food of course is fabulous, everything from kiddie basics like waffles and sausage to fresh fruits, and more sophisticated items like quiches and so forth.
One thing bugged me and I don't blame the server since I'm sure they are trained to do this, but I'm a 40+ year old adult... I dislike being called "Princess" keep that for the kids. It just feels weird.
Pros:
characters, good foodCons:
—Review of Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe
Reviewed by jluck Review Date: 10/04/2014
Rating: (6) Recommended
Visited end of September 2014.
Issue #1. The dining room has some animatronic alien DJ and it was SO LOUD.
Issue #2... you have to go through 3 different lines to get the types of food. Family of 7 here, so of course had to go through all three lines to get something for everyone.
Most of the food was ok, not outstanding but not bad. The hotdog tasted very odd, not rotten, just odd.
The one thing I did like is that you can use the topping bar and get a lot of sides.
Pros:
quick mealCons:
horrible lay out, LOUD dining roomReviewed by jluck Review Date: 10/04/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
Visited the end of September, 2014.
I have a love-hate relationship with this restaurant. The food is amazing, the staff makes sure everyone has something they enjoy (our waiter got a plate of plain turkey, no gravy, no dressing, for one of our kids). It just stings a bit to pay adult price for anyone over age 9 when you know they are only going to eat a little bit off of the kids' platter. I strongly dislike this about Disney's fixed price meals.
The turning mechanism was broken when we went so the kids were disappointed about that, but we got to see the characters, enjoy the food, and our waiter was great, so it all worked out.
Pros:
amazing foodCons:
price for kidsReviewed by jluck Review Date: 10/04/2014
Rating: (7) Recommended
Went here for the character breakfast end of September 2014. Got an 8 am reservation so we could have a chance to sign up for Jedi Academy. You check in at the gate and wait in line until they lead you (and everyone else in that line) through the park to the restaurant, then you again wait in a long line to check in again.
The food was good, maybe not quite as good as Crystal Palace. The server made sure we knew the route the characters take so we could be sure they weren't on the way before we went up to the buffet.
The line was a bit chaotic.
Cast members start singing and dancing in the restaurant at various times through your meal and this clogs the way to the buffet... You are trying to make it through the line before a character comes and you have to wade through singing cast members and toddlers to get there.
Not my favorite character meal, but the kids got to see Jake and pals, so it was worth it.
Pros:
the charactersCons:
a bit crowdedReview of Flame Tree Barbecue
Reviewed by jluck Review Date: 10/04/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
Visited AK the end of Sept. 2014 and knew from the AllEars reviews that Flame Tree was the best choice. So glad we did. The prices are high of course like everything in Disney, but are the best value we found in any of the parks. Some of the meals we got were the fruit platter, Turkey sandwich, chicken sandwich, and 1/2 chicken. All were tasty and large portions, the food seemed extremely fresh.
Highly recommend.
