Most Recent Reviews
Review of Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar
Reviewed by pluto12 Review Date: 02/28/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
We stumbled upon this place and it was my favorite experience of the entire trip! This is the consummate tiki bar. It's dark, it's decor is floor-to-ceiling kitsch, its drinks are served in fun glasses and the whole place gets into the fun. It's an adult place that emphasizes FUN.
We ended up coming in twice, and each time it was really packed. The bartenders do a good job keeping up with the pace, though they don't have time to interact too much. That said, they are an integral part of the atmosphere. Order the Uh Oa! for the best "show"! The Shipwreck on the Rocks has the best souvenir glass, if you ask me. And the Krakatoa Punch was just great.
Get there early to get a seat (or they may have you wait outside). And be prepared for the take-home glassware to double the price of your libation. But other than that... enjoy!!!
Mahalo!!
Pros:
I loved every single thing about this place. So much fun!Cons:
It gets really busy and it can be hard to find somewhere to sit/stand.Review of Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill
Reviewed by pluto12 Review Date: 02/28/2014
Rating: (7) Recommended
After paying, the wait was horrendous. Not sure what was going on.
But, after we finally got our food, we were able to find a nice table on the water and enjoy it. Not bad at all, plus it was nice having several vegetarian options from which to choose.
Pros:
FoodCons:
Wait, menu selectionReview of Blue Bayou Lunch
Reviewed by pluto12 Review Date: 02/28/2014
Rating: (6) Recommended
Had lunch here 2/23. It was wonderful to escape the chaos and hubbub of Dapper Day in the park. The interior of the restaurant was nice and dark and quiet.
We checked in a little early but were seated fairly close to our reservation time, which was fine. The pager radius was large enough so that we could browse the nearby shops, which was nice.
I wouldn't say the service was bad, but we were a little rushed. We also were seated right near the kitchen doors, so it was noisier and brighter and more traffic-y than other area of the restaurant.
My husband had the special (salad with seafood), which was fine but a little skimpy. I had the vegetarian entree (mushroom), and it was really, REALLY heavy on the balsamic. Not quite inedible, but close to it.
I have fond memories of this restaurant from coming here as a wee lass, and it was pleasantly as I had remembered it. But I do wish the food quality and variety was a little better, especially for the price.
Pros:
Ambience, quietCons:
Kind of a rushed meal, price, vegetarian optionReview of Disneyland Hotel
Reviewed by pluto12 Review Date: 02/28/2014
Rating: (8) Recommended
Stayed at Disneyland Hotel from 2/22/14-2/24/14. Booked Dapper Day rate, which was approximately half-price. The reduced rate was, fair for what you get, but I feel that paying more would have been too much.
We stayed in the Adventure Tower, which was really convenient for getting to/from the parks. You do have to walk through Downtown Disney to get to the entrance or the monorail, so that meant running the gauntlet of chain stores and restaurants that were BLASTING music at most times of the day. A minor quibble but it really did add to the stress of early/late/long days at the parks.
The room was tasteful, understated, and rather plain- which is not a complaint. The light-up headboard was just the right dose of pixie dust. The bathroom was not very nice at all, unfortunately, and the lighting in it was awful.
We tried to order room service on Sunday night, 2/23, but no one would pick up the phone after an hour (!!) on hold. We also tried the front desk- no one would pick up there, either! Thinking it might have been our room phones malfunctioning, I also tried the house phone- same result.
Dining options were limited and not very vegetarian-friendly (a surprise for a Disney property), especially when you took the room service menu out of the equation.
The absolute best part was Trader Sam's, the on-site tiki bar that we happened upon quite accidentally. It's everything you want from a tiki bar (i.e., dark, full of kitschy decor, outrageous drinks with little ceremonies, the staff and all the patrons in on the fun).
We were able to check-in early (1:30pm) but the process did take a long time. It seems that the front desk staff has no efficient and reliable way of ascertaining which rooms are vacant and clean. Hopefully Disney corrects this.
The hallways and rooms were fairly quiet, though we could hear something (plumbing??) running most of the night.
In all, I'd say this was on par with moderate resorts at WDW (though with interior corridors). I would try the Grand Californian next time for a little nicer experience.
Pros:
Disney-ness, proximity to parks, Trader Sam's, monorail waterslide, quiet public areasCons:
Chekin- took a long time, staff wouldn't pick up phone, limited dining options, poor bathroom lightingReview of Pop Century Resort (Value Resort)
Reviewed by JacPalPop Review Date: 02/27/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
Everything was great. We were in building 9 with a parking lot view. Great location right buy the buses and just around the corner was the computer pool. Check in was easy, we arrived early (8am) made our room request and went to the parks. The front desk staff was great. We were told our room number would be texted to us when our room was ready, but was asked to check at the front desk again. When getting our room number my 6 year old son was asking one of the managers a question, the manager knelt down to be on his level, I love that such great care and service. Room was perfect size for the two of us but two small for when all four members of my family travel. Classic Years was nice, food was good and my son enjoyed the arcade. All in all a great trip.
Pros:
Clean room, Check-in, Location to pool and busesCons:
None. Everything was perfectReview of Tusker House Character Breakfast
Reviewed by JacPalPop Review Date: 02/27/2014
Rating: (8) Recommended
Had a great time with my 6 year old boy at this character meal. Food was good, buffet style, several options from tradtional eggs and bacon to pastries with a nice carving station. The Jambo juice was very good. We had a nice location with plenty of room for pictures when the characters visited. Good flow and timing with eating and the characters visits.
Pros:
Food, Characters, ease of making the reservationCons:
cost (I'm Cheap)Reviewed by sasmmb Review Date: 02/24/2014
Rating: (3) Not Recommended
I'm quite disappointed in this hotel. When I got to my room I found a mans dirty sock between the ottomans (meaning they hadn't vaccummed there either), drapes splattered with ketchup (I hope it was ketchup!), and partially used bottle of shower gel. It's clear housekeeping did a poor job. The manager was appropriately aghast and came to the room to check it out. So hopefully she will take care of it. I was not offered any compensation or extra amenity though.
Also this is a BIG resort. I stayed in the Casistas Building #5. There are no bridges across the lake from there so you have to walk around the entire lake to get to the main building and restaurants.
Given all the great Disney hotels, I would not recommend people spend their money on this one.
Pros:
convenient if you are here for conventionCons:
housekeeping is horrible/ far to walk to main buildingReview of FastPass+
Reviewed by slapps Review Date: 02/24/2014
Rating: (3) Not Recommended
My family and friends stayed at Old Key West Grand villas. We had 13 in our villa. We stayed during the Christmas holiday, December 18th through December 28th, this was our 10th time we stayed for the holidays in the past 11 years. We did not find the fast pass plus to be a great, or any improvement at all over the regular fast pass. We found that it took a lot of the fun out of our trip. We had a lot of people in our party so we changed plans on occasion. When this happened we found it difficult to change the passes. We tried at guest services and the kiosks located inside the parks. The site was very slow (My Disney Experience) if you could get on at all. We also found that it was a pain to hop and use the passes. We think, with the price it costs to go to Disney, that you should be able to fast pass in different parks. Even if Disney wants you to have only 3 passes, you should be able to use them in multiple parks. We also did not like the tiering system where you could only do certain rides in certain parks. I.E. Epcot. You could not do Test Track and Soarin together. I think there needs to be modifications made.
Pros:
O.k. when it worksCons:
Did not work most of the time and forced you to adhere to a scheduleReview of Caribbean Beach Resort (Moderate Resort)
Reviewed by caleal Review Date: 02/24/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
Carribean Beach Resort is amazing. It's definitely the place to go for a quiet, serene Disney stay. I never found any aspect of it particularly crowded. Wandering around you never go too far without stumbling on a little beach and hammocks, or a fire pit. It is a very lagre resort, so if you have mobility issues you'll want to request specific rooms closest to whatever is important to you. The rooms are ample sized and quiet. There are very few hidden Mickeys which was a bit of a bummer, but I didn't come to Disney to scour the room for Mickeys! The feature pool has a lot of fun pirate additions, and there are tons of quiet pools around the property so you're never far from one. But the poolside bar was a fun way to end the nights! I would definitely stay here again!!
Pros:
beautiful, spaciousCons:
large (only a con if you have mobility issues).Review of Pop Century Resort (Value Resort)
Reviewed by elstarrmom Review Date: 02/24/2014
Rating: (4) Recommended
I stayed at Pop Century twice in the same week so I had 2 check ins and check outs. Even with online Check In, check in took more than 20 minutes. During my 2nd check in my room was not ready, I was given magic bands and told I'd receive a text message with my room number. When I returned to Pop Century at about 1am I was LOST trying to find parking for "the 70's" building #6. I drove the property with my daughter for 15 minutes, then went into lobby for help. With 1 agent working and a tour group just arrived I waited 30 minutes before I finally spoke up and asked if security could show me to my room. No security was available to help. I found the signage on the property to be inadequate -- even the Disney employee had trouble finding my room!
IMHO some of the buildings are very inconvenient if you are using a car rather than Disney buses. The front desk was not staffed for the number of people checking in and out.
The food court has begun using the "time out" features on the soda machines. If you buy a refillable mug you are limited in how often it can be refilled. If you buy a single use cup it may only be refilled 3 times and there is a 5 minute delay in between each fill.
If you stay at Pop Century, understand it is a Value Resort with long lines, lots of tour groups, and crowded food court.
The room was clean and adequate. The noise level is high, I could hear every time a person walked in the room above me, or when the rooms above or next to me flushed a toilet. Once mousekeeping started working at about 7am their was a constant noise of carts and vacuums. For a reasonable prince you get the extra benefits of staying on property, but there are tradeoffs. Seems best suited to people traveling without their own car.
