Most Recent Reviews
Review of Crystal Palace Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by featheredbuddy Review Date: 09/01/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
The food was very good. Our waiter checked with us lots of times and the kids had enough time with the characters even with it as crowed as it was. Our waiter even asked if we had seen everyone and if we need more time. We have done this twice and have loved it both times.
Pros:
Great waiterCons:
noneReview of Be Our Guest -Counter Service Lunch
Reviewed by featheredbuddy Review Date: 09/01/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
The castmembers were a lot of help with ordering and didn't rush us even though they were very busy. The food arrived very fast and was hot and delicious. We even had someone ask if everything was ok and did we need anything. It made the meal seem more like a sit down meal instead of a counter meal.
Pros:
Staff was very helpful and patientCons:
noneReview of All Star Music Resort (Value Resort)
Reviewed by featheredbuddy Review Date: 09/01/2014
Rating: (2) Recommended
I loved All Star Music the first time we visited This trip was the total opposite from last time. Our toilet had dried you know what on it when we arrived and my infant grandson found it. We also had bugs and lizards getting into the room under the door.
The food court is being renovated and while the resort is trying to make it easy to get food it simply isn't. The bus waits were very long and were almost full by the time they arrived at music. We waited in line over hour at Downtown Disney.
Pros:
The front desk staff does try hard to help.Cons:
Room was dirty and we had lizards and bugs in roomReview of Chef Mickey's Dinner
Reviewed by bellebookworm9 Review Date: 09/01/2014
Rating: (8) Recommended
I dined here with a friend on 8/18. This was the one reservation my friend requested, but when I had to switch the dates of my trip, the only time available was 9pm. Since we were staying at the Grand Floridian, we hopped on the monorail around 8:30, just in case there were breakdowns or resets. Thankfully there were no problems at all and we were checking in to the restaurant by 8:45. There was only one other family ahead of us in line for photos, and ours turned out very cute. They were linked automatically, but somehow we also ended up with the photos of the five families ahead of us!
It was just a few more minutes before we were seated. Jessica was our server, one of the three that I actually remember from this trip, because she was excellent. Goofy came around almost immediately and was happy to pose for photos and sign autographs.
I started out with caesar salad, fruit salad, focaccia bread, and corn bread. All good but nothing special. My friend was brave and tried the halibut, which we think was served on a bed of red quinoa. He said it was very good.
Pluto and Minnie came around next, within 20 minutes of us being seated.
The next plate I had consisted of grilled kielbasa and pierogies, corn dog nuggets, Mickeyroni and cheese, and two types of dinner rolls. The Mickeyroni looked good, but lacked any flavor. I understand that they're trying to make it a healthy kid's option, but it definitely could have used some salt. I also prefer my kielbasa boiled, not grilled, but that's personal preference. Everything else was good.
Donald skipped us somehow, we had some fun waving our napkins, and then Mickey took photos with us, about 40 minutes after arrival.
My last plate was mashed potatoes, roast beef, and another roll. It was all great, though the beef was a bit more fatty than I'm used to.
We were on to desserts before Donald came by. Normally I love sweet treats, but these left a lot to be desired. The mini cheesecake was fine, the mini blue "Frozen" themed cupcake had no taste at all, the key lime tart was too tart for me, the Mickey Mousse dome was okay but the Oreo on the bottom was soggy, and the best of the lot was the Banana Cream Tart. They also offer soft serve ice cream at two dispensers, but they were both running out. One had the entire vanilla handle broken off, so it was only giving out chocolate. The other was just out of the chocolate, so you could only get vanilla. There were caramel and chocolate sauces, as well as candy toppings like gummy bears, Reese's pieces, and M&Ms. The problem was that there's no way to fit the bowl under the dispensers, so our solution was to put the candies on a plate and then pour them onto the ice cream.
Donald didn't make his way back to us until 9:50pm. And then, he took a picture with just my friend and hurried off to the next table. We had to call him back to take a photo with me and sign my book!
As we were waiting for the checks to be processed, about 15 minutes later, Donald came back again and took a selfie with my friend.
A bit of a lengthy meal, and definitely not a gourmet one, but if you come in with reasonable expectations, you'll have fun and won't leave hungry. I was also pleased that they had no problem giving us separate checks, since I was on the DDP and my friend was not.
Pros:
Good food overall, great service, seated earlyCons:
Some characters seemed rushed, ice cream machines not working correctlyReview of Be Our Guest -Counter Service Lunch
Reviewed by bellebookworm9 Review Date: 09/01/2014
Rating: (7) Recommended
This was my third time dining here and all three times have been for lunch. I had a FP+ for 1-1:30pm on 8/18 and decided to do the preorder. Because the reservation is based on who is in your hotel room, a friend was added who was not able to make the lunch. I checked in and removed him with no problem.
There was a bit of a line at the pre-order station. A manager was coming down the line asking how many people were in the party, and when I said one, he took me to a register in the main ordering room. One family was ahead of me. When I tapped my band, my preorder was missing. While it only took a couple of minutes to place my order again, what's the point of the preorder if it doesn't show up?
I decided to eat in the West Wing, having already eaten in the other two areas. It was not as dark as I recall it being in the past, but there is a "thunderstorm" every few minutes.
My food arrived within a reasonable amount of time. I chose the Roast Beef sandwich and the Master's Cupcake. The sandwich was not as good as it was in January. It was warm, which I had forgotten, and because it was so hot outside, I just couldn't bring myself to eat more than a couple of bites. The cupcake was just as good as it was before.
The novelty has worn off for me and I'll probably skip this next trip.
Pros:
Master's cupcakeCons:
Missing preorder, novelty has worn offReview of Kouzzina by Cat Cora - Breakfast
Reviewed by bellebookworm9 Review Date: 09/01/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
Having never eaten at Kouzzina, I decided to give it a try before it closes next month. My reservation was for 8:40am on 8/17. I was running a few minutes late and arrived at 8:44. After checking in, I took a seat in the lobby and within five minutes I was led to a table. I liked the atmosphere here; it was nice to have a sedate breakfast.
I believe my server was Krystin. She highly recommended the Classic Golden Waffle topped with whipped mascarpone cheese, honey drizzle, and chopped pecans. This sounded good to me when I was perusing the menu ahead of time, so I went ahead and ordered that, with bacon. I also decided to give the Sweet Potato Hash a try.
The good: the waffle was amazing! So fluffy and the toppings combined wonderfully. I did end up adding some syrup but that's just how I like to eat my waffles. The sweet potato hash was not what I was expecting. I thought it would be like hash browns, but it was not. Instead, there were little cubes of potatoes mixed with onions and peppers. I wish I would have asked ahead of time.
If you have the chance to get here before it closes, I do recommend it.
Pros:
Waffles, Friendly ServiceCons:
Sweet Potato HashReview of 'Ohana Best Friends Character Breakfast
Reviewed by mommom Review Date: 08/31/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
PARTY OF 14 - WAS MY GREAT GRANDDAUGHTER'S 1ST TIME MEETING MICKEY. OUR SERVICE AS GREAT AND VERY ATTENTIVE WITH OUR LARGE GROUP. THE FOOD WAS GOOD AS USUALLY AND WE ALL LOVED THE JUICE. I THOUGHT WE WERE ALL FINISHED WHEN MY ONE GRANDDAUGHTERS DECIDED SHE WANTED MORE WAFFLES. THE SERVER WENT AND GOT HER A CLEAN PLATE AND FORK AND SHE HAD HER OWN PLATE OF WAFFLES - WHICH SHE ATE ALL OF IT - I REALLY DO ENJOY OHANA'S. THANK YOU FOR A GREAT EXPERIENCE.
Pros:
the food and serviceCons:
construction took away from the resort.Review of Spirit of Aloha Dinner
Reviewed by mommom Review Date: 08/31/2014
Rating: (8) Recommended
large party of 14 - had tables in wonderland - got a discount for the second show. we were on the top level - seating 3 - I didn't have a problem seeing and I was the last one seated at back of table all the way in the back, the last seat. others in my party complained they couldn't see. I wasn't disappointed in the food or show, just upset that my family didn't enjoy it for the amount of money I paid. I should have gotten down front but it would have cost me an additional $200. I did enjoy Ohana's more. we did that last year. Nice to try once. The fire dancer did a great job and it was nice seeing the different dances from other islands. I enjoyed eating outside even though it poured, we did not get wet and there was a delay in the show. I did feel like I was on the island.
Pros:
surroundings - beautiful gardensCons:
not being able to seeReview of Keys to the Kingdom - Magic Kingdom
Reviewed by Nsunukji Review Date: 08/30/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
We took the keys to the kingdom tour (8:30am) and were very pleased with it. We left our DD(16) and DS(15) on their own for the morning and they had their own fun. Haylee our tour guide was vey eager to snow us all the hidden secrets that are right out in plain site in MK. YEs, we eventually went "underground", but as others have posted, that's not as exciting as it might seem. We learned a lot more about Walt and Roy and our kids got a kick out of some of the things we learned when we later hooked up,with them. Lunch was nice in the American Pavilion. It was a really hot day and there is ALOT of walking I really thing the tour could be cut short about 1/2 hour or 45 min and still be as enjoyable. You really have to be interested in Disney to enjoy it, which we are. Definitely well worth the price.
Pros:
Was as advertisedCons:
A bit too longReviewed by mommom Review Date: 08/30/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
had 2 villas - each was a 2bedroom - traveling with 14 - 6 teenagers - 1 year old - 87 yr old - 6 Adults - the resort was clean and very quiet. I did the cooking in the 1 villa. housekeeping brought me all the pots I needed.
the teenagers complain about the 2nd bathroom being too dark but loved the all the space on the vanity.
the kids used both the main and quiet pool near our villa. they thought the main pool was too loud and noisy.
our villa was near Downtown Disney which was nice. we used the walkway and didn't have to worry about parking the cars.
the frig doesn't have an ice maker - had to walk to get ice or use the ice tray in the freezer which took awhile to make
Housekeeping did stop by on our check out day to ask what time we would be leaving - trying to feed everyone and pack everything up, I felt like they were trying to get us out of the villa. They stopped by both villas. I did the early check-in and on that I stated I would be out by 10:30 AM. I didn't need someone knocking on my door at 7:30 to find out what time I thought I would be gone. A better way is to give housekeeping a call when you are leaving the room. We were out by 9:30am .
Old Key West is still my home but Saratoga Springs was nice to visit.
