Most Recent Reviews
Review of MagicBand
Reviewed by geneticallyempowered Review Date: 08/17/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
My husband and I used the bands while on our honeymoon back in June. They worked perfectly! They were a breeze to use and we didn't have a single problem the entire week we were there. We wore ours in the pools and everything - they were just great. So easy to use and keep track of.
Pros:
ease of useCons:
noneReviewed by LISAE Review Date: 08/17/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
The only negative I can possibly find is the refillable mug station being near the main pool, outside and covered in wasps. Everything else is amazing. We stayed for two weeks from 2nd to 16th August. Only used Disney transport and only encountered two slight delays in a fortnight. The studio was very nice and compared well to other deluxe resorts we have visited. The resort itself is beautiful and from our studio at one end of the resort to the Hospitality House only took 10-15 minutes. We had a golf course view (as requested), we were across the road from the nearest bus stop and three minutes walk away from a quiet pool. Loved this resort, can't rave enough and it is now our joint favourite with the Beach Club.
Pros:
beautiful resort and studioCons:
Refillable Mug areaReview of Italy - Signature
Reviewed by dvcnut Review Date: 08/17/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
I took this trip in July 2014 and it has now been renamed Viva Italia and goes to Rome, Tuscany, Florence, and Venice. This was my third time in Italy(2 DCL Med Cruises prior), all with Disney, and I was finally able to see the final things on my Italian bucket list since my first DCL Med Cruise trip in 2011. I now know that doing the two Italy ABD trips(Bella--Amalfi Coast and Viva) would have allowed me to see just about everything on my list in only two trips, but the cruises were fun too.
This was a great trip! We saw the major sites in Rome, Florence, and Venice and had enough free time to sample the local food and do our own sightseeing. Having done the cattle call to the Sistene Chapel through the museums when I was on the cruise, it was nice to be on a tour where we were the only people in the Vatican Museums and Sistene Chapel. I finally got to see Tuscany on this trip(instead of just driving through it on the way to Florence) and the hotel where we stayed was charming and close enough to Florence so that we didn't have a long bus ride on our day trip to see the Duomo and other sights. They've changed the Venice hotel for 2015, but it was nice to be 5 seconds from St. Mark's Square and all it had to offer. ABD is definitely the way to see these cities!
Pros:
after hours access to Vatican Museums & Sistene ChapelCons:
noneReview of Disney Dream Overall Experience
Reviewed by TRACY225 Review Date: 08/15/2014
Rating: (2) Not Recommended
Would never recommend this Cruise Line for any families with autistic children. We have two boys who love Disney and our family loves cruises. Those are our two vacations of choice. So we thought this would be an amazing experience and I literally cried the whole time because our boys could not enjoy the children's deck that is dedicated to kids.... and that has all the cool fun stuff that is advertised that the boys wanted to do. PARENTS ARE NOT ALLOWED 🙁 They simply cannot be left there without us due to their disability and would not go with a cast member. So that ONE day for about an hour that we could "visit" and check it out was very upsetting for me. Our boys LOVED it there but yet after that hour could not and would not return on their own. I think it is ridiculous that parents cannot enjoy all those activities with their kids. This was the worst family vacation we have ever taken. Like I said I cried and was very disappointed that we spent more on a 5 night cruise ($5000) that was a waste of time (for our family) than we did coming up in September at the Disney Parks for 7 nights ($4000). Disney please have exceptions for kids with disabilities such as autism where parents can go to that whole floor dedicated to the kids at ANY TIME during the cruise. I honestly felt ripped off and almost called to get some money back.....it really was not fun and not Disney to us 🙁
Pros:
Inside cabins were niceCons:
Food was just okay. Not Autism friendly at all.Review of Landscape of Flavors - Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by Oswald Review Date: 08/15/2014
Rating: (3) Not Recommended
I was excited at first to have a food court at our resort. My first meal was the pasta with pesto. The pesto was so horrible I didn't even finish my meal. The next time I went back I ordered a meatball sandwich. The meatballs had no flavor and the marinara was plain. The thing that totally ruined it was the hard thick bread they put on top of the meat balls.
The hamburgers were really plain. After a few meals our family totally gave up on this food court and traveled over to Pop Century resort. We were so happy with the selection of food available. It was a hundred times better than Art of Animation.
I figured since the Art of Animation was new the food would be better. It was so bad we actually ordered pizza from an outside company.
It is slightly better than vending machine food, but barely. Save your money and either eat at the parks, or go to another resort.
Pros:
Better than a vending machineCons:
Slow service and poor selection of foodReview of Yorkshire County Fish Shop
Reviewed by andreau Review Date: 08/11/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
Most of my family ate here in the first week of August while other members of my family wandered around the World Showcase. The line moved quickly and service was excellent. We absolutely loved the fish and chips. They tasted extremely fresh and the portion size was excellent. The meal was quite filling. I have seen that seating is difficult to find, but we found a very quiet and private spot within the gardens of the United Kingdom Pavilion.
Pros:
meal and serviceCons:
—Review of Beach Club Resort (Deluxe Resort)
Reviewed by mom2mybugs Review Date: 08/10/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
We really loved the amenities at this room. We have 5, so being able to stay in one room was huge--the sofa bed was little but worked for my 15 year old. We loved the pool and spent a couple nights there. Location proximity to Epcot and Studios was great! We ate at both Beaches and Cream and Cape May (char.breakfast) and were very pleased with the quality.
Cons--tons of walking. We had a pool view (no standards available on the discounts) but it was a long walk to the big pool anyway, and a ridiculous distance from parking! The price is steep...you are paying for location and the pool. If that isn't a priority, the theming isn't amazing enough to justify the price. We loved it, but it was a definite splurge.
Pros:
pool, fun restaurantsCons:
long walk from parking to lobby and lobby to room, priceReviewed by andreau Review Date: 08/09/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
Our party of 7 (3 adults and 4 teens) stayed at Old Key West from 7-30 to 8-7 2014. We had a 2 bedroom villa. It is a lovely resort. We are not DVC members but for the large group we had, we found this resort to be the best "bang for the buck." The resort is very spread out, but we had a car on site which we drove from the Chicago area. We used the car to get to and from the parks everyday. Parking was directly in front of our villa. We did take the bus one day and that did seem to take awhile for the bus to come and then the many stops within the resort. It was a bit of a long walk from our building to the pool, check in area, gift shop, etc., but it really didn't bother us.
Our view of the river was beautiful. It was perfect for my mom in her 70's. She is in terrific shape, did the parks like a pro, but enjoyed sitting on the balcony overlooking the river later in the day. The resort is very quiet. The villa itself is quite large. It did look a tiny bit worn, but this did not bother us in the least and certainly didn't take away any of the magic for us. The kids enjoyed the pool. We found the beds to be extremely comfortable and even the pull out queen sofa and the pull out chair were very comfortable for the teens. This was our first time at a Disney villa and we loved having a washer and dryer in the room. In order to save on food, we brought along or bought (offsite) most foods for breakfast and even a good amount for lunch or dinner. We would have an early breakfast in our room, go to the parks, come back for a mid day break to have lunch in our room, nap, swim, etc. Having a full kitchen really saved on the cost of food. The kitchen amenities were great! If possible we would love to stay here again.
Pros:
beautiful grounds, peaceful, very spacious villasCons:
—Reviewed by poodlepal Review Date: 08/09/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
I have stayed at several Disney resorts and this is possibly my favorite. We stayed in a "business" room near the bus stop and restaurants and got the free continental breakfast, so our experience may have been a little easier than others. I recommend upgrading, if you can afford a little extra.
The grounds are beautiful and the staff is extremely helpful. They helped my disabled mother get around and even mad a pre-checked TSA boarding pass for her--without being asked. The bus system was not reliable, but that is not the fault of the Coronado Springs hotel. The hotel itself and the experience staying at it was wonderful. We got Mickey towels, the room was cleaned promptly and the magic bands worked pretty well (sometimes took a couple of tries to line it up, but we always got in the room). The bathroom needed a paint touch up, but if that doesn't bother you, you should have a wonderful time.
Pros:
Resort is beautiful, the staff is extremely helpfulCons:
Bathroom door needed to be painted.Review of Sci-Fi Dine-in Theatre Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by andreau Review Date: 08/08/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
We ate here during our very recent trip, the first week in August. We had reservations and were seated immediately. The front staff was very friendly. The food was excellent and the milk shakes are divine. Our waitress was extremely friendly and attentive. While it is quite dark inside, we have eaten here before and knew this would be the case. It was actually quite quiet within the restaurant and therefore could enjoy our conversation within our party of 7.
