Most Recent Reviews
Review of Caribbean Beach Resort (Moderate Resort)
Reviewed by SMReichert Review Date: 08/22/2014
Rating: (1) Not Recommended
I can only speak for my experience this week at CBR. This is my 12th time in WDW. First time in CBR. I usually stay in Deluxe, but have stayed in French Quarter and was very happy there. I stayed this week in CBR. (We are still here). When I checked in on Tuesday, the registration wasn't too busy, but I still waited a bit to check in. The person who finally checked me in, came over to me in the line with an ipad and started the process as I stood there in the line. When she asked me for my credit card info, I asked if we could go somewhere that I could put my stuff down, and give her the info in a less public area. (I think she was new).
When I saw that our room was at the far end of Trinidad south (Furthest from the center hub of the resort), I asked if we could be closer to the pool and the restaurants. It was just my son and I, and I don't like to have to walk far in the dark by ourselves. They told me I couldn't move from the "pirate room" because it was a "premium" room and moving me to a different room would mess up my "package" (Whatever that meant). But they did move me "closer" in Trinidad South, which ended up being farther from the bus stop and actually further walking distance to the restaurant. They seemed very bothered by the fact I asked to be closer. It definitely was not worth the extra money for a pirate room!!!
Since we were at the end of the resort, the buses were always late and full. Since it was extremely hot, people were not respectful of the people who were already waiting and butted in front of the people who were waiting. So we had to wait for a second bus to get to a few of the resorts this week.
I want to add that we met a nice family while waiting for the bus back to CBR from MK. They were complaining about the same problems I was having.
I wasn't given anything about the resort like I have received from other resorts like what restaurants they had, hours of operation, etc. I did receive the dining plan brochure, a list of activities at the pool and a map of the resort.
The first night, we were hungry and in our room. There wasn't any info in our room on private dining or pizza delivery. We called the front desk. They said there were places that delivered here, but we would have to go to the front of the resort to get it! Definitely not walking distance especially at 10 pm! So they recommended in room dining. I was transferred to another person. I asked what they offered and they said it was in a brown folder on the table. There was no folder. They asked what room I was in and they said someone would get it out to me. After 40 minutes, we called back. They said they didn't offer in room dining (What??) but they offered pizza delivery. (They think I was transferred to someone who was unaware I was calling from CBR.). We got the pizza (disappointing, but something)
The food at the food court isn't that good. The grab & go doesn't have prices on anything. We have the refillable mugs, but a waste since we are so far away that we aren't there to fill them. Or we would have to carry them with us to the parks all day.
Our room wasn't cleaned today. Not sure why. We didn't have washcloths in our room when we checked in, but them came right away with them along with extra towels.
I have NEVER complained about WDW ever! Not sure if its the weather, but even the bus drivers are grumpy! The hotel employees are not happy or pleasant. The DVC rep was happy & Disney like, but no one else. I am very disappointed. My 11 year old has noticed it too. We are having fun though. It is WDW! But CBR is a total disappointment. Maybe if we were closer, we wouldn't have rated it so poorly, but being so far from everything, waiting so long for a bus to go to the resorts, and the food, I can't give it a good rating. Sorry. Back to Deluxe next year.
Pros:
CleanCons:
Too far from everything; slow bus/full buses; not thrilled with food choicesReview of MagicBand
Reviewed by bellebookworm9 Review Date: 08/22/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
I have four bands right now, all in different colors. One was from a stay in March, one is my AP band, and two were for my recent split stay last week. I love that they can all be used interchangeably, allowing me to color coordinate with whatever I'm wearing. Any and all will get me into my room and the parks, register my FP+, dining plan, and Memory Maker entitlements.
I have also purchased several packs of Mickey head "jibbits" to decorate the bands, but I don't recommend putting more than two on at a time. Each time I've put three on, I've lost the third, never to be seen again.
Pros:
ConvenientCons:
Accessories tend to fall offReviewed by bellebookworm9 Review Date: 08/22/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
As I had a rental car this trip, my use of Disney transportation was limited. On my first morning at Magic Kingdom, I was given the option of bus or ferryboat; I chose the boat, though the bus probably would have been faster.
When the monorail was running, which it was every other time I used it, I never waited more than a couple of minutes, and I typically used the resort track. Most times, the monorail was there when I walked up.
The monorail is subject to reboots during it's conversion to driver-less operations. This takes about two minutes but the entire electrical system shuts down-including the A/C. As one mom pointed out, maybe January would be a better time to do this conversion, not August when it's ridiculously hot and humid!
Pros:
Prompt monorails when runningCons:
Monorail reboots and limited serviceReviewed by bellebookworm9 Review Date: 08/22/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
While I had plans to partake in all of the events, I only ended up watching the fireworks. Having heard that the views of the fireworks themselves were better from farther back, I stood near the camera shop on Hollywood Blvd and had a great view! I could see the stage in the distance but the jumbo-tron screens were quite clear. I thought the stage show portion was a little silly but I really enjoyed the pyrotechnics. This was the first fireworks show I've had the opportunity to see at DHS and it was great!
Pros:
Fireworks!Cons:
—Review of Old Port Royale
Reviewed by bellebookworm9 Review Date: 08/22/2014
Rating: (8) Recommended
I dined here for breakfast on 3 out of 5 mornings, as well as once each for lunch and dinner.
For breakfast I had the kid's mickey waffles, the kid's french toast, and a cheese danish with a side of pineapple. I was at OPR either very early (7:30am) or very late (10:45am), so it was never terribly crowded and I was always able to get one of two tables that were meant for two people.
For lunch, I ate around 11:45am, and ordered the Royale Sandwich, after Jack Spence recommended it in his blog recently. It came with a side of house made chips. The sandwich was great but so big I could barely eat half! Also loved the soft-serve ice cream option for dessert.
My friend and I ate dinner here once as well, around 6:45pm. I had the roast chicken with mashed potatoes, cornbread, and green beans, with a pineapple upside down cake for dessert. My friend had the turkey meal with the same sides. We both loved our meals.
I am also happy to say that I did not have nearly the same amount of trouble with my refillable mug that I did at All Star Movies several months ago. The RFID readers here were cooperative and I was able to get my soda with no frustration.
Pros:
Decent food, easy to find seating at off timesCons:
—Review of Typhoon Lagoon Counter Service
Reviewed by bellebookworm9 Review Date: 08/22/2014
Rating: (6) Recommended
I dined at Leaning Palms around 2pm on 8/13. Ordered the Tropical Salad with Chicken. It was surprisingly easy to find a table in the nearby shelter. The salad looked promising but turned out to be disappointing. The chicken was not cut, but was one solid piece. It was served in a cardboard dish that quickly became soggy from the dressing and made cutting the chicken almost impossible.
On the other hand, I stopped for a half dozen mini donuts before leaving the park. They stayed nice and hot during the short drive back to CBR, and were delicious with the accompanying raspberry dipping sauce.
Pros:
Easy to find a seat, mini donuts!Cons:
Cardboard salad dishReview of Grand Floridian Resort (Deluxe Resort)
Reviewed by bellebookworm9 Review Date: 08/22/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
My friend and I stayed here for the first time for one night, 8/18-8/19. I gave him the choice between a theme park view room at the Contemporary or an outer building garden view here, and this is what he chose. During online check in, I requested either Boca Chica or Big Pine Key, with the hopes of getting a pool view, but put in no further requests.
My friend stopped to check us in around 8:30am. When I arrived around 10, I stopped at the security guard shack, feeling I’d rather be safe than sorry about trying to use my band at the registered guests side. The guard was rather cross with me. He scanned my band, asked me what I was doing there, then requested to see photo ID. When I told him the reservation wasn’t in my name, he said he needed to see ID of the person who it was under-that has never happened to me before. My friend is a CM so he often goes to register us before we arrive and no other resort has given us this trouble. When I explained that he had already been to check in the guard rudely told me to just go in and park.
With that out of the way, I parked in the self-serve lot and took my bags in to Bell Services. Our room was not ready yet so I boarded the monorail to Magic Kingdom. The monorail was the only transportation we used at this resort but we never really had any problems. There was one time when they needed to reboot the system, which resulted in the A/C being turned off for a few minutes, but that was a very minor inconvenience.
Around 1:30, I received a text that our room was 8426 (Boca Chica) and it was ready, so I immediately headed back, stopping to pick up my bags on the way. It’s like the room assigners knew exactly what I wanted! We were on the fourth floor and had a nice view of the courtyard pool and grounds. The room itself was beautiful and I really like the new décor; I feel it’s much less stuffy than the old pastels and floral designs. I also got a kick out of the GF monogram on the throw pillows, as those are my initials! We had a connecting door and the insulation was very thin; at 3am I could hear the neighbors’ phone ringing and them sneezing.
We ate at Grand Floridian Café and Gasparilla’s Island Grill; both were very good. We enjoyed both pools and I thought the slide at the Beach Pool was the second best I’ve been on (beat only by Boardwalk). The lounge chairs were cushioned, not the plastic ones at all other resorts, and there was a cast member from the poolside bar wandering around checking to see if anyone needed drinks or food.
There was a commercial being filmed in the lobby for Disney Parks online, so we were politely asked to move from the couch we were occupying as to not be in the shot.
Like a previous poster, I was concerned about this resort feeling too upscale, as it has in the past when I’ve visited. However, it was very enjoyable for the night and I would consider a longer stay, if only I could afford it!
Pros:
Beautiful rooms, great pools, enjoyable restaurants, monorail accessCons:
Grumpy security guard, very little soundproofing between roomsReview of Caribbean Beach Resort (Moderate Resort)
Reviewed by bellebookworm9 Review Date: 08/22/2014
Rating: (8) Recommended
I booked a stay in a king bed room for 8/13-8/18. During online check in, I requested a water view room in Jamaica, and I also faxed a letter with more specific room requests, down to various room numbers.
On 8/13, I arrived at the resort around noon and proceeded to the Custom House to check in. I did not even have to enter a line as a cast member greeted me with an iPad and went to get my packet for me. She told me my room was ready, and that it would be room 4217. This was the third room number I had requested so I was very pleased.
The room was a short walk from the parking lot, just steps away from the beach and quiet pool, a five-minute walk over the bridge to Old Port Royale, and had an amazing view of Barefoot Bay and OPR. It was a room that had recently been refurbished with darker woods and tones. Personally, I thought it was a little too dark, not light and airy like I picture the Caribbean to be. My two real complaints about the room were the very noisy A/C units and the WiFi. CBR has not switched to the motion sensor thermostats, which is nice because the room stays cool at night, but they still have the bulky, loud, under the window kind. The WiFi was very slow and I had to disconnect and reconnect about every five minutes.
Because the construction trailers are set up in the back of the Jamaica 41-43 parking lot, the parking was very restricted in that lot. During the day it was easy to find a spot, but coming back after the fireworks I had to park over in the 44-46 lot several times.
The Fuentes del Morro pool was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed the slides. I bought some Magic Band accessories in the gift shop and ate three breakfasts, one lunch, and one dinner at the food court. I swam in the Jamaica pool one day and thought it was too warm. Did not use transportation so I can’t comment on that.
While this resort is spread out, I did not think the walk to OPR was unbearable, and oftentimes I drove over anyway. I was a bit hesitant to stay here at first but I am glad I gave it a try and would recommend it to others-there’s nothing quite like coming back from a busy day at the parks and being able to relax in a hammock just steps from your door!
Pros:
Refurbished rooms, relaxed feeling, friendly cast members, requests metCons:
new rooms seem dark, parking due to construction, loud A/C unitsReview of Walt Disney World's Magical Express
Reviewed by xxjess10 Review Date: 08/21/2014
Rating: (8) Recommended
DME is one of our favorite parts of the trip! Well..when arriving, at least. We love that we don't have to keep track of our luggage, and it's exciting to be welcomed by the first cast members of the trip at the airport! I was very disappointed though, as I have been in years past, when our bus pulled up and it was just a plain yellow Mears bus. I understand that Mears is the company that provides this wonderful experience to Disney resort guests, but I just think that it detracts from the magic when you cannot ride a DME bus that is decked out in Disney glory! Other than that, I have no complaints. One member of our party did have an issue with the show that is played on the bus and has been updated since our last trip - she found it less pleasant than the shows in previous years, although we all loved the clips of the Disney Parks Blog that were put on for us on the trip home.
Pros:
Friendly staff, comfortable, timelyCons:
Mears yellow bus, boring showReview of Rose and Crown Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by xxjess10 Review Date: 08/21/2014
Rating: (7) Recommended
We have eaten several times at the Rose and Crown pub. This time around, we made our ADR as per the rules of our dining plan and on the evening of our dinner, checked in a little earlier than our 5:55 reservation. We watched the British Revolution show (love it!) to bide our time, and when we got called, our server tried to seat us in the outdoor section of the restaurant. This is not something we were interested in in the dog days of summer, in Florida no less! We quickly explained to him that we would wait for a table inside, of which there appeared to be many (although I know that they were all probably reserved as well). We had never experienced this problem before, and were sad to do so this vacation. Our food was very good as usual, and we love the pub-like atmosphere as well as the pleasant staff.
If you are making a reservation for this restaurant and do not want to eat outside, I suggest you specify your wants when doing so! It could have saved us 45 minutes of waiting.
