Most Recent Reviews
Review of Flame Tree Barbecue
Reviewed by LISAE Review Date: 08/18/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
fantastic food in a beautiful setting. We watched turtles play in the water and there was plenty of shaded seating even in August.
We each had the rib/chicken platter. My daughter subbed the side for grapes.
Desserts weren't fantastic but we were full after our entrees so it didn't spoil the meal and probably wouldn't have ordered dessert had we not been on the dining plan anyway.
Pros:
great value BBQ food and lovely settingCons:
—Review of Garden Grocer
Reviewed by LISAE Review Date: 08/18/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
The saving on our water purchase compared to the cost of water in the Disney parks was enough to pay for all of our groceries for holiday and home.
We had no transport as international visitors and loved the fact that the groceries were waiting when we arrived. Email was received to confirm when delivery had been made.
This is the 7th time we have used Gardengrocer and we have never had problems with the service. Can't recommend them highly enough.
Pros:
FANTASTIC SERVICE, SAVE A FORTUNE ON PARK PRICESCons:
—Review of Frozen Summer Fun Premium Package
Reviewed by tigrezz Review Date: 08/18/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
WE LOVED everything about the Frozen Premium Package!! From the special seating for the parade (while they serve you drinks and ice cream) to the sing along with priority seating (which was a great show and funny!) to the night time dessert party...the desserts were impressive and we liked that they served adult drinks as well as sodas and lemonade for the kiddos....the music was cute while the party was going on...(they remixed some Frozen soundtrack songs) and played kid friendly upbeat music that really set the mood...the tables were lit with blue luminaries and covered with linen table cloths....it was a blast and WELL WORTH THE MONEY.....It was our favorite part of Hollywood Studios! I had two children one 7 and one just 5 months...but the shows even kept her attention! It was fantastic!
Pros:
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—Review of Disneyland Hotel
Reviewed by disneydad78 Review Date: 08/17/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
The Disneyland Hotel (DLH) touches Downtown Disney. DLH has theming like no other hotel. The service at DLH is top-notch.
DLH is expensive.
Our recent trip to Disneyland was our first. We have been going to Walt Disney World annually since 2009, staying in every level of resort along the way. The best comparison I can draw to WDW resorts is the Contemporary Resort. But make no mistake about it, the theme/feel of the resort is 100% Disneyland Park. You can go nowhere within the hotel without seeing a reference to the park's history. The hotel is divided into 3 towers to complement the Disneyland "lands" they're named for: Fantasy, Adventure, and Frontier. This park-style theming is elegant, not unlike the Disney ships. The height of this theming is in the guest rooms, where you have mickey-hand bathroom lamps, hidden-mickey carpet, pictures of Walt on nearly every piece of printed media, mickey mouse faucet and shower handles, and the enormous Sleeping Beauty castle headboard (that lights up and plays "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" at the touch of a button). The theming takes an eastern turn by the pool, where the hotel's counter service restaurant (Tangaroa Terrace) and lounge (Trader Sam's) are located. These two places could have been pulled straight from the Polynesian resort.
Steakhouse 55 is a jewel in the hotel. Dinner was good, but the breakfast was spectacular. SH55 is the best place for your traditional American breakfast. Goofy's Kitchen was spoiled for us by poor service and disorganization at the check-in desk.
The hotel is quiet. The pool is surrounded by lots of foliage that acts as a natural screen that keeps pools noise down. There are 2 pools plus a kiddie play area around the monorail slides, and 2 large heated spas surrounded by padded lounge chairs and cabanas. There are plenty of green areas shaded by mature trees that make for great picnic or stroll areas.
The proximity of the resort to Downtown Disney and the parks is wonderful. Our last stay in WDW was at Beach Club, and we loved the quick walk to Epcot. The walk from DLH to Downtown Disney is <5min, to the parks is just over 10min.
We had no real complaints other than Goofy's Kitchen. Yet the price we paid did leave us wanting something more. For instance, our bathroom only had a single sink. We paid for a ticket + room package that would have easily landed us at a Monorail-level resort at WDW. I would recommend the Grand Californian if you're looking for something more "deluxe level". But the one thing that has a price, that cannot be duplicated anywhere else, is being immersed in a "Disney place". Go to the other resorts, and you have left Disney. Go to the Disneyland Hotel, and you have simply arrived again.
If you go to Disneyland, take the time to explore this hotel--even if you're not staying there. There's so much to see if you take the time.
Pros:
Proximity to Downtown Disney and parks, service, theming, Steakhouse 55Cons:
Price, bathroom, Goofy's KitchenReview 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.
