Most Recent Reviews
Reviewed by thenardier1500 Review Date: 06/14/2014
Rating: (4) Recommended
We decided relatively last minute to take a 4 day, Memorial Day weekend trip. By 'relatively last minute', I mean that we booked the middle of February. When I went online to look, Saratoga Springs was the only DVC resort with any availability. So we took what we could get.
I stayed here before, back in 2010, and while I remember that it is a huge, sprawling resort, it really impacted us this time. We had 2 studios in the Paddock area. The walk from out room to the Carriage House/Artist Pallette was roughly a mile round trip. Not so much with that. Besides that, the bus service, as it is everywhere around WDW, was as inconsistent as ever. I almost prefer to just cab it from resort to resort than screw around waiting for the busses.
The room was nice, and well kept, so no issues there. The Paddock pool was also very nice, and much more convenient to us than the main pool.
All in all, while it is a nice resort, it's definitely down on the bottom of the list for me when it comes to DVC resorts.
Pros:
Price/cost of pointsCons:
Size, locationReview of Le Cellier Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by ronbreen Review Date: 06/14/2014
Rating: (1) Not Recommended
Over-crowded seating(not like photos) wait staff sticking their butts in your face attending to neighboring tables, SALT - if you like it this is the place for you - the chef uses it as THE MAIN ingredient, delivery of food - flop/dropped on table with "here's your stuff" message - entrees NOT delivered to proper person. Wellness of cooking meat NOT requested at order time ... wifey LOVES lamb and ordered it - came to the table almost raw. I ordered duck - got a few slices of breast meat cooked pretty OK and a leg/thigh that appears to have been cooked in a huge cauldron - and over-cooked at that. Sides were un-recognizeable and disgusting - possibly Canadian culture thing. Wait staff un-attentive. Maitr'e a bore - I do not care hoe yourniece and your sister are doing!!! I could go on but you get the point and I need to do something more important. DO NOT waste your money at this place.
Pros:
Anticipation of a wonderful visit after 3.5 years of tryingCons:
just about everything - way overrated and under deliveredReview of Chefs de France - Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by ronbreen Review Date: 06/14/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
LOVE this venue.
Pros:
French cuisine, attentive service, good value but priceyCons:
seating is in tranches - they could do more if they wanted toReviewed by Michelle Norris 67 Review Date: 06/13/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
Stayed in a 2 bedroom villa May 25th to May 31st with 4 other adults. This was my third time staying here and I absolutely love it!!! The rooms are so spacious. While the layout is huge, we had a car with us so that wasn't a problem. The bus stop was right in front of our villa so we had a 1 minute walk (if that) 🙂 We never waited for buses more than 20 mins and with its central location, the rides to the parks were never more than 20 mins. I highly recommend this resort!
Pros:
quiet setting, large roomsCons:
huge layoutReview of Liberty Tree Tavern Lunch
Reviewed by hsminnie Review Date: 06/12/2014
Rating: (8) Recommended
This place always feels like a haven because it is so close to Fantasyland - the crowded end, lol.
We found a ressie the day of - which was a nice surprise - and went for lunch. The food was good and the service was fine. I keep thinking some of the staff who don't speak English as a first language get harassed by rude guests. They seem so skittish about serving. Our server was terrific, from Haiti, and seemed to take it personally if he thought we were unsatisfied with any thing. It might just be that he literally didn't understand everything we said - I hope so :).
I tried a Liberty Boys BLT - oh my goodness it was delicious!! Bob got the cheeseburger - good - and a bowl of split pea soup. It was the best either of us have had. Abby had Freedom Pasta which was fine. She asked for no mushrooms, but it also had tomatoes, which she doesn't like. Thankfully they were big enough for her to pick out. Remember to ask what 'seasonal vegetables' consist of :).
We took our time - we always do at a sit down - I figure I'm paying twice as much for the food, I'll take it in relaxation time - and that was fine with the staff. It was our third time there and it was lovely.
Pros:
Ambiance, foodCons:
—Review of Excursions
Reviewed by sasmmb Review Date: 06/12/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
In May 2014 I did the "Kayak and Nature Walk" excursion. You meet at Marge's barges, and then take the trams to Serenity beach, make a bathroom stop and don a life vest. From there you walk about 1 mile as your guide explains the island, animals on the island and other Bahama islands, flowers, fauna, poison plants, and other facts. Be sure to wear walking shoes. At the end you come to where the kayaks are. You can leave your belongings and anything you don't want to get wet. Your belongings are just sitting out, don't expect lockers. But this is a good place to change into water shoes if you have them. Your guide then explains how to enter the 2 person kayak. And that you are only going to be in 3 feet deep water and you are wearing a life vest, so that drowning would be kind of embarrassing. 🙂
Then you pair up with someone, and paddle, paddle, paddle. It's nice scenery and you paddle for quite a while. I was ready to come in for sure. But we did see large sea turtles swimming underneath us which was cool.
Once you arrive back at the beach, you can switch out your shoes, dry off with the towels provided, and walk the mile back to Serenity Beach. Hang out there for 30-60 minutes and then the BBQ will open. All in all a good excursion.
Pros:
can't drownCons:
wear walking shoesReview of Crystal Palace Breakfast
Reviewed by hsminnie Review Date: 06/12/2014
Rating: (8) Recommended
This is the cheapest character meal and we always go. In 2010, I thought maybe the kids were tired of it - so I didn't schedule it and they almost mutinied. (Girls, at that time 18, 15 and 9, lol) So now, we will ALWAYS go 🙂
We have history with Pooh and friends in our family - so that makes the characters a good fit. Of course, a buffet is, by definition, limited - but they do a lot to make it great. We had 10:35, so we ran up against the lunch crowd and the buffet swap. Breakfast options were available the entire time, albeit on only one side.
The fruit was fresh, plentiful and ripe. Pastries were good. The cinnamon roles got stale on the outer layer, but after you peeled that off they were delicious. We enjoyed all of the hot items we tried (Bob said the hash was just 'ok').
Our service was great and the character handlers are always so good at managing the crowds. The upside to a late meal seating is an emptier dining room - which we really enjoyed. Coffee and juice was plentiful and good.
We'll definitely be back. We love it here and we've been several times with everything from a party of 2 to a party of 10.
Pros:
Almost everythingCons:
When it's full, it's kind of a mess. That is just a theme park downside 🙂Review of Yachtsman Steakhouse
Reviewed by joeval Review Date: 06/12/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
The best meal I've eaten in my 11 trips to Disney World. Our waiter Oscar was the best!! Worth the money!!
Pros:
Great food and atmosphereCons:
noneReviewed by hsminnie Review Date: 06/12/2014
Rating: (4) Not Recommended
Caveat: My 13 year old would recommend this place 🙂
The pizza was on crust the texture of dense sandwich bread rather than pizza crust. One bite was it for me. The salad was still very wet - which is just icky. Sodas were fine and Abby liked her pizza crust.
The staff (3 people) we encountered were definitely not having a good day. I still find that unusual at WDW - but there you are.
The order/pick up flow is odd and not well designated - and there were only 10 other people there with us. My husband commented it would be quite a mess with a huge crowd. We'd never been there, so maybe that doesn't happen. Crowds were heavy in DHS that day.
Lots of dirty tables, lackadaisical busing staff and - of course 🙂 - a ton of video games. It felt squashed. I noticed a lot of upper deck seating - which may have been more open.
DHS is not my favorite park nor does it have my favorite eateries - Starring Rolls excluded. However, this was a fail for all but the young teen. She didn't love it, but she liked it fine.
Pros:
The nameCons:
food, purchase/pick up line, staff when we were thereReview of Garden View Lounge Tea
Reviewed by hsminnie Review Date: 06/12/2014
Rating: (6) Recommended
Sadly, this family tradition is not what it once was. We've been traveling to WDW with our daughters since 2002 - when they were 10, 7 and 2. It is traditional for us to have tea one afternoon while dad gets a break. This time, because they grow up :), only my husband, our youngest daughter (now 13) and I were on the trip. Bob agreed to come to tea for the first time, and it was Abby's first trip as a tea drinker.
50% of the joy at the cafe is the setting. No matter how crowded the GF lobby becomes, the cafe is always a tranquil respite with beautiful views and good service. It also used to be a place to have good tea and delicious food. Some of this has changed - for the worse.
The tea is still good. In fact, our server made a special brew for my coffee loving husband (they were out of the tea he chose) and he loved it. Abby enjoyed the Imperial English Breakfast and I had the Gardenview Blend. Simple choices, good flavors. 🙂
We were told a la carte ordering was no longer an option - unless it was in addition to one of the 'packages'. This was frustrating because I knew Abby would not like the sandwiches. (1 picky eater of three - not too bad, lol.) We all chose Buckingham Palace.
The sandwiches used to be on thin sliced, dense 'appetizer' breads. Now, they are on regular breads. I did like most, but the pear and gorgonzola - my past favorite - has lost something in translation. I'm wondering if they prepare it differently, or if it was just the bread texture. The salmon is a 'spread' type filling, rather than a slice of smoked salmon, which I would have preferred. Our server brought Abby some PB&J when she noticed she only took one bite from her others. That was really sweet - and not necessary.
The onion tartlet is still yummy. I only take a bite or two - but they are delicious bites :).
The raisin scones are delicious, the jam tart is still an icky pile of goo to me.
Then, it was time for the best part. The VERY best part. Fresh, sweet strawberries with Devon cream. It's amazing. It was. It isn't now. They brought a dessert dish filled with pre-sliced strawberries in Cool-Whip. Cool-Whip. I recognized it because my husband started baking this year, and we discovered the joy and ease of fresh whipped cream. Cool-Whip is distinguishable because it tastes like oil. The strawberries were tiny slices and old. They had that fermented taste. Ugh.
Bob and Abby chose pastries. The eclair was ok - pastry can only survive so well in air - and the filling was sickly sweet. Bob had a chocolate peanut butter thing and they were ok with them.
Not that you would need it, but if you want more tea it's an extra charge. Abby loved the china, the tea cozy and the sugar cubes :). We all loved the relaxation the cafe provides.
We'll try to budget for this in the future, but I don't know if it will be a trip requirement. If they would allow a la carte purchases, definitely. But it's difficult to put aside $95 (tax and tip) for substandard eats. To reiterate, the service and ambiance is always a treat. We sit at our table for an hour or more and enjoy. It is always just a shame to see things slip from customer focused to profit focused in such a blatant way :(.
