Most Recent Reviews
Review of Cozy Cones - Cars Land
Reviewed by bellebookworm9 Review Date: 05/25/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
We stopped by here on 5/23. I ordered an ice cream cone, and my friend chose the more adventurous Chicken Verde in a bread cone. Ice Cream was great, but it's hard to mess that up. He enjoyed his chicken dish. The bread cone did unravel when he tried to tear off a piece, so it was good he had eaten all the chicken out of it! There was very limited seating available, so we found a bench near Luigi's Flying Tires.
The Cones are good for a snack.
Pros:
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—Review of Corn Dog Wagon
Reviewed by bellebookworm9 Review Date: 05/25/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
My friend and I had to try the corn dogs before we left. He got in line for those while I went to get Dole Whips. His line moved much faster! We were able to get a seat in the Jolly Holiday outdoor area. The corn dogs are famous for a reason! It was huge and delicious. Came with a side of Lays potato chips, which I did not eat. Definitely give these a try!
Pros:
Delicious! Huge!Cons:
—Review of Paradise Pier Hotel - Concierge Level
Reviewed by bellebookworm9 Review Date: 05/25/2014
Rating: (0) Recommended
After debating our options for hotels, we chose a Concierge Level Theme Park View room at Paradise Pier. It was an excellent choice for our six day stay! My friend checked us in on 5/18/14 in the morning. Around 1pm, minutes before I arrived, we were assigned room 1434. Upon arrival of the bus at the resort, bell services stationed outside were very helpful in assisting the incompetent bus driver with finding my luggage. We took the glass elevator up to the 14th floor, and that is a real treat.
When we arrived in our room we immediately ran to check out the view. In a word: spectacular. We had an excellent view of the Paradise Pier at DCA, and a fantastic view of World of Color, which we watched two nights from the room. We could also see the Matterhorn and Space Mountain at Disneyland Park, and way to the left, Big Thunder Mountain!
The room was very spacious for the two of us. Plenty of outlets. Our room did not have a "nook" with the coffee maker; instead, the coffee maker was on the bathroom counter. This took up quite a bit of vanity space. There were plenty of hangers in the closet. The beds and pillows were so incredibly comfortable, we were trying to figure out how to take them home with us!
It was only $12/person/day for us to upgrade from a plain theme park view to the concierge level and I think we got our moneys worth. We stopped by 5/6 days for breakfast, and enjoyed bagels, pastries, muffins, cereal, and fruit. In the afternoon, there were cookies and snacks such as trail mix and goldfish crackers. In the evening, there were cheese plates, veggie platters, chips and salsa, as well as an appetizer. We had pineapple and beef skewers, and southwestern spring rolls. There was also an extensive dessert offering, including chocolate covered strawberries, tarts, pies, and cream puffs.
Other than that, we didn't take advantage of many of the other services. On our last day, I had been led to believe, via internet forums, that even though our key cards would be deactivated, we would still be allowed in the lounge. When we knocked around 4:30pm, we were told that we no longer had access and would not be allowed to sit inside until our buses came. Having never stayed concierge level before, at either DL or WDW, I'm not sure if this is common practice.
Other dining at the hotel leaves something to be desired. We dined at PCH Grill for dinner and found it to be adequate but not great. There is also the Surfside Lounge, open only for breakfast and lunch. The Mickey in Paradise store was well stocked and cast were friendly. The fitness club was closed for refurbishment (not that we would have used it anyway) but guests could use the one at the Disneyland Hotel instead. There was also a business center.
Finally, the pool was nothing special, but water is water. The fact that it's on the roof is pretty cool. I really enjoyed the slide, and liked that it didn't dump you in the pool. No disorientation if you're not plunged into the water! The pool area was clean and not overly crowded. Even on a warm day at 4:30 in the afternoon, I had no problem finding a lounge chair.
The location was great. It was a quick walk across the street to the Grand Californian, and from there we could either enter DCA or cut through Downtown Disney into Disneyland Park. I would definitely recommend Paradise Pier Hotel to guests wanting to stay on property to enjoy the perks associated with that, as it is a more affordable option compared to the Disneyland Hotel and GCH.
As a side note, I was not impressed with the Disneyland Resort Express. While this is not owned or operated by the Walt Disney Company, it is the "official" method of transportation to and from the airport. The bus driver on the way to the resort was loud, rude, and incompetent. Service on the return trip was much better.
Pros:
Amazing view of DCA, spacious room, concierge food offeringsCons:
Concierge on last dayReview of Storyteller's Cafe Breakfast
Reviewed by bellebookworm9 Review Date: 05/25/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
We had reservations here on 5/23/14 at 9:30am. By 9am we were hungry so we stopped by to see if we could be seated early and it was no problem. This is now a buffet only meal, there is no longer an a la carte menu.
Jacob started off as our server while our "real server", Pao, was on her break. Jacob was excellent. We enjoyed many of the items on the buffet; the muffins, Mickey waffles, french toast, bacon, and fruit were all great. The pancakes were hit or miss. Loved the oatmeal. My friend raved about the eggs benedict.
The characters at our meal were Chip & Dale, Meeko, Koda, Kenai, and Br'er Fox. Chip came by about 20 minutes after we were seated, and my friend missed him because he was up at the buffet. Meeko visited about 10 minutes later. Then it took almost another 30 minutes before Dale came to see us, and another 15 minutes for Koda. By this point, we had been there for over an hour. Pao was trying to rush us out the door. After another 10 minutes, we stopped Kenai on the way out to get a photo, which he happily granted us. We never did get to see Br'er Fox, unfortunately.
The food was great and the price reasonable. We enjoyed getting to see some rarer characters, but the lack of organization in how they made their rounds and the extreme amount of time it took to see them, knocked it down a point in my mind.
Pros:
Excellent buffet, able to be seated earlyCons:
Unorganized character rotation, rushed by serverReview of Steakhouse 55 Dinner
Reviewed by bellebookworm9 Review Date: 05/25/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
My party of two had reservations here on 5/22/14 at 5:30pm. We checked in almost exactly on time and were seated about 10 minutes later, under a portrait of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez.
To start, we ordered the Seared Scallops and the Steakhouse Salad. The bread service was very good, even though the loaf was a bit burned on the bottom. The scallops were delivered but they tried to give me the Wedge Salad before quickly bringing me the correct salad. I'm told the scallops were very good, and my salad was perfect.
For our entrees I chose the Prime Rib and my friend ordered the Pistachio crusted rack of lamb. My Prime Rib was excellent and every last bit of the lamb was devoured. We also shared a side of the garlic mashed potatoes, which were outstanding.
Dessert consisted of the Vanilla Bean Cheesecake and the "Root Beer Baked Alaska". The cheesecake was delicious. The baked alaska was not quite what I was expecting. It was a small scoop of root beer ice cream which had been lightly burned on the top, a root beer float shooter, and two tiny triangles of pound cake.
The meal was very leisurely which was perfect; we were there for about 90 minutes. Service was very good from Gloria. We highly recommend this restaurant and would definitely return in the future.
Pros:
Delicious food, friendly service, beautiful settingCons:
—Review of Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe
Reviewed by bellebookworm9 Review Date: 05/25/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
My friend and I dined here on 5/22/14. We stopped by around 11:30. I knew I wanted the Jolly Holiday Combo (grilled cheese and tomato bisque); the Merry Cherry Lemonade was posted on a sign outside but I didn't see it on the menu indoors, so I ordered the Practically Perfect Punch. Apparently they gave me the wrong drink so I ended up with the lemonade anyway and it was great! The grilled cheese was fresh, which was surprising, as I'd heard they are premade. The tomato bisque was great as well.
My friend had the Oven Roasted Turkey sandwich, and he loved it. He said the turkey was like fresh carved Thanksgiving Turkey, rather than cold cut lunch meat. He did have the Punch and enjoyed it.
It was easy to find a seat at this time of day and we were able to listen to the Dapper Dans while we ate. The next day, I also stopped by to get a Matterhorn Macaroon to take home to my mom. They boxed it up for me and I'm told it was delicious. Relatively inexpensive and great food here!
Pros:
Amazing soup and sandwichesCons:
—Review of Coral Reef - Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by Taffy030 Review Date: 05/25/2014
Rating: (7) Recommended
Always have eaten here every time we come over from the UK.
Food and decoration excellent to sit there watching the fish and turtles fantastic.
Service however very poor and would of awarded a 10 before last visit, however last experience so poor reported to management who basically shrugged it off. NOT WHAT I EXPECT FROM DISNEY AT ALL
Recommend but watch the service.
Pros:
Food and aquariumCons:
ServiceReview of Mama Melrose's Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by Snemma Review Date: 05/24/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
Had 6pm ADR, and everything went smoothly. Had the steak, and it was excellent.
Pros:
Service, fantasmic packageCons:
NoneReview of Typhoon Lagoon
Reviewed by sstotts Review Date: 05/24/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
My family of 6 adults went to Typhoon Lagoon on our arrival day (May 11, 2014). The crowds were slightly high but we didn't wait in line for more than 30 minutes for any ride. Because we were not able to get to the park at opening, we pre-reserved the lounge chairs in the private seating area. I thought the guarantee of having a place to sit was worth the $50 it cost to rent 2 lounge chairs and the area we were placed in was quiet and convenient to the lazy river and food options. I thought the entire park was pretty clean and my family had a blast. We only wished we could have stayed longer but the park closed at 5 p.m.
Pros:
Clean, great theme, fun ridesCons:
Not open long enoughReview of House of Blues Restaurant and Bar
Reviewed by sstotts Review Date: 05/24/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
Initially, I wasn't very excited about this reservation. We planned to have dinner there our first night, after a long day of traveling and enjoying the water park. Because it is a chain, I didn't have high expectations. However, my expectations were blown out of the water. My family was running late to our reservation and when I called the restaurant to see if I could push it back, the hostess was extremely friendly and accommodating. Our waiter was one of the best servers we had on the trip. The food was also one of the best meals we experienced throughout our week-long stay at Disney World. I had the fried chicken (which was enough to feed a family of 4) and my husband had the pulled pork sandwich. Both were outstanding! I would highly recommend this as a casual dining option at Downtown Disney - it was one of the best choices I made the whole trip!
