Most Recent Reviews
Review of FastPass+ (Retired)
Reviewed by hello12345 Review Date: 06/02/2014
Rating: (2) Not Recommended
This system is still a failure in my opinion. The only positive is that it allows you to reserve three rides ahead of time. Even in July I was able to score up to 5 fastpasses before 3pm using the old paper system. Did it require some walking and park criss-crossing? Yes. The new concept of getting additional fastpasses once you have used the 3 is also flawed. I have to schedule my 3 fastpasses in the morning when you don't need them as much. If you don't get to the kiosk by 11am forget about getting fastpasses for any rides other than Small World or Figment. The line for Test Track's Fastpass was still 30+ minutes and stretched 200 feet passed the entrance both times we visited. It appears Disney is giving too many fastpasses for this ride. I am not a fan of spending all the $$$$ to stay on the resort and I still only get the same number of passes as non-resort guests. Disney resort guests should get more choices end of story. Deluxe resort guests should get even more. I am all for non-resort folks getting 1-2 or even none. There should be a benefit to paying the $$$$ to stay on resort. The only exception should be Annual Pass holders.
Pros:
Getting a little better, but not muchCons:
Too manyReview of Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria
Reviewed by hello12345 Review Date: 06/02/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
I read the mixed reviews and didn't know what to expect. The pizza was good and even my picky kids liked it. We ordered a large cheese/pepperoni. We saw the Mezzo Metro and it looked too big for 2 adults/2 kids. However, the crust is thin and it isn't as filling as I expected. We finished the pizza with no problem and wished we would have ordered the Mezzo. We also ordered the pitcher of red Sangria. This was too much for 2 adults and pricey at $25. After the large pizza, pitcher of sangria, and one dessert our bill was $67 before 15% DVC discount. If paying out of pocket this is a great place to eat at Epcot. The only negative aspects were the place can get noisy due to the openess. We were sat right next to a server station and that was akward because we constantly had servers/managers hovering around our table.
Pros:
Good pizza, good priceCons:
NoisyReview of Yak and Yeti Restaurant
Reviewed by peytonshea02 Review Date: 06/02/2014
Rating: (3) Not Recommended
We made ADR's at only 2 places this trip. I think our last visit was the year this place opened so we decided to give it another try.
Despite the massive crowds in the lobby, we were seated 5 minutes after we checked in for our ADR. Our server was excellent. Very helpful and quick to refill our glasses and take our order. Sadly, that's where the good ends because this is where the food begins.
We were starving so we order the Wok-Fried Green Beans. Did they taste bad? No - but they could have been deep fried shoe strings for all we knew. No flavor other than *deep fried* something. Sweet chili sauce to dip them in. meh.
Our meals: Seared Miso Salmon - decent tasting Salmon, bland rice and typical bagged frozen veggies. Tempura Shrimp - the same deep fried flavor as the green beans, with a hint of shrimp flavor, and on a stick. Same bland rice and same veggies. Stir-Fried Beef and Broccoli - best of the bunch but still sad. Beef was tender, super small portion, same rice, same veggies. Crispy Honey Chicken - was a lie! lol! Nothing crispy about it. Sad, smooshy chicken bits in a sickening sweet sauce...and guess what came with it? Yes. Same bland rice and same veggies.
I hate to say this, but the food court at our local mall has more flavor than Yak & Yeti.
No fault of the establishment, but we also had the pleasure of having some sweet child upstairs throwing fries down on us and the surrounding tables. We brought it to the servers attention but by the time they decided to address it, the lovely family had left.
Not going back.
Pros:
serviceCons:
food.Review of Pop Century Resort (Value Resort)
Reviewed by peytonshea02 Review Date: 06/02/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
We are back from our 4th stay at POP. We stayed 5/20-5/28. We requested 60's lake view when we made our reservation. We did online check in and selected 60's lake view. We arrived around noon on the 20th - Our room was ready and guess what we got for a room?.....YES! 60's lake view! We were in building 4, on the fourth floor. Room 4456 to be specific. It was PERFECT. Super close to the main pool but facing the lake so it was super quiet. We never heard a sound from the pool activities or nightly movies. We had a breathtaking view of AOA. And I mention the specific room number because the nights we were in our room at 9:00 (which were far and few between) we could open our door and see Illuminations from Epcot.
The room was immaculate when we arrived. We loved the new bedding. Simple white bedding with just the runner of the previous bed spread. Much less tacky. 😉 They also added a nice 4 peg rack to the room which was a great help with our pool towels. The last 2 trips we stayed at AKL and the 1 thing I really missed? No ceiling fan. I really missed that! I hate no air in the room.
The food court has undergone some menu changes since our last visit. We ate quite a few meals there this stay and enjoyed it very much. I will post the specifics on the dining review board. 🙂 Is it crazy during peak dining hours? Yup. It's a food court at Disney. That being said, we never had a problem finding a clean table. The service was excellent. The only pain in the tail issue we had was the Diet Coke was flat more times than not. That makes me cranky. But I move on quickly.
The pool was a lovely, much needed break, during the crazy heat of the week. I will say this..if you want quiet..the main pool is not the place to be in the afternoon or evening. They had dance parties and pool activities all afternoon and the nightly movie is at 9:00. Our kids and the gajillions of other kids loved it. But if you are looking for some quiet time, go to one of the other 2 pools.
We always always rent a car when we go to the World - so no comments on the bus system.
This trip was all about being in the Parks, so POP was a great fit for us! If you have reasonable expectations, you will have a fabulous stay! We loved everything about our stay. 🙂
Pros:
theming, rooms, food court optionsCons:
—Review of Columbia Harbour House
Reviewed by imondline Review Date: 06/01/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
Above average counter service. Loved the shrimp and broccoli! Prices are reasonable for disney. Better than some table service.
Pros:
Food Quality and priceCons:
noneReview of Cape May Cafe Clam Bake Dinner
Reviewed by imondline Review Date: 06/01/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
Food quality is consistent. Nice variety. Our most enjoyable meal. Price is a little high.
Pros:
Selection of foodCons:
Desserts have been cheapenedReview of 'Ohana Dinner
Reviewed by imondline Review Date: 06/01/2014
Rating: (3) Not Recommended
We were stunned to find that chicken skewers were removed from the menu! Shell on shrimp, beef and pork remain. Beef was really tough and not appetizing. Not worth the money any more. Will not return.
Pros:
atmosphereCons:
Price and new menuReview of FastPass+ (Retired)
Reviewed by jserianni Review Date: 06/01/2014
Rating: (7) Recommended
Long before I heard about Faspass+ I always wondered why Disney did not have a more adaptable fastpass system. When I heard about fastpass+ I was excited and still am.
I love that you can book fastpasses ahead of time whether that be at home or in the morning before you head to the park. I love that with the phone app you do not need to run to each ride to get the pass. I really love that you can pick your own time.
What I do not like are the restrictions. I like to park-hop but you cannot get passes in multiple parks on the same day. I really do not like the category limitations. It is really bad in Hollywood Studios where you can only get one from the big three attractions (Rockin Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror and Toy Story Mainia). I get that Disney does not want the system bogged down with people hogging up passes for one ride, however, I do not see why the new system cannot put the same limitations as the old as it pertains to fastpasses. I have to imagine that Disney has the technology to limit fastpasses to one per attraction at a time and once you use a pass for a particular ride, you could immediately get another one in an available time slot. As far as logistics go I don't see why it can't be the same as the old system in that once a time-frame is booked up, you can no longer get a pass for it. This is a big deal to me because most of my Disney trips are when I chaperone trips our school makes. I know that the teens like to hit Tower of Terror and Rockin Roller Coaster over and over. I'd like to see that ability restored in fastpass+ I also do not like that you have to use all three passes before you can get a new one and it still has to be in the same park.
Here is what I would like to see out of the fastpass+ system in the future. No limitations on parks. No ride category restrictions. The ability to always hold three passes at one time.
Pros:
convenience and adaptabilityCons:
too restrictiveReview of 'Ohana Dinner
Reviewed by Dfan79 Review Date: 06/01/2014
Rating: (7) Recommended
Ohana 7 out of 10
Me and my family recently ate at Ohana, which is of course at the Polynesian Resort. There was some great parts about the whole experience and some not so great. For instance the Appetizer part of the meal was a mixed bag, I thought the Salad with mandarin oranges and spaghetti-like Teriyaki Noodles were really good. The part I didn’t care for was the Chicken Wings, they were too wet and tasted of cinnamon. I’m used to Chicken Wings being fried and tasting like Chicken Wings. For the Entrée part of the meal a waitress brought over long skewers with different meats. My favorite meats were the Chickens and Steaks. Next time I go to Ohana I’ll definitely stay away from the Pork though. My mouth was on fire until dessert came.
Speaking of dessert we had the Bread Pudding, it was ok. It was much harder on the outside though then I thought it would be and it wasn‘t very flavorful. Thankfully the warm dessert came with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream on top of it. My nephew a picky eater so he didn’t care for the Bread Pudding, but he really loved the Ice Cream. He had a whole bowl of just that. Luckily for the rest of us the waitress brought over a gravy boat filled with Caramel and Bananas. This provided a much need sugar kick to the dessert and also softened its hard exterior.
Ohana has a great atmosphere, its so authentic that it makes you feel like you’re actually in Hawaii. The main room which you first pass through has long tables that sit under an arched wicker roof. Our table was in a different more secluded section of the restaurant located at the back of the place. It was by a set of windows that look out at the numerous plants that inhabit the Polynesian Resort. I was amazed at how private it felt in this part of the restaurant despite the large crowd. There’s many fine decorative touches throughout the restaurant, like the harpoons with the ivory fish at the end of them.
There is also plenty of entertainment during dinner time at Ohana‘s. Some strange Hawaiian lady was singing on the intercom system and handing out lays. She sounded like a person that really enjoyed her job. Even though her songs weren’t particularly good and I would never in a million years listen to them in my own time, I still enjoyed them. She was hilarious (intentionally or not) and made the meal even more enjoyable. The joyous singer kept calling people cousin as she walked around singing and playing her guitar. She seemed to especially like my father she rubbed up against him in a playful manner as she passed by.
I had a real good time and I’ll probably do it again someday. At least now I know what to have and what to avoid. One negative about Ohana is the location though, it’s a bit of a hike to get to from other resorts. Plus it isn’t as great as people make it out to be. I won’t be selling my first born for a reservation to it, but it’s still pretty good. If you are starving and want to fill up on lots of delicious meats, check out Ohana.
Pros:
FoodCons:
LocationReview of IllumiNations Sparkling Dessert Party
Reviewed by Suggs Review Date: 06/04/2014
Rating: (5) Recommended
Although the viewing of Illuminations was okay, the area in which the event was held was not the best. It was more public than private as there was only a small rope (1 foot from the ground) that separated the event space from non-event fire works spectators. The event was held in the area between the two gift shops between Mexico and Canada. Also, there was not enough tables to be able to put your drink and desserts down while earting. Lastly, the dessert selection was not wonderful. Only a few selections from various "Countries" was put out.
All in all, the fireworks view was acceptable, but a better location and better selection of desserts would have made the event more enjoyable.
