Most Recent Reviews
Review of Overall Cruise Experience Summary
Reviewed by Ranger275 Review Date: 05/14/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
This is my wife's and I, seventh cruise and our kid's third. We sailed the first week of April 2014 for a 5 day cruise out of Miami. The last two cruises were on the Dream so we wondered if this would pale in comparision but it didn't. This was our 3rd cruise on the Wonder and it was great as always. Our servers were great, our room attendent was the best one we ever had and the weather for the cruise was very nice. We always get inside staterooms and with 7 people we get two connecting rooms. We get the inside staterooms because the only time you are in the rooms is to sleep and change your clothes and you can save your money for other things.
The crowd on the Wonder was much easier to handle both on the ship and especially on Castaway Cay. Castaway Cay didn't seem crowded at all and there wasn't any wait for anything.
The shows were great but we have seen all of them a few times now. The Magic show and Juggling was great. Our 7 year old loved the club and went every day.
We were able to watch the new Muppet Movie, Saving Mr Banks and the last night at midnight they showed the brand new Captain American movie that was just opening that day at 12:01 am. Very cool.
Miami is a very interesting port to leave from. A lot more to see than at Port Canaveral.
We booked another cruise while on board. Disney cruises are the best vacation and we always have a good time.
Pros:
ship size, service, weather, Castaway CayCons:
noneReviewed by MissWendyBird Review Date: 05/14/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
After staying in a royal room last year, we decided to stay in another. We weren't disappointed! The room was gorgeous, as we expected with pictures of the princesses and princes along with all the little touches I spotted last year. Our housekeeper was very efficient and added a different towel animal everyday, sometimes two a day.
The walk down to the lobby and everything else was gorgeous, as I expected. The food court was wonderful as per the norm. The only thing about the food court I didn't like, and this wasn't Dixie Landings fault, was the limit on refills. I got a two day refillable cup for the last two days of our trip and while I thought it would be okay until we left Disney, when I tried to get a refill, it wouldn't allow me. Nothing major but still.
The buses were horrendous as usual. Whenever I wanted to go to Magic Kingdom, I usually had to wait four-five buses for other parks, sometimes two-three for the same park before one for Magic Kingdom showed. I know the buses come around every 20 minutes but one for Magic Kingdom and two for Hollywood Studios is ridiculous.
Other than the buses, it was a fantastic trip and as always, I will forever recommend Dixie Landings.
Pros:
Gorgeous room, close to everythingCons:
BusesReview of Tangierine Cafe
Reviewed by WDWDad1974 Review Date: 05/14/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
Go here to eat! Really awesome food and one of the best values for the Dining Plan. The Mediterranen Sliders Combo and the Shawarma Chicken and Lamb platter are just awesome. I'm not particularly a Moroccan food fan either, so don't think you have to have a distinct taste for it. My young kids even liked it. And the atmosphere is quite nice as well--the tiled walls are somehow really soothing.
Pros:
Great food, great atmosphereCons:
NoneReview of Pirates League at Magic Kingdom
Reviewed by WDWDad1974 Review Date: 05/14/2014
Rating: (8) Recommended
My son did this while his sisters did the Bibbidy Bobbity Botique. He actually ended up having more time at his event than they did, which says something about the quality of the event, though perhaps that it is too long for a young boy. He got the ghost pirate makeup, which the makeup artists recommended against. To be sure, as soon as he ate it started coming off (though it was not uncomfortably hot, as they said it might be). But it was really cool, and he knew it. The earring, saber, etc., are nice, and he liked them, but they're not exactly a whole lot. Kids get a picture afterward (free with Memory Maker), and the pics are pretty awesome. Oh, and the pirate headquarters room is really well-themed.
If your kid would rather ride the rides, however, you could probably squeeze a couple in in the same amount of time, and probably not have your kid notice too much that he's missing it (I say he, but there were plenty of girls dressing like mermaids).
Pros:
Cool setting, kids love the face paintCons:
Takes awhileReview of MagicBand
Reviewed by WDWDad1974 Review Date: 05/14/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
This thing is just awesome. After leaving the park, I found myself raising my hand at the gas station, grocery story, coffee shop, wishing I could just pay for my order with a swipe of the wrist and entering my pin. It always worked for me. I wore it in the pool with no adverse effects. My kids loved being able to let themselves into the room. And I did not have to carry my wallet anywhere!
Pros:
Awesome. Just awesome.Cons:
None.Review of FastPass+ (Retired)
Reviewed by WDWDad1974 Review Date: 05/14/2014
Rating: (8) Recommended
I was on the app for months beforehand--it is a great time suck at work, in line, on the subway. And I found the app very useful in the park. You can figure out dining menus when you need a quick meal, and changing FastPass+ selections is super easy (as long as times are available). We could really shift our plans quickly as circumstances required, and it really enhanced our experience.
However, the app can be slow--it takes far too long to load new screens. And for one whole, rainy day at Epcot the whole system was down, which meant that we lost all of our FastPass+ selections because we could not change them. When that kind of thing happens, the thing seems pretty disastrous. Oh, and there's this glitch: sometimes when you think you're going to hit the "Change FastPass+ Time" link, the page suddenly changes to the calendar view, which will cause you to select a date two weeks in the future, and getting back just takes more time.
That said, the power of the app--when it works--is impressive. You're missing out if you don't get it early, link all your magic bands and photo passes, and familiarize yourself with it so that you're not staring at your phone while your family runs ahead to Dumbo.
Pros:
Convenient, powerful, informativeCons:
Sloooooowww...sometimes unreliableReview of Magic Kingdom Fireworks Dessert Party
Reviewed by WDWDad1974 Review Date: 05/14/2014
Rating: (5) Not Recommended
We thought this would be a great last night event to make sure that we had at least one good viewing of the fireworks, and my kids love dessert. So we never felt like we had to fight for or use a FastPass+ for a spot. But you know, in the meantime, we saw the fireworks most nights from the monorail, from our resort, or from elsewhere in the park. By the last night, the fireworks seemed to matter less. Now seeing Tinkerbell up close was cool, and we got a great view of the castle illumination.
But...
I was, in short, shocked at the behavior of the adults at this event. Given the way the roof hangs out, and the relatively small amount of room at the railing, small kids who are not right at the railing just don't get a view that is worth the cost. There is plenty of room to stand around and watch, but kids who are down low just can't see the whole show very well. One would think that grown adults, who could just as easily have made room for the youngsters and still had a perfect view, nevertheless hogged the railing. And I mean hogged. One very tall woman deliberately slipped into my daughter's spot when she stepped back to give me a hug. Another stood directly in front of us the rest of the time videoing the entire firework show. A large man claimed a prime spot as soon as he entered the terrace. One man did give up a spot, and from what I could tell, enjoyed the whole thing standing just behind his wife--but then the aforementioned tall woman took that spot from my six year old daughter. I suppose I could have made more of a stink, but there's the rub. I paid around $200 for the event, and I should not have to ask obnoxious people to let my kids see. Sorry if this sounds bitter, but I think you have to know that to know whether this experience is going to be pleasant enough for you to she'll out the non-refundable cash up front.
The desserts WERE really good, and were special in the sense that we had not eaten the same thing elsewhere. Ice crem sundaes. Tiramisu. Cheesecake. Little peanut butter-filled chocolate cups. Really good stuff. My kids loved it, and we let them go wild (did I mention that this was 9pm?). That said, unless you really have a big appetite, you're not really going to get enough food to justify the cost of the entry fee. I had a small plate of delicious food and was done. My wife picked off of mine. My kids ate more than I expected, but that still was not much.
Of course, you're paying for the experience. But considering the limitations I mentioned above, I'm just not sure it is really worth the really substantial cost. I could have had my kids of the pirate cruise for about the same price, and my guess is that the experience would have been more clearly special.
I might have selected "maybe" recommend if that was an option. If money is not an option, if you want a relaxed, roomy place to watch the fireworks and you don't have small kids, and you have the fortitude to commit to really digging in to the dessert options, it is a nice location.
Pros:
Exciting event, good desserts, good view of fireworksCons:
Not really the best viewing location, food value not optimalReview of Disney Dining Plan
Reviewed by WDWDad1974 Review Date: 05/14/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
My family of 5 just got back from WDW. My kids are all 7 and under. We got the basic dining plan (1 table service, 1 quick service, 1 snack), and I think it was worth it, and even enhanced our experience.
Here's the main value: I did not once hesitate to buy my kids any food because of the cost--in fact, because the plan incentivizes the purchase of costlier items, I actually encouraged my kids to get the fancy things they wanted. This was, for me (I do have a tendency to be a tightwad, and to worry about letting spending get out of control), well worth every penny. I did not have a single argument with my wife or kids about spending money on food. And that meant that an argument about food did not turn into an argument about souvenirs ("you got the Dole Whip, so you can't have the mouse ears!"). Maybe that's what your every day is like, but if you're like me, go for it.
Some details: you really pack the value in on counter service. Some of the options (Cosmic Ray's at MK, Tangierine Cafe at Epcot) are just fantastic, and you can actually get more food than the average value of a counter service entitlement. Table service is a little less valuable for the food I think, but we used all of ours for character meals, which I think ended up balancing out--especially when we chose the buffet meals. And we had breakfast every morning on our snack entitlements--bagels, muffins, fruit, etc., at the resort.
Some people complain that it is too much food, and I get that. My girls want chicken nuggets and hotdogs at each meal, and that does not always beat the bottom line. But if you're savvy, you can get a big meal to split among your light eaters and reserve your entitlement for a later time. When you factor in all the desserts, fruit, drinks, etc., that you can get and the carry with you for a later snack that come even with the chicken nugget meal, I think it balances out. And my girls tended to eat more than they even knew when they ordered because they were exerting themselves a lot more than usual.
It is worth noting in this context that although table service restaurants require that kids order off of the kids menu, counter service restaurants do not! So the Mediterranean Slider Combo at Tangierine (highly recommended) comes with 3 pita sandwiches, any one of which will feed a kid (if they'll eat falafels, that is). This is a value that no one explained to me, but which I quickly realized represented real value, and which I wish I had known on day one. I would have done some version of the following each day: have the girls split a counter service breakfast, table service (character meal) for lunch, have the girls split a chicken breast nuggets and fish meal at the Columbia Harbour House. That would have saved us an additional six counter service meals that we could have used to feed adults later, and which would have allowed us to have two counter service meals on most days.
OK, so there's the downside. To really maximize value, you have to know what you're going to eat. I found some good websites that laid out some of the most valuable eateries, so no matter where I was, I knew a $14.95 counter service meal could feed three people within a 100 yard radius. This is not rocket science, but it could be another source of argument if your kids are hungry and you're making calculations about dinner locations based on value.
A couple of other things:
*cast members are very knowledgeable and help explain the system to you.
*you also get these nifty travel mugs. You can only fill them at your resort (or at park water fountains). They're RIFD-embedded, so you literally can't use them at other resorts. But if you're having breakfast at your resort using your snack entitlements, there's your drink--coffee, lemonade, etc. We carried them to the park (use a "mommy clip" to clip them to your stroller), and left them with the stroller for hours at a time. I was sure they'd get stolen, but they never were!
Pros:
Convenience, valueCons:
You must keep track!Review of 1900 Park Fare Character Dinner
Reviewed by dclagett Review Date: 05/13/2014
Rating: (7) Recommended
We had 17 people in our group, which is a challenge. We were seated at two tables close together which we had been told would occur. We were advised to get our food as soon as we arrived so we would be at our table when the characters came around. We just sat down to eat when they arrives. They came one at a time and did not rush. Talked to each child, even the ones that were frightened a little. They were very good with them. As the grandmother of 7 kids there, I was very busy trying to get pictures of all and my food got cold so after they finished I went back for more. The food was very good and plentiful. I enjoyed it but would have rather had a relaxing meal, then met the characters. The kids hardly ate anything due to the excitement.
Pros:
Characters talked with the kidsCons:
Felt rushed, but we had 2 tables for visits & picturesReview of Mickey's Backyard Barbecue
Reviewed by dclagett Review Date: 05/13/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
Mickey's Backyard BBQ was the BEST event of our trip. We had 7 kids in our group, ages 2-9 and they all loved it. We arrived at 5:30 and were able to meet Chip & Dale & Goofy for pics and autographs and get in line for seating. We had 17 in our group and had been told to arrive early to be sure we could sit together. No problems! The food was fantastic as well, especially the ribs, pulled pork BBQ and mac & cheese. The kids really enjoyed dancing with the Characters and the band was fun. Here's a hint... during the rope trick show, watch for Mickey & Minnie greeting guests outside the shelter for pictures and autographs. You'll need to get in line early for this opportunity but it's worth it.
