Most Recent Reviews
Review of Chefs de France - Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by debsil4 Review Date: 05/08/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
My group did not have ADRs for the restaurant so we checked with the hostess a couple of hours before the time we were hoping. She kept telling me to try back closer to the time we want and they were able to accommodate my party. Five of six of us ordered from the prix fix menu and loved everything. Our waitress was very sweet and was able to split the bottle of wine ordered between to checks without a problem.
Pros:
Food is wonderfulCons:
—Review of All Star Movies Resort (Value Resort)
Reviewed by debsil4 Review Date: 05/08/2014
Rating: (5) Recommended
Stayed here with my daughter for the Cheerleading Worlds. I have stayed in a value resort at least once a year for the past 5 years due to competitions and I find that they are all getting rundown. In this particular stay, we had trouble with our outlets being too loose. Our chargers kept getting deactivated and the blowdryer wouldn't work. We actually had a couple of towels with holes in them.
I had to go to the concierge desk a couple of times and they were very helpful and friendly.
Pros:
Concierge staffCons:
Run-downReviewed by hougher Review Date: 05/08/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
Stayed her April 27- May 2nd and we couldn't be happier. We usually stay at Port Orleans but couldn't resist taking the deal and staying here. Upon entrance you are welcomed and you feel like you are at home. They only negative thing was noise from the hallway. We were on Floor number 3 which is the off the main Check in and gift shop area. I don't know if I noticed the noise more since the doors are inside vs having an outside entrance at a moderate. The food at the Mara was great and my daughter enjoyed seeing the animals from her room. I suggest staying here at least once in your lifetime.
Pros:
Beautiful Grounds loved the animals!Cons:
NONReview of MagicBand
Reviewed by dragonsbreath Review Date: 05/08/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
Having just got back from WDW with my family (wife, 15yo daughter & me) and being from the UK, I thought I might add and reinforce Debra’s review in #763.
Having been reading some pretty harsh reviews of magic bands from about January onwards, I can’t say I was looking forward to the new experience with any enthusiasm – this is my sixth visit. However, after one day in the sun, I was converted. Of course there are little annoyances but the benefits far, far outweigh those niggles. It is vital that visitors create a My Disney Experience (MDE) account well before travelling even if you are not a serial planner. A few weeks before our holiday, we were asked what colour magic band we all wanted, pink (by far the most popular and in descending order), blue, red, grey, green and orange were available when we picked but I did see yellow in the park shops so this might be an option now. Other things we booked using MDE before leaving were our dining experiences – Fantasmic package (book early as The Brown Derby was the only available choice and this might not be to everyone’s taste), character breakfast at The Tusker House (recommended) and Hoop-Dee-Doo and buying and linking our Memory Maker to the account so, by default, the magic band. Accommodation was automatically linked. MM is great and worth the money but must be bought before you go for a $50 saving and ensuring you get the pictures from day one. We managed 180 photos for £149.99 meaning less than a dollar a photo! The magic bands were waiting for us on check-in at the Caribbean Beach – lovely keepsake box – and the band being the door key was very useful. I thought I’d miss the tickets but no, scanning the band with a fingerprint was quick, charging items to the band was great and even your dining plan details were stored (we didn’t have this package but others seemed to use this without problems).
Booking fast passes is a breeze (even though we tended to book them the day before). Select your 3 rides and the system comes back with four options. Generally the recommended option is one that has all your rides with a suggested time (with an hour spread i.e. 10:40 – 11:40). The other options may give you your three selected rides or substitute another. Look at them all and accept one. You can then change the time of individual rides (if available). Initially, I thought the restriction of on-line booking of three fast passes per day (soon to go up to 4?), was a mistake but now I’m sure this is right. Having too many fast passes means you may not use them and as the number per time slot is restricted, others could miss out.
The only irritating thing was the one park restriction. It would be great to have, say, 2 fast passes at MK and another at Epcot for your evening trip to watch Illuminations. You cannot do this (yet?). Also some rides are categorised so you can’t have say both Soarin’ (what a disappointment that the film is identical to my last visit 6 years ago) and Test Track but this is reasonably sensible.
Summing up, this is a giant step forward and with the crinkles now seemingly sorted, something to pat Disney on the back. With more things being added, it can only get better.
Pros:
Multi useCons:
1 park restriction for fast passReview of Be Our Guest -Counter Service Lunch
Reviewed by shorebound910 Review Date: 05/07/2014
Rating: (6) Recommended
During our families trip on Easter week I received an email to test "fastpass" for BOG. We selected a time, picked our meals, and arrived at our slotted time. Upon arrival there was a HUGE line that we were fortunate enough to skip. Once physically in the castle our wristbands were scanned and we were able to find a seat. This was really neat. I don't know if this readily available, because we were informed it was still in its "testing phase".
Now the building is wonderfully themed with three rooms. The West Wing was very popular and packed, the middle was about the same, so we had to sit in the room to the far right. The theme isn't as strong...but still fine. Where I have a problem is the food. No one in our party found anything to rave about. I actually felt my sandwich tasted pretty poor. I would only recommend BOG to try once just to see everything, but that's it. Go to Peco's Bill...food is much better
Pros:
AtmosphereCons:
FoodReview of Liberty Tree Tavern Dinner
Reviewed by shorebound910 Review Date: 05/07/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
Liberty Tree is always a reliable. entertaining place to eat. The atmosphere is wonderful, even though I can help nit-picking the authenticity of the "antiques" which makes my wife's eyes roll. Regardless, great food and great theme. I would rank it a ten, but we ate here the day after Garden Grill which has similar food, but does it a little better.
Pros:
Food AtmosphereCons:
NoneReviewed by shorebound910 Review Date: 05/07/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
Garden Grill EASILY is becoming our families favorite place to eat. The food is outstanding, service is great, and character interaction is top notch. The rotation was not working when we visited which was a bit of a downer but still not enough of a negative to knock it down from a 10. I honestly have no idea how someone could put this lower then an eight. We will continue to visit the Garden Grill any trip in the future.
Pros:
EverythingCons:
NoneReview of Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria
Reviewed by shorebound910 Review Date: 05/07/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
My wife and I were fortunate enough to visit Rome a few years ago and I still hear to this day how good the food was. Via, according to my wife, is a close second when it comes to pizza. That said, I would give it a 10 but...hey, its pizza which is pretty much the same to me. It can get loud, so a nice quiet romantic meal it is not.
Pros:
The PizzaCons:
Can Get LoudReview of Mama Melrose's Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by shorebound910 Review Date: 05/07/2014
Rating: (8) Recommended
We did Mama for the Fantasmic Package, so to be frank that was the only reason we ate here. This helped out BIG as the show was filled to capacity and we walked right in 20 min. before the show and had great seats.
Mama was a nice surprise, the food was very good and service was excellent. Not much to choose from, but good nonetheless. Great place for pasta/Italian lovers. The only small negative is where it is located. Mama is next door to Muppets and Studios doesn't have the best layout for traffic flow. Very small negative, but if your running late it comes into consideration 😉
Pros:
Good Food, Good ServiceCons:
LocationReview of Tusker House Lunch and Dinner Buffet
Reviewed by shorebound910 Review Date: 05/07/2014
Rating: (8) Recommended
My family and I visited the Tusker House for lunch during our time at Animal Kingdom. On a prior trip we did the character breakfast which we really enjoyed, so why not try lunch. The food selection and character interaction was just as good, if not better then breakfast. There are many different options, plus some exotic items as well. Characters included Goofy, Donald, and Mickey...the big three cant be beat 😉 The only problem we had was the check in process. It was rather chaotic and it appeared the cast members were confused. Yes we went at a peak time, during peak Easter week, but no other location had problems like Tusker. If it wasn't for this mishap, I would have ranked higher...
