Most Recent Reviews
Review of Caribbean Beach Resort (Moderate Resort)
Reviewed by allears2014 Review Date: 04/19/2014
Rating: (1) Not Recommended
My son really wanted to stay in a pirate themed room, which are available at the Caribbean Beach Resort. In the past we have stayed in Disney's Deluxe and Value Resorts, but have never stayed in a moderate. I was very pleased with the Value Resort, so since the Caribbean is supposed to be a step up from that, I expected a step better than the Value Resorts. We were very disappointed.
Before I address our issues, I will say the exterior of this Resort is nicely landscaped and well maintained. The bus stop for our section was always clean.
At check in, I was notified that all of the pirate rooms are located at the far end of this "resort". There is only one food court for the entire property (this property is HUGE). I asked how we would get from the room to the food court and was told it is "an easy 5 minute walk from your room". This was just not true. My son and I walked a steady pace and it took nearly 20 minutes. There is also an internal resort shuttle, which I did try; however, the wait at the bus stop was 20 minutes and then it circles and makes all the other stops in between- - I believe there are like 8 internal bus stops. Walking is faster, but still an unreasonable distance for a cup of coffee or soda (oh, and if like us you have your shopping sent to the hotel, well you'll need to make the LONG trek to the gift shop, also located next to the food court.).
The other thing you should know, which I didn't until we got there was the large, zero entry cool looking pool advertised as "the pool" on their webpage is at the food court. So, if you're in a pirate room and want a quick dip in the pool- - - forget about it. It's too far away from the pirate section-- if you have a car you could drive to it- - otherwise, it's walking approx 40 mins round trip with your pool accessories or waiting at a bus stop. Our "pirate section" did have it's own pool, but it was more akin to what you'd find in a friend's backyard- - a good pool, but nothing special.
When we entered the room in Building 36, the odor was overpowering. We could not catch our breath; it smelled of mold, mildew and soured gym socks. Called the front desk and they said they'd send someone down to freshen it up. We were leaving as the man from housekeeping came in to "freshen" it. When we returned late that evening, it smelled of air freshener, mold, mildew and soured gym socks.
The room was too hot as well and when we tried to turn down the air, it would not go lower than 68 degrees on the thermostat. It felt like 78 degrees in the room. We asked about this, too, but were told 68 degrees is as low as it will go. Also, the windows do not open and there was no balcony to allow for fresh air.
Then we noticed there was hair everywhere, my son dropped one of his toys on the floor and when he picked it up it was covered in hair, the bathroom floor had hair everywhere. The light switch was black (although originally white). The pirate ship bed had a large piece broken off of it. The entire room felt filthy, old and worn out.
This time I traveled the long distance back to the front desk to speak with someone in person, explained we have stayed at Disney many times and never experienced anything like this. . . I told the man at the front desk "our room is really filthy". He offered to do a thorough cleaning the next day, but did not offer a different room. For the first two days, there was a large bag of dirty linens that just sat outside our door.
Being too far away from the food court for a quick drink, I left to buy a soda from the machine at the bus stop one evening. It was not working. I then found the laundry room, but that machine was out of order also.
Overall, we were extremely disappointed with the room. It was a shame since my son was so looking forward to a "cool pirate room". The fact that I paid extra (pirate rooms cost more) for a dirty room too far away from the food court to enjoy the "unlimited refills" was disappointing. I would not recommend this resort and will not stay here again. It is in major need of updating.
Pros:
Lake and grounds were nicely landscapedCons:
Everything elseReview of California Grill
Reviewed by Staceylanee Review Date: 04/19/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
I'm saddened to read some of the negative responses concerning CG. My husband and I dined there Nov 2013 and it was incredible. We've enjoyed most of Disney's finer eating establishments and this is by far one of our favorites. Everything from start to finish was done with excellence. We had the rock shrimp salad, the dragon roll, short-ribs, and filet. The wine selection is outstanding. Planning to dine at CG again in May with a group of girlfriends! I would recommend CG over and over again!
Pros:
Amazing food, wine, service, and view.Cons:
NoneReview of Be Our Guest Dinner
Reviewed by Cinderella Review Date: 04/18/2014
Rating: (7) Recommended
The atmosphere truly is amazing. Dinner at 7:40. Check in and seating went smoothly, but they were not too pleased when I asked for the restroom while we waited. The restroom was in the castle, and they basically asked me if it could wait because I needed to stand on the bridge with my party.
En route to our table, the hostess gave us a mini-tour so we could see all the rooms. You are welcome to explore on your own, but only AFTER YOU EAT.
The menu had limited choices, and we all had trouble choosing something.
Our teen daughter found the childrens menu too simplistic, but the adult menu too expensive. She ordered soup.
Tween son wanted the $35 adult steak, so we steered him toward the kids steak. It was good, but tiny. (It was a filet, so literally about 3 bites.) The waitress was kind and gracious enough to bring him the garlic herb butter that the adult steak would have come with.
Adults ordered the salmon and the chicken. The salmon itself was fine, but the leeks were overwhelming. The chicken was smothered in a tomato sauce with a very strong taste of kalamata olives.
The best part of our meal was the dessert cart and being able to order wine in the Magic Kingdom. We actually had scored dining reservations for 2 nights in a row, but decided to cancel the 2nd night.
Our waitress was really great, but the hosts/hostesses ushering us in and our did made us feel rushed. I understand why, due to the extreme popularity of the restaurant. But when we were meeting the Beast at the end, they snapped one picture and ushered us out even though there was nobody waiting.
I'm glad we ate there, but we probably won't go back until they change up the menu. I see the lunch menu is slightly different, and perhaps we would have liked that better.
Pros:
AtmosphereCons:
Menu and foodReview of La Cantina de San Angel
Reviewed by Cinderella Review Date: 04/18/2014
Rating: (6) Not Recommended
They have changed the famous churros! They are now called "churritos." Same batter recipe, but they are smaller. Instead of 3 large churros, you get 6 small churritos. They are smaller and thinner, and curved into ovals. I was very disappointed.
The rest of our food was ok, but not amazing. If we eat here again, I would order the nachos. They looked AMAZING and lots of people were ordering them.
Pros:
Great location and atmosphere, simple menu choicesCons:
They changed the churros!Review of Cape May Cafe Clam Bake Dinner
Reviewed by momtoone Review Date: 04/18/2014
Rating: (4) Recommended
This was our first time to Cape May and were super excited for the buffet. However, the food wasn't overly exciting. The salmon and chicken were very dry. Our 4 year old son also didn't eat much. The waiter and waitress assigned to our area barely spoke two words to us. It was especially disappointing when we got the bill and it was over $100 for two adults and 4 year who ate two bites. Definitely won't be returning.
Pros:
were able to get us in an hour before our actual reservation timeCons:
overpriced and dry foodReview of Walt Disney World's Magical Express
Reviewed by Akiceman Review Date: 04/17/2014
Rating: (7) Recommended
We arrived at Orlando Airport at 4:45pm. We watched our luggage get removed from the plane out the window. Went through the line to get to our resort, a little long but ok all in all. Arrived and checked in at our room approximately 6:30pm. Naively expected our luggage to precede us. We called the front desk to inquire about our luggage at the 3 hour mark from our landing and were told it takes between 2 to 4 hours for the luggage to arrive. First we had heard of this. Ended up getting our luggage at 9:15 pm...planned to hit Magical Kingdom to watch the parade & fireworks the first night there....complete wash! Once over that little snafu we had the time of our lives for the next few days. We post this only to inform you that you will need to be prepared, as we were not, for a delay in your luggage. The next time we go the one thing that will change is that we will pick up our luggage at baggage claim and shlep it down to the buses ourselves...problem solved!
Pros:
convenienceCons:
luggage delayReview of Disney's DELUXE Dining Plan
Reviewed by Ladies4Disney Review Date: 04/17/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
We have used the Deluxe Dining Plan in the past and decided to use it again this trip. It is a lot of food, but we were able to eat at many of the Signature restaurants for dinner. We used one table service credit for an early lunch and scheduled a later dinner at the restaurants that required two table credits. We saved money on this plan and would use it again. I wouldn't recommend it if you don't use it for all table service meals. You would probably lose money on this plan.
Pros:
3 Credits a DayCons:
A lot of food.Review of Be Our Guest Dinner
Reviewed by Ladies4Disney Review Date: 04/17/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
The castle is impressive. We loved being seated in the West Wing. It was noisy due to the thunder and lightning, but we enjoyed the picture that changed and the tattered drapes. The rose under the glass was realistic to the movie. It was hard to see the menu due to the dim lighting.
There were two of us dining, and we both ordered the salmon. It was very good. We also liked the potato leek soup. Our desserts were--"the grey stuff" and the "strawberry cupcake".
An announcement was made and The Beast entered the room and took a bow. We did not stop to have a picture taken with him due to our having to be somewhere else after dinner.
We enjoyed this restaurant and would recommend that you try it at least once.
Pros:
West WingCons:
Dim LightingReview of Yachtsman Steakhouse
Reviewed by Ladies4Disney Review Date: 04/17/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
This restaurant is a great place to get a really good steak. We ordered the filet and NY strip steaks. Both were cooked exactly to our order. The steaks were very tender and everything was delicious. The service was excellent. All of our questions were answered and our waiter made good suggestions for dessert. We highly recommend this restaurant!
Pros:
Great SteaksCons:
NoneReview of Citricos
Reviewed by Ladies4Disney Review Date: 04/17/2014
Rating: (7) Recommended
We always eat at Citricos on our trips to Walt Disney World. Unfortunately, this meal was not so great. Hoping it was just an off night, but one of us ordered a steak. It was not prepared to what was ordered. The steak was sent back, but it still was not prepared correctly the second time, and it was tough--not the quality a filet mignon should have at this kind of restaurant. I ordered the Wild Bass and that was very good. Desserts and appetizers--no complaints. Would try this restaurant again in the future based on past experiences.
