Most Recent Reviews
Review of Contemporary Resort (Deluxe Resort)
Reviewed by dandnmom Review Date: 12/26/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
Just returned from "bucket list" visit - Christmas at Disney and staying in the Contemporary- yeah! Lovely stay.....
Resort is just beautiful at night - decorations tastefully done, lots to see and do, rooms very quiet. Everything was very tasteful, clean, excellent service by staff. Since I took my kids, I do wish they had done the "Disney animal towel characters" but the kids survived just fine - loved the resort and want to go back now; resort was "kid friendly" enough (have stayed at all Disney price points). I've read complaints about the bathroom sinks and doors not locking, etc- get over it folks.... it's a great resort and wouldn't hesitate to return.
Pros:
location, staff,Cons:
bit of a "conference hotel" feelingReview of 'Ohana Dinner
Reviewed by toolmanjan Review Date: 12/26/2013
Rating: (7) Recommended
We dined 12/25/13 with a 7pm reservation. We were seated soon after our early arrival.
We expected a leisurely paced dinner. What we got was a fast paced dining experience. I don’t see a return visit in our future. It’s a shame because the food was really good.
Pros:
Excellant FoodCons:
To say we felt rushed would be an understatmentReview of FastPass+ (Retired)
Reviewed by goofy284 Review Date: 12/25/2013
Rating: (1) Not Recommended
We were selected to try the magic bands during our trip in Dec 2013. The idea is good because you know you will have fast passes for your favorite rides and attractions. However if it does not work you are on your own.
Our fast passes never worked. Every time we went to get on a ride, we were told we had no fast passes and were told quite rudely to go away. This was not the Disney I knew and since I had booked dining reservations around these fast passes, we were stuck with waiting in long lines for rides we had fast passes for. I would go to the fast pass help kiosk in the park and they would bring up my fast passes no problem but it never worked at the gate. After a week of this, I finally went to guest services at the magic kingdom where after many tears they found that there was a web site problem when I picked my fast passes and they were never linked to my magic band! All of my fast passes were expired as we never used them. This was a nightmare to say the least and ruined our whole trip. If Disney is going to use a system, they need to be sure it works.
Pros:
knowing you have a fastpass for your favourite ridesCons:
If it does not work you will get no helpReview of Holidays at Disneyland
Reviewed by Lanmon Review Date: 12/24/2013
Rating: (5) Recommended
I spent 12/5 at Disneyland and spent 2 fabulous nights at the Disneyland hotel. It was a magical time until a cast member in Disneyland conduct became very rude to several guests before the Christmas parade began. Instead of following another cast member's lead of instructing guests to continue down the parade path for better viewing she told people to get under the ropes and squeeze it. Several guests told her the area was already crowded. Her reply to the guests that "they were being rude" and to "move closer" together. The cast member's action was "not Disney behavior" and I believe she should have been reprimanded and terminated that evening. However, the parade was beautiful and quite magical. Hopefully this particular cast member will soon be reprimanded and fired.
Pros:
Christmas paradeCons:
Castmember conduct and foul mouthReview of Pop Century Resort (Value Resort)
Reviewed by annahdean Review Date: 12/24/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
We stayed at Pop from 12/14 – 12/20. This was my third stay and the whole experience was great. We waited maybe 2 or 3 minutes to check in (at 3:30 p.m. on a Sat.). The guy was very friendly. They had us booked in the 70s, but I asked if we could move to the 50s near Lady and the Tramp for my 4-year-old’s viewing pleasure. He made a quick call and we were allowed to move to the 50s, 1st floor, building 1, right in front of the bowling pin pool. I felt it was probably a preferred room as it was just steps from the pool and only one building was between us and the food court/main building; however, we paid for a standard room, so I was ecstatic.
He did forget to tell us to set up a pin for our Magic Bands, so when I went to grab our mugs and a snack, I couldn’t purchase them. I had to go back to a lady with an iPad at the check-in area. It took all of 5 minutes, not a huge inconvenience. It’s human error. It could happen at a moderate or deluxe.
Parking was very convenient just outside our building also, not to mention we needed assistance at the end of our stay to jump our car off from leaving the lights on, someone was there within minutes and took care of it.
Our room was clean, and we had plenty of clean towels (and wash cloth animals most days) with new soap and shampoo replenished every day.
As far as the food court goes, there’s a pretty decent selection (the brisket was actually really good). There are never enough cashiers in the food court, but hello, you’re at Disney. There is going to be some waiting in lines.
What I did appreciate was when my 4-year-old said his hamburger tasted like smoke (flame grilled), and he wouldn’t eat it. A girl was restocking the jelly and sauces and overheard him. She asked if he would like an Uncrustable PB&J, and she immediately brought him one (no charge).
We never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus and although at some parks the Pop bus stall is a far walk, that’s not the case for all four parks. I remember it was close at some. You have to appreciate there is no sharing buses with other resorts, whereas some of the Deluxe resorts do share.
I read other reviews complaining of children running around and no embellishments in the room. Well, we brought our own Disney plush toys and embellished it ourselves, and my child was one running around. So whether you will like Pop or not depends on your expectations. If you want a quiet, fancy scene, it isn’t for you. It was perfect for us.
Pros:
clean room, friendly staff, convenient parking, etc.Cons:
noneReview of Le Cellier Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by SammoDake Review Date: 12/23/2013
Rating: (3) Not Recommended
For many years my wife and I made certain to stop by Le Cellier on every trip. Their cheese soup and delicious cuts of meat were the stuff of legend! Unfortunately after the menu revision a while back when the restaurant upgraded to a premium dining experience (two DDP table credits) the reviews started pouring in and they didn't look pretty. So we started going to Shula's and the Yachtsman for our steak fixes rather than Le Cellier.
This past week my wife had a craving for their cheese soup, so we finally went back to Le Cellier after more than four years. It's definitely going to be another four years before we go back. Four years at the very least!
As always the wait staff was incredibly polite and attentive. Our waitress was from Montreal but had visited Boston and we were from Boston and had visited Montreal, so we briefly swapped stories about where we'd went in one anothers' hometowns. She was so pleasant that we almost didn't notice that everything seemed tighter than it used to be. Clearly someone at Disney decided that too much space was going to waste in here and it was high time they pack another 20% in there.
We each ordered our own appetizers. My wife got the soup and I got the tomato salad. When they arrived we both immediately noticed that the soup portion was maybe half of what they used to serve. A bigger bowl may have cast an illusion that there was as much or more, but there was barely any in there. Rather than bothering with a spoon she used her pretzel bread (which continues to be as delicious as always, though it's too bad that they've ditched the breadstick gimmick) to sop it up, since there was so little soup to be found. I ordered the tomato salad, which involved a bunch of sludgy, flavorless tomatoes topped with four small lumps of mozzarella that was about as fresh as a Kraft string cheese and some balsamic reduction that tasted like it was mostly sugar. I kept trying tomatoes hoping one would be as delicious as the tomato stack that Le Cellier used to have. At no point did it rise above wretched.
For her meal my wife ordered the mushroom filet. The meat was overcooked and the risotto was like vaguely mushroom flavored paste.
I ordered the veal tenderloin and couldn't finish it. The veal was overcooked while the mushrooms were undercooked. If the meat was 'Porcini dusted', I certainly couldn't tell. And the sweetbreads, which should have been the most flavorful part of the meal, were just crusty bags of flavorless fatty goo. The only good part was the mashed celeriac, and that's not much of a statement since it's hard to mess up celeriac puree. Celeriac is amazing.
We looked at dessert for a bit before deciding just to leave. It was already an excessively expenseive and entirely disappointing meal. There was no need to compound it by ordering something we didn't really want, since at some point since we last went Le Cellier got rid of a menu mainstay, their whiskey chocolate cake.
Pros:
Serving staff are all very friendly, great breadCons:
Everything else is awfulReview of Sci-Fi Dine-in Theatre Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by arparkes78 Review Date: 12/23/2013
Rating: (6) Recommended
This was our first time dining there and I don't think we will go back. The food was not very good, I could have gotten the same cheeseburger at at quick service lunch. Our server was also not very attentive and we had to ask other servers that were passing by for refills and napkins.
Pros:
themingCons:
service and foodReview of 50's Prime Time Cafe Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by arparkes78 Review Date: 12/23/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
We are here again on our most recent trip and again the food and service was fantastic! One of the best places in Hollywood Studios to eat.
Pros:
Great FoodCons:
NoneReview of Be Our Guest -Counter Service Lunch
Reviewed by skeleton_pirate Review Date: 12/23/2013
Rating: (5) Recommended
We ate here the week of December 15, and it did not live up to expectations. We arrived about 15 minutes before they opened and got in line. I'm glad that I read ahead of time about how long the line can get- by the time the restaurant opened at 10:30, the line was almost to Gaston's Tavern!
I loved the touchscreen ordering. It was very quick to figure out, at least with the dining plan. We wanted to sit in the West Wing, but it ended up being way too dark for us to be able to safely feed an 11-month-old. So, we ended up in the ballroom, next to one of the windows. The ballroom is pretty and the chairs have got to be the comfiest in WDW, just don't look too long or too close at the decor. It ends up looking cheap.
The food was the biggest disappointment. Was I expecting a croque monsieur like you'd get at a Parisian cafe? Absolutely not. But come on, don't try to pass off a grilled ham and cheese sandwich and the same half-cooked fries you get all over WDW as a croque monsieur and pomme frites. The sandwich was thin and greasy, and I could not find the bechamel for the life of me... although strangely enough I could feel it when I chewed. It was a very strange sensation.
My wife had the roast beef sandwich which was fine. Pretty much your standard roast beef sandwich with horseradish. The desserts were fantastic, though. We had the Master's cupcake and the passion fruit cream puff.
Maybe it was the cavernous room, or the basic food, but it felt like a prettied-up cafeteria. I'd go back only because there are only a few really good counter service options in the Magic Kingdom.
Pros:
ordering system, dessertsCons:
mediocre food, loudReview of La Hacienda de San Angel
Reviewed by SammoDake Review Date: 12/23/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
My wife and I had never tried the Hacienda before, so we decided to go ahead and give it a shot during this past week's trip. When we passed by it looked completely closed. With no windows facing toward the pavilion and the doors closed, we had no idea they were open at all. A few other people stood around looking confused as well until a woman in the pavilion's costume showed up at the podium and started taking names.
Inside the Hacienda is just beautiful. It doesn't match the Inn's amazing and cozy atmosphere, but it conjures old Mexico in a way not even the Inn's riverside market manages.
We ordered the queso appetizer and shared the Hacienda platter.
As with the Inn, you start with a bowl of tortilla chips (fresh and hot) and two salsas, a fresh salsa verde and a smokey salsa roja. Both very good.
The queso was a mix of cheeses that was then microwaved. This sounds mean of me, but that's definitely what it was, and for all that it was delicious. Just as delicious as if you bought some Kraft Shredded Mexican Four Cheese, added in some queso fresco and then nuked it for a minute. Good, but a bit weird.
The real surprise of the day was just how amazing everything on the platter was. My wife doesn't like chorizo, but I couldn't stop eating the little midget sausages. The chicken and steak came pre-sliced and both were delicious! The chicken was marinated and was moist, with fantastically subtle Mexican flavors. The steak was perfectly cooked and topped with a chimi crust that really complimented the flavor of the beef. My wife, who hates vegetables, helped me devour all of the veggies on the plate, including a deliciously creamy sweet corn salsa.
If Chi Chi's is as Mexican as you like your food, you might want to stay away, but for someone who wants to experience the flavors of Mexico in a beautiful setting, the Hacienda really fits the bill.
