Most Recent Reviews
Reviewed by Fitzboyzmom Review Date: 12/17/2013
Rating: (1) Not Recommended
We attended the party on December 12th (second time we have attended). It was less crowded than I have seen in the past, but still pretty difficult to maneuver around. We loved the snow on main street and ended up with a very good spot for the parade (we never attempted to find a spot on main street because it was just too crowded).
We were excited to go for 2 reasons. One, for the special sorcerer card and for the event pins. We went to the fire house with our ticket for the card. We were told that we had to have our ticket and our wrist band. We went to ask the cast members near the Christmas tree for a wrist band and were told that we had to either go to the rose garden or adventure land or go out of the park and back in...really? So, some nice cast member took pity on us and asked someone to go get us wrist bands. We got our card and headed down to find pins. There are no more individual pins...at all, anywhere. There was a set if you chose to pay that much or wait in the VERY LONG line. We did not. When I asked the cast member, he just said they were all limited editions and they are gone...sorry. That is absurd on December 14th. As an aside, I purchased the 2 pins I wanted on ebay from people who were selling multiple of the same pins...gee, wonder how they ran out so fast. Perhaps Disney should limit the number of pins you can buy. There were also monstrous lines for all the merchandise locations. Not fun.
While we attended, we were asked many times to show our wrist bands and could not do anything, including enter a store without showing our bands. We saw some people being escorted out and thought they had stayed without a ticket and were being shown out. Not so. 3 nights later, we had a 7PM reservation at Be Our Guest. I did not even realize that it was another party night. It was our last night and we had a really lovely dinner. Totally ruined when we walked out and were not able to leave because there were about 10 cast members outside the door blocking our way. They asked us if we were going to the party. When we said no, one of them told us that they would escort us out. We felt like criminals being lead out because we had done something wrong. It was humiliating and just left such a bad taste in my mouth.
I know that Disney has been criticized for allowing people to stay without tickets. But this time you basically could do nothing except see the parade and fireworks. Why in the world would they treat people like that? I think they should risk a handful of people maybe staying to see the parade or fireworks instead of humiliating all of them.
I won't say I will never do something, but as a DVC member and annual pass holder who spends tons of time and money in Disney World, I am extremely disappointed. I took my step mother on this trip and was embarrassed.
Pros:
Snow on Main StreetCons:
Treatment of Park GuestsReviewed by ars0525 Review Date: 12/17/2013
Rating: (8) Recommended
Went on Sunday (12-15) at 1pm. No lines & plenty of open seating. I got the chicken burrito. I was expecting something like Chipolte...this was much more basic. A giant tortilla with rice, beans & chicken open face with a sour cream package. At the topping station--lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, cheese, peppers (?)--that you could add. I added quite a bit & it was plenty of food to tide me over the rest of the day.
It's only open seasonal & only for a few hours per day. I was glad to finally try it. Nice to have a different food choice & since you can add as much as you want of the extras it's more food. I would go back again to try something else.
Pros:
different offerings, nice seating area, large portionsCons:
—Reviewed by mane62656 Review Date: 12/16/2013
Rating: (1) Not Recommended
We occupied 2 rooms at the Polynesian from Dec.1 to Dec. 7, 2013. First let me say the location is amazing. I am so very disappointed in this resort. From arrival to departure everything was so messed up. We were told we had connecting rooms which we did not. I can live with that although I made the reservation in July. We spent an hour everyday at the Concierge getting fast passes since we could not do them ourselves. They could not get our rooms synced together so we got reservations for only one room not both. We had 2 adults and 1 child in both rooms so that did not work well for us. We could not have breakfast in the hotel during our entire stay. We went to the Grand Floridian and the Animal Kingdom Lodge for breakfast. We could not have dinner in the main dining room the entire stay. We had the dining plan. After breakfast the first morning at the Grand Floridian I found I did not have charging privileges to my room. So that was another hour at the Concierge. They had to reset my pin and after that the other adult in my room lost her charging privileges, yep, another trip to the Concierge.
Every employee told us how incompetent the last employee was that helped us and said they were so much better at doing the job. Problem is, not one of them got it correctly. We spent and hour or longer everyday at the Concierge desk. Our room was not cleaned properly. I mopped under our sink and took pictures of black dirt on the washcloth I mopped with. There were visible cobwebs when you walked in. Our building entry was not cleaned the entire time we were there. I never once saw or heard a vacuum cleaner.The elevator had mud all over the floor and the walls were filthy. I am amazed to find this is a deluxe resort. There was no signage to the building we occupied. A tiny sign was right in front of the building but no other signs were there. I still don't know how we found the building. I have stayed at Port Orleans and Dixie Landing and I must say these resorts are 10 times better than the Ploynesian. Now that I am home I would like these issues addressed but I am having a problem finding who to contact. If anyone knows I would appreciate your letting me know so I can address these to the correct people so something can be done. All in all we had a nice trip but most likely won't be going back to Disney. Will stay at Universal next time...
Pros:
LocationCons:
everything elseReview of Be Our Guest Dinner
Reviewed by Elaine Hammond Review Date: 12/15/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
We dined here on December 12 and it was a magical experience I will treasure always. We were with our friends who were bringing their 3 year old daughter for the first time. We sat in the ballroom and it was just breathtaking. The snow coming down outside the windows was truly beautiful.
I had the strip steak for dinner and it was done to perfection. It was served with green beans and French fries. I had the potato leek soup and it was delicious. Dessert was the strawberry cupcake and it was good.
My husband had the seafood combination and he said it was very good. He really enjoyed the puff pastry. He chose the French Onion soup and said it was excellent.
The attention to detail and the ambiance in this restaurant is wonderful. It's a shame that it can be somewhat difficult to get into for dinner, but if you can get a reservation I think you will be thrilled and enjoy it.
We definitely will be back!!
Pros:
Absolutely beautiful, good foodCons:
NothingReviewed by Elaine Hammond Review Date: 12/15/2013
Rating: (5) Recommended
With all the capabilities of Disney, I would think they could improve a lot on the bus service. To see, time and time again buses stop at locations where there was NO ONE waiting and others that had lines 4 & 5 rows deep waiting and no bus arriving is unacceptable. And I believe Disney is courting disaster with the way they overcrowd the buses. Better scheduling and communication is needed here.
While I was there December 6-13 I see that they have added Cast Members at the bus stops in what I assume is an attempt to better coordinate services. While waiting at the Springs stop at Saratoga the Cast Member announced that the Epcot bus would be arriving in 7 minutes. The bus was literally coming up behind him when he said that.
I have been coming to Disneyworld over 20 years and the bus service used to be much better. Add more buses - coordinate with your dispatches better and STOP the severe overcrowding. It is dangerous.
Pros:
Able to get to almost everywhereCons:
Wait times, overcrowded busesReview of Sci-Fi Dine-in Theatre Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by jme2 Review Date: 12/15/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
We were able to get away for a date night for dinner. Our daughter has special needs and was using a stroller as a wheelchair during our visit. This place would not have been a handicap friendly place to dine due to the "car" tables. I did see that they had some regular tables but that is not as fun. I also noticed that for larger parties they had a variation of the car that may have worked. We arrived for our 7:15 reservation and waited about 15 minutes to be seated. Our waitress was excellent. We had the Spinach and Artichoke Dip and it was delicious. My husband had The Reuben and I had the ribs. Both dishes were great. Loved the cucumber salad that came with them. The cheesey movies and comericals are hysterical and add to the overall experience. I think dining with infants, children with special needs, handicapped family members or people who are larger in size may present a challenge here do to the design of the cars. This is a fun spot to go if you can and food is pretty good and prices are typical for the theme parks.
Pros:
fun atmosphere, cheesey movies playing while you eatCons:
menu limited, not very handicap friendlyReview of ABC Commissary
Reviewed by jme2 Review Date: 12/15/2013
Rating: (5) Recommended
It was an extremely hot and humid day so we decided to grab lunch here since it was air conditioned and we could get out of the sun. They do crank out the food fast, I have to say that. I loved the new kids packs that contain carrots, grapes, yogurt, snack bar and goldfish. My daughter loved the box and we could take the things she didnt eat with us for later. We got the bacon cheeseburger and fries. It was the driest burger I have ever had. Again its counter service and I am not sure if we just hit it on a bad day but I have had better counter service in the other parks. I think if you are hungry and want something fast and not outside, give it a try. I don't think I would go out of my way to eat here again.
Pros:
air conditioned and food served quicklyCons:
foodReview of Tusker House Lunch and Dinner Buffet
Reviewed by jme2 Review Date: 12/15/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
We had a 1:50 reservation and we checked in at 145. We were then led to a courtyard where we had our picture taken with Donald. We then waited till 2:20 to be called to be seated. The tables were nicely spaced and our party of 8 including a stroller/wheelchair fit just fine. I loved the characters. They spent plenty of time with each table. Staff members checked to make sure we had seen all the characters and sent Goofy back since one of the kids missed him. The food was fantastic! They had kid fare and some run of the mill buffet food but then they had more exotic and yummy dishes. Loved the Marrakesh Couscous with Roasted Vegetables, Tamarind Seafood Stew and the coffee BBQ pork loin. Lots of fresh salads and fruits and yummy desserts. I did not feel rushed and the characters were amazing with our daughter who has special needs. I would recommend this place since it has something for the parents as well as the kids to enjoy.
Pros:
food, lots of time with charactersCons:
check in process is time consumingReview of MagicBand
Reviewed by emmhorton Review Date: 12/14/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
We actually liked our magic bands. Putting them on in the morning became part of our normal routine and being waterproof, they stayed on all day. You didn't have to worry about losing the card while in the parks or at the pool. We used ours for our tickets and all our purchases. Never had a single problem. It was nice being able to allow my 12 y/o to make purchases with hers as well.
Pros:
ease, always with youCons:
noneReview of FastPass+ (Retired)
Reviewed by emmhorton Review Date: 12/14/2013
Rating: (3) Recommended
We liked the idea of booking fast passes from home, our resort, our phone. Sure beats walking all the way to Test Track to pick up fast passes for later in the day. Right? No… In the past we could get a fast pass for soarin, then later for test track, then could head to MK and pick one up for Splash Mountain…. not anymore.
1. Attractions are lumped into categories. You can only choose 1 "popular" attractions, such as Test Track. You are then also given 2 more fast passes for rides such as Living with the Land or Turtle Talk with Crush. Then that's it. 3 is your limit. You can make changes, but still limited to your categories.
2. You must choose all 3 fast passes for one park. This is a HUGE negative for those who park hop. In the future, we may bypass the park hopper option.
3. Once your tickets are linked to your magic bands, you no longer have the option of fast pass versus fast pass plus.
4. While being able to use the my magic app, you spend a lot of time on your phone instead of interacting with your family.
Fast pass plus is a great idea but still needs some tweaking!
