Most Recent Reviews
Reviewed by MouseBound4 Review Date: 10/29/2013
Rating: (7) Recommended
We attended MNSSHP Friday night, Oct. 25th. This was our 5th MNSSHP in 10 years. Most enjoyable this visit was definitely the fireworks. Outstanding! Prior to the fireworks was an amazing light show on the castle. We very much enjoyed seeing the creative costumes, especially the groups who dressed as a theme. Each year we see more and more of the adults dressed in costume. Even though so many people were crammed into the park, those people were not on the rides because the ride lines were short or nonexistent. Now for the negatives. The ticket price goes up every year, with nothing to show for the increased cost. It was very crowded, more so than any MNSSHP we attended in the past. The parade is the same year after year. Same music, same floats. Surely they could change it up a bit. Most of the restaurants and shops closed too early. The times and places were not posted for characters. There were so many people leaving the park at the end of the night, it took literally hours to get back to our resort. I agree the party is something you should attend at least once, but those who have already attended in the past may want to consider how best to invest their vacation funds.
Pros:
Fireworks, light show on castle, creative costumesCons:
Crowded, nothing new in parade, price increaseReview of Chefs de France - Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by dsnyak5 Review Date: 10/28/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
A friend and I dined here for lunch on 10-18. I have been here many times and have never had a bad experience.
Service is always attentive without being intrusive, and the food outstanding.
It can get a little noisy, and the tables are close together, but these are minor inconveniences.
Pros:
Food & ServiceCons:
Crowded and a little noisyReview of Fountain View - Starbucks
Reviewed by dsnyak5 Review Date: 10/28/2013
Rating: (8) Recommended
Ahh...finally GOOD coffee and iced tea, without having to walk all the way to the China or Japan pavilions. Service was okay, believe it or not they didn't get an unsweetened green iced tea right on the first try, but it was quickly corrected.
This Starbucks is set up just like one in the MK. Absolutely NO seating inside or out. Take your drink and GO. But, this isn't a problem because the decor and lighting is harsh, cold and unwelcoming. One really has no desire to linger.
Pros:
Finally good Coffee and tea!Cons:
NO Seating and cold atmosphereReview of Rose and Crown Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by dsnyak5 Review Date: 10/28/2013
Rating: (5) Recommended
A friend and I were attending the Food and Wine Festival, and made an ADR here for dinner on 10-14. We were seated promptly, at an outdoor table on the patio with a great view of the World Showcase. The service was great. We have eaten here many times, and were surprised at how "Indian" the menu had become. I got my usual fish and chips and my friend got the trout. I got one thin filet, and it was quite disappointing. What fish was there, was just mush. No flavor or body to it at all. The trout, while nicely presented on the plate, consisted of two, VERY thin, approx. 3" squares of fish on a few roasted veggies. We will be skipping this place in the future unless there is a serious menu change.
Pros:
Beuatiful View & Great ServiceCons:
Food Portion & QualityReview of Yacht Club Resort (Deluxe Resort)
Reviewed by MouseBound4 Review Date: 10/28/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
Just returned from a stay at the Yacht Club. We have previously stayed at the Beach Club but this was our first stay at the Yacht Club. The rooms seemed identical to us, but the common areas were a little different. The common areas in the Yacht Club seemed a bit more upscale. The gift shop at the Beach Club is much larger and nicer, while the Yacht Club gift shop is smaller and carries more upscale merchandise.
The common areas and our room were very clean the entire stay. The carpets looked new and the paint looked fresh. The beds and pillows were very comfortable, much more comfortable than usual hotel beds. We had two beds and one day bed. Our “garden view†room actually looked out into a courtyard and looked over the lake as well. It was a perfect location. An easy walk to everything.
The pool was great. It was closely guarded to make sure only Beach Club and Yacht Club guests used it. There were a few small organized activities for the kids at the pool (ring toss, etc.). There were organized activities on the beach most nights... family movies and a popular “campfire†with marshmallows to roast. This was a nice touch. We enjoyed the pool bar and restaurant but wish they would stay open later, since food choices at the Yacht Club are extremely limited. There are no fast service food options at the Yacht Club at all. (You have to walk next door to the Beach Club and get items from their store.)
The main draw of the Beach Club and Yacht Club is the location, as indicated elsewhere on All Ears. We rode to EPCOT on the boat and walked to the Boardwalk one night for dinner. My sister’s family, who traveled with us, had a very long wait (over 45 minutes) for the arrival of a bus to take them to Typhoon Lagoon. Then it took another 45 minutes for the bus to get them to the water park because it first stopped at other resorts and Downtown Disney. I am glad we chose to drive!
The only real problem we experienced was with our room assignments. We had requested adjoining rooms and had made plans and packed accordingly. When we checked in, we were assured my sister had already been assigned the room next to us. But by the time they checked in a few hours later, the room had inexplicably been assigned to someone else. Her family, tired and hungry from a long day in the parks, had to wait for hours to get the situation remedied. To the hotel management’s credit, they were able to resolve the issue thanks to another very nice guest who agreed to change rooms. The manager was very nice throughout the ordeal and we thanked him sincerely.
I would highly recommend both the Yacht Club and the Beach Club.
Pros:
Attractive resort, very clean, excellent locationCons:
—Review of FastPass+ (Retired)
Reviewed by BSierpina Review Date: 10/28/2013
Rating: (4) Not Recommended
Our daughter's family found some aspects of the fastpass+ very useful, but even though they had the program (because they were staying on property) they were unable to get passes for some rides because the fastpasses were all given out a day ahead of time.
We, who live in Florida, do not stay on property as we live close enough to drive in. We found that even though we got to the park at opening time, some fast passes were already allocated for the day or our return time was long after we might generally depart. So instead, we waited in line with out 89 year old guest who wanted to go on Soarin', and she was never able to go to Toy Story Mania.
So, this person paid the high one day fee and the cost of renting an ECV, and she was not able to experience many of the attractions because of spending a long time in lines.
Good program but it needs to be fair for all park goers and not just those staying on WDW properties.
Pros:
handy for someCons:
somewhat unfairReview of MagicBand
Reviewed by ThermoChamuco Review Date: 10/28/2013
Rating: (8) Recommended
Currently on first WDW trip with Magic Bands. The other reviews are all fair and accurate so I won't rehash what they said. I want to point out what I find to be a somewhat frustrating side effect. Yes, Magic Bands allow you to use FastPass+ to select 3 entitlements, be it rides, characters, parades, or shows. However, all 3 currently have to be in the same park. (OK, so, maybe that is more of a FP+ complaint, but seems to be counter intuitive to expecting folks to pay more for Park Hopper.) The big shock for me was that the old school FastPass distribution machines do NOT read Magic Bands. I am not trying to sound greedy. My family typically kept a close eye on the Mobile Magic app and would use runners to acquire FastPasses. We could easily do 6-8 FastPasses a day. Apparently no more with Magic Band. You have 3 entitlements in a single location and there will be no more there or any other hopped to location. I hope this is a limitation they find out how to tweak.
Pros:
—Cons:
FastPass limitationsReview of Riverside Mill Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by StacyLovesDisney Review Date: 10/28/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
We were at this food court for the week of Sept. 8, 2013. I enjoy this food court. There is something for everyone here. The best deal ever is the grilled mahi mahi sandwich. I get Grant to grill it for me without the blackening spices. DELICIOUS. I get this each night I eat here. My husband really enjoyed the hot turkey dinner. My kids love the spaghetti, my daughter got her own fish sandwich, and the chicken noodle soup is yummy. I wish the ice machines were working better this trip as many nights there was little or no ice. (We eat between 5:30-6:30)
Pros:
food selectionsCons:
—Review of Corn Dog Wagon
Reviewed by cinderlisa Review Date: 10/27/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
We practically dream of these corn dogs when away from the DLR. We ate them twice on our recent trip and were not disappointed. There is always a long line, but it moves fairly quickly. Only a few changes would allow me to give them a "10". More tables-even small cafe type tables or standing pub tables would be helpful, and if the combo options included a drink that would be great too.
Pros:
Best corndogs anywhereCons:
Long line, lack of seating, drink not includedReview of Bengal Barbecue
Reviewed by cinderlisa Review Date: 10/27/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
Portions here remain tiny but these skewers make a great snack. My son even ate a ton of the chicken skewer, and we have a hard time getting him to ever eat chicken. A nice change from the typical theme park fare.
