Most Recent Reviews
Review of Bongo's Cuban Cafe
Reviewed by Hamill04 Review Date: 09/24/2013
Rating: (5) Not Recommended
I was torn if I should cancel my reservations here and try somewhere else after reading all the bad reviews and now that its over I'm still torn on whether I should have cancelled our reservations and tried somewhere else. It all started when we walked up to the hostess and gave her my name and time of my ADR. She could not find me and asked if I could give her a confirmation number. Thank goodness I had my phone on me and that I had the Disney Experience app because all my confirmation numbers were written down in my vacation notebook which I left in CT. It was 6pm and the restaurant was pretty much empty. I had been worried about the complaints of the noise but it didn't start getting noisy that Thursday night until around 8 when we were leaving so if you have small kids try to get an early dinner. Our server Lile was very friendly our drinks came out very fast but our food came out VERY slow. from our drinks to dinner was 45 minutes. My daughters pizza came out at 30 minutes but then it just sat there waiting for the rest of the food to show up. I guess it comes out of a different "station" as Lile explained and he offered to put it under the warmer but I never send food back after watching the movie "Waiting". My husband had the Cuban tour and I had the skillet of seafood. Both of our dishes were very good- I have never had Cuban food so I cant tell you if it tasted authentic or not but we both really enjoyed out dinner. The yellow rice was so good but the skillet is huge so I couldn't finish it. We ordered our desserts to go because a storm was coming in and the restaurant was filling up. We were on DDP and there was some confusion with that-no clue what is was but he kept bringing me receipts and asking me to sign them and then taking them back and fixing them and getting me to sign them again. He was so nice it was hard to get irritated with him. Finally he handed my husband the four desserts to go and we walk out. About halfway across Downtown Disney(towards the Marketplace) my husband says the desserts are leaking down his legs. What?! We stop and he opens them up. They were supposed to be three chocolate cakes and some vanilla custard-they were four ???? of whip cream, cherries and ice cream?! Who packs ice cream to go?! REALLY?! It was 80+degrees outside! As much as Lile was nice this is where I finally got upset. I understand you have no control of how long food takes but you should at least check the boxes and make sure the food is right!!! Or that it wont come out at different times!!! So my husband asks me if I want to go back and get the right desserts as he stands there with and overtired, whining kid in one hand and take out dripping down his legs in the other as a thunderstorm rolls in still 10 minutes from the buses(I had no clue there were two bus stops!). Ummmmm, no honey-just throw them away. I don't think we will go back. Ever.
Pros:
Food was very goodCons:
Numerous "little" things...Review of Whispering Canyon Cafe Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by Hamill04 Review Date: 09/24/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
We stayed at Wilderness lodge so I made ADRs for dinner here the first night to make it easy on us after a day of travel. I was a little bit nervous about the antics and my husband's sense of humor but the waitress(loopsy daisy)read him perfectly and didn't push his buttons like other servers were doing. She even gave us some really good ideas of other places to eat in the World. There was a waiter a couple tables over who was very loud and obnoxious(which I guess is part of the feel)which his table loved but which my husband probably would have just left. We ended up trying all the meats of the skillet and we finished them all-they were all very good, even the fish. The mashed potatoes are real potatoes and were the only side we requested more of-we chose to fill up on the meat but the other sides looked fine. The kids loved the pony race through the restaurant except my three year old son had a hard time giving back the pony! Dessert is a sampler and was very good. If you aren't staying at Wilderness Lodge its worth the boat ride over for dinner, but make sure you have a strong sense of humor or a server that can take one look at you and realize you don't!
Pros:
Great opening night dinnerCons:
—Review of 'Ohana Dinner
Reviewed by Hamill04 Review Date: 09/24/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
This was our family's favorite restaurant! The food is so good with so much selection that even our picky eater kids found something they loved and filled up on it. I had everything but the steak and the wings and everything was excellent. During salad my daughter took hula lessons in the next room over which made me a little nervous because I couldn't see her so I went over there too. If you can, request the side where they cook. It was a show in itself just watching them make the skewers of meat so I found myself torn between watching my daughter and watching the meat! We were seated on the other side of the restaurant which is a lot more quiet but it has a beautiful view of the Polynesian grounds(we stayed at Wilderness Lodge but as we were leaving dinner my husband told me we should try to stay at Poly next time). dessert was so good but we were so full-I wanted to eat more so badly and I HATE bananas! The only downside is how long the meal takes-the courses are dragged on so long that it took 2 hours to get out of there(6-8pm) and by then my 9&3 year olds were falling asleep in their chairs-done for the day.
Pros:
EverythingCons:
REALLY long dinner!Review of Be Our Guest Dinner
Reviewed by Hamill04 Review Date: 09/24/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
We were lucky enough to get in here during September free dining. We were seated in the West Wing right on time- I would have liked to be in the ballroom but as people were getting turned away at the bridge because they booked solid I wasn't about to complain. My kids loved the West Wing- their favorite part was the Beasts picture that changed when the thunder sounded. Our server was very nice(we didn't run into anyone that worked at Disney that wasn't!). My husband got the steak and I had the shrimp and scallops. The kids got pasta and chicken. We don't make them finish dinner on vacation so I don't know if it was good or not, but neither complained. My husband said he steak was good-he loved the pomme frites. The shrimp and scallops was good but the pastry they came in was very tough- I don't know if it was stale or sat under a warmer too long. The cupcakes were a hit with everyone, I had the "grey stuff" and I loved it. We had free dining but I would pay to eat here again-if I can get reservations!
Pros:
Beautiful atmosphereCons:
—Review of Coral Reef - Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by Hamill04 Review Date: 09/24/2013
Rating: (6) Not Recommended
First off I have to say that the way they call you for your table has to change! You give them your full name when you check in but when they "call" you for your table they actually walk around the waiting area trying to telepathically figure out who you are. They look around and then stand right in front of a party and state(what they think) is your first name and size of your party. It was weird-they were right about 80% of the time but why not just call out the name?! Of course, we were the 20% they got wrong- we had waited about 20 minutes(with ADRs) when the table guide walked right in front of a woman who had been waiting for about 5 minutes and stated 'Jessica-party of 4". Maybe her name was really Jessica(like me)but she obviously had more people in her party and they took her anyway! My husband looks at me and says "I think they meant us" so he went back up to the desk and explained and the manager looked at the computer and then says "you'll be next". Maybe they should use the LAST name. So we finally sit down and as cool as the tank is it is actually pretty small and the partitions between the stadium seating are high waves so if your children are small the will have to be on the knees on their chairs to see it. Our waitress was very nice, service is very slow and the food is OK- I had lobster mac which was the same macaroni they gave my daughter except with lobster in it- the lobster was good but the macaroni was very bland and liquid-y. My husband said the steak is good. I cant remember what we ordered my son but he only really ate bread and dessert all week anyway. The best thing about the meal was the lobster soup that came with our appetizer-it was amazing. The shrimp and crabcakes tasted like Red Lobster. Dessert was very good-the Jack Daniels mousse and the Wave are some of the best desserts in the world. We had free dining so we only had to pay for the appetizer and gratuity but I would have been pretty upset if I had to pay the full bill of $120.
Pros:
Fish tankCons:
Blah....Review of Pizzafari
Reviewed by Grumppy Review Date: 09/24/2013
Rating: (8) Recommended
This was the first time I have eaten at this restaurant. Our party was headed from Africa to Asia and this was only a short detour. Although busy, it was easier to find seating here than is usually the case with most WDW counter service restaurants. We also received our food rather quickly. I had the pizza, which was accompanied by a salad. I certainly didn't leave hungry. I would definitely eat here again.
Pros:
Plenty of food, air conditioned!Cons:
NoneReview of Be Our Guest Dinner
Reviewed by Grumppy Review Date: 09/24/2013
Rating: (3) Not Recommended
All the buzz I had heard about this restaurant was that it was spectacular, not to be missed, etc. so I was disappointed when we originally couldn't secure an ADR; but I kept checking back occasionally and was ecstatic when I lucked into one! Unfortunately, this did NOT live up to it's hype. The restaurant itself is absolutely stunning, you really DO feel that you have been transported to a magical castle. We ended up being seated in the West Wing, which was dark but was much smaller and more intimate than the ballroom. Our service was terrible, tables that were seated after us were eating before we were. I had the onion soup, which I had also had the night before at Les Chefs de France in Epcot; the one at Be Our Guest definitely left me unimpressed. The broth seemed weak and watery, although the onions were nice and tender there just wasn't a whole lot of flavor to the soup. For my entrée, I had the steak. Although it was cooked to order, that's about all I can say for it. Not much taste, and accompanied by VERY salty French fries. The desserts overall didn't seem like much more than glorified cupcakes, except for the "Gray stuff"-I would absolutely recommend that! The highlight was that after dinner, we were able to get our picture taken with the Beast. I will not be including this on my "must do" list for my next trip, however.
Pros:
ThemingCons:
Service, foodReview of Limited Time Magic - 2013 Celebration
Reviewed by momof3inMadisonAL Review Date: 09/24/2013
Rating: (1) Recommended
Attended Unleash the Villains on Sept 13. I was excited for this event when I first heard of it last year - like so many other people. We usually go to WDW in Sept, so it fit in with our vacation plans. As I read other Disney websites, I started to wonder if we should go to another park that day and avoid LTM all togheter. (We got stuck in the mess that was Leap Day 2012.) But, in the end decided to just go to HS that morning and see what happened.
The crowds started to build that afternoon. i saw people lined up outside a store and asked what they were doing. I hadn't been able to find any merchandise earlier at other stores. Evidently, it was only at one store.
We had dinner at Brown Derby so at least we had that covered. Heard of people having to wait over an hour at CS restaurants. But by the time we got out of dinner, there was no "dance party". It was just a mob of people surrounding the hat. My husband tried to see where the villains were doing meet and greets and found the lines to be 4-5 across with little direction from CMs.
It really wasn't a family friendly event. There were villain fans and there were 20 somethings that were just there to "party". Not a place for my 4 young kids.
We had FPs to RR and ToT but could barely make it down Sunset Blvd. We decided to just cut our loses and get out of there. Didn't realize until later that people had been on buses for hours trying to get to HS that night. Disney clearly underestimated the popularity of this event. I don't know why I just don't learn my lesson and stay away from these events that don't have separate hard tickets....sigh.
Pros:
good ideaCons:
poor executionReview of Yak and Yeti Restaurant
Reviewed by momof3inMadisonAL Review Date: 09/24/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
Usually eat CS at AK because we love Flame Tree and Pizzafari, but decided to try Yak&Yeti. So glad we had a break from the heat. The air conditioning and ability to be served during the day was a much needed break. Although I love the food at Flame Tree, having to wait in line and then search for a shaded table really takes a toll. We were pleased with the lunch options. I liked the sweet & sour and DH liked the beef & broccoli. Kids were happy too. Definitely a place we will go back to now that our kids have outgrown the character meal at Tusker House.
Pros:
air conditioning, something differentCons:
didn't take TiW cardReview of Brown Derby Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by momof3inMadisonAL Review Date: 09/24/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
ADR for 6pm on 9/13 (LTM Utnleash the Villains). They were completely booked so our table wasn't ready right away. By the time we got our table, and food (which seemed to take a very long time), our 2 year old was in meltdown. So although the food was fantastic! we really didn't enjoy it because my husband and I were taking turns taking a 2 year old out of the restaurant.
That being said, we had a great server. In many trips to WDW, had never tried Brown Derby because I imagined it was overpriced and stuffy. We ordered the steak and it was wonderful. Not that much more expensive than meals elsewhere on property, if not using dining plan. We had 4 kids (ages 9 and under) and no one ever made us feel like they shouldn't be there. Will definitely try it again. Grapefruite cake was yummy - although I was the only one that appreciated it.
