Most Recent Reviews
Review of Riverside Mill Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by DeanMoriarity Review Date: 09/02/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
My opinion is that this is the best food court in any WDW hotel. I ate 2 lunches and 2 dinners here the week of 8/25-8/30. The decor is charming and very family friendly. The seating area is large and can accommodate many people. Yet the design quadrants off diners in 5 different sections so no single area has too many people and makes the restaurant feel smaller than it is. Many seats provide a great view of the riverside and the noise level was never overwhelming no matter how crowded it got. Whether I came here for a meal, snack, or just to fill my mug, I never once had a problem finding a seat.
The food choices are plenty and the quality is good for the prices you pay. The sandwich stations have a good variety of choices and there should be something there to satisfy everybody. I had both the pulled pork and the carved turkey during my stay and they were excellent choices. Good sandwiches for reasonable prices. The make your own pasta station was very popular and you will get a very large portion. Portions were so large that my wife opted to get the kids meal just to get less food. It was fun to watch the pasta chef make my meal as he was working 4 different pans for 4 different customers at the same time. He put on quite a show preparing these meals at a very busy time of the day. Get the refillable mug and take advantage of the drink station. It's open 18 hours a day and there are plenty of drink choices. Over my 6 days at Riverside i never once got a soda. There's something there for everyone.
When it comes to variety, quality, and value the food court at the Riverside is about as good as it gets at a WDW hotel.
Pros:
Good Value/ Variety of choicesCons:
noneReview of Remy - Specialty French Dining
Reviewed by boudrek Review Date: 09/02/2013
Rating: (2) Not Recommended
Dining at Royal Palace, Enchanted Garden & Animators Palate was a shock. DCL is the 6th line I've cruised on, and their standard fare was below par for the industry. The real disappointment was how they dealt with DW's food allergy. We've been spoiled at WDW... the chefs always have a "I'll create something great you can eat" attitude, and WDW is our favorite destination partly for that reason.
On the Dream, we never saw a chef (except at Remy, which was fantastic) and our server was constantly struggling with the kitchen to prepare something DW might enjoy. It isn't so much that the kitchen tried and came up short... its that they didn't try at all. Given many years of stellar dining at WDW, this outcome was a real shock. I can't imagine how management can permit this total repudiation of Disney standards, but it is what it is. And the servers admitted they were helpless to get the kitchen to deliver decent food in these cases. (Its a gluten allergy, not some rare tropical disease we're talking about). Conclusion is if you're looking for a Disney-level fine dining experience, eat only in Remy or Palo.
Pros:
Remy was OUTSTANDINGCons:
Main Dining Rooms offered substandard fareReview of Narcoossee's
Reviewed by BermudaJen Review Date: 09/01/2013
Rating: (8) Recommended
We ate at Narcoossee's in August 2013. The location was convenient as we stayed at Grand Floridian. We had a late dinner (7:30 pm) so were having dessert when then fireworks started at 9. We went out on the veranda to watch and listen to the narration and music which was great. The food was good and would go back. I think that Citrico's was better but getting to see the fireworks was definitely a plus. There were no real "cons" - although my husband was less than impressed with the chilled red wine which was a bit odd. I'm not sure if it was intentionally chilled or if it was due to air conditioning.
Pros:
Food, locationCons:
Nothing specificReview of Riverside Mill Breakfast
Reviewed by DeanMoriarity Review Date: 09/02/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
This may be the best food court in any WDW hotel. You get a good selection and the prices are reasonable. I like the theme of this restaurant and the decor is very family friendly. The dining area has 5 sections that have enough separation to allow a lot of people dining without it having that cafeteria feel. It is very clean and some sections provide good views of the river. A full Breakfast isn't served until 7am, and this is the only negative comment I have. A 6am opening would better suit those who want to take advantage of the days parks open early.
The breakfast choices here are your standard bacon, eggs, pancakes, waffles fare. The food quality isn't what you'd get from a 5 star restaurant, but for 8 bucks, the bounty platter is a good meal for a good price. I had 4 breakfasts here the week of 8/25 to 8/30 and have no complaints. I am a picky eater and I try to avoid "junk" foods. As finicky as I am, I had no problem finding healthy choices each meal. I never had a problem finding a seat and the drink station has a lot of good choices that allowed me to really take advantage using my refillable mug. This food court is a big reason to choose Port Orleans Riverside when selecting a WDW resort.
Pros:
good value/ variety of choicesCons:
Doesn't open until 7am for Breakfast.Review of Disney's DELUXE Dining Plan
Reviewed by BermudaJen Review Date: 09/01/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
The deluxe dining plan is great if your family members are big eaters. The great thing is that you pre-pay and don't feel like you are shelling out money every 5 minutes for drinks and snacks. Unfortunately, we are not huge eaters so we wasted credits because we just couldn't eat 3 meals and 2 snacks every day. I used snack credits at the end of trip to purchase cookies,etc. to bring home as souvenirs.
If you can eat 3 large meals and 2 snacks every day, the deluxe meal plan is a great value and very convenient. For us, I think we will go with the regular meal plan and if we go over by a meal or snack or two, we will pay out of pocket.
Pros:
ConvenientCons:
Too much foodReview of Spirit of Aloha Dinner
Reviewed by BermudaJen Review Date: 09/01/2013
Rating: (8) Recommended
We attended the late show on 24 August 2013. This was the first time we attended this dinner show. The food was not bad but just not spectacular. My son enjoyed the chicken but there are other menu options for children who do not like the main menu. The show was good, family entertainment. There was just enough audience participation. The fire dancer was great and well worth seeing. I would definitely go to this dinner show again.
Pros:
Show esp. Fire DancerCons:
FoodReviewed by DeanMoriarity Review Date: 09/01/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
Stayed at the POR from 8/25 to 8/30 in room 9108 of the Oak Manor section. It is one of the Royal Rooms. My wife loved it and thought it was great. Though the rooms over in the alligator bayou are more my personality, i thought the room was fine. They are a bit dark with the yellow tint to the lights and walls, but that does fit the theme of the rooms. This resort is spread out so no matter what room you get you'll need to do some walking to the food court, concierge, buses, or Ol Man Island. But it is my opinion that anyone who has an aversion to a 5 minute walk should reconsider a visit to WDW.
Check in was quick and efficient. I arrived at 12:30pm and the room was ready. The line was short and was in and out in less than 10 minutes. I did have an early check out and had to go to the lobby to get a copy of the bill. No big deal as I was headed to the food court anyway.
The grounds are well maintained and the atmosphere this hotel has is in my opinion the best in WDW. I like the old-time southern theme and it's very tranquil while at the same time being very "Disney". The pools are great and Ol Man Island is the most popular spot in the POR for kids of all ages.
Having stayed at other WDW Hotels I rank the food court at POR the best. I had many meals there and the selection is good with a lot of variety. It is priced well and i always thought i got a good value every time.
The only area this resort needs to improve upon is the bus transportation. Someone needs to re-evaluate the plan. For some reason Disney pairs the Riverside bus service with the Port Orleans French Quarter. WHY? In every park, every day, at all times of day, the lines for Riverside and the French Quarter were far and way the longest. It's a simple solution. Separate the two hotels and give each it's own bus service. That would greatly cut down on the overcrowding and reduce the transit times considerably. At 3:45pm on 8/29/13 it took me an hour and 15 minutes to get back from Downtown Disney by bus. 75 minutes for a ride that's a little over a mile. It was also common to see multiple buses for an other park pass by while waiting for the one going to the park I wanted to go to. On the morning of 8/27, I actually saw three buses for Epcot come back to back to back. In less than one minute three buses to the same location. At what point does the bus third in line call dispatch for reassignment? Maybe WDW has outgrown their plan for bus transportation. It worked great 20 years ago. Or maybe the bus transportation is just poorly managed.
But this isn't a unique problem to the POR. I do recommend this hotel and will definitely stay here again in the future.
Pros:
Great Value/Best "Personality" of any WDW HotelCons:
Bus Transportation to ParksReview of Flame Tree Barbecue
Reviewed by DeanMoriarity Review Date: 09/01/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
I'm a big fan of BBQ. And that being said the Flame Tree never disappoints. If this place were open for breakfast, I'd eat here. This is the only restaurant I've ever eaten in that for dessert, I ordered a second entree. It is that good.
This time i had lunch on August 28th and ordered the chicken & ribs combo. The portions were generous. The chicken was moist and meaty as were the ribs. The Flame Tree has a choice of sauces and you can take as much as you want. The baked beans had a great "Q" flavor and the coleslaw rounded out the dish perfectly. At about $15.00 this is the most expensive dish on the menu and it's worth every cent. My wife had the smoked turkey breast and though she isn't the fan of BBQ that I am she though it was excellent.
The outdoor seating area is large and I noticed that most people go to the first two seating areas not realizing that there are 3 or 4 more large seating areas around back. Those who complain about limited seating must not have gone around nearer the water. The birds are there, and will come close. But I never had any issue with them and they never saw one bother a guest. Two entrees, two drinks and a side order of fries came in at about $35.00. A great deal if there ever was one.
Pros:
Great Food- Outdoor Seating AreasCons:
Not Open For BreakfastReview of Be Our Guest -Counter Service Lunch
Reviewed by DeanMoriarity Review Date: 09/01/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
Dined here on August 28th. Skipped breakfast to line up at 10:00am for the 10:30am opening. That was the smartest move I made that week. I was 3rd in line to get in and was able to order and choose any area to sit. I explored the east & west wings before settling in the main ballroom. Describing the decor has been covered by others many times so I'll skip the details. The West Wing is impressive and really leaves an impression on you. Compared to the West Wing the East Wing is a bit disappointing. The East Wing lacks personality and it seems as if the architects used up all the good ideas in the other two rooms. But the attention to detail is incredible. The ambiance alone makes this a must do dining experience.
The real star of any restaurant should be the food and Be Our Guest certainly comes through in this department. I considered this to be the best value of any quick service meal I've ever had at Disney, or any other non-Disney restaurant I've eaten in. I had the Braised Pork while the wife had the Carved Turkey Sandwich. Both were generous portions and the quality of the food was top notch. The Braised Pork was cooked perfectly and and the choice of vegetables was perfect. For $12 this was easily the best value I had in WDW. The Turkey in the wife sandwich was moist and seasoned well. It was served on a warm baguette with a horseradish sour cream with "Pommes Frites". That must be French for french fries because that's what they were. The wife's a small eater so I was able to have part of this sandwich myself. It was excellent and at $11, I would highly recommend this to anyone. Adding in two drinks and a dessert for each of us the bill came out to about $36. Large portions, quality food, and a decor that can't be beat. All things considered, this was the best value in WDW.
I heard from an inside source that Disney is going to add the "Fast-Pass" to this lunch in the near future. So the stories we hear of the long lines in the hot sun will go away soon enough.
Pros:
Food Quality/Decor/ValueCons:
noneReview of Contemporary Resort (Deluxe Resort)
Reviewed by pt4kids28 Review Date: 09/01/2013
Rating: (6) Not Recommended
We stayed in garden view room 5336 during the last week of August. I am a huge Disney fan and have stayed at almost every resort property more than once and this experience was below average. The Contemporary is not a deluxe hotel, it is only priced as a deluxe hotel. I had several issues during my stay:
1- On 3 different occasions I found dried stains on my sheets. I have never in 35 years seen anything like this on hotel sheets, not even in a Motel 6. This was gross.
2- We did not get a single towel animal during our 7 nights, despite the fact that it was obvious we were traveling with small children.
3- The room and hallways seemed tired and old. Many paint chips and dings.
4-The pool area is boring. Compared to the Polynesian and Grand Floridian the pool is awful. They seem to be upgrading all the other resort pools but not the this one. How about a theme of some sort?
5- Mousekeeping did not clean my room well. We found papers and garbage on the floor that was not cleaned up for several days.
6- For almost 500 dollars per night this was a ripoff.
7- The bus service to other parks was terrible. Why do the buses need to make 2-3 stops before going to the park when the budget hotels have only one stop. In order to go to the Animal Kingdom, we made stops at the Polynesian and Grand Floridian first. However, the All Star and other resorts have direct service.
8-The viewing area for the fireworks lacked music. Would it kill them to pipe the music in like the Poly or GF.
9-The hotel lacked little perks seen at the Deluxe hotels. For example, when we stayed at the Poly and GF for our anniversary, the hotel sent us chocolates and flowers. At the contemporary we only received a card.
On the positive side:
1-The monorail was efficient.
2-The staff was nice.
I would not stay here again. My 8 year old even stated he preferred the All Start Movies better.
