Most Recent Reviews
Reviewed by amp Review Date: 04/19/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
Just returned from a week long stay - while attending a conference. Stayed in 9B which is part of the business/club upgrade. Although it is more money, it is well worth it. The location of our room was perfect. It was close to lobby, bus stop, and pool. The staff in the club room were great. Read reviews about the quick service restaurant, it is a bit confusing the first time, but the food choices are very good. The staff was very helpful and overall the experience was good. A nice feature- you're the only ones on the bus! We did not share with other resorts! I would recommend this hotel!
Pros:
business/club roomCons:
large resortReview of Be Our Guest Dinner
Reviewed by amp Review Date: 04/19/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
The restaurant is amazing- just as you would imagine the castle to be! We made our reservations 180 days out and were not disappointed at all. The food was very good! The French Onion soup was wonderful. We all had the steaks, which were very good. An unplanned surprise: my daughter celebrated her 11th birthday while at Disney. She had her pin on- and our waitress brought out a birthday treat plus a card signed by Belle & the Beast. My daughter was just thrilled! I would recommend that you book early and go for the Belle/Beast experience, it is well worth it!
Pros:
great food, overall experienceCons:
noneReview of Bongo's Cuban Cafe
Reviewed by caleal Review Date: 04/19/2013
Rating: (4) Not Recommended
I dined here on a Friday night (4/12). The atmosphere of this place is really fun. We sat on the patio which meant we had a good veiw of the courtyard and the DJ set up there for the night.
The service was excrutiating slow, which was confusing because we'd technically had two wait staff - our official waitress and her helper. The entire meal took nearly two hours, and we'd only ordered two drinks, an app platter to share, and two entrees - and we're definitely not "leisurely" eaters who linger. We sat for a full 20 minutes between our plates being cleared and our check appearing.
The food itself was semi-disappointing. We ordered the Bongos Combo appetizer platter to share. The fried stuffed potatoes were amazing. If I had only ordered a platter of these I'd probably be raving abuot the place. The rest of it was anywhere from boring (ham crouquettes reminded me of freezer cheesesticks) to disgusting (I couldn't finish the yucca cups).
This continued with husband's entree. He ordered the Masitas de Puerco (marinated, fried pork). His pork was so dry he had trouble eating it - especially without the waters we'd ask for about half an hour earlier. On top of that, it tasted as if it hadn't been seasoned with anything.
I had the Bistec Empanizado (breaded fried steak), which was definitely amazing - tons of flavor in the breading. I was not given a steak knife though, and my waitress never showed up so I could ask for one. So it was a bit difficult to saw through with my butter knife. The side dishes were pretty bland as well- black beans and rice and sweet plantains with very little flavor. I didn't hate them, but I didn't love them either.
Overall, I don't think I'd bother going back. The price of the meal was definitely not reflected in the quality of the food or service.
Pros:
fun atmosphereCons:
slow service, subpar foodReview of Gaston's Tavern
Reviewed by beccab Review Date: 04/19/2013
Rating: (8) Recommended
We had a quick breakfast here on April 4th. Cinnamon rolls were great, pork shank was very tender and well seasoned. We tried the La Fou's brew....it was ok. Butterbeer at Harry Potter World is much better but it was worth a try.
We'll definitely snack here again but probably won't order the brew.
The tavern is great, very well themed, although it was pretty close quarters. We were there very early, almost no crowds, but still waited for about 10 minutes to order and then had to jockey for a table. Would steer clear when the park was very crowded.
Pros:
AtmosphereCons:
limited spaceReview of Boardwalk Villas (Disney Vacation Club)
Reviewed by travelwiseotown Review Date: 04/19/2013
Rating: (2) Not Recommended
When checking in, be sure to get keycard pins for all those in your room using the Disney Dining Plan, even your 5 year old. Not charging privileges for kids, just pins for their keycards. We were told teens pins did not work when they tried to use my pin at 3 eateries. These quick service locations should have called the Boardwalk in order to contact us. Took our entire stay to get it straight thanks to the CM who didn't tell us this at check-in. We even asked if it would be a problem with DDP with no charge privileges or pins-the CM replied "no". Should retrain. Concierge could not add park tickets to our key cards after we checked-in. She didn't ask for supervisor help either so we had 2 sets of cards instead of 1 card. Poor training.
Shower did not drain well and finally clogged leaving us in 2 inches of standing water. Fortunately maintenance arrived quickly and solved the problem at 10:30 at night. Maids could easily check showers during room clean-up. House keeping repeatedly referred to guest as "Mama". Very derogatory. Should retrain. Had to battle foreign speaking concierge just to get a supervisor. She couldn't understand the problem we described to her.
Bellman unpacking us cold and unfriendly on arrival. Lots of job seekers can at least force a smile. He should look for noninteracting position like grounds keeping, etc. but even the grounds keepers and maintenance employees tried harder to be friendly.They couldn't speak English well but they knew how to smile and be friendly to guests.
Elevator out several days, jacuzzi at main pool not working and Boardwalk Bakery closed for remodeling during Spring Break. Overnight "guests" either pay $15/day for valet parking or park at the lot closest to employee parking, quite a distance away from guest rooms. Poor Imagineering.
We are DVC members and will stay elsewhere next time, even though Boardwalk is our home resort. With the Downtown Disney remodel, more people may stay at SSR and the Boardwalk can concentrate on being the $600/night Disney resort it should be. Maybe they'll pay a little more to front desk employees who can properly perform their job, problem solve quickly and in a friendly manner. We did find one employee who could do this, so it is possible. If you're not happy with your experience, Disney or otherwise, the best way to bring about change is by saying so.
Pros:
Epcot Resort LocationCons:
Cast Member Training and AttitudeReview of Sci-Fi Dine-in Theatre Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by beccab Review Date: 04/19/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
We had dinner here on Monday, April 8th. Seated promptly in a car. Atmosphere is wonderful! We love the cheesy old sci-fi movie clips! Food is always good. Our dinner this time included the salmon BLT with cucumber salad, picnic burger, reuben, a bacon cheeseburger, and a chocolate milkshake, which our server happily split for our children. Everyone enjoyed their food, the salmon blt was particularly good. Great service, wonderfully fun dinner.
This place will stay at the top of our favorites list.
Pros:
atmosphereCons:
noneReviewed by bjtrax Review Date: 04/21/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
Had breakfast at Boma on April 13th. The food choices were excellent, and even included a carving station with turkey breast & ham! I also had scrambled eggs, bacon, potatoes,sausage & shared a made-to-order omelet with DW. Fresh pineapple, and a very good almond pastry finished my meal. Didn't find the house juice to be anything special, but did enjoy the pot of coffee. Simply the best breakfast buffet I've had!
Pros:
food, atmosphereCons:
noneReview of Biergarten - Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by beccab Review Date: 04/19/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
We had dinner here on Sunday, April 7th. Short wait for a table, seated only about 5 minutes after reservation time.
Atmosphere was great. Food was wonderful. Loved the red cabbage, cheese soup, cold salads, sausages and schnitzel! Desserts are good too, bavarian cheesecake was the favorite. Our server was very kind and efficient. When my husband and I asked for a beer, she asked, "big or small?" I'm so glad I said small! Hubby ordered big and it was so big, we couldn't stop laughing!
Band was great, too. Kids loved holding up their glasses and singing along.
Great choice for a great meal!
Pros:
food, atmosphereCons:
noneReview of Kringla Bakeri og Cafe
Reviewed by beccab Review Date: 04/19/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
Popped in for a quick snack on Sunday, April 7th because we just can't visit the World without having school bread in Norway. The school bread was just as good as ever! Kids ordered the soft dessert pretzels. Word to the picky...I had forgotten that the pretzels have raisins baked into them so DS 11 wouldn't eat his. Oh, well. I loved it!
Line is usually long but moves quickly. The treats here are worth the wait.
Pros:
great baked itemsCons:
long lines at timesReview of Contempo Cafe
Reviewed by beccab Review Date: 04/19/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
During the course of our stay at the Contemporary, April 3-11th, we ate at the Contempo Cafe several times.
Breakfast was great! Kids loved the giant Mickey waffles and sausage. Adults loved the scrambled egg and ham breakfast sandwiches.
We also tried the Italian sandwich, chicken cream pasta, pepperoni flat bread, and the breadsticks with Marinara. We really liked everything we tried. Nothing spectacular but fresh and tasty. Ordering was easy on the touch screen kiosks.
Kids really loved the soft serve ice cream. Just pay for empty bowls at the check out and let them loose!
Can't beat the atmosphere, either. Beautiful hotel with the monorail zooming quietly through every few minutes.
Just loved this resort! It was our most magical trip ever!
