Most Recent Reviews
Reviewed by WingsAt46 Review Date: 03/09/2013
Rating: (6) Not Recommended
Cons:
Our room, #3334, was overlooking an intersection and across from the Disney Vacation Club van parking. Every morning we could hear the back-up beeping of the vans, and all day the traffic of buses constantly decelerating and accelerating at the corner. Much too loud to sit on and enjoy the balcony.
The thermostat would (we discovered 2 days/nights into our stay) have to be set at 80°F to keep the place from getting below 72° - according to the dial. However, 72°should feel a LOT warmer than THAT 72°! It was freezing in our villa but we couldn't open the door wall for some warmth because of the bus noise outside. Still, I'd need to get up during the night to re-set the thermostat back up to 80° because it would not warm up the rooms until the temp hit 72°. There was just one extra blanket.
The couch really needed to be replaced. Just sitting on it (I weigh 144#) would leave a deep fold in the cushion and when my husband sat on it (200#), it almost folded in half. We simply could not be comfortable on it for long.
Now for a vacation club suite, I would think storage space would have been of greater importance. In the bedroom, there were 2 small drawers for each my husband and for me. A Hope Chest type piece had a broken drawer so we couldn't use that. There was another in the living room but we stored extra sheets and pillows in that for the pull-out bed.
The SPA portion of the resort was down for refurbishing but we were not notified of that until we read through the Welcome Packet at check-in. The Spa was one of the reasons we chose Saratoga.
Pros:
The bed was comfortable, the room darkening curtains kept the room dark, the H2O hair products were great and we had plenty of sheets and towels, coffee, shampoo (dropped off in a basket at our door each morning).
I was SO glad that we didn't buy into the Vacation Club as we had been considering!
We will not be returning to Saratoga. Every year we stay on Disney Property and have never had a complaint. Until now. It was an expensive lesson.
Pros:
beautiful grounds, near Downtown Disney,Cons:
not enough storage space for clothing or groceries, too much noise from buses and vansReview of Garden Grocer
Reviewed by Ninja Mom Review Date: 03/08/2013
Rating: (1) Not Recommended
This was our second time using Garden Grocer but the first time we ordered produce from them. We paid 89 cents each for lemons that were the smallest I've ever seen. To top it off 3 of them were BROWN and withered and unusable. How anyone working for a grocery service would think to pick these fruits and include them in our order is beyond me. I could not believe they had the nerve to charge that much for lemons that were so inferior and unusable! The Entenmann's donuts we ordered were also partially crushed, but since the groceries were handled by bell services as well as the garden grocer delivery service I can't pin that problem on any one source.
Garden Grocer, you had ONE chance to get it right and you failed us. I decided I just didn't have the time to contact you while I was on vacation and deal with fixing a problem I NEVER SHOULD HAVE EXPERIENCED, especially for the prices you charged! I absolutely can't believe that one of your employees had the nerve to put those disgusting, brown and withered lemons in our order. If this is the kind of service you provide then I highly recommend that people stay away from your service.
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withered produce and crushed pastriesReview of Gaston's Tavern
Reviewed by Fitzboyzmom Review Date: 03/08/2013
Rating: (6) Recommended
We stopped here for hot chocolate. The place is neat and the hot chocolate was good, but too hot. Generally I find that the hot chocolate at Disney is at a perfect temperature, so that you can actually drink it without having to wait for it to cool down. This was just too hot.
The worst part of this visit and why I rated it a 6 was the lines. We went at an off time and there were not a lot of people there, but the lines moved at a painfully slow pace. Very frustrating when all you want is a couple cups of hot chocolate. The seating is also very limited. It was cold the day we went, so people wanted to be inside and they couldn't be.
I will go back (the cinnamon buns looked great), but hope that the lines move a little faster.
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—Review of Art of Animation Resort (Value Resort)
Reviewed by WingsAt46 Review Date: 03/09/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
Wow! My granddaughter (4) and I visited for a week in early December 2012. Our suite was great! Near the Little Nemo pool (NOT a little pool) we had 2 full bathrooms- one with a tub and the other with a shower, a small kitchen area (microwave, sink, and college dorm sized fridge), a very comfortable bed, along with a Murphy bed and a sofa pull-out, we had plenty of room and plenty of storage.
The food in cafeteria was good, not hot enough, and didn't look quite like the pictures but was surprisingly tasty!
The temperature inside the arcade was FRIGID so all I wanted was to get out of it but g-daughter enjoyed playing until her $5 ran out.
The bedspread was the heaviest of anything I've slept under. I could hardly move my legs and felt pinned to the mattress! We laughed about it every night.
Just returned from a week in Saratoga Springs (2/25-3/2/2013)and with so much to complain about I suggested to my husband that we get our money back and return to Art of Animation for $162 LESS per night. He just didn't want to pack up and move.
Pros:
food, pool, life guards, theme, grounds, cast membersCons:
no cell phone reception in room or near walls of buildingReviewed by kissycub Review Date: 03/09/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
This place does not get the credit and flow of people it deserves. If your little one loves Disney Junior characters, then this place should not be missed. This was our first time coming here, because our 2 year old little guy loves Disney Junior characters. They had Special Agent Oso, June from Little Einsteins, Handy Manny and Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates. He loves them all, so we thought this was a must do. The place is a fun looking place, but most importantly, the food was awesome! They had fresh fruit, pastries, waffles, pancakes, breakfast meats, all sorts of bread, oatmeal and the list goes on and on. The server was very nice and attentive. They had a young person sing and dance with the characters, which was fun and they played all of the Disney Junior theme songs we love. The characters gave the kids plenty of attention and spent a lot of time with them. Everything was excellent, we even wanted to let the manager know how great it was. The place really wasn't full at all and we actually felt bad, because we loved it. This will be a must go from now on. Check it out, you won't regret it.
Pros:
food, characters, musicCons:
noneReview of Best Friends Pet Care
Reviewed by WingsAt46 Review Date: 03/09/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
Oh, if only Best Friends were everywhere. I had the worst experience with Sand Lake kennel and while walking my dog one day, another dog-walker suggested Disney as a place to board my dog in the future. He said, you know how Disney is, perfect, so I tried out Best Friends. This place is the answer to my prayer!! My husband and I stayed at Port Orleans Riverside, just across the street from Best Friends where we boarded our 2 dogs, a lab and a Brasilian vida lota, in a vacation villa. At night when it was cool, we came to walk them on their grounds. It was quite a pleasant experience for all of us! I would recommend this place for anyone who loves their pet and wants the peace of mind knowing they are cared for by animal lovers.
Pros:
the grounds to walk dogs, the villas, the amenities, the photo sent to my e-mailCons:
noneReview of Flame Tree Barbecue
Reviewed by John Review Date: 03/09/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
I would rate The Flame Tree BBQ as one of the best places on WDW property for a counter service meal. The Ribs, Chicken, and Pork Sanwich are great. My wife, normally has the smoked chicken sald and she said it is also very good. We try and eat here at least once when we come to WDW.
The only downside is the birds which are constantly milling about.
Pros:
Great Food and Quick ServiceCons:
The BirdsReview of Beaches and Cream
Reviewed by Fitzboyzmom Review Date: 03/09/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
We had ice cream one night here and a meal on another. Both visits were very good. The ice cream sundaes here are great...lots of hot fudge. Other ice cream places we have stopped at (in Epcot and MK), put very little on. We had a hamburger and grilled cheese for our meal and both were very good as well. Service was excellent and we really enjoyed the look of the place...very cute.
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—Review of Liberty Tree Tavern Lunch
Reviewed by Fitzboyzmom Review Date: 03/09/2013
Rating: (8) Recommended
We stopped here at lunch time without a reservation (around 11:30). We were told we would have to wait for 10-15 minutes, but we waited for about 10 seconds.
I had tried the turkey dinner last summer and was really disappointed. Decided to try it again and it was delicious. My son liked nothing on the menu and they got him chicken nuggets (you have to ask).
Very good experience.
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—Review of Be Our Guest Dinner
Reviewed by Fitzboyzmom Review Date: 03/09/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
This is a beautiful restaurant and the theming outside and in is just great. We ate in the ballroom and it was so neat watching the snow come down.
Our food was really good, however, I think they need some other options for the kids. I got fries with my steak, but had to ask for my son. Your on vacation...fries once in awhile are OK. And what is wrong with chicken nuggets?
Our waitress was very nice, but a little slow and seemed a bit overwhelmed with her tables. We got some grey stuff (it is delicious) because it was my son's birthday. I had ordered a cake as a surprise, but had to ask about it becuase it did not come out. Still was nice.
Returning in July for another visit.
