Most Recent Reviews
Review of Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Cafe
Reviewed by MClark301 Review Date: 03/18/2013
Rating: (6) Recommended
This quick service dining option has express self-order, however the touch screen was very slow and needed deep pressure touch to work. Food was ready quickly and served hot. The condiment line was huge so we ate our meal plain to avoid another wait. The place has multiple seating areas and the hostesses worked quickly to get us seated while our food was still hot. The turkey wrap was really great. Burgers were fine. The kid's turkey sandwich is pathetic - consists of two flatbread pieces in slight mouse head shape with 3 rolled lunchmeat slices. Every place in Magic Kingdom seems to be chaotic so overall this was an average experience. Prices were okay. Lunch for 5 (2 adults, 2 teens, 1 kid) was around $42.
Pros:
Clean with plenty of seatingCons:
Very chaoticReview of Tony's Town Square Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by Ilita Review Date: 03/18/2013
Rating: (7) Not Recommended
It was our first time at Tony´s. I have to say that the food is excellent but not the service. We were 13 and asked to be seated in two tables, one for the adults, the other for our teens. We had reservations at 8:55 and I arrived earlier, but five got stuck at the parade and arrived at 9. They hurried us and said that the kitchen close at 9. When we were seated, the two tables belonged to different servers and it was a complication for them. We didn't understand why, such we were all in the dining plan. Another complication was that we were inviting with our dining credits to our friends, we had to ask the manager to come. We are not going back. I´ve been in WDW 5 times in the last 5 years, always in the dining plan, and I´ve eat at a lot of places, but never have experienced something like that. I don´t remember what I ate.
Pros:
food, placeCons:
service, everything very complicated.Review of Kona Cafe Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by Ilita Review Date: 03/18/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
I love Kona Café. It was our fourth time here and every time is better for me. Since the bread, everything is very tasty. The three course menu we had other ocassions wasn´t in the menu anymore, but they had very tasty options.(the teriyaki meat, the duck, the clams. The desserts are the best. My kids (15 and 12) love the chocolate fondue with fresh fruit, chocolate banana creme brulee for me. Our server was a young man from Morocco and he was very helpful and nice. The only thing I didn´t like was the drink I´ve before dinner, but It was a bad choice. We´ll be back in our next WDW visit. (soon, I hope)
Pros:
food, place, serviceCons:
noneReview of Landscape of Flavors - Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by Ilita Review Date: 03/18/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
I´ve been reading about Art of animation resort for two years, so our first night at WDW we went to know it(we are from Argentina and were staying at POFQ) and I have to say it was fantastic. The food court is very similar to Pop´s one, but newer and nicer. The non plastic plates and forks were a nice addition. The food was not as simple as in Pop Century or other food courts, the have a lot of choices you can customize, so we loved it. The children (15 and 12) had the hamburguers (create your own) and my husband and I the alfredo pasta, it was very, very good. Some of our friends have the tandoori chicken and they said it was very spicy and hot. Good expresso too. If you go, and are staying at other hotel, don´t forget to walk around the resort. It´s very nice!
Pros:
foodCons:
none, its ok for that you payReview of Yachtsman Steakhouse
Reviewed by Ron S Review Date: 03/20/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
We ate here on our Anniversary and loved it. We each started with Lobster Bisque which was really good. We then split the 16-oz Boneless Rib-Eye with carmody potato gratin instead of bone marrow. The steak was cooked perfect and so tender. We also had a side order of Sauteed Mushroom Caps - with garlic, cream and Cabernet Wine Sauce. Wow these were good. For dessert we were brought 5 small samples of different items for our anniversary. The service and food were excellent from start to finish.
Pros:
EverythingCons:
NoneReviewed by Ilita Review Date: 03/18/2013
Rating: (8) Recommended
It was our first time at POFQ and I loved the resort, but not so much the food court. It is very small, and with very few options. I´ve a french toast once, and it wasn´t fresh. We were a large group, but always found place to seat. The casts members are very nice.
Pros:
—Cons:
—Review of Polynesian - Never Land Club
Reviewed by drang Review Date: 03/18/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
When we first dropped my son off at Neverland, we felt guilty and worried (ditching the kid at Disney - what horrible parents!) Upon picking up my son, he cried, didn't want to leave, and asked if he could come back and play with Peter Pan again the next night. We've used the club twice since then, and every time my son has a blast. I think it may be a better fit for younger kids - he is 5 and loves the costumes, games and movies. I don't even think it's that expensive, but we're only covering one kid - plus it includes dinner. I certainly recommend it, and we will continue to use it for "Disney Date Night" in the future.
Pros:
Conveniently located, happy kidCons:
—Review of Monsieur Paul France - Dinner
Reviewed by eeh25 Review Date: 03/18/2013
Rating: (2) Not Recommended
My wife and I dined at Monsieur Paul, at Epcot, the new French restaurant. It was certainly an interesting (and disappointing) dining experience as much has changed from the previous "format". The tables were rearranged so that tables for 4, 6 or 8 were positioned along the windows. Tables for two were positioned along a row of tables at the rear wall of the restaurant. We were seated at one of these very tight tables literally sitting elbow to elbow with adjacent diners. Also, unfortunately, there were approximately 8 families with very young children (ages infant to about 3 yrs old) seated across from us. The children (I counted about 14 of them) were extremely noisy all evening. They were crying, yelling, banging on the table and more crying throughout. I complained to the maitre d and all he offered were his apologies. I requested to be seated elsewhere, which fell on "deaf ears",
We noticed a more casual ambience when we entered the restaurant. There are no more tablecloths, only paper place mats, no flowers or decorations. The menu does not reflect a casual ambience as all entrees "hovered" around $42. The menu offerings were brief as compared to previous. My wife and I selected the red snapper. The "snapper" was quite delicious, however, when you order snapper, that is all that is on the plate (a 4" x 4" square filet). The sauce that accompanied the snapper was quite good. The cost for two dinners, two small dinner salads, one glass of wine, one Perrier was $145.00 (no coffee, no dessert). The service was ok and not great. We could not hear our server, as the adjacent noise from the small children and overall noise in the restaurant made it impossible to carry on any kind of conversation.
Needless to say, we will not be returning to this restaurant.
Monsieur Paul needs to change their name to Monsieur NO NO!!!
Pros:
—Cons:
Very NoisyReview of Bay Lake Tower (Disney Vacation Club)
Reviewed by bigsol Review Date: 03/18/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
I am a DVC member, and I am basing my review on my last trip to BLT, which was 12/2011. My apologies for the untimliness of this review.
BLT is my home resort and I absolutely love it. First, let me say that, while I am a dedicated Disney fan and I am always expecting that "Disney Magic" at all times, I am also a realist. I realize that Disney, while they are top notch when it comes to service, is still just a vacation resort. They have normal human beings working there, and, I'm sure, they have their fair share company/personnel problems. That said, I go into every Disney vacation with the expecation that, while I wish it to be the most magical experience ever, I accept that there will always be certain vacation resort related issues. As long as these issues are handled properly and in a timely manner, I am Ok with it.
We stayed in 2br dedicated lake view room for 8 nights. We were very lucky and got a room on the 12th floor, in the corner. From our living room we had one of the best views of Bay Lake, but we could also see the Magic Kingdom and the fireworks. It was definitely a nice treat for us, as we were a party of 4 adults and 3 young children.
As for space, we were not cramped. My wife and I had the master and our son (1 1/2 at the time) slept in the pack 'n play in our room. Our guests and their 2 daughters shared the second bedroom. Each room had it's own full bath, plus the third full bath in the common area. Each bedroom had it's own private balcony.
The common area was very nice. It was clean and the living room area was spacious enough to comfortably fit all of us, with the kids running around playing, of course. The kitchen was properly stocked, everything was in order. I didn't notice any excessive wear or dirt/stains on any of the furniture or appliances. The carpets appeared to be clean, and everything worked as expected.
A few days into the trip, we experienced an issue within the room. Since it was over a year ago, the exact issue escapes me, so take this for what it's worth. However, I do recall notifying the front desk in the morning, going out for the day, and returning to the room with the issued fixed. Along the same line, we could not access the free wifi when we first arrived in the room. My friend called the front desk, who transferred him to a service representative. The service rep walked us through the settings on our laptop and got us connected with no further issue.
I've read some reviews on here that mentioned rooms not being fully stocked, rooms being dirty, elevators either dirty or unpleasant looking, leaks, etc. While I can't comment on the personal experiences of those individuals, I can only say that we did not experience any those issues. Perhaps certain things have changed or been neglected since December of 2011, but at that time the Bay Lake Tower was a beautiful, well kept resort.
The pool area was nice. We had some cool weather during our stay, and only got to the pool once. It was cloudy and little breezy that day, so we didn't stay too long, but my son loved the little slide. I took a few trips down the big slide, myself. It was fun.
The rooftop lounge was never busy, except during the fireworks. I do admit that it was a bit of a pain to have to take the elevator all the way to the ground floor just to show my room key and be escorted back to the elevator. I am quite pleased that DVC decided to ease the rules of entry back somewhat for the Top of the World Lounge.
Contemporary staff never made us feel like unwanted guests, however, there were a couple of times where it seemed like nobody was, "manning the fort", so to speak, in the BLT lobby.
If you are on the far end of BLT (the NE corner) you have to walk 2/3rds of the way around the building to get to the covered walkway. Not a huge deal, but a little more than a short walk.
Instead of seeing myself as a BLT guest, I look at it as having 2 resorts in 1. See, staying at BLT gives you full access to the amenities of The Contemporary, including the pool, however, a Contemporary guest does not (well, isn't supposed to) have any access to BLT or any of its amenities. Hmmm, that's a great segue into my "Con".
One of BLTs big features is its exclusive access. The rule is that if you are not staying in BLT, you can't physically get inside the building and you can't use the pool. The biggest flaw I found was that the door on the Contemporary side of the covered walkway was unsecured on more than a few occassions. I never found it propped open, but on several occassions it was resting against the door frame and did not fully close. This bothered me. Not because I was concerned for my own safety, but because DVC thought highly enough of this feature that they promote it as a highlight of the BLT. Now, I never reported this issue to anyone, so I can only complain so much. The other entrances on the ground floor did not have this issue. The issue on the ground floors was piggybacking, and that is a human error issue, not mechanical. To that end, I am guilty as charged. While I did not hold the door open, or unlock the door for anyone, I forgot my card once and waited for someone to open the door for me. I admit that BLT isn't a U.S. Embassy or the CIA building. I don't fear that someone is going to enter the BLT and do harm, however, if DVC is going to use this security feature as a selling point, and I'm paying annual dues to this resort, I expect everything I am paying for to be in proper working order.
I've never ever had an issue with Magic Express or luggage delivery. If you plan ahead and read up on the services, they tell you to pack whatever you may need upon arrival, including an extra set of clothes, in your carry-on just in case. Same for curbside check-in at the resort. No issues. Well, except for the one time my wife packed her license in her suitcase and it left for the airport!! That's a story for another time.
I will just say that if you are going to Disney you are going to have a good time. If you stay at BLT, you are going to enjoy it. You just have to be reasonable and accept that while Walt Disney World (and the BLT) were built on the vision of some of the most innovative minds in the world (and a little magic), they are run by regular people. Mistakes happen, sometimes certain details get overlooked, sometimes it takes a little longer for your luggage to arrive. As long as you can accept that, prepare for it, and the staff respond to and correct the issue in a timely manner, what is there really to complain about?
One last thing, I promise. This comes from 13 years of planning WDW vacations- If you are going on a WDW vacation, not just a DVC resort, but any WDW resort, and you either fail to begin your planning as far out as they allow you (resort reservation, dining, tours, etc), or you simply don't plan for anything, YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE A MISERABLE TRIP. Believe me, I've seen it happen. the first 3 things you need to know about a Disney trip is Plan, Plan, Plan. Trust me.
Pros:
Location, Views, 2 in 1 resort amenitiesCons:
security not always so secure.Review of All Star Music Resort (Value Resort)
Reviewed by MarLL55 Review Date: 03/20/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
Stayed at Sports last year-Movies this year. Upon check in, the computers were down but the staff were very accommodating. We still got out "ticket" to go to the parks. Never a problem the last two years we stayed at the Value Resorts. We stayed at Jazz-room is always clean and maid service is great everyday.
