Most Recent Reviews
Review of Art of Animation Resort (Value Resort)
Reviewed by WDWems Review Date: 04/16/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
We stayed at Art of Animation from 2nd April to 14th April. We had a great time & would definitely come back!
We are a party of 2 adults and had a room in building 9 (King Triton) in the Little Mermaid area.
Out of the 3 blocks in the L.M. area, building 9 is the best one IMO. You can walk alongside the parking lot instead of through the resort, which saves a few precious foot steps! Some of the rooms in building 7 have lakeside views of POP, which would be nice too. Our room overlooked the pool on the 2nd floor, and at first we thought it would be noisier. But we found this not to be a problem at all. We hardly heard any noise from other rooms either. We heard occasional noise overhead but this wasn't excessive and therefore bearable (and we heard this when we slept in later- when we weren't awake early for EMH!)
We had a king room which was great, and plenty of room for us two. Not much storage space though as one side of the cabinet is where the fridge is. The 'grotto' shower area freaked me out at first but I ended up loving our room- great Disney theming!!
Mousekeeping was good, we got several towel animals including an elaborate lobster!! Amazing. We tipped every other day or so. There was one day where we didn't get Mousekeeping, so we called for extra towels and explained why we needed them.
Had refillable mugs but a long way to walk to and from the food court when you have been walking around the parks all day! Luckily we could stock up from a store off-site and kept a fridge of water bottles- I would definitely recommend doing this if possible.
We found Landscape of Flavors to be great and didn't have a bad meal. Throughout our stay, we have breakfast there most mornings and occasionally lunch or dinner. I'll post more in the dining review.
Bus service worked well, we had to stand up a bunch of times but we've always had to, especially over the Easter period. We appreciated the waiting areas being covered over unlike other Value resorts.
Overall, a really positive experience and I would definitely return. We stayed at POP last year, and the general amenities are much better, brighter, more 'Disney' at A of A. We both agreed that our stay was brilliant.
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—Cons:
—Reviewed by Ranger275 Review Date: 04/17/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
We are a DVC members and our home resorts are Bay Lake Towers and Saratoga Springs. We chose Old Key West for the overall resort feel, to try another resort and for the larger rooms. We stayed March 31st through April 6th 2013. We had 7 people in our group, 5 kids ranging from 16 to 6.
We really enjoyed this resort. We stayed in a 2 bedroom villa and it was quite large and very nice. Our view was of a golf green and a pond, it was very relaxing. We cooked most of our meals in the room and it had most of what we needed. We also have learned not to bring a lot of clothes and to do laundry in the room. We were able to park right outside our room which was on the ground floor. Our room was ready when we got there which was around noon
We were near the main buildings and main pool. When we didn't go to the parks we used the main pool a lot and it was a lot of fun. I was amazed by the amount of life guards and activity directors they had at the pool. It was very safe and they had activities going all day. The kids used the basketball courts, tennis courts, sand volleyball court and shuffle board area. They also really enjoyed the pool slide. We didn't eat at any of the resort restaurants but the kids did get refillable mugs which they enjoyed.
Overall we really liked Old Key West and it has become one of our favorites. Very relaxing and we will definitely be back. The service at the store was great, they went above and beyond to make sure some coffee mugs we bought would make it home safe.
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Room, pool and groundsCons:
noneReview of ABC Commissary
Reviewed by beccab Review Date: 04/16/2013
Rating: (8) Recommended
Ate here on April 6th for lunch. We ordered cheese burgers, a seafood platter, and the Coucous, Quinoa and Arugula Salad with salmon. The line moved quick, our food came out promptly and hot. The salad was very good, the best of all the meals. The atmosphere leaves something to be desired but overall, a solid choice.
Pros:
decent food, ample tables, quick linesCons:
—Review of Starring Rolls
Reviewed by beccab Review Date: 04/16/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
This place has really good sandwiches and excellent pastries. I know you've all heard it before but the napoleon is particularly delicious. Given the chaotic, cramped space in which you have to order and the lack of tables outside, the place could be rated lower but the product they deliver is quite satisfactory.
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The NapoleonCons:
The ordering system is chaos, not enough space inside, not enough tables outsideReview of Plaza Restaurant
Reviewed by beccab Review Date: 04/16/2013
Rating: (8) Recommended
We had dinner here on Wednesday, April 10th. Ordered club sandwiches and the tuna on croissant with homemade chips. The club sandwiches were very tasty, with perfectly toasted bread. The tuna salad left much to be desired, being very dry and bland. With some additional mayo and salt, it was ok. The chips are probably usually very good but the night we had them, they were cold, stiff and a bit stale. Server was obviously very busy, not much time for pleasantry but food came out timely and correct. We had a table with a very nice view of the castle, which added much magic to our meal. We will definitely visit this quaint spot again.
Pros:
View of the castle, locationCons:
rushed service, limited menuReview of Columbia Harbour House
Reviewed by beccab Review Date: 04/16/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
Had lunch here on Monday, April 8th. Lines were long but moved quickly. Food came out promptly and fresh. Ordered the lighthouse sandwich (hummus and broccoli slaw), a couple shrimp platters and an extra side of fresh steamed broccoli. Sat upstairs and enjoyed the ample seating, quiet atmosphere, and good food. Had a chuckle moment when a family from England at the table next to ours received their food. The young girls at the table looked at their baskets of fried fish and individual bags of potato chips and said in their sweet little accents, "where's my chips, mummy?"
Will return again and again, one of the fam faves.
Pros:
food, atmosphereCons:
—Review of Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe
Reviewed by beccab Review Date: 04/16/2013
Rating: (7) Recommended
Ate here for dinner on our recent trip, the first week of April. All had bacon cheeseburgers and fries. Love the toppings bar...and admit that we all have a soft spot for Ray and his lounge songs.
Not the best food you'll ever have but it's decent and a family favorite.
Pros:
toppings bar, ample choicesCons:
—Reviewed by jancaths35 Review Date: 04/17/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
We stayed at French Quarter during Easter break, March 30th thru April 6th. We have 2 teenage daughters, and we were looking for a moderate resort that was comfortable and not too large.
We stayed in building 4 on the first floor. Great location! Minimal walk to pool, cafeteria, store, laundry, pool bar....etc. We couldnt have picked a better resort for the price. The grounds were clean and beautiful. Service was excellent. No problems with the bus service considering the parks were PACKED. What's great is there is only one bus stop that is at the front of the resort, and within minutes of walking from all of the buildings. Once in a while at night we had to stop at the Riverside, but all in all, no problems with the bus service, and we were there at a very busy time. After long, late nights at the parks with teenagers, it was such a relief to get off the bus and be in our room in less than five minutes! If you want to experience long walks, there is a beautiful path that takes you to the Riverside. It is along the river with flowers, and views of the Riverside resort.
Cafeteria was perfect for us--we always had a great breakfast, and some afternoon snacks. The Riverside had more selections, and a short relaxing ride on the boat over was wonderful.
Pool was clean, heated, and there was always a surplus of towels. The lifeguards were always attentive to the swimmers, and the hotel staff had great activities for everyone. Loved the movies on the lawn everynight!!
The room provided great space, loved the separate vanity area with private curtain for early risers. Plenty of room for our luggage. No problems with noise at night and we were on the first floor at the end. We all noticed the considerable size difference compared with the value resort.
This is a perfect resort for a family with older kids. We had stayed at Pop Century when our girls were younger, which was great for younger kids because of all the colors, and life sized characters. French Quarter is decorated with cute streets, beautiful flowers and cute street names.
We would definitely stay there again!!
Pros:
size of resort, walking distanceCons:
occasional bus stops at RiversideReview of Pop Century Resort (Value Resort)
Reviewed by BacksideOfWater1971 Review Date: 04/18/2013
Rating: (8) Recommended
Recently returned from a quick WDW vacation and decided to try something new and stay at Pop Century. They have a red carpet rolled out to greet you as you exit the bus and Cast Members are there to greet you with a big smile. The lobby walls are lined with all sorts of memorabilia from the 50s-the 90s. they even have an alcove for kids with a flat screen and 2 arcade game cabinets
Classic Hall (the main building) is home to the Everything Pop gift shop and Food Court. The gift shop is just your run of the mill shop with items like pins, plushes, shirts, and all other little things to buy if you forgot to in the parks. It also has the pick up station should you have any items shipped back to the resort.
The Food Court had 5 different stations each offering something different. I ate 4 of the 5 meals I had during my stay here. 2 breakfasts 1 lunch and 1 dinner. For Breakfast one morning I went with a Western Omelet. It tasted ok. Not great but still good. The other morning I opted for French Toast and sausage. The French Toast was nice and thick with a lot of powdered sugar. The sausage pattys were very flavorful. For lunch I went with a grilled chicken sandwich. The chicken was a bit dry but then again breast meat always is. It came on a huge bun with spinach and tomatoes and tasted great. For dinner I went with an individual sized pepperoni pizza and 2 bread-sticks. People keep saying Disney can't make good pizza but I loved it. The pizza was very flavorful. The bread-sticks were soft and full of garlic flavor which I love. The dipping sauce was a but runny but that my only complaint.
Now on to the Decor. The resort has 10 different buildings (minus Classic Hall) themed to various decades. The 1950s had 3 buildings with The Tramp, Lady, and a jukebox in front and Bowling pins as stairwells. In the middle of the 3 buildings was a bowling pin shaped pool. The 1960s had 2 buildings with Baloo and Mowgli from The Jungle Book in front of one and a giant jar of Play-Doh in front of the other with yo-yos as stairwells. Between the 2 buildings was the resorts main pool shaped like a flower and were various resort activities were held and the resort's poolside bar. There was also a smaller kiddie pool but it was closed for refurbishment at the time. Next to the 60s wing was a small water play area featuring Goofy holding a surfboard.
The 1970's wing had 2 buildings with a giant Big Wheel and a vintage Mickey Mouse phone in front and giant 8 Track tapes as stairwells. There were two small areas with Twister mats painted on the ground and a giant Foosball set in between.
Between the 70s and 80s wing was a giant Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head.
The 1980s wing had 2 buildings with a giant Walkman and Roger Rabbit in front with Rubik's Cubes as stairwells. Each cube was in a different stage of being solved ranging from not solved at all to fully solved.
The 1990s only had one building with a Computer in front and Cell Phones as Stairwells. In front of the building and between the 80s buildings was a pool shaped like a computer. Along the walkway all over the resort were signs saying various historical events that happened in each of the years in the wing's decade.
My room was in the 80s wing. The room was kinda small with 2 double beds, a table with 2 chairs, a nightstand with a phone and alarm clock a dresser with 3 drawers, a mini fridge, and a flat screen TV a wall safe an iron and ironing board and a tiny bathroom. The sink was outside the bathroom and had a separate privacy screen if needed. The Bathroom was a small room with just a toilet and bathtub but i love love LOVE the shower heads Disney has.
Like I said the room is kinda small but I travel alone and typically only need a room for a shower and a bed so it fit my needs perfectly.
I opted to hang around the resort and was gonna catch the poolside movie. Halfway through Ratatouille the project died and wasn't fixable so the rest of the showing was canceled. I'm not holding that against Disney though. I work with electronics every day and know for a fact they are very temperamental and unpredictable.
Pros:
Wonderful Themeing Value PricesCons:
Can't think of anyReview of Everything POP! Breakfast
Reviewed by BacksideOfWater1971 Review Date: 04/18/2013
Rating: (6) Recommended
Just back from a couple days at WDW and stayed at Pop Cenury. During my trip I ate breakfast here twice. There are 4 different stations open at Breakfast time all with many good options.
The first meal I had were was a Western Omelet. It tasted good but I would have liked a bit more cheese. The Omelet came with fries breakfast potatoes the potatoes were very good.
The other meal I ate here was French Toast with sausage. The French Toast was thick just the way I like it and came with plenty powdered sugar. The sausage pattys were very flavorful and complimented the french toast perfectly.
The food here was good but it's your standard Cafeteria style food court. If you're looking for something with more atmosphere this is not the place for you.
