Most Recent Reviews
Reviewed by west1818 Review Date: 04/16/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
I am a DVC member and stayed here April 7-11, 2013 (4 nights) in studio room #5516. Loved it! This was our first trip to Disneyland and what a great way to end the trip (we couldn't get in here the first two nights and stayed off property). What a great location being right next to Downtown Disney and having a private entrance to California Adventure. I wish there were more rooms available here for DVC but would stay here if I ever get back to Disneyland! Highly recommend!!
Pros:
Location, location, location!Cons:
Too few roomsReviewed by Alhio Review Date: 02/19/2016
Rating: (10) Recommended
My family stayed in two rooms (grandparents in one) the week of February 7, 2016--during Mardi Gras.
We have stayed at this resort three or four times since 2005. Our last stay at Port Orleans was at Riverside in 2013.
We were in ground floor rooms (ours was a corner) of building 1.
To be honest, we would always prefer to stay at this resort. It's small and lovely, with multiple mini-gardens and pathways, fountains and landscaping that make you feel like you are somewhere genteel and serene.
The smaller resort size means you feel more like the staff there know you. The costumed greeter recognizes you and your family each day.
Even though it was bursting with New Orleanians for Mardi Gras (the resort has its own parade, and Mardi Gras activities for all ages in the afternoon around the pool), the only place we really felt any crowd was in the morning at the pancake window.
There is a single bus stop, and we never had any problem with arrival times. We made use of services the airline check-in, luggage storage, delivery of packages from the parks, and the Magical Express luggage delivery--all of which worked perfectly.
Busses coming TO the resort (and sometimes having Riverside guests) always stop at French Quarter first.
Everything is nearby your room (compared to other Disney Resorts), and the vibe is not at all frenetic (unlike the All-Stars and other Value Resorts).
The resort is quiet, but doesn't shortchange you on the Disney touch. The pool is spectacular with its waterslide and colorful statuary. Boats travel the scenic little river to Downtown Disney/Disney Springs (it takes about 20 minutes) and up to Riverside (in case you'd like to make use of their amenities like the pool or restaurants).
The food court is smaller (of course), but had plenty to please us the times we ate there. The laundry is now taking credit cards and its availability can be checked online.
The staff was pleasant and knowledgeable (we used all the regular services, and also spoke several times with the concierge desk).
When you get up in the morning you encounter staff busy at cleaning the grounds and the 'streets', which makes you feel like you're in a small little residential part of a city.
When we requested a towel display for a special occasion from housekeeping, they handled it perfectly.
Several times the DirectTV signal on our TV and my parents' TV next door was a bit shaky (I don't know if the high winds during our visit were to blame), but that is honestly the only negative thing I can say about the resort.
We love it, and wish that we could find availability at it for each of our trips.
Pros:
Intimate setting, atmosphere, manageable sizeCons:
Rooms get reserved quicklyReview of Contemporary Resort (Deluxe Resort)
Reviewed by cchurch74 Review Date: 02/21/2016
Rating: (9) Recommended
My hubby and I stayed here for the second time in Feb 2016. We LOVE this resort! We had a Tower, Theme Park View room on the 11th floor and the views were incredible! We made sure to make it back to our room several nights to watch the fireworks from the Magic Kingdom. Also, being in the Tower, everything was very convenient. The staff were very friendly and helpful, including helping with our room requests. And having the monorail in the building was a huge plus! The rooms are huge as well.
We also loved the fact that you could walk back from the Magic Kingdom when the monorail was super crowded at night.
The only con is the theming, as its not as themed as the other resorts. But everything else trumps that.
Pros:
Location, Staff, ViewsCons:
ThemingReview of Sci-Fi Dine-in Theatre Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by cchurch74 Review Date: 02/21/2016
Rating: (9) Recommended
We had lunch at SciFi on 2/1/16. We always make sure to go to SciFi whenever we're in WDW. The atmosphere is awesome and the service is always great. This time we had Tony was Coney Island and he was one of the best servers we had all trip. My hubby got the NY Strip, which was very good, and I got the reuben which was very tasty. Tony even had them make me a Shirley Temple. For dessert, I had the Candy Bar which was incredible! My hubby had the no sugar added brownie sundae and he really enjoyed it as well.
I can't really speak to the costs as we had the Dining Plan. But I would definitely recommend this to anyone!
Pros:
Atmosphere, ServiceCons:
—Review of The Wave - Breakfast
Reviewed by cchurch74 Review Date: 02/21/2016
Rating: (10) Recommended
This was our third time at the Wave and again, it didn't disappoint. We had the breakfast buffet, which had plenty of choices and everything was very fresh. Our server, Tim from NJ, was awesome! He was the best server we had all trip! He was very attentive without being intrusive, and even had some great tips about the parks. He even gave us some coffee and juice to go since we were heading to the parks.
If you want a quick, fresh breakfast with great service I would definitely recommend the Wave.
Pros:
Food, ServiceCons:
—Review of Biergarten - Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by cchurch74 Review Date: 02/21/2016
Rating: (9) Recommended
My family always tries to fit in a trip to Biergarten when we're in WDW. We went on Feb 4 for dinner with my hubby, Mom and cousin and had a great time! You do sit with other people. But in my experience, aside from some small talk in the beginning, everyone pretty much sticks to themselves.
The food is always great and there's a good choice available. My Mom can't have milk, so the chef came out and walked her through the buffet so she would know what to eat. He also brought out a special dessert for her.
The show is a lot of fun, especially when everyone gets into it.
Pros:
Food, Fun AtmosphereCons:
—Review of 'Ohana Dinner
Reviewed by cchurch74 Review Date: 02/21/2016
Rating: (9) Recommended
We always make sure to go to 'Ohana when we are in WDW. We went on Jan 31 with family that lives in Orlando, so there were 10 of us! I made sure to make the reservation at the 180 day mark as it can be a bit difficult to get reservations closer to the trip.
The food was awesome, as usual. It all started with salad and bread (although our bread came a bit late), which were very good. We loved the pot stickers & wings. Then we were served the noodles, veggies and the skewers of chicken, beef & shrimp made their way around. Definitely a good idea to come here on an empty stomach! We had so much food left over and you're not allowed to take it with you, so I would recommend being careful how much more you ask for. Although we did find out that they recycle the excess food as fertilizer to be used for plants around WDW. The banana fosters bread pudding was great, but we didn't have much room for it. My Mom can't have milk and they made her a special dessert.
The only con is that this can get very busy, so I would recommend getting there about 15 minutes before your ADR. Also, it can be costly (we had the Dining Plan) but I still think its worth it!
Pros:
Food and AtmosphereCons:
BusyReviewed by cchurch74 Review Date: 02/21/2016
Rating: (9) Recommended
This was our first time trying Garden Grill and we were so happy to see that they were offering breakfast! My hubby and I ate here on Feb 5 and were seated right at the time of our reservation (9:20). The restaurant was rotating and we loved being able to see some scenes from The Land boat ride. The food was served family style and very good. It started with a cinnamon bun skillet which was heavenly and some fresh fruit. Then moved on to scrambled eggs, biscuits & gravy, potato barrels, bacon & ham, and Mickey waffles. The chocolate hazelnut sauce for the Mickey waffles was to die for! Our waitress, Holly from Kissimmee, was very friendly and attentive. Also, Mickey, Pluto, Chip & Dale all made multiple trips to our table. We definitely plan on going again on our next trip!
Pros:
Food, Characters, Great AtmosphereCons:
—Review of Bay Lake Tower (Disney Vacation Club)
Reviewed by lizzie1974 Review Date: 02/24/2016
Rating: (8) Recommended
We stayed in a studio on the 14th floor. We had a lake view but also ended up with a view of Space Mountain and the Castle.
It's a quick walk to MK.
The buses were fairly frequent. Wish they offered a bus to Epcot but you must take the monorail. It's not the most convenient sometimes, since you have to transfer at the T&TC.
Although we loved the view from the room we received, it was very far from the Contemporary. The walk to the Contempo Cafe for drinks was silly long.
The room is pretty cool, design-wise. It is small. We did a split stay at BCV and that room was enormous by comparison.
Pros:
location to Magic Kingdom, viewsCons:
large resort, lots of walking, must take monorail to EpcotReview of BOATHOUSE
Reviewed by mgilmore Review Date: 02/24/2016
Rating: (10) Recommended
I dined here December 2015. Solo diner.
I am a passholder and frequent table service restaurants.
I was seated quickly, as my ADR was at the start of dinner service.
I was on the deluxe dining plan. I could not be more pleased with the food and the service.
I ended up having a lobster trifecta..will explain later!
For appetizer I had the Lobster cocktail, which was chilled on a bed of ice. It was actually half of a lobster! For entree I had the Crab stuffed lobster. It was beautifully presented and well prepared. Delicious! My server even offered to take apart the lobster for me so I didn't have to get messy from Lobster cracking! This was exceptional service.
While I was enjoying my lobster a manager stopped by to ask how I was enjoying my meal. After telling him that I enjoyed the lobster app and entree, he asked if I had tried the lobster bisque. I told him I hadn't and he said that I had to have the Lobster Trifecta LOL. He proceeded to being me a cup of the lobster bisque to try...on the house!
For dessert I had the Chocolate Bundt cake.
I was really pleased with my meal and the exceptional service here.
