Most Recent Reviews
Review 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.
Pros:
Good OptionsCons:
Other restaurants have beeter atmosphereReview of Everything POP! Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by BacksideOfWater1971 Review Date: 04/18/2013
Rating: (6) Recommended
On a recent WDW vacation I was staying at Pop Century and had 1 lunch and 1 dinner here.
There are 5 different stations all with lots of options.
For lunch I opted for a grilled Chicken sandwich. The meat was a tad dry but then again white meat always is. The sandwich came on a huge bun with Spinach and tomatoes and some sauce. It tasted great. I got fries with the sandwich. The fires were not greasy at all and very flavorful.
For dinner I went with an individual pepperoni pizza and 2 bread-sticks. Everyone says Disney can't make a good pizza but I loved the pizza here. The crust was nice and soft and the pizza was very tasty. The bread-sticks were soft and had a great garlic flavor. The dipping sauce was very thin. That's my only complaint.
The food and prices are both good but if your looking for more atmosphere this is not the place for you.
Pros:
Good ChoicesCons:
Not much atmosphereReview of Captain Cook's
Reviewed by BacksideOfWater1971 Review Date: 04/18/2013
Rating: (7) Recommended
On a recent trip to WDW I was touring the Polynesian resort and got hungry so i stopped by Captain Cook's.
The ordering is done on computer screen that print a receipt you take to the cashier. The touch screen is very easy to use.
I opted for a Hawaiian Flat-bread which was tomato sauce, pineapple, and ham on pita bread.
After you pay for your meal you are given a pager to inform you when your food is ready. It was only a couple minutes until my pager went off so the service is extremely fast.
There is a ton of outdoor seating that provides an excellent view of Wishes and the Electrical Water Pageant. The only downside was there was a lot of birds wanting handouts. There are many DO NOT FEED THE BIRDS signs but people feed them anyway.
Any-who the flat bread was very good. It looked and tasted like a flat pizza.
The major draws for Captain Cooks are the famous Tonga Toast (deep-fried battered banana-stuffed sourdough bread)served for Breakfast for people who aren't looking for a sit down meal at Kona Cafe.
Also Captain Cook's offers the legendary Dole Whip for those not inside the Magic Kingdom.
All in all Captain Cook's is a great place to get a quick bite while at the Poly.
Pros:
Good Food Great Prices Great View Of Wishes And Electrical Wtaer PagentCons:
Very Limited Indoor SeatingReviewed 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.
