Most Recent Reviews
Review of Overall Cruise Experience Summary
Reviewed by lauriemacneil Review Date: 03/25/2016
Rating: (10) Recommended
My 15 year old son and I took a 4-night cruise on the Wonder from Miami, stopping at Castaway Cay, Nassau, and Key West. It was WONDER-ful! The food was fantastic in all restaurants and was very good at the quick service outlets, room service and buffet. I had a difficult time deciding which adult activities to participate in because there was so much to choose from, but everything was great fun. My son had an amazing time at Vibe and met lots of other teenagers. I really only saw him at dinner (because I made him), as there was so much for the teens to do. He said that it was the best vacation of his life! He HIGHLY recommends the "Wild Side Teen Adventure" at Castaway Cay.
Pros:
service, food, entertainment, spaCons:
noneReview of Theme Park Photo Pass
Reviewed by mawdryn Review Date: 06/28/2015
Rating: (7) Not Recommended
I have used Memory Maker twice now. Last March (2014), my husband and I used it. There were photographers everywhere, and we had over 300 photos for a 6 night, 7 day trip, The quality of the pictures was very good, and we had a lot of magic shots.
We used it again this past June with our 15 year old, twin daughters, for our 5 night, 6 day trip. We had just over 200 pictures. I found there were less photographers in the parks. We had to ask for the magic shots, and the quality of photos wasn't nearly as good.
We asked for an Olaf magic shot in Epcot before we went over the bridge into Canada. The photographer said sure and had us pose. When we looked at the pictures a few days later, Olaf wasn't in the shots...
The photographer in Germany was excellent. I wish I would have gotten his name. Same with the photographer behind Spaceship Earth by the fountain. He was excellent! These were our best pictures by far.
There really should be a few photopass photographers during the character meals. I feel they would be especially useful here.
I don't know that I would purchase MM again. I felt the $159 price tag just wasn't worth it this time.
Pros:
Magic Shots, Videos and an Abundance of PhotosCons:
Lacking PhotographersReview of Crystal Palace Breakfast
Reviewed by JJPrice Review Date: 03/25/2016
Rating: (7) Recommended
We have gone to Crystal Palace on every trip. This year we decided to have breakfast there. It was very good, nice selection, tasty food. However, it was very expensive, especially for those of us travelling from Canada. When all was said and done with the tip and exchange rate, this breakfast cost us $180 for 3 Adults (incl. 10 year old) and 1 Child. As good as it was...$180 for breakfast is hardly worth it. On the positive, with our 8am reservation we got into the park early and walked right onto 7 Dwarves Mine after breakfast, got a great pic in front of the castle without crowds, and got pictures of my daughter with Pooh and Friends to add to our collection over the years.
Pros:
Selection, FoodCons:
CostReview of Boatwright's Dining Hall Dinner
Reviewed by JJPrice Review Date: 03/25/2016
Rating: (3) Not Recommended
We have stayed at Port Orleans a few times and never tried Boatrights. After reading such great reviews, we decided to give it a try. We had 8:40 reservations, on our arrival day. We weren't as hungry as we thought we would be, so we ordered a few appetizers. The food was pretty bad, my husband ordered the Colonel's Pieces and it was inedible, in fact the waitress noticed he wasn't eating it and took it off our bill. I had a salad, which lacked flavour and french onion soup that was extremely salty (and I like salty food). The kids meals were nothing special either, but at least they were edible. It was a really disappointing meal.
Pros:
ConvenienceCons:
FoodReview of Raglan Road
Reviewed by JJPrice Review Date: 03/25/2016
Rating: (10) Recommended
The food here was fantastic! We ordered salads and a few appetizers for our dinner and it was all delicious. The kid's meals were great, it was nice to see the kids enjoy real food for dinner, they had chicken breast and steak with mashed potatoes and loved it. Such a nice change from the chicken nuggets and mac and cheese they had been consuming most of the week. It's a lively place, with a fun atmosphere. Great Irish Dancers too!
Pros:
Food, Dancing, AtmosphereCons:
NoneReview of Walt Disney World's Magical Express
Reviewed by ninjat Review Date: 03/28/2016
Rating: (9) Recommended
I love the magic express service and would always recommend it out of all the times I have used it I have only had one bad experience. We were on the bus the last pick up was at the Poly, the driver had the door closed and was leaving and a Poly employee came up knocking on the door telling the driver he had to wait for another group, they had just got back from the parks and still had to get there bags from bell services. Well this took forever and by the time we actually got them on and loaded there were people in danger of missing their flights due to the extremely long security lines at the airport. The driver should have never been told to wait it was entirely the fault of the Poly cast member.
Pros:
Don't have to rent a carCons:
Delays caused by other guestsReview of Wolfgang Puck Express Marketplace
Reviewed by JJPrice Review Date: 03/25/2016
Rating: (10) Recommended
This is one of our favourite places to eat. We had chicken meatball pizza, spaghetti and meatballs, and ravioli for 4 people. It was more than enough to share. The food was great and reasonably priced. Lots of seating available, it was a nice night, we ate outside.
Pros:
Food QualityCons:
NoneReviewed by fluffy30 Review Date: 03/29/2016
Rating: (3) Not Recommended
Was looking forward to our three night stay here (Mar 19-22) following a week at Saratoga Springs but was sadly disappointed. We stayed in building 7 which was the furthest from the lobby, pool, food court and bus stop, but it was still only a 5-7 min. walk to the main areas.
Liked the small size and the room was fine although the bathroom is very compact. Parking was close to each of the buildings. That's about it for pros to this resort. The food was terrible both at breakfast and the one dinner we had. Service was so slow and ordering chaotic. Had to go to different windows to order food then get a pager from each one and pay at the cashier. Our sandwiches got cold while waiting 10 min. for our kids burgers. The drink refill area was dirty and the straw dispenser just filthy. The pool area was very crowded and the kids found the slide too small. They did enjoy the water play area. I thought the children's activity leaders to be a bit snippy with the kids and the greeter at the door to the lobby was rude. He actually scolded my six year old for asking for a plastic coin. He seemed much more interested in engaging with the adult guests. This was the 15th Disney resort we have stayed at (I'm trying to get to them all) and my least favourite so far. We did go over to Riverside and enjoyed pizza for lunch one day and checked out the pool. We may try there next time. I think French Quarter may be better suited to couples and adults but for families it really misses the mark.
Pros:
Small resort. parkingCons:
Food court, staffReview of Paradise Pier Hotel - Concierge Level
Reviewed by alexia9694 Review Date: 03/30/2016
Rating: (2) Recommended
We are frequent visitors to the world in Florida. Our family always stays on Disney properties, usually club level. Never a complaint until our California visit. The trip itself was fantastic. First visit to the land for my children. I hadn't been there in many years. The club level at Paradise Pier was a sickening disappointment. The room we had was fantastic!! With a phenomenal view. Very quick, easy walk to and from both parks. There were so many negatives after that, too many to list. I'll give you the "highlights".
1. Dirty plate and silverware left next to the coffe maker the whole 5 days we were there.
2. Club offerings were pitiful .. Stale, dry breads and Danish in the morning. Fresh fruit consisted of apples and oranges that sat out all day everyday. Brown bananas. Good coffe though.
3. Afternoon "snacks" consisted of goldfish and Chex mix with a few cookies. We never made it back for evening offerings. And after the first 2 days of a 5 day stay we never went back except for coffee in the morning.
4. No bottled water. There are 2 bottles in the room at check in and ,per the manager, we were expected to fill them up from the gallons of spa water they had set out... The same water is available to all other guests just off the lobby.
5. The club lounge closes early. Very early!!
6. I asked for a beer 30 minutes before club room closed and was scolded. Really?? They gave me 1! After I asked a second time. 7. We brought pretzels and cheese back from the park one afternoon for a snack after a swim knowing the lounge had nothing to offer. I stopped into the club lounge and requested to have the pretzels and cheese cups, from the park, warmed a little in the microwave. I was told I would need to go to the public microwave and do it myself!!! I know the concierge have one in the lounge kitchen .. Apparently that would have put them out. Which brings me to number...
8. Concierge service is non existent !!!!no pre planning , check in was chaotic . They made a mistake and my room was not given charging privileges .. I found that out our first night as I am trying to pay for our dinners with NO cash or credit card on me. I had to call the hotel as our food got cold and a line of other guests stareing. Apparently the idiot who checked us in checked the wrong box indicating we did not want charging to the room available . It was fixed by the front desk over the phone , thank goodness. NO apology from the club staff for the mix up and inconvenience. Only dirty looks for the rest of our stay because
I spoke to the hotel manager about the incident the following morning. Club level is more about service than "free" food for most people, including me.
Basically I paid an extra $800 for 5 Cans of Coke and a latte I made for myself every morning and 1 beer, I begged for.
If you are someone more interested in service DO NOT waste the money!!!
If you've never stayed at a luxury property, AAA rated you will probably love this place.
Pros:
Our roomCons:
Club level is a jokeReviewed by Rlcrawford4 Review Date: 04/04/2016
Rating: (9) Recommended
This is our third trip to WDW and our first stay at Riverside. Previously we have stayed at the French Quarter and Beach Club. I truly think this resort has been our favorite. One of the few resorts that could accommodate our family of five for a great price. The pull down "Murphy Bed" was perfect for my 9 year old son. The room was spacious and we never felt like we were on top of one another. We requested a room near the West Depot bus stop. We were right next to the "quiet" pool and just a 4-5 minute walk to the bus stop. It was so peaceful and quiet...sometimes I wondered if there were any other guests! The only downside was that our lodge was quite a long walk from the main lobby and boat dock. We didn't mind the walk. We ate at the Food Court one night for dinner and it was just ok but we weren't expecting anything gourmet. "Mousekeeping" was adequate. Room was always well cleaned, but there were no special touches as we have seen in the past. Not too important as we weren't in our room that much. We will definitely stay here again.
