Most Recent Reviews
Review of Walt Disney World Swan (Deluxe Resort)
Reviewed by Samwaite Review Date: 10/16/2016
Rating: (5) Recommended
The hotel is very nice, as one would expect at this price point. You'd also expect the rooms to be mechanically correct at this price point, but not necessarily. Ours had 2 issues - a toilet that gurgled loudly and belched up water from the bowl onto the floor several times a night; and about half the electrical outlets didn't work.
Another issue is additional costs. The quoted rates don't include the mandatory resort fees, parking and the taxes imposed on those charges. You'll end up paying $80 - 100 more per night, depending on the room rate you're paying (maybe more for the highest rates).
When you drive into the driveway, if you choose to self-park, you might think you can briefly park outside the marked valet area and unload your luggage and check in. You'll be confronted rudely by the valet staff and their supervisors if you do. I tried parking well outside the marked area (nearly to the end of the driveway), and had a very unpleasant encounter with the valets. I tried explaining that I just wanted to take my bags in and then park in the parking lot, but they would have nothing of it. Be warned and bring your muscles, because you'll have to carry your bags from the very far away self parking lot. They claimed it was for traffic control, but I saw large trucks and buses parked in the same area for long periods, and there was no issue. Just be aware that the hotel lets these guys run their own hustle out front. If the entire driveway is valet only, then they should mark it that way and avoid these confrontations. I've traveled all over the country and never had an issue briefly parking out front to check in. Just be forewarned.
Pros:
Location, transportation optionsCons:
additional costs, rude valets, mechanical problems in roomReview of Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Concierge
Reviewed by Disney Dad Review Date: 10/19/2016
Rating: (5) Not Recommended
I have been to WDW more than 20 times, and decided to take my family to the AK lodge. We splurged on a Club Level, one bedroom suite. The room and lodge were fantastic, and as always Boma and Jiko were perfect!
However, we won't be back to the Club Level room. The club service continues to deteriorate.
I timed my check-in time at just over one hour (3pm on a Sunday). We were given a small, not helpful map to navigate the large resort without offer of Bell service or useful directions.
Several times, the cast members in the Club Level were complaining about their staffing ratios (apparently decreased from 4 to 3 cast members per shift) and needing to arrive for work at 5 am.
When they didn't know the answer to a question, they made up an answer instead of looking up the correct answer. As a savvy Disney traveler, this is sad. The AK lodge has a wonderful physical building, but the Club Level is not worth the considerable expense.
For a truly great Club Level experience, I recommend Yacht Club. It has always been warm and welcoming.
Pros:
Beautiful lodge, spacious room, comfortable rooms, quiet roomsCons:
Lounge staffReview of Flo's V8 Cafe - Cars Land
Reviewed by eeyorelover69777 Review Date: 10/16/2016
Rating: (2) Not Recommended
I decided to have a big lunch and a smaller dinner so I choose the chicken platter from Flo's V8.
The chicken had a weird taste and a funny orange color to it, the mixed veggies was real cold. The mashed potatoes was good. I also had a small soda and a small coffee and paid way too much in my opinion.
Pros:
Air ConditionCons:
Ladies who clean the tables tries to take your plates as SOON as you are done.Review of Caribbean Beach Resort (Moderate Resort)
Reviewed by Dsnygrl Review Date: 10/16/2016
Rating: (8) Recommended
We stayed there September 1 - 12. This is by far our favorite resort. Our last two trips we stayed somewhere else, so it was good to be "home" again. I love the newly renovated rooms. the queen beds make a world of difference. My only complaint was the air conditioning units. They are set at 72 degrees by Mousekeeping and I don't think the temperature is true, the room seemed much warmer. We had to set the air down to 68 degrees for it to be comfortable at night. Other complaint was that Mousekeeping only replenished our shampoo every other day. We were pretty low at times! I really should have called and asked for more shampoo and towels as they only left us 3 bath sized towels each day. We ate at the food court a few times and enjoyed it. We did have some trouble when we ordered a pizza one night. Our order came back wrong and we had to argue with them to fix it. room was kept clean and vacuumed every day. I loved the hot tub but they really need to keep the kids out of them! Bus service was great. We rarely waited more than 10 minutes for a bus. The new status boards at each stop are very helpful. My son went to Banana Cabana to watch baseball and football at night. He was never pressured to by a drink and was allowed to drink soda from the food court using his mug. I as usual spent many nights on the beach watching fireworks. Overall, a great experience.
Pros:
Recently renovated rooms and very quiet groundsCons:
They have taken away the boats for rent and the oversized outdoor chess set and pool tables!Reviewed by MCMod Review Date: 10/18/2016
Rating: (10) Recommended
Originally posted by annebill
"What's Cookin' With".....and for us it was Buddy Valastro, aka The Cake Boss......just a lovely experience overall.....the brunch was exceptional, his recipe presentations were great (and yummy) but the exclamation point was the "lobster tail with salted caramel".....soooo good!!! afterwards, we were able to have a photo op and a one on one with him and he was so personable....certainly the high point of our F&WF experience
Pros:
great food, organized, fun presentationCons:
noneReview of Daisy's Diner
Reviewed by eeyorelover69777 Review Date: 10/16/2016
Rating: (9) Recommended
I had the Pepp pizza. It was VERY tasty but the sauce was a bit on the runny side. But other than that I really enjoyed it.
Pros:
ValueCons:
Runny sauceReviewed by clayalex02 Review Date: 10/20/2016
Rating: (8) Recommended
Our stay did not start out to well. We had a not so great cast member checking us in. We had two rooms that I had cross referenced requesting that they be adjacent or adjoining. I realize that the cast member was not in charge of the room blocks but the way she handled it was not in the typical Disney style. We eventually got two adjoining rooms at the very end of the hotel, an extremely long walk each day especially for our 75 yr old mother. While it was a savannah view it was not a great one. Animals were only there during the early morning hours and when they were taken to the barn. The rooms were lovely, smaller than the contemporary but fine for us. We did enjoy the pool and the food court. The buses were inconsistent one day running smoothly the next we waited and waited. Our mugs were stolen at the pool one day and the cast member in Mara replaced them with no issues. We did enjoy our stay but would not rate this as a must return.
Pros:
beautiful surroundingsCons:
check inReviewed by clayalex02 Review Date: 10/20/2016
Rating: (1) Not Recommended
No, No and No! I so wanted to like this place but it was a huge disappointment. I had the pork loin which was a fatty as it could be. Sister had the noodle bowl which had some weird pieces of so called chicken in it, it looked like chicken feet. When called to the attention of the server the manager came over and her meal was free. The desserts were not even finishable. It needs an overhaul before too many people try it and run the other way!
Pros:
noneCons:
foodReview of Coral Reef - Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by clayalex02 Review Date: 10/20/2016
Rating: (7) Recommended
This was my first time at the Coral Reef and unfortunately it did not live up to my hopes. While nothing was particularly wrong with it it was just okay. We were seated in the last tier the furthest from the fish tanks so the view was eh. The food while mostly tasty was nothing that I would rave about. I had the shrimp and grits and I love shrimp and grits and these were okay. The service was spotty, we did not see him much and he seemed overwhelmed. Not sure if I would return.
Pros:
it was okayCons:
it was okayReview of Mama Melrose's Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by clayalex02 Review Date: 10/20/2016
Rating: (8) Recommended
the restaurant was larger than I remembered and much better themed. The food was good, nothing to write home about but it did satisfy our whole party. The server, Barbara was wonderful! She knew her stuff and how to work it! Would return again when looking for decent filling food.
