Most Recent Reviews
Review of Cinderella's Royal Table Dinner
Reviewed by Jenny217 Review Date: 01/04/2017
Rating: (10) Recommended
I scored an 8:10 reservation on 12/25/2016. Expectations were that we got to eat Christmas Dinner in Cinderella's castle. So, we were up for anything basically. We figured if we didn't like the food, we'd go fill up on churros, pretzels and ice cream later.
The thing no one mentions is how they do check in here. You don't check in early. They have a sign. Which I didn't notice until I went up to check in. They take you at your reservation time. Exactly. Not a problem, just not expected. And at dinner, they sequester you under the roof because you are back there in the fireworks "drop zone". (the little fellow who was in charge of this takes his job super seriously) So it gets a little tight with all the people crowding in waiting. We've been trained for years to arrive early! We're all early!! But it was Christmas and we were all in a good mood, so it was exciting.
Then you meet Cinderella and she told us a charming story about some new castle mice and we had a picture. Then we waited for our names to be announced. "Lords and Ladies, Princesses, etc." It was cute.
Then when I handed the hostess my ticket she squealed and led us over to a table by the window.
So, not only did we get amazing food (best steak I'd had in a while, maybe ever), meet several charming princesses (Ariel, Aurora, Snow White & Jasmine), magical wishing stars, a glass of champagne, we also had front row seats to the best show in town. On Christmas. My almost 15 year old daughter had a blast. My 8 year old son was captivated.
My daughter ordered from the adult menu, but they brought her the grapes and cheese for her appetizer. (She snatched some of our fancy cheese.)
All in all, we had a blast, the food was great, and, y'all, Snow White is the most adorable thing ever. I wouldn't have been surprised if she'd had a bird come land on her shoulder for real.
Pros:
Atmosphere, food, serviceCons:
Check-In was different experienceReviewed by Jenny217 Review Date: 01/04/2017
Rating: (10) Recommended
We ate lunch here on 12/24/2016. The food was amazing even for my picky eaters. The salad and rolls with honey butter were a perfect start. We tried everything except for the roast. (Didn't make it that far) So good! Way too much, though. Needed a nap afterwards! Dessert was painful, but sooo good.
The characters were so fun. My daughter had her Pluto shirt on, completely coincidence. She didn't know we'd have a character meal. Pluto loved it. Dale wanted to know where his representation was. Mickey loved her Mickey nail polish. Chip was a high five machine. Then he tried to steal some dessert. So much fun.
We made a full rotation during the meal, so we got to see everything. Had a seat at a booth on the lower level. Totally worth the price.
Pros:
Great food, fun charactersCons:
Way more food than you needReview of Tutto Italia Restaurant - Italy
Reviewed by Jenny217 Review Date: 01/04/2017
Rating: (10) Recommended
We dined here with family on 12/24/2016. The food was amazing. My daughter and husband ordered the ravioli and I think my daughter could have happily died after that. Then she had a cannoli. Lazarus effect. Rapturous. She loves this restaurant now. (She was super impressed when she saw her Aunt had caviar on her plate. It ticked off her list of all things fancy.)
I had the warm chocolate cake for dessert. It was amazing.
Pretty sure we'll have a return visit here. (If nothing more than to get my kids back to Epcot.) A visit just for dessert would be totally worth it.
Pros:
Food was amazingCons:
—Review of Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue
Reviewed by King Ezekiel Review Date: 01/06/2017
Rating: (9) Recommended
I visited Hoop Dee Doo in December 2015 about a week before Christmas for the first time and boy was it amazing. Got category 1 seating (which I highly recommend) and we had a blast. Food was excellent, cast was funny. everything was great. Saw it with my mother, father, sister and niece. My other sister (niece's mother) was flying down to visit during Christmas and we decided we wanted to go again, as my other sister had never seen the show before. By some miracle I was able to get a category 1 table for 6 on Christmas eve. This show was even better than the first. Our table was dead center, the performers came and sang and danced right around our table, Claire came and sat on my dads lap and my niece was picked for a role towards the end of the show. A family experience we'll never forget.
Like most have said, it's a Disney must. The jokes will be corny but they never cease to be funny. Kids especially will love the show.
Pros:
Most food is great, you'll have a wonderful time, never gets oldCons:
Price keeps going up, some of the food is less than greatReview of Art of Animation Resort (Value Resort)
Reviewed by shageek Review Date: 01/08/2017
Rating: (9) Recommended
Very happy with this resort. We have stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter and Riverside. This is our first value resort. In many ways, I liked it more than the moderate! The Themeing was wonderful (Even my non-Disney loving husband enjoyed the theme). If you want a really "Disney" feel I would recommend this resort.
The Food court was very good and the staff was overall very friendly.
It took us less time (even with it being a more crowded time of year) to get to all of the parks. (Hollywood studio 5 minutes, Animal Kingdom 10, Epcot and The Magic Kingdom 15 minutes). I was very pleased with the travel time (We rented a car)! This alone made it worth it! We could even watch the fireworks and hear the music from Hollywood Studios at night!.
The only negative was the beds and the room definitely felt smaller (I expected this though). I also had one issue with a cranky server at the food court. My son was sick and I was a little frazzled that night but she was not very helpful and every request I asked was met with a short and snippy comment. This was only one section of the food court. Overall everyone was wonderful!
Pros:
Close to parks, theme (Disney Feel),Staff, Food CourtCons:
Rooms a little small, Standard rooms far from food courtReview of Bay Lake Tower (Disney Vacation Club)
Reviewed by mg0914 Review Date: 01/11/2017
Rating: (10) Recommended
Bay Lake is our home resort. Dec 27 - Jan 2 was our fifth time staying here. We absolutely love this resort. Compared with many resorts BLT is relatively small. The walk to the Contemporary or to the pool or anywhere else is under 5 minutes.
The Contempo Cafe has a good selection any time of the day. If you go you must try their cupcakes! We ate there a few times - once for a quick breakfast, once for lunch and once late at night (around 10:00). It's big enough to accommodate larger crowds when it gets busy. You're supposed to order and pay at the register and someone will bring your food to your table. But if you're on the meal plan you should select your drink and desert first and bring them with you to the register when you order your entree. We witnessed many people confused by this process.
We also ate at The Wave once which was excellent and hopefully I will get around to posting a separate review for The Wave.
The resort cast members were all so friendly and helpful. Check in was smooth and our room was ready well before 4:00 but because we had transferred from another resort (Polynesian) our luggage did not arrive until 3:30. So we had a room but no luggage! No problem really.
Every review mentions the easy access to MK and it is as simple and convenient as everyone says. One morning we even had our own entrance line as we arrived at MK. There was a security guard checking bags at the end of the walkway and once we cleared that we bypassed the metal detectors and walked directly to the entrance. That was convenient! It is worth noting that security was very heavy during our trip. Disney security, Homeland Security and local police officers made their presence known before you even reached the gates at all four parks. We visited Epcot multiple times and every guest that entered went through the metal detectors. In addition, every member of my family was randomly selected to go through the metal detectors several times. I have absolutely no problem with this! And in fact I applaud Disney's efforts.
Our room was clean, the bed was extremely comfortable and everything worked well. We had an incredible view of MK from the 11th floor. I love sitting on the balcony and watching the monorails go back and forth or just listening to the sounds from MK.
I mentioned earlier that we had transferred from Polynesian. The two resorts are very different of course. The Polynesian is serene and peaceful (well, the Great Ceremonial House is usually busy and loud) while Bay Lake is not nearly as quiet. But it's okay with us - we will always love BLT!
Pros:
Location, comfort, viewsCons:
noneReviewed by StacyLovesDisney Review Date: 01/10/2017
Rating: (5) Not Recommended
If you want to take photos of all the Disney Jr. friends at one time. This is your place.
I have been here several times and the waitstaff always seem to be rushed and un-attentive. I think they have too many tables to be able to give each guest a quality service experience.
The fresh fruit is delicious. We love the Mickey waffles and tater tots. Bacon thin, but good. Kids love the self-serve ice cream machine because at Disney Ice Cream IS for breakfast.
And here is the sad part. The dancing? It's gone. No singing and dancing Pirate Rock or having a parade with Doc McStuffins. So sad. This is what set this breakfast apart from all the others.
Prices went up, too. My daughter, now considered "adult," my boy and I paid 83.00 plus a tip to eat breakfast here. We could get the same foods at our resort food court.
Pros:
character photos all at once/foodCons:
NO Dancing??? Whaaaaat?Review of Morimoto Asia
Reviewed by cmstorer1985 Review Date: 01/10/2017
Rating: (10) Recommended
I chose this for my birthday meal, and I blown away. The decor is absolutely stunning, and while it says park attire is welcome, i felt a bit under-dressed. Our server was amazing, polite, and so knowledgeable. She told us about how they work with the rice to make it white, it was really cool how she knew so much about the process and about Morimoto's backstory. And then the food... delicious. we split tempura shrimp roll, dumplings, and orange chicken and it was plenty for 2 people. Its definitely on my list to visit again.
Pros:
Delicious, gorgeous decor, awesome serviceCons:
noneReview of Olivia's Breakfast
Reviewed by toolmanjan Review Date: 01/10/2017
Rating: (10) Recommended
Had Breakfast here 12/16. 4 adults. Food was great. My son commented that he never had a hot Mickey waffle before. We always try to eat here when ever we stay at OKW.
Pros:
Food & ServiceCons:
NoneReview of 'Ohana Best Friends Character Breakfast
Reviewed by toolmanjan Review Date: 01/10/2017
Rating: (5) Not Recommended
We ate here 12/23
I understand that this is a character breakfast. There is value in the ability to meet Lilo & Stitch.
The service was good. The food was disappointing. Cold Mickey waffles, over cooked bacon and luke warm eggs.
When we were finished eating and we're trying enjoy our coffee for a few minutes. They started to bus our table and their body language was clear that we were expected to vacate the table.
If you just want your picture with Lilo or Stitch track them down in the parks. Next time that's what we'll do!
