Most Recent Reviews
Review of Satu'li Canteen
Reviewed by Sweetypi Review Date: 05/17/2017
Rating: (10) Recommended
We had the chance to eat here during cast member preview day. (I am not a cast member) I thought the food was great. Very fresh, healthy and delicious. I had the beef, over the whole grain and rice with creamy herb dressing and my husband had the grilled chicken over quinoa & veggie salad with black bean vinegarette. Although we try to eat healthy we aren't health nuts and found they were both great. I thought the food prices were actually reasonable for the amount received especially for Disney but the pandorian sunrise drink, although very good, was overpriced as you got a small plastic cup of more ice than drink but overall I think it is my new favorite at Animal Kingdom
Pros:
Food, themingCons:
Specialty drinks a little expensiveReview of Pandora -- the World of Avatar
Reviewed by LiaElf76 Review Date: 05/18/2017
Rating: (9) Recommended
I'm a huge fan of the Avatar movie so I've been excited about this since the first announcement. My favorite place creating a space dedicated to my favorite movie, how could I not be excited.
First off, it's beautiful to walk around in Pandora. Disney did a good job blending real world plants with the artificial plants to really bring the place to life. I was a bit saddened to not get to see it in the dark when it should come to life with bioluminescent effects to mimic the movie.
By accident, my first stop was the gift shop, Windtraders. I went in knowing I was buying one of the Banshee shoulder puppet animals. The toy was neat, and I kind of felt like a rock star walking around with it on my shoulder (and wore it to the Magic Kingdom the next day as well).
The cast seems pretty dedicated to sticking with the story of Pandora. For instance, I was required to take an oath pledging to protect the natural environment of Pandora and Earth before I could "adopt" my Banshee. And casst members greeted me with the Na'vi phrase "I see you," (in Na'vi) once I had my Banshee. When I asked about the personalized Avatar figures, the cast member launched into explaining the scientific "research" it was helping to complete.
Flight of Passage was an awesome ride, despite it shutting down in the pre-ride room during my first attempt to ride it. My description is it's kind of Soarin' on steroids, really giving you the sensation of flying and combining some "4D" effects like smells (pleasant smells), wind, and mild spritzing of water (the scents are much better utilized then on Soarin'). And it kind of felt like I was getting a sneak peek at the next Avatar movie since some of the creatures you see weren't in thd original movie.
Na'vi River Journey is by far the best animatronic infused boat ride in Disney World. The Na'vi Shaman of Songs near the end is very lifelike. That being said, it's just a boat ride and a fairly short one at that. It's beautiful and well done but I wish it would have taken you from day to night so you could see a wide array of animals, both the daytime and nighttime creatures.
I didn't eat at the restaurant but I did try the Ma'oro Margarita specialty drink at the Pongu Pongu stand. It was tasty and the juice filled beads kind of made it more fun to drink.
I guess I'd also like to mention that Pandora is so far just filled with Pandora stuff. The gift shop doesn't have any Disney characters (not even morphed into blue-skinned Na'vi characters). It's a nice refreshing reprieve from constant Mickey and Frozen merchandise. Sadly with it being new I'm not sure when I'll feel the urge to brave the crowds to return to the world of Pandora. But I might need to risk it to see it after dark.
Pros:
Beautiful, Flight of PassageCons:
Few attractionsReviewed by clyde0523 Review Date: 05/19/2017
Rating: (6) Recommended
This was our second trip to Disney as a family of 4 and while we enjoyed our stay at Pop Century we decided to upgrade hotels this time to a moderate resort. I did a lot of research into the moderate resorts and was torn between Coronado Springs and POR, we obviously went with POR and I don't believe we will stay there again. We had requested to be in the Alligator Bayou section, but because of cheer competitions in the area those rooms were booked. We ended up in Acadian House in the Magnolia Bend section, which was fine but not really as kid friendly as Alligator Bayou. The room was simple and comfortable, but didn't really have those Disney decor aspects that we were used to and was basically boring for our kids.
The quick service restaurant and the table service were both fine. There was nothing glaringly great or disappointing about either. Mousekeeping was wonderful and I took a hint from Pinterest and created little cards for each night we stayed with a tip already inside to leave for each Mousekeeper. The room was always neat and they created scenes with the kids stuffed animals which gave them something to look forward to each day when we came back to the room.
POR is huge! Pop Century may have been as large but it didn't feel that way because there was fun stuff to look at and play with as we walked around the resort. POR felt very spread out and uncomfortable. I felt like the kids had to be silent as we made our way back and forth to the room and other parents that we met along the way felt the same.
I would recommend this resort to couples that have older children (teens), honeymooners or couples without children. I don't think we will be staying here again, but thats the beautiful thing about Disney, there are always other options!
Pros:
moderate resort, larger room and beds than value, both quick service and table service restaurantsCons:
overall size, BUSES!!!Review of Contemporary Resort (Deluxe Resort)
Reviewed by cg12086 Review Date: 05/19/2017
Rating: (8) Recommended
Staying at the Contemporary has been on my bucket list for a LONG time! I wanted to love it so much that I would only stay here again... but the monorail transportation that is supposed to be a huge perk was down multiple times during our quick trip.
The room (Garden View in Garden Wing room 6111): The room was spacious and clean. The sink area did need more space but I knew it would be cramped ahead of time so no big deal. The walk wasn't to bad to main lobby and it was very quite. The beds were comfy enough and the I actually enjoyed the theme of the room. The view of Bay Lake was amazing!! My daughter's favorite part of the trip was sitting out on our first floor patio and watching the Water Pageant right out side our window. It felt like our own private show.
The pool:The slide and splash pad were great. I was able to enjoy a margarita ($$$) from the pool bar and watch my kiddos play in the pool.
The dining: The quick service restaurant was smaller than I am use to at the moderate and value resorts however I never went during peak times so I was always able to find a place to sit and the food was ok.
Transportation:Let's be frank here, you pay for being on the monorail system, so when it was broken more than once during my 3 night stay it was very frustrating. The convenience of it when it was working was nice but I am not sure if it's worth the cost. The walk to the magic kingdom is nice but at the end of the night after being in the park all day it can seem much longer.
Overall: I will definitely stay here again but it will probably be after we give a few other deluxe resorts a try. Just wasn't the full experience I was hoping for.
Pros:
location, views, pool, themeCons:
monorail down multiple timesReview of 'Ohana Dinner
Reviewed by dlc1972 Review Date: 05/19/2017
Rating: (10) Recommended
Our group of 7 including one 4 year old ate dinner at Ohana in early May. It was the first visit for all of us and we all loved it! Well, my very fussy 4 year old didn't love the food but she enjoyed the experience anyway. She enjoyed the gentleman playing the ukelele and really loved the brief hula lesson. The food was fantastic and plentiful. I wasn't sure how the group would like the food but it turned out to be one of our favorite meals of the whole trip and we had a lot of really great meals! Will definitely go back for dinner and would like to try the breakfast too!
Pros:
Great food and experience!Cons:
NoneReviewed by Jchuges7 Review Date: 05/19/2017
Rating: (10) Recommended
We LOVED our experience at POFQ. We were in room 4130 which was 4 doors down from the food court. This made getting drinks from the Coke Freestyle machines very easy. Despite being so close to the food court and main buildings our room was extremely quiet. We also loved being very close to the bus stop which made our tired legs happy at the end of a long day at the parks. Mousekeeping was great. Short walk to POR provided great views of the river as we went to see Yee-Haw Bob's show. We would highly recommend POFQ to anyone.
Pros:
Theming, small size, atmosphereCons:
NoneReview of 'Ohana Dinner
Reviewed by Jchuges7 Review Date: 05/19/2017
Rating: (10) Recommended
Ate at Ohana for dinner on 4/26. Went to Magic Kingdom during the day and took the monorail over to get out of the craziness for dinner. Got seated quickly. Started with the pineapple coconut bread and salad. Moved on to the appetizer and sides tray of chicken wings, teriyaki noodles, dumplings and stir fry vegetables. After that the servers started bringing out the main course on large skewers, which on our night was steak, chicken and shrimp. They brought peanut sauce and sweet and sour sauces to the table which were very nice accompaniments. My wife particularly liked the shrimp and the waiters loaded her up! The meal finished with a wonderful dessert. They take the pineapple coconut bread and turn it into a rich bread pudding, top it with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and serve it with a side of banana caramel sauce. It was so good we asked for seconds.
There was also some live entertainment which was very nice. Some Hawaiian music and plenty of interaction with the kids. We can't wait to head back to Ohana for another great meal!
Pros:
Great food, music and entertainment, dessertCons:
Hard to get reservationsReview of Pandora -- the World of Avatar
Reviewed by JackieB Review Date: 05/20/2017
Rating: (9) Recommended
Pandora is gorgeous. I have never seen the movie Avatar but I really enjoyed both of the rides and the scenery in Pandora. The Flight of passage was very intense. If you are a person of size you may not fit. I fit but it was tight. I did think I was going to be sick on it. If you have motion issues this ride may not be for you. The Na’vi River Journey was a slow boat ride. It was very well done. I am disappointed that Disney has not made either of these rides handicap accessible. You must transfer from a wheelchair for both rides. I went to Pongu Pongu and had the Pongu Lumpia (pineapple cream cheese spring roll) and they were delicious. I also had the Mo'ara Frozen Margarita which was delicious as well. Overall it was an enjoyable experience and I can't wait to go back.
Pros:
GorgeousCons:
A little tight on the ride. Motion sicknessReview of Pandora -- the World of Avatar
Reviewed by Diznegal Review Date: 05/22/2017
Rating: (7) Recommended
We went to an Annual Pass Holder preview of Pandora. The theming was fabulous and I thought it represented the movie very well. We waited about an hour in the queue and it was an awesome queue. One section is positively amazing!! After waiting all that time, I was admitted into the main ride area and mounted the ride vehicle. It took a few tries to latch the back security plate but I have rods and screws in my back and while I have never had any problems on any ride, ever, it felt like my spine was going to crack. I am on the plus side so I suspect that's why it was such a tight fit. But then came time to latch the leg harness. My legs are small and thin (not plus sized) but very short. Try as she might, the CM could not latch it all the way. She said for me to lift my legs off the floor and dangle them so it would fit properly. I didn't really want to do an ab workout for the length of the ride but I was willing just so I could ride the new ride. As soon as she latched it closed, I got the two worst charley horses in my legs. At that point the CM told me I couldn't ride and I had to get off because the leg device just wasn't on properly. I was so disappointed. I have heard a fair number of people have been turned away and this is the only time at either WDW or DL that I couldn't ride a Disney ride. I plan to send a letter to Disney and hope they can make adjustments so the ride more can be more accommodating to a larger audience. I heard from everyone who went that it was the best ride they had ever been on at Disney. I know you will all love it. Just be prepared to be disappointed if you are over-sized.
Pros:
Amazing ThemingCons:
Not designed for people of sizeReview of Liberty Tree Tavern Dinner
Reviewed by annploetz5 Review Date: 05/22/2017
Rating: (2) Not Recommended
We liked the restaurant better when it was a character meal for starters. Then they took away the flank steak and replaced it with "not so good" beef. Now they removed the strawberry vinagrette dressing which was my husband's favorite. Also the dessert which was supposed to have white cake as a base actually had a chocolate chip cookie base.
We will NOT be going back!
