Most Recent Reviews
Review of Boardwalk Villas (Disney Vacation Club)
Reviewed by NOSaintsfan1970 Review Date: 05/17/2017
Rating: (7) Recommended
This is the second time I had reservations for a boardwalk view and was told at check-in that I would not be able to have the boardwalk view because there was a problem with the room. I know there is construction going on at the resort, but it seems if the construction was the reason, it should have been relayed to us before check-in. My reservation was for a one bedroom villa, boardwalk view. We were asked if they could upgrade us to a one bedroom villa without the boardwalk view. I do not see how that is an upgrade when we had a one bedroom villa to begin with. I just felt I was being given the run around. The cast member who was checking us in quickly stepped away from the computer and had someone else (who I guess was a manager) come tell us about not getting the room we were supposed to get.
The front desk staff also did not tell us where to go to get our refillable mug, as we were on the dining plan. She also did not ask if we were celebrating anything. We forgot about all of this at the time. We are DVC members and make a trip every year and have always been given this information and asked this question. Not to complain, it is just something I think the cast member forgot since she had to have someone else tell us about not getting the room we were supposed to get.
As far as the room, it was very nice. We did not have any problems with outside noise while in the room.
This resort is one of the most convenient locations to the parks. The transportation is great. It is nice to sit out on the boardwalk and relax. There are lots of nice restaurants and snack options. I would definitely stay here again even though I was a bit disappointed with not getting the room I was supposed to get.
Pros:
LocationCons:
Inconsistent information when booking room and when arriving to check-inReview of Pandora -- the World of Avatar
Reviewed by Sbinegar1 Review Date: 05/16/2017
Rating: (8) Recommended
I am a 5'7 350lb woman. I was able to get on the flights of passage but it was not able to lock me in. I was not able to ride this attraction. I have always loved Disney and never had fears of not fitting until the last few rides they have created in the last few years. I am also unable to ride the mine train as it will not go down over my legs. I loved the immersion nature of this world but Walt Disney World has really missed the mark with being heavy people friendly. I can only hope they rethink a possible option for fluffy people and or a stationary option for those of us that can't or don't fit.
Pros:
Beautiful and immersiveCons:
Not big people friendlyReviewed by Deaova Review Date: 05/17/2017
Rating: (10) Recommended
This is my 2nd stay at this resort and was not disappointed. Even though it was more crowded than my 1st time it didn't seem that way. After a hectic day at the parks it was a pleasure to return for a little downtime. Busses were plentiful and boat ride to Disney Springs was a great way to unwind. Any issues we had were nicely addressed by the staff. I will certainly be returning.
Pros:
Relaxing atmosphere ; beautiful grounds; clean rooms and great staffCons:
NoneReview of Pandora -- the World of Avatar
Reviewed by Sweetypi Review Date: 05/17/2017
Rating: (10) Recommended
Although I enjoyed the movie Avatar I wasn't overly hyped about Disney doing something based on this old movie. Whether you saw the movie or not you will be blown away by the details and beauty of the theming. Although I was unbelievably lucky to have seen it thanks to Cast member Tim who had 2 extra tickets to the cast preview and invited me and my husband in with them, I didn't get to see it at night which they claim is even more spectacular and hope to get to see in a few months again. The river ride is peaceful and serine and beautiful but I was mesmerized by Avatar-flight of passage. I found it so realistic as if I was soaring through this gorgeous land, I couldn't take it all in but it is an experience you won't forget.
Pros:
EverythingCons:
—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.
