Most Recent Reviews
Review of Tusker House Character Breakfast
Reviewed by Scrapping in Ontario Review Date: 02/12/2018
Rating: (9) Recommended
This is a great location for a character meal. Food was hot with a nice variety of food options.
Pros:
Interesting food optionsCons:
—Review of Yacht Club Resort (Deluxe Resort)
Reviewed by ginny3 Review Date: 02/06/2018
Rating: (10) Recommended
I love everything about the Yacht Club including the gym, that’s free for resort guests and the new Market at Ale and Compass located inside the Yacht Club. No more trekking to the Beach Club for snacks and counter service meals.
Pros:
Excellent location and staffCons:
NoneReview of 'Ohana Dinner
Reviewed by ginny3 Review Date: 02/06/2018
Rating: (10) Recommended
For 3 months I attempted to snag an ADR at Ohana with no luck.
When we checked in to our resort I asked Concierge to check for me for any day of our stay and he was able to get one for us albeit a bit late in the evening. Early in the morning of our ADR I had them check again and we were able to move the time to a reasonable hour.
Awesome food and atmosphere. We were very lucky to be seated at a window table that had a fantastic view of MK fireworks.
Pros:
Fireworks viewing a plusCons:
NoneReview of All Star Sports Resort (Value Resort)
Reviewed by bellebookworm9 Review Date: 02/12/2018
Rating: (5) Not Recommended
Stayed here for one night in February 2018. My last stay at this resort was May 2012. My party of four adults in two rooms wanted an inexpensive place to stay before our Disney Cruise.
When I first booked our reservation, I requested adjoining rooms (not connecting). During online check in, I requested highest floor and near an elevator. A few days before travel, I faxed a request for neighboring pool view rooms in Surf's Up (we did book preferred rooms), one with a king bed for our friends. While both rooms were on the third floor near an elevator, they were in two totally different sections. I received my request for Surf's Up pool view, but our friends were relegated to Touchdown, without a king bed. I understand these were only requests, but just wanted to mention it.
The resort had many cheerleaders staying there, which negatively impacted our experience with Magical Express and luggage delivery, which I will expand upon in its own section. Regardless, the resort was clearly not prepared for the influx, and our baggage did not arrive until many hours (5-6) after we arrived at MCO. Our friends' luggage was delivered even later (12:15am). Bell services at the resort was incredibly unhelpful with the situation, even though they knew the luggage was "in the back somewhere". When I originally called down to the luggage assistance desk, I called several times with no answer, immediately put into a hold queue, for over 15 minutes.
We had a negative experience with the food court, which again I will review separately. Additionally, by 10:30pm, we had no information about when our luggage would be retrieved from our rooms or when we would be picked up for the cruise the next day. When I went down to the lobby, the cast member was very helpful and apologetic, and found the information for me right away.
On the positive side, our room was very clean. Disney has upgraded from the old Orange Blossom shampoo/conditioner combo to separate H20 brand choices. We found the beds to be comfortable and the pillows nice and fluffy. Overlooking the pool, I knew noise might be a problem, but once we shut the door to the room, we heard almost nothing, which was great! One minor complaint about the room is that my mom prefers to fall asleep with a light on, and even in rooms where one switch controls two lamps (like Port Orleans French Quarter) she can usually unscrew one bulb to dim things a bit. This was absolutely impossible at this resort without the use of a screwdriver so it was definitely a bit bright.
I did enjoy going around taking photos of the resort before we departed. As a travel agent, I would not recommend this resort to a client or friend and I would not stay here again.
Pros:
Clean room, good soundproofing, comfortable beds, upgraded toiletriesCons:
Cheerleaders, food court, luggage delayReview of Teppan Edo - Japan
Reviewed by Scrapping in Ontario Review Date: 02/12/2018
Rating: (10) Recommended
We enjoyed our supper here! Food was plentiful, flavorful and delicious! A great change from buffet style food. A fun dining experience too as your chef cooks right in front of you. Also enjoyed getting to know the family we sat with. We will be back!!
Pros:
Excellent food! Family Fun!Cons:
—Review of End Zone Food Court
Reviewed by bellebookworm9 Review Date: 02/12/2018
Rating: (3) Not Recommended
We dined here for breakfast during our one overnight in February 2018. Arriving by 8:30am we did beat the mad rush of cheerleaders so that was positive. The refurbishment that was completed a few years ago looks very nice and was desperately needed.
I had a Mickey waffle with strawberry topping, bacon, and sausage. The waffles were delicious as always, though I am sad they've gone from one large waffles to several small ones. The sausage was overcooked to the point of the casing being crunchy, and the bacon was limp.
My mom chose a mixed fruit cup from the grab 'n go area. She took a few bites and said it tasted sour, so she was able to exchange it for a cup of grapes instead. She noticed that some cups had a sell by date of the previous day, as a side note. She was eating her grapes and then discovered a dead fly on the branch of one of the bunches! That killed her appetite and she was thankfully able to get a refund of her money for the fruit. Danishes that were ordered by several in our party were fine.
Pros:
Mickey waffles, nice redecorationCons:
Other food disappointing and downright grossReview of Beaches and Cream
Reviewed by bellebookworm9 Review Date: 02/12/2018
Rating: (7) Recommended
I have dined here several times and enjoyed it, but our most recent excursion for dinner was not as great as past visits. Our party of five was seated quickly for our 8:10 reservation in February 2018. Now, most of us are "Pooh sized" and they had us squashed into one of the booths. They look larger than they are with five people sitting there. I was up against the wall and could barely move my arms and had to awkwardly twist myself to talk to my companions.
Our server, was friendly enough but seemed rushed and not like she was enjoying herself. This wasn't the type of service I've come to expect. One of our party asked for a glass of ginger ale and our server seemed to be complaining that she would need to go next door to get it from the bar at the Yacht Club. She said she was only telling us so we would know it would take her a little while, but why does it matter where it comes from?
I had the grilled cheese and tomato bisque and it was great, as always, one of my favorite meals. Everyone else enjoyed their food as well. We split the Kitchen Sink and couldn't finish it but what we did eat was very good.
I do still recommend this restaurant but it will likely be a while before I return.
Pros:
Food and ice cream good as alwaysCons:
Service seemed forced and like they weren't enjoying itReview of Polite Pig
Reviewed by bellebookworm9 Review Date: 02/12/2018
Rating: (10) Recommended
We stopped here during our day at Disney Springs following our Disney Cruise. It was delicious and lived up to the great things I'd heard about it. Similar to Wolfgang Puck Express in the Marketplace, you order at the counter, get your drinks, take a pager, and the staff brings your food to you. The staff automatically asked if we had any discounts, including military.
My mom and I each got The Southern Pig and split an order of the Sweet Potato Tots - so very good! Our other friends ordered several appetizers and sides to share: Hop Salt Pretzel, BBQ Cauliflower, BBQ Waffle Fries, and Mac and Cheese. None of us had a single negative thing to say! Our friend was thrilled they had sweet tea. This is a great addition to the Disney Springs lineup!
Pros:
Sweet tea! Food and service was excellent, best of three meals at WDWCons:
—Review of Walt Disney World's Magical Express
Reviewed by bellebookworm9 Review Date: 02/12/2018
Rating: (5) Recommended
I have used Magical Express many times without problems, so I know our experience this time is not the norm. We arrived just after an influx of cheerleaders so the line for the All Star Resorts stretched all the way back to the podium where you first tap your MagicBands. One of our party uses a cane, one has a walking cast, and one has a bad back, but no options were offered other than standing in the long, slow moving line (I did not know about 2/3 of these ailments prior to arrival or I would have made alternative arrangements!). Thankfully, we were able to take advantage of the first row of seats reserved for "those in need". We stopped at Animal Kingdom Lodge before All Star Sports, and the bus was continuing on to All Star Movies as well.
I landed at 4:45 and the other members landed at 5:45. We returned from dinner at the Beach Club close to 10pm and there was no luggage in either of our rooms. I know that with online check in and the ability to bypass the front desk, "3 hours after check in" is a little more in flux than it used to be...but that is still a VERY long time. I attempted to call Bell Services but they didn't answer, so I went to the desk in person. The manager said they got slammed with three trucks of luggage delivery at once (darn those cheerleaders) and she could see my room's bags were at the resort, having arrived two hours ago, but weren't "Ready" for delivery yet. She said I "should" have them by 11pm. They arrived at 11:03.
Our friends had even worse luck. One of them called to bell services when their luggage still hadn't been delivered by about 11:15 and was told the woman was "going to check". She was left on hold for about 15 minutes with no update - after 11pm the phone rings to the DME people instead of the bell services desk. When they finally returned to the line, my friend was told they had no flight information on her and didn't know where the bags were. As their travel agent, I had email confirmation of submitting their flight info and having it approved. Additionally, the got onto the bus in the first place with no trouble, so they clearly existed in the reservation system. The luggage was finally found and delivered after 12:15am. I'll continue to recommend this service and use it myself if not renting a car, but I'm not sure our friends believed me that it really isn't normal for this situation to happen and doubt they would use it again.
Pros:
Free, bus is comfortableCons:
Long line due to cheerleaders, very delayed luggage deliveryReview of Overall Cruise Experience Summary
Reviewed by bellebookworm9 Review Date: 02/12/2018
Rating: (10) Recommended
I took my first ever cruise, Disney or otherwise, on the Disney Wonder for a 3-Night Bahamian sailing 2/8-2/11/18. We booked this nearly a year ago as a casual get together for the travel agency I work for, and I ended up bringing my mom with me, and she had some friends come along as well!
We used port transfers from Disney World and to MCO; all very easy. Our cruise representative called our hotel room to let us know when and where to meet, gave us a summary of info (truthfully some of her info was incorrect), and our bus went right onto the port after our resort pickup.
Since Disney decides when you'll check in when using their transfers, there's no worry about picking a check in time. Security was quick and painless, the check in line was not long and moved quickly, and they were already in to open boarding by the time we arrived around 1pm.
The return trip was just as easy and we were back to MCO by 9:30am to pick up our rental car. The Wonder looked great after her 2016 dry dock. We had a wonderful experience overall and can't wait to cruise again in the future!
Our only negative was the quality of the food during our disembarkation breakfast: the "Belgian" waffles were basically limp, soggy toaster waffles and our friend's scrambled eggs were cold. Blueberry pancakes were reported to be "okay" and the fruit bowls were good. Our server and dining team weren't as upbeat and personable as at dinners - kind of like "We got our tips and we're about to kick you out so we don't have to provide great service anymore."
