Most Recent Reviews
Reviewed by psubelle Review Date: 01/22/2015
Rating: (9) Recommended
This was out last Disney meal of the week. We are mostly at home since we rented a house this time so we were all looking forward to the meal. There were 7 of us and they gave us a table for 8, which helped us avoid being overcrowded. My youngest has a nut allergy and the chef and the waiter were both very good about explaining the food. The rolls are outsourced but they make a gluten free bread so that's what the kids ate. We appreciated the service and attention. The food was very good - we all left very full and satisfied. The turkey and roast beef were the highlights and unlike some other readers, we loved the dessert as it wasn't overly sweet. To me, this meal always feels like a nice change from some of the "park food" that we eat throughout the week. Simple, not greasy, and familiar.
Pros:
food, attention from staff, charactersCons:
Restuarant needs an updateReviewed by hello12345 Review Date: 01/23/2015
Rating: (6) Recommended
We went on the Sunday of MLK weekend. The staff checking us in to bowl were friendly, but confused. We had a large party and needed two lanes so our wait time was about one hour. We wanted to sit and eat while we waited and that is where the problem began. The both hostesses for the dining were rude and were cutting their eyes at us. They told us they were unable to pull two tables together. So after the hotess seated us we pulled the tables together ourselves. The waitress said nothing and she was friendly. We had just ordered our food and the bowling buzzer went off. At first we couldn't get a straight answer aboout moving our order to the bowling lanes. It took one of us walking to the bowling check-in to inquire. We moved to the lanes and had our food brought there. The wait staff was almost non-existant until they sporadically brought our food out a few plates at a time over the course of 30 min. The food was good and there were no complaints from anyone in our party. Everyone had fun bowling. If you are bowling and eating I would suggest just waiting until you get assigned a lane. Also, this place doesn not deal well with large groups (14+). We might try it again in future with smaller groups. Most of the staff needs attitude adjustments though.
Pros:
Good Food, funCons:
Employee attitudesReviewed by kbw45 Review Date: 01/24/2015
Rating: (10) Recommended
My husband, son and I stayed here from 12/19-12/22/14. This was our first DVC stay as new DVC members, and this was the only DVC resort available when we made the reservation 3 months before our stay. That said, we would have chosen this resort anyway, since we were coming down for a relaxing weekend away from the parks, except for one evening at Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party.
We weren't sure what to expect after reading some of the reviews about this resort on All Ears and other sites, but our experience far exceeded our expectations. We requested a room in Congress Park because we planned to spend quite a bit of time in Downtown Disney, and I requested VIP cleaning for allergies. Those were our only requests, and we were given room 1812 in Congress Park, a studio overlooking Fulton's Crab House in DTD. It was perfect. The room was spotless and the decor recently updated. We were very close to the bus stop and the Congress Park quiet pool. We had a gorgeous view of DTD from our 4th floor studio. Aside from wanting another extra blanket in the room, we had everything we needed. The studio layout was spacious, and we liked having the sink separate from the tub/shower area, which allowed two people to get ready at once. Also, the rooms are quiet. We did not hear anything from neighboring rooms. These were the quietest rooms we have had in 10 stays on property at every level of resort.
The resort is spread out, and this may be an issue for some, but our room was only a pleasant 5-minute walk to the Springs area with restaurants, the main pool, the spa, and other amenities. We have walked farther when staying at some value and moderate resorts. The bus stop was just a few hundred feet away. Most importantly, we were only a quick 10-minute walk from DTD using the new boardwalk, which was very convenient for shopping and dining.
We ate breakfast each day at the Artist's Palette counter service restaurant. We loved the Dale Chihuly-style light fixtures and the abstract paintings in the dining area. The food was good - among the better CS food we have had, and typically priced for WDW. Breakfast items were made to order. The adjoining gift/sundry shop was fairly small for a deluxe resort, but adequate.
We did not have the opportunity to try the Turf Club, but the menu looked quite appealing, and we plan to dine there during our next visit.
The Rock Springs (main) pool was beautifully themed but a little chilly (daytime temps were in the low 70s). The quiet pool in the Congress Park section was warmer, and we spent quite a bit of time there. There are whirlpools/hot tubs at the quiet pools as well as at the main pool.
I was able to book a same day pedicure at Senses Spa at Saratoga Springs, and it was a marvelous experience. I would stay at this resort again just for the spa.
We did Online Check-in prior to our arrival, so our resort check-in was quick and smooth. All of the cast members we encountered during our stay were welcoming and friendly. Checkout was equally seamless.
We enjoyed the theming at Saratoga Springs. It does not scream Disney like many other resorts, but there are hidden Mickeys everywhere and little touches of Disney magic if you look for them. We enjoyed the equestrian theme, from the carriage outside of the Carriage House (main building) to the jockey silks lining the walls of the Turf Club and adjacent hallway, to the sketches of some of the most beloved horses from Disney animated films on the walls of the Carriage House, to the throw pillows and artwork in our room. The grounds and buildings are beautiful, and the resort has an elegant, peaceful, northern resort feel to it. Since we live in Florida, we didn't want to feel like we were in Florida, so we were pleased.
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In addition, the holiday decorations in the Carriage House and spa were quite lovely - especially the large Christmas tree in the Carriage House. Swags of holiday greenery in the walkways added to the festive atmosphere. A visit from Mickey Mouse in the Carriage House lobby one morning, along with carolers, was a real treat.
We used the buses to go to MVMCP. We waited 5 minutes for a bus to the Magic Kingdom just before 5pm, and we waited less than 10 minutes for a return bus to the resort. Buses were full, but we expected this the weekend before Christmas, and it was not an issue for us. Although full, they were not crammed or uncomfortable. Riding to multiple bus stops within the resort only took a few minutes and so was not an issue for us. We stay on property so we do not have to drive. The convenience of not having to drive more than outweighs the slight inconvenience of multiple bus stops. We do not have unrealistic expectations for bus transportation, and we have always encountered shorter than expected waits. The ride to the MK took about 20 minutes. For reference, the Congress Park bus stop is the second to the last stop when leaving for the parks (the Springs/main area is the last), so when going to a park, there is only one stop after Congress Park before leaving the resort.
We appreciated being able to park right in front of our building, which made for easy loading/unloading of luggage. It also made it easy to jump in the car for drives to Fantasia Gardens (about 10 minutes away) and Wilderness Lodge for dinner (15-20 minutes). Epcot and Hollywood Studios are only about 10 minutes from the resort by car.
In summary, we had a fabulous, relaxing stay in a beautiful resort in a very convenient location. Although our home resort is the Grand Floridian, we can already tell that staying there will be a challenge because we do not usually plan our vacations 11 months ahead of time, and their villas book quickly. We plan to return to Sarasota Springs for years to come.
Pros:
Beautiful, peaceful, quiet rooms, close to Downtown DisneyCons:
None for usReview of Columbia Harbour House
Reviewed by hello12345 Review Date: 01/23/2015
Rating: (10) Recommended
Columbia Harbour has become a MK lunch tradition for our family. They open early at 10:30 or 10:45 so we usually skip breakfast. Eating lunch early helps beat the crowds. If you sit upstairs right after it opens you are pretty much all alone and it is super-quiet. Lobster rolls and fish are awesome. This is the only restaurant at Disney that has never let us down.
Pros:
food, seatingCons:
noneReviewed by kbw45 Review Date: 01/24/2015
Rating: (9) Recommended
We are Florida residents and DVC members and had already visited WDW in March and August 2014, so we were not doing regular park visits again on this visit. Instead, my husband, 15-yr-old son and I booked MVMCP so we could see the holiday decorations and "snow" in the Magic Kingdom. This was our second MVMCP - the first being in 2005.
We attended on the final evening, Friday, 12/19. We arrived just after 6:30 p.m. and the park was pretty crowded. However, cast members began checking wristbands promptly at 7, and guests without bands were told they could not ride. I am not sure if they could still shop in the stores. In any case, the crowds thinned quickly and noticeably shortly after 7. From that time until park closing at midnight, the crowds were quite small, and we were able to walk onto most rides with no - or very little - waiting. This is impressive, since there are no Fastpasses once the party begins at 7.
Our son has long outgrown waiting in line for character meet & greets, so we took advantage of the small crowds to ride attractions that we normally skip because of slow load times, such as the Carousel and the Astro Orbiter. The only rides with a wait all evening that we encountered were the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Peter Pan. Since we had just ridden the Mine Train in August, we skipped the 40 minute wait. Peter Pan had a wait of about 30 minutes. We literally walked onto everything else, including Space Mountain and Thunder Mountain.
A real treat for MVMCP is the "Jingle Cruise." We enjoy the humor of the skippers on the Jungle Cruise, and this holiday version didn't disappoint. It does make the experience more fun if you play along with the jokes, even though they are corny.
We did not see Elsa "freeze" the castle, but it was gorgeous. We were able to stake out wonderful parade viewing spots near the Liberty Bell about 20 minutes before the Christmas parade started, and we really enjoyed the parade - especially the wooden soldiers. The fireworks were spectacular. We ended the evening strolling on Main Street with "snow" falling on us, which was truly magical.
Our only negative observation was the lack of Photopass photographers. Although there were the usual photographers on Main Street, there were hardly any elsewhere in the park - not even in their usual spots. It would have been nice to have had the opportunity for family pictures somewhere other than Main Street. I was glad I had not purchased Memory Maker.
We were able to ride and experience everything we wanted to in less than 6 hours, but this was not our first trip to the MK this year, and we have come often enough that we know how to tour the park efficiently. We enjoyed being able to tour at a slower pace and just walk onto rides and attractions with no waiting. This has spoiled us, and we may choose MVMCP in the future to tour the MK just to avoid the crowds.
Pros:
Small crowds, Jingle Cruise, Christmas parade & snow, little to no waiting for ridesCons:
Not enough Photopass photographersReview of All Star Music Resort (Value Resort)
Reviewed by CinderellaGirl Review Date: 01/25/2015
Rating: (8) Recommended
My boyfriend and I just returned from our second trip to WDW, and we stayed at this resort both times. We were on a budget, and so this resort was perfect for us! During our most recent stay, we were placed in Rock Inn. Our room was located in the back of building 4, so we were pretty far away from the food court and bus stops, however, the resort is not very large, and so we really didn't have far to walk from our room to the food court or bus stop.
We utilized the online check in, and checking in upon our arrival could not have been easier! We arrived around 11:30am, and to our surprise, our room was ready! While this resort doesn't have all of the bells and whistles of the more expensive resorts, our room was clean, and we received all of the benefits of staying on Disney property.
We swam a few times, and the pools were great! We preferred the piano pool, as it was closer to our room, and quieter than the guitar pool. I loved the Ariel located by the piano pool, as well as the Three Caballeros at the guitar pool! There always seemed to be activities going on during the afternoon by the guitar pool, which seemed great for kids. The pools were always clean and the water was just the right temperature.
For the first few days of our stay, we did not have anyone staying in the room directly next to us. A few days into our stay, someone checked into that room, and we discovered just how thin the walls are! We could hear their toilet flushing and their shower in the morning. This wasn't a huge disturbance to us, but it was definitely something we noticed.
While we didn't eat at the food court much, the food that we did eat was always tasty (although Mickey waffles are tasty, no matter where you eat them!) The food court has been recently renovated, and it is a great improvement!
The bus service was usually prompt, although the buses to MK always seemed to take longer to arrive than any other park. We never waited any longer than 15-20 minutes for a bus. MK recently added separate stops for Sports, Music and Movies, and it's great not having to share with the other resorts!
Our one complaint about this resort, is that coffee makers are not provided in the rooms. While a mini fridge is provided, even the cheapest of motels almost always have coffee makers in the rooms. We really would have liked to make coffee while getting ready in the morning, instead of having to buy it at the food court.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this resort to someone who wants to stay on site, but doesn't want to break the bank!
Pros:
Affordable, Clean, On Site, Food court recently renovatedCons:
Thin walls, Far away from the parksReviewed by jlundeen Review Date: 01/25/2015
Rating: (5) Not Recommended
Years ago, I stayed every year at Coronado for an annual conference for my job. It was nice that the conference was at a Disney property, since my family or a friend could accompany me and we could go to the parks after hours. So my memories of this resort, while not great, were not bad, since the conference guests received rooms close to the main lobby.
But...as a vacationing guest, it's a different story. The standard room are a long way from anything, and even though they have scheduled the buses so you can go to and from your building using them, invariably, the bus you are waiting for takes forever to arrive, and with four bus stops, it's often faster to walk the distance.
This was not my first choice for a vacation, but due to Disney's Free Dining offer, our choices were limited. It was Christmas season while we were there, and having speakers blaring our Christmas carols in Spanish was more an annoyance than anything else.
The "feel" of this resort is just not friendly. The people are very friendly and helpful, but I just never had that warm "welcome home" feeling while staying here.
In the future, if there are no other moderate resorts available for the time we want to be there, we will probably either change the dates, or look for a Deluxe.... we don't plan to stay at Coronado again.
Pros:
Nice landscapingCons:
too big - regular rooms too far from everything -Review of FastPass+ (Retired)
Reviewed by CinderellaGirl Review Date: 01/26/2015
Rating: (8) Recommended
I just returned from WDW, and this was my first experience with Fastpass plus. After reading about the new system, as well as reading all of the negative reviews surrounding it, I was nervous that we would run into problems, but I decided to go into my vacation using the new system with an open mind... And I'm glad I did!
We purchased 5 day park hoppers, and booked our fastpasses 60 days in advance. I will admit, that it is frustrating that Disney is now having guests choose their fastpasses so far in advance, but again, I decided to just roll with it and make the best out of the new system. Since we had park hoppers, we decided that it would be best to go to one park in the morning, and not book any fastpasses for this park, as long lines had not yet formed. We would hop to a second park in the afternoon where we would have our fastpasses booked for early afternoon. We were able to schedule all three fastpasses for each day one right after the other. This strategy worked GREAT for us! After we used our initial three fastpasses, it was usually around 3pm, and we were always able to book an additional 1-2 fastpasses before they ran out!
One recurring complaint that I've seen about this new system is that people are being forced to "micro manage" their vacations. I found this to not be true at all. One really great aspect of this new system is the ability to change your plans. Under the old system, if you had a fastpass and the time ended up not working for you, the fastpass pretty much went to waste. With the new system, if you change your mind about what you want to do, you can change your fastpasses! We were able to change our fastpass selections with absolutely no issues. One day we had fastpasses for the Magic Kingdom, but the night before we decided that we wanted fastpasses for Hollywood Studios instead. We were able to cancel our fastpasses for Magic Kingdom, and secure new fastpasses for the same times as our old fastpasses for Rockin Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and Star Tours with absolutely no issues. Full disclosure, we visited in January during the "value" season, and so this process may not work as smoothly during peak season, but as far as changing our selections to "E ticket" attractions, we had absolutely no problems.
The one technical difficulty we did run into involved who in our party made changes to the fastpasses. I visited with my boyfriend, and he was the primary person on our reservation. If I tried to alter our fastpasses, the change would show up in My Disney Experience on our phones, but apparently the change did not make it's way through the system. When we would get to our fastpass attraction, Mickey's head would flash blue (oh no!) and the CM would say we didn't have a fastpass for that attraction. We would explain that we had made a change, and would show them that we did indeed have a fastpass on our phones, and they were able to add us with absolutely no problem. If my boyfriend made a change through his Disney account, we would not encounter any issues when entering the fastpass queue (Mickey always turned green). This didn't have a serious effect on us, so we didn't bring this to the attention of anyone, but I'm sure they would have been able to fix the issue. Just to be safe, you might want to use the account of the primary person on your reservation make any additions or changes to your fastpasses!
The limitations on what fastpasses you can choose is annoying, including the fact that your 3 pre-booked passes must be in the same park, and the tier system in Epcot and Hollywood Studios, although I understand why Disney needed to implement these restrictions. It is only possible for so many fastpasses per attraction per day to be available, and if you could book a fastpass for Soarin', Toy Story Mania, and The Mine Train for the same day 60 days in advance, day guests and those staying off site would be put at a SERIOUS disadvantage (more so than they already are!) And if you think about it realistically, would you really be able to get fastpasses for all three of those rides in one day under the old system? NO!
While it's great to be able to have all of your plans available at your fingertips in your smartphone, this new system is a lot of change to take in at once, and even though I have been to the World many times, I spent a lot of time researching this new system in order to familiarize myself with it. I will admit, that if I had never visited before, I would have been seriously overwhelmed. However, every CM that we encountered was EXTREMELY knowledgeable about the new system, and was always able to help. Disney really did a great job training the CMs in this new system and they are able to answer any questions you have.
While I realize that this is opinion does not match that of most others, I think that this new system is great. It definitely saves a lot of time collecting passes, and it's great to get passes right from your smartphone, or a centrally located kiosk, rather than at each individual ride. Instead of walking to an attraction, looking at the wait time and deciding if you want to ride stand by or get a fastpass, you can look at the wait time on your phone and decide if you want to change your fastpass plans, or add an additional fastpass after you use your 3. I think that as Disney continues to work out what few kinks in the system are left, that people will become happier with it. People do not like change, and I think that is the reason for all of the negativity surrounding this new system! Try to use the system with an open mind...you just might like it!
Pros:
Fastpasses are easily accessible through your smartphoneCons:
Huge learning curve, transition from the old system takes a lot of getting used to, tier system, can only book fastpasses ahead of time for 1 park per dayReview of Casey's Corner
Reviewed by CinderellaGirl Review Date: 01/26/2015
Rating: (9) Recommended
My boyfriend and I have made a tradition out of heading to the MK right after checking in to our hotel, and making Casey's our first stop! The food is always hot and delicious, and hits the spot after spending the morning traveling! The location is great, sometimes we're able to see Dream Along with Mickey, or the parade go by as we're eating outside! The toppings bar provides anything that you could want on a hot dog, even cheese sauce! I like to get the corn dog nuggets (delicious!) and my boyfriend likes the chili cheese dog. The one downside is that there is a serious lack of seating, especially during peak lunch time.
Pros:
Tasty foodCons:
Lack of seatingReview of Trattoria al forno - Dinner
Reviewed by Disney_Barbie Review Date: 01/26/2015
Rating: (2) Not Recommended
All and all, we were very disappointed by our experience at Trattoria al forno.
Our experience was enjoyable for the first 5 minutes or so. We hoped to try this new restaurant even though we did not have reservations & we were thrilled when a pleasant hostess got us a table with only a short wait. When being escorted to our table we admired the decorative changes made to the renovated dining room & really liked what we saw (Kouzzina used to be one of our favorite Disney restaurants & we had been almost 10 times) so far we were enjoying our experience.
Unfortunately the dining experience only went downhill from there. Our server had less knowledge / enthusiasm about the menu than a typical fast-food worker does. She informed us that “everything on the drink menu was bad, except for the Molto Bello†(which as you can imagine was very discouraging to hear from your server) My husband decided to try the Molto Bello, but I ordered a Bellini (which was actually quite good). Our server proceeded to make a nasty comment about being “better than her†for not accepting your drink recommendation, I was a little startled by this, far from typical Disney service.
We went on to order an entrée & wine flight each. Judging by her reaction, it seemed like wine flights were a major inconvenience and for the first time in my life I felt like I was “bothering†a server by ordering something on the menu. When our wine flights arrived they were actually not the ones we ordered, but since she disappeared before we realized this and didn’t re-surface for quite a while we decided just to accept these ones. One of the wine glasses served in our flight was absolutely filthy, covered in fingerprints / smudges and was so nauseating to look at that the wine was entirely undrinkable.
It was around this time that we began to think it was odd that an Italian restaurant didn’t bring us any sort of bread or something. There even seemed to be olive oil on the table, so we thought it was odd & we wondered if perhaps it was something we needed to have ordered from the appetizer menu (which we would have happily done if we had realized).
We found our entrees to be mediocre. My husband got the Chicken Parmesan & I got the Eggplant Rollatini. For the most part the meals were similar to that at large chain Italian restaurants, nothing to complain about, but nothing too special either. They were both covered in a lot of sauce, which unfortunately tasted much like jarred sauce from a grocery store. The great saving-grace of the meal was the eggplant was not breaded, which I really appreciated because you could really taste the eggplant … once you scraped off the sauce. So the eggplant was by far the most pleasant part of the whole dining experience.
We entered the restaurant planning to order coffee & desserts, but honestly by the time we were done with our entrees, we both felt that we didn’t want to extend this painful dining experience any longer than necessary, we decided to stroll over to boardwalk bakery & get coffee & tiramisu there instead (which happen to be delicious by the way)
When we were walking out, we realized that all the other tables around us did have bread. Our sever just never brought / offered us bread.
All and all it was a major disappointment & couldn’t hold a candle to Kouzzina. Granted, the majority of our disappointment was in the services provided, but there are so many places (Italian & otherwise) so close to that area where we have always gotten amazing food & service, that I see no purpose in ever again trying Tattoria al Forno.
When we’re in the mood for Italian, I think we’ll stick with Via Napoli in Epcot or Il Mulino at the Swan (both wonderful!) If we’re not stuck on Italiana, there are so many wonderful dining choices right in the crescent lake area that we’ve had countless good experiences at (Flying Fish, Yachtsman Steakhouse, Captain’s Grille, Crew’s Cup, Kimonos)
