Most Recent Reviews
Review of Bay Lake Tower (Disney Vacation Club)
Reviewed by jclander Review Date: 05/18/2015
Rating: (9) Recommended
My family stayed in a 3-bedroom Grand Villa at Bay Lake Tower (suite 8422) for 9 nights, May 8-17, 2015. The space is spectacular: it's on the 14th floor, with a two-story living room. The view is of the Magic Kingdom. While it's across parking lots, the space is high enough that it doesn't matter. The living room and two of the three bedrooms have great view of the Magic Kingdom fireworks. The space is well appointed, with full kitchen and dishes for 12 people. The Magic Kingdom is a short walk, and other resorts accessible by monorail or bus from the Contemporary. Cast Members were uniformly helpful, and the space was serviced daily (we were on a hotel, not a DVC, basis). Service was done early enough the suite was clean for an early-afternoon break. It was a level of luxury that we do not generally have, and was seductive. I had two small quibbles. Surprisingly for a resort marketed to children, they do not have one-step stools available. (The child in the party is 5, and she uses a small stool to reach the bathroom sink. She's tall enough that she managed without, but it would have been helpful.) And driving away from the Magic Kingdom area is slightly tedious, but do-able.
Pros:
The space, the view, the locationCons:
Long drive to get off property.Review of Boardwalk Villas (Disney Vacation Club)
Reviewed by Jazzfool20 Review Date: 05/19/2015
Rating: (9) Recommended
Just returned from a wonderful stay at the Boardwalk Inn, 5/6-13. We'd wanted to stay here for some time, and finally got around to it this trip. I have to say, after the Grand Floridian Villas, it's now my second favorite resort. The theme and ambiance are amazing. It has a wonderful 1920s-30s vibe, with lots of period touches and vintage music (Benny Goodman, Casa Loma Orch, Duke Ellington, etc…). The pool was great, with an amazing slide. The restaurants and lounge were also all excellent. And of course, being able to walk to Epcot AND MGM is awesome. Only downside, that some minor things in the rooms could use some tlc, but nothing major thank goodness. The resort is almost 20 years old, so overall it's in great shape. Also, as a DVC member, the low number of points it takes to stay here is a huge plus! Would absolutely stay here again, and highly recommend it!
Pros:
Atmosphere, location, staff, etc...Cons:
noneReview of MagicBand
Reviewed by dreams Review Date: 05/19/2015
Rating: (4) Not Recommended
It's probably my age but I found the band uncomfortable to wear. I wear a wristwatch on my left arm which is the arm I needed to wear the magic band to have it work on the hotel door and to get into the parks, being right-handed. It fell off my husband's wrist as we were getting off the safari but thankfully a woman behind us noticed and stopped us. I ended up carrying them like the old cards and taking them out when we needed them. They did not seem to help get people in the parks any faster.
Pros:
convenienceCons:
uncomfortableReview of FastPass+ (Retired)
Reviewed by dreams Review Date: 05/19/2015
Rating: (3) Not Recommended
I like to plan my vacation ahead of time but this is too much. I agree with the other posts. Between the FPs and the ADRs you are locked into one park and you spend the day running from one ADR to the first FP, to the next FP before your next ADR, etc. It has taken all the magic and fun away. Not being able to get another FP until your last one is used, then you need to find a kiosk and nothing is left anyway. I do not have a smart phone so changes are not that easy. I too, miss the old system.
Pros:
noneCons:
no flexiblilityReview of Behind the Seeds - Epcot
Reviewed by dreams Review Date: 05/19/2015
Rating: (10) Recommended
We have always enjoyed the Living with the Land boat ride and have always wanted to take the tour. We have taken other Disney tours in the past and this trip we got to take the Greenhouse tour. Neither of us are gardeners but we enjoyed the tour very much. Our guide was Mel and she was very informative and pleasant. We did not get to release any ladybugs or feed the fish but we did get to taste the cucumbers. It was nice being able to take our time looking around the greenhouses. I find how they grow the plants fascinating. I don't know how interesting young children would find the tour, our tour consisted only of adults. Wish we received a tour pin at the end like other tours we have taken. I would recommend this tour to others.
Pros:
educationalCons:
noneReviewed by dreams Review Date: 05/19/2015
Rating: (10) Recommended
This is our third time visiting during the Flower and Garden Festival. The topiaries are mostly the same from year to year but I enjoy seeing them each time. Some new ones this year were the very popular Anna and Elsa and Chip and Dale. A favorite of ours is Mater from Cars and Peter Pan and Captain Hook in the United Kingdom. I wish the festival center pavilion was open all week because I only got to go in one day. There were gorgeous orchids in there that I would have loved to learn more about. My favorite gardens are Canada, United Kingdom and Italy.
Pros:
gorgeous flowersCons:
noneReview of Rancho del Zocalo
Reviewed by Ptorquemada Review Date: 05/19/2015
Rating: (9) Recommended
We used to go to Disneyland all the time, but stopped around 2000 and only recently started going again. Rancho del Zocalo was built somewhere in between those, and of the places we've tried since we got our new annual passes, this is my favorite. You can get a variety of entrees with beans and rice for $10-$13, which is pretty modest by Disneyland standards, and not that bad for a "wet" burrito in Orange County in general. I got the Sonora burrito (beef); my wife had the cheese enchilada platter.
Mine was fine. She forgot to tell them not to put the red chili sauce on hers, so it was a little spicier than she likes. Both of us had all we wanted to eat, and she couldn't finish her beans and rice.
Pros:
Inexpensive (by DL standards), ample portionsCons:
Sauce may be too hot for someReview of Paradise Garden Grill
Reviewed by Ptorquemada Review Date: 05/19/2015
Rating: (7) Recommended
I had the gyro plate ($12.50). The gyro was fine, but it seemed little on the skimpy side for the price considering that at Rancho del Zocalo in DL you can get a lot more food for less money. The gyro plate came with a small amount of cucumber salad (tasted okay, but there wasn't much of it) and tabouleh (seemed a little bitter to me ... not terribly so, but more than I would have liked).
I think next time I'll probably have one of the kabobs, which are slightly cheaper and come with rice instead of tabouleh (both wins in my book).
One of the nice things is that there are several other counter service places nearby that share the same (outdoor) seating area, so if you have a group that can't agree on a single type of food they may all be able to find something they can stand nearby and you can still all eat together.
The disadvantage is that there's SOME shade for the seating area, but not all the tables are shaded and it's in the middle of an asphalt prairie, so if you don't get one of the shady tables you'll be slowly broiling.
Pros:
One of several places in a small area with shared seatingCons:
Not as much food as you might expect for the costReview of Blue Bayou Dinner
Reviewed by KBrzyski Review Date: 05/20/2015
Rating: (10) Recommended
We dined here on April 6, 2015 and absolutely loved it! We were at the park on a very busy day and were looking forward to a nice break! We had reservations and were seated promptly at a table by the water. The food was excellent - We had surf/turf, filet mignon and my son had the Tesoro Island chicken. The gumbo soup was excellent, as well as the artisan bread they brought us! I loved the Louisiana Lemonade! We celebrated my daughter Kelly's birthday there and they brought her a Mickey chocolate mousse dessert - fabulous! Since it is pricy, it helps to check out the menu ahead of time so you're prepared. Service was excellent! All 4 of us would definitely come back here again 🙂
Pros:
EverythingCons:
A bit pricyReview of Ft. Wilderness Cabins (Moderate Resort)
Reviewed by glufactory57 Review Date: 05/21/2015
Rating: (10) Recommended
Have been visiting Disney World since 1978 - too many times to remember. Have always liked the campgrounds but never stayed. Had a very nice annual passholder rate and took advantage. LOVED the cabin. It's private - no children running the halls, no toilets flushing in the next room. I have a small home so I found it spacious for a vacation. Kitchen was great for breakfast and sometimes sandwiches. Snacks at night of coarse. My husband and I found the Murphy bed comfortable and big enough even though it is not a queen size. Bed in the bedroom was up against the wall on 1side so I did not enjoy that but kids would probably be fine. PLENTY of towels for shower & pool were supplied. We stayed in the 2500 loop right across the street from the wilderness pool so we walked to pool & laundry(which was very clean & air conditioned). We rented a golf cart to get around and I would suggest that as the campgrounds are quite large.
We did not enjoy the campfire & marsh mellow toasting as we are middle aged and it seemed like a free for all.
The only real negative is the food at the Meadows snack bar. It was terrible. We have stayed at all levels of Disney resorts and this was my favorite(so quiet and peaceful after the parks). Can't wait to stay in a cabin again.
