Most Recent Reviews
Review of Blizzard Beach
Reviewed by matt6816 Review Date: 09/01/2015
Rating: (8) Recommended
We like to use our premium annual passes for a quick two hour visit but, Blizzard Beaches set up is confusing to me.
Pros:
water park in the heatCons:
inappropriate bathing suits, confusing set upReview of The Wave Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by matt6816 Review Date: 09/01/2015
Rating: (7) Recommended
I enjoy eating here because of the proximity to MK but the sides with the main meals are lacking.
Pros:
serviceCons:
price for the qualityReview of Keys to the Kingdom - Magic Kingdom
Reviewed by rspyburn Review Date: 09/01/2015
Rating: (9) Recommended
Our two sons were finally old enough this year to take the tour, so on 8/20/15, we had our Keys to the Kingdom tour. I will say first that is everything advertised. Our tour guide was great and kept us informed and entertained the whole time with facts about everything as we walked through the park. I was happy to find out at the start that we were each given ear pieces to hear what she was saying as she talked into a microphone out among the crowds. With that, you didn't have to fight to be in the front of the group.
While people have said it's a lot of walking, I think we sat down much more than I would have during a normal Disney visit. I can recall sitting down right off main street, across from Pirates, and backstage for a bit, plus our lunch break.
Lunch was at the Columbia Harbour house. Nothing special, but our "keys to the kingdom" pins where there waiting for us and our food was at the table when we arrived. Other reviewers have said it was cold for them. I can see this happening, but ours was okay. I suppose it depends on how good the guide is at arriving on-time.
If you have been a Disney fan for years, a lot of the "inside" information you will hear will not be new to you, but there was enough to learn that it was still worth taking the tour.
We did go on two rides, and this is good to know if you are going to be planning your fast passes in advance. We went on the Jungle cruise, cutting the line and getting a "insider" tour, led by our guide and not the boat captain. That was great because she gave a lot of info on the ride. We also went on the Haunted Mansion, again, sneaking in the back door to avoid the line. We didn't really ride "together" since it's not that kind of ride, but rather regrouped at the end of the line. We still got a lot of info before the ride.
Backstage we got to see the utilitors, and as most people have said, they are not too impressive. There are some great pictures on the wall which she talked about, but you don't roam around too far. Think of it like "take your child to work day". Cool for the first 5 minutes, but then you realize it's just people going about their day working. Still, it's interesting to see. Don't expect to see any headless characters. I suspect the door we enter is away from that area intentionally. While we were down there she talked about the construction and opening of the park, and she must have been a great speaker because it gets a little emotional hearing about Roy making the opening speech.
We did get to see the parade floats in their storage area, and talked about how they are driven. One of the highlights for me was seeing the parade start while we were backstage, and watching the cast as they cross the "sight line", the border between onstage and offstage. She talked about this earlier, but it was something else to see it.
Overall, the pace was good. The information was interesting. The value for the money was good. Does it spoil the magic? Maybe a little bit for those who choose to really live that disney magic because there is no magic backstage. Personally, I don't think it was ruined because you realize how much effort goes into keeping us happy while we are there.
Pros:
Lots of information and awesome tour guideCons:
NoneReview of Maji Pool Bar Dining - Kidani Village
Reviewed by matt6816 Review Date: 09/01/2015
Rating: (6) Recommended
We decided to get a quick meal at the pool bar. The kids turkey sandwich was below Disney standards and the chicken Caesar salad was small.
Pros:
friendly bar tendersCons:
bees, food qualityReviewed by matt6816 Review Date: 09/01/2015
Rating: (9) Recommended
High quality food and well worth the $$
Pros:
food choiceCons:
no ribs this visitReview of Typhoon Lagoon
Reviewed by matt6816 Review Date: 09/01/2015
Rating: (10) Recommended
Awesome water park with an awesome wave pool. You can literally be "carried away" by the waves.
Pros:
well set up, wave poolCons:
noneReview of Sanaa Lunch/Dinner - Kidani Village
Reviewed by aknlw2003 Review Date: 09/03/2015
Rating: (10) Recommended
If you're Gluten Free and you love Naan, you have found the perfect restaurant for you. When we arrived at Sanaa we were well aware of the bread app with the chutneys, sauces, etc. We were so excited when our waitress informed us that they could offer Naan gluten free! Everywhere else in WDW you get the same old tapioca rolls, what a special change. Indian food is naturally gluten free, and there's a lot of Indian on the menu. LOVED the butter chicken, and the spicy shrimp. Both were amazing and I can't wait to go back and try other entrees. African wines were also very interesting to sample. And the animals on the Savannah just outside made for a magical night! Highly recommend!
Pros:
Gluten Free menu stellar!Cons:
Drive to AKLReviewed by rspyburn Review Date: 09/01/2015
Rating: (6) Recommended
Years ago, we would say Boma was our favorite restaurant. However, compared to others, now I'd say it's about average. The variety of foods is interesting. I'm a picky eater, but I found enough to fill my plate. For a big restaurant, I'm surprised the lines on the buffet are not that long, maybe two or three people in front of me at the most. Our biggest disappointment was the zebra domes this year. They used to be "melt in your mouth drops of heaven". This time, they tasted like they were defrosted and dropped on the buffet line. If you are not staying in the AKL, the bus ride and cost is not really worth it. Plenty of better options in Epcot.
Pros:
Variety, buffet lineCons:
Zebra domes were not the same....Review of Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria
Reviewed by IowaSammy Review Date: 09/01/2015
Rating: (10) Recommended
Our family of 4 ate at Via Napoli twice during our August 2015 trip. We had an ADR early in our trip and enjoyed it so much that we changed a reservation later in the trip so that we could eat here again! My DH is a big pizza fan, but very picky. He said it was the best pizza he ever had! The first dinner, we ordered 2 individual pizzas, chicken parm, and a side of pasta. The portions were large. The second dinner we got the HUGE pizza and ate the whole thing! For dessert, we all loved the zeppole. It was like little balls of fried dough with chocolate sauce and whipped cream. Outstanding. We stayed on property for 10 days and this was our favorite restaurant by far. We sat in the big dining room. (There is a smaller dining room off to the side.) It was a little noisy but we loved the atmosphere, décor, and that the servers were actually from Italy. After dinner, we walked out to the water and had an excellent view of Illuminations.
Pros:
Excellent pizza, chicken parm, great family atmosphereCons:
NoneReview of Electric Umbrella
Reviewed by rspyburn Review Date: 09/01/2015
Rating: (4) Not Recommended
It's cheap (for disney) fast food, so you shouldn't expect much. However, the meat in the burgers is really not good at all. Cheap, frozen, beef patties, like you would get in a cafeteria. Fries were good though.
