Most Recent Reviews
Review of Plaza Inn Minnie and Friends Breakfast
Reviewed by mgilmore Review Date: 09/28/2015
Rating: (10) Recommended
We ate here on Sept 20th, 2015
We had reservations for 8:10 am (park opening was 9 am)
The restaurant was 30 mins late opening, I will talk about that first.
There was a Character breakfast line to the left to enter the park we arrived at about 7:50am. At 8 am they weren't letting any of us in. Many folks were getting very upset.
None of the Cast members at the front of the line knew anything. Alot of complaining was happening. Finally they started letting us in about 8:20 a. We all walked back together and a manager from the restaurant came out and said they weren't opening the restaurant until at least 8:30 am.
Apparently there was a CM event with their kids that morning related to halloween, but that has nothing to do with restaurant reservations that were made 2 months in advance. Lots of folks were so upset. They registered us and started seating around 8:30 ish.
They take your picture outside (no character). They won't put it on photopass because they expect you to pay for the picture pkg.
You pay when you go in the door, before they seat you. The buffet area had alot of really nice choices. It is all serve yourself. You even get your own drinks, so gratuties are not accepted here.
Characters started coming right away! I was glad we had an early reservation. The characters came around quite fast since the restaurant was pretty empty. The 30 or so of us with early ressies were seated all around the restaurant.
We had 10 characters!! The most of any character buffet I have ever been to between DL and Disney World. We saw Fairy Godmother, Rafiki, Chip, Dale, Captain Hook, Minnie, Tigger, Pooh, Eyeore and Max.
We really enjoyed the food as well. My son enjoyed the omlette station. I enjoyed the Mickey waffles and brioche french toast with caramel sauce. There was an abundance of fresh fruits, pastries, cereals, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and many more items.
I think an early reservation here is the best thing because as we were leaving it was taking the characters a long time to get around because the inside and outside was full and they had alot of tables to visit.
Despite the restaurant opening late we highly recommend this breakfast. Get an early reservation though. As the restaurant fills up it takes long time for the characters to get around to all the tables.
Pros:
Good food LOTS of Characters!Cons:
Restaurant didn't open on timeReview of Nassau - Bahamas
Reviewed by angbrit Review Date: 09/29/2015
Rating: (1) Not Recommended
I bought a pair of socks in Cariloha Bamboo store in the port area, the item was $12, the till receipt stated socks $12
Jamaica $1
cash received $20
Change $6
I thought that 12 +1 =13 not 14
My question is do they do that to all their customers, its only US$1 BUT IT ALL ADDS UP
Pros:
Shopping in the port of Falmouth Jamacia be AwareCons:
Cariloha Bamboo storeReviewed by LLSS Review Date: 09/29/2015
Rating: (6) Recommended
This was our first time attending. I had read the earlier you go in the season, the less crowded, but as we pulled in, there were signs of the party being sold out for the night.
We arrived early (make sure you get there by 4 to get maximum time). By 5:30, we were in line for Jack and Sally. We met them at 8:30. The line was just absolutely insane. Not sure if there is much they could do for that, but man it was insane.
For this day, we had a nasty thunderstorm roll through at about 7. Because of this, it took them a REALLY long time to get set up with the outside characters, candy stations, etc. I heard complaints at around 745 (15 minutes after the storms) that the only candy place open was at the Circus, and the line went to the Ariel meet and greet (which has to be hundreds of people long). Of course the storms are not their fault, but you would think they would be ready as soon as the storms ended to get things up and running (obviously they weren't still waiting as there was at least one station open).
Aside from that, the parade was pretty interesting, the show was very cool, and the fireworks were great. However, I think the top thing for us was the lack of lines for everything the parks. We had a 15 minute wait for Anna/Elsa. We were 5 minutes for Rapunzel/Cinderella. We walked onto Buzz Lightyear and walked in to meet Tinker Bell. Even the mine train only had a 20 minute wait. So an interesting aside at this is to take advantage of getting to ride all of those rides you don't normally get to.
All that said, I'm just not sure it's worth it. I'm glad we did it once, but for $70 each, we essentially got a different set of fireworks, a different stage show, a different parade, and a couple different meet and greets.
Pros:
Characters you don't normally see, lines for ridesCons:
Price, lines for special charactersReview of Nassau - Bahamas
Reviewed by angbrit Review Date: 09/29/2015
Rating: (9) Recommended
On our recent trip on the Fantasy we book a tequila tasting trip in Cozumel. We went to the Discover Mexico Park on a Disney trip. Our guide was great very funny, informative and helpful.
It was a great way to introduce tequila to someone who does not normally drink it.
after the tasting we had a tour of a small museum and watched a short film. We were given lunch it was OK and after lunch we were supposed to see a show, but due to the weather it was cancelled. The trip overran by 1.5 hrs, it was too long. It would have been better if we had left after the museum tour.
Pros:
TEQUILA TASTINGCons:
TOO LONGReview of Walt Disney World's Magical Express
Reviewed by LLSS Review Date: 09/29/2015
Rating: (5) Recommended
This is a great idea, and for just transporting you to and from the airport, it works great. However, the baggage service with this is not good (to put it nicely). We got in and got checked into our hotel before 10:00. Our bags (which was only a stroller) were supposed to be delivered in 3 hours (have heard it could take 5). We needed the stroller as we were headed to MNSSH that night. By 3:15, I was getting concerned so I went and asked the bellhop. He told me he had a record of it being loaded onto the truck at 2:55, and it should be about an hour to be delivered. By 4, my wife and daughter headed to the park as she was getting antsy and I waited at the delivery spot so I could just grab it and go. By 4:45, I had enough (was missing out on my park ticket at this point), and just left. We ended up needing to rent a stroller for $15 (not much, but our child will sleep in her stroller, not a rented one). When we got back at around midnight, the stroller was there. But, it was AT LEAST 7 hours before it was delivered, and it gave us an extra expense which I was not ready for/happy about. Word of advice, make sure you need absolutely nothing from your checked bags not just for a few hours, but for the entire day.
Pros:
Free trips to and from the hotelCons:
BaggageReview of Pinocchio Village Haus
Reviewed by LLSS Review Date: 09/29/2015
Rating: (3) Not Recommended
We ended up running in here for food during a storm. My wife was in line for a meet and greet, so I had a cranky, hungry toddler by myself. It was obviously completely slammed due to the rain.
First, a public service. Please, don't just sit there after you are done eating because you have a seat and don't want to go in the rain when you see people waiting. So many people were eating standing or off of their laps because people wouldn't give up their seats. Second, you see a guy carrying a crying toddler in one hand and a tray of food in the other, please don't dart in front of him to take the seat that was 10 feet in front of him while he is walking towards (which happened twice, and I mean dart, as in ducked their head under my tray to get in front of me). Be considerate of others.
Anyways, after finding a stool for which we could put the tray on and eat, we dug in. The kid's mac and cheese was fine and I'm glad it came with the yogurt and grapes. I got chicken nuggets (wanted something the daughter would eat as well so she could get some protein). They were horrible. I really wish we would have made the slightly longer hike to either Columbia house or Caseys, and will know to do this next time.
Pros:
—Cons:
—Review of Caribbean Beach Resort (Moderate Resort)
Reviewed by LLSS Review Date: 09/30/2015
Rating: (9) Recommended
I really like this resort. As many have stated, it is much bigger than most of the resorts, and it can be a pain to get from your room to the main pool and dining area (unless you get in a section close to Port Royal, and we did, just make sure to check in early and request). However, while being spread out can make things harder, it also makes this a quieter resort near your room, which is nice if you want to sleep in or relax. You can be close to the bus stop without the whole resort going by your room.
The pool is probably the best we have had at a Disney Resort outside of the Beach Club and Animal Kingdom (admittedly we have not stayed at all of the deluxe resorts or Coronado). The pool is big, there is a lot to do, and the kids area is great. The food area had better food than I expected. The one negative I could give this is the same as others, it's a pain making multiple bus stops when you go to and from parks. Though I will say, don't forget that if you stay along the Boardwalk, you have multiple stops, as well as if you stay at Port Orleans. Like I said, a bit of a pain, but it's not as over the top as some make it seem (maybe 5-7 extra minutes)
The only other real complaint I have is the text when your room is ready. With a SUPER early flight, we were pretty exhausted when we got in and wanted to rest before MNSSH. We got to the hotel a little before 10 (though our bags not until after 5, different story/issue with the Magical Express), and were told we would be texted when the room was ready (the check in woman was EXTREMELY nice and said she would be sure to let mousekeeping know we were waiting). Well, after check in and getting on the resort bus to check the resort out, we went to eat some lunch. After lunch, I decided to check on our room. Turned out it was in fact ready (no text message, went to concierge in the dining area). We got in and got our rest, but I never did receive the text. Moral is, don't rely on that if you are waiting, make sure to check throughout the day as it may be ready much earlier for you. But the room was very comfortable (though my kid was a little sad we didn't have a towel Mickey, but she survived) and a nice size. Overall, really was impressed with the resort.
Pros:
Room, poolCons:
Bus serviceReview of Plaza Inn Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by mgilmore Review Date: 09/30/2015
Rating: (10) Recommended
My son and I ate here Sept Sept 19th for supper. We shared the Fried Chicken meal.
There was alot of food! We had 3 pieces of chicken, mashed potatoes/gravy, green beans and a biscuit.
We were very satisfied, and enjoyed the meal.
Pros:
Considered quick service, but more like a home cooked meal.Cons:
NothingReview of Blue Bayou Dinner
Reviewed by mgilmore Review Date: 10/01/2015
Rating: (9) Recommended
20 yr old DS and I ate here on Fri Sept 18 for supper. We did the Fantasmic package.
We were seated very fast after checking in for our reservation. Our server took our drink orders and brought bread service. That's the only thing our "server" did for us the entire meal. He had a helper, that did everything for us and she was fantastic. I thanked her for taking such good care of us, and stopped at Guest relations too.
I had a Mint Julep as my drink and it was really great!
For appetizers I ordered the salad which was really good (I liked this salad much better then the salad I had at Carthay the day before), and he ordered the Shrimp Boil cocktail, which he raved about.
For entrees, I ordered the Surf n Turf, it was cooked perfectly and was delicious. My son ordered the Lamb and it came out very rare. We sent it back and a fresh order was cooked properly. He enjoyed the Lamb very much.
For dessert I had the Chocolate Hazelnut cake which was SO good, and he had the Strawberry rhubarb galette. He wasn't impressed with his dessert.
We received our fantasmic tickets and seat cushions after the meal. The seating area for Blue Bayou is ground seating. There are no seats whatsoever. You have to sit on the ground with your cushion. If I had known this I don't know if I would have bought the package. With a sore hip it's very difficult to sit on the ground.
Except for a server that did nothing for us beyond take our order and bring drinks, we really enjoyed our meal here.
Pros:
Delicious Meals, AmbienceCons:
Our actual Server was never aroundReview of Old Port Royale
Reviewed by LLSS Review Date: 09/30/2015
Rating: (10) Recommended
I was very impressed by this place. We only stayed 2 nights, so I could see where the food could get repetitive, but I actually really liked the selection here. While they have your basics such as pasta, burgers, egg platters, etc., they also had some items I have not seen at other resorts. There is a breakfast quesadilla and a breakfast cuban which were pretty amazing. I had a Chicken Lime wrap for lunch one day, and was blown away at how delicious it was. They also seem to serve breakfast late (when we went in at 11:15, they still had breakfast at one station), so if you prefer breakfast foods, you can get that around lunch time It was a big positive not needing to go outside of the resort to get some good food when we wanted to spend the day around the resort.
