Most Recent Reviews
Review of Biergarten - Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by Cstauffer1 Review Date: 11/01/2015
Rating: (5) Recommended
We've eaten here before and ate here again at my husband's request. The last time we ate here the food was excellent however this time most of the food was lacking in flavor which was also similar to a previous experience I had here, so this restaurant can be a bit hit and miss. While the pretzel bread is always delicious as was the Bavarian cheesecake, most of the entrees were bland and overcooked, the salmon in dill sauce being the most flavorful entrée I tried. Service was good and the staff was very helpful.
Pros:
service, music, pretzle breadCons:
other foodReviewed by Cstauffer1 Review Date: 11/01/2015
Rating: (8) Recommended
Really enjoyed our dinner at Boma. Husband has shellfish allergies so chef showed him which foods to avoid. Good selection. I loved the seasoned beef,seafood soup, and the bread. Kids loved the mac and cheese and the roasted chicken. Zebra domes were as good as I had read about as were the coffee tarts. The biggest disappointment was how crowded the restaurant was. There was only one line to get to the entrees and there was always a line. Also when you got to the carving station the chef only gave you one small piece of meat so you had to go back if you wanted more which was a bit of a deterrent. Service was good although the waitress was a bit distressed from all the hustle and bustle.
Pros:
food and serviceCons:
crowdsReview of El Mercado de Coronado
Reviewed by Cstauffer1 Review Date: 11/01/2015
Rating: (7) Recommended
Had a quick lunch here as we didn't want to go elsewhere to find something to eat. Must have arrived during lunch break for a convention as all the stations had long lines, but they moved fast. I ordered the Italian sandwich which included a good sized portion of deli meats and cheeses, along with lettuce and tomato, and what was supposed to be a herb dressing, (which I couldn't taste) on a gigantic slab of herbed focaccia bread. While the portion was a good value, and the food had good flavor, there was just too much bread. The sandwich was also served with house-made kettle chips which were tasty. Also enjoyed the variety of desserts available, my favorite being a chocolate fudge cake.
Pros:
food quality, portionCons:
portion, crowdsReview of Disney Dream Overall Experience
Reviewed by JackM Review Date: 02/18/2011
Rating: (10) Recommended
Posted by: Ranger275 Fri February 11, 2011 (moved to Disney Dream category)
Just got back from a 4 day cruise on the Dream from Feb 6-10. It was amazing. The new ship is even better than the Magic and Wonder and I thought they were incredible. We have been on 5 cruises and this was the best yet.
We were told that all the restaurants were upgraded, and to us, they were. The food was great and they looked great as well. In fact, in the past, Palo just seemed so much better than the regular dinners but with the regular dinner restaurants being so much better, Palo while still great, didn't stand out as much. The new buffet is far better laid out and not nearly as crowded. The food was fantastic. This is one area that was just a lot better.
We were very impressed with the shows, even better with the new theatre. We didn't go to any movies in the new movie theatre, they just never seemed to work out time wise.
The shops, while carrying most of the same merchandise, were just amazing and looked great.
In the past, we always used the stairs, since you need the exercise after all the eating and it was faster. But now with the ship being so much bigger, we used the elevators a lot more. Our room was on the 2nd deck and to walk to the 11th was quite a climb.
Our room was a inside stateroom and we ended up with a handicap room which actually was great. It was bigger and more open and it was nice to have such a big bathroom. The virtual port hole was great even though the special guests on it were very rare. We did see Tinker Bell a few times. We just get inside staterooms since we are never in the room. We just save the money for other things on board.
The family and kid's pools are now together and that area is a mad house. We didn't bring our kids this time but it really makes that area loud and crowded.
The adult pool area right around the pool is smaller and shaded most of the day. They do have upper decks to use and they were great but you couldn't sit by the pool or in the pool at all and get sun. We just used the upper decks and had a great time.
They have given a pretty large area to just a teen area. Not sure why when they combined the kid's and family area and seemed to make the adult area smaller. But the teen area is large and very nice. If you were a teen you would be very happy to enjoy your area. We also looked at the kid's clubs and were very impressed. Even more to do and I almost wanted to stay and play.
The adult night club district is great and you have a large variety of clubs. This was Super Bowl weekend and it was very fun to watch the game with a lot of crazy fans. The ship had lots of parties going on for the game. Very beautiful areas to enjoy a drink
We were told that only 2,900 people were on board and the ship could hold 4,000 so it was nice not having it full.
The staff was great as always and we even ran into a few that we knew from before. We were told that have the staff is new and half from the other ships. I believe our server and definitely our asst server were new, not bad but not up to what we have had in the past.
The spa was beautiful and we used the Rain Forest room and had massages. I also used the work out room. The whole area was great though our massage wasn't as good as some we have had on the ship before. Locker rooms were great also.
Just an amazing ship! We loved it and booked another cruise for next year on board. It was hard to believe that they made it better but they did!
Pros:
Disney Dream, better food, just amazingCons:
adult poolReview of Kona Cafe Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by Cstauffer1 Review Date: 11/01/2015
Rating: (10) Recommended
We loved the Kona Café. The service was great and the food was even better. Enjoyed the delicious lapu lapu cocktail which is served in a pineapple, which adds to the pineapple flavor. I hated to throw away the pineapple, but it looked silly trying to scoop it out. Loved the sweet Hawaiian bread that was served with a honey sweetened macadamia nut butter, had a hard time saving room for dinner after eating. My husband ordered the rack of lamb which they had to cook special for him since he has shellfish allergies and apparently they use some form of shellfish in their typical lamb rub. None-the-less he said his lamb was one of the best cooked lamb he'd ever had. For my entrée I had the seared scallops that was served with wakame seaweed salad and a Polynesian seasoned rice, which was incredibly delicious. I followed up my meal with the citrus tart, similar t key lime pie, and it was sweet but not too sweet. Unfortunately the entrée portion was small and had it not been for the bread and the dessert, I would have left hungry. But otherwise a great experience and one of the best meals we've had at Disneyworld.
Pros:
food and serviceCons:
portion sizeReview of Maya Grill - Dinner
Reviewed by Cstauffer1 Review Date: 11/01/2015
Rating: (8) Recommended
Enjoyed a delicious dinner at the maya grill. I ordered the new York steak which had a tasty rub on it, not sure what was in it, but the steak was cooked perfectly to my liking, and the steak came with corn and mashed potatoes, and this creamy sauce that all came together when combined into one bite. It was delicious. Would have liked to try the seafood meal but husband is allergic to shellfish and the seafood meal serves 2 people. Not a big menu to choose from but all the food was tasty and the service was quick and efficient.
Pros:
food and serviceCons:
limited menuReview of Bongo's Cuban Cafe
Reviewed by Cstauffer1 Review Date: 11/01/2015
Rating: (10) Recommended
Had a great meal at Bongos. Definitely one of the most underrated restaurants at Disneyworld. We were able to walk right in without reservations. The atmosphere was lively with Cuban dancing and music and the food was incredible. We started our meal with a giant cocktail which while pricy, but we knew we got our money's worth as it was one of the few cocktails that we could tell actually had alcohol in it and not just juice. I ordered the seafood platter with Cuban sauce. It would have been comparable to cioppino, an Italian seafood soup with plenty of fresh shrimp, fish, mussels, scallops, and a small lobster tail in it. The tomato sauce/broth was flavorful and not overpowering. Husband enjoyed his meal as well. Overall a great experience.
Pros:
food, service, atmosphereCons:
noneReview of Raglan Road
Reviewed by Cstauffer1 Review Date: 11/01/2015
Rating: (9) Recommended
Enjoyed a delicious and lively meal at Raglans. The restaurant was alive with Irish dancing and music which the kids enjoyed. We started off with the chicken liver pate served with crusty bread. A bit overpowering and not a subtle as German liverwurst but worth the try. Enjoyed the brown bread served with Guiness butter. I ordered the it's not bleedin chowder which was tasty. The cream sauce was not super heavy like a traditional chowder, it was very light as it was a wine-cream sauce and there was a lot of seafood and fish to fill up on. Husband ordered the lambo which he said was good, but as expected at an Irish pub. Tables were a bit close together and the place was packed but otherwise a great experience.
Pros:
food, service, atmosphereCons:
crowdedReviewed by isk8 Review Date: 11/02/2015
Rating: (8) Recommended
This was our second time we've had dinner here. The WOC fastpass worked well. You get it at the end of dinner. The seating for WOC was pretty good. I recommend going to the seating section 45-60 minutes before the show. We got there 30 minutes before the show, and we were about 3 groups from the front railing.
We had the Italian Wedding Soup as the starter. It was enjoyable. I had the seafood pasta. I enjoyed it, although the scallops were overcooked. My husband had the lamb shank. The flavor was good, but it was not as soft as he was expecting. My son had the kid's fish, which was salmon that day. He liked it and said he would order it again.
The desserts were not memorable. We had a selection of small servings of tiramisu (I think), a chocolate thing, and some macarons. I'm a big fan of both tiramisu and macarons, and neither were that good. They were edible, but not worth the calories. I wound up eating most of the chocolate dessert as I thought it had the best flavor.
We sat upstairs, which was nice. It was quieter than downstairs, and we had a nice view of Mickey's Fun Wheel. All in all, I would recommend this to friends. I would also dine here again.
Pros:
Atmosphere, soup, pastaCons:
DessertReview of Grand Californian Hotel
Reviewed by isk8 Review Date: 11/02/2015
Rating: (10) Recommended
DCG is my second favorite Disney Hotel. (Aulani is my favorite) It is expensive though. You can't beat the location. It is so convenient to the parks and Downtown Disney.
The room is clean and nicely furnished. It is upscale by Disney standards, but not real world standards. The bathroom is a standard size. There's a small room with the toilet and tub and the double sink is outside of the toilet room. There is no door that blocks the sink area from the room.
The views are nice. Previously, we had a Downtown Disney view which I really liked. I was afraid it would be noisy, but it was not. We could also see DL with this view. On this visit, we had a theme park view. Beware of this because the only part of DCA we could see was the very top of Grizzly Peak. Most of our view was of the pool.
We had a minor issue with our room which was fixed immediately.
I love the theming and architecture of this hotel. In the past, I've taken the tour offered, and I highly recommend it. Make sure you sign up for it because the tour I was on was full. You do not have to be staying at DGC to take the tour.
If it's in our budget, I would always choose to stay here.
