Most Recent Reviews
Review of Be Our Guest -Counter Service Lunch
Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 02/16/2020
Rating: (6) Recommended
This was our 3rd time eating lunch at the Be Our Guest restaurant. We arrived right on time for our 12:50 reservation only to be met by something we've not previously experienced, a long line to wait in. It seems on our day, Feb 10, those who ordered their meal online in advance were having issues or the system was having issues with the orders. I would much prefer Disney return to the previous version of ordering. My wife and I ordered the usual, carved turkey. She ordered the veggies in lieu of fries. They were mushy and gross. The turkey was good. I'm not sure it's worth the price at this point. It's definitely better than some of the restaurants in MK, but more expensive.
Pros:
Food qualityCons:
Ordering processReview of Copper Creek Villas
Reviewed by nmoore1229 Review Date: 02/15/2020
Rating: (9) Recommended
As a DVC member my home resort is at Copper Creek. I have stayed in this resort 3 times. Each time is an enjoyable experience and I love the hotel.
Arriving at Copper Creek you are greeted by Wilderness Lodge cast members and once you step foot into the hotel you are transported into the woods. The decor of the resort is consistent throughout the entire hotel. One thing that I have noticed is the design between the Villas at Copper Creek and the Wilderness Lodge. I find that Wilderness Lodge rooms are more true to the meaning and the Copper Creek villas are modern. I feel the room loses the flavor in the villas. The transportation to the parks is limited. This is NOT a Monorail resort. This hotel offers boat and bus service. The boat is nice since it is a nonstop trip to the Magic Kingdom. Usually not to crowded either. Unlike the busses it will not be a crammed ride. The major con with the boats is the capacity on board. That could complicate getting to the park for park-open. The boat ride is about 10-15 minutes at most.
Boat Services go to Ft. Wilderness and Contemporary Resort and Magic Kingdom
I do love the resort and think it has a lot to offer for resort guests. I highly suggest this resort for parents with children if you are staying in the Magic Kingdom Area. This resort has the best flavor or design in my opinion. The pool are is also another nice amenity. There is a nice slide and the pool is large in size.
For a family of 5 the 1 Bedroom Villa is a little tight due to the close proximity of the beds and couch. The 2 Bedroom Villa is very nice.
*Watch out for the bunnies and lizards too :))
Adventure is out there and The Wilderness must be explored!!
Pros:
The proximity to the Magic Kingdom Nice pool Roaring Fork (Nice Quick Service)- serves breakfast, lunch and dinner SpaciousCons:
No monorail Poor Cellular Reception in certainReview of Walt Disney World Swan (Deluxe Resort)
Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 02/15/2020
Rating: (10) Recommended
We love Swan. As my son was growing up we went to pops and Coronado a lot and it was awesome. As he got older we decided to try Swan.. in 2016 I believe. We are booking our third trip there for May. I know there is a parking fee - but that is true of all DW properties now and at Swan, they dont charge after 5 days which is nice because we stay 8 to 9 days. Pops charged us last year for the full 9 days (we regretted not going to Swan as soon as that trip started) The resort fee does blow but again - thats almost anywhere these days and honestly I wont be surprised if DW starts adding one, they have increased the price of everything year after year.
The proximity is the star - You can take a boat or walk to Epcot and HS... after a lifetime of doing the late night bus crunch at park closing, this is what sold us. Its just awesome. And, the buses to AK and MK are rarely packed like other resorts. One word of caution - the buses run slower so if you want to be at MK for an 8am breakfast - plan of being at the stop early or take an Uber. It doesnt bother us - we are never really in a rush and again - that can happen anywhere - at least in their case I know the timing is about every 45 mins so I can plan accordingly.
Price - they are $$ but if you go through Cotsco travel - you can stay here for close to the same price as a DW moderate and they include the resort fee in the pricing, no surprises. You also have 60 days in advance fast passes just as with any DW resort.
So - If you have little ones and it is really important to have all of the DW theming which I understand - my son loved Pops and Sports when he was little - Go to the DW official resorts because Swan does not have it - they are more like being in a nice downtown hotel that happens to be in the middle of DW - If those things are not as important - to be in the bubble as they say - Swan may be for you. And to me - its in the middle of the bubble! The view out the window is all the theming I need - you see Epcot and you are next to Boardwalk resort - Love it!
Food (as all the DW areas) is pricey. We drive so I take some breakfast items and drinks - we eat mostly in the parks anyway. We have had some reasonable meals at the Fountain (adjacent to Swan in the Dolphin) great burger big enough for husband and I to share!
Pros:
Middle of the magic - walk or boat ride to Epcot and HS - pools are great - nice Gyms to work out - love the feel of the whole resort and its amazing location.Cons:
Food is a bit pricey but Epcot is a walk away... Slower bus serviceReview of Be Our Guest -Counter Service Lunch
Reviewed by AdventurelandFan Review Date: 02/15/2020
Rating: (1) Not Recommended
As a reasonable fan of Beauty and the Beast, I expected to like this much-hyped location. But it was, in January of 2020 at least, the absolute worst experience I had on the whole property. The fries I had were cold, thin, and over-fried. They were ... challenging for my teeth, to say the least. The sandwich was utterly forgettable. And the onion soup was nearly as expensive as what you can find in Chefs de France in EPCOT, but orders of magnitude worse. (Seriously do not order the onion soup here. You're just throwing money away that you could be applying to the best onion soup you've ever had over in France.)
The theming is overtly fake and plasticky. I don't even think it does particular justice to the parts of the movie it's trying to depict. Most disappointing is the rose under glass. On not-that-close inspection it's no more complicated than an LED Christmas ornament.
To try to explain the theming disappointment, it's perhaps useful to compare it to the Tangled bathroom area/transition zone close to the Haunted Mansion. Both it and Be Our Guest are rough contemporaries in Fantasyland, but the theming in the Tangled area has a nuance that Be Our Guest lacks. There's a gradation to the coloring of buildings that occurs in the Tangled area that makes them look somehow more real, more sophisticated. The bathrooms have authentic frying pans on the wall that aren't explained. There are wanted posters, cleverly written, for various characters in the movie. And the pavement leading up to the area has hoof prints implied to have been made by the key horse in the film. It's not that the area tries to recreate scenes, but rather to put you into the world of Tangled.
By contrast, Be Our Guest seems much less sophisticated. It's actually trying to recreate scenes, with each room being a different phase of the film. But it's both too on-the-nose and less artful than what's going on in the Tangled area. On the whole, I was left severely disappointed in the theming, which made the poor food quality all the more inexcusable.
The whole place feels to me as if it needs refurbishment, giving priority to the live-action version rather than the original animated film. Making it look like the Emma Watson version of the film, and breaking it up into the several more rooms seen in that film — along with gloomy mood lighting — would do wonders for this restaurant.
I can't fairly comment on what the service is like, since there isn't any during lunch to speak of. Nor is that something that should be fairly judged as a deficit for this location — it's counter service at lunch, so genuine service from waiters shouldn't be expected. Still the name of the restaurant does make you think you're getting some sort of treatment that will make you think you're a guest of some kind. Instead, the lack of service and the big rooms full of cramped tables does make it feel like a school cafeteria more than a restaurant.
Common wisdom about this place is to go for lunch. It's the cheapest way to get in and see the theming. But the theming is completely missable, and the price for lunch is actually too high for what you're getting. I wouldn't discount the possibility that one day I might do the full-service dinner here — just to see if it becomes more true to its namesake.
But I wouldn't go back for lunch — even if someone else were paying. It's genuinely that bad. Even if you have kids that love Beauty and the Beast, don't indulge them here. Almost every quick service joint in the whole of WDW is better than this. Go to Galaxy's Edge. Go to World Showcase. Heck, just go around the corner to Main Street USA. Go on a monorail and get off at the Poly.
Do ANYTHING to avoid lunch here.
Pros:
None — though I've not experienced the full-service dinner, which may be much better, if significantly more expensive.Cons:
Theming, inability to in any way evoke the "Be Our Guest" sequence from the film, pricing way too high for the quality of the nearly-inedible food. Wholly overhyped location.Review of Beauty and the Beast Sing Along
Reviewed by AWaltChild Review Date: 02/15/2020
Rating: (9) Recommended
I was a bit skeptical of the sing along idea,but there were many enthusiastic participants which made it fun.
Pros:
Fun if people sing; great new animation. Worth a view.Cons:
Shameless Disney film promo and loses all the appreciation for France and its culture.Review of Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 02/14/2020
Rating: (9) Recommended
My first Disney world ride ever ❤️
Pros:
Nostalgic and funCons:
N/aReview of Test Track
Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 02/14/2020
Rating: (9) Recommended
A close second to mission space for me
Pros:
Thrilling. Also has a GM/Chevy employee lounge with free drinks and access to the front of the lineCons:
N/aReview of Mission: SPACE
Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 02/14/2020
Rating: (9) Recommended
My favorite EPCOT ride
Pros:
Thrilling and realisticCons:
Barf bagsReview of Biergarten - Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by AdventurelandFan Review Date: 02/14/2020
Rating: (2) Not Recommended
This is definitely the most disappointing higher-end meal in EPCOT. The food buffet is unexceptional and prone to drying out. I think you also have to really like German food to even begin to forgive the food.
In fairness to this spot, I did hear people at my table in January 2020 enthusing over the offerings — so I understand why there people who like this thing — but I can in no way agree.
The family style seating — that is, you sit at a long bench with about ten other people — is fine and even fun if you're part of a group yourself. But it can be a bit overwhelming if you're eating alone amongst total strangers.
The ambience is super fake, and if I want to dine amongst pedestrian imagineering, I'll take Mexico every time. Put another way, this restaurant's theming makes you understand just how extraordinary Restaurant Marrakesh in Morocco really is. This one is clearly fake; Marrakesh is genuine, detailed and gorgeous.
The entertainment is far too loud and sporadic. I went the whole meal before getting any music, and it seemed odd to me that there was about an hour's interval between sets.
There are two recommendations I can give this place. I found the service pretty high level for what's essentially just a buffet. Also, the only reason I was dining here was to get preferred seating at a nighttime theatrical event for Festival of the Arts. And the seating, plus the show, were both amazing. So, if you must eat here, I'd recommend making sure that you're getting something else for it.
Pros:
Service, package dealsCons:
Food, entertainment, ambienceReview of Restaurant Marrakesh - Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by AdventurelandFan Review Date: 02/14/2020
Rating: (10) Recommended
The somewhat low ratings for this restaurant are both shocking and disheartening. I've been coming here for literally decades and have not, as of January 2020, ever had a bad experience. I always get a table by the entertainment area and have never been less than pleased with that choice. Unlike, say, Germany, the volume of the entertainment is a pleasant accompaniment to the meal. To me, it's worth going all-in for the Taste of Morocco multi-platter dish, as this acquaints you with most of the possibilities the restaurant has to offer.
The service has always been delightful when I've been there, and I don't think there's a more gorgeous, immersive, well-appointed dining space anywhere in any part of Walt Disney World.
This is flatly one of my favorite full service restaurants in all of WDW. It's miles ahead of almost anything in the Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios, and it's on par with the best full-service joints in Animal Kingdom and the rest of the World Showcase. There are some resort dining opportunities — Jiko at Animal Kingdom Lodge, just for a start — that offer better food for just a little bit more. So if your only criterion Is pure food quality, you may want to think about putting the money you'd spend here into that very fine dining establishment.
Along those same lines, a special note for lamb fans: none of Morocco's dining experiences serve the best lamb on property. Jiko has a lamb dish that defines the word "succulent", and it might make Marrakesh pale ever so slightly. But that lamb dish is also significantly more expensive, and Morocco's lamb is better than what most Americans can get in their home towns. (The truly disappointing lamb is really at Spice Road, in my experience.)
If what you're looking for is a memorable dining experience, with entertainment and a smashing ambience, go for a mid-day Taste of Morocco, and be sure to take your time looking at the quality of the workmanship that’s gone into the construction of this place. Why mid-day? Because a lot of the times you can get in without a reservation. Marrakesh is pretty hidden away from foot traffic, so most people don't even know it's there. And that's a genuine positive for a park restaurant. It's not enough for a restaurant to be good — you also have to actually be able to get in.
For me, Marrakesh strikes a neat balance between entertainment, ambience, service, food quality and table availability.
