Disney dangled the visual weinee & Mickeystoontown gobbled it up! 10/26

[Mom2m&k]

That stinks about the steaks...but those desserts look delicious! More crust then anything sounds like my kind of tart!

 

[jenseib]

oh bummer about Kona. I haven't tried it yet either and was hoping for a good review. The food looks good at least!

 

[KatMark]

I'm so sorry you had a poor meal at Kona. Mary, the girls an dI ate there in May as well, and we all loved our meal. So much in fact, we are going back in July (also eating there with Mark in October).

 

[MEK]

Wow - I was really far behind. I sat down to read last down and something distracted me. Now I'm at work and starting to get tired so my attention span stinks.

Anyway - I really want to sit down and read all your articles when I have some uninterrupted time.

Love your tour of POR and - yeah - I sort of get the nursing home comment, but most of the nursing homes in this neck of the woods are so much uglier than that. You must have nursing homes with the "southern" flair, because we sure don't.

OK - lets see - Kona dinner. Ugh - you know my rule is if you don't like it you should send it back. Not because your wasting food, but because you always remember that crappy meal and it turns you off to that restaurant in the future. I don't always follow my rule, but I try. So - boo to the dry meat and hard veggies. Not cool.

On the other hand - dessert looks amazing. I have an ADR at Kona in Feb, so I'll keep that in mind.

Sorry you got charged for forgetting to cancel. That stinks.

 

[Pluto0809]

A nursing home? Well maybe I could see it a little on the mansion side.

I really need to get Jim to Disney Quest. He loves games and especially the old time ones like John was playing. He loves Galaga and we actually have a Ms. Pac Man machine in our game room.

I have to agree with your assessment of Kona. Jim and I didn't have the best meal there last year. I had the duck and it just wasn't up to par.

 

[Chicago Mo]

oh no... my poor Poly!!! I blame it ALL on the construction.. Yes the construction also screwed up the food..

Also have you noticed the CM's at the Poly? not as nice as they used to be either. never got a "welcome home."
very sad indeed.

I will be there in November for breakfast (O'hana) i am hoping for the best!!!!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

So, I'm going with CaptainOblivious' suggestion and am going to make something up.

I knew I was good for something!

Whoa! Wait! Hold up a sec! I am looking at my pictures and we are at the bus stop at Port Orleans Riverside which leads me to think that we left Hollywood Studios and went straight to Riverside. Dang, this part of the report is confusing me the heck out!

Well, the important part is that you went to POR. So we got that part.

I really liked the feel of their food court as it had a lot of wood tones and a natural feel to it.

I love the river mill there! Such great theming.

John looks at the buildings and the resort grounds and then turns to me and says "This place looks like a nursing home".

This guy looked like he was done. Stick a fork in him done. He was sound asleep.

Wow. Now that's some hardcore video gaming.

Ya'll I'm not exaggerating when I say that the Poly was a complete and utter mess and it wasn't even just the inside. It extended to the outside as well and it was pretty bad/sad to look at. I can't imagine trying to stay there during all of the construction.

That stinks. And it costs so much to stay there, too.

They were sooooooo dry. I'm talking like the desert dry. Our waiter who had been attentive in the beginning was nowhere to be found so we made due. I hate sending food back but this was so dry that I might would have sent it back. The vegetables were hard as rocks. They had to be cut with a knife, they were so hard. On a brighter note, everything had a good flavor. Hey, I'm trying to look on the bright side here. None of us finished our food and when our waiter finally came back around, I did mention that the meat was dry and he just say "I'm sorry." but that was it.

I wish that I could give Kona a great review but I really can't. This is a one and done...at least in John's opinion. I might would give it a whirl again but not until we give other restaurants a try.

Oh man, I'm so sorry to hear this. I really love Kona and have had nothing but good experiences there, so it pains me to hear it wasn't up to snuff. Hopefully it was a bad night and not indicative of a trend.

 

[DisneyJo]

Wow I wish the nursing homes here looked like POR It's a very pretty resort isn't it

What a shame about your Kona meal, it's been knocked off our list too as our last 2 meals haven't been great!

 

[BarbieGal457]

I actually just made a reservation at Splitsville today for 7:45p on 6/1!! Super excited to try it. I've never tried Kona but based on these posts I am in no rush now.

 

[LoJoDisney]

Hi Lisa! I haven't been on in a while but I just caught back up.

I love your posts!

I really loved your pictures of walking through POR because we are trying POR this trip. It was really hard to not go back to CBR because we loved it so much last September, but we decided to try something new!

I have heard soo many good reviews about Kona that we made an ADR for our upcoming trip. I'm sorry you had a bad experience It's so crazy how hit or miss restaurants can be sometimes!

We were at the POLY around the same time as you just to go to the lounge and I hadn't been there ever before. I kept saying..I'm pretty sure there is supposed to be a big lobby in the middle and this is construction?? At least they covered it up good- but I can't wait to see it now that it is remodeled.

 

[Clarf]

I love that you went back to POR. I love seeing the pics. I can't wait to see it in person in August. I don't see that building as a nursing home either, but like someone else mentioned, nursing homes sure don't look like that in Wisconsin. They pretty much look like hospitals.+

I know that video game you are talking about. I don't remember what it's called either, but I have played it and it is VERY addicting!

Sorry your Kona meal was disappointing. That stinks. If we decide to try it sometime, I think we'll do breakfast. We can't tear our kids away from O'hana, though.

I can't believe your trip is so close!

 

[TinksThree]

Wow! We had a very similar experience at Kona and (for Keith) it is a one and done for us! I would probably go back once more because I tend to give the benefit of the doubt but Keith wants nothing to do with Kona. Sad too, since I hear raves but we just didn't feel it!

 

[mickeystoontown]

I'm all caught back up. Only one more week of school & I'll have some free time for the summer to stay on top of Dis. It looks like you had a great trip & it's almost time for your next trip.

Yay for being caught up and for school almost being done!

Well that is not a great experience! We actually had a reservation for Kona for dinner but wound up doing breakfast instead and now I'm glad we did! Sorry your food wasn't all that good. I don't blame you for wanting to go other places before considering coming back there!

We have an adr for breakfast at Kona this coming trip. I sure hope that it is better than dinner.

That stinks about the steaks...but those desserts look delicious! More crust then anything sounds like my kind of tart!

I am not a cooked fruit kind of person so I don't eat most pies but John said it was pretty good.

oh bummer about Kona. I haven't tried it yet either and was hoping for a good review. The food looks good at least!

Yeah, it looked good. Too bad it didn't taste as good.

I'm so sorry you had a poor meal at Kona. Mary, the girls an dI ate there in May as well, and we all loved our meal. So much in fact, we are going back in July (also eating there with Mark in October).

Maybe the chef was having a bad night?

Wow - I was really far behind. I sat down to read last down and something distracted me. Now I'm at work and starting to get tired so my attention span stinks.

Anyway - I really want to sit down and read all your articles when I have some uninterrupted time.

I love writing the articles and hope that you enjoy them. I had another one publish yesterday and one is posting this afternoon.

Love your tour of POR and - yeah - I sort of get the nursing home comment, but most of the nursing homes in this neck of the woods are so much uglier than that. You must have nursing homes with the "southern" flair, because we sure don't.

We have quite a few that look like that.

OK - lets see - Kona dinner. Ugh - you know my rule is if you don't like it you should send it back. Not because your wasting food, but because you always remember that crappy meal and it turns you off to that restaurant in the future. I don't always follow my rule, but I try. So - boo to the dry meat and hard veggies. Not cool.

I really should have sent it back.

On the other hand - dessert looks amazing. I have an ADR at Kona in Feb, so I'll keep that in mind.

Sorry you got charged for forgetting to cancel. That stinks.

It was my fault for not double checking to see if I had cancelled.

 

[mickeystoontown]

A nursing home? Well maybe I could see it a little on the mansion side.

I really need to get Jim to Disney Quest. He loves games and especially the old time ones like John was playing. He loves Galaga and we actually have a Ms. Pac Man machine in our game room.

I have to agree with your assessment of Kona. Jim and I didn't have the best meal there last year. I had the duck and it just wasn't up to par.

Yeah a nursing home! I didn't even see the resemblance until John pointed it out.

I probably won't be going to Kona for dinner in the near future.

oh no... my poor Poly!!! I blame it ALL on the construction.. Yes the construction also screwed up the food..

Also have you noticed the CM's at the Poly? not as nice as they used to be either. never got a "welcome home."
very sad indeed.

I will be there in November for breakfast (O'hana) i am hoping for the best!!!!

I did notice that! I think that the castmembers were just as bummed as the rest of us.

I knew I was good for something!



Well, the important part is that you went to POR. So we got that part.

Thank goodness I could at least remember where we ended up.

I love the river mill there! Such great theming.

It was beautiful inside. I love all the wood look.





Wow. Now that's some hardcore video gaming.

He was out like a light.

That stinks. And it costs so much to stay there, too.


If I had been shelling out what those guests had to stay there, I'd be ticked off!


Oh man, I'm so sorry to hear this. I really love Kona and have had nothing but good experiences there, so it pains me to hear it wasn't up to snuff. Hopefully it was a bad night and not indicative of a trend.

I'm hoping that the chef was just having a bad service.

I actually just made a reservation at Splitsville today for 7:45p on 6/1!! Super excited to try it. I've never tried Kona but based on these posts I am in no rush now.

I'm anxious to see how you like Splitsville. From the reports that I have seen, it looks really good.

Hi Lisa! I haven't been on in a while but I just caught back up.

I love your posts!

I really loved your pictures of walking through POR because we are trying POR this trip. It was really hard to not go back to CBR because we loved it so much last September, but we decided to try something new!

I have heard soo many good reviews about Kona that we made an ADR for our upcoming trip. I'm sorry you had a bad experience It's so crazy how hit or miss restaurants can be sometimes!

We were at the POLY around the same time as you just to go to the lounge and I hadn't been there ever before. I kept saying..I'm pretty sure there is supposed to be a big lobby in the middle and this is construction?? At least they covered it up good- but I can't wait to see it now that it is remodeled.

Welcome back! Aren't you glad that I am slower than heck updating? LOL!

I hope that you like Port Orleans as much as you do CBR. It really is beautiful.

The Poly was a complete mess!

I love that you went back to POR. I love seeing the pics. I can't wait to see it in person in August. I don't see that building as a nursing home either, but like someone else mentioned, nursing homes sure don't look like that in Wisconsin. They pretty much look like hospitals.+

I know that video game you are talking about. I don't remember what it's called either, but I have played it and it is VERY addicting!

Sorry your Kona meal was disappointing. That stinks. If we decide to try it sometime, I think we'll do breakfast. We can't tear our kids away from O'hana, though.

I can't believe your trip is so close!

Really? Like hospitals? They sure don't look like that here.

Ohana! Love Ohana!

Wow! We had a very similar experience at Kona and (for Keith) it is a one and done for us! I would probably go back once more because I tend to give the benefit of the doubt but Keith wants nothing to do with Kona. Sad too, since I hear raves but we just didn't feel it!

Keith and John are so much like!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Before I post the next update, I'd like to share the links to my latest articles if you'd like to take a look at them. I would certainly appreciate it!

Where in Walt Disney World Can I Find? The Drinks & Snacks Parks Edition
Where in Walt Disney World Can I Find? Counter Service Parks Edition
Discovering Something Old But "New" in Mexico



Going down under! Where's the rest of it?

We left the Polynesian and took the monorail over to the Magic Kingdom. I seem to remember that the parade had just ended and it was almost time for Wishes or maybe Wishes had just ended. Anyway, there were lots of people leaving the park and we had a decision to make. Do we hightail it over to the bus stop and hope that the line wasn't crowded? Or, do we cop a squat on one of the benches and people watch? Usually, we go with people watch 'cause it's so interesting to us. People are odd. People are different. People are interesting. People are funny. People are rude. People are all of those things in one, including me and my family. I'm sure that folks have sat on a bench watching up and giggling up a storm. And, that's okay.

We sat down on the bench that's near the walkway to the Contemporary and more and more people started streaming out of the park. I had an idea that I'd try to count how many came through this one little gate in a minute's time. Hunter would tell me when to start and stop. We couldn't believe the number! It was way up there and that's just the people that I could actually count. That didn't include those who had walked behind someone and I didn't see them. It was incredible to see it from a sit-back-and-watch perspective.

After quite some time, we decided that we would see how the lines were at the bus stop and it wasn't too bad. It circled two or three of the rows of bars and we were on the second bus out of there because we chose to wait and not squeeze in like sardines. Another family chose to do the same and we talked with them a little bit while we waited. The next bus was there in about ten minutes and it was only half full when we left the bus stop. Once we were back at the resort, we hit the sack as we had to get up early the next morning. We were doing another "first"!

The next morning, we were up and at them early. We were going to the Magic Kingdom to do something very special. We were taking the Keys to the Kingdom tour and we were super duper stoked! For years, we have said "As soon as Hunter turns 16, we're doing it!" Well, he turned sixteen and Mama was on the trip with us and we knew that there was no way that she could walk for hours and hours so we diddn't do it. However, she wasn't on this trip with us and he was seventeen and it was high time that we took the tour.

We arrived at the Magic Kingdom and there was already a crowd waiting to get into the park. One thing that I had forgotten to mention is the fact that I had stopped at Guest Relations to confirm where we were to go to check in for the tour. We used the turnstiles that were to the far left and then found a castmember who was holding a clipboard. After giving her our names, she let us into an almost empty park. I may have screwed up when it came to scheduling our breakfast at the Crystal Palace but this made up for it plus some. I was so ready to see an empty Main Street but, first, we had to check in for the tour.



As soon as we walked in, we were greeted by two very friendly castmembers who took our names and then gave us our name tags, our headsets and a bottle of water. They also showed us a lunch menu for Columbia Harbour House and we placed our orders with them. They told us that we were free to walk around Main Street and take pictures. All we had to do was get back to the building about five minutes before the tour was set to start.

I know that this sound so geeky, goofy, whatever, but I was giggly about walking down Main Street and having it almost by ourselves. I mean, there was hardly anyone around except for the tour that left right before we did.






Someone said "Good morning!" and we turned to see who was talking to us and it was the Mayor of the Magic Kingdom!



See the card in Hunter's hand? That is one of the Mayor's business cards. He talked to use for a few minutes and we then continued down Main Street. At the time, there ws a lot of construction walls and tarps but it was still beautiful to me.













**Continued in next post

 

[mickeystoontown]

It was getting close to 9:00 which meant rope drop. We certainly didn't want to get caught swimming upstream in the river of people so we turned and headed back to the Chamber of Commerce. We could see the crowds standing outside and castmembers waiting to let them into the park for the day.








We found a semi-shady spot and waited.





And I kept on taking even more pictures:





Soon after, the opening show started and we got to see the train pull in and listen to the music.





The castmember on the right looks anxious.




**Continued in next post

 

[mickeystoontown]

I don't blame her for the anxious look. Look at what's behind her!





Meanwhile, over to our right, the characters were also entering the park:







As I said before, we were issued headsets when we checked in.



And name tags:



**Continued in next post

 

[mickeystoontown]

Our tour guide came over and rounded everybody up. She gave us a little bit of information about herself and how the tour would work. She didn't swear any of us to secrecy and didnt even really say that we weren't supposed to pass along anything that we had learned while on the tour. However, I am not going to divulge most of what was told to us during the tour. I will, however, tell you a few things. But, first, let me tell you what Disney's official word is about the Keys to the Kingdom Tour:

Learn About the Man Behind the Mouse
Hear the intriguing story of Walt Disney and how his vision, innovation and creativity brought the Read More


Hear the intriguing story of Walt Disney and how his vision, innovation and creativity brought the theme park to life. You’ll gain insight on Walt’s thought process as he was designing the park, learn fun trivia and little-known facts, discover hidden Mickeys and other often-overlooked details, and more.

Experience an Urban Legend
Enter the underground service tunnels to uncover a mystery that’s absolutely, almost unbelievably, Read More


Enter the underground service tunnels to uncover a mystery that’s absolutely, almost unbelievably, true!

The Guest-accessible areas of Magic Kingdom park are actually on the second floor of a massive structure. The tunnels below, known as “Utilidors,” allow Cast Members, deliveries and even rubbish to be unknowingly transported below Guests’ feet as they wait in line for their favorite attractions. You’ve got to see the Utilidors for yourself!

Magic Kingdom to the Max
Unlock the fascinating history of Magic Kingdom park and gain backstage access to legendary hidden Read More


Unlock the fascinating history of Magic Kingdom park and gain backstage access to legendary hidden areas.

This 5-hour walking tour explores the creation and remarkable growth of one of the most beloved parks at Walt Disney World Resort! Explore secret locations you’ve always wondered about and get the inside scoop on some of your favorite attractions.

During your tour:

• 
  
  
  • Uncover the hidden secrets of classic attractions at Magic Kingdom park.
  • Access the famed underground “Utilidor” tunnels that allow people and supplies to travel beneath the park unseen.
  • Discover little-known facts, trivia and other exciting tidbits about the park.
  • Enjoy a delicious lunch—included with your tour.
  • Take home an exclusive keepsake!

Our tour didn't last quite five hours but it was close. Quite honestly, to me and my family, it felt like about a half hour too long. About the fourth hour of the tour, it seemed like the guide was trying to drag it out a little and make it to the five hour mark. Like she was almost stalling to make sure that we felt like we got our money's worth a/k/a the "five hour tour". That's not to say that we didn't enjoy it because we did. Immensely! I'd probably even take it again since I've read other reviews that included information that we didn't learn during our tour.

So, what will I tell you all about the tour? Let's see what I feel like I can say without giving away too many Disney secrets.

How about:

1) When the Imagineers were creating the birds for the Enchanted Tiki Room, Walt Disney wouldn't approve the animatronic birds because their chests didn't move like real birds' chests do. He sent them back and they had to redo them all.

2) In order to make it easier for the castmembers to work on the animatronic hippos on the Jungle Cruise, many do not have a bottom half.

That's all that I am going to tell you! If you want to know more, you'll have to take the tour!

At various times during the tour, the guide would stop and talk about and point out certain things to us. Thanks to the headsets, we were able to hear everything that she said which was great, especially for someone who has trouble hearing people like John does. When we got to the Jungle Cruise, our group was given their own personal boat. That's when we learned about the hippos and other stuff that I'm not telling you about.

Once we were done at the Jungle Cruise, we were taken over to Tortunga Tavern and got to sit in the shade and listen to the story of how Pirates of the Caribbean came to Walt Disney World. It was a very interesting story and now some of the things that happen and that we see on the ride make sense. From there, we went behind the scenes in Frontierland.

I can't remember if we stopped for lunch at Columbia Harbour House at this point or after we went through the Haunted Mansion. I think that it was before. Upstairs, they had all of our food already set up for us and we had it all to ourselves. I really wanted to take out the camera and take pictures but cameras had been forbidden so far and I didn't want to get a slap on the hand. Somehow, I had mixed up my order and had ordered fried fish and fries. John traded with me so that I could have the shrimp. Lunch was really good but a little bit on the cool side which is probably because they had to have it all set up before we arrived. We also received a small Key pin for taking the tour. Before leaving the restaurant, we were encouraged to take a potty break as we would only have one more during the tour.

After lunch, we were taken into the Haunted Mansion through a side entrance. Even though we were were with the tour, we still had to go through the whole cattle prodding area once you get out of the stretch room. Unfortunately for us, we were the last ones to get through the line and the group had to wait on us at the end but they didn't seem to mind.

Our tour continued and we ended up back on Main Street and we stopped at the bathrooms near the Baby Center and Casey's. Once we were all done, we went behind the scenes again and were able to see where they stored and maintained the parade floats. The Move It Shake It parade had just ended and we saw the castmembers enter the behind the scene area. They all waved to us and shouted their hellos and then continued on their way. We then got to go down into the utilidors which is what I was the most excited about. While it wasn't the most fascinating part of the tour, it was pretty darn neat to know that we were underneath the whole park! We were told a little about the history and the posters and drawings on the walls were explained to us. We passed by storage areas and lots of different rooms. It was really neat.

Then, we went back "upstairs" and outside. This is the part of the tour that seemed like it drug out a bit. I'm not saying that it wasn't interesting still. It just seemed a little long. We were encouraged to ask questions and, again, it felt a little like she was trying to get it to the five hour mark. After a while, no one had any more questions and the tour was done. We thanked the tour guide for doing such a great job and we were off on our own again.

All three of us agreed that we had a great time on the tour and would do it again!

**Up next: Hum.........I am not sure. I'll get back with you on it.

 

[rteetz]

The tour looks like a lot of fun. I've always contemplated trying something like that but only going to the parks for 5-6 nights it just doesn't seem like we have the time. If I took a longer trip I would definitely do it.

 

[rndmr2]

That's great that you did the Keys to the Kingdom tour! Sounds like you had a fun day, I would love to do that someday.