dmmichelle
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 22, 2007
This was our third visit to Disney with our two boys (now ages 14 & 9) and we knew that "sharing" a bed at their ages now was not going to work well. Being from a Scouting family, the boys are seasoned campers (mom not so much!) so the Cabins seemed like a good fit for our family as we had more space and everyone had their own place to sleep. Since the property is so large and there was no restaurant within walking distance, we made good use of the kitchen facilities. The cabin was very clean, very spacious and the beds very comfortable. The kitchen was well-equipped and we pre-ordered groceries from WeGo Shop. They were delivered the afternoon of check-in and we cooked supper twice, one lunch and two breakfasts. Even though we had the dining plan we used the kitchen a lot and found it very convenient.
We went to the Chip 'n Dale Campfire Sing-a-long which was very family friendly and a fun time...the 14-year old was bored (haha) but it was a great family event and my 9-year old loved dancing with Chip 'n Dale. We visited in early October and went on the Haunted Carriage Ride which told the legend of Sleepy Hollow and was a highlight of our stay.
The internal bus system did take some getting used to but there were always buses running. The main pool was great - we spent a very pleasant afternoon there mid-week. I would have liked to have been able to rent a golf cart for a day to visit the motorhome sites as the ones we did see had a lot of Hallowe'en decorations which was fun to see.
We thoroughly enjoyed the ferryboat ride to MK - it was a quick trip and very pleasant. We saw the Electric Water Pageant two or three times this trip and enjoyed that as well as we had never seen it before. We did not eat on the resort other than at the "quick serve" area by the pool but the food was great and as expected.
The one thing we did miss somewhat was having that central "hub" of activity/amenities. Our previous two visits we stayed at Port Orleans Riverside and Caribbean Beach Resorts. As much as I enjoyed the extra space and the beautiful grounds, I did miss being able to walk from our "room" to the food court, pool, activities. You had to get on a bus for everything which is fine as long as you know that when you stay here. I think if you were park commando types that like to be at the Parks all day everyday this resort might not be for you but for a relaxing family vacation it suited us perfectly. We were there for the MK 40th Anniversary and wanted to make sure we arrived in time for the park opening so we basically had to allow ourselves almost an hour for transportation from the cabin (bus) to the ferry to MK. Again, as long as you know this and plan accordingly it's not a problem. This was the only day during our 5-night stay that we had to be somewhere early and I felt that this resort suited our relaxed approach to the parks perfectly.
We did not encounter that many cast members, but the ones that we did see were pleasant. We did have an issue with online check-in. That line was closed so we sort of missed out on that convenience but it wasn't that busy so it wasn't a big deal.
We did REALLY like the two "general stores" on property - a lot of different things and my husband picked up a very cool Campfire Ghost Stories book for Scouting that we didn't see anywhere else.
Overall we really enjoyed our stay and I think if you have older kids it is a great choice (and less expensive than an extra room). Hoop-de-Doo is located here as well but we had done that on a previous trip so we didn't do it this time. I wouldn't have minded trying the Trail's End Restaurant which is the Table-Serve at this resort but we went to Whispering Canyon Cafe instead which had a similar menu and the kids LOVED it.
I am very glad we got to experience this resort. It was a fun time for everyone and even though it was a very different Disney experience, it was no less cherished. Disney does it right with all of the little details that make your trip feel extra special. Your kids will love it!
Michelle
(ticker won't work...
)
We went to the Chip 'n Dale Campfire Sing-a-long which was very family friendly and a fun time...the 14-year old was bored (haha) but it was a great family event and my 9-year old loved dancing with Chip 'n Dale. We visited in early October and went on the Haunted Carriage Ride which told the legend of Sleepy Hollow and was a highlight of our stay.
The internal bus system did take some getting used to but there were always buses running. The main pool was great - we spent a very pleasant afternoon there mid-week. I would have liked to have been able to rent a golf cart for a day to visit the motorhome sites as the ones we did see had a lot of Hallowe'en decorations which was fun to see.
We thoroughly enjoyed the ferryboat ride to MK - it was a quick trip and very pleasant. We saw the Electric Water Pageant two or three times this trip and enjoyed that as well as we had never seen it before. We did not eat on the resort other than at the "quick serve" area by the pool but the food was great and as expected.
The one thing we did miss somewhat was having that central "hub" of activity/amenities. Our previous two visits we stayed at Port Orleans Riverside and Caribbean Beach Resorts. As much as I enjoyed the extra space and the beautiful grounds, I did miss being able to walk from our "room" to the food court, pool, activities. You had to get on a bus for everything which is fine as long as you know that when you stay here. I think if you were park commando types that like to be at the Parks all day everyday this resort might not be for you but for a relaxing family vacation it suited us perfectly. We were there for the MK 40th Anniversary and wanted to make sure we arrived in time for the park opening so we basically had to allow ourselves almost an hour for transportation from the cabin (bus) to the ferry to MK. Again, as long as you know this and plan accordingly it's not a problem. This was the only day during our 5-night stay that we had to be somewhere early and I felt that this resort suited our relaxed approach to the parks perfectly.
We did not encounter that many cast members, but the ones that we did see were pleasant. We did have an issue with online check-in. That line was closed so we sort of missed out on that convenience but it wasn't that busy so it wasn't a big deal.
We did REALLY like the two "general stores" on property - a lot of different things and my husband picked up a very cool Campfire Ghost Stories book for Scouting that we didn't see anywhere else.
Overall we really enjoyed our stay and I think if you have older kids it is a great choice (and less expensive than an extra room). Hoop-de-Doo is located here as well but we had done that on a previous trip so we didn't do it this time. I wouldn't have minded trying the Trail's End Restaurant which is the Table-Serve at this resort but we went to Whispering Canyon Cafe instead which had a similar menu and the kids LOVED it.
I am very glad we got to experience this resort. It was a fun time for everyone and even though it was a very different Disney experience, it was no less cherished. Disney does it right with all of the little details that make your trip feel extra special. Your kids will love it!
Michelle
(ticker won't work...
)
