JerseyJanice
A Disboards original...
- Joined
- Aug 20, 1999
- Messages
- 10,764
Favorites -- The atmosphere of the WL was incredible. There are so many details to find there; every single time I left our room, I found new and interesting details that I didn't notice previously.
We love the Electric Water Pageant. Relaxing on the beach of the WL to watch it is an experience not to be missed.
We really enjoyed the Character Caravan. I was not impressed when I read about it, and believed Surprise Mornings were a more valuable perk for on-site guests than the character thing. While I still think the early entry mornings hold more value for most guests, I was pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed the CC. Waiting in that beautiful lobby to meet characters was quite special.
Our best meals were at Ohana's, Cape May Café Buffet, and of course, Chef Mickey's. (We didnt find any "new" restaurants wed run back to, though.)
We loved Universal--the parks and its "Downtown" area! It's well worth the time to go there. Next time we go to Disney, we are scheduling a few nights either before or after at one of Universal's resorts. You can see the resorts from the parks, and they look fantastic.
The MK fireworks and Illuminations are worth going to WDW for by themselves, IMHO.
Dislikes -- The transportation at the WL wasn't quick or efficient. The boat and bus rides to Fort Wilderness before leaving for our actual destinations were very annoying. The boat ride after the MK fireworks is beyond horrible, unless you can make to the dock before the crowd gets there.
This being said, I wonder whether we are "deluxe" people. This was our second stay at a WDW deluxe resort, and so far, we are more impressed with our moderate stays. For the extra money, we're having trouble seeing how the deluxe resorts are worth it, especially at the WL where the rooms are nearly the same size. Perhaps if we were a bigger family, we'd appreciate the bigger beds more. But truthfully, while the theming and atmosphere at the WL is fabulous, I think CSR, POR and PO-FQ are almost as good in that regard. And we liked the bigger variety at the moderate food courts. Roaring Forks' menu got old pretty fast.
Boma's. Read my comments if you want the gory details. It was disappointing that it was so bad; how I wish we had looked at the food line before we sat down. If you're reading all the great reviews but are skeptical after reading this report, I suggest you do that.
The crowds and heat. Yes, we expected these to be problems, but it was especially hard to take them after our last two off-season trips. This presents a bit of a dilemma. Now that DS is in school, we would prefer to take our vacation while he's off, but no way do we want to face WDW in the summer months again.
Tips -- This would be a great tip if Disney hadn't announced that American Express will no longer be the official WDW credit card, but there are two months left of it this year, so I'll write it for you who are going soon. Use your AmEx card to get the White Glove treatment! We wound up with four of them (two per reservation and we had two different reservations) neckstraps and White Glove pins, which the CM's were on the look-out to trade. My son wound up with a cute little pin collection as a result.
Can't beat that Tiffany grocery service! Especially when youre in a group the size ours was. It was cheaper than the Mears bus, and we got our main supplies for the week at normal prices. Buying the hard sided cooler worked out very well for us.
If you get a standard view room at the WL, request to be in the South Wing because there are no terrible views from this side of the resort. There is a block of rooms in the North Wing which have a horrendous view of parking and garbage.
We paid for woodsview and requested a smoking-optional room (for my DH). They put us in the South Wing facing the Villas. I have since learned that smoking rooms are only in this general area of the hotel. So in other words, if you're going to request a smoking room and have woodsview, dont bother! Save your money and get a standard view room because you will probably wind up in the same room. (This tip doesnt apply to courtyard view--I am under the impression that there are smoking courtyard view rooms.)
Watch out for those chipmunks!
We love the Electric Water Pageant. Relaxing on the beach of the WL to watch it is an experience not to be missed.
We really enjoyed the Character Caravan. I was not impressed when I read about it, and believed Surprise Mornings were a more valuable perk for on-site guests than the character thing. While I still think the early entry mornings hold more value for most guests, I was pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed the CC. Waiting in that beautiful lobby to meet characters was quite special.
Our best meals were at Ohana's, Cape May Café Buffet, and of course, Chef Mickey's. (We didnt find any "new" restaurants wed run back to, though.)
We loved Universal--the parks and its "Downtown" area! It's well worth the time to go there. Next time we go to Disney, we are scheduling a few nights either before or after at one of Universal's resorts. You can see the resorts from the parks, and they look fantastic.
The MK fireworks and Illuminations are worth going to WDW for by themselves, IMHO.
Dislikes -- The transportation at the WL wasn't quick or efficient. The boat and bus rides to Fort Wilderness before leaving for our actual destinations were very annoying. The boat ride after the MK fireworks is beyond horrible, unless you can make to the dock before the crowd gets there.
This being said, I wonder whether we are "deluxe" people. This was our second stay at a WDW deluxe resort, and so far, we are more impressed with our moderate stays. For the extra money, we're having trouble seeing how the deluxe resorts are worth it, especially at the WL where the rooms are nearly the same size. Perhaps if we were a bigger family, we'd appreciate the bigger beds more. But truthfully, while the theming and atmosphere at the WL is fabulous, I think CSR, POR and PO-FQ are almost as good in that regard. And we liked the bigger variety at the moderate food courts. Roaring Forks' menu got old pretty fast.
Boma's. Read my comments if you want the gory details. It was disappointing that it was so bad; how I wish we had looked at the food line before we sat down. If you're reading all the great reviews but are skeptical after reading this report, I suggest you do that.
The crowds and heat. Yes, we expected these to be problems, but it was especially hard to take them after our last two off-season trips. This presents a bit of a dilemma. Now that DS is in school, we would prefer to take our vacation while he's off, but no way do we want to face WDW in the summer months again.
Tips -- This would be a great tip if Disney hadn't announced that American Express will no longer be the official WDW credit card, but there are two months left of it this year, so I'll write it for you who are going soon. Use your AmEx card to get the White Glove treatment! We wound up with four of them (two per reservation and we had two different reservations) neckstraps and White Glove pins, which the CM's were on the look-out to trade. My son wound up with a cute little pin collection as a result.
Can't beat that Tiffany grocery service! Especially when youre in a group the size ours was. It was cheaper than the Mears bus, and we got our main supplies for the week at normal prices. Buying the hard sided cooler worked out very well for us.
If you get a standard view room at the WL, request to be in the South Wing because there are no terrible views from this side of the resort. There is a block of rooms in the North Wing which have a horrendous view of parking and garbage.
We paid for woodsview and requested a smoking-optional room (for my DH). They put us in the South Wing facing the Villas. I have since learned that smoking rooms are only in this general area of the hotel. So in other words, if you're going to request a smoking room and have woodsview, dont bother! Save your money and get a standard view room because you will probably wind up in the same room. (This tip doesnt apply to courtyard view--I am under the impression that there are smoking courtyard view rooms.)
Watch out for those chipmunks!
