I haven't been this excited about my birthday since I turned 21! COMPLETE

[Couchy]

How exciting that they brought out different desserts! That pistachio dessert looked good. Glad that those CL CM's read your mind on the cobbler.

 

[farrahalex76]

That was such a great review of the desserts. I love desserts. What a great evening that was just like a vacation is suppose to be.

 

[DaisyNY]

I definitely agree...WL Club Level food and snacks are amazing...We are now DVC owners at BLT but we always enjoyed our stays at the WL! Great report!

 

[jabead]

Backtracking a bit!

Artist Point... It's a restaurant I want to LOVE.. but it hasn't loved us. We've had mediocre service and mediocre/salty food. I do love the soup though if I can get it on a non-over-salty day!

Thank you SO MUCH for breaking the rules and bringing us up to the Club Level! It was wonderful to enjoy that luxury! All the dessert offerings look great! Probably a good thing that Grand Marnier wasn't out when Hunter was there though... he might have enjoyed a bit much of it!

I love me a Magic Bar! What is funny is I bought some our last day to take on the plane and I completely forgot I had them.. I was cleaning out my purse and accidentally dumped them and all the crumbs with them on my bed! I'm sad we won't be at WL this upcoming trip to get some of those!

It's such a pity that you and Artist Point have not hit it off, especially since the Wilderness resort is one of your favorites. And when I saw the Grand Marnier, I thought of Hunter. But when I saw the Magic Bar I thought of you. I think it was you who first introduced me to this in one of your live reports. Ever since then I've been curious about it. I'm generally not a fan of coconut desserts so didn't want to spend the money to buy one at Roaring Forks. Therefore this opportunity to test one without paying for it was ideal for me. Now that I know that I like it, I would be happy to fork over the $2.39!

I think that soup is his favorite food anywhere. One trip he had two bowls! But for entrees, he has always tried different things.

Yes, there are many things that actually both of us want to share with his girlfriend. It will be a great trip if it happens!

Ahh...another portobello soup fan. That stuff is crazy good!

Nice desserts and cordial offerings ... Gotta love a Kahlua and cream after dinner : ) Also the cobbler looks delicious!

Although I should have tried the cordials that I was unfamiliar with, I couldn't steer away from the one that I know I love...the Kahlua and cream! Oh well, maybe next time???

Puppy leis...what will they think of next?

Deserts, booze, and fireworks looks like I now know how we will be spending most of our evenings. The cheesecake and cobbler looked awesome. It's good to know they let you take the drinks back to your room. They will likely be seeing me more than twice a night though ; )

The rooms on the 7th floor would have different views I assume, so if you'd like to be able to see the fireworks from your room be sure to let the IPO at the Old Faithful Club know your request.

Loving your reviews so far!!! I make magic bars all of the time.....
they are really easy (and super delicious). Would you like the recipe?

Oh, yes! I've seen several recipes online for them but it would be nice to have one that has been tested and is a sure bet winner. So please do share your recipe here for all of us Magic Bar fans.

Bailey is so adorable! And thanks for posting such a thorough update of the OFC offerings. I remember seriously enjoying those magic cookie bars and the strawberry peach cobbler, but the pistachio cakes definitely weren't around when we stayed there. They look great!

I wish the pistachio cake had been out earlier, as I definitely would have tried it then. But sadly I only had room for one more dessert when I returned to the lounge later, so had to go with the cobbler.

I love the CL review!! We are actually switching to the WL CL for our December trip. I want to stay somewhere different and I keep hearing wonderful things about the WL. Their offerings look way better than the BC CL we had back in Sept.

That's great news, Lori! The Wilderness Lodge is gorgeous in December and the lobby view from the 7th floor lounge should be outstanding. Be sure to take lots of photos!

How exciting that they brought out different desserts! That pistachio dessert looked good. Glad that those CL CM's read your mind on the cobbler.

Yes, the new additions were a very nice surprise!

That was such a great review of the desserts. I love desserts. What a great evening that was just like a vacation is suppose to be.

It was such a nice, relaxing evening and filled with great food. Definitely one of the highlights of my trip!

I definitely agree...WL Club Level food and snacks are amazing...We are now DVC owners at BLT but we always enjoyed our stays at the WL! Great report!

I have never stayed at BLT but from the photos I've seen the rooms (villas) look very nice. Oh, and I'd love to check out the Top of the World lounge sometime. Do you know if you have to be DVC owners at BLT (or a DVC member) to go up to the lounge or can any guest of BLT venture up there?

 

[jabead]

Old Faithful Club - Part 4

For the final installment of my Old Faithful Club review I will be showing you the breakfast offerings which were available in the lounge on the morning of May 1st.

Because I had stayed in the night before and went to bed earlier than usual, I was awake quite early on Thursday morning. I went out to the lounge a few minutes before 7:00, just as they were starting to put out the food. So I decided to stay out of their way and take some photos out in the seating area/hallway of the lounge. First from the windows I took a few photos of the sun rising over the lake...







...and then turning around to face the lobby, I took this photo.



Everything was so quiet and serene at this time of day.


Then it was time to check out the food in the lounge, starting with the cereals...



Rice Krispies and Raisin Bran




Fruit Loops and Corn Flakes


Or for those who prefer their cereal hot, there was oatmeal...




...along with these toppings.



Brown sugar, golden raisins, and Craisins (I think?)


There were many fresh fruit options, including...



Honey dew melon and Pineapple





Cantaloupe and Watermelon




Red Grapes




and Oranges, Bananas, and Apples.


And last but not least, the breads and pastries...



Three kinds of bagels.




Croissants





Cinnamon rolls


And two kinds of mini-muffins...



Blueberry




Chocolate Chocolate Chip



Here is the first plate of food which I took back to my room to enjoy along with a cup of coffee...



While the blueberry muffin and croissant were both very fresh and tasty, my favorite was the cinnamon roll. It was delicious!


A little while later, I decided to return to the lounge for some juice. There were four kinds for me to choose from...



Apple and Orange





Cranberry


Or in the refrigerator case there were cans of tomato juice, along with cartons of milk and yogurt...




In addition to a glass of OJ, I couldn't resist having a bowl of oatmeal topped with brown sugar and Craisins...




I was very pleased with the continental breakfast offerings. It was a perfect way to begin my busy day, which would include transferring to another resort.


In conclusion, although I didn't taste many of the Yacht Club CL breakfast offerings (as I had breakfast plans each of the three mornings that I was there), I recall that they were very similar to what they had at the Old Faithful Club. Therefore, I will declare a tie in the Breakfast category of the comparison between the two.

So for the final results of my WL vs. YC comparison: There were two ties regarding their food, Afternoon snacks and Breakfast. However, the Wilderness Lodge won for both their Evening and Dessert offerings. The views from the seating area of the WL lounge were also much more impressive. And finally, I found the Old Faithful Club castmembers to be much more friendly and the atmosphere which they created to be more relaxed and inviting.


As I left that morning, I saw the nice CM who had checked me in the day before and had declared that my experience at the Wilderness Lodge CL would be better than that which I had had in December at the Yacht Club. At that time I was skeptical, as my three night stay at the YC had been a complimentary upgrade...and free is always better, right? Well, I would have to say that the Wilderness Lodge's Old Faithful Club proved me wrong and I happily told the CM that his prediction had proved to be correct.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that before leaving my room I booked a bounce back rate for a split stay at the Wilderness Lodge and Boardwalk for my October trip, and included another one night stay at CL. So you will be seeing more of the Old Faithful Club in my October trip dining report.
​

Next up: "Under the Boardwalk"

 

[darthtatty]

Great reviews, fab to see some of the Club Level offerings.

 

[disney meema]

Great finale to your CL stay, thanks for sharing your fabulous experience : )

 

[rachel09985]

Love your club level review! Wow I got screwed paying for the Yacht Club club level! Lol..you are right the wilderness does beat them in desserts and appetizers! Maybe I can sneak in a two night stay in November? Hmmm..

 

[H20DogsNDisney]

coming over from Brenda's dining report can't wait to read more

 

[kastoney]

Glad to see the CL was such a great experience. I think my only complaint will be the lack of alcohol in the morning - maybe I will out in a special request for a Bloody Mary bar ; )

 

[jabead]

Great reviews, fab to see some of the Club Level offerings.

Thanks, glad you enjoyed the CL photos!

Great finale to your CL stay, thanks for sharing your fabulous experience : )

Thank you for reading!

Love your club level review! Wow I got screwed paying for the Yacht Club club level! Lol..you are right the wilderness does beat them in desserts and appetizers! Maybe I can sneak in a two night stay in November? Hmmm..

I would highly recommend that you do, Rachel!

coming over from Brenda's dining report can't wait to read more

Hello and thanks so much for coming over!

Glad to see the CL was such a great experience. I think my only complaint will be the lack of alcohol in the morning - maybe I will out in a special request for a Bloody Mary bar ; )

Well, they had cans of tomato juice so they are part way there.

 

[jabead]

"Under the Boardwalk"​

After having a relaxing breakfast in my room, sadly it was time for me to pull up stakes and leave the wilderness behind. But happily I wasn't traveling far, as my new home for the next three nights would be the lovely...







Every time that I've stayed at the Boardwalk Resort (which have been many), I've always had The Drifters song, "Under the Boardwalk" run through my head.


Ok, sing it with me, folks...

"(Under the boardwalk) Out of the sun
(Under the boardwalk) We'll be havin' some fun
(Under the boardwalk) People walking above
(Under the boardwalk) We'll be falling in love
Under the boardwalk, boardwalk"


Though I didn't fall in love with my baby under the boardwalk, I have fallen under the spell of the Boardwalk's charms. This no doubt is partly due to the fact that the Boardwalk was my very first Disney resort...and as they say, you never forget your first.




Let's take a look inside, shall we?










I love this "book"end table...




Though the room that I had been assigned was not ready, they were able to find me one that was. However, it was a very long walk from the lobby, especially since I had all my luggage in tow. When I finally did get to my room I was very surprised to discover that they had given me a room with a king size bed...




Hmm...a (no doubt much sought after) king size bed for just me, myself, and I??? Rather odd, but I was not going to haul my luggage back down to the lobby to get another room assignment so KING it was.

Since I've never been one to pay extra for a room with a nicer view, my standard room views at Disney World have often been of either roof tops or parking lots. So I was happy to find this view when I went out onto my balcony...





Those are the lovely Garden Cottages down below and to the left was the Inn's quiet pool...





Not bad for a standard view, right?


My next order of business was to find a short cut to the lobby. I had noticed an exit door very close to my room so I decided to give that a try and see where it might take me. When I opened the door at the bottom of the stairs I was pleased to find myself by the walkway in front of the cottages. Of course, I couldn't walk by these without taking a few photos...










The garden/landscaping around the entrance to each of the cottages was unique...no two were the same. I would sooo love to stay at one of these one day, however given their minimum price of more than $800/nt (weekday, value season) it is highly unlikely that that will ever happen. But who knows, maybe I'll win the lottery...of course, that would require that I play the lottery, wouldn't it?


Anyway, after taking the photos I made my way to the main building and walked through the lobby and back out the door towards the dock to catch a boat...



...because, believe it or not, it was almost time for me to eat again.


P.S. I apologize for the lack of food photos in this post, but I promise I will make up for it in the next one. ​

Next up: Lunch at the Derby

 

[disney meema]

Wow the boardwalk is pretty and I also think of the " On the boardwalk song " when I even see the name of the resort : ) Beautiful pictures and lovely room with a king bed is a plus. Looking forward to reading more on your beautiful birthday trip

 

[kastoney]

Beautiful boardwalk pics. We are doing a split WL/BWI stay next trip and both will be brand new to us. Can't wait to hear about your boardwalk experiences.

 

[auntfrannie]

The title had me thinking you were going to give us some dirt on an illicit rendezvous!

I had a similar view at the Boardwalk a few years ago. And like you I took the exit looking for an easy way out to the boardwalk past the cottages. No luck. You can't get there from here! I even stopped and asked housekeeping and she told me I had to go back into the hotel to get out!

I love the Boardwalk. It's so convenient and the light & airy atmosphere make a true vacation spot for me.

 

[MrsB1228]

LOVE Artist Point! Glad that you had such a positive experience there. The salmon looks delicious and I'm happy to see the larger soup bowls again.

The OFC desserts all look so good! I'm a sucker for a good cobbler and both choices look mouthwatering. I'm also a fan of kahlua and cream, yum!

Wow, has Bailey ever grown!! Adorable picture.

Glad to hear you enjoyed your breakfast selections at OFC.

Love the photos of the Boardwalk. How strange they put you in a King room. A king size bed is a lot of real estate for one person, lol.

Great updates Barb!

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

The Boardwalk update made me smile - it's nice that you still rank your first WDW resort as #1. Boardwalk hasn't been one of my favorites, as we had service issues relatively often there (compared to the other resorts we've stayed at). Also, those long hallways can be a pain! However, from a theme, room, and location standpoint, I definitely see the resort's appeal. Another thing - even though it's no Stormalong Bay, the clown pool never bothered me.

I also loved the conclusion to the club level comparison. While the food offerings throughout the day are similar in name, I think you made a compelling argument in favor of WL club level over Yacht Club. The only thing I particularly liked about YC/BC was that they had hard-boiled eggs for breakfast, but aside from that, your 'wins' for Wilderness Lodge seem totally fair.

Speaking of WL, I finally got my Artist Point review up! I posted it as a separate thread, so maybe people who are curious about Artist Point will read it and consider trying it.

 

[Linda67]

Hello Barb!
We are back from our trip, landed in the UK this morning
Trying to catch up on everyone's reviews
Loved hearing your thought on OFC. You know my love of WL so it was great to hear about the CL offerings
Your dinner at AP sounds delicious. We've only dined there once and there was only one other table occupied!
Can't wait to start planning the October trip now!

 

[emmysmommy]

Barb your part 3 WL Old Faithful CL desserts were awesome! Those options are far better than the CL that I've experienced for YC or AKL. That berry cobbler alone would make me want to book CL. Yum! Glad they read your mind about that one.

Lovely view of Wishes from your room.

CL Part 4 with your breakfast looks like most of the club levels for that meal. They have enough choices that if you eat breakfast there multiple days you won't tire of dining repeats.

Ahhhh the Boardwalk. I keep returning there over the other Epcot area resorts since I love their villas. I'm with you... I'd love to stay at one of the garden cottages but I don't want to pay that much. They have AP rates sometimes but they are still a little pricey.

 

[jabead]

Wow the boardwalk is pretty and I also think of the " On the boardwalk song " when I even see the name of the resort : ) Beautiful pictures and lovely room with a king bed is a plus. Looking forward to reading more on your beautiful birthday trip

Thanks for continuing to follow along and commenting!

Beautiful boardwalk pics. We are doing a split WL/BWI stay next trip and both will be brand new to us. Can't wait to hear about your boardwalk experiences.

Thanks Kari! I hope your first experiences at the Wilderness and Boardwalk are great ones. These are currently my two favorite resorts. I've done split stays there on my last two trips and plan to do it again on my next trip in October.

The title had me thinking you were going to give us some dirt on an illicit rendezvous!

Sorry to disappoint you.

I had a similar view at the Boardwalk a few years ago. And like you I took the exit looking for an easy way out to the boardwalk past the cottages. No luck. You can't get there from here! I even stopped and asked housekeeping and she told me I had to go back into the hotel to get out!

I love the Boardwalk. It's so convenient and the light & airy atmosphere make a true vacation spot for me.

Over the years I have never found a short cut that goes directly out to the boardwalk when staying on the Inn side of the resort. However, the villas side is a different story.

LOVE Artist Point! Glad that you had such a positive experience there. The salmon looks delicious and I'm happy to see the larger soup bowls again.

The OFC desserts all look so good! I'm a sucker for a good cobbler and both choices look mouthwatering. I'm also a fan of kahlua and cream, yum!

Wow, has Bailey ever grown!! Adorable picture.

Glad to hear you enjoyed your breakfast selections at OFC.

Love the photos of the Boardwalk. How strange they put you in a King room. A king size bed is a lot of real estate for one person, lol.

Great updates Barb!

Thanks Carol! I was happy to see your very positive review of Artist Point. Those of us who have had good experiences there need to sing its praises.

I hope that you do stay at Wilderness Lodge sometime and that they come through for you with a complimentary upgrade to CL. It really was a great experience...well worth the extra $ IMO, at least for one night anyway.

The Boardwalk update made me smile - it's nice that you still rank your first WDW resort as #1. Boardwalk hasn't been one of my favorites, as we had service issues relatively often there (compared to the other resorts we've stayed at). Also, those long hallways can be a pain! However, from a theme, room, and location standpoint, I definitely see the resort's appeal. Another thing - even though it's no Stormalong Bay, the clown pool never bothered me.

I also loved the conclusion to the club level comparison. While the food offerings throughout the day are similar in name, I think you made a compelling argument in favor of WL club level over Yacht Club. The only thing I particularly liked about YC/BC was that they had hard-boiled eggs for breakfast, but aside from that, your 'wins' for Wilderness Lodge seem totally fair.

Speaking of WL, I finally got my Artist Point review up! I posted it as a separate thread, so maybe people who are curious about Artist Point will read it and consider trying it.

While the Boardwalk is still my favorite, it now has to share my #1 spot with the Wilderness Lodge. Doing split stays makes me feel like I'm getting the best of both worlds...the MK side of the world and the Epcot/DHS side.

And as always, great job on the Artist Point review. Thanks for taking the time to put in a good word for this great restaurant.

Hello Barb!
We are back from our trip, landed in the UK this morning
Trying to catch up on everyone's reviews
Loved hearing your thought on OFC. You know my love of WL so it was great to hear about the CL offerings
Your dinner at AP sounds delicious. We've only dined there once and there was only one other table occupied!
Can't wait to start planning the October trip now!

Hi Linda and welcome back! I've probably already told you this before, but I have you to thank for reintroducing me to the Wilderness Lodge.

And I can't wait to see you again in October!

Ahhhh the Boardwalk. I keep returning there over the other Epcot area resorts since I love their villas. I'm with you... I'd love to stay at one of the garden cottages but I don't want to pay that much. They have AP rates sometimes but they are still a little pricey.

Maybe the next time we meet up at Disney World we can pool our funds and rent a cottage together. You can have the upstairs and I'll take the downstairs.