emmybee
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2013
Hello! 1st visit w/ Genie +. I really wasn't planning on visiting DLR this year, but it was an easy Father's Day/Bday gift for the hubby who is impossible to shop for. We stayed at the Westin 7-27-7/31, and it was even more excellent than last year as we actually had daily housekeeping on this trip.
Upon arrival day, we visited the Jazz Kitchen for our 1st meal. While I love it best when it has live music, it has been a hit or miss location for food quality. Never having had a Sazerac before, let me say this was an unequivocal hit. Be forewarned that you might make a couple of purchases at the local shops afterwards that you won't quite remember. I won't judge you if you don't judge me.
We didn't really make full use of the Genie + on Thursday as we were waiting for hubby's firstborn to meet us around midday. While I never used to be an early riser, I begrudgingly accede that an early arrival to the park is a useful strategy for riding several favorites w/ minimal wait times. Once she arrived, we used the G+ as we waited for our dinner reservation at the Napa Rose. Hubby & I were willing to bite the bullet and pay for ROTR because she hasn't had the chance to ride it. Of course, the ride was either "sold out" and/or broken.
Food-wise, we really enjoyed the skewers at Bengal BBQ for lunch. We had the breakfast Ronto wraps, but I really thought they were something of a miss. Not warm enough, too much sauce, and I could have used some kind of slaw for a bit of crunch. At some point during the weekend, we had a Ronto wrap, which was improved as far as temperature, but I could have used more tang on the slaw. It just wasn't as tasty as I remembered.
The Napa Rose...a favorite for a reason. Excellent food and waitstaff. I wished I had chosen the Vitner's Menu, but I am easily swayed by a ribeye. Hubby really loved his VM dishes even though he wasn't necessarily sure what he was ordering. This is a man who is notoriously hard to please.
Friday was fine. We started at DCA and might have ridden a couple of rides before utilizing G+ pretty early on. Thanks to the heat/humidity, we weren't willing to stand in line for the Cars ride and were definitely Not willing to pay extra money for it. This is where we felt pretty sour about G+ in comparison to the marvel that was MaxPass +. We hopped to DL for the afternoon.
Saturday we started at DL. I think the shine has finally worn off for my family, but I'm sure the heat/humidity did nothing to help matters. Our traditional visits are generally the 1st week of October. My almost 14yo commented that we have done everything a bajillion times, I didn't like how G+ was a sad, wannabe copy of MP+, and we all felt burned by the Carthay Circle for the 2nd year in a row. This year, I didn't want to pay for ROTR when I had so much luck with the lottery last year, nor did I want to stand in line in the miserable weather to have the stupid ride break down. I swear it must have broken down at least 3x/day.
OK, the Carthay Circle...So last year, we waited almost an hour beyond our reservation time for a table at the Carthay. In the meantime, I wasn't allowed to order from the bar or order snacks, while a party that I assumed consisted of at least one CM was having the time of their lives with their drinks and food right next to us. When we were finally seated, it was very clear that our server was doing his very best during a difficult shift, so we were very sympathetic and made the most of our meal. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I remembered a much more upscale experience prior to the pandemic with tablecloths on the table, etc. But Covid, yadda yadda yadda, so OK. The food was good, our server was working his tail off, so we figured it was a one-off.
We were all really looking forward to our dinner on Saturday. We got notification to check in, so I did that. After about 10 min, my spidey senses started to tingle, so we walked over to the restaurant to check our status. Well, we were told that the restaurant had closed due to some back of the house issue, and that a mass email had been sent. I haven't seen an email to this day. We were also told that Wine Country Might be able to accommodate. Immediately walking over there, we were told there was no accommodation for dinner. Hubby told the staff that they might want to inform the CC that perhaps they should stop sending patrons their way. A vague promise was made to talk to the lead, but that was that. Very disappointing considering the high level of service we have come to expect. Not to mention the fact that We would have been charged a no-show fee if we had flaked at the last moment for a reservation I made sure to make 60 days in advance. I encouraged hubby to go w/ me to City Hall to make our disappointment known, but he felt he would just be given lip service like at CC and WCT.
So, our last meal was counter service, which was fine. I ordered the Quesa Birria tacos at the Cocina Cucamonga, but it was a little salty. Daughter liked her clam chowda, and hubby ordered a hot dog & carne asada fries from Award Weiners. I enjoyed the spice on the fries but felt the food temp could have been hotter.
Being avid shoppers, there was very little that caught our eye, so I made a couple of purchases for family before leaving for good. We normally make a last visit to DTD on the day of our departure but didn't bother this time around.
There were good times had at DLR, of course, but I don't think I need to go again anytime soon. I got a survey yesterday centered around our Saturday visit to DCA, so I spent a lot of time expressing my thoughts on G+ and the CC. Who knows what will come of it.
If you've read this far, thanks for your time. I still wish everyone a terrific visit to DLR!
Upon arrival day, we visited the Jazz Kitchen for our 1st meal. While I love it best when it has live music, it has been a hit or miss location for food quality. Never having had a Sazerac before, let me say this was an unequivocal hit. Be forewarned that you might make a couple of purchases at the local shops afterwards that you won't quite remember. I won't judge you if you don't judge me.
We didn't really make full use of the Genie + on Thursday as we were waiting for hubby's firstborn to meet us around midday. While I never used to be an early riser, I begrudgingly accede that an early arrival to the park is a useful strategy for riding several favorites w/ minimal wait times. Once she arrived, we used the G+ as we waited for our dinner reservation at the Napa Rose. Hubby & I were willing to bite the bullet and pay for ROTR because she hasn't had the chance to ride it. Of course, the ride was either "sold out" and/or broken.
Food-wise, we really enjoyed the skewers at Bengal BBQ for lunch. We had the breakfast Ronto wraps, but I really thought they were something of a miss. Not warm enough, too much sauce, and I could have used some kind of slaw for a bit of crunch. At some point during the weekend, we had a Ronto wrap, which was improved as far as temperature, but I could have used more tang on the slaw. It just wasn't as tasty as I remembered.
The Napa Rose...a favorite for a reason. Excellent food and waitstaff. I wished I had chosen the Vitner's Menu, but I am easily swayed by a ribeye. Hubby really loved his VM dishes even though he wasn't necessarily sure what he was ordering. This is a man who is notoriously hard to please.
Friday was fine. We started at DCA and might have ridden a couple of rides before utilizing G+ pretty early on. Thanks to the heat/humidity, we weren't willing to stand in line for the Cars ride and were definitely Not willing to pay extra money for it. This is where we felt pretty sour about G+ in comparison to the marvel that was MaxPass +. We hopped to DL for the afternoon.
Saturday we started at DL. I think the shine has finally worn off for my family, but I'm sure the heat/humidity did nothing to help matters. Our traditional visits are generally the 1st week of October. My almost 14yo commented that we have done everything a bajillion times, I didn't like how G+ was a sad, wannabe copy of MP+, and we all felt burned by the Carthay Circle for the 2nd year in a row. This year, I didn't want to pay for ROTR when I had so much luck with the lottery last year, nor did I want to stand in line in the miserable weather to have the stupid ride break down. I swear it must have broken down at least 3x/day.
OK, the Carthay Circle...So last year, we waited almost an hour beyond our reservation time for a table at the Carthay. In the meantime, I wasn't allowed to order from the bar or order snacks, while a party that I assumed consisted of at least one CM was having the time of their lives with their drinks and food right next to us. When we were finally seated, it was very clear that our server was doing his very best during a difficult shift, so we were very sympathetic and made the most of our meal. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I remembered a much more upscale experience prior to the pandemic with tablecloths on the table, etc. But Covid, yadda yadda yadda, so OK. The food was good, our server was working his tail off, so we figured it was a one-off.
We were all really looking forward to our dinner on Saturday. We got notification to check in, so I did that. After about 10 min, my spidey senses started to tingle, so we walked over to the restaurant to check our status. Well, we were told that the restaurant had closed due to some back of the house issue, and that a mass email had been sent. I haven't seen an email to this day. We were also told that Wine Country Might be able to accommodate. Immediately walking over there, we were told there was no accommodation for dinner. Hubby told the staff that they might want to inform the CC that perhaps they should stop sending patrons their way. A vague promise was made to talk to the lead, but that was that. Very disappointing considering the high level of service we have come to expect. Not to mention the fact that We would have been charged a no-show fee if we had flaked at the last moment for a reservation I made sure to make 60 days in advance. I encouraged hubby to go w/ me to City Hall to make our disappointment known, but he felt he would just be given lip service like at CC and WCT.
So, our last meal was counter service, which was fine. I ordered the Quesa Birria tacos at the Cocina Cucamonga, but it was a little salty. Daughter liked her clam chowda, and hubby ordered a hot dog & carne asada fries from Award Weiners. I enjoyed the spice on the fries but felt the food temp could have been hotter.
Being avid shoppers, there was very little that caught our eye, so I made a couple of purchases for family before leaving for good. We normally make a last visit to DTD on the day of our departure but didn't bother this time around.
There were good times had at DLR, of course, but I don't think I need to go again anytime soon. I got a survey yesterday centered around our Saturday visit to DCA, so I spent a lot of time expressing my thoughts on G+ and the CC. Who knows what will come of it.
If you've read this far, thanks for your time. I still wish everyone a terrific visit to DLR!
