Jen117
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2002
- Messages
- 1,622
It was the four of us, me the 30-something wife, hubby, daughter 1 who just turned 5, and daughter 2 who is 2 ½. We chose to stay at the Wilderness Lodge Concierge again. We love this resort (at least prior to the trip) and got a nice AAA rate for November 5-12. First of all, we are from Wisconsin and like travelling to WDW during this time of the year. Previous trips during Jersey week have not been any problem at all. Well, come to find out from other guests that I talked to, it is not just New Jersey that has many days of school off this week . In fact, there are many East Coast states and I think the large majority were at WDW by the end of the week.
Early in our trip the crowds were not bad at all, but by Friday things changed. It was no longer enjoyable. In fact, a CM told my husband on Saturday he had not seen crowds this large since Easter. YIKES! But it was our last day there so we did what we could.
Now for the Wilderness Lodge. Oh I so love this place, but for some reason the magic was sucked out of the CMs there. I cant say that I met one happy person at the WL. Many many rude guests, which I think is the standard every where now a days. People just dont respect each other any more. Even in Concierge the CMs were either bickering, having a breakdown or just plain cold. Valet service was exceptionally poor this time also. If I called down to have them get our car, they didnt. If we waited until we got downstairs to have them get the car, we waited forever while the CMs stood around. I got the feeling that there was only one guy that could get cars, and he walked like a turtle to get it.
We visited the Poly and Contemporary and utilized the Valet service at both resorts during our stay also. They both got thumbs up. The Valet staff sprinted like champions and always had a friendly greeting for you. In fact, the Poly was exceptionally great and this is why I fell in love with that resort last year when we stayed there.
I love the new WL Concierge Lounge, but the food offerings were the same every other night. We didnt always eat there, but if there was food out, I did peek to see what it was. Breakfast didnt have as many choices as previous stays in concierge. The beverage cooler was rarely stocked either.
We did have several Magical Moments, so the trip was not aweful. Remember, this is just a trip report where I can tell it like it is. Would I go back You betcha. Why because things change and one bad experience doesnt make the whole barrel sour!
Now on to the FOOD!!
Biergarten, Dinner
The last three years we have gone here for our first meal. It was almost becoming a tradition, so we did it again this year. I LOVE German food and the girls love the music. Was it great? Not really, it was just OK. The food never seems to change here. Not that it is bad food, because it is good. I think we were just tired of the same thing, even if we hadnt been here in a year. We also had skunky table mates, so that makes it not so fun. The food tasted good, our hearts just werent in it this time. If you like sausages, spaetzel, sauerbraten, and all those other yummy German foods, then you will enjoy. Like I said, the food was good!
Cinderellas Royal Table, Breakfast
We do this breakfast as a favor for our two young daughters who adore the princesses. We ate there last year with mixed reviews, so not sure what we would get this time. When we walked in, Cinderella was in the lobby taking pictures with everyone. This was nice since there were no photo ops last year. We posed for a family photo and the CM took a picture and explained this was a trial for a new option they were adding. We figured we would have to pay for the photos, but close to the end of breakfast we were handed two 4 x 6 photos. That was nice. The breakfast tasted much better this year, but still not worth the price and hassle of this breakfast. We saw Cinderella in the lobby, and Belle (in work clothes), Snow White and Aurora during breakfast. The Fairy Godmother was also there and we waited forever for her to make it to our table. My 5 year old was celebrating her birthday, so she had a special card on our table that the Princesses were to sign. This also notified them to make a fuss and they did. Our daughter loved that. If it wasnt for the girls, we would not do this breakfast. The seating is crowded and I always feel like I am being rushed.
Note: I did see on AllEarsNet that this breakfast is increasing in price and will include photos starting in February 2006.
Ohanas Dinner
All I have to say is Great Food. The changes to the menu were awesome. There were 4 of us and we were seated at a very small table, so that made it a little difficult. But our server was awesome. We went there for our Anniversary and of course noted that on the reservation. The girls were treated like princesses and were given lots of little drink umbrellas to play with. Along with the menu changes, there was also more entertainment than previously. Now a native Hawaiian sings and interacts with the guests. Coconut races are still there, but no gummy worms at the end (girls were sad). There were 3 couples celebrating anniversaries that night, and we were all asked to stand up in the aisle way. We were sang to and asked to dance in front of everyone. This freaked out our girls, so they joined us for the dance. Our wonderful server gave us leis to wear (with a cute comment about them!). As for the food: Wonton chips are fabulous. I do miss the grilled shrimp, but you still do get a shrimp appetizer. I like that it is served family style now instead of in that lazy susan thing. Not that it is that much of a difference, I just liked it. I miss the rice, but the potatoes were great tasting. I always tend to overeat here and this time was no exception. The service was great, even with our girls having a very bad naughty spell during this meal (which was at 5:00, so plenty early!)
Chef Mickeys Breakfast
We did this breakfast 2 years ago for our daughters birthday and it was great. This time it was not so. We chose this breakfast because the girls wanted to eat with Mickey and gang. The character interaction was good, the food was not so. I really didnt have anything that was good. It was very crowded this particular (OK, it always is for breakfast), yet the food didnt seem overly fresh to me. Also, we were seated in the back area behind where they take photos and it was so blazing hot in there. Service was slow and I thought we would never get our bill. Also, we never received the photos that were taken and finally as we were ready to leave we were able to flag down the delivery gal and she found them for us. No one around us got theirs either. We ended up purchasing ours, but they almost missed out on that. The people around us didnt seem overly pleased either. Thats too bad!
Crystal Palace, Lunch
My little 2 ½ year old loves Pooh, so we decided again to eat at the Crystal Palace for lunch. I am so glad we did because again this year the food was fabulous. Last year our service was poor, but this year Maria was very attentive and friendly. The selection of adult foods was great, and the kids loved what they had. They has a salmon and flank steak as specials of the day, both yummy. And I love the great selection of salads. Also the girls love the ice cream, and it is incentive to eat their lunch! I had forgotten since last tear how much I enjoyed this lunch and so glad that we reserved it again. It can get noisy at this place though, so if you want relaxing dont go here.
San Angel Inn, Lunch
I have always wanted to eat here, but never have. The morning of, we decided to see if there were any reservations available, and we got one of the last ones. It was very busy in the parks this day (Friday). It is dark in the restaurant, but it fits the ambience. The girls didnt want to eat and were a bit crabby, so that made things difficult. I had the sampler plate and hubby had some taco plate (forget the name). I thought the food was good. I used to frequent an authentic Mexican restaurant where I used to live and thought the style was a bit different, but not in a bad way. I totally enjoyed the food part of the meal. The kids were naughty and the tables are very very close together. I had a hard time getting the bill at the end, so hubby took the girls to ride the boat ride for the umpteenth time (5 years olds second favorite ride to Small World). I was able to wave to them as they floated by (front row because she tells them it is her favorite ride!).
Thanks for reading!!!
Early in our trip the crowds were not bad at all, but by Friday things changed. It was no longer enjoyable. In fact, a CM told my husband on Saturday he had not seen crowds this large since Easter. YIKES! But it was our last day there so we did what we could.
Now for the Wilderness Lodge. Oh I so love this place, but for some reason the magic was sucked out of the CMs there. I cant say that I met one happy person at the WL. Many many rude guests, which I think is the standard every where now a days. People just dont respect each other any more. Even in Concierge the CMs were either bickering, having a breakdown or just plain cold. Valet service was exceptionally poor this time also. If I called down to have them get our car, they didnt. If we waited until we got downstairs to have them get the car, we waited forever while the CMs stood around. I got the feeling that there was only one guy that could get cars, and he walked like a turtle to get it.
We visited the Poly and Contemporary and utilized the Valet service at both resorts during our stay also. They both got thumbs up. The Valet staff sprinted like champions and always had a friendly greeting for you. In fact, the Poly was exceptionally great and this is why I fell in love with that resort last year when we stayed there.
I love the new WL Concierge Lounge, but the food offerings were the same every other night. We didnt always eat there, but if there was food out, I did peek to see what it was. Breakfast didnt have as many choices as previous stays in concierge. The beverage cooler was rarely stocked either.
We did have several Magical Moments, so the trip was not aweful. Remember, this is just a trip report where I can tell it like it is. Would I go back You betcha. Why because things change and one bad experience doesnt make the whole barrel sour!
Now on to the FOOD!!
Biergarten, Dinner
The last three years we have gone here for our first meal. It was almost becoming a tradition, so we did it again this year. I LOVE German food and the girls love the music. Was it great? Not really, it was just OK. The food never seems to change here. Not that it is bad food, because it is good. I think we were just tired of the same thing, even if we hadnt been here in a year. We also had skunky table mates, so that makes it not so fun. The food tasted good, our hearts just werent in it this time. If you like sausages, spaetzel, sauerbraten, and all those other yummy German foods, then you will enjoy. Like I said, the food was good!
Cinderellas Royal Table, Breakfast
We do this breakfast as a favor for our two young daughters who adore the princesses. We ate there last year with mixed reviews, so not sure what we would get this time. When we walked in, Cinderella was in the lobby taking pictures with everyone. This was nice since there were no photo ops last year. We posed for a family photo and the CM took a picture and explained this was a trial for a new option they were adding. We figured we would have to pay for the photos, but close to the end of breakfast we were handed two 4 x 6 photos. That was nice. The breakfast tasted much better this year, but still not worth the price and hassle of this breakfast. We saw Cinderella in the lobby, and Belle (in work clothes), Snow White and Aurora during breakfast. The Fairy Godmother was also there and we waited forever for her to make it to our table. My 5 year old was celebrating her birthday, so she had a special card on our table that the Princesses were to sign. This also notified them to make a fuss and they did. Our daughter loved that. If it wasnt for the girls, we would not do this breakfast. The seating is crowded and I always feel like I am being rushed.
Note: I did see on AllEarsNet that this breakfast is increasing in price and will include photos starting in February 2006.
Ohanas Dinner
All I have to say is Great Food. The changes to the menu were awesome. There were 4 of us and we were seated at a very small table, so that made it a little difficult. But our server was awesome. We went there for our Anniversary and of course noted that on the reservation. The girls were treated like princesses and were given lots of little drink umbrellas to play with. Along with the menu changes, there was also more entertainment than previously. Now a native Hawaiian sings and interacts with the guests. Coconut races are still there, but no gummy worms at the end (girls were sad). There were 3 couples celebrating anniversaries that night, and we were all asked to stand up in the aisle way. We were sang to and asked to dance in front of everyone. This freaked out our girls, so they joined us for the dance. Our wonderful server gave us leis to wear (with a cute comment about them!). As for the food: Wonton chips are fabulous. I do miss the grilled shrimp, but you still do get a shrimp appetizer. I like that it is served family style now instead of in that lazy susan thing. Not that it is that much of a difference, I just liked it. I miss the rice, but the potatoes were great tasting. I always tend to overeat here and this time was no exception. The service was great, even with our girls having a very bad naughty spell during this meal (which was at 5:00, so plenty early!)
Chef Mickeys Breakfast
We did this breakfast 2 years ago for our daughters birthday and it was great. This time it was not so. We chose this breakfast because the girls wanted to eat with Mickey and gang. The character interaction was good, the food was not so. I really didnt have anything that was good. It was very crowded this particular (OK, it always is for breakfast), yet the food didnt seem overly fresh to me. Also, we were seated in the back area behind where they take photos and it was so blazing hot in there. Service was slow and I thought we would never get our bill. Also, we never received the photos that were taken and finally as we were ready to leave we were able to flag down the delivery gal and she found them for us. No one around us got theirs either. We ended up purchasing ours, but they almost missed out on that. The people around us didnt seem overly pleased either. Thats too bad!
Crystal Palace, Lunch
My little 2 ½ year old loves Pooh, so we decided again to eat at the Crystal Palace for lunch. I am so glad we did because again this year the food was fabulous. Last year our service was poor, but this year Maria was very attentive and friendly. The selection of adult foods was great, and the kids loved what they had. They has a salmon and flank steak as specials of the day, both yummy. And I love the great selection of salads. Also the girls love the ice cream, and it is incentive to eat their lunch! I had forgotten since last tear how much I enjoyed this lunch and so glad that we reserved it again. It can get noisy at this place though, so if you want relaxing dont go here.
San Angel Inn, Lunch
I have always wanted to eat here, but never have. The morning of, we decided to see if there were any reservations available, and we got one of the last ones. It was very busy in the parks this day (Friday). It is dark in the restaurant, but it fits the ambience. The girls didnt want to eat and were a bit crabby, so that made things difficult. I had the sampler plate and hubby had some taco plate (forget the name). I thought the food was good. I used to frequent an authentic Mexican restaurant where I used to live and thought the style was a bit different, but not in a bad way. I totally enjoyed the food part of the meal. The kids were naughty and the tables are very very close together. I had a hard time getting the bill at the end, so hubby took the girls to ride the boat ride for the umpteenth time (5 years olds second favorite ride to Small World). I was able to wave to them as they floated by (front row because she tells them it is her favorite ride!).
Thanks for reading!!!
