You just graduated from college!! What's next? 5/13 - 5/21 THAT'S A WRAP!

[kastoney]

Thanks for sharing your experiences from the dark side ; ) I don't know too much about Universal, but it certainly sounds like the the Harry Potter rides are worth the price of admission (provided of course they are working). Though I still can't get over the prices of their meals. I guess it is equivalent to a BoG breakfast, and therefore cheaper than Disney, but it still seems like a lot.

And thanks for making me start to find a happy place with the magic bands. I've had issues like you, but forgot how inconvenient the "old guard" could be

 

[jabead]

We went to Universal in May after 20 years. I agree with you that the Magic Bands are great. We stayed at Cabana Bay so only had our room key and park to park tickets to carry but it was still inconvenient when you have used the magic bands. I also wasn't a fan of the lockers. I have a cross body bag that doesn't really move much nor do I take it off. In a rush to get a locker and quickly get in line I forgot the number and which section I was in for one of the Harry Potter rides. Even told DH what the number was and he couldn't remember. I was in panic mode as my phone and all my money and credit card were in there. I wasn't the only one in the position so the locker attendant was kept very busy so it took awhile before I found the locker with my purse in it. I also noticed that the rides break down a lot which results in long lines. Seems like the Harry Potter rides break down continually during the course of the day. Looking forward to the rest of your review.

Sounds like your Universal experience was very similar to ours. While I certainly don't regret our day there because I am a Harry Potter fan, I'm not really in a hurry to return.

I am so sorry that you experienced so many break downs. That is particularly frustrating, if this is your only day at the park. I'm glad 2 of your party were able to make a full day of it
Leaky Cauldron looks delicious! Not really a bad price if the drink is included as well.

I enjoyed our breakfast at Leaky Cauldron, even with it being a bit overpriced. It added to our Harry Potter experience to have breakfast in HP themed surroundings.

Wow that is a lot of break downs. I agree with your card/magicband rant.

Breakfast looks good. I'm not a huge HP fan but I bet I would really enjoy the environment and attractions if I went tho.

Thanks for putting up with my rant. While it's not been all smooth sailing with the Magic Bands, going back to the "old way" of doing things really made me appreciate them.

That's whole Universal experience just sounded aggravating. I've put off scheduling a visit there until my kids are a bit older. I think I've made the right choice.

I didn't even know there was a warm butterbeer. I will have to let my sister know about that. She is going to be there in mid-Fall.

The warm butterbeer was definitely new for us. I only remember the regular and frozen options when we visited US in 2010.

Good grief on the breakdowns! We haven't been since Feb 2013 and I can't wait to return. However Alexander needs to be way older to experience all the rides and atmosphere.

I would have to agree that the US parks seem more suited to older kids. We did walk through Seuss Landing at IOA on our way to the WWHOP area. This area seemed geared toward small children but not really sure how much there is to do in this area.

I'm with you I just love the Magic Bands. I've used them twice now and luckily have only had one minor issue that at 1am seemed really annoying but really wasn't bad at all! Boy those breakfast prices seem high!

Yes, the prices did seem a little high for standard breakfast food but the HP themed surroundings made it worth the extra $ for me.

That's really cool that you got an upgrade to the lounge! But I was actually shocked when I saw the price of the breakfast platter. I thought it had to be a mistake. That's so expensive!

A couple of days later we had breakfast at Be our Guest and paid an even higher price for a quick service breakfast, so please stay tuned. I'd love for everyone to weigh in regarding the comparison between these two movie themed dining experiences.

I felt exactly the same way when I was at Universal last year. Thankfully we decided to wait in whatever line we were faced with when we went, since later on in the day when we tried for round 2 we got stuck about halfway through the ride. Where we sat for at least 20 minutes before they turned on the lights and we rode right through. Afterwards the topic of conversation was definitely about the people who waited all day for shorter lines to end up getting only half the ride. Although at the same time I loved the behind the scenes peek at how that ride actually operates.

I forgot to mention that both of the US closed early that day, at 6:00. Granted we were only there until mid-afternoon, but it seemed like most of that time their most popular ride was down. If I had purchased $600 worth of tickets and had not been able to ride Gringotts, I would have not been a happy camper!

Man, I have to say that the Universal experience sounds quite lacking, particularly with my more recent Disney experiences (Magic Bands, good travel times for short waits, etc). I have seen that 7DMT seems to shut down more often than older rides (or maybe that's just my perception), but nothing near the levels you describe. This makes me even more wary of spending the extra funds for a 2-park Universal ticket when I could simply add a day onto my Disney vacation and save money and travel time.

Looking forward to the Hard Rock lounge review I'm glad it seems to have been a bright spot in a somewhat frustrating day.

Rock Royalty Lounge review is coming right up!

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I am a huge HP fan and will probably venture over to the dark side one day to check everything out. Can't wait to read about the Rock Royalty lounge!

I think the WWHOP is a definite must do for any HP fan. Hope that they get all their "kinks" worked out by the time you visit!

Subbing in.....we have some of the same ADRs so I want to catch any mistakes I may be making, lol!

Thanks for joining in!

 

[jabead]

Thanks for sharing your experiences from the dark side ; ) I don't know too much about Universal, but it certainly sounds like the the Harry Potter rides are worth the price of admission (provided of course they are working). Though I still can't get over the prices of their meals. I guess it is equivalent to a BoG breakfast, and therefore cheaper than Disney, but it still seems like a lot.

And thanks for making me start to find a happy place with the magic bands. I've had issues like you, but forgot how inconvenient the "old guard" could be

I didn't truly appreciate the "magic" of the Magic Band until I had to go back to the "old way" of doing things at Universal. Now I'm totally on board with the Magic Band, even with their occasional hiccups.

 

[jabead]

Rock Royalty Lounge...now you're talking!




After leaving the park, I decided to stop and pick up a bottle of water from the Hard Rock's CL lounge, as I walked past it on my way to my room. This was sometime before 3:00 so they were still serving snacks.




Finding only pre-packaged snacks, cups of trail mix, and some donuts (that looked like they were leftover from breakfast), I was quite unimpressed with the day's offerings thus far.



BUT...as for the appetizers served during their Evening Reception, the two offerings were as different as night and day.







Going down the list, first were the Chicken Pot Stickers...






Then Arancini...





Next up is the Cold Fusilli Pasta Salad...






Vegetable Antipasto...






Baked Pita Chips and Hummus...





Vegetable Crudites & Ranch Dressing (bottle of dressing shown in next photo)...





And last but not least, Assorted Cheese and Crackers...





Oh, and I failed to photograph their bar which was manned by a very nice bartender. He poured for you the beer or wine of your choice (they had a few different options for both). I chose a sparkling rosé that was very good.



Everything was so good here, in fact it was so good that I could have easily made a meal of these appetizers...well, actually I kind of did.






We had skipped lunch so I was really hungry and everything looked so good. Therefore, I went a bit overboard and filled two plates. While everything was quite tasty my favorite were the pot stickers. Oh, and we all loved the baked pita chips and hummus...Delicious!


Luckily we had about 3 hours before our dinner reservation, so we had some time to get hungry again.

​

Next up: Dinner at The Melting Pot

 

[kastoney]

Wow, those appetizers do look pretty good. And hello bartender. That could get me in lots of trouble ; )

 

[ksromack]

I would have to agree that the US parks seem more suited to older kids. We did walk through Seuss Landing at IOA on our way to the WWHOP area. This area seemed geared toward small children but not really sure how much there is to do in this area.

I'd love for everyone to weigh in regarding the comparison between these two movie themed dining experiences.

We spent 1.5 days at Universal/Islands of Adventure in Dec 2012. We stayed one night at Royal Pacific Resort, which accounted for our 1/2 day that first day. I'm not sure if things are the same now as they were then but when we stayed at RPR we got to enter WWoHP an hour early, which gave us ample time to do that whole section before the general public was allowed in. We also were given "front of the line" privileges for all rides except those in WWoHP. I had hoped we would be able to visit the Universal HP section this coming trip but 6 nights in Orlando won't allow it We loved the dark side parks including Suessland I think it helped that it was in December with the Christmas activities and all but I thought that area was too cute for words....and it was just me and dh! The carousel was fun as was the other ride (like a kiddie roller coaster of sorts, can't remember the name atm).

Comparing restaurants.......we didn't eat at the Leaky Cauldron because Diagon Alley wasn't open at that time. We did go inside Three Broomsticks and I thought the theming was great but not like the theming at BOG (although Hogshead was pretty cool looking)! The restaurant we were VERY pleased with at IOA was Mythos. I found the food there to be as good as any signature restaurant at WDW. The only other place we dined in IOA was Croissant Moon Bakery and it was suitable to ward off hunger pangs until we sat down at Mythos.

 

[vettegirl]

Looks delicious!

 

[momof3princes]

Those appetizers look great! Add in the bar and I may not have moved all night!

 

[jabead]

Wow, those appetizers do look pretty good. And hello bartender. That could get me in lots of trouble ; )

While not a full bar (only had some beer and wine selections), it was kind of nice to have that extra level of service. Plus he was a friendly guy who gave pretty generous pours.

We spent 1.5 days at Universal/Islands of Adventure in Dec 2012. We stayed one night at Royal Pacific Resort, which accounted for our 1/2 day that first day. I'm not sure if things are the same now as they were then but when we stayed at RPR we got to enter WWoHP an hour early, which gave us ample time to do that whole section before the general public was allowed in. We also were given "front of the line" privileges for all rides except those in WWoHP. I had hoped we would be able to visit the Universal HP section this coming trip but 6 nights in Orlando won't allow it We loved the dark side parks including Suessland I think it helped that it was in December with the Christmas activities and all but I thought that area was too cute for words....and it was just me and dh! The carousel was fun as was the other ride (like a kiddie roller coaster of sorts, can't remember the name atm).

Comparing restaurants.......we didn't eat at the Leaky Cauldron because Diagon Alley wasn't open at that time. We did go inside Three Broomsticks and I thought the theming was great but not like the theming at BOG (although Hogshead was pretty cool looking)! The restaurant we were VERY pleased with at IOA was Mythos. I found the food there to be as good as any signature restaurant at WDW. The only other place we dined in IOA was Croissant Moon Bakery and it was suitable to ward off hunger pangs until we sat down at Mythos.

On our first visit to WWOHP in 2010 we too ate at Three Broomsticks, only it was lunch instead of breakfast. I really don't remember what the food was like, other than the butterbeer, but I do remember liking the theme. During that same trip we also ate at Mythos and I agree that it was very good.

Looks delicious!

Everything on my plate was delicious!

Those appetizers look great! Add in the bar and I may not have moved all night!

While the Evening Reception only lasted for 2 hours (from 5:00 - 7:00), you would have only had to wait for hour and a half before they brought out the desserts!

 

[tiffandhaileywdwluvr]

been waiting for another update too long =(

 

[jabead]

Are you "fond" of fondue? ​

I forgot to mention in my previous review of our day at Universal that both of the parks closed early (at 6:00) the day that we visited. Initially we were planning to dine at one of the Universal City Walk restaurants that night. Among our group there were votes for the Hard Rock Cafe, Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville, and Bubba Gump's...none of which I was super excited about. Although we've had decent meals at all three of these chain restaurants, I was looking for something different. So to aid my search for a better alternative to present to the kids, I went to Trip Advisor. Since we had a car and a very willing and capable driver, we were not restricted to dining at one of the City Walk restaurants or even in the Universal parks area. So here is what I found when doing a restaurant search for Orlando (the results are listed in order of ratings).





I wasn't at all surprised that Victoria & Albert's was #1, not only for Disney World but for the whole Orlando area. Although I would love to visit V & A's one day, it was definitely not in the budget for this trip. The opposite was true for the #2 Hot Krust Panini Kitchen, which appears to be an inexpensive deli-style restaurant. While I'm sure it is quite good, I was looking for a little nicer restaurant, something in the $$ or $$$ price range. Therefore, the #3 restaurant with $$$$ did not fit the bill.


And so I moved on down the list...




NYPD Pizza sounded okay, however we already planned to have dinner at an Italian restaurant (Trattoria al Forno) the next evening so I decided against this one. So then came #5 The Melting Pot...DING! DING! DING! I do believe we have a winner!


Now I realize that this too is a chain restaurant, with more than 100 locations in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, however it was once a family favorite. We had had some special family dinners at the Oakbrook Terrace, IL location before it closed 6 or 7 years ago. Our family had also enjoyed a fondue dinner at The Melting Pot while on vacation in Savannah, GA back in 2010. But it had been 5 long years since we had been to a Melting Pot so I was pretty confident that the kids would jump at the chance to eat at this restaurant...and I was right.


Since this was a Friday evening, I thought it would be wise to make a reservation and did so on Open Table for 8:00. The restaurant was only about 3 miles from the Hard Rock Hotel, so about a 10 minute drive since we didn't run into any traffic jams. Here is a map which shows the restaurant's location in relation to Disney property...




From the Downtown Disney area (aka Disney Springs) for instance, The Melting Pot is about 7 miles or about a 15 - 20 minute drive. So although it is not terribly far from Disney World (if you have a car), with so many great restaurants right there on property I can't say that The Melting Pot would be worth the 15 - 20 minute drive. But if you are staying at Universal or driving between Universal and Disney (this restaurant is not far off the path between the two), then I would definitely recommend having dinner at The Melting Pot.



Ok, here is why I would recommend The Melting Pot, starting with their fairly extensive Specialty cocktail menu...













Emily went with the Asian Pear, which combined Absolut Pears Vodka, St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur, simple syrup, and a splash of sparkling wine...




She gave her cocktail a rating of 4 or Good.



I think that Emily and I had eaten more appetizers than the other two so we decided to share a 2-serving fondue pot of cheese instead of an entree. Here is the menu showing the cheese options which were available to us...









We chose the first one on the list and our pot of cheese was prepared by our server at our table...




And here is the finished product...



Aged, medium-sharp Cheddar and Emmentaler Swiss cheeses, lager beer, garlic, and seasonings



This was served with bread, apples, broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots for dipping...





We also shared this with Allison and Andrew, and in turn they shared their 2-serving pot of cheese with us...




Their choice was the Wisconsin Trio with Fontina, Butterkase, and Gorgonzola Cheeses along with white wine, scallions, and a hint of sherry.

Two of us rated the Cheddar-Beer cheese a 4 and the other two a 5, for an average rating of 4.5. As for the Wisconsin Trio, it averaged a 4 with two giving it a 4 and the other two a 3 (which was fairly high considering that person hates blue cheese ) and a 5 (I love blue cheese ).


I saw that they still had the California Salad on their menu...




...and couldn't resist ordering it again.​

California Salad with mixed baby salad greens, roma tomatoes, candied pecans, gorgonzola cheese and raspberry-black walnut vinagrette

This was good, just as I had remembered it being.


Then Allison and Andrew each ordered an entree and shared them. These were chosen from this section of the menu...





They picked the Teriyaki-Marinated Sirloin and the Memphis-style BBQ Pork Medallions...





They cooked these meats themselves at our table in a seasoned vegetable broth (called Seasoned Court Bouillon), which is The Melting Pot's complimentary cooking style...











There were three other cooking style choices, but they were all an extra charge of $3.95 - $5.95.


Six different sauces were served with their meat selections...




Now for their ratings, starting with the Memphis-style BBQ Pork Medallions...




Though this looked delicious, they both agreed that after cooking the pork they were disappointed with its lack of flavor. Consequently, they both rated the pork as just okay or a 3.


The Teriyaki-Marinated Sirloin fared better with them...




They both thought the steak was good and rated it a 4.


After having cheese and meats, Andrew and Allison said they were too full but Emily and I were up for dessert...








We chose their signature chocolate fondue, called The Original, which was a combination of milk chocolate and crunchy peanut butter...




Like the cheeses, this was prepared for us at our table by our server. This plate of dippers was served along with our pot of chocolate...




In addition to the fruit (strawberries, pineapple, and bananas), there were also marshmallows, brownies and blondies, pound cake, and rice krispie treats...





My favorite combination?? Well, what could be better than a chocolate-covered strawberry...





Andrew and Allison's resolve quickly "melted" when they saw our pot of chocolatey goodness, so they ended up helping us clean both our plate and pot. We were all in agreement that this sweet ending to our meal rated a score of 5.




One last photo, our server presented Emily with a card of congratulations for her graduation...






So overall we were happy with our decision to venture away from Universal property to have dinner that night. And if you are as "fond" of fondue as we are, I think you too would enjoy The Melting Pot!

​

Next up: Breakfast at the HRH's Rock Royalty Lounge

 

[emmysmommy]

Hi there Barb! Just read through the first few days of reviews. Oh my, has it been 3 yrs since your oldest graduated and had that mom/daughter trip? Time flies! What a great way to celebrate Emily's graduation!

Starting your trip with AKL Club Level is perfection - especially when they welcome you with a cocktail. (The only CL lounge for which I've seen that among all the other resorts.) I had no idea about the Boma/Jiko culinary tour. What a great idea. Thankfully we'll be staying at AKV Jambo in November so that may work out nicely.

Speaking of CL offerings, I was inspired by your past Wilderness Lodge CL stays and booked a couple nights there at the beginning of our next trip. I'm hoping for some of that fabulous cobbler.

Ahhhh Tusker House breakfast. You will never leave there hungry right? That CS Lewis quote is hilarious! Love the pun.
I take it there's no Donald any longer for the photo op outside?? I miss the whole Krispy Kreme donuts.

Congrats on scoring the CL upgrade at the Hard Rock. The afternoon snacks look like they emptied the vending machines. Gotta say the evening apps was a vast improvement.

Being a huge US/IoA fan, I loved hearing about your Universay day. Too bad about the bad mojo with the rides. Gringotts' line has always been too long for us to do that more than once each trip. Otherwise I'd just keep going on that over and over - take a breakd to go to Forbidden Journey then go back to Gringotts!

Dinner at the Melting Pot looked FABULOUS! There's one in our neck of the woods but I've never really thought about it... hmmmm your influence is powerful sometimes.

Glad to be reading another of your dining reviews!

 

[rteetz]

All of that fondue looks really good. I've heard of the place but we don't have any close to us so I've never been to one.

 

[momof3princes]

I have been trying to get to a Melting Pot the entire summer, we are lucky to have two of them close by us. I don't know how I will ever decide on what to get...and where to get the stomach space to enjoy
all of it I do know I need to save room for dessert, there is about nothing as heavenly as dipping various things in melted chocolate!

 

[chocolateMinnie]

The melting pot pictures look delicious - I see they offer strawberry basil lemonade - I remember when that was on offer at Disney and I wish they'd bring it back.

 

[vettegirl]

We have a Melting Pot here in San Antonio and your review has inspired me to give it a try!

 

[kastoney]

It's 8 am and I suddenly have a massive craving for cheese and chocolate and I have no idea why ; ) That's a good breakfast right?

I haven't been to melting pot in years but a quick google search shows that ours is still open. Gonna have to go for some apps and dessert one of these days. I'm sure my daughter would love it and I know here Mama would love some of those drinks

 

[jabead]

Hi there Barb! Just read through the first few days of reviews. Oh my, has it been 3 yrs since your oldest graduated and had that mom/daughter trip? Time flies! What a great way to celebrate Emily's graduation!

Starting your trip with AKL Club Level is perfection - especially when they welcome you with a cocktail. (The only CL lounge for which I've seen that among all the other resorts.) I had no idea about the Boma/Jiko culinary tour. What a great idea. Thankfully we'll be staying at AKV Jambo in November so that may work out nicely.

Speaking of CL offerings, I was inspired by your past Wilderness Lodge CL stays and booked a couple nights there at the beginning of our next trip. I'm hoping for some of that fabulous cobbler.

Ahhhh Tusker House breakfast. You will never leave there hungry right? That CS Lewis quote is hilarious! Love the pun.
I take it there's no Donald any longer for the photo op outside?? I miss the whole Krispy Kreme donuts.

Congrats on scoring the CL upgrade at the Hard Rock. The afternoon snacks look like they emptied the vending machines. Gotta say the evening apps was a vast improvement.

Being a huge US/IoA fan, I loved hearing about your Universay day. Too bad about the bad mojo with the rides. Gringotts' line has always been too long for us to do that more than once each trip. Otherwise I'd just keep going on that over and over - take a breakd to go to Forbidden Journey then go back to Gringotts!

Dinner at the Melting Pot looked FABULOUS! There's one in our neck of the woods but I've never really thought about it... hmmmm your influence is powerful sometimes.

Glad to be reading another of your dining reviews!

Hi Brenda! So happy to have you here! I think the culinary tour would be a great option for you since you will be staying right there at the AKL in November. Wish you guys were going at the end of October though, as that is the next time that I'll be there.

And I think you've made a good decision regarding the Wilderness Lodge CL, as you will see in the conclusion of my soon-to-be-posted next review.

All of that fondue looks really good. I've heard of the place but we don't have any close to us so I've never been to one.

Although we have four here in Illinois, sadly they are all in the Chicago area which is a couple hours away from us.

I have been trying to get to a Melting Pot the entire summer, we are lucky to have two of them close by us. I don't know how I will ever decide on what to get...and where to get the stomach space to enjoy
all of it I do know I need to save room for dessert, there is about nothing as heavenly as dipping various things in melted chocolate!

I hope you do get to The Melting Pot soon and that you have a great experience. And yes, you most definitely need to save room for dessert!

The melting pot pictures look delicious - I see they offer strawberry basil lemonade - I remember when that was on offer at Disney and I wish they'd bring it back.

Was the strawberry basil lemonade once on the standard bar menu at Disney? Or was available at a specific restaurant or lounge? I don't recall seeing this.

We have a Melting Pot here in San Antonio and your review has inspired me to give it a try!

I say go for it! I see there is one in Austin too. We will be visiting Emily there for Thanksgiving, so we just might have to give that one a try!

It's 8 am and I suddenly have a massive craving for cheese and chocolate and I have no idea why ; ) That's a good breakfast right?

I haven't been to melting pot in years but a quick google search shows that ours is still open. Gonna have to go for some apps and dessert one of these days. I'm sure my daughter would love it and I know here Mama would love some of those drinks

You can't go wrong with a big pot of melted cheese and/or chocolate, even at breakfast.

 

[jabead]

What does Rock Royalty have for breakfast?


I was the second one up this morning, so while I waited for my turn in the the shower I decided to throw on some clothes and check out the breakfast offerings in the Rock Royalty Lounge. I must have still been half asleep because I forgot to grab my camera, so consequently all the photos in this review were taken with my phone and are not very good. Anyway, according to the time on my first photo, I was at the lounge by 7:20. It had opened at 7:00 a.m. so I was not expecting it to be very busy yet, but I was wrong. The lounge was not only hopping but some of the food looked like it had already been hit hard in the first 20 minutes after opening.

That was the case with the pastries and donuts...





The pastries and donuts seemed to be much more popular though than the bagels...





But it looked like some of the early birds had eaten healthy since the bowl of fresh cantaloupe, honey dew melon, and pineapple was already getting low...





And while I didn't open up the oatmeal bowl, from the surrounding messy area it looked like it was a fairly popular option too...





So far I bet you are not terribly impressed with the breakfast of Rock Royalty, right?

I was not too excited by their breakfast options either, but then I spotted these at the bar...




MIMOSAS?!?! Ladies and Gentlemen, we've just hit the jackpot!!


I grabbed a tray and placed on it a glazed donut (which was not nearly as good as a Krispy Kreme) and a cup of coffee, along with my jackpot winnings and returned to our room...




...where the mere mention of the word "mimosa" got everyone out of bed and to the lounge for their own mimosa in record time.



So how does Rock Royalty spend their mornings?





Well, these two Rock Royals stand around in their bathrobes sipping mimosas!



And since that is my final review for our 2 night stay at the Hard Rock's Club Level, it's time to briefly compare it to our one night at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Club Level. In terms of food, we preferred the spread that the Hard Rock put forth during their Evening Reception over the more gourmet appetizers at AKL (such as the Trofie Cut Pasta with Fufu Cheese Sauce and the Mozambique Duck with Bulgar Pilaf and Quince Jus). However, the Afternoon snacks and Continental Breakfast were far better at Animal Kingdom Lodge, although the HRH gets points for the breakfast mimosas. Oh, and then AKL also has the Afternoon Tea, a nice addition to the usual CL offerings. So overall I'm going to have to declare the AKL's Kilimanjaro Club the winner in the Food Category. As for their level of customer service, now that's a tough one. While the Concierge staff at the AKL were more interactive with their guests, I didn't find them to be particularly friendly all the time, plus of course there was the whole room check-in and Magic Band debacle. Also, I have to subtract points from AKL for the inconvenience of having many of their CL rooms on the 4th floor, two floors down from where the Kilimanjaro Lounge and the CL staff desk are located. As for the HRH, I don't recall any of the staff even saying "hello" to us when we entered the lounge, where their desk was located. However, I do give them credit for employing a friendly bartender. So overall, who is the winner in the Service category?

Hmmm, I'm actually going to have to give this one to....



...the Old Faithful Club staff at the Wilderness Lodge!


In fact, if I threw them into my overall "CL Experience" ring with the HRH, the AKL, and the Yacht Club (my other fairly recent CL experience), it would be the Wilderness Lodge that would come away the champion. So there you have it, one person's opinion...YMMV.

​

Next up: Brunch at Raglan Road

 

[auntfrannie]

Thanks for the comparison of CL, Barb. I'm staying at Coronado Springs BC in October and while nice & convenient it won't be anywhere near the level of CL at a deluxe.
The Melting Pot review has me thinking I need to get to the one we have in Pittsburgh.