I recently just returned from an amazing vacation at Disney World. Here are some of my observations.
* The recent ignorance about Disney's lack of customer service, or poor customer service is complete ya ya. I never had a moment where it was not up the the extremely high standards I have come to expect.
* The Mickey's Christmas Party is a must do if you go down in December, it is, simply put, the best ticketed event Disney has to offer. Any questions about people without wristbands getting to stay in the park are moot. Each attraction had the friendly cast member and the one who would not take no for an answer if you did not have a wristband. Plus there were cast members placed throughout the park asking for wristbands or forcing you to leave. It was handled wonderfully. The only thing I found odd was the fact people were lining up for the free hot chocolate and cookies BEFORE the party started. Seriously, these lines were longer that the wait for Soarin' during spring break. The hot chocolate was good and creamy, and for sale in a special tin, but not good enough to wait an hour or so for.
* The busiest restaurant is not LeCellier. Its not Coral Reef or Chef Mickey. The busiest place to eat, by a large margin is O' Hana. I made a 6 pm reservation and was seated at 5:50, another person, who's group was the same size as mine, 4 people, made a reservation at 6:05 and did not ge seated until 6:50. I don't know how that worked out, but asking my server she told me O' Hana is by far the busiest restaurant on property.
* Want a great place to eat that has the best food in the whole resort? Try Kouzzina by Cat Cora. The service was decent, but the food was amazing. I ate there 3 times on a 13 day trip, and would have ate there every night. Seriously, eat there now while it's still only one dining plan credit, as I feel it won't be for long.
* Busiest ride on property is Toy Story Midway Mania. Fastpasses are gone by 9am, waits are in the 90 to 120 minute range. Longest Soarin' queue I saw was 70 minutes.
* The new attraction app for smart phones is a must have.
* The Osborne Lights was amazing.
* The new Bay Lake Tower is everything that is amazing about the Disney experience. I also toured most of the resorts to see the X-Mas decorations and to say Disney does not go all out is an understatement. I also see why they took down those lighted arches in Epcot, they were taking away from the majesty of the tree. With them gone, you focus on the tree more.
* The parks were packed, almost all the attractions had wait times. The Donald ride in Mexico had a huge wait. Captain EO had no one in it, further proof when Disney Kills an attraction, they do it for a reason. The Captain should have stayed gone.
* I found another impressive quick service restaurant, Cooke's of Dublin is on the dining plan and has some pretty tasty offering beyond the burgers and fries that run rampant.
All and all, it was a great vacation, and worth the money, I'll be going back in February.
Jimmy Thick- No, its still magical, try going there!
* The recent ignorance about Disney's lack of customer service, or poor customer service is complete ya ya. I never had a moment where it was not up the the extremely high standards I have come to expect.
* The Mickey's Christmas Party is a must do if you go down in December, it is, simply put, the best ticketed event Disney has to offer. Any questions about people without wristbands getting to stay in the park are moot. Each attraction had the friendly cast member and the one who would not take no for an answer if you did not have a wristband. Plus there were cast members placed throughout the park asking for wristbands or forcing you to leave. It was handled wonderfully. The only thing I found odd was the fact people were lining up for the free hot chocolate and cookies BEFORE the party started. Seriously, these lines were longer that the wait for Soarin' during spring break. The hot chocolate was good and creamy, and for sale in a special tin, but not good enough to wait an hour or so for.
* The busiest restaurant is not LeCellier. Its not Coral Reef or Chef Mickey. The busiest place to eat, by a large margin is O' Hana. I made a 6 pm reservation and was seated at 5:50, another person, who's group was the same size as mine, 4 people, made a reservation at 6:05 and did not ge seated until 6:50. I don't know how that worked out, but asking my server she told me O' Hana is by far the busiest restaurant on property.
* Want a great place to eat that has the best food in the whole resort? Try Kouzzina by Cat Cora. The service was decent, but the food was amazing. I ate there 3 times on a 13 day trip, and would have ate there every night. Seriously, eat there now while it's still only one dining plan credit, as I feel it won't be for long.
* Busiest ride on property is Toy Story Midway Mania. Fastpasses are gone by 9am, waits are in the 90 to 120 minute range. Longest Soarin' queue I saw was 70 minutes.
* The new attraction app for smart phones is a must have.
* The Osborne Lights was amazing.
* The new Bay Lake Tower is everything that is amazing about the Disney experience. I also toured most of the resorts to see the X-Mas decorations and to say Disney does not go all out is an understatement. I also see why they took down those lighted arches in Epcot, they were taking away from the majesty of the tree. With them gone, you focus on the tree more.
* The parks were packed, almost all the attractions had wait times. The Donald ride in Mexico had a huge wait. Captain EO had no one in it, further proof when Disney Kills an attraction, they do it for a reason. The Captain should have stayed gone.
* I found another impressive quick service restaurant, Cooke's of Dublin is on the dining plan and has some pretty tasty offering beyond the burgers and fries that run rampant.
All and all, it was a great vacation, and worth the money, I'll be going back in February.
Jimmy Thick- No, its still magical, try going there!
