New and different things this time

[tomm4004]

New and different things this time

GREEN - improvement
YELLOW - neutral
RED- Not!

Walt Disney World Dolphin - GREEN

Thoroughly enjoyed our five nights here. Location, service, staff, rooms, restaurants (excellent variety for breakfast) and pool/beach area all top notch (but pools are freezing!). Doesn't feel Disney? Perhaps, with guys in suits instead of shorts dominating the lobby. But it didn't bother me.

Saratoga Springs - GREEN

A wonderful improvement over the Institute days. Lovely, serene setting around golf course and quiet pool area at the Grandstand. Buses weren't bad.

Yak and Yeti - GREEN

Finally a TS in the AK. And tasty too with cool decor. Spread out. Felt like we had place all to ourselves despite it being full.

Sunshine Seasons - YELLOW

Nice redo, but didn't find it better than previous - or worse. But you do have to update these things.

Pinocchio - GREEN

Hadn't eaten here in years. Menu was surprise. Grilled Turkey and Bacon Panini very good.

Cosmic Ray's - RED

Hadn't eaten here in years. Crowded, chaotic, food blase.

Wishes Cruise - GREEN

Definitely worthwhile. Fortunately, we had a warm night. Wonderful experience on the bay and lagoon and excellent view of Christmas Wishes.

Fantasmic VIP - YELLOW

Yummy desserts. Have to stand to watch show. $21? Worth it once.

Earl of Sandwich - GREEN

Finally braved the queue. Delicious sandwiches.

Pirates (update) - YELLOW

I have no problem with Jack's and Barbossa's appearances but they didn't really add anything for me.

Haunted Mansion - GREEN

Liked the changes here in the attic.

Mexico - YELLOW

Once you get past the volcano and ruins, it's still downhill - or is that downriver?

O Canada - YELLOW

I'm glad they updated it and some of the new footage is terrific, but how long before Martin Short's schick gets old? I saw it twice. It already is!

Spaceship Earth- GREEN

Preview. So I can't judge the second half. But the historical part was beautifully redone with fresh costumes and make-up. Looked awesome. Post-show area had a fun driving game.

Land - (No skipper) - RED

I liked the skippers. Now it'll be the same everytime.

The Seas with Nemo and Friends - YELLOW

The ride would be okay in the MK, but it's not grand enough to justify an entire EPCOT pavilion. We're basically seeing Nemo on glorified video screens. Still, it was nice to be back in the cabs again, but I miss the 'hydrolators'.

Nemo - the Musical - GREEN

Better than Tarzan. Technically awesome (and I really mean it even though my friend is in charge of that!). Music is forgettable, as are lyrics. "He's my Dad. I'm so mad/glad/sad."

Safari - RED

Hey, l liked Miss Jobson, and the poachers jeep and the airplane. All gone now.

Buses (narration) - YELLOW

The drivers still turn it off and talk. Over the years a couple drivers have been entertaining, but most have not. Here's one place where I don't mind a prerecorded spiel.

The Fantasia Fairways - RED

Was expecting more like real golf greens, but it's carpet with zero friction so the ball just rolls and rolls and rolls and ends up in lowest spot.

Retail stores - RED

Pirates and High School Musical DVDs for sale everywhere. Theming be darned.


I think that's it for new and different stuff.

 

[H20Babie]

New and different things this time

Safari - RED

Hey, l liked Miss Jobson, and the poachers jeep and the airplane. All gone now.

Wow! When did they get rid of those???


Great synopsis, in any event. Thanks!

 

[primetime52]

I agree with you on Cosmic Rays going down hill. Recently it always seems overly crowded and under staffed. Plus they've streamlined the menu and lowered the quality of the salads IMO. They used to offer a pretty good Philly Cheesesteak years ago but took it off the menu all together.

 

[NJDVCMembers]

What a fantastic post. Thanks.

 

[LudwigVonDrake]

I agree with you on Cosmic Rays going down hill. Recently it always seems overly crowded and under staffed. Plus they've streamlined the menu and lowered the quality of the salads IMO. They used to offer a pretty good Philly Cheesesteak years ago but took it off the menu all together.

I ate there for the first time in several years in July and had quite the tasty cheeseburger. I wasn't happy that the fixin's bar was wiped out and it didn't look like they were replenishing it I was happily surprised at how good the burger was :slurp:

 

[catne]

ditto

great summary, like your rating system

Ate at Cosmic Ray's last May--agree the burgers were delish, fries were o.k. but fix'ins bar was out of everything--even the basics like ketchup & mustard--at 11:45 a.m. Before the big rush--we went by an hour later & people coming out of the place were ' about the condiments being empty, so apparently didn't improve any. Place was messy, crowded. I will say though that for the 1/2 hour we were there we saw a crew of several cast members sweeping floor, emptying trash cans, etc. & working the entire time--but it didn't seem to help much--just due the sheer volume of people going through & the amount of trash produced by 100's of diners in one place hour after hour. Maybe time to add another counter service place in that area of the park?:wave:

 

[Sumshine 904]

Oh God, I hate Cosmic Ray's. No matter how tasty their hot dogs, chilli dogs, or anything with the word 'dogs' in it are, they /always/ manage to make me sick. Ugh.

 

[Texas84]

We love the Fairways course. Us adults play it and the kids play the other one. To each his own. We played some real golf at LBV with a retired CM and he told us that Fairways used to be real grass but the upkeep was too much. That must have been awesome!

 

[tomm4004]

just due the sheer volume of people going through & the amount of trash produced by 100's of diners in one place hour after hour. Maybe time to add another counter service place in that area of the park?:wave:

One thing I liked about Tokyo Disney Sea was they had several cafeteria style eateries where'd you'd get real plates and cutlery. The food was very nice, worthy of a TS, and often a CM would take your tray and escort you to a table. After they would sweep by and take it. The selection was far better than burgers and such. Tokyo Disneyland had a wonderful place in Adventureland called China Voyager that was similar.