Thought I'd post here, the "Trip Reports" spot specifically says WDW and I don't want the die hards to get all lippy with me. Just got back last night from a quick 3 day-er at PBR (Feb 17-19) here are some of my thoughts:
1. PBR- Beautiful hotel although we will definitely not be returning here's why:
the walk to the parks is horrendous. DH and I love our morning stroll- it's the most peaceful part of our day and we hate waiting for the overcrowded boats. It is just TOO FAR! (We made use of the bicycle guys
).
The hotel theming is pretty lackluster to me- I think it is just TOO big. The courtyards lacked any type of foliage and I always felt like I was in a back alley (not in a good way).
Trattoria was ridiculous- service was the worst in UOR hands down- to think about it makes me mad. We did not get the buffet (buffets gross me out) and I think we saw our waiter twice. Normally I would complain, but I was super hungry and I didn't was spit in my food. Several customers were complaining and 2 of the waiters were actually arguing with the manager on the floor in front of guests. Bad show!
The feature pool was tiny- especially for the size of the resort. The chairs all seemed to be crammed together- overall it wasn't inviting to me. The seating for the poolside restaurant was small as well. There was nothing making me want to skip the parks and hang out at the pool a while. The bartender was really cool and we enjoyed talking to him- mostly about Breaking Bad! Couldn't help but compare the pool to the HRH pool- NOTHING beats the HRH pool- nothing!
Something about the humiture in the room was REALLY off- both DH and I would get a bloody nose if we were in our room for more than a few hours
we also got really chapped lips. We do live in a coastal area in FL, but this has NEVER EVER happened to us in Orlando- not anywhere.
The good things: Thirsty Fish, Room service, and the pool bar were awesome The pillows were super comfy as well (and I'm really picky about my pillows!). The room was HUGE. I booked a standard and we got an amazing water view deluxe. The bathroom was oddly large as well- but I like it when the sinks are separate from the toilet area (I am a huge germophobe and it just grosses me out). Plus only one person can get ready at a time.
2. CW- tried out Antojitos (upstairs) and it was AMAZING!!! I think our bartender was Scott. Anyway I had some type of cinnamon apple margarita (???)- well ok I had a couple and they were perfect. We also had the empanadas and they were really good. Great addition to CW- I know they will do well.
We also had a funghi pizza from brick oven (no cheese) while we enjoyed a beer at one of the little kiosks near the water. Delicious as well. Ate at Bob Marleys- service was really slow- but that seems par for this place. I love the food and the waitstaff, although incredibly slow, are super friendly (DH says it's because they are high
)
3. IOA- what can I say, it is an incredible park. Nice to see the new Starbucks near Confisco- I love Starbucks. I was also glad to see it is very unassuming- no big mermaid. JP was closed. My favorite thing to do is drink a beer while blasting people with water on RipSaw Falls. Our water cannon was broken- in a good way- you didn't have to put any money in-SCORE! I think we stood there for a good 90 minutes- it makes me laugh. So I still have 2 rolls of quarters for our next trip just in case they figure it out Another crazy thing was there was NO LINE in the Hogsmead bar- another score! On bad thing was WWoHP was absolutely filled to the max with ONE BTG (brazilian tour group)- seriously, there must have been 500+ of them 
, I think I counted 15 flags alone, but that was the only time we really ran into a problem- once we realized it we got the heck outta there!
4: USO- this has got to be our #1 fav park. IDK why, maybe it's the nostalgia. We were just there last month and I can't believe how much work has been don't on Diagon Alley! We just enjoyed walking this park (kid free) and taking our time looking at everything. I did a pick a pearl and got a blue 8 mm pearl-it is beautiful- they have "pandora" type charms that we had it attached to and I love it! We had a lot of fun in the Oakley store as well- the staff was great- too much fun the bank shut off my debit card after we left
LOL! One phone call fixed that! Something happened at MIB-it was shut down for a while and there was security and guys in suits there- maybe there are REAL aliens inside ! We rode ET 3 times- it is one of my favs and I hate to say it, but I really think it's days are numbered We also stayed (finally) for Cinematic Spectacular- and it was, well, Spectacular! I was disappointed that Monsters Cafe was closed- I'm not big on the food, but that restaurant is incredible- I love the props. Wish the Mardi Gras stuff was happening, but it's only on the weekends (great reason to go back).
It sounds like all we did was drink and eat
. Well- pretty much- we rarely get a chance to go with just the 2 of us and that's what we like to do! We had a super fun time, as always. I am so stinking tired I could pass out right now- I feel OLD (but I am only 37 
). And like normal, DH is already planning our next trip- at the Hard Rock Hotel.
1. PBR- Beautiful hotel although we will definitely not be returning here's why:
the walk to the parks is horrendous. DH and I love our morning stroll- it's the most peaceful part of our day and we hate waiting for the overcrowded boats. It is just TOO FAR! (We made use of the bicycle guys
). The hotel theming is pretty lackluster to me- I think it is just TOO big. The courtyards lacked any type of foliage and I always felt like I was in a back alley (not in a good way).
Trattoria was ridiculous- service was the worst in UOR hands down- to think about it makes me mad. We did not get the buffet (buffets gross me out) and I think we saw our waiter twice. Normally I would complain, but I was super hungry and I didn't was spit in my food. Several customers were complaining and 2 of the waiters were actually arguing with the manager on the floor in front of guests. Bad show!
The feature pool was tiny- especially for the size of the resort. The chairs all seemed to be crammed together- overall it wasn't inviting to me. The seating for the poolside restaurant was small as well. There was nothing making me want to skip the parks and hang out at the pool a while. The bartender was really cool and we enjoyed talking to him- mostly about Breaking Bad! Couldn't help but compare the pool to the HRH pool- NOTHING beats the HRH pool- nothing!
Something about the humiture in the room was REALLY off- both DH and I would get a bloody nose if we were in our room for more than a few hours
we also got really chapped lips. We do live in a coastal area in FL, but this has NEVER EVER happened to us in Orlando- not anywhere.The good things: Thirsty Fish, Room service, and the pool bar were awesome
The pillows were super comfy as well (and I'm really picky about my pillows!). The room was HUGE. I booked a standard and we got an amazing water view deluxe. The bathroom was oddly large as well- but I like it when the sinks are separate from the toilet area (I am a huge germophobe and it just grosses me out). Plus only one person can get ready at a time.2. CW- tried out Antojitos (upstairs) and it was AMAZING!!! I think our bartender was Scott. Anyway I had some type of cinnamon apple margarita (???)- well ok I had a couple and they were perfect. We also had the empanadas and they were really good. Great addition to CW- I know they will do well.
We also had a funghi pizza from brick oven (no cheese) while we enjoyed a beer at one of the little kiosks near the water. Delicious as well. Ate at Bob Marleys- service was really slow- but that seems par for this place. I love the food and the waitstaff, although incredibly slow, are super friendly (DH says it's because they are high
)3. IOA- what can I say, it is an incredible park. Nice to see the new Starbucks near Confisco- I love Starbucks. I was also glad to see it is very unassuming- no big mermaid. JP was closed. My favorite thing to do is drink a beer while blasting people with water on RipSaw Falls. Our water cannon was broken- in a good way- you didn't have to put any money in-SCORE! I think we stood there for a good 90 minutes- it makes me laugh. So I still have 2 rolls of quarters for our next trip just in case they figure it out
Another crazy thing was there was NO LINE in the Hogsmead bar- another score! On bad thing was WWoHP was absolutely filled to the max with ONE BTG (brazilian tour group)- seriously, there must have been 500+ of them , I think I counted 15 flags alone, but that was the only time we really ran into a problem- once we realized it we got the heck outta there!4: USO- this has got to be our #1 fav park. IDK why, maybe it's the nostalgia. We were just there last month and I can't believe how much work has been don't on Diagon Alley! We just enjoyed walking this park (kid free) and taking our time looking at everything. I did a pick a pearl and got a blue 8 mm pearl-it is beautiful- they have "pandora" type charms that we had it attached to and I love it! We had a lot of fun in the Oakley store as well- the staff was great- too much fun the bank shut off my debit card after we left
LOL! One phone call fixed that! Something happened at MIB-it was shut down for a while and there was security and guys in suits there- maybe there are REAL aliens inside ! We rode ET 3 times- it is one of my favs and I hate to say it, but I really think it's days are numbered We also stayed (finally) for Cinematic Spectacular- and it was, well, Spectacular! I was disappointed that Monsters Cafe was closed- I'm not big on the food, but that restaurant is incredible- I love the props. Wish the Mardi Gras stuff was happening, but it's only on the weekends (great reason to go back).It sounds like all we did was drink and eat
. Well- pretty much- we rarely get a chance to go with just the 2 of us and that's what we like to do! We had a super fun time, as always. I am so stinking tired I could pass out right now- I feel OLD (but I am only 37 ). And like normal, DH is already planning our next trip- at the Hard Rock Hotel.
