Are you Disney-ed out yet? The good news is that this is the last Disney-related recap; the next one will cover the last few days of our vacation, which took us to nearby Legoland and not-so-nearby Ft. Lauderdale.
In case you missed the first two installments, here they are: Park Adventures (Part I) and Meeting the Characters (Part II).
So now we get to the good stuff: food, drinks and accommodations.
We had initially booked a room at the new Art of Animation, but when we caught wind of Disney’s spring sale, we realized we could upgrade for the same price and get a slightly bigger room with two queen beds instead of two doubles. So welcome to Port Orleans Riverside!
Port Orleans Riverside (and it’s sister resort, Port Orleans French Quarter, a quick 10 minute walk or short river boat ride away) is supposed to feel like you’re in the old Louisiana bayou. I liked how the place didn’t scream “Disney” (as I know Art of Animation would) and we had a decently sized bedroom with two queen beds and a semi-private sink area and private bathroom/shower. We stayed in what they called “Alligator Bayou,” which is Disney’s interpretation of a “quaint backwoods cottage.” The other side of the property, known as “Magnolia Bend,” contained “mansion buildings” to resemble Southern plantations and stately homes – a slightly different feel that the ol’ bayou.
And it was cute. But it was on the second floor. Without an elevator. And we had strollers and insane amount of luggage. Yeah, not a fan of that part of it.
However, it did have a lot that I enjoyed. Here are some of the pros:
- I liked how the guest areas (lodges and mansions) were relatively spaced apart and the greenery and landscaping was so lush and beautiful. It was hard to remember that you were at a Disney resort.
- Having access to the river boat that goes all the way to Downtown Disney is fantastic (even if it’s not something we took advantage of).
- The parking lot was right outisde our building, which was very convenient.
- Each night they played a kids movie under the stars. We caught “Wreck-It Ralph” one night.
- Excellent pool area with a waterslide and a small wading pool for the little ones (which Mimi adored). The pool also came complete with what I kept referring to as “camp counselors” who kept the kids entertained and engaged in different activities, contests, etc.
- Clean and convenient laundry facilities.
But in addition to the lack of elevators in the Alligator Bayou buildings, there were some other drawbacks as well:
- When you check in, you receive a refillable souvenir mug, which you can bring to any of the food courts at the different resorts (not in the parks) and fill up on your favorite beverages … well, as long as you like soda (or coffee), that is. Our first morning, Dr. G. walked over to accommodate our caffeine fix and fill Buddy’s mug with some apple juice or milk. But it turned out they did not have juice or milk or any other kid-appropriate drinks (besides the water dispensed from the soda machine). We do not allow Buddy to drink soda (nor has he expressed any interest) so this was a perk we were not able to take advantage of. [Stepping up on soapbox] You’d think in today’s age of rising childhood obesity rates that they would offer a kid-friendly drink that wasn’t sugary soda? [End soapbox]
- The downside of the spaced out guest buildings: it was quite a little walk from our particular building on the far side of the resort to the main lobby/dining area/gift shop – probably 20 minutes round trip.
- The rooms really, really could have used some more storage, like a dresser or bureau. There were three drawers underneath the Murphy bed (which we didn’t discover until our last day – ooops!), but even so, there was hardly enough room for the belongings of four people for a week, so everything was strewn across the room, which made me crazy. Just sayin’ it would have been nice to have a place (besides our suitcase and the closet with no door) to store things.
Disney Dining
So here’s the scoop on the Disney Dining Plan. It is kind of like a voucher system. You pay in advance for a certain number, and type, of meals. You just present your room key to the cashier or waitress and voila! The meal(s) is taken off your plan or, in the cases of booze, some snacks and gratuity, it gets charged to your room. Kind of like the college cafeteria.
Our plan included one “Quick Service” meal (basically, anything that can be ordered at a counter, which includes a meal, drink and dessert), one snack and one “Table Service” meal for me, Dr. G. and Buddy (Mimi, being under the age of 3, was free to get into the park and could pick off of our plates, rather than having to include her in the meal plan, which is fantastic). Thanks to our experienced Disney friends, we knew a few things: (a) you can combine two table service meals to book one character meal, (b) make your dining reservations as soon as you can (generally 180 days before your trip) so you can get the restaurants you want at the times you want (key for people like us who have a little one whose hunger-induced “witching hour” is between 5-6pm), and (c) scope out the “good snacks.”
It’s strange: your snack credits can get you everything from a bottle of water to funnel cake to Disney’s famous Dole Whips (pineapple soft serve and pineapple juice) to the most amazing homemade chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich (which is only sold in a few locations throughout all of Disney World; we finally tracked one down on our last day at Hollywood Studios).
So we tried to get the most bang for our buck by using our snacks on the “bigger ticket” items and paying in cash for things like drinks, etc. Except this kind of backfired on us, because on our last day we realized we had 9 snack credits to blow through! Chalk it up to being Disney newbies.
Some other pros:
- Every place we ate at (both counter service and sit down meals) had a vegetarian option either on the menu or the chef would make something special for me.
- Eat at Boma in Animal Kingdom. Trust me. It’s amazing.
- There are some really good quick service meals at Epcot (we liked Tangierine Cafe in “Morocco” and La Cantina de San Angel in “Mexico.”)
- Best kids quick service meal? Hollywood Studio’s Backlot Express, which offers a “Power Pack Lunch” of strawberry yogurt, carrots, goldfish crackers, string cheese and a chocolate chip cookie.
- Check out a character meal (even though I don’t the food is as good as what you’ll get in one of the other restaurants). I recommend Chef Mickey’s at the Contemporary Resort for breakfast, and other people I know also rave about Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in Epcot and Be Our Guest in the new Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom
- The dining plan is convenient and I do believe you save some money in the end (food at Disney is not cheap; shocking, right?)
Yet there were definitely some things I was not crazy about:
- I know Disney has come a long way in offering healthier meal options, but I feel like there is so much more that could be done. Like a salad. After a few days of eating junk food, all I wanted was a green salad. And I could not find one, save for the salads at the buffets. Now it could be it was just the restaurants we ended up at, but in general, vegetables (besides the carrots for the kids) seemed pretty scarce in the parks themselves.
- I personally thought the food at Magic Kingdom was probably the worst of the 4 Disney parks.
- We only ate one meal at the food court at our resort (breakfast) and I was underwhelmed.
- I couldn’t find a regular old, plain, unsweetened, not pre-made iced coffee. Anywhere. Darn us New Englanders and our Dunkin’ Donuts obsessions.
A quick note for those who enjoy their cocktails, brews and wines: Head directly to the World Showcase at Epcot and work your way around, from margaritas in Mexico to German beer to a glass of chianti in Italy to Japanese frozen beer to an ale in England.
Note: I would think it’s pretty obvious, but I’ll say it anyway – these are my own personal opinions based on our recent experience, and I am only speaking for myself and my family. I don’t expect everyone to agree with me.
Coming next: Our experiences at Legoland (loved it!) and the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort in Ft. Lauderdale!
Orlando bodyguard says
ou everything from a bottle of water to funnel cake to Disney’s famous Dole Whips (pineapple soft I would totally recommend Port Orleans Riverside, although I might suggest requesting a room in Magnolia Bend,
Bodyguard
Bodyguard Service says
I personally thought the food at Magic Kingdom was probably the worst of the 4 Disney parks.
Bodyguard