shoreline99

1 hour ago, h2odivers...Ray said:

 What do you mean they have no food for purchase? They’ve got oatmeal for breakfast and for lunch and dinner you can get 

Batuu Bits 

Crispy Galaxy Snack Bits with Spiced Chermoula Dip 

$8.00

 

 Whatever that is. I too was able to grab a couple solo lunch reservations in November. But I’m definitely not going there for the beer or food. I don’t really drink alcohol  but will have a beer on occasion but who the heck wants lavender or banana flavored beer?

I wish they would have at least one normal beer and a couple of food options

We got two reservations for Oga's in October. Started trying as soon as they went live, but the system crashed several times. I had reservations in my 'cart' a couple of times and then an error message. When the dust settled everything seemed to be booked, but I tried at 6 am the next day and was able to get two lunch reservations while we're there. Which is a misnomer, as there's not actually any food to be purchased...

On 8/12/2019 at 9:43 PM, Tri-Circle-D said:

One good thing about Galaxy 's Edge is that it is more spacious than Pandora and TSL. That helps. But It could also mean more room for wall to wall guests to pack in. That didn't happen at Disneyland, but they had a bunch of passholder block outs and a reservation system in place for their opening. WDW doesn't. I think it's going to be bad. 

TCD

TSL is a barren wasteland; at least Pandora has trees and foliage. We're going to Galaxy's Edge in October, hopefully it wont be as bad as oh say AUGUST

On 8/13/2019 at 5:52 PM, mouseketab.....Carol said:

I've been to WDW first aid several times for sinus remedies, headache remedies, bandaids, dehydration, and my hubby with a sugar low. They have always been caring and offered excellent service. I'm sorry to hear you had an issue.

Completely agree, Carol. With a gaggle of kids in tow, we've been to most of the first aid offices in the parks (and yes, we've had Reedy Creek EMS respond unnecessarily once too, long story there lol). Maybe it was just a bad day. Usually they're extremely professional and helpful.

On 8/5/2019 at 2:37 PM, BradyBzLyn...Mo said:

Every time I've been on it I required a chiropractic adjustment after.

The Goofy ride at Disneyland (Goofy's Sky School) is the same ride but without the spinning cars, and I thought it was atrocious. The spinning cars actually make the ride better, but it's still a whiplash-inducing ride for sure. 

Yum!

20 hours ago, BradyBzLyn...Mo said:

Verrrrrry interesting X2.  Sounds possible the current attendance projections may be a bit down and they're trying to goose the "heads in beds" a bit? Of course you can all tell me how wrong I was when those of you going this fall post the pics of the 12 hour waits for Galaxy's Edge.  😎

22 hours ago, Katman1356...Jason said:

This is actually a fairly lean offer but there has been room availability for sept and oct but December has been nearly fully booked. I will say though if you were booked before any price change or already had a discount on your reservation this isn’t saving you money. It will only really help new bookings. 

To Jason's point - we had midweek reservations in October for F&W, so I just made a new reservation with the 20% offer (woohoo!) and canceled the other one. WDW Phone lines were busy all day yesterday. 

EMH at DHS this fall start at 6 am!!! 😲

1 hour ago, Travisma said:

Except more $$ and a lot more crowded!

Well, that describes WDW in a nutshell now, doesn't it.

13 hours ago, h2odivers...Ray said:

Your absolutely right. There’s only one quick service restaurant i like at MK. And that’s Columbia house.  

Cosmic Ray’s is ok. 

BOG is to crowded and it’s still hard to get a rezzie. 

Not crazy about Skipper’s canteen. We didn’t really like the food we tried there. 

Also, we’ve been known to leave MK to eat dinner. 

Agreed. If we don't eat at Skippers (which we like, my wife and I usually get an order of the shu mai dumplings and split a steak salad) we will go somewhere on the monorail. If the kids are with us we'll sometimes grab the spicy chicken waffles at Liberty Square, or eat at Pecos Bill's (which is a lot like Chipotle now, to be honest)

My personal favorites:

Disney Springs:

Boathouse - dockside bar it possible. If that's busy, try to get an outside seat at the Hangar Bar next door. Both overlook the amphicar launch and the water. Great sunsets.

Raglan Road - just because.

Morimoto Asia - sushi bar or the main ribbon bar inside. They also have outdoor seating overlooking the 'spring' of DS.

I've heard good things about Paddlefish and Wine Bar George, those are on the list if we get back this fall for food & wine. And Mo has a permanent seat at Dockside Margaritas.

Resorts:

Geyser Point - hands down my favorite outside bar/casual dining.

California Grill bar area - solid #2

Tiki Terrace at the Poly - great for afternoons, if the weather is gross you can go check out the Kona Cafe or the bar outside 'oHana.

Hurricane Hannah's at the Y&B club or the Big River Grille if you're over by EPCOT.

Parks:

Animal Kingdom: Nomad Lounge.

EPCOT: We really don't have a favorite there for a quick dining option, other than to grab a beer and some fish & chips from the cart outside the Rose & Crown and watch the band play in the garden at the UK Pavilion.

Hollywood Studios: The Baseline tap house, or if you want a meal instead of appetizers hit up the Tune In Lounge at the 50's prime time diner or the outside bar area next to the Hollywood Brown Derby. Both have a slightly modified menu of the restaurants they are attached to.

MK: Skipper Canteen, you can usually get a walk up reservation there. The dining options at MK are pretty limited, honestly.

Where are you staying?

On 4/19/2019 at 10:41 AM, mouseketab.....Carol said:

Well since I didn't have any headphones with me, I really did need a quiet corner. I found a spot way back on one of the walkways near some guestroom patios.

I like the conference center lobby behind Y&B. It's got good wifi and is usually pretty quiet. I've gotten some great work done there.

On 4/24/2019 at 6:19 PM, BouncingTiggers said:

We feel the same. We were going once a year but the pricing is crazy. We love Disney but they are driving us out. So last year we took a 4.5wk cross country trip with the camper and found that entire trip was cheaper than our 10 nights going to Disney. Not to mention we found it much more rewarding. 

Yep. we're pretty much done with it at this point. I don't see us making another family trip there in the near future. My wife and I will probably fly down with friends to do a day or two at Food & Wine once in a while, but with kids in college and many other options for trips the costs just aren't worth it.

Maybe after the 50th and the dust settles on some of the new attractions we'll consider it, but we've had a great time the past few years just exploring different parts of the country (even though we snuck in a visit to the DVC in Hilton Head a couple of weeks ago for a dole whip - didn't stay there though).

Our older two did make us promise that after they turned 21 we'd go back so they could experience EPCOT from that perspective, though. 🥨🍹🍺

We had a great time on HHI last week, and it only took us three tries to get a dole whip!

First time, we stopped at the DVC lobby and they waved us through, but we got to the QS five minutes after they closed. The next day we walked down to the beach house and the side window was already closed for the day. We went back the next day for lunch and got our dole whips (mine with rum, yum). Our kids biked there a few times for DW during the week.

We really enjoyed the beaches there and it was a nice surprise to get a little Disney feel in while we were there.

15 hours ago, dvccamper said:

I don’t see why not. Even if they didn’t let you pull your car in you could park at the stores/marina that are right in front of it and you could walk in.

Keep in mind they have a beach house that is probably about a mile from the resort. It’s doubtful you could gain access to that. You may be able to walk through to the beach but I seem to remember you needed your key card (probably magic band now) to get in to the actual building and pool area.

We’ve been there once and really liked it. Have wanted to return but just haven’t made it back yet.

Edited to add: I just looked back to find a quick overview I posted about it back in 2012. Can’t believe it’s been that long. If you’re interested it’s here:

We are renting a condo in Palmetto Dunes, and their beach house is near the Disney one. We're looking forward to our stay on HHI, and the info I've gotten from others is that they normally allow visitors (you have to check in at the front desk) to the resort as long as there is not an event going on, and they can visit the mercantile and the restaurant if it's open.

Sorry - I should have said we're not staying there but want to check the place out.

Hi all -

We're heading to HHI this month and wanted to know if visitors can stop by the resort there to check things out. Do you have to be a guest? Or can a visitor maybe grab a bite to eat or something from the mercantile shop there? I have heard rumours of Dole Whip availability...

On 1/16/2019 at 7:37 PM, Specularius said:

Looks to be a very large sewer treatment plant.

Looks like wetland pretreatment basins. Mostly used for stormwater and surface runoff to catch sediment or other particulates, IIRC.

So, not sewers, but possibly mosquitos.

2 hours ago, ImDownWithDisney said:

They can piss right off with this. They have ruined one of my favorite restaurants. 

This.

As i said in the other thread,

Quote

I'm surprised there is no discussion of the cr*ppy name they announced for this new resort - " Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge "

Which is horrible.

I didn't mind the name that was being tossed around before, "Disney's Discovery Lodge" - that at least made some sense given the location.

Awful, awful, awful. This whole project makes my stomach turn.

Thanks, TCD

I'm surprised there is no discussion of the cr*ppy name they announced for this new resort - " Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge "

Which is horrible.

I didn't mind the name that was being tossed around before, "Disney's Discovery Lodge" - that at least made some sense given the location.

Awful, awful, awful. This whole project makes my stomach turn.

https://wdwnt.com/2018/11/breaking-new-bay-lake-resort-to-be-named-reflections-a-disney-lakeside-resort/

8 hours ago, Breezy2 said:

And The Fort is different from any other "local" private campground,  regional, state or national park campground on the weekend how?  Just because it's on Disney property somehow elevates it to some "exclusive" level? I think not.....it's a campground.  It just so happens to have some unique amenities that if you can pay the price you have the right to use them. As you travel around the country just check into a local KOA on the weekend and you'll be surrounded by the same "weekend warriors" all having the same wonderful break as you are from their crazy workweek life. No difference except maybe the price. Whether its a campground or hotel the "locals" are always going to be there on the weekend enjoying themselves. That's life and it's pretty sweet!

 

Not gonna wade into the argument, I'm just going to jump in with both feet.

The issue isn't with Florida residents, or even local residents, that are paying to stay at the fort. The big issue that has always been a problem at this location is locals coming in to the resort (yes, I will use that word) and utilizing the amenities - the pools, sports/recreation areas, and free parking for WDW - without paying to stay there. For a long time it has been a not-so-secret spot for CM's, CM's families and other locals 'in the know' to come and freeload. Try using the Meadows pool on a weekend, and good luck grabbing a pavilion in the rec area. It's also an issue with 'guests' in some of the loops - having way more than the allowed number of people staying there while Disney turns a blind eye.

I don't think anyone here has an issue with people that have paid to be there, no matter where they are from.

15 minutes ago, DaveInTN said:

Ok, I've changed my mind on the name....it won't be Cypress Springs.  It will be Disney's Spring Hill Suites.  

Seriously, it looks like something Marriott would build in an office park off the beltway, in Anytown USA.  I really had thought they'd build the design that was leaked several years ago, which excited me.  Tearing down the horse barn and paving over the TCD Ranch for this is sad.  

Totally a generic hotel. It's really ridiculous. Almost to the point of being repulsively bland.

At least the moderate and better resorts that went up in the Eisner era (from WL and the Grand Flo through the Boardwalk/Yacht/Beach) were really well done. I'll exclude Graves' Swan and Dolphin as they weren't really Disney hotels. Bay Lake Tower is horrible, too. The least they could have done is blend the architecture from Wilderness Lodge and the Fort to make something that fit well with the surrounding areas - the previous design for this location did just that. It was still way over-scaled for the site, but at least it was headed in the right direction.

I hope that this is just rough concept art, and I'm wrong, but it looks pretty far along to be just spitballing.

Ugh. And it's a horrible design. As an architect, I will say this is no better than a crappy chain hotel. At least the hotel that was originally designed for this location was realllly well themed.

http://blogmickey.com/2018/10/breaking-disney-confirms-plans-to-develop-new-resort-on-old-river-country-grounds-near-fort-wilderness/?fbclid=IwAR3IiIOQ6vT3NkCKxQEIuJdTMkh5QxNttyA9JmpPw5t3hNRtAeVWMT--Mxg