Beach Club Babe
09-21-2009, 12:20 PM
I am so sorry for the delay!
Pop Century: We had a very pleasant stay here as we usually do. It is not our favorite resort, but for a value resort, we enjoy it very much. Our only issues we had were very minor, and involved only the front desk. Our CM checking us in was quite inept, but not nearly as bad as the CM I dealt with at the end of our stay when I tried to send a package. Our rooms were a little bit of a hike, but not really that far away from either the bus stop or the food court. We actually had a nice quiet location with a pretty view. I do prefer the 70's section to the 50's section, having only stayed in those. The rooms were also made in a timely fashion and were clean, so no issues there. Bus service was nothing short of outstanding! Our experience with the food court was also good, never encountering large crowds and the food was good.
Parks: The parks were much more crowded than I had anticipated. During the last year we have taken several 1 or 2 day trips coinciding with Courtney's breaks and found the parks very "uncrowded" so this was a bit of a surprise. They were clean and we had no issues there. However, IMHO they appeared to be significantly understaffed. Sometimes it was very hard to locate a CM when needed which appeared to be the case for others as well. All CM's we encountered were friendly and helpful. Space Mt. an the TTA were most definitely missed, especially the latter when we just needed that relaxing break that you can only find on the TTA. Although a few of us had already ridden the new Spaceship Earth it was still a disappointment to most. The FP queue for Toy Story Mania was absolutely ridiculous and should be re-figured. Backlot Tour must either be replaced or have a major overhaul. And finally, the American idol Experience, while not great was better than I expected.
Other resort: We had only one issue here. The Animal Kingdom Lodge busses need an announcement made that the 1st stop is the villas and the 2nd stop is for the lodege itself, much like they do at the Port Orleans resorts or CBR. That would have saved a lot of confusion for poor Ashleigh.
Dining, Table Service:
Cape May Cafe: Grade A. The only reason I did not give it an A+ is for the poor server that we had.
Princess Storybook Breakfast: Grade A- Food was good, the characters were wonderful, but it is way overpriced.
Yak & Yeti Grade A+ Great Service, great tasting food, generous portions, very reasonably priced.
San Angel Inn Grade C+ Bad service, not much menu selection, small portions, but great atmosphere.
Boma Grade A+ a wonderful surprise 1st time dining here, much better than anyone anticipated and now on the must do list.
O'hana Grade B+ great table, good service, but no wontons, and not enough servings for all of us. We were looked down upon for asking for seconds. Food was delicious.
Kona Cafe Grade A Great food, service was good and acoomodated extra person without a problem.
Trail's End Buffet Grade A- Good food, not a huge selection, a little out of the way, but nice change of pace
1900 Park Fare Grade A- Good food, bad service, odd character handling and odd table placement
Nine Dragons Grade A Rose and Theresa give it 2 thumbs up
Marrakesh Grade A Ron thoroughly enjoyed it as always, Ashleigh thought it good and loved the atmosphere
Dining, Counter Service
Backlot Express Grade A- good food, hard to maneuver with ECV
Earl of Sandwich Grade A+ Great food, very crowded but very prompt service
Columbia harbor House Grade A+ love the food and atmosphere
Yak & Yeti Grade B+ Good food a bit over priced, though and more shaded eating area needed
ABC Commissary Grade A- Better menu choices once again
Everything Pop Grade B+ generally good, but one bad experience for Theresa which made her sick and manager was not helpful.
Diamond Horshoe Saloon Grade B+ Not bad, had to ourselves for the most part, but while the food was decent, I don't generally prefer boxed meals even though mine was tasty.
Overall: Overall it was a good trip, but it was hard to say goodbye to Courtney before it was over. Perhaps next year we will take the vacation separately than when she returns to school. Also, while it is most enjoyable when all members are present, it is becoming increasingly difficult to plan around work and sports schedules, so I think we may have to take our vacations in bunches like we did in 2007. Also, I have to say it was a little distracting to have lovestruck teenager who missed her boyfriend with us! If they're still together, he may have to come along next time! lol
Now for the 10 most shocking moments of our trip!
#10 For the 1st half of the trip everytime we either came out of our room, or returned to it we were greeted by the same drunken half naked folks from 2 doors down. Although really shocking at first, they were quite friendly and we came to expect them. Then one day, they were gone!
#9 The orange back pack lady. She was behind us in line at the Backlot Tour. She had an enormous back pack on and she was turning around almost continuously, unfortunately, she was banging Rose in the back of the head and not saying a word. We wound up exiting at the same time and as we both made our way past TSM, she bangs into me pushing the stroller, sandwiching me between another guest and has the audacity to say to me, "You are going to have to learn how to walk straight with that thing!" To which I reply, "you weren't watching where you were going and bumped me!" Oh no, no, no! I hear, before she turns off to Narnia and screams at me to have a nice day, I wish her one as well, just not quite so loud.
#8 The line jumper at Haunted Mansion. Apparently, when you stop in line and are distracted for a few seconds before you noticed that the line moved, it is a perfect time for someone on the other side of the chain in th queue to cross over. Clearly those people were just inviting her and her son to go in front of them.
#7 The ambulance at the Magic Kingdom gates. I thought usually they are let backstage, not up in front to wheel someone all through the park on a stretcher for all to see. Unfortunately, this was for the young man who wound up dying from his injuries at the Pirate Tutorial.
#6 The rude lady at the Pop bus stop at DHS, who couldn't help but make comments to me about Rose and her ECV. Since we opted to wait in the line rather than board with Rose in front of those already waiting, she had no idea at first that Rose was with us, and when I mentioned it, she still did not stop. She then proceeded to judge someone because she missed her bus and used a not so nice word, not terrible but not nice. She prattled on about what a terrible mother is for leting her 5 year old hear that. Problem was there was no one in the group younger than 18, and most the surrounding kids didn't hear her. She then told her daughter to just look at all these people around her, who obviously did not measure up.
#5 Emily walking right in front of me on our way to the bus at Pop. I stepped on her heel and broke a blister, and trying not to injure her any worse, I wound falling over her and catapulting through the air and landing in the giant foosball area. While everyone in my party just stood there, a maid came dashing across to offer assistance and to see if I was OK. I was just humiliated!
#4 While we were taking Courtney back to college, Ashleigh had gone to MK for a short while. Apparently, she was not walking fast enough for some guy, who thought it was alright to put his hands on her back and push her out of the way. She yelled at him not to touch her, to which he replied that other people are trying to walk! His teenaged son was mortified.
#3 While we were there Theresa's boss from her summer job called to say that they replaced her and she was sure she would understand. No big deal, she was going to be leaving in two weeks anyway to go back to school. Nice touch calling her on vacation, and doing it early when she was counting on that money. Thsi is not to mention all that Theresa had to put up with and how many favors she did for this lady.
#2 While we riding Buzz Lightyear, Rose had parked her ECV right where the CM had told her to. When we disembarked, we saw a CM looking at the back. Apparently someone else in an ECV had rear-ended it hard! It cracked the bumper. Now she had rented it from a company in FL. She wound up being charged $59 for it. The CM saw it happen, but did nothing. I would think the $59 should be the other lady's expense, but the CM did nit get a name or any info from her.
#1 I swear I've seen a lot over the years, but nothing like this. Rose was sitting in her ECV, parked against a wall waiting for me to get fp's for TSM. In her basket, she had a bag of cheezits in case Emily or anyone needed a little snack. A boy, about 12 or 13 walked by and grabbed the cheezits and kept walking!!!
Pop Century: We had a very pleasant stay here as we usually do. It is not our favorite resort, but for a value resort, we enjoy it very much. Our only issues we had were very minor, and involved only the front desk. Our CM checking us in was quite inept, but not nearly as bad as the CM I dealt with at the end of our stay when I tried to send a package. Our rooms were a little bit of a hike, but not really that far away from either the bus stop or the food court. We actually had a nice quiet location with a pretty view. I do prefer the 70's section to the 50's section, having only stayed in those. The rooms were also made in a timely fashion and were clean, so no issues there. Bus service was nothing short of outstanding! Our experience with the food court was also good, never encountering large crowds and the food was good.
Parks: The parks were much more crowded than I had anticipated. During the last year we have taken several 1 or 2 day trips coinciding with Courtney's breaks and found the parks very "uncrowded" so this was a bit of a surprise. They were clean and we had no issues there. However, IMHO they appeared to be significantly understaffed. Sometimes it was very hard to locate a CM when needed which appeared to be the case for others as well. All CM's we encountered were friendly and helpful. Space Mt. an the TTA were most definitely missed, especially the latter when we just needed that relaxing break that you can only find on the TTA. Although a few of us had already ridden the new Spaceship Earth it was still a disappointment to most. The FP queue for Toy Story Mania was absolutely ridiculous and should be re-figured. Backlot Tour must either be replaced or have a major overhaul. And finally, the American idol Experience, while not great was better than I expected.
Other resort: We had only one issue here. The Animal Kingdom Lodge busses need an announcement made that the 1st stop is the villas and the 2nd stop is for the lodege itself, much like they do at the Port Orleans resorts or CBR. That would have saved a lot of confusion for poor Ashleigh.
Dining, Table Service:
Cape May Cafe: Grade A. The only reason I did not give it an A+ is for the poor server that we had.
Princess Storybook Breakfast: Grade A- Food was good, the characters were wonderful, but it is way overpriced.
Yak & Yeti Grade A+ Great Service, great tasting food, generous portions, very reasonably priced.
San Angel Inn Grade C+ Bad service, not much menu selection, small portions, but great atmosphere.
Boma Grade A+ a wonderful surprise 1st time dining here, much better than anyone anticipated and now on the must do list.
O'hana Grade B+ great table, good service, but no wontons, and not enough servings for all of us. We were looked down upon for asking for seconds. Food was delicious.
Kona Cafe Grade A Great food, service was good and acoomodated extra person without a problem.
Trail's End Buffet Grade A- Good food, not a huge selection, a little out of the way, but nice change of pace
1900 Park Fare Grade A- Good food, bad service, odd character handling and odd table placement
Nine Dragons Grade A Rose and Theresa give it 2 thumbs up
Marrakesh Grade A Ron thoroughly enjoyed it as always, Ashleigh thought it good and loved the atmosphere
Dining, Counter Service
Backlot Express Grade A- good food, hard to maneuver with ECV
Earl of Sandwich Grade A+ Great food, very crowded but very prompt service
Columbia harbor House Grade A+ love the food and atmosphere
Yak & Yeti Grade B+ Good food a bit over priced, though and more shaded eating area needed
ABC Commissary Grade A- Better menu choices once again
Everything Pop Grade B+ generally good, but one bad experience for Theresa which made her sick and manager was not helpful.
Diamond Horshoe Saloon Grade B+ Not bad, had to ourselves for the most part, but while the food was decent, I don't generally prefer boxed meals even though mine was tasty.
Overall: Overall it was a good trip, but it was hard to say goodbye to Courtney before it was over. Perhaps next year we will take the vacation separately than when she returns to school. Also, while it is most enjoyable when all members are present, it is becoming increasingly difficult to plan around work and sports schedules, so I think we may have to take our vacations in bunches like we did in 2007. Also, I have to say it was a little distracting to have lovestruck teenager who missed her boyfriend with us! If they're still together, he may have to come along next time! lol
Now for the 10 most shocking moments of our trip!
#10 For the 1st half of the trip everytime we either came out of our room, or returned to it we were greeted by the same drunken half naked folks from 2 doors down. Although really shocking at first, they were quite friendly and we came to expect them. Then one day, they were gone!
#9 The orange back pack lady. She was behind us in line at the Backlot Tour. She had an enormous back pack on and she was turning around almost continuously, unfortunately, she was banging Rose in the back of the head and not saying a word. We wound up exiting at the same time and as we both made our way past TSM, she bangs into me pushing the stroller, sandwiching me between another guest and has the audacity to say to me, "You are going to have to learn how to walk straight with that thing!" To which I reply, "you weren't watching where you were going and bumped me!" Oh no, no, no! I hear, before she turns off to Narnia and screams at me to have a nice day, I wish her one as well, just not quite so loud.
#8 The line jumper at Haunted Mansion. Apparently, when you stop in line and are distracted for a few seconds before you noticed that the line moved, it is a perfect time for someone on the other side of the chain in th queue to cross over. Clearly those people were just inviting her and her son to go in front of them.
#7 The ambulance at the Magic Kingdom gates. I thought usually they are let backstage, not up in front to wheel someone all through the park on a stretcher for all to see. Unfortunately, this was for the young man who wound up dying from his injuries at the Pirate Tutorial.
#6 The rude lady at the Pop bus stop at DHS, who couldn't help but make comments to me about Rose and her ECV. Since we opted to wait in the line rather than board with Rose in front of those already waiting, she had no idea at first that Rose was with us, and when I mentioned it, she still did not stop. She then proceeded to judge someone because she missed her bus and used a not so nice word, not terrible but not nice. She prattled on about what a terrible mother is for leting her 5 year old hear that. Problem was there was no one in the group younger than 18, and most the surrounding kids didn't hear her. She then told her daughter to just look at all these people around her, who obviously did not measure up.
#5 Emily walking right in front of me on our way to the bus at Pop. I stepped on her heel and broke a blister, and trying not to injure her any worse, I wound falling over her and catapulting through the air and landing in the giant foosball area. While everyone in my party just stood there, a maid came dashing across to offer assistance and to see if I was OK. I was just humiliated!
#4 While we were taking Courtney back to college, Ashleigh had gone to MK for a short while. Apparently, she was not walking fast enough for some guy, who thought it was alright to put his hands on her back and push her out of the way. She yelled at him not to touch her, to which he replied that other people are trying to walk! His teenaged son was mortified.
#3 While we were there Theresa's boss from her summer job called to say that they replaced her and she was sure she would understand. No big deal, she was going to be leaving in two weeks anyway to go back to school. Nice touch calling her on vacation, and doing it early when she was counting on that money. Thsi is not to mention all that Theresa had to put up with and how many favors she did for this lady.
#2 While we riding Buzz Lightyear, Rose had parked her ECV right where the CM had told her to. When we disembarked, we saw a CM looking at the back. Apparently someone else in an ECV had rear-ended it hard! It cracked the bumper. Now she had rented it from a company in FL. She wound up being charged $59 for it. The CM saw it happen, but did nothing. I would think the $59 should be the other lady's expense, but the CM did nit get a name or any info from her.
#1 I swear I've seen a lot over the years, but nothing like this. Rose was sitting in her ECV, parked against a wall waiting for me to get fp's for TSM. In her basket, she had a bag of cheezits in case Emily or anyone needed a little snack. A boy, about 12 or 13 walked by and grabbed the cheezits and kept walking!!!