- Joined
- Oct 22, 2008
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- DVC:
Grand Floridian
Copper Creek
Beach Club Villas
Hilton Head Island
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Barony Beach
Mountainside
We are just back from a week's exchange into Boulder Ridge, which used up the very last of our old Hyatt deposits. It was "quite a trip".
1. We invited an old college friend of Mr. H's who has never been to WDW, and who had previously told us that WDW was on his bucket list. He gave us a budget, stated his interest was to just do whatever we'd normally do, the plan was to spend 4 nights with us and 2 park days. Well... it turns out he's not a Disney Person. Despite sticking to his budget, he's on a fixed income and even a planned splurge expenditure like Ohana that was well within his stated budget (in part because we were cooking in the next day) clearly felt uncomfortable to him- even though he was aware of the cost in advance. And then it turned out he really can't walk far- no stamina- or maybe an undiagnosed health issue. The ambience was lost on him- the WL lobby was shrug worthy, when Mr. H tried to point out a piece of Disneyana, he turned to look briefly, said nothing, and then changed the subject. We were able to get a decent day in at Epcot (although zero interest from our friend in World Showcase) but the MK day consisted of rope dropping Tron, then Space Mountain, and Carousel of Progress, and then being too tired to continue. Of course I missed this because I was back in the villa puking...
2. Day 5 of the trip I got the stomach flu which was terrible. Day 6, I was wiped out but no longer puking (yay). Day 7, we had a nice day at MK.
3. Days 1-3 of the trip, it was very cold. Temps in the 30s and 40s!
Sounds terrible and it probably wasn't our best trip but there were some highlights: got to see my cousin and niece (who just happened to be in Orlando for a few hours post cruise), I spent a good deal of time solo at Epcot and enjoyed that while Mr. H rested up with his buddy, we ate more QS which I actually thought had a lot going for it (less forethought, less expense), we played the Fairways mini golf course and remembered how fun it that one is, our MK day was a great save at the 11th hour.
Dining Reviews
Geyser Point. 5/10. We like this place, good ambience and food. However if you might be thinking "surely Disney has a plan for keeping us warm at this establishment in case of cold weather"- well, you'd be very much wrong. Get your food to go, don't even trying sitting down!
Ohana. 8/10. This is a nostalgia place for us. We were sad to hear the reports of its decline in quality but glad to report that we enjoyed it very much. We thought the food and drink were great. The ambience as we remembered it used to be more Hawaiian (music, right?). We'd have rated Ohana higher if it felt a little less chaotic and more islandic.
STK Steak Lunch. 2/10. We needed a lunch spot in DTD that had gluten free food for my niece. I thought a steakhouse would be safe. It was not. We all ordered burgers, and then because we'd "only" ordered burgers, were told out DVC discount did not apply. They had no gluten free buns which was no biggie but also non-gluten-free-fries (really, I guess I don't understand gluten), and were only willing to upcharge the meal by 50% to sub a gluten free side. The building apparently has no heat. They were running a space heater but it was probably 50 degrees inside the restaurant. Not impressed, can't really imagine this place staying in business at this location- was a very Vegas-vibe.
Gasparilla Grill. 8/10. This was a sub for Wailulu to save $ for our friend. I had a really good made-to-order giant salad. The boys had sandwiches, which looked good and they reported to be tasty.
Roaring Fork. 8/10. Weirdly I have never once eaten in this place in 20 years of visiting WDW. I had a killer (plain!) turkey sandwich when I finally got back onto solid food, Mr. H enjoyed his Burnt Ends quite a bit.
Whispering Canyon. 6/10. We had breakfast here before we left. We do love this place. However, it was a mistake, as I am yet unable to digest many types of food! I should have stuck with tea and toast in the villa.
Sadly, we cancelled our Segway tour of Fort Wilderness due to concerns I'd topple over. Hopefully- next time!
Also- the only positive thing our friend ever really said about Disney was "the people who work here are really nice." I totally agreed with that on this trip. Many times I saw cast members go above and beyond. Maybe it was the cold weather. Maybe I just noticed it more for some reason. I submitted two cast member compliments. That Jacklyn managing the rope barrier where we were waiting for the fireworks- wow, such a nice person! She recognized a family with a young girl who had been spooked by the noise of the fireworks several days prior. Jacklyn had helped mama get her to "safety" while papa stayed with her sisters to watch the fireworks. Now they were back and the girl wanted to give it a second try. What a lovely pep talk she got from Jacklyn, and also assurances that Jacklyn could get her to a quiet place again if needed. It was really amazing. And yes, the little girl stayed for the fireworks and watched them with her family, big smile on her face. No, I'm not crying! You're crying!
PS- Our friend's expenses for 5 nights at Boulder Ridge + 2 park days: $499!
1. We invited an old college friend of Mr. H's who has never been to WDW, and who had previously told us that WDW was on his bucket list. He gave us a budget, stated his interest was to just do whatever we'd normally do, the plan was to spend 4 nights with us and 2 park days. Well... it turns out he's not a Disney Person. Despite sticking to his budget, he's on a fixed income and even a planned splurge expenditure like Ohana that was well within his stated budget (in part because we were cooking in the next day) clearly felt uncomfortable to him- even though he was aware of the cost in advance. And then it turned out he really can't walk far- no stamina- or maybe an undiagnosed health issue. The ambience was lost on him- the WL lobby was shrug worthy, when Mr. H tried to point out a piece of Disneyana, he turned to look briefly, said nothing, and then changed the subject. We were able to get a decent day in at Epcot (although zero interest from our friend in World Showcase) but the MK day consisted of rope dropping Tron, then Space Mountain, and Carousel of Progress, and then being too tired to continue. Of course I missed this because I was back in the villa puking...
2. Day 5 of the trip I got the stomach flu which was terrible. Day 6, I was wiped out but no longer puking (yay). Day 7, we had a nice day at MK.
3. Days 1-3 of the trip, it was very cold. Temps in the 30s and 40s!
Sounds terrible and it probably wasn't our best trip but there were some highlights: got to see my cousin and niece (who just happened to be in Orlando for a few hours post cruise), I spent a good deal of time solo at Epcot and enjoyed that while Mr. H rested up with his buddy, we ate more QS which I actually thought had a lot going for it (less forethought, less expense), we played the Fairways mini golf course and remembered how fun it that one is, our MK day was a great save at the 11th hour.
Dining Reviews
Geyser Point. 5/10. We like this place, good ambience and food. However if you might be thinking "surely Disney has a plan for keeping us warm at this establishment in case of cold weather"- well, you'd be very much wrong. Get your food to go, don't even trying sitting down!
Ohana. 8/10. This is a nostalgia place for us. We were sad to hear the reports of its decline in quality but glad to report that we enjoyed it very much. We thought the food and drink were great. The ambience as we remembered it used to be more Hawaiian (music, right?). We'd have rated Ohana higher if it felt a little less chaotic and more islandic.
STK Steak Lunch. 2/10. We needed a lunch spot in DTD that had gluten free food for my niece. I thought a steakhouse would be safe. It was not. We all ordered burgers, and then because we'd "only" ordered burgers, were told out DVC discount did not apply. They had no gluten free buns which was no biggie but also non-gluten-free-fries (really, I guess I don't understand gluten), and were only willing to upcharge the meal by 50% to sub a gluten free side. The building apparently has no heat. They were running a space heater but it was probably 50 degrees inside the restaurant. Not impressed, can't really imagine this place staying in business at this location- was a very Vegas-vibe.
Gasparilla Grill. 8/10. This was a sub for Wailulu to save $ for our friend. I had a really good made-to-order giant salad. The boys had sandwiches, which looked good and they reported to be tasty.
Roaring Fork. 8/10. Weirdly I have never once eaten in this place in 20 years of visiting WDW. I had a killer (plain!) turkey sandwich when I finally got back onto solid food, Mr. H enjoyed his Burnt Ends quite a bit.
Whispering Canyon. 6/10. We had breakfast here before we left. We do love this place. However, it was a mistake, as I am yet unable to digest many types of food! I should have stuck with tea and toast in the villa.
Sadly, we cancelled our Segway tour of Fort Wilderness due to concerns I'd topple over. Hopefully- next time!
Also- the only positive thing our friend ever really said about Disney was "the people who work here are really nice." I totally agreed with that on this trip. Many times I saw cast members go above and beyond. Maybe it was the cold weather. Maybe I just noticed it more for some reason. I submitted two cast member compliments. That Jacklyn managing the rope barrier where we were waiting for the fireworks- wow, such a nice person! She recognized a family with a young girl who had been spooked by the noise of the fireworks several days prior. Jacklyn had helped mama get her to "safety" while papa stayed with her sisters to watch the fireworks. Now they were back and the girl wanted to give it a second try. What a lovely pep talk she got from Jacklyn, and also assurances that Jacklyn could get her to a quiet place again if needed. It was really amazing. And yes, the little girl stayed for the fireworks and watched them with her family, big smile on her face. No, I'm not crying! You're crying!
PS- Our friend's expenses for 5 nights at Boulder Ridge + 2 park days: $499!
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