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Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort Review

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Having recently given my opinion on the Gran Destino Tower, I thought I would do an overall review of Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort!

Disney's Coronado Springs Resort

Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort

As a quick refresher, Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort is a sprawling moderate resort at Walt Disney World. Its decor has touches of Spanish, Mexican, and Southwest American flair. There’s even a conference center here! It also boasts a surprising number of restaurants!

Standard Room

On my very first trip to Walt Disney World in 2014, my mom and I stayed in a standard room here. I loved the pretty turquoise color used in 2014, but the current theme is nice as well. The rooms here are comfortable and lovely. They are perfect for an adults only trip.

Pros

  • Lovely theme – This resort has a romantic theme that would be great for a couples getaway.
  • Recently refurbished – You know the rooms should be nice here as they have been refurbished in the past several years.
  • Lots of food options – Since this resort hosts conventions, it has more than the average number of food options on site. So, you don’t have to leave the resort to eat.
  • Awesome pool – I know lots of people love the main pool here with its gigantic pyramid!
  • Quieter – If you aren’t staying during a convention or sports event, it tends to be a quiet place.
  • On-site perks – I love the free park transportation and 60 days advance dining reservations that staying on-site provides.

Cons

  • Large layout – This is my biggest gripe about most of the moderate resorts at Walt Disney World. They are huge! This can make for a long walk at the end of a long day.
  • Multiple bus stops – There’s only bus transportation available here and there’s multiple bus stops around the resort. So, pack your patience when you stay here.
  • Simple theme – While I think the theme is beautiful, it’s not too exciting for kids. There aren’t many Disney touches around this resort.
  • Crowds – I urge you to consult crowd calendars for sports events and/or conventions before booking here. We got lucky because we were staying in between cheer and dance competitions. However, we got to see big crowds leaving on our arrival day and big ones arriving when we were departing.

Is Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort worth it?

While I love the Gran Destino tower here, I don’t intend on spending money to stay in a regular part of the resort again unless I get a good deal. I love the Skyliner access at Pop Century or the small size of the French Quarter. However, it is a good resort. It would really come down to preferences and price for me.

So, have you ever stayed here? What did you think?

Crystal Palace Character Breakfast Review

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Back in October, my husband and I enjoyed the Crystal Palace character breakfast in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World! Today, I am sharing our review of that experience.

Crystal Palace Character Breakfast

Crystal Palace Character Breakfast

My husband and I grew up watching Winnie the Pooh cartoons and movies. I’ve been lucky enough to meet Pooh and friends a couple of times. However, my husband hasn’t been with me on those prior trips to Disney. We initially had this meal booked for a March 2020 trip. However, that trip was cancelled due to Covid when the resort shut down. We’ve been slowly making up reservations from that trip with each return visit, including trying Topolino’s Terrace Character Breakfast on this trip as well. So, I was tickled to finally check off Crystal Palace with my husband so he could meet these characters!

For those who don’t know, Crystal Palace is a greenhouse-inspired with Victorian touches restaurant right off Main Street in the Magic Kingdom. It features a buffet and Winnie the Pooh characters!

Breakfast Food

I booked a late breakfast reservation for 10:15 AM. Breakfast is cheaper than lunch and dinner, at $48/adult vs $61/adult. However, as with my Tusker House Breakfast Review, they start switching out the food from breakfast to lunch around 10:45 AM. So, we got to enjoy a little bit of both meals for the price of breakfast!

The one item they are known for here during breakfast is the churro Mickey waffles! I made sure to grab one as soon as I hit up the buffet to make sure I didn’t miss it. It’s a sweet, cinnamon waffle that’s unique as most other locations only serve regular Mickey waffles. So, if you are looking for a character meal with a little bit different menu, this may be a good spot. You can view more of my food in the Instagram post below.

The Characters

Being two grown adults, my husband and I try not to take too much of the characters’ time. This was a pretty fast character meal though. First up was Piglet. He’s so pink and cute! Next up, it was Tigger who is a brighter orange than you would think. Then, it was Eeyore! He was extra cute as he came up behind my seated husband and played a bit of peek-a-boo with him. Haha! That was probably the stand out memory from this meal. I loved the pictures I managed to get of my husband and Eeyore.

Currently, Winnie the Pooh does not come around to the tables to meet you. You get in line to meet him at the end of your meal, before you leave the restaurant. Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait too long to meet him. There’s a cast member there to take photos, which made it the only character photo we got together. I thought it was a nice touch.

Is Crystal Palace character breakfast worth it?

As with any character meal, it’s an expensive meal. Aside from the much hyped churro waffles, I wouldn’t say any of the food stood out. However, you don’t really go here for the food. Besides, the food options in Magic Kingdom can be lackluster anyways. If you are a fan of Pooh and friends, then this is a great option. If you are looking for a sit down breakfast at MK, then it’s also not a bad idea. I wouldn’t recommend this place for someone on a tight budget though.

So, have you enjoyed the Crystal Palace character breakfast?

Cabana Bay Beach Resort Review

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In December, my mom and I stayed in a standard tower room at Cabana Bay Beach Resort during the Universal Orlando portion of our trip. Today, I’m sharing a review of that experience as well as my thoughts on the resort as a whole.

Cabana Bay Beach Resort

Cabana Bay Beach Resort

Last year, I reviewed the family suite at this resort. For my third stay here, we booked a standard room. Unfortunately, a regular room wasn’t ready when we checked in. So, they gave us a tower room with a bit of a view of Volcano Bay (the waterpark).

As you may recall, CB is a Value Resort at Universal Orlando. This means it’s in the same category as Universal’s Endless Summer Resorts, which I reviewed previously. Previously, it was considered a Prime Value, but it has been downgraded to a Value with the addition of the Stella Nova and Terra Luna coming in 2025. It offers only bus transportation to the parks and doesn’t come with free express passes. It features a retro 50/60’s vibe with lots of fun little touches.

Standard Room

My mom continues to enjoy the retro vibes of this resort. I think it makes her feel nostalgic. The beds were moderately comfortable. One huge complaint I have about this resort is the water pressure. It’s not enough for the shower or the toilet to work properly. Universal really needs to work on that. Overall, it was a comfortable enough room, considering we got a passholder discount and were there for only two nights.

Bayside Tower

While we had a standard two queen room, it was situated in the Bayside Tower. I have mixed feelings on the tower. While the tower itself seemed quieter than the building, the view of the waterpark made for a loud stay during the day. The drums that beat and the music that plays at the beginning of the day woke me up the one morning that we were sleeping in. Additionally, we could hear music playing during the day when we were napping. The noise is one of the reasons I recommend getting a white noise machine and/or a standard view at hotels. The other problem is the distance from the lobby and transportation. It’s quite the walk with all of your luggage or at the end of a long day.

Food Options

Given that this is a Value resort, there’s only quick service options here. There’s the main Bayliner Diner food court that serves the bulk of you what you can get here. I recommend the half chicken for dinner from here. I like to grab a smoothie and a croissant sandwich from Shakes Malt Shoppe for breakfast. There’s also the Galaxy Bowl Restaurant, Swizzle Lounge, two pool bars, and a Starbucks here. Unfortunately, if you want a nicer sit-down meal, you’ll have to head to the parks or City Walk.

Pros

  • Free park transportation – Again, free park transportation is one of the main reasons I tend to stay on property at UO and Disney.
  • Early park admission – Hotel guests can enter a certain park 1 hour early.
  • More affordable – We got a great passholder deal on this room of around $150/night!
  • Pool – CB has the largest pool on property and even has a lazy river!
  • Bowling alley – Fitting the retro theme, there’s even a bowling alley at this resort! It would make a great non-park day activity.
  • Lots of room options – There’s interior entry rooms in the main buildings as well as the towers. There’s also several exterior entry rooms available as well as family suites.

Cons

  • No sit down restaurant – For some families, this may be fine. For others, it may be a disappointment.
  • Bus only transportation – It’s not really feasible to walk over to Sapphire Falls to take the boat to the parks here. Although, there is a 20 minute garden walk path over to the parks.
  • Low water pressure – In fact, when we moved over to Disney I was actually impressed with their water pressure. That’s how low the pressure is here.
  • Can be crowded – Given how large the resort is, it can be a crowded resort. Additionally, sometimes groups or teams may stay here.
  • Distance – Given how many rooms this resort has, it’s spread out as far as UO resorts go. Depending on where you are staying, it may be a bit of a hike to the bus and/or lobby.

Should you stay at Cabana Bay Beach Resort?

If you want a good value on the hotel or need a quieter family suite, then this is an excellent resort. In fact, I know lots of people consider this one of their favorite resorts. It’s usually more affordable and has plenty of room options. If you want a classier theme, quieter resort, express passes included, or boat transportation, then you will want to consider a different resort. Have you stayed at Cabana Bay?

Magic Kingdom After Hours 2024 Review

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I just returned from a lovely trip to the Orlando theme parks. While there, my mom and I attended a Magic Kingdom after hours event. So, I thought I would do a little review of the experience to help others decide if it’s a good event for them.

Magic Kingdom After Hours

Magic Kingdom After Hours

Walt Disney World hosts special after hours events at their theme parks. These are separately ticketed events that take place after normal park hours. They are more expensive than a regular theme park ticket. However, they are limited capacity events so there are significantly fewer people in the park.

Currently, only three parks are hosting these special events: Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot. The Magic Kingdom dates are either a Monday or Thursday, from now until June 27th. Technically, the event is only three hours: 10 PM to 1 AM. However, your ticket will allow you to enter the park at 7 PM.

The Rides

The main appeal of these events is the ability to ride the rides without much wait. The night we attended started out rainy. So, we were able to ride lots of rides before the event officially started! By 10:05 PM we had been on Pirates, Big Thunder Mountain, and Haunted Mansion! If we had skipped the first fireworks show (more on that below), we probably could have hit up even more rides.

By the end of the night we had ridden Haunted Mansion and Big Thunder 2x each! We also managed to ride Mine Train with minimal wait as we got on right before they closed the line for the second fireworks show. We also rode It’s a Small World, Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan’s Flight, and Tomorrowland Speedway once each! As you can see, this is an amazing opportunity to ride lots of rides in a short amount of time!

The Free Snacks

These events also come with some free snacks! Select ice cream novelties and popcorn are provided for free during the event! You can also get bottled beverages included with the price of admission! They start handing them out at 10 PM, so we grabbed a couple of drinks and ice creams prior to the second fireworks show. I got an ice cream sandwich and my mom got an ice cream bar. They also had a strawberry bar available. This was a nice break and a chance to relax in between running around the park for rides.

The Entertainment

New for 2024, this event comes with a special showing of the Disney Enchantment fireworks! So, for the price of one ticket, you can see two fireworks shows! Plus, the second one is with much smaller crowds. We watched the regular fireworks show, Happily Ever After with the regular park guests on Main Street. Even with the rain and wind, it was a huge crowd. So, it was a rare (and very nice) opportunity to experience Enchantment from right in front of the castle with plenty of elbow room! Then again, we are the same people who will pay extra for a seated fireworks dessert party.

Is the Magic Kingdom After Hours event worth it?

The event costs $155-175 per person, with discounts for DVC owners and passholders. So, it’s a pricey 3-6 hours in the park. However, it was worth it for us. It allowed us to rides countless rides as well as watch two fireworks shows and enjoy a few snacks. I don’t think it would be worth it if you go often or if you have young kids who can’t stay up late. However, for two adults it’s a great night in the park.

Have you ever attended one of these events?

Finnegan’s Bar and Grill at Universal Orlando Review

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On my most recent trip to Universal Orlando Resort, my mom and I once again booked the Mardi Gras Ride and Dine package. However, this time we decided to try Finnegan’s Bar and Grill for our dinner. So, here’s my review of that experience.

Finnegan's Bar and Grill

Finnegan’s Bar and Grill

Finnegan’s is an Irish-American pub located in the New York section of the Universal Studios Florida park. It features many Irish dishes as well as some classics like burgers. It’s one of the two sit-down restaurants in this park. The other being Lombard’s Seafood Grille, which we ate at last year for this package.

The restaurant often has live music. I know some people like to enjoy a drink at the bar while enjoying the band. For us though, it was too loud. My mom wears a hearing aid, so the loud music made it hard for us to talk and for her to converse with the waitress. It wasn’t impossible, just difficult. So, something to keep in mind if you have hearing issues.

The Food

Since we ate here as a part of the Ride and Dine package, we were both able to select an appetizer, entree, dessert, and beverage for our meal. My mom ordered a diet drink, which she enjoyed. I ordered a water.

For an appetizer, I chose the Guinness Warm 3 Cheese Dip served with soft pretzel sticks. It reminded me of the pretzel bites we used to sell when I worked at a movie theater. It was good, but not anything groundbreaking. My mom selected the Potato & Onion Webb. It was basically a big basket of fried onions and potatoes. It was a touch greasy but had a good flavor.

For the entree, I ordered the Bronzed Flounder. The fish was a little dry or well-done but tasted good. The vegetables were also fine. Again, not anything mind-blowing here. My mom chose the Irish Fish and Chips. Unfortunately, this was a greasy mess. The fish was mostly bread with very little actual fish. I attempted to tear a piece off to try and got a handful of grease! I was actually shocked by how greasy this fish was. So, maybe don’t order this dish if you don’t like grease.

As for the dessert, we both selected the Apple Caramel Bread Pudding. This was the highlight of the meal. It was warm with a scoop of ice cream! The bread pudding was a little dry, but that ice cream really helped it. It was a nice to way to end the meal.

Mardi Gras Ride and Dine

As I stated above, this meal was purchased for the Mardi Gras Ride and Dine experience. Last year, we were given our lanyard and information as soon as we entered the restaurant. This time we were told we didn’t need anything. However, we spotted other diners as we were leaving wearing lanyards for the experience. So, we asked the attendant who said we needed the lanyard for the event. He went in the back to look for our packet but couldn’t find it. We ended up waiting several minutes for someone to pull our stuff together. Then, we had to sprint across the park to make it in time for the parade line up.

This year, we were on the King and Queen float. Unfortunately, some big guy was beside me and crowded me out of my spot on the float. I spent most of the parade standing behind my mom and we took turns tossing beads. One thing we learned from last year: run directly to the photo pick up location at the front of the park for ride photos. We purchased a few nice pictures this year and I love that we have souvenirs this year.

Is Finnegan’s Bar and Grill worth it?

This is probably one of the harshest reviews I’ve ever posted. However, I strive to be honest here, so it is what it is. I wouldn’t eat here again. The food wasn’t great and certainly not worth the prices charged. My mom’s fish was one of the greasiest dishes I’ve ever encountered. My fish was ok. The dessert was pretty good, but I think you can find better desserts/snacks elsewhere. If we book the Ride and Dine experience again, it will be at another restaurant.