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LUNCH AT BE OUR GUEST IN THE MAGIC KINGDOM’S NEW FANTASYLAND

Update: Be Our Guest takes reservations for both breakfast and lunch, and reservations are highly recommended.

On our third trip to Walt Disney World after the restaurant opened, I finally had the courage to brave the lines and do counter service lunch at Be Our Guest.

Be Our Guest is the all-new Beauty and the Beast-themed restaurant that opened late last year as part of the Magic Kingdom’s New Fantasyland.

It’s the second best thing in New Fantasyland–Enchanted Tales with Belle is the best of what’s opened so far–but I remain concerned that menu limitations make it not a great choice for many first time family visitors with kids.

So I’ve chosen not to add counter service lunch at Be Our Guest to this site’s itineraries…though Be Our Guest for lunch has enough positives that I am still thinking about suggesting it as an option.  Putting it in as an option works because you don’t need–and can’t get–lunch reservations, so families can make the choice on the day of a visit.

REVIEW: BE OUR GUEST QUICK SERVICE LUNCH

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For the first page of this review of the Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort, see this.

A PHOTO TOUR OF THE CABINS AT DISNEY’S FORT WILDERNESS RESORT

OUTSIDE THE CABINS AT DISNEY’S FORT WILDERNESS RESORT

The first thing to note on approaching The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort is that you can park right outside, and that your cabin comes with its own grill. Nothing else at Disney World offers both these amenities except the Treehouse Villas.

Note also right behind the grill a shelf hanging off the deck–handy for landing food, tongs, seasonings, etc.

The deck itself is quite large, and includes a picnic table that seats six.

THE KITCHEN IN THE CABINS AT DISNEY’S FORT WILDERNESS RESORT

The main door of the Cabins at Fort Wilderness opens directly into the kitchen.

Besides having all the basic appliances, the kitchen comes supplied with tools…

…and all the basic serving and cooking gear for a family of six (more than the picture shows, as when I took it, we had a lot in the dishwasher).

It also comes with a standard fridge/freezer unit, with plenty of capacity.

You can stock your fridge from one of the two stores at Fort Wilderness…

…by calling in an order, and having the campsite staff deliver it; or, least expensively, by driving to one of the many grocery stores within 15 minutes or so of the Cabins.

Counter space here is thin, and you really need to use the dining table–which is pretty close–to prepare any substantive recipe.  Even another foot of counter space would help…

There’s plenty of food storage space.

You can consolidate the stuff in the kitchen cabinets and drawers to create space, and you’ll also find, to the right of the stove, a huge pantry–6 feet tall, 18 inches wide, and 24 inches deep.

But you might need some of this space for clothes…more on that later.

THE DINING/LIVING/MURPHY BED SPACE IN THE CABINS AT DISNEY’S FORT WILDERNESS RESORT

The kitchen shares space with the combined living and dining area.

The dining table includes three full-sized chairs and a bench, and easily seats six, if three can fit along the bench.

Next to the dining table is a couch that seats two or three, and also can serve as another sleeping spot for the shortest member of the family. If you use it as a bed, the two cushions are 22 inches wide and sum to 58 inches long.

On the other side of the room you’ll find a TV, and also a darling set of miniature chairs and a table that just begs to be used in a card game with the kids.

In the middle of the room there’s a padded object that can serve as either a footstool or a seat.  There’s no shortage of seating in these cabins!

Above this footstool you’ll see a wall with a Native-American inspired hanging. Behind this wall is the Murphy Bed.

The Murphy Bed, when deployed, is not quite as large as it looks–by my measurements the mattress is just a hair over six feet long, and it’s not quite 54 inches wide.  This makes it not quite a full bed.  It could be longer–there’s room both in the room and in the wall for more length.  Let’s hope we see that in the next renovation of the cabins.

But width is a problem too, and this bed is a tight fit on the width dimension.

See the floor plan at the top of the page, where the deployed Murphy Bed is indicated by dotted lines.  The Murphy Bed is so close to the couch that it’s actually easier to exit on this side over the foot of the bed, rather than inching along the tiny space between the couch and the bed.

Frankly, these cabins should be about a foot wider than they are.  If they were, then a queen Murphy Bed would fit here with still another 6 inches of egress space for larger feetsies by the couch…I’ll come back to this point in a minute.

There’s not a lot of storage space for those sleeping in this space.

There’s no closet–the only usable closet is in the back bedroom.

There are some storage cabinets.  Besides the pantry noted above in the discussion of the kitchen, there’s also storage space below the TV, and two small cabinets on either side of the Murphy Bed. The one behind the couch is hard to access with the bed down, and none of these options has drawers–also only available in the back bedroom, or from moving around the stuff in the kitchen drawers.

THE BACK HALL AND BATH IN THE CABINS AT DISNEY’S FORT WILDERNESS RESORT

On the other side of the kitchen there’s a hall leading to the bath and back bedroom (see the floor plan at the top of the page).

The bath is adequately sized, but unlike those at the other Disney World moderate resorts, is not divided into two spaces, and also has only one sink, not the two you’ll find at most of the other moderates. This makes it less handy for even four-person families than the baths at the other moderates.

Another foot of width would make it just barely possible to wall off the toilet and tub–at the cost of a little counter space at the sink.  This would make this bath much more usable for large families.

The biggest issue with the bath is not enough hot water.  Six people will need to be pretty thoughtful about their use of the tub and shower. So will three.

THE BACK BEDROOM IN THE CABINS AT DISNEY’S FORT WILDERNESS RESORT

The back bedroom has one almost-full sized bed, and a couple of bunk beds.

The larger bed has one side tight against the wall, meaning that if two are sleeping here, one has to exit over the other, or via the foot of the bed.

Another foot of width would permit both some access space for feets here, and even a queen here instead of a full bed…

The bunk beds have mattresses 66 inches long by 39 inches wide, but, because of the railings, sleep shorter than that.

Note the small table with two available drawers between the beds.

Other storage in this room is along the entry wall.

Under the TV you’ll find four smallish-drawers…

…and next to the TV you’ll find a small closet–not really big enough for six people, especially given the already limited storage space in the cabins.

Another foot of width would enable making this closet much more appropriately sized…

Left of the closet, what looks like another cabinet is actually the enclosure around the hot water heater. The top is usable, and on the short wall above it there’s a mirror. There’s also another mirror behind the door from the hall.

An oddity to these back bedrooms that troubles me a bit is the second door to the porch you’ll find in this space.

This door is secured by a deadbolt, which makes it easy to leave unlocked.  If kids are in this bedroom, and the hall door is closed, there’s some potential for the kids to get outside without the parents knowing…

Overall, I love these cabins.  But they sleep short, are thin on storage–especially closet–space, have an awkward bath set up for large families, and have some bed egress issues.  Here’s hoping that on the next rehab, Disney World can cantilever the floor on the porch side, and expand these rooms by a foot.

Since these are pre-fab, this may be prohibitively expensive…but doing so, and as part of that adding counter space to the kitchen, a separated bath, more closet space, a queen or two, and some bed egress space, would make a huge difference to the livability of these rooms…

MORE ON THE CABINS AT DISNEY’S FORT WILDERNESS RESORT

This review continues here!

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DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: MARCH 9, 2013 TO MARCH 17, 2013

The material below details operating hours, Extra Magic Hours, parades, and fireworks.

The same stuff is in the table, but organized by park, not by topic.

(For more on March 2013, see this.)

[Read more →]

(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter Resort, see this.)

AMENITIES AT DISNEY’S PORT ORLEANS FRENCH QUARTER RESORT

The 90+ acres of Port Orleans French Quarter include an arrival building called Port Orleans Square where you check in, buy tickets, and find shops, the food court, etc., and will find (just outside) the main themed pool.

The check-in lobby is lovely.

Next to it is the gift shop.

Nearby is the bar and quick-service dining, covered in their own post here, and outside is the pool, also with its own post.

Beyond the pool by the Sassagoula River is a boat stop.

The low-capacity ferry boats are more slow and infrequent than you might hope, but will take you to either Riverside (also within walking distance) or Disney Springs.

Port Orleans French Quarter has just one bus stop, but its buses are sometimes shared with the four stops at Port Orleans Riverside.

The Magic Kingdom bus is an important exception—it almost always goes directly to the Magic Kingdom, bypassing Riverside.

Port Orleans French Quarter has no table-service restaurant–the one that was here it was closed in 2001. One is at sister resort Port Orleans Riverside—about a half mile yard walk away—and is “shared” with Port Orleans French Quarter.

At the same time as these amenities were removed to save costs, the management of Riverside and French Quarter were combined, which is why you’ll see many sites and books refer to them as one hotel, Disney’s Port Orleans Resort.  They are, however, separate sister resorts in almost every way relevant to guests.

The only time that the combined management will  be relevant to you is if you need a problem solved.  For example, on one visit only half my dry cleaning was delivered, and when I called to solve this, I had to tell the supervisor which of the two hotels I was in.

Or if you want to make s’mores…

…or watch an evening movie–some times of the year, the evening entertainment happens at Riverside or French Quarter, but not both.

Carriage rides are also available at Riverside.

Dining is available at Scat Cat’s bar, the food court, and the pool.

DINING AT DISNEY’S PORT ORLEANS FRENCH QUARTER RESORT

This review continues here.

MATERIAL IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S PORT ORLEANS FRENCH QUARTER RESORT

• Overview and summary of Port Orleans French Quarter
• Port Orleans French Quarter theming and accommodations
• A photo tour of a refurbed standard room at Port Orleans French Quarter
• Amenities at Port Orleans French Quarter
• Dining at Port Orleans French Quarter
• The pool at Port Orleans French Quarter

OTHER KEY PAGES FOR WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD

• Where to stay–the Basics
• Where first-timers should stay
• Reviews of all the Disney World resorts, based on my 150+ stays in them

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest!!

For the first page of this review of Disney’s Coronado Springs, see this.

PHOTO TOUR OF A STANDARD ROOM AT DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT

The rooms at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, while generally familiar to those who have stayed in other traditional moderate resorts, do have some real distinctions–some from a different approach to handling warm and cool air, but most from adapting the basic layouts to the needs of convention visitors.

You’ll find two queens separated by a night table on one side of the room.

Here’s a view of this area from the bath side of the room.

The linens are elegant in a way typical of the room’s furnishings and fittings.

To the left of the bed you’ll see one consequence of the change to the handling of warm and cool air–a walled off area that at other moderates is open.

In the other moderates, air treatment is handled by a unit in each room below the front window. At Coronado Springs, each of the buildings does heating and cooling for a group of rooms, and distributes it via the vents you can see above.

As a result, the area right in front of the windows is open. You’ll find there, instead of an air handler, two ottomans.  These can be used as chairs and moved around the room.

On the side of the room away from the beds, you’ll find a desk–not the table and chairs found here in the other moderates–and an integrated dresser/mini-fridge/TV unit.

Here’s the same side of the room as seen from the bath area.

The desk is fine for one person to work at, and, if you pull over an ottoman, can also serve as a table.

After the desk, the next feature of the room inspired by taking care of two convention visitors per room is the combined dresser/fridge, the next item along this wall. Note the two columns of drawers.  The other moderate rooms typically have three large drawers for a family; these rooms have six smaller ones, so that two conventioneers can each have a stack of drawers.

Next to these is a mini-fridge. Beyond, rather than the kids bench you’ll find in other moderates, is blank space–perfect for a luggage rack.

A couple of points distinguish the Coronado Springs baths from those at other moderates–each meant to reinforce that the expectation is that only one of two conventioneers will use it at a time. The bath has just one sink.

Moreover, instead of being separated from the rest of the space by fabric curtains, rolling wooden doors isolate the bath form the sleeping area. You can see these reflected in the mirror in the shot of the sink, and right above is a shot of these doors closed, from the bedroom side. In the other moderates, you’ll find similar doors only in the refurbed rooms at Caribbean Beach.

Also in this area is the hanging rod, iron, and ironing board.

Finally, as usual, the tub and toilet area is in its own separate walled enclosure.

There’s a couple of these differences between Coronado Springs rooms and rooms in the other traditional moderates that I see as losses for family visitors–the lost sink, the lost table and two chairs, the lost kids bench.

Others, however, are clear positives–the extra living space in front of the window, the extra drawers, the two ottomans, and the wooden bath separator.

On balance, I think these rooms are just fine for families, but you may have to think about each little difference compared to the other traditional moderates in the context of your specific family!

MORE ON DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT

This review continues here.

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THE CABINS AT FORT WILDERNESS

The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort are distinctive among the Disney World moderate resorts for several reasons.

Positive distinctive features include that they are

• The only moderate option that sleeps six
• The only moderate with multiple living spaces, including a separate bedroom
• The only moderate with a full–and fully equipped–kitchen
• The only moderates located within America’s best campground–Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
• The only moderate option with a deck and barbecue grill

But there’s also negative distinctive features here:

• They have the lowest kid appeal, and lowest convenience, of any of the moderates
• Of the sleeping spots for 6, none is longer than 73″
• The living room space becomes mighty cramped when its fold-down Murphy Bed is down
• There’s only one bath for the 6 people held, and the hot water heater has scant capacity
• They are typically around 50% more expensive than the 4-5 person traditional moderates
• They are about $40 to $100 more expensive per night than some 6 person alternatives like The Family Suites at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort and The Family Suites at All-Star Music

Because of these negatives, based on our March 2013 re-visit, the Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort remain the fifth best of the moderates for first time family visitors.

(For a review of the Campsites at Fort Wilderness, see this; for what the moderates provide, and how they compare to the other Disney World resort classes, click here)

You can have a wonderful visit at any Walt Disney World resort. However, this site recommends that first time visitors to Walt Disney World avoid the moderate resorts, while noting that these resorts are wonderful for visits after the first. (See this for why.)

That said, the moderates do represent almost 30% of the room capacity of Walt Disney World, and will be sought by some you regardless of this site’s advice, or because this site’s recommended resorts are sold out.

And after a wave of renovations in the moderates that resulted in new room types, queen beds in three of the five moderates, and other changes, I began in 2012 a new cycle of stays, for refreshed reviews.

This included nine multi-night visits to the moderates in later 2012 and early 2013, for a total of 25 nights at the moderates in less than a year.

The renovations–especially those at Port Orleans Riverside and French Quarter–have not changed the overall rankings of the moderate resorts, but they have tightened up the distance between the first four considerably!

The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort, however, remain in a distant last place among the moderates.

REVIEW: THE CABINS AT DISNEY’S FORT WILDERNESS RESORT [Read more →]