Driving on Disney Property

We all enjoy the magic of arriving on Disney property and seeing the Disney World welcome sign.  Once you enter the Magical world of Disney, we need to keep in mind that Pixie Dust alone will not keep us safe from ourselves and others on the road.  If you are a passenger and want to break out your camera or smartphone to snap a photo of a the Disney sign, the Tower of Terror in the distance, or any of the other spectacles, feel free!  If you are a driver.....please do NOT look at photo taking as an option!  This can cause you to not pay attention and cause serious harm to others.  When driving on property, remember that most of the folks sharing the road are not familiar with the area.  Tailgating others, or making quick lane changes are terrible ideas as most will not be paying enough attention to make split second decisions.  Be aware that drivers might make quick stops, quick turns, or erratic lane changes when they see a sign for their turn to their resort location.  This type of driving is not uncommon, but the norm in Lake Buena Vista, so be aware and be safe.  Unfortunately not even the magic of the Disney Magical Express (DME) bus is safe from such disaster.  On August 16th an accident involving a DME bus and a passenger car resulted in a fatality.  Not quite the magic you would expect from the most magical place on earth.  The investigation is still ongoing at this time.  The victim was a 60 year old woman in the car, while 3 passengers on the DME (including one child) were taken to an area hospital with injuries.  This is sad, and not what anyone would expect while on vacation.  Our prayers to out to the family of the victim.  Just remember, if you chose to drive on Disney, be safe and pay close attention at all times.

Tony's Suprise

For those of you that are Disney veterans, you know that sometimes a quality table service meal can be an adventure outside of Epcot.  With New Fantasyland now open, we wanted to maximize our park time in Magic Kingdom and set up a lunch reservation for Tony's Town Square. 

After the miserable impression left from Mama Melrose last year, we had low expectations for this Italian eatery.  I must say we were pleasantly surprised with the quality of food.  We were made to feel very welcome when we arrived at the hostess station.  Very warm greeting and we were showed to our seats very quickly after check in.  PAYS TO HAVE A RESERVATION FOLKS!!  We were given suggestion from our waiter and were attended to very well.  Drinks never got low, and were asked often if there was anything we needed, but not to the point of aggravation.  When our food arrived, it was prepared with care and the it showed with the presentation of each plate.  Everything we order was outstanding.  My son ordered a simple meatball slider plate, and each meatball was hand made and well seasoned.  The chips on this plate were fresh made and very tasty.  I would have to give Tony's a solid B+ in a sea of mediocre eateries in the lower C range.  Thank you to the staff of Tony's for a job well done!!

Mama Melrose "NOT SO" Italiano!

Those that have seen my blog know that I am all things Disney. So this review comes with a real empty feeling. Today I want to discuss my dining experience at Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano located in Disney Hollywood Studios. As most do, we had made our reservations based on our daily plans well in advance. Being on the dinning plan, the choices at Hollywood studios are limited at best. We had been to Hollywood and Vine during past trips and wanted to change it up. This was a change we would soon regret. Upon entry we notified the hostess that we had a reservation. We waited for an unusually long time to be seated based on Disney standards.

Once we were seated, we were in a back corner of the restaurant beside a busy server station. The area was very small and quite uncomfortable. The overall atmosphere was odd. Strings of clear lights looking like leftover Christmas lights strung about the celling. Lighting was very dark, but not in an intimate way but annoying to the point it was hard to read the menu. This may have been a blessing in disguise since it may have been best not to order food. We had a few questions about specifics of dishes, and our waitress had not a clue about the menu and read from the menu, as if we could not read. Most cast members are very knowledgeable and are able to describe more details to a dish at other restaurants we have experienced.

I ordered the Charred Strip Steak, while my wife had the Seafood Arrabbiata. To start with my wife's pasta was very undercooked and the seafood amount was extremely scarce. By way of comparison, the seafood (not chowder) stew at Ragland Road was loaded and similarly priced. My Steak was tough and very tasteless. I am a huge Chianti fan, but the reduction used tasted spoiled and added nothing to the dish.  The Baked Macaroni was very substandard and dry like it had been sitting in a pan for hours and not cooked to order.  For the price paid, we expected far more in terms of taste and quality.  If you are in Hollywood looking for a change, I would steer you away from this choice.  Unless the folks at Tutto Italia Ristorante take over the kitchen, best to skip this less than memorable experience.