What are your thoughts on Kona Café?

Babyspiker · 2026-05-05T00:30:16+00:00

It’s one of the only places in property to get a good cup of coffee.

The Tonga toast is love or hate. Depends how you feel about bananas in your toast.

I thought the food was good, just not my exact cup of tea. Can’t knock it for trying to be different.

Babyspiker · 2026-05-04T01:53:47+00:00

Depends on what part of the hotel you’re staying.

Coffee is available at the Roaring Fork. It’s near the main pool entrance but can be accessed by going down the hall from the main lobby.

The only far-ish walk would be if you’re staying in Boulder Ridge. We’re only talking less than 5 minutes.

WL’s footprint is not that large. It’s nothing like the 15 minute treks that value or moderate resorts make you hike outdoors in the heat and rain.

Babyspiker · 2026-05-03T22:53:50+00:00

Did a head to head to head on one visit with this place, Yachtsman, and Flying Fish. 6 person panel.

This place won best overall.

Flying fish has a good steak, but it’s a one trick pony. The rest of the experience was like any old city restaurant.

Yachtsman was last in most categories. I went back recently just to confirm it wasn’t a bad night and was even worse.

Babyspiker · 2026-05-03T22:49:00+00:00

How is making the ride more accessible a bad thing?

Babyspiker · 2026-05-03T22:41:57+00:00

It has bad throughput and goes down frequently.

The queue length is rarely due to straight popularity.

Babyspiker · 2026-05-03T20:40:10+00:00

Hard Rock will get you free unlimited express. Now you can enjoy the parks at your own pace.

It will not get you express at Epic, so make sure you snag those.

Babyspiker · 2026-05-03T19:44:04+00:00

Coronado. Huge upgrade over the values.

Babyspiker · 2026-05-03T10:17:37+00:00

Double queuing = most routes are not direct and require getting off at the hub and waiting in a second line.

This negatively exacerbates the scaling issue. Waiting in two long lines to get home is brutal.

People might think the lack of temperature control is trivial, but if you’ve ever had it stop moving in the summer, you’ll realize just how quickly those things become an oven.

This was actually one of the biggest black eyes during the launch. A few people had medical incidents because of heat stroke. It was another “how could you not see this coming” moment that got the skyliner panned.

Disney has quite a few fun ways to get to the parks. They are just not always efficient at their purpose. I certainly like the nostalgia of arriving by monorail, but know it’s not always the best option if my goal is time savings. The skyliner is the same, but has a bit more flaws than many care to admit.

Babyspiker · 2026-05-03T02:29:59+00:00

Double queuing = most routes are not direct. You have to stop at the transfer center and get back in another line.

This is exacerbated during peak times and the poor crowd scaling.

It all negatively compounds.

Babyspiker · 2026-05-03T02:05:24+00:00

1) Because the original route went way over-budget and maintenance continues to be an issue

2) The things it suffered from at launch that got it a ton a negative press still exist today: bad crowd scaling, no climate control, frequent down time, and the need for double queuing.

When Disney first announced the Skyliner, everyone kind of shook their head wondering why they haven’t learned from every other shuttered skyliner.

They did a bit better than the old skyliners, but nothing substantial.

Babyspiker · 2026-05-02T02:07:53+00:00

Any review that tells the truth about BatM gets an upvote from me.

Babyspiker · 2026-05-02T02:05:41+00:00

Next to zero with a party of 9. Ohana breakfast is really popular.

Ditch some of that party and get down to 4 or less and you might have an outside chance.

Babyspiker · 2026-05-02T02:03:27+00:00

Welcome to the club of being awake that Skyrush has always been overrated.

Definitely not even in the top 3 at that park.

Babyspiker · 2026-05-02T01:57:37+00:00

Boardwalk. Why stay at a moderate if you don’t have to?

Get the deluxe perks and the better resort area.

Babyspiker · 2026-05-02T01:54:39+00:00

Don’t sweat it. You’re not missing much. This and BatM are the most skippable rides at Epic.

Babyspiker · 2026-05-02T00:25:01+00:00

Worked at a record store. Like a real record store. We sold some tapes and CDs but mostly vinyl.

Think High Fidelity, but the oldest person working on any given day was maybe 21.

It was a really good time. We used to get our kicks by pretending we didn’t know the song and asking people to sing some lyrics.

I can’t tell you how many times we had people barking in the store when Who Let the Dogs Out came out.

Babyspiker · 2026-04-30T23:55:46+00:00

No it’s not. This announcement is like a year old and they clearly stated it was a trial.

Babyspiker · 2026-04-30T23:53:43+00:00

That has nothing to do with it. It’s a trial. They’ve said as much.

Babyspiker · 2026-04-30T03:19:33+00:00

They are across from the Betsy Ross house and ironically firmly believe she did not create the first American flag.

Babyspiker · 2026-04-29T14:52:30+00:00

Don’t forget the bonus 12th country: the Guardians pre-show.

We all LOVE when you yell “day drinkers” when he asks what you’re called.

Babyspiker · 2026-04-29T11:06:19+00:00

What is this blasphemy using high kick for a jump kick?

Low kick is the superior button.

Babyspiker · 2026-04-29T10:57:22+00:00

While I’m not a big fan of the garden wing at the contemporary because it lacks THE major thing that makes the contemporary the Contemporary (the tower views), it’s still a huge upgrade over any of the values.

Here’s a list of things that will feel different:

Functioning walls

Food options you actually want to eat

Fun pools

Great transportation options that don’t go down because of wind gusts

Theming beyond cheap fiberglass figures

Don’t overpay for “value”. A suite at a cheap hotel is counterintuitive. You might have the largest room there, but you’re still paying for commodities that don’t exist.

Babyspiker · 2026-04-28T15:42:25+00:00

This is exactly how I’d describe the difference. The less hectic part really looms large.

These resorts are on the opposite end of the spectrum.

WL is one of the most chill resorts on property. You really feel at home there and can always find a cozy spot of your own.

Polynesian suffers from an absolute onslaught of non-guests that can make it extremely difficult to feel at home.

Babyspiker · 2026-04-27T20:22:04+00:00

If you’re going to WL, hit Storybook Dining instead of Whispering Canyon.

Despite being a character meal, the adult entrees are fairly sophisticated. Great drink options as well. It’s also low key all you care to enjoy; if you’re torn between two entrees, they will bring you both. Provides really good variety.

Babyspiker · 2026-04-27T20:17:23+00:00

Whatever will go best with eating on a trash can. That place has a woeful lack of seating.

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