Today’s Picture of the Day takes us to the lobby of the Grand Floridian.
Tag Archives: Grand Floridian
My Disney Diary: Planning an Adults Only Disney Trip
Disney World is great for many reasons, but one of the best things about Disney World is its appeal to people of all ages. Whether you are traveling as a single person, a couple with no kids, a couple with little ones, a couple with older kids, by yourself, or if you are taking an adults only trip with friends, there is a fun adventure in store for you.
Update: Toddler’s Body Recovered
UPDATE: Authorities have recovered the body of the little boy who was grabbed by an alligator last night. Please keep the family in your thoughts.
Toddler Dragged Into Lagoon by Alligator at Grand Floridian
It has been anything but a good week in Orlando. Another awful event happened last night, this time at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort.
Vote for Your Favorite Monorail Resort
The monorail resorts are some of the most popular resorts on Disney World property, and for good reason. The location can’t be beat. All three of them are a monorail ride away from Magic Kingdom, and guests staying at the Contemporary have a short 10-15 minute walk to the Magic Kingdom.
Dinner Review: 1900 Park Fare
During our recent visit to Disney World we booked a lot of character dining meals for the kids. The kids had fun at all of them and it was fun for us as adults to watch the awe in their eyes. While we enjoyed all of the character meals, one stood out for both the character interaction and the food; 1900 Park Fare was our favorite, hands down.
Narcoossee’s Will Serve Brunch Starting November 22
It seems that Disney is adding more and more dining opportunities lately. First they added breakfast as a permanent feature at Be Our Guest, then they added a brunch to Chef Mickey’s, and not to mention all the new dining experiences coming to Downtown Disney/Disney Springs.
Quick Service Options: Monorail Resorts
There are quick service restaurants all over Disney property and that includes the resort hotels. So, here is a list of the quick service options for the monorail resorts. These are helpful to know about if you are touring the resorts or if you spend any time at one of the hotels for activities.
We’ll start with the Contemporary and work our way around the monorail loop.
Contemporary Resort
- Contempo Cafe– For breakfast you can find things like Mickey waffles, French toast, breakfast burritos, pastries, bagels, and more, as well as a selection of drinks (including coffee). For lunch and dinner they have flatbreads, pasta, sandwiches, burgers, and more, as well as a selection of drinks (including alcoholic beverages). They also serve kids’ meals. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
- Contemporary Grounds– Find breakfast sandwiches, pastries, cookies, coffee, tea, lattes, frozen drinks, iced tea, and hot chocolate at this location. Open from 5:30 a.m. – 11 p.m.
- Cover Bar – This is only for Disney Vacation Club members and guests who are staying at Bay Lake Tower. The pool bar serves sushi, wraps, hot dogs, hummus, salads, shrimp cocktail, fruit, vegetables with Ranch, chips, Mickey Pretzels, nachos, and both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. They also serve Mickey Check Meals and kids’ meals. Open from late morning until around 7 p.m.
- The Sand Bar– This is the pool bar for the Contemporary. Here you will find burgers, pitas, salads, hot dogs, quesadillas, wraps, fruits, vegetables, Mickey Pretzels, cookies, carnitas, chips, hummus, some gluten-free snacks, desserts, and both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. They also serve kids’ meals and Mickey Check Meals. Open from late morning until early evening.
The Polynesian Village Resort
- Barefoot Pool Bar– This is for those that are staying at the Poly. You can find specialty drinks, non-alcoholic specialty drinks, beer, wine, and Sangria at this location.
- Cook’s– For breakfast you will can get breakfast platters, breakfast sandwiches, breakfast burritos, Mickey waffles, Tonga Toast, pastries, and more. For lunch and dinner they have sandwiches, burgers, Thai Coconut Meatballs, salads, lobster rolls, hot dogs, chicken and waffles, fish tacos, flatbreads, pastries, and more. Late-night dining is also available. A selection of beverages, including alcoholic beverages, is available throughout the day. They also have Mickey Check Meals and kids’ meals. Open 24 hours.
- Pineapple Lanai – At the Poly and looking for a Dole Whip? Look no further! Not only will you find a Dole Whip here, but they also have Pineapple Floats and bottled water. Open from 10 a.m. until 11 p.m.
Grand Floridian Resort and Spa
- Beaches Pool Bar and Grill– This is a pool bar at the Grand Floridian. You will find sushi, fruit, sandwiches, burgers, salads, chicken nuggets, Florida Escabeche, desserts, non-alcoholic beverages, specialty drinks, frozen drinks, wine, Sangria, and beer at this location. They also have Mickey Check Meals and kids’ meals. Open from 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
- Courtyard Pool Bar– Another pool bar at the Grand Floridian. Flatbreads, sandwiches, burgers, salads, specialty drinks, non-alcoholic drinks, frozen drinks, wine, beer, and Sangria can all be found here. They also have Mickey Check Meals and kids’ meals. Open from 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
- Gasparilla Island Grill– For breakfast you will find breakfast platters, breakfast sandwiches, Mickey waffles, oatmeal, pancakes, pastries, grits, and drinks (including cappuccino and espresso). For lunch and dinner they offer sandwiches, salads (including create-your-own), burgers, flatbreads, chicken nuggets, Paninis, soup, desserts, and drinks. They also have kids’ meals. Late night dining is available with a limited menu. Open 24 hours 7 days a week.
So there you go! Those are the quick service locations at the monorail resorts. Hope you find this helpful!
Thanks for reading!
*Liz*
Victoria and Albert’s Gets New Menu
Victoria and Albert’s is now offering a 10-course meal. The restaurant is adding a Chef’s Degustation Menu, which will feature favorite dishes of Chef Scott Hunnel’s from Asia, Spain, Italy, and France.
They will also start focusing on food-and-wine pairings in the Queen Victoria Room. This room seats eight guests who will now be offered the 10-course menu paired with wines that are exclusive to Victoria and Albert’s.
Other things that have been added in the AAA Five Diamond restaurant are a cheese trolley, tableside butter carving, and a custom chocolate box for after dinner treats.
Here is a breakdown of the prices:
- Seven-Course Menu: $185 ($250 with wine pairings)
- Queen Victoria Room: $340 (includes 10 courses paired with wine)
- The Chef’s Table: $250 (this dining experience happens in the kitchen)
Victoria and Albert’s is located in the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.
Thanks for reading!
*Liz*
Source: Disney Parks Blog
Have You Tried the Monorail Bar Crawl?
I was talking with someone the other day who was very excited for a girls only trip she is taking to Disney World for her next birthday. We started talking about all the fun adult things they can do there, since the kids won’t be with her, and I mentioned the monorail bar crawl.
Have you heard of this? It’s a real thing. People will board the monorail for an evening of drinking themselves around the monorail resort loop. There are a decent amount of lounges to check out at the monorail resorts.
I’ll start at the Contemporary and we can work our way around from there. So, keep clear of the doors and get ready to ride the monorail for the monorail bar crawl!
First Stop: Contemporary Resort
- California Grill Lounge
- Location: 15th floor
- Hours: 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.
- Food: The lounge offers the same menu as the restaurant.
- Drink: They have an extensive wine list (over 300), delicious mixed drinks, quite a few different beers to choose from, scotch, etc. I really enjoyed the martini I had here and my husband and our friends were happy with the scotch selection.
- Extras: They huge windows that give you a great view of the Magic Kingdom and surrounding area. If you time it right, you can catch Wishes at the Magic Kingdom from the restaurant. However, the lounge is first come first served and the closer it gets to the start of Wishes the more difficult it will be to find a seat.
- Dress Code: From Disney’s website, “Men may wear khakis, slacks, jeans or dress shorts and collared shirts. Sport coats are optional.Women may wear Capri pants, skirts, dresses, jeans or dress shorts.Not permitted are tank tops, swimsuits, swimsuit cover-ups, hats for gentlemen, cut-offs, torn clothing and t-shirts with offensive language and/or graphics.”
- Outer Rim
- Location: 4th Floor
- Hours: 4:30 p.m. – 10 p.m.
- Food: Bar menu available
- Drink: Beer, wine, Disney Resort drinks, specialty cocktails, and more.
- Extras: If you are there during the Electrical Water Pageant, you will be able to see it from the big windows that look out over the lake.
- The Wave Lounge
- Location: Lobby Floor (inside The Wave…of American Flavors)
- Hours: 12 p.m. – 12 a.m.
- Food: They do have a menu of appetizers and other bar food available.
- Drink: Specialty cocktails, organic beers, tequila, and New World wines
- Extras: The Wave prides itself on the freshness of its food, with a lot of the food coming from local or regional sources. Plus, I think the organic beer piques a lot of people’s interest.
Second Stop: Polynesian Village Resort
- Tambu Lounge
- Location: Great Ceremonial House – 2nd Floor
- Hours: 1 p.m. – 12 a.m.
- Food: Full bar menu available
- Drink: Specialty drinks like the Lapu Lapu and the Backscratcher
- Extras: With all of the additions to the Polynesian Village Resort, it’s definitely worth a stroll after you finish your drinks.
- Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto
- This lounge is not open yet, but should be opening soon. A post from Disney Parks Blog gave examples of some of the drinks that will be offered. The Castaway Crush, the Polynesian Pearl, the Nautilus, the Dark and Tropical Stormy, and the Tahitian Torch are some of the drinks that will be available.
- It will be on the first floor by Capt. Cook’s and looks like it will be open from 4 p.m. – 12 a.m. As for extras, it’s new, so that’s reason enough for a lot of people. However, there will be some special effects that happen inside the lounge. (Source: touringplans.com)
The Polynesian Village Resort
Final Stop: Grand Floridian
- Citricos Lounge
- Location: 2nd Floor
- Hours: 5 p.m. -10 p.m.
- Food: Tapas
- Drink: Specialty cocktails, international wines, and a variety of beers
- Extras: Beautiful views of the courtyard out of large windows. The whole restaurant looks beautiful and makes for a nice dining (or lounging) experience.
- Dress code: From Disney’s website, “Men may wear khakis, slacks, jeans or dress shorts and collared shirts. Sport coats are optional.Women may wear Capri pants, skirts, dresses, jeans or dress shorts.Not permitted are tank tops, swimsuits, swimsuit cover-ups, hats for gentlemen, cut-offs, torn clothing and t-shirts with offensive language and/or graphics.”
- Mizner’s Lounge
- Location: Upstairs behind the bandstand
- Hours: 4:30 p.m. – 12 a.m.
- Food: Appetizers and desserts
- Drink: Specialty cocktails, champagnes, wines, domestic beers, ports, cognacs, bourbons, single malts and blended scotch
- Extras: Enjoy jazz music while you sip your drink. Cigars are also available.
A couple of other things:
- If you are doing this with someone who does not wish to drink, the lounges serve non-alcoholic drinks as well.
- There are other restaurants at these resorts that have alcoholic beverages, but they don’t have a lounge. So you would need a dining reservation to be able to order a drink.
Lastly, if you are participating in the monorail bar crawl, just remember to keep it calm. There are kids around, even during the later hours, so try not to get sloppy drunk.
Well, there you have it! The monorail bar crawl. If you are traveling with an adults only party or you have a babysitter watching the kids, then give it a try.
You don’t have to be staying at a monorail resort to try this. You can get a bus from the Magic Kingdom, take the monorail to Epcot and grab a bus there, or take a taxi (the taxi you would have to pay for) to get back to your resort.
Even if you don’t want to drink around the monorail resort loop, it’s still fun to go around and look at all the monorail resorts. There are lots of things to experience at each of the resort hotels!
Thanks for reading!
*Liz*