Aren't Graduations Grand! - May 2015 TR (New 10/30 - MK and California Grill)

[SimplyGoofy]

You had me at Pizza...

Pizza is always excellent!

Funnily enough, when I was younger I didn't like pizza at all. I was the kid who ordered spaghetti at the pizza restaurant. I finally started trying pizza when I was about 12... and have eaten it since.

Well... not me, so much. I tried it and was very underwhelmed by the pizza. I'm a pizza snob. Sorry!

Several other DISers don't seem to be big fans either... either you got a one-off pizza (some I've eaten have been better than others) or perhaps you like pizza with a thicker crust. There are so many good options in Epcot that you could certainly go somewhere else where you'd be happier about the menu!

No it's not. It surrounds it!

Pretty!

It's so fun and colorful! I just love it!

Glad you got such a great table.

I bet it's a table not everyone loves... it's not too far from the entry where everyone waits to come in so quite a few people have to walk by your table. We really liked it there, though, as it gave us plenty of things to look at, plus it didn't seem nearly as noisy as the tables further in the restaurant. I'd take that table anytime!

mmm... sounds good.

They were very tasty! I'm glad we tried them!

I never order iced tea at Disney. Because it tastes like... tea. Being Canadian, our tastes are... quite different when it comes to iced tea.

My favorite iced tea is unsweetened (MAYBE with a squeezed lemon), so my iced tea definitely tastes like a cold version of hot tea. You'd probably be a bigger fan of Southern sweet tea!

Hey, we know what's important!

Yummy

They are very tasty! If you're a fan of donuts you'd enjoy these. The dipping chocolate and whipped cream make them even better!

Holy crap! I've said that I'd probably never go back there (see previous comment on the pizza), but... this alone might make me change my mind!

It's super delicious! I've ordered this dessert twice and I really love it - it's so tasty and refreshing!

Maybe rather than the pizza you should order the spaghetti - it's absolutely delicious (you can see a picture in my 2013 trip report) and is WAY better than the spaghetti at Tony's. Then you wouldn't have to get the pizza and could try this dessert!

I just adore World Showcase in the dark. Several of the pavilions are even more beautiful at night!

Agreed! I'm not a huge fan of Illuminations... but love those torches.

​

Not bad!

I was pleasantly surprised how fast we got back! I'm sure it helped that we didn't have a huge crowd of people (so we could walk right onto each Monorail that arrived), but we lucked out on not having to wait too long.

Oh! Great timing!

It was an unexpected treat. At first we were quite confused ("why are all these people sitting here with their chairs turned?"), but we figured it out quickly and were happy to join them!

Yeah... it's not the same, unfortunately. It doesn't have that "hit you right in the feels", you know?

That's what I've read. I'm sure it will be fun to see, but I ADORED Wishes. Oh, the joy of growing older and having to deal with changes!

Oooohhh… fancy!

It was a great surprise! We felt very fancy!

I'm having trouble commenting on a woman having a bath...
But I'm glad she had a nice relaxing time.

Fair enough.

I was happy she got to enjoy every moment of her time there.

Uh, oh...

It was not quite the relaxing day I'd envisioned...

 

[SimplyGoofy]

These look good!

They were very tasty! I know you're not a big fan of VN, but these would be worth visiting for!

These look good too, although it looks like they went a little light on the whipped cream. It was probably enough though.

It was actually tough to scoop up much whipped cream with the hot chocolate sauce, but we made it work!

I see different layers in the glass...so, do you mix it up or try to use the straw to get different layers with each mouthful, or what? I'm sure I'm overthinking it!

I just tend to sip the soda and eat the ice cream with a spoon in between sips. Perhaps I'm not eating it right, but it worked for me!

The kid's got class.

She sure does!

​

I was thinking the same thing when I saw your torch picture.

I'd really miss them! They definitely add to the nighttime ambiance at Epcot!

Uh oh...

It was a rough day...

I love how much detail this report has, even if it's a few years old! It sounds like you had a nice, relaxing day in Epcot- and now I'm starving!

Oh, thank you! I feel like I've forgotten so many details (mostly because I fail to take notes and have to rely on my pictures and my memory to remember what happened). I really appreciate that you still think I remember details!

I'm sorry one of you didn't feel well!

It was an unexpected turn of events, but we tried to make the best out of it!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I like it! But we always seem to have to start AND finish with MK!

I love that every family seems to find something fun that works for them! I can see the appeal of starting with MK as well - there are so many wonderful things to do (and eat!) there!

I love it when things work out like that!

We were super excited about trying Tokyo Dining AND Biergarten!

Nice!!!

It was definitely a win-win! I got to see a bunch of extra characters... and Anika didn't. I think Anika would appreciate if most character meets could work that way!

I'm glad you were able to try it... I'm just not a sushi fan so with other options that I prefer I can't see myself going there. Looks like a very nice place to enjoy a meal though!

They do have quite a few non-sushi options on their menu (appetizers, many tempura options, Udon noodles, and other entrée options), but I think the sushi is meant to be the star. It was fun to try it! It was a certainly a very quiet and calm place to eat - that can be hard to find in Epcot!

I definitely preferred the original. I miss it, and especially the golf ball part since DS loved it so much.

I think I'll be okay with the new version... but thank goodness they kept Patrick!

I always enjoy that one. Nice opportunity to nerd out and relax.

It really is. I always enjoy Living with the Land at least a few times each trip.

There is ALWAYS time for La Cava!!!!

It's tough to justify stopping at a margarita spot when you're traveling with a teenager who can't partake... I felt better about going to the restaurant where we could also get her some food and a beverage!

Ok... I got ya now. I'm perfectly fine with going to the to-go line to grab a drink. Theirs are just so much better than the pre-manufactured ones you get at the kiosk outside. We've never taken the time to actually go in, get a table and have a snack. I would definitely like to do that sometime, but it just hasn't been something that we've prioritized.

I've never stopped at the outside kiosk either, but I think I would definitely stop at the La Cava to-go line in the future. It was fun to try the restaurant once, though!

And now I'm hungry...

I'm sorry! I feel like I do that often in my trip reports... I love the food!

Hmm... mental note for future reference. We've never gotten any appetizers there, but these might be worth trying.

They were really good! It looks like they now come with only two risotto balls instead of three - you'd probably have to get two orders for your family which could get pricy. The calamari here is also really good, but perhaps it wouldn't be the right order with your kids.

LaCava and Via Napoli... seriously, if this isn't the perfect day...

It was such a delicious afternoon and evening! We loved it!!!

Illuminations isn't my favorite night time show, but I do love the torches. I think part of it is that we went a couple of times in December a few years ago and when we went to watch Illuminations it was just bone chillingly cool those evenings with the wind coming off the lagoon. We made sure to find a spot very close to a torch.

My last few trips have been in May/June so you don't really need the warmth (at least when we've watched it!), but I can see how that would be a perk! I do love the ambiance they add to World Showcase in the evening.

It isn't... I really miss Wishes. HEA is good, but it just isn't Wishes.

That's what I've read from many people.

I do look forward to seeing the new show, but I will definitely miss the heartstring pulls of Wishes. I also don't look forward to picking a "good" spot more than an hour in advance in order to see all the projections!

Uh oh

It was a bit of a rough day...

 

[SimplyGoofy]

A Grand Morning?
Day 6 – Thursday, May 28th

After a fantastic first full-day on Disney property, I was excited about spending the whole day enjoying the perks, restaurants, and grandeur of our grand resort.

That was the plan.

You know what they say about plans?



Yeah, well…

My alarm went off at 7:30 in the morning and when I rolled over to turn it off… I realized my entire sinus cavity was absolutely stuffy. You know that feeling when carving out your sinuses would be preferable to how you currently feel? Yep, that was me.

My throat had felt a little scratchy the day before, so I’d purchased some sore throat drops (just in case!) from a Walgreens after stopping at the Publix grocery store. It hadn’t really bothered me the rest of the day so I figured I was fine.

Nope. Not fine at all. SO MUCH WORSE.

I didn’t have long to linger on how I felt as I needed to get our rental car returned to the Disney Car Care Center. Thankfully, it’s a short drive from the Grand Floridian to the CCC – just a short jaunt down Floridian Way.

I filled up the car with gas at the Hess gas station (which now may be something else? It’s right next to the CCC) before returning the car. The process was easy, as always. I highly, highly recommend the Disney Car Care Center if you need a car during your Disney stay!

I made it back to the Grand Floridian in plenty of time for our breakfast reservation at the Grand Floridian Café. My first order of business was to return to our room and make sure Anika was awake.

It was so fun to see all the linens that were placed outside each room in our building. Yet another thing that felt so fancy! What other hotel have you ever seen a wicker basket for each room’s linens?!

(How many times can I use the word “fancy” to describe something at the Grand Floridian? Apparently, quite a few!)

Anika was awake and moving (a double win!) so it wasn’t long before we made our way next door to breakfast.

I loved the interior of our Sago Key building:

I almost never saw anyone enjoying the furniture in our little lobby, but it would be an excellent spot to relax as it was so quiet!

Onto the Grand Floridian Café!

We’d enjoyed the Grand Floridian Café on our first sister trip in 2012 – it was our first breakfast on-property. We’d really enjoyed it, but it didn’t work to return in 2013. We were excited to try it again!

I know the character meals and Kona Café get mentioned a lot more frequently when people mention a resort breakfast, but the Grand Floridian Café is a lovely place for breakfast. It tends to be much more quiet than the crazy character meals or busy Kona, so it’s a great place to get a relaxed breakfast. The surroundings of the Grand Floridian grounds are also quite beautiful.

As you can see, it was pretty quiet for 9:30 in the morning:

It may be possible to get a walk-up table here (pretty much impossible anywhere else!) or at the very least, I think a last-minute ADR would be easy.

Last time I’d ordered the smoked salmon, which came with a toasted bagel and other accompaniments. It was very tasty, but after viewing additional dining reviews I wished I’d ordered one of their specialties: the vanilla French toast.

I didn’t make that mistake twice!

As you can see, I ordered it with bacon. I also ordered a big glass of orange juice – I figured the extra vitamin C was a must!

Anika ordered something that’s no longer on the menu (at least, not exactly the same version of what’s currently on the menu), the Citrus Pancakes:

She added a side of strawberries to go on her pancakes and also ordered bacon. She also got a cup of coffee.

Anika loved her pancakes. My French toast did seem very tasty (as little as I could taste) and our bacon was super crisp. Anika also tried a bite of my French toast and proclaimed it very good. The atmosphere was delightful and our waitress was nice.

Final Thoughts – Grand Floridian Café
This is a hidden gem of a restaurant. It’s quiet, in a nice setting, right next to the Magic Kingdom, and has great food. It may not be the most popular non-character resort breakfast (hello, Kona!), but it’s a solid choice if you’d like to get a tasty resort breakfast. Anika loved her pancakes and my French Toast (and she was a better judge of food at that meal as she was the one with taste buds that day!). I was super-distracted by how awful I felt, but it was a very nice breakfast. It’s not a must-do, but we would definitely return if it worked out with our plans!


I did my best to enjoy my meal… but the longer we sat there, the worse I felt. I felt my head was about to explode and could hardly sit there in the (non-busy, quiet!) restaurant much longer. I realized my day of enjoying the Grand Floridian would not be very enjoyable.

Rather than continue to sit there and feel miserable I decided a visit to a nearby urgent care was necessary. I hated to take the time out of my day, but in case they could figure out something that would be helpful I figured it was worth a visit. We still had ten days of vacation to go!

Anika was concerned and wanted to go with me, but I hated for her to miss her time at her resort. I was a big girl and was certainly able to take the trip by myself (I felt like a toilet, but I wasn’t faint or delusional). I left Anika to scan her Magic Band for our breakfast check and returned to our room to grab my Kindle and cash for a taxi.

Boy, was I glad I’d just returned the already-paid-for rental car two hours before!

Up Next: A Trip to Urgent Care

 

[SimplyGoofy]

The Non-Celebratory Trip to Centra Care
Day 6 – Part II

I can honestly say I’d never expected to visit an urgent care on our vacation. On this vacation full of surprises this was not a surprise I wanted!

The Grand Floridian CM quickly got me a taxi – I’m sure the driver was thrilled to be driving someone to an urgent care!

We got there fairly quickly. I made sure to get the phone number for the taxi company in order to get a ride back to the resort when I was finished. I checked in to urgent care, took a seat in the waiting room, and let Anika know I’d arrived. I was happy to have my Kindle along as a distraction. I didn’t feel that great, but the time seemed to move faster when I was distracted with a book.

I waited about an hour before I was called back. Not a great wait, but it could’ve been worse! I was thankful I went when I did because quite a few more people arrived after me and the patients had a much longer wait when I left than when I’d arrived.

They confirmed it seemed to be an upper respiratory infection (I figured as much) and gave me a prescription for both antibiotics and a cough syrup with codeine. They’d also done a rapid strep test just in case, even though my throat wasn’t terribly red and just seemed to be irritated from the sinus drainage. Thankfully that test was negative. I was thrilled to learn they could fill the prescriptions onsite – I just had to wait a bit for them to be filled. Not having to find a pharmacy and pay a taxi to wait for me – sold!

It’s questionable if I really needed an antibiotic (as upper respiratory infections are often viral), but due to my heart condition I am often given an antibiotic just in case. Since I felt so cruddy I was happy to try anything that may make me feel better faster. If I was at home and didn’t have ten busy days of vacation ahead of me, I may have waited a few days to determine if the antibiotic was really necessary. I filled both prescriptions, but never ended up using the cough syrup. The antibiotic and some Mucinex (which I’d brought with us – just in case!) seemed to be enough to clear my sinuses over the next few days. Thank goodness!

I called a taxi and waited outside in order to enjoy the weather. I may have also wanted to avoid catching any additional bugs in that urgent care waiting room!

The taxi returned me to the Grand Floridian. I sent Anika a message to find out where to find her. She was still reading her book at a picnic table outside the Gasparilla Grill. I chatted with her briefly and then returned to the room where I found this beauty waiting for me:

What a lovely swan! So fancy!

I also stood on the balcony for a few minutes and was lucky enough to see the monorail go by:

I did love our view!

I took the first dose of antibiotic, closed the curtains, and decided to take a nice nap on the comfy bed. I hated to waste part of my day napping, but I thought that may help me get through and enjoy the rest of the day.

I slept for about an hour and a half before waking up. Since I woke up on my own, I decided I should try and enjoy the resort a bit before our afternoon ADR. I found that Anika had returned to the room when I was sleeping and was also resting. I guess we were both worn out from our first week in Florida!

I walked around the resort and found a collection of nice padded lounge chairs right next to the Seven Seas Lagoon. It was lovely to sit in the sun and enjoy the surroundings:

What a view!

I don’t know if they still have lounge chairs in this spot – I think it was this or a similar beach where they had that horrible tragedy with the little boy being taken by an alligator. I think as long as you steer clear of the water, sitting here would be fine.

I soaked up the ambiance for about 45 minutes. I still felt pretty rough, but I was trying to ignore it and enjoy the day as best I could. In reality it was one of the best days to be sick, as other than a few ADRs we didn’t really have any plans and it was meant to be a quiet and laid-back day. Still, I didn’t get to enjoy the Grand Floridian as much as I’d hoped as I just wasn’t fully with it. I also didn’t get to do some things I’d been hoping to, such as rent a boat to drive around the Seven Seas Lagoon. I guess I’ll have to hope to return to the Grand Floridian one day!

Up Next: Tea at the Garden View Tea Room

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Pinkies Up!
Day 6 – Part III

I decided to head into the main building about twenty minutes before our afternoon ADR. First, I took a few pictures of the beautiful lobby (I can never get enough pictures here!):

Next, I sent a message to Anika to make sure she was awake and heading to meet me. It took about ten minutes for her to respond, but soon she had arrived:

Apparently quite refreshed from her afternoon nap!

We didn’t wait long before we were called in for our tea:

Ah, that’s better! A smiling dining companion!

The inside of the Garden View Tea Room is rather small:

You can see the central serving area where they prepare or arrange portions of the meal:

Anika and I decided to get two different tea services and share the food. We ordered the Bedfordshire Tea, which comes with a selection of finger sandwiches, a scone with accompaniments, and a choice of dessert along with a tea selection. We also ordered the Cheshire Tea, which comes with a selection of fruits and cheeses, as well as everything included with the Bedfordshire Tea.

I don’t remember which teas we ordered, but I know we enjoyed our selections:

I do love the fancy tea cozies!

Our waitress soon delivered the first course for the Cheshire Tea, the fruit and cheese plate:

We both loved the fruit and cheese plate, which included pineapple, mango, kiwi, and nectarines, along with some raisins, fresh honey (with honeycomb!), and several cheeses (including, I believe, a brie, a blue cheese, and a cheddar). It also came with an edible flower.

The delivery of the fruit and cheese plate is where our meal began to get a bit… odd. Our waitress told us about what was included on the plate (I didn’t take any notes whatsoever as I was doing my best to pretend I felt like a well person, and that was taking all of my energy), and she mentioned the flower was edible. She told us to let her know what we thought the flower tasted like.



Okay, then. Will do!

We each tried the flower in addition to sampling the fruit and cheese. Anika couldn’t really decide what the flower tasted like. The flower was pretty bland, and only tasted similar to one other thing I’ve tried.

When our waitress brought our second course, I mentioned that I thought the flower tasted like butter lettuce. She said no one had ever compared it to butter lettuce before and thanked me for letting her know.

Our second course was a selection of small sandwiches, including cucumber, sweet curry chicken, egg salad, and some sort of fruit sandwich (again, no notes!). It also came with grapes, cheese, and Lavosh crackers:

She also brought a buttery raisin scone with clotted cream, apricot jam, and lemon curd along with a strawberry tart:

We really enjoyed our sandwiches, most especially the cucumber (I’ve always loved cucumbers!) and the fruit sandwich. It looks like they’ve replaced the fruit sandwich with one with tomato and goat cheese, which certainly sounds good but not nearly as light and different. The scone was delicious as always. It's hard to chose a favorite between the lemon curd and the apricot jam - both are wonderful! We also both loved the mini strawberry tart.

While eating our sandwiches and scone and continuing to pick at the cheese plate, our waitress returned to our table with a rose. She made a flourished presentation of giving me the rose for trying the edible flower and telling her what I thought it tasted like. She was also full of smiles.



It was the strangest interaction with a server I think I’ve ever had.

At the time, I was rather uncomfortable and really felt like I was being hit on by our waitress. Anika agreed the waitress was acting really strange. The whole thing didn’t make any sense to me at the time (or frankly, since). First, I felt like an absolute toilet and I’m pretty sure I looked like one, too. How on earth do you flirt with someone who looks like they belong at home and asleep rather than out at a restaurant? Second, I’m flattered and all, but I’m afraid I’m not quite your type.

Goodness, is our meal done yet?!



I was now a bit put off by the meal (and still didn’t feel that great, to boot), but we still had one course to go.

The third course is dessert, where you select an English trifle, strawberries with whipped cream, or assorted pastries.

I chose the English trifle (complete with a snazzy Grand Floridian logo!):

Anika chose the assorted pastries. She selected a swan pastry filled with mousse, a chocolate covered strawberry, and an éclair:

We both loved our dessert selections.

I tried to not pay attention to the rose. That’s a tough feat when you sit at an undersized table for two full of empty plates.

Thankfully, the waitress came soon after with our check. I paid for our meal, we finished what we could of our food, and we left.

Anika asked if I was going to take the rose with us. I’d initially thought to leave it behind, but ultimately decided that darn it… I like roses! I’m taking it! Who knows if that was the right call given the odd circumstances, but we enjoyed having the flower in the room for the rest of the day.

Final Thoughts – Garden View Tea Room
This is our third visit for afternoon tea and we continue to enjoy it. It’s become a rather expensive experience (our total before tip was $83, and that was back in 2015!), but I think it’s doable if you think of it as more of a meal than a snack. You certainly receive enough food to make it a meal! Odd interaction with the server and my illness aside, it was a lovely selection of food and tasty tea in a quiet setting and we wouldn’t hesitate to return.

Up Next: Swimming and Dinner at Narcoossee’s

 

[afwdwfan]

My throat had felt a little scratchy the day before, so I’d purchased some sore throat drops (just in case!) from a Walgreens after stopping at the Publix grocery store. It hadn’t really bothered me the rest of the day so I figured I was fine.

Nope. Not fine at all. SO MUCH WORSE.

Uh oh... I know the feeling. It always starts with that little dry scratch in the afternoon/evening and then you wake up feeling like death.

(How many times can I use the word “fancy” to describe something at the Grand Floridian? Apparently, quite a few!)

I think that is the official adjective of the GF.

I did my best to enjoy my meal… but the longer we sat there, the worse I felt. I felt my head was about to explode and could hardly sit there in the (non-busy, quiet!) restaurant much longer. I realized my day of enjoying the Grand Floridian would not be very enjoyable.

Yikes... not good.

Rather than continue to sit there and feel miserable I decided a visit to a nearby urgent care was necessary. I hated to take the time out of my day, but in case they could figure out something that would be helpful I figured it was worth a visit. We still had ten days of vacation to go!

Anika was concerned and wanted to go with me, but I hated for her to miss her time at her resort. I was a big girl and was certainly able to take the trip by myself (I felt like a toilet, but I wasn’t faint or delusional). I left Anika to scan her Magic Band for our breakfast check and returned to our room to grab my Kindle and cash for a taxi.

Boy, was I glad I’d just returned the already-paid-for rental car two hours before!

Good call on Urgent care. Maybe not such a good call on returning the rental so early. Definitely made more sense and was kind of you to go by yourself and let Anika enjoy what little time she had to spend in her dream resort. You seemed to know it was just a sinus thing and you just needed some meds!

It’s questionable if I really needed an antibiotic (as upper respiratory infections are often viral), but due to my heart condition I am often given an antibiotic just in case. Since I felt so cruddy I was happy to try anything that may make me feel better faster. If I was at home and didn’t have ten busy days of vacation ahead of me, I may have waited a few days to determine if the antibiotic was really necessary. I filled both prescriptions, but never ended up using the cough syrup. The antibiotic and some Mucinex (which I’d brought with us – just in case!) seemed to be enough to clear my sinuses over the next few days. Thank goodness!

Yeah, definitely makes sense. I'm not a fan of taking an antibiotic unless it is necessary, but in this case, it was worth a try. I'm glad that it ended up being something that you were able to get control of and not let it ruin the remainder of the trip.

I did love our view!

In reality it was one of the best days to be sick, as other than a few ADRs we didn’t really have any plans and it was meant to be a quiet and laid-back day. Still, I didn’t get to enjoy the Grand Floridian as much as I’d hoped as I just wasn’t fully with it. I also didn’t get to do some things I’d been hoping to, such as rent a boat to drive around the Seven Seas Lagoon. I guess I’ll have to hope to return to the Grand Floridian one day!

That's true. I mean, at least the day was filled with built in downtime. You might not have been able to enjoy the resort as much as you'd have liked, but at least you didn't have to re-arrange several ADRs or FPs while you cared for yourself.

While eating our sandwiches and scone and continuing to pick at the cheese plate, our waitress returned to our table with a rose. She made a flourished presentation of giving me the rose for trying the edible flower and telling her what I thought it tasted like. She was also full of smiles.

Um... interesting...

At the time, I was rather uncomfortable and really felt like I was being hit on by our waitress.

Goodness, is our meal done yet?!

Oh, that's just so cringey.

This is our third visit for afternoon tea and we continue to enjoy it. It’s become a rather expensive experience (our total before tip was $83, and that was back in 2015!), but I think it’s doable if you think of it as more of a meal than a snack. You certainly receive enough food to make it a meal! Odd interaction with the server and my illness aside, it was a lovely selection of food and tasty tea in a quiet setting and we wouldn’t hesitate to return.

Maybe just request a different server...

 

[glennbo123]

Nope. Not fine at all. SO MUCH WORSE.

Sorry you weren't feeling well. You want to be on your "A" game when you're at Disney!

This is a neat shot...so cool to see the other floors as well as the ground floor lobby.

This is a hidden gem of a restaurant. It’s quiet, in a nice setting, right next to the Magic Kingdom, and has great food. It may not be the most popular non-character resort breakfast (hello, Kona!), but it’s a solid choice if you’d like to get a tasty resort breakfast.

You're right that most people don't think of this location when thinking of a breakfast ADR near the Magic Kingdom. Kona is the go-to place instead. We're not big breakfast people, so I probably won't get there either, but it is worth considering, sounds like!

We still had ten days of vacation to go!

Wow, I forgot how long this vacation was for. This TR is going to go on for a long time!

I don’t know if they still have lounge chairs in this spot – I think it was this or a similar beach where they had that horrible tragedy with the little boy being taken by an alligator.

I was so saddened by that event. I can't even imagine what those parents went through. I can't think of anything more tragic.

Tea at the Garden View Tea Room

My mom, wife, and daughters did the Grand Floridian Tea back in 2012 and really enjoyed it.

At the time, I was rather uncomfortable and really felt like I was being hit on by our waitress. Anika agreed the waitress was acting really strange.

Wow. Interesting. Strange. I'm offended for Anika -- I mean, she tried the edible flower too and she didn't get a rose!

 

[pkondz]

Thank you! I love when we get good Photopass shots! (It seems like such a hit or miss!)

I wonder how they are hired. Is it just "You want a job? Point this camera at people." or do they actually hire photographers? Probably a little of both.

Pizza is always excellent!

Not always!

Funnily enough, when I was younger I didn't like pizza at all. I was the kid who ordered spaghetti at the pizza restaurant. I finally started trying pizza when I was about 12... and have eaten it since.

Me too.
But the pizza my folks would buy was... well, I'm not sure if they used crust or cardboard. Horrid. When I discovered good pizza... that made all the difference.

Several other DISers don't seem to be big fans either... either you got a one-off pizza (some I've eaten have been better than others) or perhaps you like pizza with a thicker crust. There are so many good options in Epcot that you could certainly go somewhere else where you'd be happier about the menu!

Well, actually... see below.

I bet it's a table not everyone loves... it's not too far from the entry where everyone waits to come in so quite a few people have to walk by your table. We really liked it there, though, as it gave us plenty of things to look at, plus it didn't seem nearly as noisy as the tables further in the restaurant. I'd take that table anytime!

Then that's all that matters.

My favorite iced tea is unsweetened (MAYBE with a squeezed lemon), so my iced tea definitely tastes like a cold version of hot tea. You'd probably be a bigger fan of Southern sweet tea!

Yes, I've had southern sweet tea. Much better!

Hey, we know what's important!

They are very tasty! If you're a fan of donuts you'd enjoy these. The dipping chocolate and whipped cream make them even better!

OMG. Who on this planet doesn't love donuts???

It's super delicious! I've ordered this dessert twice and I really love it - it's so tasty and refreshing!

Maybe rather than the pizza you should order the spaghetti - it's absolutely delicious (you can see a picture in my 2013 trip report) and is WAY better than the spaghetti at Tony's. Then you wouldn't have to get the pizza and could try this dessert!

I am going to look at my ADRs for September right now!

I just adore World Showcase in the dark. Several of the pavilions are even more beautiful at night!

My plan is to take an evening to see that (again).

It was an unexpected treat. At first we were quite confused ("why are all these people sitting here with their chairs turned?"),

They're obviously snobs.

 

[pkondz]

I realized my entire sinus cavity was absolutely stuffy. You know that feeling when carving out your sinuses would be preferable to how you currently feel? Yep, that was me.

Oh, no...

Nope. Not fine at all. SO MUCH WORSE.

I'm really sorry to hear that. Being sick is one thing... being sick on vacation is another... and being sick at Disney is a whole other level of unfairness.

I highly, highly recommend the Disney Car Care Center if you need a car during your Disney stay!

I haven't rented from there (but will be in the fall) but have returned there.

It was so fun to see all the linens that were placed outside each room in our building. Yet another thing that felt so fancy! What other hotel have you ever seen a wicker basket for each room’s linens?!

Wow! I've never seen that before.

(How many times can I use the word “fancy” to describe something at the Grand Floridian? Apparently, quite a few!)

Fancy that!

I know the character meals and Kona Café get mentioned a lot more frequently when people mention a resort breakfast,

And yet... I tend to avoid those. When I went with my youngest, we went to CP in MK. We told a CM we didn't want to meet any characters. It was great!

It may be possible to get a walk-up table here (pretty much impossible anywhere else!) or at the very least, I think a last-minute ADR would be easy.

Good to know.

after viewing additional dining reviews I wished I’d ordered one of their specialties: the vanilla French toast.

I didn’t make that mistake twice!

Good for you!

I also ordered a big glass of orange juice – I figured the extra vitamin C was a must!

I do that too.

I did my best to enjoy my meal… but the longer we sat there, the worse I felt. I felt my head was about to explode and could hardly sit there in the (non-busy, quiet!) restaurant much longer.

So sorry to hear that.

The Grand Floridian CM quickly got me a taxi – I’m sure the driver was thrilled to be driving someone to an urgent care!

"Please don't die. Please don't die..."

I waited about an hour before I was called back. Not a great wait, but it could’ve been worse!

Not bad. I've had much worse.

They confirmed it seemed to be an upper respiratory infection (I figured as much) and gave me a prescription for both antibiotics and a cough syrup with codeine. They’d also done a rapid strep test just in case, even though my throat wasn’t terribly red and just seemed to be irritated from the sinus drainage. Thankfully that test was negative. I was thrilled to learn they could fill the prescriptions onsite

Glad it was diagnosed and you got what you needed.

but due to my heart condition

I stopped reading there. I wasn't aware of this. Are you okay?

The antibiotic and some Mucinex (which I’d brought with us – just in case!) seemed to be enough to clear my sinuses over the next few days. Thank goodness!

Good!

Very pretty!

Great shot!

I don’t know if they still have lounge chairs in this spot – I think it was this or a similar beach where they had that horrible tragedy with the little boy being taken by an alligator.

Yes, that was terrible. I've noticed so many subtle changes since then. Beaches replaced with rocks and a "decorative" rope fence...

Apparently quite refreshed from her afternoon nap!

Ah, that’s better! A smiling dining companion!

Pretty girl.

I do love the fancy tea cozies!

When our waitress brought our second course, I mentioned that I thought the flower tasted like butter lettuce. She said no one had ever compared it to butter lettuce before and thanked me for letting her know.

um... okay?

While eating our sandwiches and scone and continuing to pick at the cheese plate, our waitress returned to our table with a rose. She made a flourished presentation of giving me the rose for trying the edible flower and telling her what I thought it tasted like. She was also full of smiles.



It was the strangest interaction with a server I think I’ve ever had.

That's... just.. .weird!

At the time, I was rather uncomfortable and really felt like I was being hit on by our waitress.

She's into the death-warmed-over type.

I chose the English trifle (complete with a snazzy Grand Floridian logo!):

We had that too... and neither of us touched it! We were too full!

Thankfully, the waitress came soon after with our check. I paid for our meal, we finished what we could of our food, and we left.

"The waitress noted our names on the bill and has stalked me ever since."

Anika asked if I was going to take the rose with us. I’d initially thought to leave it behind, but ultimately decided that darn it… I like roses! I’m taking it! Who knows if that was the right call given the odd circumstances, but we enjoyed having the flower in the room for the rest of the day.

Yeah, I'd take it too. It's a gift. You don't have to accept anything else that goes with it.

Swimming and Dinner at Narcoossee’s

Can't wait to hear how you swam at Narcoossee's!

 

[ashw100]

Well I’m four years late, but I’m joining in .

Your description on meeting Dugette made me lol. I felt the same way, her TRs were the first encountered here on the DIS. funny enough I met her on the same trip, but it was before she had her cruise. We just have just missed you.

However, before the trip I’d also purchased a pair of Teva sandals and I LOVED wearing them! It was a great way to keep my feet cool (as long as I remembered to add sunscreen to the top of my feet!). The only negative is my right little toe rubbed a bit against the strap, but I added a band-aid and it was fine. The left side didn’t have this problem, so who knows?! I’d highly recommend a pair of Teva sandals in the park! They’re very comfortable and have great support for a long park day!

I’m so glad to hear your shoes are comfy. I bought a similar pair of Tevas for my upcoming trip and it rubs just one pinky toe for me too. I will make sure to pack extra bandaids.

I love Anika’s reaction to staying at GF, what a magical trip this must have been for her. I’m sorry you felt so bad, but at least it was in your rest day. I hope it gets better moving forward.

 

[Tracy161]

Ahhh, all my quotes disappeared Anyway, to sum it up: UGH on getting sick! I had seen you not too long before this all started, I'd have never expected you'd have taken such a turn I'm glad you got relative quick care and it didn't cost you tons of time. Your experience at tea sounded interesting... but at least the food sounded amazing! (except maybe the "butter lettuce-tasting flower"

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Joining in 4 years late to the party lol! I enjoyed reading about how much life has changed for you since then though!

Plus I thought it was funny that I saw a comment from my sister about us going to stay in AoA soon for our December 2015 visit lol.

Can't wait to read about the rest of the trip.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Uh oh... I know the feeling. It always starts with that little dry scratch in the afternoon/evening and then you wake up feeling like death.

YES. I absolutely felt like death... and sadly it got worse as the day wore on!

I think that is the official adjective of the GF.

Sounds good to me!

Yikes... not good.

It was not good at all. I felt bad that all my relaxation and resort enjoyment plans were going out the window!

Good call on Urgent care. Maybe not such a good call on returning the rental so early. Definitely made more sense and was kind of you to go by yourself and let Anika enjoy what little time she had to spend in her dream resort. You seemed to know it was just a sinus thing and you just needed some meds!

Oh, I was so mad about the rental car! I should've just called and request it to be extended for a day. I'm sure it would've been expensive but probably not as much as I spent on those two taxis.

I'm glad Anika was willing to stay! I know she was quite concerned and didn't feel it was right for me to go by myself, but I'm a big person and knew I would be okay. I was good at sending her messages and I think she enjoyed her time at the resort.

Yeah, definitely makes sense. I'm not a fan of taking an antibiotic unless it is necessary, but in this case, it was worth a try. I'm glad that it ended up being something that you were able to get control of and not let it ruin the remainder of the trip.

I may have just started to improve on my own, but I was happy to do anything that might shorten the illness! As I'm not on antibiotics frequently I think it was okay.

Such an amazing view! With our water view category I much preferred this to a view of the pool - it was very quiet and peaceful, too!

That's true. I mean, at least the day was filled with built in downtime. You might not have been able to enjoy the resort as much as you'd have liked, but at least you didn't have to re-arrange several ADRs or FPs while you cared for yourself.

Definitely true. It was nice that were able to keep our ADRs that day (it was easy with all of them at the resort!) and I didn't feel nearly as terrible in the following days. I wasn't 100% and blew my nose 1,001 times, but I absolutely trudged along with our plans!

Um... interesting...

It was so bizarre. I was somewhat delusional since I was sick, but Anika agreed that she read the situation the same way. The rose seemed a bit over the top, especially with the flourish and smiles.

I was so uncomfortable! I would've been similarly uncomfortable with a male server hitting on me considering how I felt (and looked!) that day, but it was a whole extra level of awkward. I felt like ignoring it was the easiest thing to do.

Oh, that's just so cringey.

I know. At least it's a good story several years later? I'll certainly never forgot that tea experience!

Maybe just request a different server...

Thankfully I went with my mom in 2016 and had no issues whatsoever!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Sorry you weren't feeling well. You want to be on your "A" game when you're at Disney!

Absolutely! I feel like it's so easy to get sick at Disney with all the people and activity and lack of sleep... but it's such a bummer when it happens!

This is a neat shot...so cool to see the other floors as well as the ground floor lobby.

Thank you! I really liked the interior of the Grand Floridian building. It had such lovely common areas that I bet are rarely used!

You're right that most people don't think of this location when thinking of a breakfast ADR near the Magic Kingdom. Kona is the go-to place instead. We're not big breakfast people, so I probably won't get there either, but it is worth considering, sounds like!

It's been very nice both times we've been there! It's a wonderful laid-back breakfast spot with very tasty food and right next to the Magic Kingdom. I'd definitely go there again!

Wow, I forgot how long this vacation was for. This TR is going to go on for a long time!

I know, right?!

​

I'm trying to keep it moving along. I've finished more days in the past three months as I had in the same 3+ years... so, we're getting faster!

I was so saddened by that event. I can't even imagine what those parents went through. I can't think of anything more tragic.

It was so sad! How terrible for that family and that little boy. I think you forget that wild alligators are in Disney while you're in the bubble, but it's just like anywhere else in Florida. You just have to remain aware even if you're in a theme park!

My mom, wife, and daughters did the Grand Floridian Tea back in 2012 and really enjoyed it.

It's such a nice experience! Now, an expensive one, but isn't everything in Disney World?!

Wow. Interesting. Strange. I'm offended for Anika -- I mean, she tried the edible flower too and she didn't get a rose!

I'm offended for Anika, too! At least she looked like a human being that day!

I'm glad I've only had that happen once and I questioned including it at all, but it was SO bizarre that I had to write it in!

I wonder how they are hired. Is it just "You want a job? Point this camera at people." or do they actually hire photographers? Probably a little of both.

Based on my Photopass pictures... yes, a little of both!

Not always!

Fair enough.

Me too.
But the pizza my folks would buy was... well, I'm not sure if they used crust or cardboard. Horrid. When I discovered good pizza... that made all the difference.

I didn't even like good pizza! I certainly like it now, though! (That's a good thing, as my husband's family gets together every Sunday night for pizza. I would have many hungry evenings if I didn't eat pizza!)

Well, actually... see below.

I was pleasantly surprised that you'll give it another try! The menu is so large that I'm sure you can find something you'd like better!

Yes, I've had southern sweet tea. Much better!

To each their own. I do not like sweet tea AT ALL... but I'm glad there's something for everyone!

The most important part of any meal... dessert!

OMG. Who on this planet doesn't love donuts???

Actually, for a few years... me! For some reason I stopped enjoying donuts (not flaky pastries, but pretty much any kind of donut). That ended with pregnancy where EVERY donut sounded delicious! That stuck around post-pregnancy and I'm still a big donut fan!

I am going to look at my ADRs for September right now!

Great! I hope you find something you really enjoy (and I hope you enjoy the dessert if you try it!).

My plan is to take an evening to see that (again).

I love all the Disney parks at night (well, all but AK which I haven't seen in the dark, but maybe someday!). I think World Showcase has an extra level of beauty with all the architecture and the lagoon.

They're obviously snobs.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Oh, no...

I couldn't believe it when I woke up and realized my nose was stuffy! I was so bugged!

I'm really sorry to hear that. Being sick is one thing... being sick on vacation is another... and being sick at Disney is a whole other level of unfairness.

It really was a bummer especially with all the plans I'd made. At least it was the best possible day to feel the worst, but I was really looking forward to that down day enjoying the Grand Floridian!

I haven't rented from there (but will be in the fall) but have returned there.

It's such a nice place! I've been to many rental desks and I've always been impressed with the CCC.

Wow! I've never seen that before.

It was so cool! I don't know if it's unique to the Grand Floridian, but it was so much more grand that having linens piled on a housekeeping cart. I was excited to get the picture!

Fancy that!

And yet... I tend to avoid those. When I went with my youngest, we went to CP in MK. We told a CM we didn't want to meet any characters. It was great!

That's why it's nice that they have something for everyone!

Good to know.

It's such a nice spot and has such tasty food!

Good for you!

Hey, even I can learn from mistakes!

I do that too.

Even though my husband said that doesn't do anything, I figure it can't hurt!

So sorry to hear that.

It was a bummer! I need to have that French toast again as I don't think I enjoyed it nearly as much as I would've while healthy!

"Please don't die. Please don't die..."

​

I would hope if they thought I was close to death they would've at least recommended an Emergency Room instead!

Not bad. I've had much worse.

Me, too! I couldn't believe I got back so fast! I think it may have been a bit of luck, though, as the waiting room filled up considerably while I was waiting. I'm glad I got there when I did!

Glad it was diagnosed and you got what you needed.

I was so thrilled to have such a good experience at urgent care! They were so nice and helpful!

I stopped reading there. I wasn't aware of this. Are you okay?

Yes, I'm fine! I was born with a congenital heart condition called tetralogy of Fallot, which is a combination of different heart abnormalities. I had my first open hear surgery as a baby to correct most of the issues and have had four subsequent surgeries to put in and then replace my pulmonary valve. I have to be monitored by a cardiologist and will require future procedures to replace the valve, but it doesn't tend to disrupt my life too much. I don't run any marathons, but there are plenty of healthy folks who don't do that either!

I do have a tough time in hot, humid weather... so lucky me that one of my favorite places is Disney World in central Florida! Thankfully the attractions and restaurants pipe in so much A/C that I can make it work!

Good!

Thank goodness for meds! And travel Kleenex! ( I blew my nose SO MANY TIMES for the next two days!) By Sunday evening I finally felt fully like myself again.

Very pretty!

It was a very impressive towel animal! I'd never had a swan before!

Great shot!

Thank you! I waited with my camera ready to go!

Yes, that was terrible. I've noticed so many subtle changes since then. Beaches replaced with rocks and a "decorative" rope fence...

I absolutely understand why they had to put in the extra barriers (as people are terrible at reading signs), but I really liked the look of the open water. Still, it's tough to keep ahold of really little kids and I wouldn't want another tragedy!

You see what I have to put up with?! At least she was much more cooperative with the Photopass pictures on this trip as she was so happy about this special vacation!

Pretty girl.

Much more so when she smiles!

They're just so elegant!

um... okay?

I was just trying to do what was requested! Had I known what would happen I would've not said anything!

That's... just.. .weird!

It was SO STRANGE. If I'd taken the cough syrup with codeine I would've thought I was hallucinating from the med!

She's into the death-warmed-over type.

I know, right?! I looked TERRIBLE that day... you'd think she'd aim higher!

We had that too... and neither of us touched it! We were too full!

Since this was basically our lunch, we managed to have enough room. I think we were pretty stuffed, though!

"The waitress noted our names on the bill and has stalked me ever since."

Thankfully not!

Yeah, I'd take it too. It's a gift. You don't have to accept anything else that goes with it.

It was a lovely flower. I don't think we brought it to our next hotel (all of our bags were enough!), but it was nice to admire for the rest of the day.

Can't wait to hear how you swam at Narcoossee's!

We have talent, I tell you!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Well I’m four years late, but I’m joining in .

Thank you so much for joining in, Ashley! Considering the snail's pace I'm working on this report, you're not late at all!

Your description on meeting Dugette made me lol. I felt the same way, her TRs were the first encountered here on the DIS. funny enough I met her on the same trip, but it was before she had her cruise. We just have just missed you.

Yes, our trips were close! I'm glad (but not surprised!) that you had the same experience meeting her.

She doesn't seem to be on the boards anymore, so I'm guessing life got busy. She wrote so many (great!) reports I doubt she had much extra free time!

I’m so glad to hear your shoes are comfy. I bought a similar pair of Tevas for my upcoming trip and it rubs just one pinky toe for me too. I will make sure to pack extra bandaids.

Moleskin also works remarkably well! I'm somewhat glad to hear it's not just me that has that problem with those shoes. I promise that they're great other than that pesky issue! They're especially wonderful if you're caught in the rain (which happens all the time in Florida!).

I love Anika’s reaction to staying at GF, what a magical trip this must have been for her. I’m sorry you felt so bad, but at least it was in your rest day. I hope it gets better moving forward.

She was SO shocked - it was awesome! It was my favorite surprise of the entire trip!

Thankfully I only felt really awful on that day, followed by a few days of lots of medication and nose blowing. After three days I was pretty much back to normal.

​

Ahhh, all my quotes disappeared Anyway, to sum it up: UGH on getting sick! I had seen you not too long before this all started, I'd have never expected you'd have taken such a turn I'm glad you got relative quick care and it didn't cost you tons of time. Your experience at tea sounded interesting... but at least the food sounded amazing! (except maybe the "butter lettuce-tasting flower"

It was such a bummer and NOT in my plans!

I'm thankful I had such a good experience at urgent care and really only felt truly awful on the first day. I sniffled and medicated my way through the next few days, but thankfully was feeling much better by Sunday evening (this was Thursday). I'm sure it was something I picked up in my first few days of park touring... I'm sure there are a ton of illnesses around the park!

That tea was definitely an experience! I think I would've found it much more funny had I not felt so awful, but it was tough to have a sense of humor when I felt so sick. I do hope I didn't pass along my illness - even though she made me so uncomfortable, no one deserves to get sick! Hopefully she crossed paths with someone that was more her cup of tea.

Joining in 4 years late to the party lol! I enjoyed reading about how much life has changed for you since then though!

Thank you so much for joining in, Courtney! Don't worry... there's still plenty of trip to go!

It's incredible how much life has changed. I'm so glad Anika and I took this trip as we won't be able to have the same experience again. I am very much looking forward to the new experiences I'll have with my husband and daughter!

Plus I thought it was funny that I saw a comment from my sister about us going to stay in AoA soon for our December 2015 visit lol.

I remember that comment! I hope you enjoyed your trip at AoA - I'd still love to stay there one day! It's such a great resort.

Can't wait to read about the rest of the trip.

Thank you! The next multi-installment will be coming up this evening!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Happy Birthday!

I'm interrupting the regular trip reporting with a real-life update... unbelievably, our daughter is already a year old! Where on earth did a year go?!

I had many grand plans for decorations and desserts (naturally!) for this fun party. I'm really proud of how it all turned out so I just had to share it here! We had a small gathering of just grandparents and aunts and uncles, but that doesn't mean we weren't well-decorated!

I had a loose "sprinkles" theme, mostly so we could just have a tons of fun colors. My favorite décor were all of her weekly and monthly pictures that I put on display. After all the craziness to get all of those pictures it was fun to show them off! It was also amazing to watch her change once I'd gathered all of them together!

I also baked WAY TO MANY DESSERTS for a gathering of eleven people! I made a main cake, a smash cake, and a cake for my father-in-law's birthday (his birthday is the same day as M's - I thought he needed a cake, too!). Not only that, I also made sugar cookies AND cake ball pops. It was probably too much but it looked (and tasted!) great!

I was SO HAPPY with how the cakes turned out! I did all of the sprinkles free hand (and only had to pick out a few with my tweezers!):

The cookies were also an additional vehicle for more sprinkles:

M really enjoyed her cake! She ate very carefully but kept going back for more! (The broken section is where G and I broke it open so she could get past the frosting and into the cake!)

Thanks to very generous family M received some very nice presents. One of her favorites was a little baby doll my mom bought just a day before the party.

M had started hugging and rocking her teddy bear and other stuffed animals the week before. When my mom saw that she determined M NEEDED to have a dolly. My mom had a great instinct (as all moms do!) as M LOVES that baby!

Along with the family party, G and I also took M for a day at the Omaha zoo. We managed to visit on one of the hottest summer days thus far... lucky us!

I mention our day at the zoo because it is a SPECTACULAR zoo! Since I was last there they've created two trails, the African Grasslands trail and the Asian Highlands trail. I'm sure you can all think of another place with similar trails!

The Asian Highlands in particular reminded me of Animal Kingdom, complete with the flags! It makes me very excited about going back next year!

M's favorite parts of the zoo were the lemers and the monkeys:

She watched them for a very long time!

If you're ever in the Omaha area, I can't recommend the zoo enough! It's a fantastic zoo and the exhibits are amazing!

Thank you for indulging me in a little real-life update!

Up Next: Back to the Grand Floridian

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Chlorine Will Kill My Germs, Right?
Day 6 – Part IV

After our tea we had about three and a half hours to kill until dinner. (We really like to pack in those ADRs!)

Our first fun activity was to wander through the remainder of the Grand Floridian shops. They have a ridiculous amount of stores in that resort and we loved admiring the merchandise. We’d looked at the M. Mouse Mercantile, Basin White, and Sandy Cove Gifts stores the night before, so we decided to check our the Summer Lace store right next to the Tea Room.

Summer Lace has a selection of ladies apparel and accessories, including some resort branded merchandise. This was the first place Anika saw a Disney-themed Vera Bradley wallet clutch that she really liked. She talked herself out of buying it as it was a bit spendy (I think $50-60?), but someone else may have bought it for her later in the trip… (Hey, it was a great investment! She used it in college until it fell apart and I loved her having something that reminded her of our fun trip!)

We also revisited the M. Mouse Mercantile store upstairs and had fun seeing all the toys and travel souvenirs.

Once we were wandered out we had to decide what to do next.

Due to my stupid illness I’d already missed several things I was hoping or planning to do, such as take the monorail to see the (now defunct) Welcome Show at the Magic Kingdom and take one of the sea racers for a spin on the Seven Seas Lagoon. One thing I really didn’t want to miss out on was trying one of the Grand Floridian pools. Before our trip I’d hoped to try both, but one was better than nothing!

So, back to the room we went for swimsuits and sunscreen. It wasn’t long before we arrived at the Beach Pool on the far side of the resort:

This pool looked more fun to us as it appeared to be less crowded AND it had a waterslide. I didn’t let the fact that breathing was difficult stop me – I was going to enjoy that waterslide!

Anika and I both REALLY enjoyed the waterslide and went down it multiple times!

We also enjoyed just walking around and splashing each other in the water. After such a cruddy morning and afternoon, it was fun to temporarily forget about my illness and just soak up the fun of the resort!

In hindsight, I do really hope no one caught my upper respiratory infection at the pool. I know chlorine is pretty potent (and there was a TON of it in that pool!), but I’m sure the risk was there. I tried my best not to touch anything that I didn’t have to, but… I’m so sorry to the person or people that may have caught a bit of my bug! (Frankly, I was probably more contagious the day before, so I’m also sorry to all the people at Epcot that followed me in a ride vehicle or at a table. Heck, I’m sure that’s how I caught this bug in the first place!)

I took a walk around the pool to capture more of the surroundings.

There was a great pool bar and grill called Beaches:

They had a huge selection of wine, beer, and festive specialty drinks. They also had some food offerings, including the more interesting sushi, escabeche, and crab cake sandwich alongside the usual angus burger and Caesar salad. We didn’t try anything there, but many people seemed to be enjoying the cocktails!

There was also an area of covered tables right behind Beaches. It would be a nice place to grab lunch if you had a pool day!

There were quite a few lounge chairs next to the pool. It never seemed extremely busy and there were always chairs to choose from:

We didn't try it out as we had no little kids along, but the Alice in Wonderland themed water play area looked really cool!

We were still at the pool when our visitor joined us. As mentioned in my PTR and in the intro (so, ages ago!), our Uncle Wade was going to join us in Disney World for a long weekend. He lives on the Florida coast so he had just a few hours drive to join in on the fun. We were going to hit three different parks in the next three days – hopefully he came well-rested!

Wade’s friends were very impressed when they asked where he was staying and he answered with the Grand Floridian. It made us sound a lot more impressive than we are!

After a late afternoon of sunning, swimming, and sliding, we figured we’d better make our way back to the room to get cleaned up for dinner. I was so happy that we had a chance to enjoy the pool – it was great! We never tried the waterslide when we stayed at the Coronado Springs Resort two years before as we felt a little foolish using it, but we LOVED the slide at the Grand Floridian. In the future, I’m absolutely using the waterslide if one is available!

We were trying a brand new (to us) restaurant – Narcoossee’s! The California Grill had always won out if we were choosing to a Magic Kingdom area signature restaurant, so I was excited to try something new. As Anika loves seafood I figured this was a great choice!

Up Next: Dinner at Narcoossee’s

 

[SimplyGoofy]

A Table with a View
Day 6 – Part V

We had a short walk to our dinner destination:

Boy, were we getting spoiled by simply walking to all these meals! It would be a rude awakening when we switched resorts the next day!

We checked in about ten minutes early and then waited on the balcony for our name to be called. It was lovely to stand by the water with such a great view!

We were called pretty much on time for our 7:30 dinner reservation.

I don’t know if it was because I’d included Anika’s birthday on the reservation, because we were staying at the resort, or just because of great luck, but this was the view from our table:

A nearly perfect Magic Kingdom view and right next to the window! Wow!

I really liked the interior of the restaurant. The octagonal design was fun!

Giddy from our good table karma, I decided to order a cocktail. I ordered a Fizzy Floridian:

Due to the fact that this was four years ago, I don’t take good notes, and this is no longer on the drink menu… I have no idea what’s in this! I think it was some sort of sparkling wine cocktail or mixed vodka drink – that sounds the most like something I’d order!

While I enjoyed my cocktail, Anika and Wade dove into the bread basket:

I do love the bread service at the signature restaurants! I think my favorite part are the different sea salts they put on the butter. It makes the bread extra delicious!

Wade was especially excited with the bread basket. He loves anything that’s a vehicle for more butter!

Anika and Wade chose the same entrée, the Pan-seared Georges Bank Day Boat Scallops. The version they ordered came with trofie pasta with sultana raisins, Marcona almonds, string beans, wild mushrooms, and arugula with a lemon-thyme mustard sauce:

I chose a different entrée, the Columbia River Wild King Salmon. It came with chile broth, lobster chorizo, pasta, and salmon bacon:

All of our entrees were delicious! Despite the fact that mine listed both “chile” and “chorizo” in the description, it really didn’t seem spicy to me. (Perhaps my clogged sinuses were to my advantage tonight!) Anika’s and Wade’s scallops were also very good – Anika let me try part of one in exchange for a bite of my salmon. I’d order either the scallops or the salmon here anytime!

It was soon onto our favorite part of a meal… dessert!

Our server brought Anika a special dessert for her birthday, Narcoossee’s special Almond-Crusted Cheesecake with Lambert Cherry Sauce:

I was hoping they would bring this dessert for Anika’s birthday – she LOVES cheesecake! I know it’s not a guarantee, but I feel like the signature restaurants in particular are very good about doing something special. Anika was so thrilled to receive this and she loved her dessert!

I ordered a dessert as well, Narcoosse’s Candy Bar, which is a dark chocolate mocha bar with house-made chocolate gelato:

This was SO good but SO rich! The inside of the candy bar is pretty neat:

I did my best, but there was no way I was able to finish this! I really enjoyed the portion I did finish and Anika and Wade enjoyed a bite of it, as well.

Similar to the California Grill, you’re able to watch the fireworks from the restaurant deck if you have a meal at the restaurant. Since we had many other chances to watch the fireworks we decided to head out and return to the main building to enjoy the atmosphere instead.

If you are there closer to the fireworks time, it would be a fun place to see them!

Final Thoughts – Narcoossee’s
My goodness, what a great dinner! We all loved everything about Narcoossee’s – from the table, to the restaurant décor, to the view, to the food. We had a very nice (but not too friendly! ) server and a wonderful experience. Narcossee’s was one of our favorite meals of the entire trip – and with the amount of meals we ate, that’s saying a lot! I loved it so much I returned in 2016 with my mom – and she loved it there, too! I highly, highly recommend Narcoossee’s, especially if you’re a fan of seafood!

Up Next: Our Final Night at the Grand Floridian