You had quite the trip, didn't you? June 2019 Completed 12/4! New TR Link 1/19!

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

At the time they had their regular menu but also their "Not so Secret Menu". Which apparently was a limited time offering because they didn't have it when Dan and I ate there a week ago! (I wish they did because we loved our apps from it!)

Don't say that!!!!! I loved the sangrias and the cheese bread from there, this last trip!!!

So that’s what we did! We ordered the shrimp in a cup and the cheese bread, Pao de Queljo. I had wanted to try the falafel but these two options sounded really good and they were! We were both very happy with the appetizers!

I don't know what was in that Cream Cheese pesto dip, but it was so good!!!!

For our entrees, I ordered the Tastes Like Chicken and Dan ordered the Siu Pork. Overall, our entrees were just okay. The chicken was a bit hard to cut but overall was good. And I think Dan liked his entree. The standouts from the meal were definitely the appetizers though!

I wish they would stop messing with the menu here. Andy had the Pork awhile back and really loved it but it did not look like that...

I would DEFINITELY eat here again. Possibly even just ordering a couple of appetizers to share. On those hot, hot days it is so nice to get to sit down, relax, enjoy the a/c and have some yummy food!

2 apps has been the way I have gone lately. 3 apps between 2 people would be perfect also.

I really wish we could have eaten in the butterfly booth but I imagine with there only being one its hard to get that seat!

We ate in the butterfly booth once! Morgan said it was a little morbid... surrounded by dead bugs..

(PS How do you get a cute pic before the ice cream melts EVERYWHERE lol)

The Lost Princess cone was actually really tasty! And it sparkled! However, for a hot day it melted FAST! It basically got everywhere but it was still yummy! Dan really enjoyed the Peter Pan Float. He faired a lot better with that treat being in a cup and not on a cone!

We ended up asking for a cup for Morgan to put hers in when we got this in May. She really liked hers as well.

 

[Cloe Colton]

Don't say that!!!!! I loved the sangrias and the cheese bread from there, this last trip!!!

Did you get a secret menu in August?? I don't think @Jenny Sanders got one when she went! And we didn't get one in September maybe its random who gets the secret menu??

I don't know what was in that Cream Cheese pesto dip, but it was so good!!!!

Yes it was!!

I wish they would stop messing with the menu here. Andy had the Pork awhile back and really loved it but it did not look like that...

I think Dan liked it but definitely wasn't what we were expecting for his dish haha

2 apps has been the way I have gone lately. 3 apps between 2 people would be perfect also.

Definitely!!

We ate in the butterfly booth once! Morgan said it was a little morbid... surrounded by dead bugs..

I can see that! I love butterflies though so I think I would like it!

We ended up asking for a cup for Morgan to put hers in when we got this in May. She really liked hers as well.

Very runny in the heat! haha

 

[Jenny Sanders]

We did not get the secret menu. I just knew about it because you mentioned it in one of your TR’s. At least I think you did. Still no shrimp in s cup...

 

[Cloe Colton]

We did not get the secret menu. I just knew about it because you mentioned it in one of your TR’s. At least I think you did. Still no shrimp in s cup...

I didn't think so! I should have asked if I could still get them lol didn't even think too haha

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Did you get a secret menu in August?? I don't think @Jenny Sanders got one when she went! And we didn't get one in September maybe its random who gets the secret menu??

We got the secret menu in August. But the cheese bread was on it. Did you just ask about it? Or was it on the regular menu? It was really good.

I can see that! I love butterflies though so I think I would like it!

I loved it!

 

[Cloe Colton]

We got the secret menu in August. But the cheese bread was on it. Did you just ask about it? Or was it on the regular menu? It was really good.

When we went in June they gave us the secret menu which had the shrimp in a cup and the cheese bread and when we went in September they didn't give us the secret menu and neither were on the actual menu. I probably should have asked if I could order the cheese bread anyway though!!

 

[Cloe Colton]

Day 3 Part 4 Saturday June 15th

We had finally arrived to the Grand Floridian and I was out of my mind excited. I cannot even begin to count how many times I watched the Full House episodes in Disney as a child (and sometimes even now) and I was always SO jealous of their stay at the Grand Floridian! (Also what the heck did Danny Tanner have on the side that he could afford a Grand Floridian stay on a whims notice! LOL!)

I had done online check in so I had already received our room assignment once we got off of the boat. After our kinda strange welcome to the Contemporary, we decided to just head to our room and forego the pomp and circumstance of being shown the lounge. Now as someone who spends as much time on these boards as I do I totally should have asked for a room change. We were in a room on the first floor right next to the lounge. Which for lounge access was actually really awesome and made getting drinks/snacks/food really easy but in the mornings, it was LOUD. I tried to explain to Dan what the problem was with the room was but he is not like me and hates to make waves so we just left it. For two nights we could deal with early mornings lol (and it really wasn't THAT bad but probably could have been better on noise.) Plus, Dan really liked being one the first floor so that we didn't have to take an elevator to get to the food and drinks so it was fine.

The room, regardless of position, was gorgeous! I had just watched Pete from the DIS' review of his room just a week prior and it got me super nervous lol thankfully our room was very pretty and exactly what I expected of a room at the Grand Floridian. (Except our couch was a bit stained but didn't really affect or bother us!)




I loved this chair!



Full Room Tour for anyone who is interested!

One of the first things Dan did was check out our view.




We were facing the marina which wasn't what I requested in Touring Plans (in fact we were placed nearly opposite what I requested lol in floors and side of building) but I am actually happy with where we were put! It was a nice area to people watch and we could see the Grand Yacht One or whatever its called from our room. Someday we will rent that out! lol Dan and I are obsessed with the Bravo TV show Below Deck and thats definitely a huge and completely unrealistic bucketlist item for us to charter a yacht somewhere. Maybe we will have to settle for Disney's for a few hours! lol




Because I'm crazy, anything I think is cute I call a bubjub which is one of Joys many nicknames (if you're wondering how you go from Joy to Bubjub -- Joy > Joy Baby > Joy Bob > Jube > Boobajube > and finally Bubjub lol!) So I called this little tree next to our balcony our Bubjub tree.



We had some time until our dinner reservation and it was dinner time in the lounge so we thought we should make use of our club level and get some snacks! And a couple of drinks!



We ate our snacks in the lounge instead of our room but we totally could have given how close our room was!

The drink service was VERY boujie in the GF club level. They would roll out a whole bar and have someone manning the station to pour drinks for you and if you had a beer they would individually wrap it in a napkin to keep your hand from getting cold. I've hypothesized that the more lux the hotel is perceived the more service and boujieness there will be. From our experience it goes Grand Floridian with a fully manned bar - Contemporary CL & Wilderness Lodge - will pour the drinks for you from the area on the counter Gran Destino Tower CL - help yourself. Which in our experience, we prefer to do it ourselves but I know some people prefer to be waited on so its all personal preference!


This was on the rolled out bar. I want one for my house! haha


The sun and heat were getting to Dan and he wasn’t feeling the best so once we had our luggage brought to the room he decided to take a nap. I on the other hand felt great and was on cloud nine for staying at the Grand Floridian (remember lifelong/bucketlist dream for me!) so I decided to go on a walk around the resort.






It was a gorgeous night and I was so happy I didn't just hang out in the room. There was a beautiful Grand Floridian to explore! (Even if I've walked around it a million times - this was the first time as a guest!!)

Obviously, I had to go to the lobby too!






I also stopped into one of the giftshops to look at the Grand Floridian pin. I definitely wanted one! I'm not sure if I bought it this night or another day but here it is in all its glory!



I love how detailed this pin is. Its not really obvious from the picture but each circle has a detail specific to the grand in it. One of my favorite pins ever!



I wasn’t gone too long, but I really enjoyed my walk soaking up the atmosphere!

When I got back it was time to get ready for our final Deluxe Dining plan dinner at Citricos!



Dan was in a pretty deep sleep when I got back so I felt bad waking him up. That was the one thing I didn't love about the meal plan since we had four dining credits we needed to use by midnight and if we had been paying oop I probably would have canceled dinner altogether. But in hindsight, I'm glad Dan powered through because it ended up being an amazing dinner! Plus, we just had to walk one building to get there lol not exactly strenuous! ​

 

[Cloe Colton]

Day 3 Part 5 Saturday June 15th

Finally it was time to head out on our long trek to dinner haha





We checked in and had to wait a few minutes so we hung out in the sitting area and observed the elusive Victoria and Alberts entrance.





The restaurant was pretty empty and they seated us at a table by the window but really mostly looked at a wall lol it was a strange seat considering the whole restaurant was basically empty but I think it was supposed to be a nice table facing the window but the angle I sat in was adjacent to the window and looking at the wall haha but it was still a nice spot and felt secluded rather than being on top of another table like we had at California Grill!






Our waiter, John, (@ariane37 is this your favorite waiter here??? He was awesome!) was shocked when we had just enough credits left for the dinner. Its not my first Disney planning rodeo, sir! Lol

Dan went with the High Steppe beer to start and I ordered some sort of white wine lol if I had to guess it was either a moscato or a chardonnay but which one is beyond me! Whatever it was was good!



You can see my wall view in the background of the wine photo haha

To start, I ordered the arancini and Dan ordered the sautéed shrimp app. Dan liked his a lot and I LOVED my arancini, so good!




Dan and I usually split or share appetizers but for some reason on this trip we both had certain ones calling to us and didn't really want to share so we didn't haha

For our entrees. Dan ordered the tuna steak and I ordered the scallop risotto. Both of us really enjoyed our entrees. Dan felt like this meal felt lighter to him compared to the other meals we ate and therefore, was really enjoyable. I on the other hand ate a lot of pastas and felt like it was a super heavy meal, but was still very good!




Happily Ever After did go off during our dinner but I could only see parts of it and only if I craned my neck a certain way. It was nice to see but Citirco's definitely doesn't expect patrons to really watch much of the show here. Unlike wishes, HEA doesn't call to me as much from afar so we didn't really care that it wasn't super visable.

For dessert, we ordered the gelato profiteroles and the chocolate tart. Both were good but I was so stuffed at this point!! We did ask if Dan could substitute a coffee (it was on the same menu as the dessert) for a dessert but it couldn’t be done. (I don't understand why not since its less cost to Disney but whatevs haha) However, John was nice enough to bring Dan the coffee anyway! I appreciated that and gave him the cost of the coffee in his tip!




Overall, we had a fabulous dinner at Citricos!



If only they offered the option of rolling you back to your room! lol

We were pretty tired after dinner so we made the leisurely stroll back to our room and relaxed the rest of the night. I do wish that the new bar/lounge would have been open because that would have been fun to do! (Already plotting another stay here to enjoy the lounge! I really like staying at these places and enjoying their specific amenities while I'm there!)

The dining plan was nice to do since we could try so many things but it was A LOT of food. The only thing I didn’t like about it was that I probably would have canceled Citricos that night just with how tired Dan was feeling and done something more lowkey but we still enjoyed our dinner! I will say though, between Citricos and Narcooses, I think I like Narcooses better! But, always good to try something new!

Overall another great day!

​

 

[dolewhipdreams]

Also what the heck did Danny Tanner have on the side that he could afford a Grand Floridian stay on a whims notice! LOL!

Aunt Becky probably just paid for them to get in

(if you're wondering how you go from Joy to Bubjub -- Joy > Joy Baby > Joy Bob > Jube > Boobajube > and finally Bubjub lol!

This is incredible

The drink service was VERY boujie in the GF club level.

JK that is very very fancy

(Even if I've walked around it a million times - this was the first time as a guest!!)

Currently getting quotes to stay here during my birthday weekend next year because of this update

Dan liked his a lot and I LOVED my arancini

How did it compare to Via Napoli's?

Ah I am loving you GF photos! It's so beautiful, I can't imagine how laid back and refined it must feel.

 

[Cloe Colton]

Aunt Becky probably just paid for them to get in

DYING!!!! I think its the end of our Animal Kingdom vlog the next day but Dan makes a joke about Aunt Becky at the very end a la Marvel style hahaha

This is incredible

Hahaha its quite the leap! I mean its actually evolved past Bubjub at this point but it had to be included!!

View attachment 441483

JK that is very very fancy/QUOTE]

Haha I was living the fancy life!

Currently getting quotes to stay here during my birthday weekend next year because of this update

Oooo I hope there are some good prices for you!! I truly loved staying here and would not hesitate to come back! I'm honestly trying to figure out if DH and I should extend our Christmas trip in 2020 2 extra nights to stay 3 nights here and 3 nights at the Poly lol

How did it compare to Via Napoli's?

I actually think I prefer Via Napolis! As much as I want to be a boujie person, I prefer less boujie food items haha

Ah I am loving you GF photos! It's so beautiful, I can't imagine how laid back and refined it must feel.

Thank you!! I seriously loved staying there! I just wish it wasn't so dang expensive most of the time! I couldn't believe the price we got for these nights. If I ever see this price again you bet your bottom I'm hightailing it back to Florida to stay there again! lol

You'll notice for this half of our trip we really took the time to enjoy the resort and just really appreciate all it had to offer. And I'm so glad we did because this resort pretty much screams at you to slow down! haha

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I probably should have asked if I could order the cheese bread anyway though!!

I am totally sad about this!

Also, I swear I quoted stuff from your recent posts and they are gone.

Citricos looked really good! Totally jealous of your CL! I am secretly hoping to be upgraded when Andy and I are at Boardwalk at the end of the month.

 

[Jenny Sanders]

Such a wonderful first night at The GF!!! I love Citricos (it's one of my favs) and you certainly can't beat CL there!!!

 

[DLo]

Looks like a fantastic dinner . Bummer about room location but sounds like it could have been worse .

 

[ariane37]

I'm so glad you enjoyed Citricos! Steve has had those scallops and loves them. Our fabulous server is Rony but if you can't have him at least your server was great too!!

Isn't the GF just dreamy? Only WL still beats it for me. We enjoyed club at the GF but do prefer it at WL, probably b/c it's not as "stuffy" although the Grand in general isn't as stuffy as I used to think it was

 

[Cloe Colton]

I am totally sad about this!

Also, I swear I quoted stuff from your recent posts and they are gone.

Citricos looked really good! Totally jealous of your CL! I am secretly hoping to be upgraded when Andy and I are at Boardwalk at the end of the month.

I hate when that happens!!

We really did our best to appreciate this trip since it was a pretty special one!! I hope you get upgraded too! I almost kind of wonder what would have happened if we complained about our room location, like would they have moved us to the main building? But probably not since we are not that lucky! Lol

Such a wonderful first night at The GF!!! I love Citricos (it's one of my favs) and you certainly can't beat CL there!!!

It was definitely a great night!

Looks like a fantastic dinner . Bummer about room location but sounds like it could have been worse .

It really was a perfect dinner! And yeah a bad room location at the Grand Floridian is definitely better than a lot of things haha it honestly helped us not sleep in and actually enjoy our days rather than sleeping in! The only time it was really bad was the last morning when someone's child was screaming "Mom!" over and over lol

I'm so glad you enjoyed Citricos! Steve has had those scallops and loves them. Our fabulous server is Rony but if you can't have him at least your server was great too!!

I imagine it's hard to get a bad server there! The scallops were so good!! I wish I had more stomach space to enjoy more of it haha

Isn't the GF just dreamy? Only WL still beats it for me. We enjoyed club at the GF but do prefer it at WL, probably b/c it's not as "stuffy" although the Grand in general isn't as stuffy as I used to think it was

I agree! I thought we would feel like we didn't belong there but I didn't feel that way at all! I agree, I liked the clubs better at most of the other locations just because it is a bit less stuffy haha we loved Gran Destino's because of its lack of that! I hope we'll get more opportunities in the future to stay at Grand Floridian though, it was such a dreamy experience!!

 

[paradesintherain]

I'm joining late and I had quotes, but I lost them!

Your trip sounds super enjoyable so far, and I definitely agree that Bay Lake view is better than Theme Park View. Bay Lake is so peaceful and beautiful and I spent a ton of time on the balcony!

I got really excited for a second that you're going to Disneyland in November, because I am too, but we miss each other by a day! I leave on the 12th . Regardless, can't wait to read your TR of your first Disneyland experience!

 

[buzzrelly]

The room, regardless of position, was gorgeous! I had just watched Pete from the DIS' review of his room just a week prior and it got me super nervous lol thankfully our room was very pretty and exactly what I expected of a room at the Grand Floridian. (Except our couch was a bit stained but didn't really affect or bother us!)

So pretty

I could be wrong, but I think Pete stayed in a DVC room. I think the DVC rooms, in general, tend to be more run down.

We were facing the marina which wasn't what I requested in Touring Plans (in fact we were placed nearly opposite what I requested lol in floors and side of building)

I'm about 50/50 with those TP Room Requests. I either get the EXACT room I want, or something completely opposite.

It was a gorgeous night and I was so happy I didn't just hang out in the room. There was a beautiful Grand Floridian to explore!

So pretty. Staying at The GF is definitely on my bucket list too

Overall, we had a fabulous dinner at Citricos!

I've been debating between Citrico's and the new Topolino Terrace for Mike's birthday dinner. I currently have them both booked and will decide after they open and the reviews come out, I guess.

I will say though, between Citricos and Narcooses, I think I like Narcooses better! But, always good to try something new!

Good to know. I don't think I loved the menu at Narcooses, but maybe I'll take another look. I think it had mostly seafood and I don't eat a lot of seafood.

 

[LeiaIsAPrincess2]

Your room looks gorgeous! I totally understand about having to use the dining credits but at least it worked out for the best!

 

[Steppesister]

Just trying to catch up with the last update so I can at least get up to date going into another work week,. Lovely update with your check in to your dream resort! Nice!

Dan went with the High Steppe

Hey, it's like my screen name!

We did ask if Dan could substitute a coffee (it was on the same menu as the dessert) for a dessert but it couldn’t be done. (I don't understand why not since its less cost to Disney but whatevs haha) However, John was nice enough to bring Dan the coffee anyway! I appreciated that and gave him the cost of the coffee in his tip!

Yeah, that's kinda weird! I had the exact same couple of dishes and loved them, but that shrimp appie is HUGE and filling! I'm surprised he could eat ONE bite of 'zert. LOL!

 

[missangelalexis]

Beautiful pics around the resort! Sounds like a wonderful dinner!