Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label review. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

A look inside Disney Resorts Disney Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

A look inside Disney Resorts
Deluxe Resort

Disney Grand Floridian Resort
& Spa

Disney’s Grand Floridian Spa & Resort, a AAA Four Diamond Hotel,  was opened on June 28, 1988 as the former Grand Floridian Beach Resort. Keeping the true 19th and 20th century Victorian era alive the Disney’s Grand Floridian replicates the eras’ white walls and red gabled roofs. The Grand Floridian boasts 25 Suites amongst 6 buildings across 40 acres just southwest of the Magic Kingdom. The Grand Floridian’s five-story lobby mesmerizes you with its luxurious chandeliers, marble floors, and a marvelous stained glass ceilings.
Picture
With a high ratio of staff to guests, service is outstanding. The resort has several full-service restaurants, and others are a short monorail ride away. The hotel is connected directly to the Magic Kingdom by monorail and to other Disney World destinations by bus. Walking time to the monorail and bus- loading areas from the most remote guest rooms is about 7–10 minutes.

Picture
What are rooms like at the Grand Floridian?

The Grand Floridian consists of 867 guest rooms and average around 448 sq feet making them some of the largest standard guest rooms at Walt Disney World. The standard, but spacious, guest rooms consist of either 2 Queen Size beds or 1 King bed. Most rooms offer a day bed.  All rooms come equipped with an iron, ironing board, small refrigerator, Disney sundries (soap, shampoo), coffee maker, safe, iPod dock and a hair dryer, and of course free WiFi.  The 31 handicap-accessible rooms offered at the Grand Floridian feature the same setup of the standard Grand Floridian rooms but conform to Florida’s Accessibility Code.

The rooms are set up to accommodate 5 or 6 guest counting 1 child under the age of 3 with the use of a crib. You may request a crib when checking in or touch the Housekeeping button on your room phone.  Housekeeping can also provide you with a high chair, a playpen, bed rails, and other things you might need for little ones. 

Picture
 Each Disney's Grand Floridian Resort room is furnished with the following:

  • Two queen beds
  • Dresser with 4 small drawers
  • Table with 2 chairs
  • Nightstand digital alarm clock
  • Full-length mirror (on bath door)
  • WiFi wireless Internet access
  • Flat-panel TV
  • Mini fridge
  • Coffee Maker
  • Ironing board and iron
  • Hair dryer
  • Digital thermostat
  • In-room safe
  • Tiny bottle of H2O-brand shampoo, and bar soap
Restaurant's and Dining Options

 Victoria & Albert's - With only 18 tables in the main dining room and Queen Victoria's Room, a new private space with seating for eight, this is the top dining experience at Disney World. A winner of AAA's Five-Diamond Award (the only restaurant in central Florida so honored), Victoria & Albert's is civilized, lavish, and expensive. Waitstaff in the Queen Victoria Room expertly revive the European art of tableside finishes for each dish.

The menu changes daily, but chef Scott Hunnel's favorites include Jamison Farm lamb, Florida seafood, and Japanese Kobe beef. Any of master pastry chef Erich Herbitschek's desserts are divine. Hunnel and his team prepare modern American cuisine with the best of the best from around the world. While the main dining room and Queen Victoria's Room are whisper-quiet, the convivial Chef's Table is a whole other experience. For foodies, it's a bargain.

CĂ­tricos-This is one of the best-kept dining secrets at Disney World - it's generally easy to get Advance Reservations here. For an extra-special night, reserve the Chef's Domain, a private room for up to 12 guests where the chef creates a special menu.

The golds and yellows of the Mediterranean color this stylish dining room on the second floor of the Grand Floridian. Diners often find chef Phillip Ponticelli working his culinary magic in the full-view show kitchen. Selections include sauteed shrimp with lemon, feta cheese, tomatoes, and white wine; oak-grilled filet of beef; braised veal shank.

Grand Floridian Cafe-Grand Floridian Cafe is basically an upscale coffee shop, the large dining room - with high ceilings and decorative windows - looks out on the Grand Floridian's pool and center courtyard.

Breakfast includes eggs prepared virtually every way known to mankind; waffles; French toast. For lunch, there's Cobb salad and the Grand sandwich with ham, turkey, and Boursin-cheese sauce. For dinner, choose from salmon, shrimp pasta, or grilled pork chop.

Narcoossee's-Stroll through the grounds of the Grand Floridian and toward the waterfront to this freestanding octagonal building at the edge of Seven Seas Lagoon. The atmosphere is upscale casual, though hardwood floors make it noisy. Diners have great views of the Magic Kingdom and the boats that dock nearby to pick up and drop off guests after a day at the park.

Narcoossee's offers excellent service, a very good wine list-and steep prices. But it is one of the few places at Disney with a seafood-centric menu, and one of the few places where you can get fresh steamed lobster.
Picture
1900 Park Fare- offers two character meals. Choose to dine with Mary Poppins, Alice and Wonderland, and friends, or Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine, Anastasia, and Drusilla.  The prime rib is 1900 Park Fare's major draw at dinner, but go someplace else if you prefer your beef on the rare side of medium.
Garden View Tea Room- is home to traditional afternoon tea, served in grand British style. The menu includes a selection of international teas and an assortment of sandwiches and pastries.

Gasparilla Island Grill- is the resort's counter service restaurant. It has a decent selection of burgers, sandwiches, and pizzas. There's also kid friendly items like chicken nuggets and hot dogs. Gasparilla is unique in that it is open 24 hours a day. But past 11:00 PM the menu is very limited.
Shops:

The Grand Floridian offers several different options to its guests such as the Sandy Cove. The Sandy Cove carries everything from baby items such as baby diapers to formula to pharmacy items to souvenirs. Step over to the M. Mouse Mercantile to shop all things Disney while the Commander’s Porters sells men’s apparel and some Grand Floridian related items.

Pools:

Picture
 Enjoy down time at one of the 2 Grand Floridian’s 2 pools, hot tub, ping pong table, and a pool bar. The Courtyard pool, the larger of the two, offers zero-entry access and is located in the center of the Grand Floridian grounds. The themed pool is located on the beach and also offers zero-entry, rock waterfall, and waterslide. Guest are provided with complimentary towels and life vests at each both pools.


Commuting Times to the Parks
Park Commuting Times

Resort Transportation
Magic Kingdom 7 min
Epcot 33 min
Hollywood Studios 23 min
Animal Kingdom 23 min
 

Ready to book your Walt Disney World Vacation?
Contact RMH Travel today!

Free Quote Form
email: info@RMHTravel.com
Phone: 855-RMH-TRAV 

website:www.RMHTravel.com

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Art of Animation Resort-A look inside




The art of Animation is the newest resort at Walt Disney World. It began to open on May 31, 2012 and finished September 15, 2012. The resort has suites with themed room interiors in the nearly 2, 000 new units and 864 themed rooms in The Little Mermaid wings. The Little Mermaid wing is the only wing without suites, all other rooms are Suites. 

Animation hall is the main building with front desk, concierge, the Ink and Paint Shop, the Landscape of Flavors eatery, and arcade.

Family Suites


There are three theme sections to choose from: Nemo, Cars and Lion King. Each suit is designed to comfortably accommodate up to 6 Guests. (Though some have said that the rooms can comfortable hold only 2-4 adults and 2-4 children, not all adults) All accommodations include:

·         2 separate bathrooms
·         A master bedroom
·         In the main living space, a pull-out couch converts to a double size sleeper sofa, and the work/dining table includes an Invoabed that can sleep 1 or 2. (only 1 adult is what everyone says, you can’t put a second adult on there)
·         Queen-size bed
·         Additional adult charge of $10 per adult per night for more than 2 adults, except in Suites and rooms with king beds.
·         Mini-kitchen with microwave, coffee maker, sink and small refrigerator
·         Flat-panel TV
·         In-room wall safe
·         Complimentary WiFi
·         Hairdryer
·         Iron and ironing board
·         Crib is available upon request
·         All rooms are non-smoking
·         Wheelchair-accessible rooms are available
·         Views of the parking lot, courtyard or pool


Standard Rooms


The little Mermaid Standard rooms are designed to accommodate up to 4 Guests, they feature 2 double beds-and a seemingly endless array of imaginative touches inspired by the world of Ariel, Sebastian, and Flounder. From the sea-inspired color palate and aquatic motifs to the animated artwork and special surprises, you’ll find yourself in a whimsical underwater wonderland. One drawback to these rooms is they are consider a walk to get to the bus system and lobby. (about ¼ of a mile walk)

Dining


The Landscape of Flavors offers counter service eating for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It serves an array of delectable dishes-from hearty cuisine to healthier fare-across 5 distinctive food shops at breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. This quick-service venue features:

·         A menu of traditional food court favorites like pizza and burgers
·         Better-for-you options, including buckwheat pasta, egg-white frittatas and low-fat smoothies
·         4 onstage tandoor ovens, which offer an impressive show for baking delicious naan bread and roasting chicken, shrimp, sausage and acorn squash.

Hours
·         Breakfast 6:00 AM-11:00 AM
·         Lunch 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
·         Dinner 5:00 PM- 12:00 AM

Pizza delivery is available to your room from Disney's own delivery service. Besides pizza, chicken wings, desserts, beer, wine, and sodas are also available. However, delivery can take up to 90 minutes, and the food quality is often below average. You're probably better off either walking to the food court or calling Domino's. Pizza delivery hours are 4 PM to midnight daily. A medium (16") cheese pizza costs around $14 and a pepperoni around $16. Minimum order is $15, and Disney will tack on an 18% tip, $3 delivery charge, and 7% sales tax. Thus, a $30 pizza order will cost you $40.50 delivered.

The Drop Off Pool Bar: Just outside of the food court and on the way to The Big Blue Pool is the The Drop Off Pool Bar. Drop Off has outdoor seating and a limited drink menu, with several beer selections, a couple of wines, and a small selection of spirits.

Recreation

Pixel Play Arcade is located in Animation Hall across from the Ink and Paint Shop.
Three swimming pools offer fun and refreshment. The largest, The Big Blue Pool, is located in the Finding Nemo courtyard and features a pool bar (The Drop Off Pool Bar). Two smaller pools, located in the Cars (Cozy Cone Pool) and The Little Mermaid (Flippin Fins Pool) courtyards, provide additional relaxation.

The Big Blue Pool has three sections - the actual pool (swim underwater to hear sounds from Finding Nemo), the School Yard wet play area and Squirt's Righteous Reef (play area with no water)
The Lion King area offers a "playground" called the Elephant Graveyard. It offers very little as a playground.

Art of Animation Resort has a 1.38-mile trail for walking or jogging.

Transportation

Disney Cast Members will tell you that a bus will be by every 20 minutes, but first thing in the morning your average wait time is 10 minutes, and between the hours of 11 AM to around 4 PM, when most people are already in the park your wait time can be up to 30 minutes. 
Once on the bus commute times are the following:

Magic Kingdom                     20 min
Epcot                                     19 min
Hollywood Studios               18 min
Animal Kingdom                  18 min

Ready to book your Walt Disney World Vacation?

Contact RMH Travel today!

Free Quote Form
email: info@RMHTravel.com
Phone: 855-RMH-TRAV
Web Site: www.RMHTravel.com


Don't forget to Follow Us




Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort-A Look Inside



Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort-A Look Inside
Copyright: Disney

Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort is a tropical paradise built around 45-acre Barefoot Bay; this resort brings the Islands to you with swaying palm trees, white-sand beaches and colonial architecture. Six villages-Trinidad North, Trinidad South, Martinique, Barbados, Aruba and Jamaica-host colorful Guest rooms, some pirate-themed! “Island-hop” as you explore 200 lushly landscaped acres, or simply enjoy lazy days soaking up the sun in a hammock at this beautiful resort.

Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort is considered a “moderate” resort, with pricing and amenities between the “value” and “deluxe” resort.  It is located near Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Downtown Disney and is considered an “Epcot Area Resort”

Resort Layout

Disney’s Caribbean Resort has 2, 112 guest rooms in 33 colorful 2-story buildings on the shores of a 42 acre lake. The buildings are grouped in 6 villages with each village having 6 buildings except for Trinidad North, which has 3 buildings. Each building contains 64 guest rooms. Each village has its own pool, white sand beach with hammocks and playground, laundry facilities, bus stop, and parking area. There are no elevators in any of the buildings.

The centerpiece of Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort is its 45-acre lake, Barefoot Bay, surrounded by a 1.4-mile promenade which connects to winding paths leading to all guests’ rooms and common areas. The promenade is superb for strolling, jogging, and bicycling. In the center of the lake is Caribbean Cay, an island with a picnic area and beautiful foliage. Caribbean Cay is connected to the promenade on each side by a footbridge. The lake, island, lush vegetation, colorful buildings, and attractive landscaping combine to create a feast for the eye and spirit. 
Copyright: Disney

Old Port Royale, also called Centertown, is the main actives area with Market Street (food Court), Shutters (sit-down restaurant), Calypso Trading Post and Straw Market (shops), Lobby Concierge, Goombay Games (arcade), large pool (Spanish fort-themed), water slide, wading pool and whirlpool. Also, here is the Barefoot Bay Marina and Bike Works, bus stopo and parking area. The walk between Old Port Royale and your room is pleasant, but can be long, up to a 15 minute walk away. If distance from Old Port Royale is important to you consider reserving a Preferred Building-Trinidad North or Martinique.
 Room Distance

The closest buildings to Old Port Royale are in Martinique followed by Trinidad North. The farthest buildings are in parts of Trinidad South (they have the pirate rooms) and Barbados. The villages of Aruba and Jamaica are across the lake from Old Port Royale; some buildings in those villages are reasonably close.  Disney’s Caribbean Beach does have an internal bus system that you can use.
Copyright: Disney

Guest Rooms

Each room has two full-size beds, except for a few rooms with king-size beds. Up to four guests, and one child under 3 in a crib, are allowed per room. Rooms include two sinks outside the bathroom, cable tv/radio, armoire, table and chairs, phone, a small key-operated wall safe, hair dryer, iron, and ironing board, and coffee maker. There also should be a refrigerator in the room—if not you may request one at no charge. Bed boards, bed rails, extra blankets and pillows, and baby cribs are available through housekeeping. 

Chick-in is at 3 pm, at the Custom House. The Custom House is located near the resort entrance, across the street from the village of Barbados. It’s a distance from most of the villages to the Custom House by foot or you can take the bus.  Most guests will not need to go to the Custom House except at check-in, Magical Express, Airline Check-in and pickup.

If your room is not available, you can leave your luggage with Bell Service and use the main pool which has lockers, changing areas, and public restrooms; or you can head out to a theme park. Your luggage will be delivered to your room.

Check-out is at 11 am. If you pay by credit card, you do not have to go to the Custom House to check out. An itemized bill will be hung on your room door by 8:30 am on your day of departure. If you are leaving before the bill arrives, we suggest heading to the Customs House to get a copy. It is always a good idea to check your bill prior to departure. Your electronic room key will be automatically deactivated at 11 am. You can call bell Service to pick up your luggage. If you are taking a bus to the airport, Bell service will keep your luggage at the Custom House until your transportation arrives.
Copyright: Disney

Pools

Count em’ The Caribbean Beach Resort has nine pools, including the Pirate themed main pool at Old Port Royale, the adjacent wading pool and whirlpool, and six village pools (on in each village). All pools are heated, which makes for comfortable swimming year-round. The whirlpool is kept very toasty. Bring towels from your room; they are not available at poolside except at the Old Port Royale pool. Only the main pool has lifeguards on duty during official operating hours.
Copyright: Disney

Beaches-Each village has a beautiful, clean, white sandy beach on the lake. (After all this is Caribbean “Beach” Resort!) Beaches have lounge chairs and very comfortable hammocks. Swimming is NOT allowed in the lake.

Playgrounds-Small playgrounds are located on the village beaches of Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad South. 

A variety of watercraft and bicycles are available for rent at the Barefoot Bay Marina (located at Old Port Royale) These include Sea Raycer, sailboats, paddle boats, canoes and pontoon boats.
Copyright: Disney

Food

Old Port Royal features the Market Street food court, open from 6 am to midnight, with more limited hours for some of the counters.

Shutters at Old Port Royal is a table service restaurant opened from 5 to 10 pm.
Limited room service, from Blue Runner Pizza and Meal Delivery, offers pizza and beverages. Delivery house are from 4:00 pm to 11:30 pm.
Copyright: Disney

Transportation

The Caribbean Beach Resort is a very large resort complex and some rooms are quite far from Old Port Royale.  But don’t worries there are bus stops located at each village and at Old Port Royale. Buses run approximately every 20 minutes. Once the bus is on its way it will take you:

12 minutes to get to Hollywood Studios
12 minutes to get to Epcot
12 minutes to get to Downtown Disney
13 minutes to get to Blizzard Beach
15 minutes to get to Magic Kingdom
19 minutes to get to Typhoon Lagoon
23 minutes to get to Animal Kingdom


Contact RMH Travel today for your free no obligation, NO PRESSURE, quote.
Our easy to fill out Request form
Email:info@RMHTravel.com 
Phone:855-RMH-TRAV
Web:www.RMHTravel.com


Don't forget to Follow Us