Tag Archives: Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa

Review: Grand Floridian’s Enchanted Rose

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As huge fans of Mizner’s Lounge, we were prepared for sadness and crushing disappointment when it was replaced by a new pub. Full of happy memories and low expectations, we visited our former favorite stop on the Resort Loop Pub Crawl. Here’s what we found at…

Grand Floridian’s Enchanted Rose

Let me say up front that Enchanted Rose’s prices are high. If you can afford the splurge and can get over missing Mizner’s, it’s a very cool place. Designed around Beauty and The Beast, Enchanted Rose is oddly themed for a Victorian-inspired resort, but surprisingly, it doesn’t feel out of place. The details are charming and the vibe is classy and just a tad bit formal – but still quite welcoming.

Three Sections

Enchanted Rose is divided up into three distinct areas – the library-esque room is where Mizner’s was located. Two other rooms have been extended from there – a garden room and a room themed around the ballroom from the Beast’s castle. There’s also a new outdoor patio area. We sat in the library and enjoyed beer and wine but wished later we’d sat in the ballroom bar – it had a lively crowd and was bright and cheerful.

The three separate parts of Enchanted Rose make it an appealing choice for a variety of libation-seekers. Relaxing after a day in the parks, indulging in some quiet alone-time, or bellying up to the bar for some grown-up fun are all great ways to enjoy this lounge. For sure, if you’re looking for a place to grab a drink before dinner at Citricos, Narcoossee’s, or Victoria and Albert’s, Enchanted Rose is an excellent choice.

Final Thoughts

Personally, we miss Mizner’s – so many happy memories! We’re also really disappointed about the relocation of Grand Floridian’s Lobby Society Orchestra to the lower level lobby area. One of the very best parts of enjoying a beverage at Mizner’s was being able to listen to the Orchestra, formerly located right outside the lounge’s entrance. One thing you can always count on at Walt Disney World is change. We’re embracing this one a little bit un-enthusiastically.

Have you visited the Enchanted Rose? How was your experience?

Weighing in: Grand Floridian’s Renovation Rumor

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Earlier this week, this rumor from WDW News Today was blowing up the social media feeds of many a Disney fan, myself included.  Could this story possibly be true?  Would Disney “ruin” one of its most popular and beautiful deluxe resorts?  I’ve gotta weigh in here.

Grand Floridian’s Renovation Rumor

The first time I stayed at Disney’s Grand Floridian was on my very first visit to Walt Disney World.  It was the winter of 1990, Raymond and I were newly weds, and he wanted to introduce me to his favorite vacation destination.  I remember a Cast Member at the Grand Floridian commenting that the resort was unexpectedly popular with families and had been exceeding occupancy expectations since it opened in June of 1988.  The grounds, the buildings, the rooms – all gorgeous.  We had those fancy robes in our closet.  The service was spectacular.Is the Grand Floridian in need of a renovation?

As frequent visitors to Disney World, we’ve remained fans of the Grand Floridian – it still has a lot going for it.  Fantastic restaurants, breathtaking lobby with its very own orchestra for entertainment.  Mizner’s Lounge is one of our beloved stops on the Resort Loop Pub Crawl.  How could anyone think gutting the place in favor of a more modern design would be a popular decision?  Unless…Would the Grand Floridian Society Orchestra disappear with a renovation?

What if modern doesn’t really mean “modern”…as reflected, for example, in the way Bay Lake Tower embraces clean lines and contemporary décor?  What if modern for the Grand Floridian means updated finishes, less busy pink carpeting, more natural stone, less classic Victorian, but still reflecting a Victorian influence?In need of renovation? Carpet Details in the Grand Floridian Weighing in: Grand Floridian's Renovation Rumor

Have you had the opportunity to visit the Grand Floridian’s DVC section?  The décor and architecture are still in keeping with the overall theme of the resort as a whole, but are completely updated with popular current features like farmhouse sinks, oversized luxury showers, freestanding tubs, and high-end finishes.  The same whimsical and airy feel of the original resort are present, but the overall impression is of a much more modern and luxurious experience.

If that’s what Bob Chapek has in mind for the entire resort, I’m all for it!  I would love to see the main lobby, restaurants, guest rooms, and lounge get an update with a more modern interpretation of the resort’s Victorian theme.  If anyone thinks the intricately beautiful Victorian exterior of the Grand Floridian could contain an interior of truly modern design…well, that’s just crazy talk.

Are you a fan of the Grand Floridian?  What are your thoughts on this interesting rumor?

Disney Dining Review – Narcoossee’s

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Narcoossee's ViewWith so many restaurants to choose from at Walt Disney World it can take quite a while sometimes to make a repeat visit to one.  In the case of Narcoossee’s at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, it took us 26 years to dine there for a second time.  Certainly this wasn’t because we didn’t enjoy our first dinner there.  We really did have a great experience.  It’s just that on the next several Disney vacations, we had children with us and chose more kid-friendly options.

Disney Dining Review – Narcoossee’s

A few weeks ago we finally made our way back to Narcoossee’s and were pleasantly surprised that the experience was even better than we remembered!  Excellent menu, delicious food, top notch service, and a couple of seasonal extra-special surprises made the evening absolutely wonderful.  Narcoossee’s is a signature dining location, so it takes two table service credits if you’re on the Disney Dining Plan…is it worth it?  We think so.  (See current menu here.)Narcoossee's Dining Room

Narcoossee’s is located on the shore of the Seven Seas Lagoon.  The décor is beautiful and, on the night we dined there, we were mostly among other adults with a few families that had mostly older children.  The tables offer great views (even if you’re not sitting right next to a window) and the open kitchen is entertaining in its own way.  Narcoossee's Open KitchenOne thing we noticed right away was that our server, Tom, was a professional – he knew how to pace our meal and how to add the extra touches that made what we thought would be a nice dinner into an extra special one.Narcoossee's BreadOf course, bread came first and we ordered appetizers and a bottle of wine.  The menu offered so many tempting items, we actually passed up an artisanal cheese offering (so unlike us!) in favor of the Maine Lobster Bisque for Raymond and the Prince Edward Island Mussels to share.  Narcoossee's Lobster Bisque Narcoossee's Mussels AppetizerWe were very pleased with our selections.  When we finished, Tom brought us warm towels for hand-washing and suggested we take our wine out onto the deck to watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks.    Narcoossee's Hot TowelsTom promised to hold our entrees until we returned and encouraged us to enjoy the show.  How great was this??!!  We stepped outside and spent the next little while sipping wine and taking in the view.Narcoossee's view of MK fireworks Narcoossee's view of fireworks at MKAs promised, when we returned to our table, our entrees were delivered and they were delicious!  Raymond opted for the Key West Shrimp and Garganelli Pasta (“Wild Florida Shrimp, Spinach, Oven-roasted Tomatoes, Basil Pistou, Comté Cheese, and Chardonnay-Garlic Cream“) Narcoossee's Pasta Entreewhile I chose the Coriander and Shichimi-spiced Seared Ahi Tuna (“Charred Beans, Gai-lan, Green Papaya, and Sesame Sticky Rice with Ginger-Kaffir Lime Broth“), which sounds fussy and complicated, but was actually pretty straight forward in both presentation and flavor.  The seared tuna was the star of the show and the rest was a perfect supporting cast.  Narcoossee's Tuna EntreeGenerally, we’re huge fans of spicy, well seasoned foods and these entrees fit the bill perfectly.  Completely satisfied, we decided to catch the little boat from the Grand Floridian back to the Polynesian, then use the stroll from the boat dock to the Moorea building to digest a bit before calling it a night.  Grand Floridian Boat TransportationWe noticed the outdoor movie had drawn a small crowd and appreciated again how those great Disney touches can make vacations so magical.Polynesian Movie Night Inside OutWe gave Narcoossee’s a definite thumbs-up!  Have you enjoyed Narcoossee’s?  Was your experience similar to ours?  If you haven’t eaten there before, has this restaurant even made it onto your dining wish list?

 

Disney World Restaurant Review: Narcoossee’s

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It’s finally the weekend!  And you know what that means…Saturday’s With Nick!  I love when Nick does reviews of restaurants I’ve reviewed so I can compare our experiences.  I also love when Nick reviews a Walt Disney World restaurant I’ve not yet tried, or in the case of today’s installment, tried so long ago (25 1/2 years to be exact) that I cannot recall much of anything about our meal – other than we enjoyed it, the service was good, and we ate something with alligator in it.  We are going to give Narcoossee’s another try and have an ADR (advance dining reservation) booked for late December.  I’ll be curious to see if things are as good as we remember and if our experience is similar to Nick and Barbie’s.  I’ll tell you this – If scallops are still on the menu, I’m going to order them!

Disney World Restaurant Review:  Narcoossee’s

by: Nick

Since becoming a blogger, I travel differently, keeping an eye out for interesting topics to write about.
Blogging also influences dining choices at restaurants. I usually try to choose different items than Barbie, so I have at least 2 menu selections to review.  This doesn’t always work out. When we visited the Yak and Yeti Restaurant at Disney’s Animal Kingdom on our trip in October of last year, we both ordered the Chicken Lo Mein. But at least I had other photos from previous trips to write about.
What I’m getting to is this, the review of Narcoossee’s is going to be slim in the food review portion, because we both ordered the exact same thing, and as this was our first visit, there’s nothing else to fall back on.  Also, I apologize for how dark the photos are, the lighting in the evening at Narcoossee’s is pretty intimate.

Narcoossee’s is located on the shores of Seven Seas Lagoon, at the end of the Grand Floridian transportation boat dock.

We gave our names at the podium, and were handed a pager. We decided to have a look at the menu, so headed for the bar area.

On the way, we passed the open kitchen and the wonderful staff. Be sure to say hello!

 
I was impressed with the beer menu, not overwhelming but a nice selection.
 

We asked the bartender for a food suggestion, and he said his favorite was the scallops.

As I perused the beer list, our pager went off. As we were being brought to our table, Barbie spotted a man wearing a vest covered in Disney pins. She approached him, and they spoke at length. He came over to introduce himself and his wife. They were locals, and they also suggested the scallops, as well as the calamari.

If you time it right, and have a table facing Cinderella Castle, you can see Wishes at the Magic Kingdom. I made our advanced dining reservation at 180 days out for 8:00 pm, thinking the fireworks would be at either 8:00 or 9:00 pm. They were at 10:00 pm that evening, and while I could have changed our ADR, we both agreed that was rather late for dinner.

The menu is somewhat limited.

As our bread was being set on the table, we asked our server for an entree suggestion, and weren’t really surprised when she said the scallops.

The bread was very crunchy with a soft center, almost a sourdough. I love butter with salt, and this was course, better yet!

We shared the  Crispy Rhoade Island Calamari with pepperoncini-olive relish and tomato coulis appetizer.

I thought it was very light and crispy yet tender, not chewy. The relish was just the right kick, and the tomato coulis was the perfect acidic addition. Barbie thought they were the best Calamari she’d ever had! With a salad, this could easily be an economical choice for an entrée.

For dinner, we both ordered the Pan-seared Georges Bank Day Boat Scallops with Trofie pasta with Sultana raisins, Marcona almonds, young string beans and herb creme with wild mushrooms, lemon-thyme-mustard au jus and arugula.

We both agreed these were the best scallops we’d ever had. They were perfectly prepared, and as good as they were, the pasta and mushrooms in the lemon-thyme-mustard au jus was even better. Shhhh, if you listen carefully, you can hear my stomach growling now as I write this!

We would have loved dessert, but were too full!

There is no doubt we will return to Narcoossee’s in the future, and we will try to choose different food selections, but it won’t be easy!

Be sure to follow Nick and Barbie on all their adventures (so you won’t miss a thing)!  You can find Disney Musings on your favorite social media sites:  Disney Musings Blog, on Twitter, on Facebook, On Instagram, On Pinterest.