- Joined
- Jul 22, 2006
- Messages
- 5,539
Thank you so much to the very understanding manager at the Garden Grove the other evening who didn't make me go all the way back to the Beach Club Villas to get my wallet!
On the spur of the moment, we decided to get off the Friendship Boat at the Swan and Dolphin on our way back from Hollywood Studios the other night. We'd never been inside, and decided to check out the restaurants there. The problem was, we don't typically take credit cards to the parks with us -- just our room keys.
We looked around and decided the Garden Grove looked very nice. It was just 5:00, which is when their dinner service starts. We stopped at the hostess stand and asked if there was a table for 2 available. Yes, there was. Then, I showed her my Beach Club Key to the World card and explained that it was all we had with us. I asked if they took it, because I knew some of the WDW Resort benefits don't apply to the Swan and Dolphin. I wasn't sure if room charging was one of them or not. She replied that yes, she had seen those cards before, and we could use it to charge our meal. Oh good, I thought, I don't have to run back to get my wallet.
We had an absolutely wonderful meal. I especially loved the soups, and went back for multiple bowls. The made-to-order rissotto was also excellent. And we couldn't beat the character interaction... Arriving exactly at 5:00, we were the only table there for quite some time. When Minnie Mouse came in, there was no one else for her to visit. She actually pulled up a chair and spent about ten minutes with us. We got lots and lots of pictures; but have you ever tried to hold an extended conversation with a characater who can't talk back?
Then the bill came... and guess what...
I should have gone with my instincts and asked about the room key a second time when we sat down at the table. As I suspected, the Swan could not take our Disney room key for the payment. Fortunately, after swapping some phone numbers and personal information, the manager allowed us to phone her back with our credit card number from our room. It wouldn't have been extremely inconvenient to go back (we were just across the water at the Beach Club villas), but as it was raining cats and dogs, it was nice not to have to go back out.
On the spur of the moment, we decided to get off the Friendship Boat at the Swan and Dolphin on our way back from Hollywood Studios the other night. We'd never been inside, and decided to check out the restaurants there. The problem was, we don't typically take credit cards to the parks with us -- just our room keys.
We looked around and decided the Garden Grove looked very nice. It was just 5:00, which is when their dinner service starts. We stopped at the hostess stand and asked if there was a table for 2 available. Yes, there was. Then, I showed her my Beach Club Key to the World card and explained that it was all we had with us. I asked if they took it, because I knew some of the WDW Resort benefits don't apply to the Swan and Dolphin. I wasn't sure if room charging was one of them or not. She replied that yes, she had seen those cards before, and we could use it to charge our meal. Oh good, I thought, I don't have to run back to get my wallet.
We had an absolutely wonderful meal. I especially loved the soups, and went back for multiple bowls. The made-to-order rissotto was also excellent. And we couldn't beat the character interaction... Arriving exactly at 5:00, we were the only table there for quite some time. When Minnie Mouse came in, there was no one else for her to visit. She actually pulled up a chair and spent about ten minutes with us. We got lots and lots of pictures; but have you ever tried to hold an extended conversation with a characater who can't talk back?
Then the bill came... and guess what...
I should have gone with my instincts and asked about the room key a second time when we sat down at the table. As I suspected, the Swan could not take our Disney room key for the payment. Fortunately, after swapping some phone numbers and personal information, the manager allowed us to phone her back with our credit card number from our room. It wouldn't have been extremely inconvenient to go back (we were just across the water at the Beach Club villas), but as it was raining cats and dogs, it was nice not to have to go back out.
