I?m beginning to wonder whether we?re too easily pleased. We just returned from a six-and-a-half-day stay at the Grand Floridian Resort (Sugar Loaf Concierge level), where we had a truly marvelous experience. The concierge staff treated us with the utmost respect and concern, and I know that our stay would have been a much less enjoyable one had we not been able to avail ourselves of their services.
First of all, the staff assisted me in dealing with several health problems that might have turned my Disney stay into a less-than-delightful experience. I am an insulin-dependent diabetic, and my medication would not have held up well during long, 90-plus degree days in the parks; therefore, I carried my insulin pen in a fanny pack equipped with an ice pack. When I discovered that the room refrigerators at the Grand Floridian are not equipped with freezer compartments, I asked the concierge staff if they could freeze the ice packs for me. At first they seemed nonplussed by the request, but within a half hour I heard a knock at the door, and there stood a smiling cast member with a small refrigerator complete with freezer compartment. Problem solved.
Secondly, I recently had foot surgery that compelled me to navigate the parks in a cumbersome knee-high cast boot that makes moving about a considerable challenge. The Sugar Loaf concierge staff put us in a room just inside the main entrance on the ground floor, with immediate access to the lobby, to make my getting around as easy as possible.
Thirdly, as a diabetic, I am on a fairly strict diet that not only restricts my food choices but also requires that I eat at certain times. When one of the wait staff learned of my problem, he made certain that there were always foods available in the lobby that I could eat and went out of his way to tell me how items were prepared so that I could make informed choices, even though I had not asked him. In addition to his concern about my dietary needs, this waiter never failed to inquire how I was managing and to offer whatever services he could. Having the food available throughout the course of the day in the lobby made my stay much more convenient and enjoyable. Particularly on the hotter days we made a point of returning to the hotel after a morning in the parks for a respite in the invitingly cool recesses of the lobby and a selection of foods that included items more nutritious than typical park fare?fresh fruits and vegetables, cheeses, small sandwiches, unsweetened ice tea, Perrier, bottled water, etc. More often than not, we ate our breakfasts and often our lunches right there, although my nineteen-year-old son usually found it necessary to supplement the lunchtime offerings with a sandwich from the Gasparilla Grill. Usually there was plenty of food available, although the selection sometimes became a bit sparse when the staff was in the midst of changing from one spread to another. So far as I could discern, there are four different spreads throughout the course of the day: a substantial ?continental? breakfast from 6:30 to approximately 11:00 a.m.; a luncheon spread from about noon to 3:00 p.m.; an afternoon tea from about 3:00 to 5:00; and pre-dinner hors d?oeuvres from about 5:00 p.m. on. Drinks (both hot and cold) are available throughout most of the day until 10:00 p.m., and such items as cookies and brownies are usually offered throughout the course of the evening.
Below I list some of the items available on the Sugar Loaf Concierge tables throughout the day. This list is by no means inclusive, and, with the exception of breakfast, the selection varies from day to day.
Breakfast
Fresh fruit: honeydew, watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple, grapefruit, oranges, grapes, pears
Yogurt: strawberry, blueberry, plain
Cold cereal: Frosted Flakes, Cheerios, cornflakes, Froot Loops, Rice Krispies, etc.
Assorted bagels and breads (toasters available)
Assorted pastries: apple danish, cheese danish, blueberry muffins, bran muffins
Jams, jellies, honey, cream cheese (regular and lite), margarine
Croissants
Coffee, tea (a large selection of Twining?s tea bags), milk, orange juice, apple juice
Lunch
Finger sandwiches (ham, turkey, roast beef, corned beef, all with cheese)
Salads
Cheese assortment and crackers
Crudités with dips
Cookies (chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, sugar)
Vegetable chips
Coffee, tea, lemonade (pink and regular), Perrier, bottled water, iced tea (unsweetened)
Afternoon Tea
Warm scones
Cookies (chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, sugar)
Strawberry jam tarts
Brownies (very chocolaty and extremely popular with my son!)
Fresh fruit
Chocolate and vanilla mousse
Individual sponge cakes
English trifle
Cheese assortment and crackers
Coffee, tea, lemonade (pink and regular), Perrier, bottled water, iced tea (unsweetened)
Dinner Hors D?oeuvres
Shrimp rolls in wonton wrappers
Chicken breast pinwheels stuffed with a red pepper mixture or pesto
Crudités with dip
Grilled vegetables
Pear slices with basil
Honeydew with prosciutto
Mussels (I can?t tell you how these were prepared; I?m not a mussels aficionado)
Fresh fruit
Cheese assortment with crackers
Coffee, tea, lemonade (pink and regular), Perrier, bottled water, iced tea (unsweetened)
Lest you think that all my family does is eat, let me stray from the food for a moment (although not too far, considering that I?m about to discuss restaurant reservations!). The other main service that the concierge provided for us was making reservations. It seems that the concierge has the ability to get guests into events and restaurants that might be unavailable from the outside. For example, for several years we have been longing to try the Chef?s Table at the Grand Floridian?s Victoria and Albert?s restaurant. When we called for reservations from home, we learned that this much coveted booking must be made six months in advance, and we settled on a reservation in the main dining room (?Settled? is really the wrong word; one does not have to ?settle? on anything when dining at V & A?s! It?s our favorite restaurant, bar none, and I think we say that with some authority in that we?ve dined in a number of the most prestigious establishments in the country.) When we mentioned our disappointment in missing out on the Chef?s Table to the concierge, she went to work and told us that the reservation would be ours if a cancellation occurred. Sure enough, two days later we learned that we were booked for the next evening. Even though by that time we had already enjoyed a meal at V & A?s, we couldn?t resist the opportunity, and we had the dining experience of our lives from our front-row seats on a crowded but very efficient group of nine first-class chefs, all working feverishly on an extremely busy night. I?ll have to write another posting about V & A?s to do justice to that memorable evening. During the course of our stay, the concierge also made reservations for us at the California Grill, Chefs de France, Ackershus, Marrakesh, the Grand Floridian Café, and 1900 Park Fare (although we don?t recommend the last of these unless you have little ones of seven or eight years old and a high tolerance for noise!).
Of course, the concierge also performed the usual duties of checking us in and out, going over our bill and correcting a minor discrepancy, answering questions, providing us with maps and advice, etc. Throughout all these routine duties, the staff always treated us as though we were their number one concern, and we have no complaints whatsoever. It?s true that we didn?t request towel animals or chocolate-covered strawberries (maybe these aren?t offered at all at the lower level of concierge service), but all our other needs were met with promptness, alacrity, and enthusiasm.
So, for our part, vive le concierge!
