"Even the Garbage Cans Have Flowers!"-A September 2016 Mother-Daughter TR!- NEW TR LINK 9/13!

[iheartbelle87]

Once our mini fashion show had come to a close, we knew where we wanted to head next: Haunted Mansion! Haunted Mansion is my mom’s absolute favorite ride in Disney World, closely followed by Tower of Terror. It’s funny, because she’s not a huge horror buff like you’d think Haunted Mansion had a posted 20-minute wait, but it was actually more like 10. We were in and out of the stretching room in no time!​

Hi! I'm still catching up on your TR and completely enjoying myself!! My Mom's favorite ride is Haunted Mansion too, although she's never been on TOT. Bon Voyage!

 

[missangelalexis]

Your food looks really yummy, I'm glad it was a nice meal! I'm curious to know how your mom's vanilla bean french toast was!

Sounds like such a relaxing time on the beach! What nice views too!

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

Even though it was a “rest day”, there was no sleeping in for us! We were up at 8:15 AM for our breakfast ADR. Both Mom and I agreed that we didn’t want to sleep too late on any of our days; Disney time is precious time!

My mom & I are the exact same way. Our motto is "We can sleep when we get home!"

Looks like a beautiful day to spend exploring and tanning. Glad y'all were able to take a day to relax and enjoy GF!

 

[Disneyhayes]

I love that penguin fountain...wonder if it would fit in my yard

 

[ariane37]

I've gone back and forth on trying the GF Cafe for breakfast and I never see reviews. I think I want to try the Wave next, and since DH isn't big on breakfasts it'll have to wait a little more! Your mocha frappe looks good though!

Love the penguin fountain!

I had no idea this existed, it's adorable! We haven't really explored the GF other than the main building. We'll be eating at Citricos in either March or May so maybe we'll explore a bit more

 

[Mollydolly334]

Those cheesy hash browns and french toast look good! We're going to eat there in May.

We bought an Anthology candle before! We had the Poly one. It smelled good, but I didn't think it was exactly like the lobby but close.

The food at Grand Floridian Cafe was great! Good-sized portions and not too pricey either.

Thanks for the info about the Anthology Candles! I think I am going to buy one eventually, I still haven't found a candle/scent that smells exactly like the GF yet!

I've never heard of anthology candles before but I just looked them up and now I want every single one, so thank you for mentioning those.

Haha, no problem!! I know; if they weren't $21 per candle, I'd probably buy all of them

I had a very similar experience at CBR. It was my family's first time staying on property and we liked the resort, but of course spent nearly all our time in the parks. I think we only went to the pool one afternoon for a couple hours. I've tried to take more relaxing time on subsequent trips, at least a half day at the resort. The GF looks very nice. I've never been, but now I'm curious to check it out, for the lobby smell if nothing else!

Ahhh you have to check out the GF! Mom and I had never seen it until our 2015 trip; Mom had always had a pre-conceived notion that the GF was stuffy. However, it is totally different in person and really takes your breath away!! Not once on our entire trip did we feel like the GF was uppity or too formal.

It was easier for us to take a relax day this year since we had just been in WDW the previous year. On our 2015 trip, we felt the need to see ALL THE THINGS!

Hi! I'm still catching up on your TR and completely enjoying myself!! My Mom's favorite ride is Haunted Mansion too, although she's never been on TOT. Bon Voyage!

Awesome, thanks for reading! And tell her she needs to go on TOT, I say so

Your food looks really yummy, I'm glad it was a nice meal! I'm curious to know how your mom's vanilla bean french toast was!

Sounds like such a relaxing time on the beach! What nice views too!

It was a perfect, relaxing breakfast! My Mom said that her french toast was good, but that it wasn't super amazing or memorable!! I remember her really enjoying the vanilla bean butter on top though!

My mom & I are the exact same way. Our motto is "We can sleep when we get home!"

Looks like a beautiful day to spend exploring and tanning. Glad y'all were able to take a day to relax and enjoy GF!

Mom and I are the exact same way And boy, when we got home, did we crash!!

It was a beautiful day, perfect for exploring and just chilling out!!

I love that penguin fountain...wonder if it would fit in my yard

Right?! It is adorable! Jolly Holiday is definitely up there on my list of favorite Disney songs!!

I've gone back and forth on trying the GF Cafe for breakfast and I never see reviews. I think I want to try the Wave next, and since DH isn't big on breakfasts it'll have to wait a little more! Your mocha frappe looks good though!


I had no idea this existed, it's adorable! We haven't really explored the GF other than the main building. We'll be eating at Citricos in either March or May so maybe we'll explore a bit more

Mom and I go back and forth on the Grand Floridian Cafe! I think that's why I didn't write too much about it; we just didn't remember a whole lot from our meal! If you want a unique, in-your-face Disney sort of meal, the GF cafe isn't it. But, it was a nice, classy, and relaxing breakfast. The breakfast menu is pretty standard, and our food was hot and fresh. But, the service was a bit slow for our liking. Next time, we might try Trail's End or Kona Cafe for breakfast instead!

The Villas building is sort of tucked back there but it's like a whole new resort!! You should definitely check it out; it has a more quaint vibe than the main building. The GF overall is such a fun resort to explore because of the shopping and Wedding Pavilion

 

[Mollydolly334]

Day 4: Part 2- “All In The Golden Afternoon!”


Hello my dear readers! Where I last left off, Mom and I were getting ready to check out the Wedding Pavilion on our rest day at the GF. We were walking up the pathway to the pavilion when all of a sudden, we heard some faint music! At first, we thought that it was just atmosphere music playing in the garden, but once we got closer, we realized that a wedding was going on!!!


Mom and I love weddings, and my dream is to someday get married in the Wedding Pavilion, so we decided to see if we could sneak a peek. We managed to get a glimpse of the couple through the open doors; the bride looked beautiful and had a dress fit for a princess! My mom was trying to look closer, but I dragged her away. Hey, who would want to find two randoms in swimsuits peeking into their wedding ceremony??


Since we couldn’t look closer, a far-away shot of the Wedding Pavilion would have to do.

We also looped around the other side to look at the lagoon. It was such a calm and peaceful day! Besides a young couple running, we didn’t see anyone else over by the Wedding Pavilion! On the other side, we found this adorable little boutique that advertised wedding cakes, dresses, decorations etc! Sadly, it was closed for the day. We could still see some of the options through the windows, though!

OH MY LANTA! We were blown away! How does Disney manage to do everything right?? We couldn’t believe how detailed and whimsical the cake choices were. Talk about $$$ too! Looks like my dream of getting married in the Wedding Pavilion will only come true if I win the lottery


This was such a fun little excursion! It was so cool to look at all of the amenities that we never even knew were back there! We were starting to get a bit warm, so we headed back to the room to grab some money and rinse out our mugs.


After our quick pit stop, we moved our towels over to the Courtyard Pool and decided to grab a drink from the Beaches Pool Bar!

I decided on a Moscato Colada: Skyy Infusions Moscato Grape Vodka and Bols Blue Curacao blended with Pina Colada mix and topped with a Passion Fruit Mango Foam.

Wow! This frozen concoction was perfect! Fruity, light, and refreshing. Mom went with a Banana Cabana: Cruzan Mango Rum, Coruba Coconut Rum and Bols Creme de Banana with Orange and Pineapple juice and a float of Grenadine.

We both loved our drinks! The gentleman at the bar made some chit-chat with us and then asked for my Mom’s ID, which tickled her Every single cast member at the GF is just so gosh darn nice. I’m telling ya, Disney just does it right!


After ordering our drinks, Mom and I headed out back to the quiet pool to do some more tanning and relaxing.

I had to get a shot of this ice cream shop called Summerhouse! It was adorable, but sadly closed for the season. I would have loved to get an ice cream cone on this day!


Our tummies started to grumble after about 45 minutes, so Mom sent me on a mission to Gasparilla Island Grill for some lunch and to fill our mugs. As soon as I saw this on the menu, I knew we had to try it!

An Idaho Dog: a hot dog with a baked potato bun, along with sour cream, chives, and shredded cheese with potato chips on the side. I got one for Mom and I to share, since we had a big meal coming up tonight. It was so scrumptious and really hit the spot with our cold drinks! I feel like this would also be a great option for gluten-free guests!


Once we were finished with our lunch, it was time to take a break and hang out inside! It was sunny and gorgeous out but we also needed to cool down a bit. Keeping with our girly theme of the day, we decided to browse all of the GF’s awesome gift shops!


We looked in Summer Lace, Sandy Cove, M. Mouse Mercantile, and Basin, I saw an adorable coffee mug at M. Mouse Mercantile and made a mental note to come back and get it, but I forgot

Isn’t it so cute?! The mug had this design on one side and the resort logo on the other side in blue script. So much regret! I guess I’ll just have to look for it next time we’re in the World! I did find something else I liked at Basin, however!

OMG, this soap smells amazing!! It smells just like the scent “Pink Sugar” (which basically smells like cotton candy), but it’s less overpowering and sugary sweet and has more of a light, clean smell. It smelled good, but the weird, glycerin texture made it a little hard to use in the shower. The third time I used it, it all just kind of broke apart in my hands. I had to save the pieces and use the little pieces one by one until they were gone! So overall, I love the scent, but maybe I’d buy the lotion or body scrub instead of the bar soap next time.


My mom ran back to the room for something at this point, so I just sort of meandered about the lobby and took some pictures!

I’m not sure whether these pictures are super cool and quirky or super creepy. Maybe a bit of both?

My favorite decoration at the GF! There was also a little fish in this display that would occasionally jump from wave to wave!


As I was exploring the lobby, the band started to play!!

This band alone was part of the reason why we booked the GF for this trip. Our first time visiting the GF in 2015, we walked off of the monorail and into the lobby while the band was playing. It gave Mom and I goosebumps! We thought, “Wouldn’t it be awesome to come back to this every day?!” And the rest was history


The band members were sooo sweet! The lobby was pretty empty, and I was the only one sitting and watching them. They all waved and smiled super big at me between songs and bowed when I clapped for them. It was such a special and magical moment for me!


When Mom came back, we stayed and watched for a few songs before heading back to Sandy Cove. I had a mystery pin to buy!!


Coming Up Next- Day 4: Part 3- “On Golden Sand Is Where I Lay!”​

 

[disneyAndi14]

Love hearing about your resort day, makes me miss the GF especially in the middle of winter! Your drinks and lunch looks really good. Looks like you both had a nice relaxing day. I hope you got a good mystery pin

 

[Terra Nova guy]

OH MY LANTA! We were blown away! How does Disney manage to do everything right?? We couldn’t believe how detailed and whimsical the cake choices were. Talk about $$$ too! Looks like my dream of getting married in the Wedding Pavilion will only come true if I win the lottery

I think we both need to win the lottery! I would love for my wife and I to renew our vows there. We had our 10th anniversary last summer and I had seriously been thinking of doing it, but you know, money gets in the way. Maybe someday....

I decided on a Moscato Colada: Skyy Infusions Moscato Grape Vodka and Bols Blue Curacao blended with Pina Colada mix and topped with a Passion Fruit Mango Foam.

Looks interesting. I have this thing for blue drinks, I want to try them just because they are blue. I guess that's not a very manly admission. But I guess neither is being able to name all the Disney Princesses, so, whatever. (And yes, I actually did that for a co-worker yesterday just to prove I could)

I’m not sure whether these pictures are super adorable and quirky or super creepy. Maybe a bit of both?

You seem a bit confused. The answer is: bunny=cute, monkey=creepy as heck!

 

[missangelalexis]

So fun that you got to see a wedding happening at the Pavilion!

Oh my gosh your drink looks and sound delicious!!

What a fun afternoon shopping. Watching the band must have been so magical!

 

[Disneyhayes]

I told my husband that for 25th I would love to renew our vows at Disney. I wouldn't be too old for a fairytale princess wedding at that point

 

[SerendipityDoDa]

I have devoured this trip report and need more!!! More!! More!! Please take your time...but hurry!

 

[Neverland_Girl]

A Disney wedding is my dream! Why does it have to be so expensive though? That blue drink looks ahmazing. I love basin I always get the bath bombs.

 

[ariane37]

That Moscato Colata looks like something I would love! I've never seen it on any other menu in the World so I bet it's only there Good reason for us to stay there sometime!
I've only seen the wedding pavilion from afar but I'd like to get in that boutique and see the cakes! While staying at the Beach Club in Nov. we saw 2 or 3 weddings going on, and last year while at the Boarwalk we saw 2. it always gives me goosebumps

 

[iheartbelle87]

I love a good resort day and yours sounds perfect!! especially your drinks- they look SO good and refreshing

Can't wait to hear about your dinner plans

 

[disneylove16]

Joining in late, but better late than never! I absolutely love your TR so far! I love how close you and your mom seem, and how you both make the best of situations. Such a happy, refreshing report!

 

[cinderaimee]

Oh my goodness, put me down for a moscato colada. Think they deliver?

 

[Mollydolly334]

Love hearing about your resort day, makes me miss the GF especially in the middle of winter! Your drinks and lunch looks really good. Looks like you both had a nice relaxing day. I hope you got a good mystery pin

Thank you!! I know, right?! There's no place I'd rather be on this dreary day than the GF

I think we both need to win the lottery! I would love for my wife and I to renew our vows there. We had our 10th anniversary last summer and I had seriously been thinking of doing it, but you know, money gets in the way. Maybe someday....


Looks interesting. I have this thing for blue drinks, I want to try them just because they are blue. I guess that's not a very manly admission. But I guess neither is being able to name all the Disney Princesses, so, whatever. (And yes, I actually did that for a co-worker yesterday just to prove I could)


You seem a bit confused. The answer is: bunny=cute, monkey=creepy as heck!

Renewing your vows at Disney sounds amazing!! I know that they have other spots you can too, like on the Boardwalk or in the countries at Epcot.

Haha, I'm the same way with blue drinks Usually the "blue" flavor of any candy is my favorite! Love that you can came all of the princesses! In my high school AP Psych class, we were learning about recall memory and my teacher asked if any of us could name all 7 dwarves from Snow White. Of course, I was the only one in class who could, and everyone thought I was pretty weird

I think you hit the nail on the head with that! Cuddly bunny, creepy monkey

So fun that you got to see a wedding happening at the Pavilion!

Oh my gosh your drink looks and sound delicious!!

What a fun afternoon shopping. Watching the band must have been so magical!

I wish we could have gotten a closer look at the Pavilion and boutique, but I didn't want to be super nosey! The Moscato Colada was awesome! I decided on it at the very last minute, and I'm so glad I chose that one because it looks like the GF is the only resort that has it. Watching the band was the perfect touch on a relaxing afternoon

I told my husband that for 25th I would love to renew our vows at Disney. I wouldn't be too old for a fairytale princess wedding at that point

I don't think you can put an age on a Disney wedding Especially when you can see Cinderella's castle right outside the window as you're renewing your vows!

I have devoured this trip report and need more!!! More!! More!! Please take your time...but hurry!

Hahaha! and so glad you are reading along I should have another update up by tonight or tomorrow!!

A Disney wedding is my dream! Why does it have to be so expensive though? That blue drink looks ahmazing. I love basin I always get the bath bombs.

Right along there with ya, sister! I suppose that Disney is always expensive though I loved my blue drink and basin too! Next time I'll try a bath bomb instead of the soap!!

That Moscato Colata looks like something I would love! I've never seen it on any other menu in the World so I bet it's only there Good reason for us to stay there sometime!
I've only seen the wedding pavilion from afar but I'd like to get in that boutique and see the cakes! While staying at the Beach Club in Nov. we saw 2 or 3 weddings going on, and last year while at the Boarwalk we saw 2. it always gives me goosebumps

It was so yummy and refreshing! Dang, I hope that Disney puts it on more menus, that's not fair if it's only at the GF

I so wish that the boutique was open on the day we were there! Next trip we will have to make a special trip over there, even if we don't stay at the GF! Ahhh, if I couldn't get married at the Wedding Pavillion, I'd want to get married on the Boardwalk! And then have the reception at Atlantic Dance Hall

I love a good resort day and yours sounds perfect!! especially your drinks- they look SO good and refreshing

Can't wait to hear about your dinner plans

The drinks were awesome! This trip convinced us to always do a resort day; we felt so refreshed and rejuvenated the next day! Update should come up tonight or tomorrow

Joining in late, but better late than never! I absolutely love your TR so far! I love how close you and your mom seem, and how you both make the best of situations. Such a happy, refreshing report!

Thank you so much for all of your kind words Although it is sometimes hard, my mom and I try to always look on the bright side, because a bad day at Disney is still better than a good day at work, right? I hope we continue to do mother-daughter trips until I someday have children of my own!!

Oh my goodness, put me down for a moscato colada. Think they deliver?

Girlfriend, if they delivered, I'd be drinking one right as I type this!

 

[Mollydolly334]

Day 4: Part 3- “On Golden Sand Is Where I Lay!”


Hello Disfriends! Wow, almost 40,000 views I am totally shocked that my trip report is being read by so many DISers! I want to thank you all for being so much fun to talk to and bounce ideas around with. Seriously, from the bottom of my heart, it is so cool to have a place where I can be my true, Disney-loving self and know that I can connect with so many people around the world! Whether you have been reading here since the start or just joining, I consider you all dear friends

Enough with the sappy stuff, and along to my TR Where I last left off, Mom and I had just watched the GF band play in the lobby, then decided to make a stop at Sandy Cove before going back out by the pool. We had serious business to take care of!


And by serious business, I mean my daily mystery pin!! Seriously y’all, this little tradition was one of my favorite parts of the trip. I know I constantly rave about this but it was SO much fun to buy a pin every day. They all are hanging on a corkboard in my bedroom, as constant little reminders of what a fun vacation Mom and I had. I will definitely continue to buy a daily pin on future trips to the World!


This was the pin pack I chose.

All of the possible options:

And I got….

TINK!! Ahhhhhh I was sooo excited about this. Tinker Bell is one of my very favorite Disney characters! I was having such good luck with mystery pins this trip. Before I buy mystery pin packs, I always like to look on the back and see which pin I would want the most. For this pack, my top choices were Tink and Simba. So, I considered this a great success


I fastened my new pin to my swimsuit cover-up and Mom and I headed back towards the quiet pool to soak up the last bits of sun! It was nearing 4:00, so we stayed out for about an hour before heading back to the room. During this time, Mom read a magazine and I called one of my best friends Leah, who was on a long car ride and wanted to talk. It was funny, because while initially planning this trip, it was supposed to be a BFF trip for Leah and me! Sadly, Leah couldn’t get off of work this time to go We are still holding out for a best friends trip in the future!


At about 5:15, we knew that it was time to go back to the room to get ready for dinner. A nice lady by the pool took this cute shot of us before we went up

I miss being that tan


On the short stroll back to the room, I decided to take a few more GF pictures.

This, my friends, is where the TR title came from!! As we were moseying about, Mom just kept raving about the GF and how beautiful it was. Her sentence went something like this; “Ugh, everything here is so gorgeous. I love that pineapple fountain. Look at those perfectly manicured hedges. Awww that giant chess set is so cute! OH MY GOSH, EVEN THE GARBAGE CANS HAVE FLOWERS!”

It was true, it’s crazy how the GF can even make garbage cans look beautiful (and Disney in general for that matter). After busting out laughing for about a solid minute, we finally headed up to the room. We showered and got all dolled up for our special dinner at….

O’hana!


I was sooo excited for this ADR. I had been wanting to try O’hana for ages and I was so pumped when we managed to get a dinner ADR for 7:25! The Polynesian is our favorite resort and we have such fond memories of staying there when I was a little girl.


We left the room at 6:30 and decided to take the scenic walking path.

Even though I don’t have a great interest in staying at the Contemporary, I LOVE the look of the outside. I just wish the theming was a bit more Disney-ish!


We made it to the Poly by about 6:50. We timed it perfectly so that we had a half-hour to grab some.. Ahem… refreshments at Trader Sam’s


Once again (thank you Disfriends), I had found out about Trader Sam’s from the DISboards shortly before the trip. We could barely find it, but once we walked in, we knew that this place was awesome!

We sat at a little table right by this awesome volcano decoration! Shortly after, a server came by and got our drink orders. He was from Wisconsin as well, so bonded for a bit over the Badgers and the Packers!


We decided to go all out and get drinks with souvenir mugs. I ordered the Krakatoa Punch: Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum, Pyrat XO Reserve Rum, Orgeat (Almond), Sam’s Gorilla Grog, and Hibiscus Grenadine…

And Mom ordered the Shrunken Zombie Head: Gosling’s 151 Black Seal Rum, Appleton Estate Reserve Rum, Bacardi 8 Yr Rum, Tropical Juices, Falernum, and Cinnamon.

Umm, it’s in our drinks!! Sorry Jack Sparrow


Seriously, you guys, these were amazing but STRONG! You definitely get your money’s worth of liquor. The atmosphere here was a freakin’ blast! All of the bartenders were so rowdy, but it was still kid-friendly and very Disney-like. While we were there, a man took a picture of his drink with the flash on his camera. They don’t like flash photography in Trader Sam’s since it’s so dark and messes up the effect, so one of the bartenders shouted, “Hey, no flashing!! This is a family bar!!”

We loved Trader Sam’s and will most definitely be back! Our server was very attentive and even gave us new glasses and boxed them up so they wouldn’t be sticky from the drinks. We were having so much fun that we didn’t realize we had to be up at O’hana in less than 5 minutes


So, we did what I learned best in college, and CHUGGED!


Then, we hightailed it out of there and upstairs to check in for our ADR. O’hana was running about 15 minutes behind, so they gave us a pager. This was totally fine with us, because it gave us time to explore the resort! By this time, we were feeling a little giggly from chugging our drinks, so we were both in pretty great moods

I love the new lobby. I think that the huge waterfall kind of overpowered it, and I’m glad to see it look a bit more open!

Monorail Shot!

Fun fact: my mom saved a little boy’s life in the Polynesian’s pool! When we stayed there back in 2002, we were all hanging by the pool one afternoon. Mom and Dad were laying on their chairs and Haley and I were off somewhere in the resort, when my mom noticed a 2 year old boy in the pool. She thought that it was kind of weird for him to be in there without floaties, and she noticed him bobbing up and down in the water. After about 15 seconds of bobbing, he was not surfacing, so my mom dove into the water and carried him out! She actually performed CPR on him and gave him rescue breaths. Luckily, he sputtered out some water shortly after and his parents came running. Turns out, he had gotten separated from them and jumped into the water! I’m more wondering where the lifeguard was during all of this?


It’s funny, because just a few months ago, my mom was taking a cooking class with her friends where an older man went into cardiac arrest, and she performed CPR on him too and ended up reviving him until the ambulance arrived! My mom, the superhero


Anyway, back to the TR! Mom and I were looking in Moana Mercantile when all of a sudden, our pager went off! YAY! Time to eat!


Were we ready for the food coma of our lives??

Coming Up Next- Day 4: Part 4- “I Wanna Stuff Some Chocolate In My Face!”

​

 

[ariane37]

I'm with you on the Contemporary, I wish it was a bit more Disney-themed. For the longest time I had no desire to stay there but recently I've thought, "maybe......" I really do want to stay at just about every resort at some point just to say I have Contemporary and the cabins at Ft. Wilderness are at the bottom of my list though.
Sounds like you guys had a blast at Trader Sam's! DH and I went there last Jan. when we stayed at the Poly and thought it was just OK but the bartenders weren't really fun. There were also about 15 kids in there at the time, I know they're welcome but wonder if that many kids made the bartenders tone it down a bit? Although with the flashing comment they made when you were there it doesn't seem like that matters lol!