GF Private Dining

[engagedatWDW]

I'm not sure if I'm on the right track here. We have a 10am ceremony at WP and we'd like to do a lunch right after the ceremony. I wasn't totally thrilled with the restaurants available to us at that time of day so I started to look into Private Dining at the GF - yesterday I spent a few hours looking over Janet2K's trip report (totally helpful). I could only manage to get the main GF number and I asked to speak with Private Dining regarding the Summerhouse and the Marina. I spoke with Room Service (they use the same menu for private dining too) and they emailed me the menus. Now what? I still have awhile to go, but I'm really just trying to figure out if we'll be able to afford it. I need to go back and read Janet's trip report again, maybe I missed this part. Do I need to ask to speak to someone else? The CM's seemed to think I was nuts.

 

[JessHooper]

I'm not sure if I'm on the right track here. We have a 10am ceremony at WP and we'd like to do a lunch right after the ceremony. I wasn't totally thrilled with the restaurants available to us at that time of day so I started to look into Private Dining at the GF - yesterday I spent a few hours looking over Janet2K's trip report (totally helpful). I could only manage to get the main GF number and I asked to speak with Private Dining regarding the Summerhouse and the Marina. I spoke with Room Service (they use the same menu for private dining too) and they emailed me the menus. Now what? I still have awhile to go, but I'm really just trying to figure out if we'll be able to afford it. I need to go back and read Janet's trip report again, maybe I missed this part. Do I need to ask to speak to someone else? The CM's seemed to think I was nuts.

I am trying to do the same thing as you, however, I haven't been able to get a # out of anyone to be able to contact private dining. Could you PM me that # please? Good luck and let me know what they say.

 

[melmel]

Here's Private Dinning's number 407-824-2578.

Melissa

 

[Cinderella2006]

I didnt know you could do this for an intimate wedding. I wanted a formal reception somewhere private in the Grand Floridian but i thought only customs could do this. I have so far decided on Citricos but the food is a bit posh for me. I would appreciate any info! Thanks

 

[engagedatWDW]

Melissa - Thanks so much for the number!

Cinderella - as far as I know, this would be a seperate event from your Intimate ceremony so you would be doing the coordinating. I'm still in the process of gathering information to see if it's even feesible.

 

[melmel]

Just be careful, I know a bride on this board had her's cancelled when they found out she was an intimate. We did the party a few days before as a welcome party so it wasn't an issue for us. But other brides have had problems, if they thought you were trying for a 'reception' with out the big price tag.

Melissa

 

[WDWbride2007]

Melmel,

How many guests did you have? I called private dining, but they said that they could only bring food to us at the marina (for Wishes). They do not have the capacity to setup tables. They then transferred me to conventions...who transferred to Group Sales...who said the minimum for F&B would be $690 plus tax and tip. It just didn't sound right to me. What did group dining do for your group? Thanks!

 

[engagedatWDW]

Private sent me to Catering and Conventions too - they told me to contact Disney weddings because our "reception" would be part of our wedding, eventhough we're viewing it as a seperate event and we just want to do something casual and simple. I understand where they're coming from, but it's frustrating because it's not the answer I wanted. Group dining was no help to me either.

 

[janine]

Just be careful, I know a bride on this board had her's cancelled when they found out she was an intimate. We did the party a few days before as a welcome party so it wasn't an issue for us. But other brides have had problems, if they thought you were trying for a 'reception' with out the big price tag.

Melissa

That was me. I had my intimate reception booked at the Grand Floridian marina. I wanted it similar to Janets. Everything was booked. Then they cancelled it. This was because I was an intimate bride. I was very upset and it almost made me cancel my wedding. In the end they made sure my day was magical, but Only custom brides can have this type of event there.
It's crazy I know, but their policy. Unless you go custom, the only sort of event you can have is dinner at one of the resort restaurants. Yachtsman steakhouse is a good one I believe.
Check, check and double check everything they tell you, because one person says one thing and another tells you something else.

 

[LouisianaDisneyFan]

That was me. I had my intimate reception booked at the Grand Floridian marina. I wanted it similar to Janets. Everything was booked. Then they cancelled it. This was because I was an intimate bride. I was very upset and it almost made me cancel my wedding. In the end they made sure my day was magical, but Only custom brides can have this type of event there.
It's crazy I know, but their policy. Unless you go custom, the only sort of event you can have is dinner at one of the resort restaurants. Yachtsman steakhouse is a good one I believe.
Check, check and double check everything they tell you, because one person says one thing and another tells you something else.

So what do they do for people who want to have parties for reunions and family gatherings and such? One of the dinners Janet wrote about was just two families meeting before Wishes. Are they simply discriminating against brides who haven't paid more for the custom? It seems that if it's an option for non-brides to celebrate OTHER special occasions, it should be open to ALL guests, even if someone is an intimate rather than a custom bride. Granted, this isn't something I was pursuing anyway, but just the thought that Disney is singling out intimate brides and making things this difficult for them seems very un-Disneylike and just plain wrong. In my opinion, Disney should either deny this opportunity to ANYONE who is not a custom bride, or leave it open to ALL who wish to book the services. ~Ev

 

[bridegirl]

I have had lots of events thru the GF, dinner on the beach, dinner on the balcony of main building at GF, dinner on Grand One, Dinner on float boat, and most recently, a wishes party at the GF marina (dec 2005). FTW was not involved in any of my planning or booking, and they were planned thru GF private dining, except the wishes party at the marina, which was planned by convention services because we needed tables, lighting and speakers.

To the poster who had a party cancelled, that is just awful! I don't understand how that happens, what a strange glitch in the system. I'm so glad you still had a magical day.

We have always had lots of ther parties surrounding our intimate VR's (Illuminations dessert, Illuminations dinner, etc) and no one ever questioned me about the FTW part of my plans.

I always figured that Disney was just happy to take my money, one way or another.

Pixie dust,

Susy

 

[LouisianaDisneyFan]

Bridegirl, I tried to send you a private message, but it says your mailbox is full. Could you please send me an email at eveybL at aoL dot com? Thanks! ~Ev

 

[WDWbride2007]

Bridegirl,

I would love to hear more about your Wishes party. Did they indicate that there was a food and beverage minimum for the event? Did you do everything with conventions, or did you first have to go through Group Sales? Thanks!

 

[bridegirl]

I cleared out my mailbox, sorry I didn't realize it was full

For the Marina event, I was quoted a few different per person prices, but never an overall event minimum. We must have already been meeting the minimums from our original estimates? We did a Wishes dessert party, tables, chairs, special lighting, speakers to pipe in the fireworks music, full bar and bartender. We had about 30 people at the wishes party, although our VR was just the 6 of us.

We also had an Illuminations dinner in the french arm, the night after our VR. 20 people for dinner and Illuminations.

For 2005, I had also planned a ToT dinner, which we ended up cancelling because they extended the park hours at Disney-MGM and we would not have been able to start our dinner until 10pm, too late for our little kids. I'm hoping to have the ToT dinner this December when we go to WDW again.

Feel free to ask or pm any questions.

Pixie dust,

Susy

 

[allisonswonderland]

I think as an intimate you can have an illuminations dinner - I am a custom so I do not know, but I think they have posted before that you can have it but can not wear wedding attire-

 

[WDWbride2007]

Intimates can have an Illuminations party and remain in wedding attire. You can serve just dessert or you can add some hot foods. My EM sent me the menus when I considered this option. In the end, it was just as expensive to have dinner there as it was to eat at V&As for our party of 20. We decided to watch Illuminations a night before the wedding, and dine at V&As for our wedding reception.

 

[janine]

They told me that if I was dining on the day of the wedding, it would have to be inside, ie a restaurant or in a suite or go custom. No alternatives. I just couldn't get around it. We couldn't meet the minimum with our small party, so it couldn't happen.
They are very very strict when it comes to intimates. They prefer you to be a custom bride.
At the time when I arranged it through GF private dining they said 'oh yes, you can do this, you can do that' . Then the head of PD said NO. So be careful.

 

[allisonswonderland]

I was going to say someone mentioned here that their food min would be 690 at the Summerhouse - I am having my rehearsal dinner there and my min is 1000, so I think that may be a major issue with DFTW, b/c I would be really annoyed to find that if I could have gone thru GF Private Dining that it would have been less expensive since that is not even the day of my wedding.

While I think it totally stinks that the more you spend the more options you get - I would be upset if others got the same thing for less. I do think it is terrible that people have their events cancelled and think that some way private dining and DFTW need to get together on what is within the rules...

 

[WDWbride2007]

allisonswonderland,

When I spoke with Group Sales last week, I was told that the minimum for Wishes at the marina was $690 for food and beverage. The minimum of the summerhouse is probably different.

 

[evedein]

WWWbride2007,
We had DD, Melmel's Wishes dessert party at the Marina. I booked it though Private Dining. We had only 11 people. We didn't have any special lighting & chose not to have the music for Wishes piped in (about $300). That might be where the extra cost & need to go through Conventions comes in. We had a fruit & cheese platter, dessert platter, coffee, tea & soft drinks. We didn't have any alcohol. We also had 1 Cindy's slipper as a centerpiece. I was told that the table & chairs came with the Butler. He was $50. There were 3-4 small round tables. Having the butler was a nice touch, he served us & was available to go & get us anything extra we wanted. The whole thing cost me $350.
HTH
Eve