Resort Upgrades, Roses, No Rain & LOTS OF FOOD! NEW 11/23 Food & Wine AND PhotoPass!

[swwake]

I'm in and I can't wait to hear what happened while you were waiting for the fireworks.

 

[DisneyCrafter]

I'm in and I can't wait to hear what happened while you were waiting for the fireworks.

Glad you came over. You won't have to wait long at all. New update coming up right now!

 

[DisneyCrafter]

Where did I leave off? Oh yes…with a CLIFFHANGER!​

Just as I was finishing the notes in my trip journal, about 10 minutes before the fireworks were set to begin, a man came up to us and said, “Is it just you two?”
I replied, “Yes.”
“How would you like to come on my boat and view the fireworks.”
Greg and I exchange surprised looks.
“It wouldn’t cost you anything, it would be free. The group never showed up.”
I replied, “Oh my goodness, yes!” I literally had goosebumps I was so excited.

No, I’m not kidding and yes you are reading correctly.

Us and the other couple (FYI: They lived in FL and had been to Disney many times) briskly walked, along with our “tour guide” and got on the boat. We made it to the viewing area on the Seven Seas Lagoon just as the fireworks began! There it was front and center-The Cinderella Castle. The twinkling music began and just as I thought I would my eyes teared up at “Star Light, Star Bright…” I kept whispering “Wow!” to Greg. He was just as amazed as I was at what was happening. (FYI: The music was piped in through speakers on the boat.) There are no words to describe how amazing it was. He pointed out something I never saw before, when the castle turns blue with the stars it is meant to be a sorcerer’s hat. From where we were-it looked exactly like that. When you’re on Main Street-it’s harder to notice.

(Just in case you want to know some more information about Disney. Our tour guide (although he referred to himself as our driver because there wasn’t time to give the tour they usually do before the fireworks begin) has been working with Disney for 35 years I believe, and said that this is the best way to view the fireworks. He said the second best is from the Polynesian beach. He said the best way used to be from the Contemporary but when the other fireworks show at MK was changed to Wishes they changed the way the fireworks are fired off and the CR doesn’t have the view that it did before.)

Just when we thought the ride was over, our driver said we were going to get in the perfect spot to watch the Water Parade. It was really cute and I recognized a lot of the music and what I didn’t-Greg surprisingly knew! When we docked back at GF we handed over what cash we had to our driver (which wasn’t much). When we got back to the room, I was feeling bad about how little money we had given him so I had Greg go track him down to give him more. He said the cruises are not advertised by Disney but that it is only $30 a person when you have a group of 8 (he even mentioned the DIS Boards and how people group together on here and go).

We went to sleep shortly after getting back definitely already amazed at the magic of our Disney vacation and it was only the beginning!

Did you think I was going to leave you without giving any pictures? Of course not! However, Greg and I don’t own a DSLR camera so the picture quality isn’t the greatest.

Day One Wrap Up:
We had breakfast at: Nowhere…we saved the cash and had some OJ at my in-laws and some freshly baked zucchini bread at the airport!
We had lunch at: Contempo Café
We had dinner at: The Wave
Our snacks were: a Mickey Rice Krispie Treat, Sangria & Mudslide drinks
Rachael’s Favorite Food: Potato & Onion Gratin (The Wave)
Greg’s Favorite Food: Flat Iron Steak (The Wave)
Rachael and Greg’s Favorite Part: Seeing Wishes from the boat! (Duh!)
What we WANT to do again: Wishes Boat Cruise
What we DON’T WANT to do again: Get overpriced bottled beverages from the refrigerator cases.

 

[Joyciemc]

Yay! I love your trip so so so much and the report has only just started!

Your room is gorgeous- It's settled, GF is my new dream resort!

Can't believe your luck for the Wishes cruise! The pictures a great- you really had a wonderful view!

Can't wait for the rest!

 

[soarinup]

You are doing a fantastic job with your trip report! I wish I had your internet-computer skills! Love your report.

 

[swwake]

What a great surprise! Now I want to try the Wishes cruise. I love your daily recap.

 

[sbprincess]

Ahhh, the Grand Floridian! Man, is that an upgrade or what? It is my dream resort so I would have been in heaven And then lucky you to get the boat tour after!

Great start! I can't wait to read more. Looking forward to all your food pics!

 

[DisMomAmy]

Wow - what a dose of pixie dust!

Only $30? Seems like a great deal to me!

 

[DisneyCrafter]

Yay! I love your trip so so so much and the report has only just started!

Your room is gorgeous- It's settled, GF is my new dream resort!

Can't believe your luck for the Wishes cruise! The pictures a great- you really had a wonderful view!

Can't wait for the rest!

Thanks! I can't wait to share the details of the rest of the trip! I'm trying to space it out. I have the next day all written up, I just need to add pictures. I'll post another update later this week!

GF really is amazing. Greg and I would be by the pool and I would always be in amazement that we were actually staying there.

You are doing a fantastic job with your trip report! I wish I had your internet-computer skills! Love your report.

Thanks for the compliment, it really means a lot! However, my computer/internet skills aren't all that great!

What a great surprise! Now I want to try the Wishes cruise. I love your daily recap.

You should do it! Greg wants to do it next time and we'll actually get the tour then!

Ahhh, the Grand Floridian! Man, is that an upgrade or what? It is my dream resort so I would have been in heaven And then lucky you to get the boat tour after!

Great start! I can't wait to read more. Looking forward to all your food pics!

It is my dream resort, too! I'm not totally ruined, however, I still definitely want to try out other resorts. You know, like Beach Club or the Board Walk.

Wow - what a dose of pixie dust!

Only $30? Seems like a great deal to me!

Yes, $30 per person he was saying in reference to the pontoon boat that holds 8 people. For Greg and I, that's only $60 if we found 6 others. For your family it would only be $120 if you found 4 others. There's got to be a thread on here for it. I think I came across it awhile back. The next time we go to Disney, I know we have to do it because Greg loved it A LOT!

 

[DisneyCrafter]

Day Two aka Our First Full Day!​

We woke up this day a little after 8am if I remember correctly. We leisurely got ready, had breakfast in the room, and headed out the door for EPCOT. This would be our first time taking the monorail to EPCOT. I am always fearful of the unknown but it was actually very easy to navigate from one monorail to the next. (Side note: This is when Greg’s never ending comments about Disney transportation began. He thinks that there should be a monorail to every single park. I tried to get him to think about the logisitics of it but he just wasn’t hearing it. *Rolls Eyes*)

We went over to The Land immediately to grab FP’s for Soarin’.

We then rode Living with the Land for the first time (there was no wait). It was actually quite interesting, we both enjoyed it! After that we either rode TT or SE. Unfortunately, I didn’t take trip notes very often and I am forgetting small details like that already! I know that TT had a posted 30 minute wait and we walked right up to a briefing room but the doors took FOR-EV-ER to open! We still waited less than 30 minutes. That was the last time we saw that low of a wait time for TT for the week. SE had about a 10 minute wait. I had never done it until then. I really enjoyed it! I told Greg we would ride it again later in the week so he could answer the questions.

This next part is when I made what would be the first of many stupid (for lack of a better word) decisions to change the plans that I had made. (Why?! I spent 8 months planning this trip!) We walked through WS and stopped at some of the F&WF booths. We had some time to pass before our Soarin’ FP could be used.

We started in Mexico, decided we didn’t have enough time to walk all the way around and stop so frequently so we back tracked and took the boat to Germany and continued to walk/stop to eat.

Eventually it became time for our ride on Soarin’ so I grabbed a Slush from France and drank it as we walked over to The Land. After our ride on Soarin’ (which was amazing as always) we decided to leave EPCOT and come back for our ADR at Le Cellier later that night.

Here’s where I made another stupid decision, with the help of Greg this time. Ha! Ha! Instead of going back to the GF to rest like we should have, we went to MK. (That convienent monorail I tell you!) We took the train to the Splash Mountain stop and I went to use the bathroom while Greg got us FP’s. When I came out of the bathroom Greg was waiting for me with a big smile on his face. He said “…and it just keeps getting better!” and holds out not 2 but 4 FP’s! 2 to use right now, given by somebody who wasn’t going to use them,and 2 he got himself. We got right on with almost no wait! After Splash, we headed towards POTC but found out it was having “technical difficulties”. We began walking towards the hub but I decided I was getting a little hungry and knew that if we didn’t eat quickly, I was going to become indecisive and cranky, so we backtracked just a bit and went to Pecos Bills and split a CS meal (cheeseburger and FF). After that, I wasn’t up for any more attractions-I was burnt out for the day. We gave away our FP’s to a couple walking in the direction of Splash (which worked out great as they said they were heading right there)-Greg’s all about the good karma. Ha! Ha!

We went back to the room and quickly got our suits on and we went to the pool for a bit to cool off. We each had a delicious frozen concoction! Yum! After that, we went back to the room and got ready for our ADR at Le Cellier.

When we got back to EPCOT we had some time before our late ADR. We stopped at the times board and didn’t see it worth it to wait for any rides so we went over to WS. We stopped at one of the booths to get a beer for Greg and wine for me. I think I also stopped at the Greece booth to get the Greek Salad. We then saw that Off-Kilter was about to perform so we hung around and listened to them perform 2 or 3 songs. They were good and lots of people were really into it! We got to our ADR early (as usual) and decided to see if we could get seated. The hostess that stands near the outside entrance said that he can put us in the system but he can’t guarantee we’ll get seated early. We decided to go for it anyway and headed inside to sit down. I believe we waited 10 minutes or so and sat down. The time passed quickly because the hostesses were stricking up conversations with everyone waiting by asking them if they’ve ever been to Canada and where.

As we were being seated our hostess asked Greg about his graduation (that was the ONE and ONLY time anyone even acknowledged the note I put on many of our dinner ADRs-we had one other acknowledgment at the only breakfast ADR I noted it on). She asked Greg, “What are you graduating from?” I think Greg was a little confused by the question and answered with the University he was attending but I tried to chime in and tell him that I believe she was looking more for “I’m graduating with my master’s degree.” But, Greg was a little embarassed so we just let it go. Anywho, we were seated in the “Northwest Territory” of Le Cellier. Our server came over within a few minutes and took our drink order. Greg ordered a beer, I believe and I ordered the Red Maple. (I eventually had him order a coke for me to drink as I sucked that Red Maple down! Hey, it came with the DDP, so why not?!) Our soup came quickly and it was good! Greg liked it better than me, however. Our dishes quickly followed. I ordered the Filet (of course!) and Greg ordered the prime rib. This is where I may surprise many of you by saying that I wasn’t “Wowed!” by my meal-and neither was Greg. The risotto was creamy but kinda crunchy, like it was somewhat undercooked and the Filet didn’t have the best flavor. Don’t get me wrong, it was good but we both liked The Wave a lot better. Oh well, at least I can say we tried it! For dessert I had the Maple Crème Bruless and Greg had the Smores. As I was attempting to take a picture of his dessert and told him, “Wait! Don’t eat it yet.” The guy at the table on top of us…I mean next to us (the tables are SOOOO close together there!!!...laughed and then covered his mouth and said sorry. I had to laugh too because I’m sure I sounded ridiculous by forbidding to allow my husband to take a bite of his dessert until I took a picture. LOL! Anyway…

We had BAD timing that night and got out of Le Cellier RIGHT as the finally for Illuminations was happening. Ugh! So, along with the masses we headed for the exit and the monorail. We actually made great time and I believe we were back to our room within 30 minutes. I did as I did every night before bed-picked out my clothes for the next day and got my bag reorganized for another day of Disney Fun!

Up Next: 3 Parks in 1 Day! (See! So much for relaxing, right?!)

 

[Shannon84]

Joining in better late than never Great TR so far!! I cannot believe that you had the opportunity to experience the fireworks like that, what a wonderful suprise!!

 

[tyandskyesmom]

WOW!!! You have had an awesome trip so far...cannot wait to read the rest!

We're from the suburbs of Chicago too!!!

 

[DisMomAmy]

Shhhh.... Don't tell anyone, but we were at Epcot that day too.

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

The GF looks so beautiful. And what amazing pixie dust getting to do the fireworks cruise!

 

[DisneyCrafter]

Joining in better late than never Great TR so far!! I cannot believe that you had the opportunity to experience the fireworks like that, what a wonderful suprise!!

Don't worry, I'm not moving very quickly!

WOW!!! You have had an awesome trip so far...cannot wait to read the rest!

We're from the suburbs of Chicago too!!!

How exciting that you are from the Chicago area, too! Welcome!

Shhhh.... Don't tell anyone, but we were at Epcot that day too.

Such a shame we didn't run into you.

The GF looks so beautiful. And what amazing pixie dust getting to do the fireworks cruise!

I can't believe we stayed there-still!

 

[DisneyCrafter]

I almost forgot Day Two Wrap Up:
We had breakfast: in our room!
We had lunch at: Food & Wine Fest/Pecos Bills
We had dinner at: Le Cellier
Our snacks were: Pina Colava & Southern Sunrise from the pool bar at GF
Rachael’s Favorite Food: Maple Creme Brulee (Le Cellier)
Greg’s Favorite Food: Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup (Le Cellier)
Rachael and Greg’s Favorite Part: Soarin'
What we WANT to do again: ride Soarin'
What we DON’T WANT to do again: have DINNER at Le Cellier

I am very slow moving at this TR, I apologize. I am going to try to get 2 updates if not 3 done in this week. I haven't necessarily been busy, I'm just having the vacation blues because I have no idea when we'll be able to go on vacation again. We just don't have the money. Greg's car has no less than 9 things wrong with it and the dealer quoted us with $2300 worth of repairs. We won't pay that but we will pay over $1000 I'm sure. Most of the extra money I was anticipating using for a vacation for next year will be none existent and will go towards fixing the car. Ugh...

I think that I just need to focus on being thankful for the vacations we've already gone on and the memories we've already made. Thinks will work themselves out in time. I'm just impatient about it!

 

[Joyciemc]

I hear you about Le Cellier- we thought the food was good enough (and we loved the cheddar cheese soup!), but not worth going back. Admittedly, our service had a lot to do with this.


Sorry to hear about DH's car... I hope you can get the repairs done for less money than quoted!

At least this was an amazing trip (seriously.. an upgrade to GF!) to be reporting on!

 

[CW4DW]

I'm here and loving it so far! Sorry LeCellier wasn't that great for y'all ~ it's one of our favorites! We have never tried the Wave but will have to try it out on a trip next year!

It's a bum deal that car work is getting in the way of another Disney trip but at least you have the disboards to live vicariously through others!

Can't wait for the next update!

 

[Cory's Gal]

Hi Rachael! I am really enjoying your trip report! What a fantastic upgrade to the GF as well!! That fireworks cruise looked awesome too!! What a nice surprise!! You and Greg sure are getting majorly pixie dusted!!! I LOVE all your restaurant reviews as well, there are so many we want to try and I like your honest thoughts about the places (and the pics too )! Looking forward to reading more!!!!

~Beth

 

[DisneyCrafter]

I don't know if you have noticed but I have posted a link to my blog in my signature. I just posted tonight with pictures of things I cooked and baked last week! Read and please comment if you want! Thanks!

My Blog!