Private dinner at the Grand Floridian

[junedis]

We returned from our vacation June 17-23, and I just had to share one of our favorite parts of our trip. As it was our 16th Anniversary, I decided to surprise my husband with a private dinner at the Grand Floridian. It was absolutely fabulous. We were met by our butler at the grand piano in the lobby and escorted up to a private balcony that gave view to the pool. The chef created a meal based on the suggestions I gave him. We started out with a cocktail, followed by an appetizer of shrimp basil brushetta. That was followed by a lovely caesar salad with crostini and parmesan bowl. Our entrees were filet mignon and champagne lime shrimp scampi accompanied by fingerling potatoes and grilled asparagus. For dessert, they served chocolate mousse in a chocolate heart, with two bride and groom strawberries. The plate also was decorated with an imprint of Mickey and Minnie. It was just perfect as they timed dessert to coincide with the fireworks. Our meal was delicious and the private setting was quite romantic. It was truly one of the most memorable and magical Disney evenings for us. I must also comment that the butler was wonderful! I highly reccommend such a dinner for any special occasion! Thanks for letting me share!:mickey:

[wdw_bound]

Wow. Just Wow.

[DeniseMB]

ditto...all I can say is WOW! :mickey:

[pox24]

Ditto... wow...How Much?

[junedis]

The total was approximately $330.00. That included:

2 cocktails, evian water, 2 dinners as mentioned, rolls, 2 desserts, table set-up and butler. When planning through private dining, they will give you a price for the dinners, butler fee is $75.00, and then they add tax and gratuity.

I know it may sound pricey, but it was very romantic and relaxing. Dinner started exactly on time and the butler tended to our every need. My husband said that it was the best part of our vacation. It is definately worth considering. I hope this helps. If there is any further info that you need, I'd be happy to help!:mickey:

[SBETigg]

I've spent more at restaurants, to be honest. That sounds divine, and very good for the price. Thanks for sharing! :thumbsup:

[SAH]

Again "wow" congrats on 16 yrs together....:mickey:

[irish1967]

Wow! Very Cool! We have a milestone coming up in a couple of years...

How far in advance did you make the plans?

[junedis]

I made my plans between 6-8 weeks in advance. They said they need at least 10 days advance notice. Arrangements can be made through the private dining manager at the GF hotel. When confirming , you will need to give a gredit card number to hold the reservation. I actually did all planning via email and only made a final call to place the credit card. It was very easy to arrange. :mickey:

[AuntKari]

Hi Junedis-Did you happen to ask if this could be done for more than 2 people? How many could be seated on the balcony? Thank you, Aunt Kari

[hlkeck]

We actually paid more for 2 of us at the Chef's Table at Victoria and Albert's -- so it sounds like money well spent for such a special occasion!

Now I have to think about this for our next trip! :mickey:

[artyboy]

I didn't even know that this was an option!!! Thanks for letting us know!

[PixieMagic]

Wow! That sounds absolutely fantastic!! I love how they tailored the meals to your liking...I am such a picky eater that I always worry about that...

[junedis]

Hi Junedis-Did you happen to ask if this could be done for more than 2 people? How many could be seated on the balcony? Thank you, Aunt Kari

I'm sure that could be an option. They were very accomodating. The balcony was large enough for more people, but maybe they would have other suggestions for locations on the property as well. Good Luck!

[buzznwoodysmom]

Wow, congrats on 16 years. Your special dinner sounds amazing.

Did you ask for a specific location and time or did they make suggestions and you picked from those suggestions? I am asking because from reading your post it sounds like you had a view of the fireworks and it was timed perfectly, is this something you asked for? I'd love to surprise my DH with something like this one day. We are going to WDW in November and will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary and my mother has offered to watch the kiddos for us to have a special dinner and this sounds wonderful. I am trying to find something unique and memorable for us as he will be deploying for Iraq shortly after our trip so more the reason to go all out.

[biodtl]

That sounds amazing! I'd love to do it some day.

[iheartdisney]

Magical doesn't even begin to describe.....Congratulations and thanks for sharing!

[junedis]

Wow, congrats on 16 years. Your special dinner sounds amazing.

Did you ask for a specific location and time or did they make suggestions and you picked from those suggestions? I am asking because from reading your post it sounds like you had a view of the fireworks and it was timed perfectly, is this something you asked for? I'd love to surprise my DH with something like this one day. We are going to WDW in November and will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary and my mother has offered to watch the kiddos for us to have a special dinner and this sounds wonderful. I am trying to find something unique and memorable for us as he will be deploying for Iraq shortly after our trip so more the reason to go all out.

Congratulations on your upcoming Anniversary and a big thank you to your husband for so bravely serving our country! When planning the dinner, the balcony seems to be the usual place they schedule the dinners. In bad weather, they will move it indoors . (I think they also rent out the Grand Floridian's yacht , the Grand 1. That is a bit pricey, somewhere around $4oo.oo an hour plus any extra catering.) From what I was told, they plan private dinners according to the firework schedule, so that varies depending the date. Our dinner began at 8:45 as they fireworks were at 10:00 that evening. I think the dinner would be a fabulous send off for your husband! Please let us know how it goes if you chose to do this. Good Luck!:mickey:

[buzznwoodysmom]

Congratulations on your upcoming Anniversary and a big thank you to your husband for so bravely serving our country! When planning the dinner, the balcony seems to be the usual place they schedule the dinners. In bad weather, they will move it indoors . (I think they also rent out the Grand Floridian's yacht , the Grand 1. That is a bit pricey, somewhere around $4oo.oo an hour plus any extra catering.) From what I was told, they plan private dinners according to the firework schedule, so that varies depending the date. Our dinner began at 8:45 as they fireworks were at 10:00 that evening. I think the dinner would be a fabulous send off for your husband! Please let us know how it goes if you chose to do this. Good Luck!:mickey:


Thanks so much for the info. If I did do this, I'd love to have it timed with the fireworks. I just didn't know if that is something you put together on your own. I am glad you had such a great experience with it and I'll be sure to let you know if I decide to do this and how it goes.

[Dawn,DeniseandDiane]

AMAZING!! It sounds so... divine and romantic! Like, something out of a Disney movie!
Ha!:mickey: What a special way to celebrate 16yrs together! :congrats: We have done the wishes and Illuminations cruise. So, maybe this would be a wonderful idea for our birthday in Feb when we go..... hmmmmm. Thanks for sharing and putting a bee in my bonnet! I have work to do thinking about this! Yeah!!! It would be a lovely memory maker for us!

Dawn,Denise&DIane:wave::wave::wave:

[KAT1811]

Congratulations on your upcoming Anniversary and a big thank you to your husband for so bravely serving our country!

:ditto: A great big THANK YOU! :thanks: and :congrats: on your upcoming anniversary!


When planning the dinner, the balcony seems to be the usual place they schedule the dinners.

Did they give you any other options? I'd love to be outside on the beach or somewhere else on the grounds not so sure I want to be inside. Is the balcony covered? Could you make specific dinner requests or just suggestions? Did you have to order everything before hand? Did they have anything to choose from? Did you have to order dessert? I'm sure more questions will pop up. Sorry to ask so many but I am very interested in this for my DH's 40th birthday trip (fall 2011) and our first vacation sans our four children.

[BrerGnat]

Is this only available at the GF? Or, do any of the other Deluxe resorts participate?

[Jillirose]

Amazing !!

[Mister421]

I'm more of lurker here but had to chime in on this. Congrats Jundis. We did this on our honeymoon years ago. A couple of friends set it up. We were left a note with flowers one evening asking us to contact someone within the hotel....I can't remember. They allowed us to pick anything off of any of the menus within the GF. At the time we could pick any location on the GF grounds. We sat on the end of the dock with a center-stage view of the castle and fireworks. We actually added $$$$ to what our friends bought us and it was well worth the money. They had everything timed to the second. They even knew how long it took to bring out the souffles so they wouldn't fall which of course was timed with the fireworks. We were very impressed. It was far better than Victoria and Alberts. About two years ago I did this for my parents. The only difference was that there were particular seating areas. You couldn't just pick a random spot. I choose a menu for them and away they went. They too were impressed. Of all the things the GF has in my opinion this is the best.

[TammiMcMan]

Glad you enjoyed it Junedis. It's kind of a hidden gem at the GF, but I try to spread the word when people are looking for unique options.

Kat, there are other options on where you can sit for dinner. I know it's been done on the boat dock, by the Summertime gazebo that sells ice cream, a few balconies on the 2nd and 3rd floor and over by Sago Cay. Your dining choices can come from any of the onsite restaurants. They'll pretty much do anything you ask and for an added cost, there are plenty of options you can add on.

[garymacd]

Now I have change all my plans for our 30th anniversary trip in May.

[slegrant]

Sounds fantastic, Thank you so much for sharing. My wife loves the Grand Floridian so this will definatley be on the to do list:mickey:

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Sounds wonderful, thanks for sharing