Food And Wine opening, Sept-Oct 2011
Two annual pass adults, no kids, budget of $6,000 plus a couple hundred in credit card rewards. Total came to about $4,000 including shopping and airfare.
We'd gotten a 40% off pin code, so we took advantage of that to stay at the Grand Floridian, with a theme park view.
Our travel agent originally booked us in the wrong class of room, and we had lagoon view, which was lovely, but no where near as good as the theme park view that the GF was kind enough to move us to. The theme park view was a larger room with a kind sized bed... and the view... I can't describe a better sight than waking up in the morning to the sun rising on to the castle and Space Mountain, with the Contemporary and Bay Lake towers glowing in the distance.
Day 1: arrive in the early afternoon, drop the bags at the hotel and head to the MK. Casey's for lunch, and hit the rides until dinner at the Hoop-Dee-Doo revue. The HDD is a lot of fun... VERY interactive, good food, but maybe not the thing for two adults; we were the only table in the place that was just two people. We got the category 1 table 15, which was close to the stage, but a slightly obstructed view for my wife... it didn't matter to her enjoyment of the show. Funny script, very well performed, but so noisy in the space that some of the bits were lost in the commotion. We probably won't see HDD again, but we're glad we did.
Day 2: Short day in the Magic Kingdom, then back to the hotel for tea. Excellent as always, then back to the MK. I think the new cemetery queue area for the Haunted Mansion was much needed, and much appreciated. We could argue the story elements, but the Haunted Mansion in DIsneyland had that little extra something in their queue that was missing. The cemetery raises the bar.
Day 3: Wild Africa Trek. Very small, intimate group of 12 guests and 2 guides, you get close, unobstructed views of hippos and croc's, then snacks from the Tusker House at a safari camp. The safari camp is the real reason to go... dining out in the African savanna on the AK, it's quiet, it's peaceful... fantastic. The tour is 3 hours, and it sort of burnt us out for the rest of the Africa area, so we caught flights of wonder, the Maharaja jungle, and called it a day.
Dinner at the Grand Floridian Cafe. Let me say this about the Cafe; we weren't on the dining plan, but I think this is THE BEST VALUE for a one table-service credit restaurant anywhere on property. Very good food, excellent service, plenty of tables (we did it as a walk-up). Maybe a little expensive if you're paying cash, but on the dining plan, it's a no brainer.
Day 4: Met a friend at DHS... crowd levels were low, so everything except Toy Story Mania was a short wait. The refreshed Star Tours make me a little motion sick, but WHAT A RIDE. REALLY pretty, and the various scenes that we was were run. The ending on Naboo... the 3D effect really worked there.
Drove over to Epcot for dinner at Le Cellier, which we were excited about because we hadn't been there since it was changed to signature dining. Did not disappoint... my New York Strip was fantastic, as was my wife's Filet. Highly recommended.
Day 5: October 1st, 2011... originally marked at a crowd level 4, the MK closed for capacity in the morning because of all the people there to gobble up the 40th Anniversary merch'. Luckily, we went to Epcot for some Food 'n Wine goodness, and it was. Lunch ended up being in Tokyo Dining, which was VERY good. We were hoping that it'd be more of a secret, quiet lunch overlooking the World Showcase, but the place was pretty well packed. Rightly so, service and food were great. Highly recommended.
Day 6: Started the day at a Sweet Sunday's event for Food 'n Wine. Featured a high-end breakfast buffet (quiche, fritatta, sparkling wines...) and dessert cooking demonstrations by John Hui, which of course we got to eat, and OH MAN, did we get to eat. I REALLY recommend this. Leave the kids, spend the money, and enjoy.
Then we hit up the rest of Food and Wine, the Korean lettuce wraps were memorable.
Day 7: Make-up day in the MK, finally got on Peter Pan's Flight (twice), just relaxed and savored the park. Dinner at California Grill. Superb. The last time we'd been there (~2005), the food was flat. Not this time... fork-tender pork tenderloin, amazing mushrooms on fresh fettuccine... SO good.
The great:
The Grand Floridian staff. Stepped off the Magical Express bus, and were greeted immediately by a CM, who led us in to the check-in desk. Sounds like a small thing, and it was, but it's the small things that make a big deal.
Grand Floridian building 5, on the endcap facing the magic kingdom. Yes, yes, yes.
Garden View tea, Le Cellier, Tokyo Dining, Cali Grill... yes, yes, yes, YES. Table service dining was all around great, and these were exceptional.
Meeting Mickey and Minnie as a walk-up with a crowd level of 2. The dressing room area they have has a lot of fun bits in it, too.
The good:
Neutrogena Ultimate Sport sunblock spray. Easy to put on, stayed on all day, and no burning at all in a few days of blazing sun. Expensive for sunscreen (~$10 can), expect to use about a can per week per person.
The weather. Late Sept, early Oct is often cooler than it was, but it got down in to the low 80s by the end.
The bad:
My travel agent. I didn't ask much: get me a hotel room, and get my ADRs set up. She did fine on the ADR, but blowing the hotel room... disappointing. Note to agents, this is the kind of thing that makes me go elsewhere.
Bus service from the Grand. There was a CM there tracking when a bus showed up, and for which route. There were 2x as many Animal Kingdom / Blizzard Beach busses than DHS; not just a perception, he had them logged. It got to be a joke, despite him pleading on the radio with dispatch to please send an DHS bus.
Travel from the Grand in general wasn't great unless you were going to the Magic Kingdom. Going to Epcot is 3 stops and a transfer on the monorail, with no option for a bus. The Poly remains the king for transportation if you walk to the TTC.
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