Subscribe for FREE!
Receive our Daily Disney Newsletter.
Have the best in Disney News & Views Delivered to you!
Tag Archives: Grand Floridian
Disney World’s Victoria & Albert’s named Orlando’s most iconic restaurant by Zagat
The Walt Disney World Resort’s restaurant, Victoria & Albert’s has been named Orlando’s most iconic restaurant by Zagat. Zagat just released a new list of fifteen U.S. restaurants that “embody the essence of their city.”
Zagat included this review of Victoria & Albert’s, “A ‘once-in-a-lifetime experience,’ this Grand Floridian ‘celebration destination’ earns ‘superlatives all around,’ from chef Scott Hunnel’s ‘exquisite,’ ‘beautifully presented’ New American prix fixes to ‘impeccable’ service — and an ‘über-romantic, high-end’ setting where ‘elegance rules’ (jackets are required for men); you may ‘need to hock one of your kids’ to pay, but those ‘trying to impress’ say there’s ‘no finer place.’”
This is not the first recognition the restaurant has received though. Victoria & Albert’s became a James Beard award semifinalist for outstanding service in 2013. Also this year, Victoria & Albert’s Chef Hunnel was named a semifinalist for the Best Chef South category. The restaurant has received the AAA Five Diamond award for thirteen straight years. Victoria & Albert’s is also a 22-year recipient of the Forbes Travel Guide four-star rating and has won numerous Foodie Awards over the years from the Orlando Sentinel.
My Disney World Character Meal Reviews!
As we all know, one of the best things about Disney World is the option to dine with the characters. This is a great way to see some of your favorite stars and have a really nice interaction with them that isn’t very rushed! Recently I dined at two popular character locations: 1900 Park Fare and The Garden Grill. What follows is my reviews of these restaurants. I am going to warn you that the content of this article may not be suitable for younger readers as it contains a few spoilers!
1900 Park Fare is a buffet style meal that takes place in The Grand Floridian. During Cinderella’s Happily Ever After Dinner you will get to choose from a variety of foods including their famed chilled strawberry soup. The meal was ok. I enjoyed the prime rib and the chicken marsala. Dessert offerings were standard Disney sweets such as rice krispy treats, bread pudding and cookies. I thought the meal was decent but not as good as other similar character meals. It was not one of my favorite dining choices.
Will the real Cinderella please step forward!
In terms of characters I was a little…what is the word I want here…shocked. Cinderella did not remotely look the way she did in the movie. To me she looked like any other girl who had visited the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique complete with slightly messy hair! I have seen Cinderella many times before and on this particular evening she just didn’t look herself. Lady Tremaine looked awfully young as well, Perhaps she has a new skin care regiment that she would like to share with us. Both ladies were very fun and entertaining so I was happy about that, but the step sisters stole the show. Not only did they look exactly how I remembered them looking, but they were so funny and offered spectacular interactions! I do want to be clear, though, that all the little princesses at the restaurant seemed none the wiser about Cinderellas appearance!
My Grade for 1900 Park Fare… C
This restaurant is located in The Land Pavilion in Epcot. Here you are served an all you can eat family style meal. This means that the waiters deliver as much as you care to enjoy of the dishes they serve! These dishes include a salad, bread with maple butter, turkey with stuffing, roast beef with mashed potatoes, and the fish of the day with a vegetable. Honestly, they could have just kept the bread, butter, and salad coming and I would have thought it the best meal of my trip. That butter is remarkable! The roast beef was also delicious. The turkey and stuffing was only ok, and if I had ordered it off a menu as my only entree I would have been disappointed. I cannot in good faith tell you about the fish. You see, I am from Cape Cod where some of the best seafood in the world can be found. For this reason I just cannot eat fish anywhere else. I know it’s crazy, but when you have the most fresh and delicious seafood at your fingertips year round and can eat it while looking at the ocean it was pulled from, you really don’t want it any other way. Dessert was a warm berry cobbler with whipped cream. It was so yummy!
The restaurant itself actually rotates and you can see different scenes from the Living with the Land ride! That is really cool. In terms of the characters this was one of the best interactions I have had! Mickey, Chip, Dale, and Pluto all visited our table not once, but twice! Mickey even sat down with us for a while and Dale stole our bread! This is a great chance to get some excellent photos with the characters!
My Grade for Garden Grill…B+
I hope you enjoy all your future character meals!
Jess is an agent with Pixie Vacations. You can contact her at Jess@PixieVacations.com. Also, be sure to check out her blog www.fastpassstomagic.com and like her page on facebook!
Related articles
- Which Disney Character Meal Is Right For Me? (chipandco.com)
- Disney Character Dining – Is it worth it? (chipandco.com)
Touring the Grand Floridian
People always tell me or post about how they never spend time in their rooms at Disney or time at the resort, and that they are only there to sleep, so they only want to stay at a value resort. Sound familiar? Well, I say the opposite (sometimes)…and you may too if you knew what you were missing.
All the Disney resorts have unique activities and some have many reasons to do more than just sleep there! I am going to explore all the ins and outs of the Grand Floridian and maybe if you book your next vacation there you will plan a “resort day” or if you are staying somewhere else, no problem, a lot of these activities are open to anyone so you can have a Grand Floridian Resort Day too!
At the Grand Floridian elegance from the Victorian era helps make the end of day relaxation much easier. The rooms are large and comfortable and the decor is flawless. The nicest thing about the Grand Floridian, besides it being a “Monorail Resort” is the staff. From check-in to check out do not have to life a finger, that is unless you want too. For instance, your bags are delivered to your room and when you are in a farther out building near the water even you are delivered via golf cart to your room. Basically, your wish is their command.
What makes the Grand Floridian so unique, other than unique people like the Teddy Bear Lady? Read on for why you should splurge and have a few nights at the Grand Dame of Walt Disney World!
1. Amazing dining options - whether you want a quick bite, a regular table service meal, or the most signature dining experience of them all…eat some meals at the Grand Floridian.
Fine/Signature Dining
- Cítricos
- Narcoossee’s
- Victoria & Albert’s - this is an AAA Five Star Diamond Award Winner
Is Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort Right for You?
Is Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort the right place to take up residence while visiting Walt Disney World ? I say absolutely if……
- You enjoy convenience to all the parks and several popular restaurants. Since the Grand Floridian is a “monorail resort”, you can monorail to Magic Kingdom and EPCOT in a very easy, very timely fashion. When our family stayed at the Grand Floridian, we found the monorail to be the best transportation option if we needed to get to the Magic Kingdom. Magic Kingdom is the first stop from the Grand Floridian on the monorail. Ohana, located at Disney’s Polynesian Resort and Chef Mickey’s, located at Disney’s Contemporary Resort are also very short monorail rides from the Grand.
- You want magical, enjoyable character meal options at your resort. At the Grand Floridian, you can enjoy breakfast, dinner or tea time at 1900 Park Fare. This is located in the main building, just to the left as you enter from the front main entrance. The Supercalifragilistic Breakfast features Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland, the Mad Hatter, and other well known characters who mingle from table to table while you enjoy a buffet style meal. For dinner, your princess and little prince charming can enjoy visiting with Cinderella, Prince Charming, and their friends. For an afternoon break from the parks, enjoy tea time with Alice and other Wonderland friends. Your children can decorate cupcakes, do crafts, and enjoy some “tea” (aka apple juice).
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort – A “Must Stay”
A recent stay at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort was nothing short of fabulous for our family! This was our second stay at a Deluxe tier resort {Animal Kingdom Lodge being the first one}, but our first stay at a monorail resort. From the second we walked into the Grand Floridian, we knew we were in for a great treat on our Disney vacation. When we arrived, the live jazz band was playing from the second floor of the lobby, a bride was being photographed on the steps, and families were eagerly awaiting dinner at 1900 Park Fare. We never felt as if the resort wasn’t child friendly, and the cast members were more than happy to help us with whatever we needed. Every evening, upon returning from the parks, we found our beds turned down with a sweet piece of chocolate waiting for us. The Mousekeepers even filled our ice bucket so it was ready for a cool drink. I could go on and on about how much we loved this magical, classic Disney resort.
1. When considering transportation to the parks, resort guests from the GF are the first stop at Magic Kingdom on the monorail. To return from Magic Kingdom in a timely fashion, consider taking the ferry boat that runs to the Grand Floridian. On the ferry boat, the first stop from Magic Kingdom is the Grand Floridian. Also, only buses for Downtown Disney, Disney Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom run from the Grand Floridian.
