Photo of the Week: Sunset Over Bay Lake

If you want to snag this photo you have to go to the of the Contemporary.  Off of the California Grill there is a nice outdoor patio where you can capture this view.

There is one other key aspect to photo is exposure.  This is not a normal exposure.  In a normal exposure the Grand Floridian would be almost completely darkened out by the light coming from the sun.  This is actually an HDR shot.  This is a case where you can hardly tell this is an HDR shot. Most of the times HDR shots look unnatural but in this case it really helps to match what you would naturally see.

Disney Announces New "Gold Rooms" At the Grand Floridian

In a move that shocked no one Disney announced last week that they will be overhauling some of their rooms at the Grand Floridian to a new gold theme.

The some of the existing rooms will be completely stripped and and replaced with solid 24k gold.

"We're not talking about gold fixtures or any low end stuff like that.  We are talking about everything in the room being made out of 24k gold.  From the beds to the toilet it's going to be gold!"explained the imagineer heading up the over haul, Scrooge McDuck.

The new rooms are expected to have rack rates starting at $152,000 a night.

"The expected rates are actually a great value when you consider the rooms have a monetary value of 52 million a piece," explained originator of the idea Dopey Dwarf.

Some have criticized the plan bringing light to the fact that gold beds would be very uncomfortable and that such rooms would only be accessible to the super rich.  In response Scrooge McDuck explained "So what?  We only care about the super rich.  The other people don't pay the bills and raise the value of our stock.  Just one of these valued guests is worth three to four hundred of our standard guests."

The new rooms are expected to be open for booking by the end of June for stays starting in November.

The Temporary Show That Never Stopped

Disney has a habit of cutting costs at the first sign of a week economy. You don’t need to tell that to the thousands who lost their jobs earlier this year. Beyond cutting jobs Disney cut Fantasmic, shot down the new Stich show after just a few weeks, and made thousands of other small adjustments to save money.

Typically if Disney labels something as “temporary” or in Disney terms “Seasonal” it means you better see it now because it could be gone in a couple of days.

There is one “temporary” attraction that was never shut down. In fact it’s been playing since 1971. I never viewed temporary as being a term of nearly 40 years but this is Disney we are talking about.

In 1971 you had the Magic Kingdom which might take you a day to go through. You could ride the Monorail. You also had the Contemporary and Fort Wilderness. I bet someone will let me know but I don’t know if the Poly was even around in 71. Beyond that there wasn’t much. To make it more of a value Disney threw together a show and put it out there. At the time if you had told them the show would still be playing 40 years later I bet they would have mocked you.

The Electric Water Pageant has been playing every night in front of Ft. Wilderness, the Contemporary, and the Poly for nearly 40 years.

If you’ve never seen it, it’s a goofy light show set to some music. It’s so simple yet if it starts when you are there you will watch the entire thing. I don’t know what it is but there is some kind of magic to it.

Today we have special effects that the imagineers in the 70’s and 80’s couldn’t even dream about. I mention that because in entertainment there is a desire to improve on what you did, often ruining it in the process. Look at what happened to the original Star Wars. That’s just one example.

Amazing no one has tried to update the EWP. If someone did, they did such a good job that no one noticed. I say good job because the EWP is not something you update. When you get something right the first time, don’t mess with it.

Next time you are in Disney make sure to take a few minutes and check out the EWP. It’s a great way to end your day.

The Problem With Deluxe

The deluxe resorts are great. The Contemporary, Grand Floridian, Wilderness Lodge, Polynesian, Animal Kingdom Lodge, and Boardwalk / Yacht Club all have amazing theming and great rooms. The problem is you pay for that. A lot of people are stuck with a tough choice. Do I go less often and stay at a deluxe or do I go more often and stay at a moderate or value resort?

If you’ve never stayed in one of the deluxe resorts it’s an easy decision. Why would you spend the extra money? I have to be honest, I stayed at the Contemporary in the tower the last time I went down. It was amazing but I don’t know if I’d ever do it again. I can’t afford to. That trip was a once in a lifetime trip. I’m back in the cheaper rooms if it’s just my wife and I. Then again I could hit the big time and make oodles of money. If that happened I’d try out all of the deluxe resorts.

I know a lot of people are partial to the Polynesian but I’m a Contemporary man. I love the rooms and I love the tower. The Polynesian is beautiful and the fountain in the main building is great. All the others have a hard time matching up. If the weather is good, the Boardwalk a night is amazing and it’s really close to Epcot and DHS. I’ve never liked the Grand Floridian and all the others just seem out of the way. This leads me to my next point.

It’s hard to know which resort is really going connect with you and your family. You could spend a lot of money on one of those resorts, get there, and end up not liking it. That’s why if you are considering doing a deluxe, book a cheaper trip and take a day to check out all of the resorts. If you do that you can make an informed decision on whether you think it will be worth it or not.

Narcoossee’s: The Best Restaurant at the Grand Floridian

Narcoossee’s is a restaurant at the Grand Floridian. It’s often over shadowed by the two other restaurants at the Grand Floridian: Citrico’s and Victoria and Albert’s. That’s a shame because it’s better than Citrico’s and far less stuffy than Victoria and Albert’s.

Narcoossee’s sits right on the water next to the boat launch. It has great views of the Magic Kingdom and the lake. The inside is almost perfectly themed. It has large hurricane shutters, big glass windows, and a serving line that you can look right into.

The food is great. They primarily serve seafood and beef. Not being a seafood fan (not everyone in New England likes seafood) you can imagine what I ordered. It was cooked perfectly. Everything we ordered was good. From the appetizers to the deserts nothing was lacking.

The service was very good. It was the only restaurant we dined at where the server actually went out of their way to acknowledge our anniversary. The server brought us each a glass of champagne. It was also nice that she asked if she could bring them first. That showed how attentive she was. I can only imagine if she had just showed up to a table with two glasses of champagne and one of the people was a recovering alcoholic.

The service stood out even more when compared to the other signature dining locations we went to. The California Grill was close. Artist Point and Citrico’s just didn’t compare.

For some people the cost would be an issue. We were on the dining plan so we didn’t think much about it. Don’t expect to pay less than $100 for two people. If you’re on the dining plan it’s going to cost you two credits person. Even considering the cost, it was well worth it. When I think about how Artist Point and Citrico’s are at the same price point, Narcoossee’s is almost a deal. At least you’re getting good food and good service for the same price.
Overall if you can only go to one restaurant at the Grand Floridian, go to Narcoossee’s! I know if I looked at the three options on paper it would be the last one I’d choose but for the overall value it’s the best choice.

Citricos…Where’s the Burping Troll When You Need Her?

Every now and then you go somewhere that is just amazing. Amazing can be good or bad. I only heard good things about Citricos. That should have been a warning. I should have thought “it can’t be that good” but I didn’t. Because of all the hype I planned it for our last night in Disney World. It was a memorable meal. Memorable like when you were a kid and someone farted at the dinner table, ruining everyone’s appétit.

Citricos was not good. The atmosphere was ok. I wasn’t impressed but it wasn’t bad. We got stuck in some far corner by a pillar but I wasn’t there for the atmosphere. The food was ok but I wasn’t amazed by anything I had. I even went out of my safety zone and tried some different stuff in hopes of finding a gem. I didn’t find any gems that night. I did however find some really over priced food. To be honest if I wasn’t on the dining plan I would have been a little upset. For the price, the food was not worth it.

The service was bad! You have a waiter and an assistant. The assistant was great. He was attentive and tried hard. It wasn’t easy for him because he struggled a little with English, but you could tell he really wanted to be helpful. Our waiter introduced himself, brought our food, and we never saw him again. I wish there had been a way to tip just the assistant. I guess I could have tried to slip him some money and left nothing at the table but that just seems sneaky.

Our waiter obviously didn’t care in the least. He was more than willing to let his assistant do all the work and then swoop in and collect the tip. You might be thinking that it’s the system. That, if you have a situation where you have a waiter and an assistant this would promote such an attitude. I’ve been on a number of cruises. Most cruises use this format in the dining room. It’s always worked and led to great service. The system works but any system will fail if you get a lazy individual who just wants to take advantage of someone else. I’ve had better service from the burping troll who works the express lane at Walmart (long story). It was a disappointing end to our final night in Disney World. You’d like things to go out with a bang not a fizzle.