In a little over a month, mom bloggers and their families will be headed to Walt Disney World for the second annual Social Media Moms Celebration. This year, the conference is being held at Disney's Grand Florida Conference Center, with attendee accommodations at the Grand Florida Resort.
The Grand Floridian is one of Disney's deluxe resorts, making this year's celebration even more magical.
The Resort and Transportation
Flickr: ScrapNancy
Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is themed in Victorian-style. It is probably the most sophisticated of all the Disney World Resorts.
The biggest perk of the Grand Floridian is its close proximity to the Magic Kingdom. The resort is directly on the monorail with its first stop being the Magic Kingdom-- you can't get much closer than that!
When taking the monorail from the Magic Kingdom back to the resort, the Grand Floridian will be the final stop after the Contemporary, Transportation and Ticket Center and Polynesian Resort.
Buses will take you everywhere else on Disney property. Disney's Magical Express will take you to and from the airport. If arriving by car, parking is included with your resort stay.
The Food
There is a wide variety of dining options available at the Grand Floridian. My personal favorite is the Garden View Tea Room. If you have time, make a reservation and order the Grand Tea. It's a great way to relax after a morning in the parks.
My other favorites are 1900 Park Fare and Narcoossee's. 1900 Park Fare has character dining throughout the day. There is a Supercalifragilistic Breakfast with Alice and friends in the morning. In the afternoon, there is a kids-only Wonderland Tea Party for children 4-12. Finally, Cinderella and Prince Charming make appearances at Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner.
Narcoossee's is one of three fine dining restaurants on site. My husband and I have celebrated our anniversary here twice. It's one of the more romantic restaurants because it is a prime viewing spot for Wishes. Each time I've eaten here I've ordered the Steamed Whole Maine Lobster and Almond Crusted Cheesecake (below). It's one of my favorite meals at Disney.
Citrico's and Victoria and Albert's are the other fine dining restaurants at the Grand Floridian; I've yet to dine at either of these.
For something more casual, the Grand Floridian Cafe is a great choice for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It's usually easy to get into without reservations. The one quick service option is the Gasparilla Grill- I believe this is the only 24 hour eatery, besides room service, at Disney.
Keep in mind there are 3 family dinners included with the conference, and 1 breakfast/lunch just for the moms. All other dining arrangements for your family will need to be made in advance if they want a sit down meal. There are no reservations for quick service options in the parks or resort areas. A quick look at the Restaurants at Disney World will give you an idea of all the food offerings, including menus and locations.
You can make dining reservations online at disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining or by calling 407-WDW-DINE.
The Rooms
The Victorian-theming continues in each of the guest rooms. Most standard rooms include, 2 queen-size beds, daybed, small table and chair, mini fridge, coffee maker, iron/ironing board and hair dryer. Each room also has a small patio or balcony.
I am convinced that the Grand Floridian has the best toiletries of any of the Disney Resorts. The H20 line here is made especially for the Grand Floridian.
The Pool
The weather in March should be better than last year's freezing February. If time permits, the Grand Floridian has 2 pools. The beach pool has a sandy bottom with zero-entry. There's also a waterfall, waterslide and a jacuzzi.
flickr: mrkathika
flickr: mrkathika
Babysitting and Child Care
The Grand Floridian is one of the few Disney resorts that has on-site childcare available if you want to go for a night out. The Mouseketeer Club accommodates children ages 3-12 from 4:30pm to midnight. I believe it is $11.50/hour with dinner included. Call 407-WDW-DINE to make a reservation.
The Spa
If you're checking in early, checking out late, or staying a few extra days, you may want to indulge in one of the Grand Floridian's signature spa treatments. There's also a state-of-the-art fitness facility on-site. If you are considering a spa treatment, here is a money-saving coupon.
Before I stayed at the Grand Floridian, I thought the resort was only for couples and honeymooners. Obviously, as with almost everything at Disney, the resort is really family-friendly. You may have to look a little harder for the magical Disney touches-- but that just adds to the fun!
flickr: HarshLight
Allison@Slice of Heaven
I can't wait to stay there for the first time at #DisneySMMoms!!!! Hope all is well.
Beth @ TheAngelForever
Looking forward to new magical memories in March. I know it is going to be another amazing experience. See you there.
Ellen G
Can't wait. Thanks for adding to my excitement level!
blueviolet @ A Nut in a Nutshell
I've stayed at the Polynesian and the Contemporary, but not that one yet. Looks beautiful!
Connie
I'll be there! So sad the tea is only for children....can someone lend me a few? 🙂 I hope I get to meet you there!
Allison Jones
Great review on Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa! One of my favorite activities is the campfire singalong and movies under the stars. Love it with the family!
Mikki
Just poppin by via #Disneysmmoms! What a great post!
Although we go to Disney A LOT and live here in Florida, the only time we have gone to the Grand Floridian is to just look around. It's such a beautiful place. We can't wait to go stay in it in March!
Looking forward to meeting you :-0
Cathi
Now...you have me over the top excited for #DisneySMMoms!!! I'm looking forward to meeting you too!!
destination
Wow, the location looks speachless. You can have there some dream days spent. All looks to nice to be true. I wonder why sometimes we don't appreciate this landscape at their really high level of professionalism, and comfort. Its really beautiful.