Two Disney Parks Live Events in the next 3 Days; New Year's Eve at Walt Disney World

Two Disney Parks Live Events in the Next 3 Days:

Over the next few days, the Disney Parks Blog will have two #DisneyParksLIVE events. One tomorrow where the Magic Kingdom will celebrate the historic championship of the Chicago Cubs. The other being on Monday November 7, when #DisneyParksLIVE will live stream "A Frozen Holiday Wish" during the first Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party of the season.

First up, MVP Ben Zobrist, Addison Russell, and Javier Baez from the World Series Champion Chicago Cubs will be joined by Mickey Mouse as they parade down Main Street, USA. The live stream will begin at 4:40 p.m EST tomorrow. It will be streamed live on the Disney Parks Blog and on Facebook. 

In celebration of ending the longest championship drought in sports history by winning the World Series ending the 108-year drought. The players will be cheered on by throngs of fans as they parade down Main Street with Mickey. After the parade, the players will enjoy some special time in the parks with their families and friends.

Next up on Monday, the Disney Parks Blog will be live once again to celebrate the return of Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, with the very first "A Frozen Holiday Wish" castle lighting of the season. The live stream will begin at 6:25 p.m. EST on Monday, November 7. 

“A Frozen Holiday Wish,” features the royal sisters Anna and Elsa. Along with their friends, Olaf and Kristoff, Queen Elsa uses her incredible powers to present a gift to everyone in the kingdom – transforming Cinderella Castle into a glimmering ice palace for the holidays.

A new blog post will appear on the Disney Parks Blog when the live stream begins. Will you be tuning in to the next two live streams for Disney Parks Live. Users are encouraged to use the #DisneyParksLIVE on Twitter during the live streams.

New Year's Eve Events at Walt Disney World:

It's hard to believe but with the Christmas season already beginning at Disney World, that means 2017 is fast approaching. Will you be ringing in the new year at Walt Disney World? If so today, Disney announced its time to book these special events at several locations across the Walt Disney World Resort. Here is a list of what you can book:

• California Grill New Year’s Eve Dinner. The talented California Grill chefs create a dine-around style gala, with cooking stations throughout the restaurant. And we hear that the Disney characters will make appearances – along with Baby New Year. Wine and cocktails are included. And of course a spectacular view of the Magic Kingdom Park fireworks! 7:30 p.m.-midnight, $650. (Dinner jacket required for men.) 
• Victoria & Albert’s New Year’s Eve Dinner. Enjoy a luxurious evening in this AAA Five Diamond restaurant with gracious “butler-style” service, live harp music and personalized menus to remember the special evening. Dinner is 10 courses, including eight savory courses and two desserts including eclectic wines from around the world. Seatings between 6-7:45 p.m. $600.
• New Year’s Eve at Epcot World ShowPlace. The spacious World ShowPlace Events pavilion opens for an all-you-care-to-eat extravaganza. Great photo ops with fun vignettes for posing (but no Disney characters) and Disney tunes make this a real family affair. Soups, salads, hearty dishes and desserts – and the kids get their own station with favorites like mac ‘n cheese, meatballs, chicken fritters and more. Seatings available from 3-9 p.m., $72.90, $44.38 ages 3 to 11. Later in the evening, head out to the promenade for fireworks over World Showcase Lagoon to welcome 2017.
• Monsieur Paul New Year’s Eve Dinner. The elegant upstairs dining room at the France pavilion at Epcot will offer six seatings on New Year’s Eve: 11:45a.m., noon, 2:15p.m., 2:45p.m., 5:45p.m. and 6:15p.m. A four-course, prix fixe menu of classical French cuisine reflects the traditions of Chef Paul Bocuse, one of the most famous chefs in France (for whom the restaurant is named). Cost is $110.81. A special late-night dinner with two seatings at 8:45p.m. and 9:45p.m. offers and enhanced French menu, including Paul Bocuse’s famous Soupe aux Truffles V.G.E. Cost is $305.03.
• La Hacienda de San Angel New Year’s Dinner. This special evening at the Mexico pavilion in Epcot World Showcase starts at 9:30p.m. and ends at 1a.m., and includes a five-course prix fixe dinner, live music with the mariachi band and a fabulous view of the Epcot IllumiNations holiday show. Start the evening with a welcome margarita, then try the tequila pairing with the appetizers. Wine is served with the main course (surf n’ turf) and a dessert liqueur with the sweet ending.
• Narcoossee’s New Year’s Eve Dinner, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. A generous four-course menu is offered with seatings between from 5 and 5:45p.m. A five-course menu is offered with seating from 8:30-9:25p.m. for a late-night celebration with live music. The menus both feature favorites such as Narcoossee’s lobster bisque, seared Wagyu beef and pan-seared halibut. First seating $150 for adults, $70 children ages 3-9. Second seating $255 for adults, $95 for children ages 3-9.

For reservations, call 407-WDW-DINE.

In-Depth Look at Disney's Deluxe Resorts Part 3: Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

Last week we dug deep into Disney's Contemporary. This week we are digging deep into one of most luxurious resorts at Disney World in Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. It opened in 1988 as Walt Disney World's 5th resort and is widely considered as Disney World's flagship resort. Here is the small overview of Disney's Grand Floridian from the Disney World website:

Victorian elegance meets modern sophistication at this lavish bayside Resort hotel. Relax in the sumptuous lobby as the live orchestra plays ragtime, jazz and popular Disney tunes. Bask on the white-sand beach, indulge in a luxurious massage and watch the fireworks light up the sky over Cinderella Castle. Just one stop to Magic Kingdom park on the complimentary Resort Monorail, this timeless Victorian-style marvel evokes Palm Beach’s golden era.

Disney's Grand Floridian Resort is the most expensive resort on Walt Disney World property. The 900-room resort sits on 40 acres on the shores of Seven Seas Lagoon.

Rooms and Suites Rates:

As stated about Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is the most expensive resort to stay at. There are standard and deluxe rooms as well as suites to accommodate you for your stay at the Walt Disney World Resort. I will start off with the standard and deluxe rooms. Amenities for the standard and deluxe rooms include: a hair dryer, coffee maker, in-room safe, pack'n play crib, internet with free wi-fi service, telephone with voice mail, and iron and ironing board. 

Lowest rate for a room at the Grand Floridian is in the outer building - Garden View with rooms starting at $514/night. The room is available with views of the courtyard, marina or pool areas, sleeps up to 5 adults, and has the options of 2 queen beds and 1 day bed, 2 queen beds, a king bed and a day bed,  or a king bed and a double-size sleeper sofa. The Outer Building-Lagoon view is $549/night with a view of Seven Seas Lagoon, sleeps up to 5 adults, and has the choice of 2 queen beds and a day bed, 2 queen beds, a king bed, or a king bed and a double-size sleeper sofa. The Outer Building Deluxe Room - Garden view is $604/night with views of the courtyard pool or the marina, sleeps up to 4 adults, and has 2 queen beds. The Outer Building- Theme Park view which is the final choice of standard/deluxe rooms at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is $636/night. The room has a view of the Magic Kingdom, sleeps up to 5 adults, and you have the choice of 2 queen beds and a daybed, 2 queen beds, or a king bed and a double-size sleeper sofa. 

Now moving onto rooms and suites with club level service at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. The amenities for these rooms include: evening turndown, complimentary fax assistance, complimentary health club access, complimentary newspapers in club lounge, security key access to the club-level lounge which serves refreshments from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, pre-arrival Walt Disney World Resort itinerary planning, and all the amenities for standard and deluxe room plus a dvd player. 

To start off with rooms with club level service, the Outer Building- Standard Room w/Club Level Service is $636/night. The room has views of the courtyard pool or marina, sleeps up to 5 adults, and you can have the choice of 2 queen beds and a day bed, 2 queen beds, a king bed and a day bed, or a king bed and a double-size sleeper sofa. You can also stay in the Main Building/Standard Room-Club Level which is $862/night. The room has views of the courtyard pool, Magic Kingdom, or Seven Seas Lagoon and sleeps up to 5 adults. You can have the choice of 2 queen beds, 2 queen beds and a day bed, or a king bed. Next up we have a deluxe king room in the Main building at Club level that sleeps 3 adults at $893/night. You can have views of the Magic Kingdom or resort grounds and have the choice of a king bed or a king bed and a day bed.

The Main Building/Theme Park view at club level is $911/night with views of the Magic Kingdom. It sleeps up to 5 adults and has 2 queen beds and a day bed. For the suites you have a 1 bedroom suite or a 2 bedroom suite. The 1 bedroom suites are in the Outer Building with Club Level access and is $1,256/night. They sleep up to 6 adults, a view of the courtyard pool, and had 2 queen beds and a double-size sleeper sofa. The 2 bedroom suite is also in the Outer Building with Club Level access and is $1,942/night. It has views of the courtyard pool or Seven Seas Lagoon, sleeps up to 8 adults, and has 2 queen beds, a king bed, and a double-size sleeper sofa. 

Dining:

As described on the Disney World website dining at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is like: 

Amid elegant Victorian surroundings, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa offers distinctive dining selections for breakfast, lunch and dinner to please almost any palate. 

You have many dining choices at Disney's Grand Floridian with fine/signature dining, character dining, unique/themed dining, casual dining, lounges, quick-service dining, and 24-hour, in-room dining. 

You have three choices of fine/signature dining at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa with Citricos, Narcoossee's, and Victoria & Albert's (pictured above). At Citricos you can enjoy American cuisine that is infused with Mediterranean flavors plus you have the choice to pick from an award-winning, international wine list. At Narcoossee's you can slip away into the elegant waterfront retreat for some exquisite seafood specialties and a spectacular view of Seven Seas Lagoon, a perfect view for the Wishes fireworks show at the Magic Kingdom. Finally, at Victoria & Albert's you can enjoy and experience Victorian elegance which meets haute American cuisine at this restaurant who has a AAA Five-Diamond Award Recipient since 2000. 

For character dining enjoy the experience at 1900 Park Fare for breakfast and dinner as well as an afternoon tea party. Each of these choices is all hosted by your favorite Disney characters. For a more casual dining experience, one I recommend at Disney's Grand Floridian is the dining experience at Grand Floridian Cafe. Here you can enjoy fine and elegant American cuisine that can't be beat according to Disney World's website. 

Also at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa you have two lounges in Citricos Lounge and Mizner's Lounge. You have quick-service dining at the Gasparilla Island Grill, the Beach Pool Bar, as well as the Courtyard Pool Bar. Also don't forget as stated above you have 24-hour in-room dining available to you while you are staying at the resort. 

Recreation and Amenities at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa:

Recreation is plentiful at Disney's Grand Floridian and here is what you can enjoy:

• A refreshing swim at one of the two pools located in the resort
• Private Poolside Cabanas
• Motorized Boat Rentals
• A Pirate Adventure Cruise for children ages 4-12
• Movies Under the Stars
• Fishing
• Arcade Games
• World-Class Shopping all located in the Main Building
• Jogging Trails
• Grand Floridian Campfire Activities for some good old-fashioned family fun

Amenities and services at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa include:

• Transportation from Disney's monorail and bus
• Complimentary use of Disney's Magical Express transportation
• Complimentary Wi-Fi internet access
• Complimentary parking as well as use of valet parking
• Online Check-in
• Resort Airline Check-in
• 24-hour ATM and Banking
• Business Center
• Childcare Services
• Designated Smoking Areas
• Disney Meetings at Disney's Grand Floridian Convention Center
• Laundry and Dry Cleaning Services
• Locker Rentals
• Mail Services
• Merchandise Delivery and Pickup
• Resort Concierge
• Enjoy some rest and relaxation at the world-class Senses Spa and Fitness

As you can seen Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is truly a world-class resort and the flag ship resort at Walt Disney World. If you want luxury and elegant accommodations all while enjoying the fun of Walt Disney World this is the resort for you. That's it for my in-depth look at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. Tune in next week for part 4 in the series where we dig deep into Disney's Wilderness Lodge.