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AKL & GF made it to Wall Street Journal Weekend Section (Updated)
- Thread starter luckytso
- Start date
floridafam
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2003
Could you provide a link to the article? Or expand on what it said?
Thanks
Thanks
Here it is
Disney World, Deluxe
Mickey's Top-End Hotels Give
Good Advice, but No Robe
By LAURA LANDRO
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
After a whirlwind day at Disney World, my four-year-old niece, Megan, is asleep before her head hits the pillow at the Grand Floridian Hotel, dreaming of Sleeping Beauty, the Little Mermaid and Cinderella. Her mother and I find it harder to shut out the noise from the late-night pool party, which sounds as if the Pirates of the Caribbean are right outside our window.
When it comes to luxury hotels, some of the hottest competition these days is at an unlikely spot: Orlando's theme-park mecca. Big names are moving in (including a brand-new Ritz-Carlton), but the biggest on the scene, of course, is Disney, which is pushing higher-end accommodations with concierge floors, spas and gourmet restaurants. We sampled the Mouse's version of luxury, splitting our time between two Disney hotels, the Grand Floridian, a big Victorian-style resort that is the 14-year-old jewel in the Magic Kingdom's crown, and the newer Animal Kingdom Lodge, with its safari-theme luxury décor and game-preserve atmosphere.
The good news is we were highly impressed with the accommodations, staff and special perks at both hotels. But be warned: Disney's version of luxury is as expensive as any exclusive five-star resort, with concierge-level suites going for $1,000 or more a night. At these prices you'd expect all the luxuries, but at the Animal Kingdom, the toiletries are literally Mickey Mouse (he's on the label). And while employees were consistently nice, and the concierge lounges great for restorative snacks, we didn't always get the level of extra attention we had paid for, including the promised bathrobes in the rooms or the curbside concierge check-in. In fact, the top-tier rooms turned out to be more useful for getting into hot-ticket events. My travel agent had warned me "it's easier to get into the White House armed" than the coveted Princess Breakfast, but before the trip an Animal Kingdom concierge helped my sister-in-law, Penny, secure three seats at the next-best thing: breakfast at Cinderella's castle.
It was hard not to get caught up in the excitement as we got into the taxi at the airport, with Megan bouncing up and down in the car all the way exclaiming, "We're going to Disney World!" Though I can't say I've been to the real thing, as we pulled up to the Animal Kingdom Lodge, we really felt ready to believe we were in a grand safari lodge on the African plains. The hotel itself is a wonder to behold -- though during the day it is too dark inside to get a real feel for the details. The lobby is a magnificent piece of work, with a soaring atrium, beautiful woodwork, genuine African art and artifacts everywhere and a massive picture window looking out over the game preserve. At night, it is much better lit, and we admired the detail of the overhead catwalk and the globe-like lights perched on sculpted pillars.
African Proverbs
We had to stand around for 20 minutes, while the front-desk clerk disappeared into the back room to try to locate our reservation, and were already checked in by the time the concierge staff showed up. It was a long walk to our room -- the hotel has four different wings and nearly 1,300 rooms, but as we passed through the halls we looked out more big windows to spot giraffes, zebras, big-horned Ankole cattle and exotic birds a few feet away from the hotel. Our two-bedroom Savannah Suite ($1,250 a night) was decorated in African prints, with 2½ baths, a small kitchenette and two balconies with views of the animals. Though scarce on amenities -- there wasn't anything in the minibar -- the suite was pristine and spacious. Our favorite special touch: the little cards with African proverbs left on our pillows each night.
We rose at the crack of dawn to make it to the Sunrise Safari, which required us to show up in the concierge-level Kilimanjaro Club by 7:15 a.m. to meet our guide, Joe, typical of the enthusiastic and dedicated Disney staffers we met. After some quick coffee, a group of about 40 of us boarded buses, then transferred to open safari vehicles for a great early-morning view of lions, impalas, gazelles, crocodiles and giraffes. But when it was time to gather for a traditional African buffet breakfast, we told Joe that we had a logistics problem -- we were scheduled to be at the Cinderella breakfast miles away at the Magic Kingdom, in half an hour. Joe, dismayed that we would miss out on his own safari breakfast, got on his walkie-talkie and managed to rebook our castle breakfast for the next day. (Megan's take on dining with Cinderella and other Disney leading ladies: pure swoon.)
Because the Lodge is so far from the rest of the attractions, there was a lot of waiting around for buses and monorails, the one disadvantage of staying there. We packed our days with as much as we could, then came back to splash around with Megan in the giant kiddie pool. We had a nice grown-up dinner at the hotel's beautiful Jiko restaurant, where Megan was happy with the salmon and mashed potatoes from the children's menu, while we enjoyed our duck and pork spring rolls, roasted corn soup, steamed bass in parchment paper and pan-roasted monkfish.
We then moved over to the Grand Floridian, sad to leave the Animal Kingdom but happy that we would now be just a short monorail ride away from the park attractions. Here, too, we were on our own trying to flag down a bellman, and we had the same holdup at the front desk while they figured out we were supposed to have been intercepted by the concierge. (A Disney spokeswoman says it was an apparent oversight at both hotels, as were the rooms' missing robes; she apologized.)
The concierge did finally spirit us up to the special desk, and though he was unable to get us a table at the character breakfast scheduled in the dining room for the next morning, he advised us to show up early and try to get in without a reservation. Sure enough, we did, and got in without a problem, sharing a great buffet and getting our pictures taken with Snow White, Tigger, Winnie the Pooh, Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Hatter.
Allergy-Free Food
Our room was actually in one of the massive hotel's outlying buildings, next to the main free-form pool, which at that point seemed like a great location. We had booked a one-bedroom suite for $940, with two baths, a big living room and a small balcony. In pretty pastels with frilly touches, it at least had some nicer toiletries and a stocked minibar. We had a late lunch at the main restaurant, where any mention of a food allergy triggers a visit from the chef on duty. Ours made for me an onion-free tuna sandwich, and I later overheard one woman ticking off all her child's allergies to another very patient chef. After more fun at the parks, we frolicked in the pool and waterslide. I looked longingly into the spa, which offers all kinds of massages and treatments, but there wasn't going to be any time for that kind of thing on this trip.
On our last night, we took the tram to the Contemporary Resort and had our best dinner of all at the rooftop California Grille, enjoying peekytoe crab sushi, goat-cheese ravioli and cheese pizza. In the distance, the Magic Kingdom's castle was bathed in lights, and we watched the colors change every few minutes, to Megan's delight. When we got back to the hotel, the pool was packed with kids and adults, who were still there making a ruckus at midnight. Though an operator told me the pool is open 24 hours a day, she offered to send someone to investigate. I didn't really expect the merrymakers to be subdued, though, and they weren't; next time, I'll ask for a room in another part of the hotel.
When we awoke the next morning, all was serene. The only creatures in the pool were a real mother duck and three little ducklings, paddling along behind. Now that's a scene even Walt Disney himself couldn't have invented.
Write to Laura Landro at laura.landro@wsj.com
Disney World, Deluxe
Mickey's Top-End Hotels Give
Good Advice, but No Robe
By LAURA LANDRO
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
After a whirlwind day at Disney World, my four-year-old niece, Megan, is asleep before her head hits the pillow at the Grand Floridian Hotel, dreaming of Sleeping Beauty, the Little Mermaid and Cinderella. Her mother and I find it harder to shut out the noise from the late-night pool party, which sounds as if the Pirates of the Caribbean are right outside our window.
When it comes to luxury hotels, some of the hottest competition these days is at an unlikely spot: Orlando's theme-park mecca. Big names are moving in (including a brand-new Ritz-Carlton), but the biggest on the scene, of course, is Disney, which is pushing higher-end accommodations with concierge floors, spas and gourmet restaurants. We sampled the Mouse's version of luxury, splitting our time between two Disney hotels, the Grand Floridian, a big Victorian-style resort that is the 14-year-old jewel in the Magic Kingdom's crown, and the newer Animal Kingdom Lodge, with its safari-theme luxury décor and game-preserve atmosphere.
The good news is we were highly impressed with the accommodations, staff and special perks at both hotels. But be warned: Disney's version of luxury is as expensive as any exclusive five-star resort, with concierge-level suites going for $1,000 or more a night. At these prices you'd expect all the luxuries, but at the Animal Kingdom, the toiletries are literally Mickey Mouse (he's on the label). And while employees were consistently nice, and the concierge lounges great for restorative snacks, we didn't always get the level of extra attention we had paid for, including the promised bathrobes in the rooms or the curbside concierge check-in. In fact, the top-tier rooms turned out to be more useful for getting into hot-ticket events. My travel agent had warned me "it's easier to get into the White House armed" than the coveted Princess Breakfast, but before the trip an Animal Kingdom concierge helped my sister-in-law, Penny, secure three seats at the next-best thing: breakfast at Cinderella's castle.
It was hard not to get caught up in the excitement as we got into the taxi at the airport, with Megan bouncing up and down in the car all the way exclaiming, "We're going to Disney World!" Though I can't say I've been to the real thing, as we pulled up to the Animal Kingdom Lodge, we really felt ready to believe we were in a grand safari lodge on the African plains. The hotel itself is a wonder to behold -- though during the day it is too dark inside to get a real feel for the details. The lobby is a magnificent piece of work, with a soaring atrium, beautiful woodwork, genuine African art and artifacts everywhere and a massive picture window looking out over the game preserve. At night, it is much better lit, and we admired the detail of the overhead catwalk and the globe-like lights perched on sculpted pillars.
African Proverbs
We had to stand around for 20 minutes, while the front-desk clerk disappeared into the back room to try to locate our reservation, and were already checked in by the time the concierge staff showed up. It was a long walk to our room -- the hotel has four different wings and nearly 1,300 rooms, but as we passed through the halls we looked out more big windows to spot giraffes, zebras, big-horned Ankole cattle and exotic birds a few feet away from the hotel. Our two-bedroom Savannah Suite ($1,250 a night) was decorated in African prints, with 2½ baths, a small kitchenette and two balconies with views of the animals. Though scarce on amenities -- there wasn't anything in the minibar -- the suite was pristine and spacious. Our favorite special touch: the little cards with African proverbs left on our pillows each night.
We rose at the crack of dawn to make it to the Sunrise Safari, which required us to show up in the concierge-level Kilimanjaro Club by 7:15 a.m. to meet our guide, Joe, typical of the enthusiastic and dedicated Disney staffers we met. After some quick coffee, a group of about 40 of us boarded buses, then transferred to open safari vehicles for a great early-morning view of lions, impalas, gazelles, crocodiles and giraffes. But when it was time to gather for a traditional African buffet breakfast, we told Joe that we had a logistics problem -- we were scheduled to be at the Cinderella breakfast miles away at the Magic Kingdom, in half an hour. Joe, dismayed that we would miss out on his own safari breakfast, got on his walkie-talkie and managed to rebook our castle breakfast for the next day. (Megan's take on dining with Cinderella and other Disney leading ladies: pure swoon.)
Because the Lodge is so far from the rest of the attractions, there was a lot of waiting around for buses and monorails, the one disadvantage of staying there. We packed our days with as much as we could, then came back to splash around with Megan in the giant kiddie pool. We had a nice grown-up dinner at the hotel's beautiful Jiko restaurant, where Megan was happy with the salmon and mashed potatoes from the children's menu, while we enjoyed our duck and pork spring rolls, roasted corn soup, steamed bass in parchment paper and pan-roasted monkfish.
We then moved over to the Grand Floridian, sad to leave the Animal Kingdom but happy that we would now be just a short monorail ride away from the park attractions. Here, too, we were on our own trying to flag down a bellman, and we had the same holdup at the front desk while they figured out we were supposed to have been intercepted by the concierge. (A Disney spokeswoman says it was an apparent oversight at both hotels, as were the rooms' missing robes; she apologized.)
The concierge did finally spirit us up to the special desk, and though he was unable to get us a table at the character breakfast scheduled in the dining room for the next morning, he advised us to show up early and try to get in without a reservation. Sure enough, we did, and got in without a problem, sharing a great buffet and getting our pictures taken with Snow White, Tigger, Winnie the Pooh, Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Hatter.
Allergy-Free Food
Our room was actually in one of the massive hotel's outlying buildings, next to the main free-form pool, which at that point seemed like a great location. We had booked a one-bedroom suite for $940, with two baths, a big living room and a small balcony. In pretty pastels with frilly touches, it at least had some nicer toiletries and a stocked minibar. We had a late lunch at the main restaurant, where any mention of a food allergy triggers a visit from the chef on duty. Ours made for me an onion-free tuna sandwich, and I later overheard one woman ticking off all her child's allergies to another very patient chef. After more fun at the parks, we frolicked in the pool and waterslide. I looked longingly into the spa, which offers all kinds of massages and treatments, but there wasn't going to be any time for that kind of thing on this trip.
On our last night, we took the tram to the Contemporary Resort and had our best dinner of all at the rooftop California Grille, enjoying peekytoe crab sushi, goat-cheese ravioli and cheese pizza. In the distance, the Magic Kingdom's castle was bathed in lights, and we watched the colors change every few minutes, to Megan's delight. When we got back to the hotel, the pool was packed with kids and adults, who were still there making a ruckus at midnight. Though an operator told me the pool is open 24 hours a day, she offered to send someone to investigate. I didn't really expect the merrymakers to be subdued, though, and they weren't; next time, I'll ask for a room in another part of the hotel.
When we awoke the next morning, all was serene. The only creatures in the pool were a real mother duck and three little ducklings, paddling along behind. Now that's a scene even Walt Disney himself couldn't have invented.
Write to Laura Landro at laura.landro@wsj.com
beattyfamily
DIS Cast Member
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2000
Wow, thanks so much for taking the time to post that article!!!
I found it very interesting!
Can someone tell me what breakfast has Snow White, Tigger, Winnie the Pooh, Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Hatter? Sounds like they ate at 1900 Park Fare Breakfast and not at the Castle??? Could the Castle have had only one princess?
Anyway, thanks again!
I found it very interesting!
Can someone tell me what breakfast has Snow White, Tigger, Winnie the Pooh, Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Hatter? Sounds like they ate at 1900 Park Fare Breakfast and not at the Castle??? Could the Castle have had only one princess?
Anyway, thanks again!
Her travel agent told her the hottest ticket in town was the Princess Breakfast (norway???) but she had to settle for the next best thing... Breakfast in Cinderella's Castle?? what's up with that?
I was not impressed with this persons writing skills... I am not sure what the exact definiton of "atrium" is - but I would not use that word when describing the thatched interior of Animal Kingdom Lodge.
She also said they splashed with magan in the giant kiddie pool... there is a tiny kiddie pool at AKL unless she is talking about the main pool??
Sorry ~ I thik she should have has the DIS'er proof read it before it went to print
>>^..^<<
I wouldn't be surprised to see a few changes made in concierge after the article.....checkin, toiletries at AKL and making sure robes are in each room. I do think the toiletries provided at the deluxe WDW resorts (not just concierge) are not of the same quality as other deluxe resorts.
Our WSJ didn't have a Weekend section in it! So thanks for posting the article luckytso.
Cass, I thought the same thing about the Princess breakfast. Haven't been in the AKL pool myself but it did look awfully shallow!
Our WSJ didn't have a Weekend section in it! So thanks for posting the article luckytso.
Cass, I thought the same thing about the Princess breakfast. Haven't been in the AKL pool myself but it did look awfully shallow!
DISNEYFAMILYOFFOUR
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2003
Me too!!! I thought it was strange that she said "the next best thing, Cinderella's castle". I have not tried, but is the princess breakfast in Epcot also nearly impossible to get in?
Oh, my, this part of the article regarding the GF makes me sad:
- - - -
"The concierge did finally spirit us up to the special desk, and though he was unable to get us a table at the character breakfast scheduled in the dining room for the next morning, he advised us to show up early and try to get in without a reservation. Sure enough, we did, and got in without a problem, sharing a great buffet..."
- - - -
I remember Misti posting about how she requested assistance in getting a PS in one of the resort's restaurants, and the concierge staff told her to call the restaurant herself (I probably don't have that exactly correct, so I'm hoping Misti will chime in here with the scenario). Have things not improved at the GF?
- - - -
"The concierge did finally spirit us up to the special desk, and though he was unable to get us a table at the character breakfast scheduled in the dining room for the next morning, he advised us to show up early and try to get in without a reservation. Sure enough, we did, and got in without a problem, sharing a great buffet..."
- - - -
I remember Misti posting about how she requested assistance in getting a PS in one of the resort's restaurants, and the concierge staff told her to call the restaurant herself (I probably don't have that exactly correct, so I'm hoping Misti will chime in here with the scenario). Have things not improved at the GF?
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