Author: disneyfoodblog.com

We’re checked in to the reopened Disney World resort hotels today to see what we can learn!

With all of the health and safety protocol changes we’re seeing in the resorts today, we have a few specific questions. For one, can we still get groceries delivered to our Disney World resort hotel?

Grocery delivery is an awesome trick to managing your packing and budget needs. We love to have the option when we’re visiting Disney World so we were happy to find out that you CAN still get groceries delivered.

The process remains the same. If you order groceries (through Garden Grocer, Instacart, or a variety of other delivery services), you can have them delivered to Bell Services. Packages shipped from home or an online retailer will be accepted by the front desk. They will keep your groceries or packages stored and refrigerated or frozen (if needed) until you can pick them up from the front desk or you can have them delivered to your room for a handling fee of $6.

Wanna learn more about sending deliveries to your Disney World resort? Click here!

Keep those questions coming! Anything else you NEED to know about the reopened Disney World resorts? Let’s hear em! We’re scoping out ALL the answers to your biggest questions. Check back with us as we continue our coverage of the reopened hotels!

Click here to see more of the reopened hotels at Disney World!

Are you hoping to get your groceries delivered in Disney World? Let us know in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Disney News, disney resorts, Featured, Walt Disney World, bell services, Disney World reopening, Disney World Resort hotels, Disney World Resort reopening, Garden Grocer, grocery delivery, instacart

We’re coming at you LIVE from the reopening of the Disney Vacation Club Resort hotels in Disney World!

So far we’ve covered dining, shopping, swimming, and MORE at these reopened hotels (we even caught a glimpse of the PINK Cinderella Castle!). As we’ve been reporting around the resorts, there was one common trend that honestly surprised us a bit!

Overall, each of the Disney World hotels we’ve been to today have been VERY quiet and empty! It reminded us a lot of the early days of Disney Springs’ phased reopening when we were hard-pressed to find ANY other guests!

At both Topolino’s Terrace and Grand Floridian Cafe, it felt like we were the only diners there!

The main lobby areas, which are usually areas with higher amounts of foot traffic, were eerily quiet! It felt like a ghost town inside the main lobby of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa!

If we didn’t know any better, we could be fooled into thinking the resorts are still closed!

The lobby at Disney’s Riviera Resort was also quite empty.

Shopping was a quiet, lonesome experience for us, too! Stopping by Bayview Gifts this morning was a stark difference from the hustle and bustle we are used to seeing at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.

Then we thought, “It’s a nice day outside! Maybe everyone is at the pool!” We were WRONG!

The pool area was practically deserted!

The pool bar area at Grand Floridian was just as empty!

As this is the first day the hotels are open, it may take a few days for the crowds to trickle back in and arrive for their resort reservations. And with the theme parks not reopening until July 11 and 15, it’s possible many guests chose to modify their reservations to come later in the season. But there’s no denying that walking around empty Disney World Resort hotels is an ODD feeling, to say the least!

Keep up with all of our live coverage from the reopened Disney Vacation Club Resort hotels here!

Do you have an upcoming resort reservation BEFORE the theme parks reopen? Let us know in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: disney resorts, Featured, Walt Disney World, Disney Vacation Club, Disney World, Disney World reopening, Disney’s Grand floridian resort and spa, Disney’s Riviera Resort, DVC

Now that select Disney World Resort hotels and restaurants have reopened, we’re here to check out the experience and report back!

We headed to Grand Floridian Cafe to see how the new restaurant procedures are being implemented. Let’s take a look inside!

Check-In

If you are not staying at the Grand Floridian, you must provide your dining reservation details, including the name on the reservation, to the Cast Member at the entrance to the parking lot. 

Once you arrive at Grand Floridian Cafe, we used the new Mobile Dine Check-In by scanning a QR code in the lobby of the restaurant. You can also check-in using My Disney Experience!

Learn more about the new Mobile Dine Check-In here!

Seating

As we were brought to our table, we noticed that the restaurant was pretty empty!

Despite seeing a few other parties in the restaurant, this definitely wasn’t your typical brunch shift that we are used to seeing at Grand Floridian Cafe! There didn’t seem to be any fewer tables than usual, but not every table was available for seating.

We were also given a paper bag to hold our mask while we dined. Do note that this might not be standard for every restaurant because we didn’t receive a mask bag when dining at Topolino’s Terrace at Disney Riviera Resort this morning. 

We immediately noticed Cast Members cleaning and sanitizing various surfaces.

Then it was time to take a look at the menu itself!

Menu

At Grand Floridian Cafe, a QR code menu was available.  

Our server brought us a paper menu and noted that the QR menu seemed to be running a little slow.

At other locations, we needed to request a paper menu, but since the QR menu was experiencing some lag, we didn’t need to ask for a paper menu. Keep in mind however that this may not always be the case!

We noticed many menu items that we have enjoyed in the past, like the Floridian Pancakes and the Lobster Thermidor Burger, but today it was all about the QUICHE. Do keep in mind that they are offering a limited menu at this time and that beloved favorites like the Chicken and Waffles are currently unavailable.

Food

We ordered the Roasted Tomato and Feta Quiche for $15 and it was DIVINE. It comes with spinach, feta, and roasted tomatoes.

The quiche is also served with a little side salad along with a couple slices of watermelon.

And of course, if you’re having brunch, a Bloody Mary is a necessity! Their Chipotle Bloody Mary for $14 is a scrumptious mixture of house-made chipotle-infused Vodka and comes garnished with jumbo shrimp, chorizo, and a lime-salted rim.

Put it all together (including their delicious biscuits with homemade citrus butter!) and you have the makings of a fine brunch.

The real standout for us today was the quiche! It’s a great serving size if you aren’t looking for something that’s too filling, but super flavorful at the same time! And the biscuits with the homemade citrus butter is always such a great touch to any meal at Grand Floridian Cafe.

Payment

Grand Floridan Cafe uses the same disposable check holders that we saw this morning at Topolino’s Terrace. Each of these holders are disposed of after use.

Overall, Grand Floridian Cafe is spreading guests out, using QR menus (when it’s working properly), and offering guests face mask bags. Changes may occur over time as everyone, including Cast Members, adjust to these new health and safety measures.

Click here to learn more about the changes to Disney World dining experiences you can expect this summer!

What do you think about the changes to Grand Floridian Cafe? Share your thoughts in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: disney resorts, Featured, Grand Floridian Resort, Table-Service, Walt Disney World, disney world dining, disney world dining changes, Disney World reopening, Disney World restaurant, disney world restaurants, Grand floridian Cafe

You’ll find Erin McKenna’s Bakery NYC in The Landing area of Disney Springs.

And you know what you’ll find inside this nook that’s chock-full of vegan, allergy-friendly goodies? You’ll spot some NEW cupcakes in the bakery case, that’s what!

Mexican Hot Chocolate and Coconut Caramel are the latest Cupcake additions.

And we couldn’t help but notice that the Coconut Caramel comes complete with those same huge coconut shavings that are sprinkled on one of our other favorite treats at Erin McKenna’s… the Samoa Donut!

Don’t forget! You can also find savory snacks like the new Veggie Bomb here (while additional sweet offerings as of late have included the awesome Cookie Monster Cupcake.) Of course, these cupcakes aren’t the only new things we’ve happened upon recently in Disney Springs…

See everything new in Disney Springs by clicking here!

So be sure to pop into Erin McKenna’s Bakery NYC the next time you’re in Disney Springs — and you can check out the new safety measures in place at the bakery ahead of your visit by clicking here!

Today our Walt Disney World adventures bring us outside of Disney Springs, as select Resort hotels are welcoming guests again starting TODAY, ahead of the reopening of the theme parks which will begin on July 11th with Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom followed by EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios on July 15th. We hope you’ll stay tuned with us throughout the day as we continue our ongoing coverage of the phased reopening of Walt Disney World here on DFB!

Are you a fan of Erin McKenna’s Bakery NYC? Please let us know with a comment!

 

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Counter-Service, Disney Springs, Featured, Snacks, Walt Disney World, allergy friendly, Allergy Friendly Dining, Babycakes, disney springs, Erin McKenna’s Bakery NYC, The Landing, Vegan, vegan cucpakes

Select Disney World hotels reopened today and we’re LIVE with all the coverage! Be sure to follow along as we take you around the reopened Disney World Resort hotels! So far, we’ve checked out character dining, got an update on the transportation situation, and we even got a sneak peek at the PINK Cinderella Castle!

Now, we’re exploring the changes that have been made to the overall shopping experience.

We have been reporting daily from Disney Springs so we are pretty used to the shopping experience there. But today we’re seeing how the safety procedures are being implemented at merchandise locations in the hotels.

Disney’s Contemporary Resort

We stopped by Bayview Gifts at Disney’s Contemporary Resort to see what shopping at a hotel is like nowadays! The entrance had health and safety reminders as well as hand sanitizer.

If the store becomes too crowded, floor markers are present outside the shop for guests to line up.

Once inside, we noticed that reusable face masks were available for purchase.

Signage was present throughout the store to encourage guests to limit the number of times they handle a particular item.

Markers have been placed on the ground in order to keep guests spaced out near the registers.

As you approach the registers, you’ll find plexiglass sneeze guards.

Disney is accepting all payments, but they’re encouraging guests to use contactless payments.

Since the hotels so far have been VERY quiet, so there were few people shopping with us today.

See where else we found face masks for sale today!

Disney’s Riviera Resort

We also swung by La Boutique in Disney’s Riviera Resort to see what was happening at Disney’s newest resort hotel! We noticed similar signage at the front entrance to the store, as well as hand sanitizer.

There is also a sign outside of La Boutique. If there are too many people in the store, a Cast Member will take your number and will text you when it’s your turn to shop. We’ve seen this virtual queue feature used at World of Disney in Disney Springs. 

There, we noticed reusable masks for sale as well as disposable masks!

In addition to the face masks, hand sanitizer was also available for purchase.

Forehead thermometers were also spotted as a new item for purchase.

Overall, the new signage and physical distancing measurements to the fully stocked masks and hand sanitizer, shopping at Disney World may feel a little different at first. We will be visiting multiple merch shops around Disney property today to see if anything differs, so be sure to check back! 

Keep up with ALL our coverage from the reopened Disney World Resort hotels here!

Do you have an upcoming reservation at a Disney World Resort hotel? Let us know in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Featured, Walt Disney World, Bayview Gifts, disney news, disney world hotel, Disney World hotel experience, Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Riviera Resort, La Boutique, merchandise, shopping