The first order of business was to check out of the Grand Floridian. For the remainder of our trip, we would be staying at Saratoga Springs! We got packed up and called bell services to come get our luggage. We figured we would take a taxi but the bellman told us of a great service that Disney provides where they transfer your luggage between hotels for you! He saved us cab fare so we gave him a little extra tip :) He also said he would make sure our cake would be refrigerated the entire time. I wasn't about to let anything happen to my precious cake!!
We hopped the monorail to the Magic Kingdom and then took the bus over to our new resort, Saratoga Springs!
We got checked in quickly and bonus - our room was ready! We had a very nice deluxe studio on the ground floor in the Springs area. For those of you who don't know, Saratoga Springs is separated into sections like they have at the Caribbean Beach Resort. The bus makes stops at different named locations around the resort. We didn't have any problems with it!
We were very worried that we would not like Saratoga Springs because what can possibly compare with the Grand Floridian? We were glad to see that there was nothing to be worried about! Even before we got to our room we loved it. We immediately noticed how quiet it was everywhere. Since we stayed in the main building at the Grand Floridian, our room was near the lobby so we could hear the band and people milling about. We were glad to have peace and quiet for our Disneymoon!
Sort of a self-in-mirror camera fail, next time I won't put the camera in front of my mouth!
We loved the hidden mickeys here!!
And my favorite, the kitchenette! I specifically chose Saratoga Springs for our honeymoon because I wanted a kitchen so we could eat leftovers :) We had tons of cake and cookies! Little did I know that the kitchen is stocked with plates, forks, and even packets of plastic utensils! It was perfect!
The view from our patio, so quiet and serene!
We had a lunch reservation with my parents at EPCOT at Rose & Crown so we hopped a bus over there. The funny thing was that our room was really close to the bus stop but we still never heard any noise. Did I mention we loved our room? ;)
This fountain is behind the Springs bus stop, so beautiful!
We arrived at Rose & Crown right on time and were seated right away! Good thing too because I was starving! We all shared the Trio of Kingdom Pasties appetizer and it was so good this was the only picture I got!
Our waiter was great and we were curious about "Bubble and Squeak" and he told us that it is named after the sound that it makes frying in the pan. I've always wondered that since the first time I heard the term in Bedknobs and Broomsticks!
For my entree, I had the good ol' standby, Fish & Chips!
Jason had the bangers and mash and he cleaned his entire plate!
Dad had the sheppard's pie, yum! I think I'll get this next time...
Mom had the sunday pot roast, I tasted some and it was delicious!
We tried a couple desserts too but I didn't get a photo. We were pretty full of food, beer, and irish coffee by then that I was a 'lil loopy! The waiter was nice enough to take a photo of us!
As you can see, I continued wearing strapless tops because I didn't want tan lines for our bridal portrait sessions on day 7! After lunch, we said goodbye and parted ways. Jason and I headed back to Saratoga Springs to get our luggage and more importantly, our cake!
We called bell services and they brought our luggage straight away. They were not sure where the cake was but they assured me they would find it and they did! It arrived nicely refrigerated and in tact. I couldn't have been happier!! After we unpacked, we watched the wedding video again and had cake :)
I didn't cut the wedding cake properly, I didn't want to remove the white chocolate disk on top! It was too delicious to ruin.
We decided to hang around the resort for the remainder of the day because we had dinner reservations at The California Grill that night, 8PM with Wishes at 9PM. I had to wake up at 5AM 180 days in advance to nab this reservation! We got all gussied up and took a bus to the Magic Kingdom and from there we would walk to the Contemporary. We chatted up a nice family on their way to the Luau at the Polynesian. They had an adorable little girl who loved princesses. She said she hadnt met sleeping beauty yet because she said she hadn't woken up. She was adorable!!
Unfortunately our evening started out very un-magically because we had to wait 40 minutes to be seated and the restaurant was only half full. This is exactly why I am glad they are cracking down on no-shows but The California Grill already had a no-show policy. I was getting pretty antsy that we wouldn't be seated before Wishes and Jason didn't want to watch from outside because there was a lightening storm. Luckily we were seated in time and we got a great table!
We were seated at a table near the window but unfortunately Jason's view was almost completely blocked by a wall. Being the polite guy he is, he refused to move because he didn't want to walk in front of anyone while Wishes was going on and he didn't want to take the chance that he would stand in someone's way.
We struck up a nice conversation with the couple at the next table. We told them about our wedding and they were so happy for us! We admitted that we were fish out of water at The California Grill and we did not know what to order or what wine went with what. The man stood up and came over to show us his favorite wine. We still did not know what to do but a few minutes later, the waiter shows up with this!
Yes, the couple from the next table had bought us a bottle of wine. I have never been so touched in my entire life. It was so nice and we could not thank them enough. We have purchased many bottles of this since we've been home, it's delicious!
For our appetizer, we split the "california rolls". Neither of us knew that these are not your typical california rolls. I liked them, Jason did not.
Shortly after our appetizer arrived, Wishes began. The view from our table was so spectacular that I couldn't help but cry! I felt like fate stepped in to see us through and we had the perfect wedding and I was sitting with my prince who I love dearly. The tears flowed freely at the end..."Make a wish, dream a dream, trust your heart, and your wish will come true." It was the perfect moment!
Okay back to food. For my entree, I had the pork. I loved the flavor of the meat but I did not like the mashed potatoes it came with. I'm not a fan of really strong cheese.
Jason had the salmon which was good but he said he likes the salmon at The Hollywood Brown Derby better.
The California Grill ended up being a good experience for us but we were not huge fans of the food, it's just not our style. Although we never got their names, I will never forget the nice couple we sat next to. Thank you so much for giving us such a magical experience! It was a magical night!
The first day of our Disneymoon was everything we wanted - food and relaxation! Stay tuned for more including the bridal portraits and meeting our friends in the Disney Online Community! I feel like I'm starting a whole new trip report, there are 4 more days to go!
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